Emily Larson ’17 was the lowest-scoring Bison during their spring-opening tournament. Looking to escape the bitter Lewisburg winter, the women’s golf team traveled to Boulder City, Nev. for the first tournament of the spring season at the Boulder Creek Golf Club. The Orange and Blue placed eighth overall, tallying a cumulative score of 979. The tournament was split into two rounds from Feb. 15-16, with the Bison playing 54 total holes. As the only team from the north, the Bison represented themselves well in their competition against Alabama State, Portland State, Southern Utah, Weber State, Utah Valley, Northern Arizona, and Charleston Southern.

The Bison’s lowest-scoring member was Larson, who placed 22nd overall with a score of 238. Larson also holds the lowest score for a single round for the Bison, as she shot a 76 on her second round of holes during the second day of the tournament. Jen Lee ’16 placed 30th overall with a score 26 over par, totaling 242 strokes.

“As far as this tournament goes, we played 6,300 yards, and at times the wind picked up, but we were very happy to get out of the cold and have a chance to play outside this early in the season,” Lee said.

The spring opener was the first time the team played on grass since the fall season, and while the conditions were occasionally difficult, the Orange and Blue played almost 6,300 yards. With wind whipping about, Katie Childers ’19 was still able to hit one of her best scores yet, coming in with a 77 for her third round total. Childers was in close competition with Lee, as she placed 32nd. Eunbbie Kim ’19 had a final score of 257, placing her 41 over par, while Callie Nelson ’17 rounded out the Bison’s score with 266 strokes. Off to a strong start, the team has the Patriot League Championships in its sights, and hopes to continue to improve over the course of the season.

“For our first time getting to hit on grass since the fall season, I am fairly happy with my own performance, as well as our team’s performance,” Lee said. “This is a great start to our spring season and we plan to keep working hard throughout the season with Patriot Leagues as our end focus”

The Bison will return to Nevada to compete March 7-8 in the Bison in Las Vegas tournament.