AVONDALE, Ariz. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's golf team opened the 2016 RMAC Championships with a 17-over 305 to match its best round in program history and is second after the first round of the stroke play portion of the championship.
Alex Darwin led the Mountain Lions with a 1-over 73 for the best individual round for the team this season.
The team performance was the best of the season by nine strokes and matched the program record set in the second round of the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate on Sept. 23, 2014. It was the best performance for a first round in program history by six strokes from the same WNMU Fall Intercollegiate tournament. Today's round was also the best for an RMAC Championship by 13 strokes, set in last year's first round.
Darwin was consistent throughout the day with par on 15 of her 18 holes today for her career-best score. She finished with her best round of the season by two strokes and her best of the spring season by four strokes. The 1-over performance is tied for the second-best in program history and is two strokes behind the record set by
Michelle Romano in 2014. Darwin is one stroke off of the individual lead held by MSU Denver's Lindsey Gullikson and Colorado Mesa's Taylor Walters.
Forre Zook turned in a 2-over 74 and is tied for fourth with MSU Denver's Cha Cha Willhoite and Colorado State-Pueblo's Courtney Ewing. Zook's round was the best of her career by two strokes, and the best of the season by five strokes. Her round is tied for the second-best for a Mountain Lion this season.
Timbrelee McNair and
Amanda Crites rounded out the team score with a 7-over 79. The pair both recorded two birdies in today's round and are tied for No. 20 overall. Crites' round matched her career best and was the best of the season by two strokes. McNair has four of the top 15 rounds for the Mountain Lions this season after today's performance.
UCCS is five strokes behind MSU Denver for the lead in the stroke play portion of the championship. The top four teams after 36 holes will advance to Tuesday's medal-match round. The top two teams will play for the RMAC championship, and the next two teams will play for third place. The Mountain Lions are five strokes ahead of third-place Colorado Mesa for the chance to play in Tuesday's championship match, and 11 strokes ahead of fifth-place Western New Mexico for the cutoff to play in Tuesday's medal-match round.
The Mountain Lions will be paired with MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa in tomorrow's final round of stroke play. The teams will tee off at 9:10 a.m., MDT.
