Coming off of an eighth-place finish at the Lonnie Barton Invitational earlier in the month, the women’s golf team was aiming to earn a high finish at the Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate on March 30-31, the squad’s third tournament of the spring season. However, after a rough first day, the Bison finished in last place in the 16-team field.

“This tournament for us was like a practice run for the Patriot League Championship. It was our first tournament of the spring where we played 36-18, which is the same set-up at Patriot League,” Emily Larson ’17 said.

Through 36 holes, Jen Lee ’16 led the five Bison with a combined 164 score at the Kingsmill Resort. Larson had the best round performance with a 78 over the first 18 holes, while Nicole Mischler ’17 and Lindsay Dodovich ’18 scored 172 and 173, respectively, through 36 holes on Monday.

The final round progressed the following morning, with Larson leading the Orange and Blue with a round-low 84. She ended the two days with a three-round score of 254, while Lee totaled 250.

The Bison had a combined score of 1022, just five strokes behind Sacred Heart. The University of Delaware held a six-shot lead after the first 36 holes, but it relinquished its hold on the top spot in the final round after Eastern Michigan edged the Blue Hens by one stroke for a final score of 917. Host William & Mary finished in third (921).

“We learned there is still a lot of room for improvement, but we know what we need to work on. We can’t wait to show our full potential and win Patriot League,” Larson said.

The Bison will continue with match play against Penn State on April 11-12 as the spring season nears its end.