CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State made up 16 strokes on a Saint Martin's program that began the day two strokes ahead of the Eagles, overtaking the Saints to finish eighth out of 12 programs as the three-day Travis Roy Memorial Invite, hosted by South Dakota Mines, concluded from The Powder Horn Golf Community in Sheridan, Wyoming.
The Eagles, who were ninth in the standings after 36 holes and two rounds, posted a team score of 31-over 319 on day three. That daily total ranked sixth among the 12 competing programs during Tuesday's action. It also ensured Chadron State improved its team score every day of the event, from a 338 on Sunday to a 328 on Monday to Tuesday's 319.
Chadron State was one of only two teams in the field to gain ground and pass another team in the standings on Tuesday. The other was CSU Pueblo, who leapfrogged both Westmont and Westminster to take the team title of the event.
Junior Klara Kleinig and sophomore Macy Kleve each carded Tuesday rounds of 6-over 78 to lead the Chadron State charge. Both had five bogeys in their round while Kleve birdied back-to-back holes on the par-5 No. 14 and the par-3 No. 15.
Buoyed by her sparkling 74 during Monday's second round, sophomore Lauren Knapp was Chadron State's top placer on the final leaderboard. With rounds of 85, 74 and a Tuesday score of 9-over-par 81, Knapp finished at 24-over 240 over three days, tying for 18th place in a 67-golfer field. Knapp jumped 23 spots from Sunday's leaderboard to Monday's leaderboard, which remained the largest single-day jump of the tournament.
Kleinig finished at 32-over 248, tied for 37th place. Kleve finished one stroke back, tied for 39th position at 33-over 249. Junior Maggie Teague produced both CSC's fourth-best score on Tuesday with a round of 10-over 82 and CSC's fourth-best finish on the leaderboard as Teague placed tied for 45th at 40-over 256.
Junior Brooklyn Tychsen carded a Tuesday round of 14-over 86, including a birdie, and placed an even 50th with a three-day score of 263. While Lauren Knapp fell two places on the leaderboard from Monday to Tuesday, the next four CSC golfers jumped up, with Kleining rising four places, Kleve moving up five and Teague and Tychsen each moving up two spots.
Sophomore Taegan Bach finished in 61st place with a three-day score of 311. Bach also turned in her low round of the tournament on Tuesday, firing an even 100 after previous scores of 101 and 110.
With a three-day score of 985, Chadron State finished 14 strokes ahead of the ninth-place Saints, who shot 335 on Tuesday. The Eagles were 24 strokes back of seventh-place Colorado Mesa. Chadron State placed fourth out of the seven competing RMAC programs, trailing CSU Pueblo (1st, 923), Westminster (T-2nd, 925), and Colorado Mesa (7th, 961) but leading South Dakota Mines (10th, 1,022), Black Hills State (11th, 1,033) and Adams State (12th, 1,377).
Chadron State golf next competes at the Everspring Inn & Suites Mustang Invite in Marshall, Minnesota from Saturday, September 26 through Sunday, September 27.
