Murray State University Athletics
NCAA Women's Golf Round 1 - Racers Battle Tough Otter Creek
5/6/2010 7:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
The Murray State Racers carded a 336 in round one of the NCAA Women's Golf Championship Central Regional Thursday at Otter Creek GC in Columbus, Ind.
MSU had a spot in 22nd place ahead of 23rd place Detroit-Mercy 352 and behind 20th place Notre Dame and North Carolina State at 328.
Individually, the Racers were led by Andrea Downer's 81 which was good for a spot in 69th place in the field of 123 competitors.
MSU's Joyce Trus and Caroline Lagerborg each recorded an 84 and were in 94th place, while Morgan Cross was in 109th place with an 87. Megan McKinney's 88 earned a spot in 115th place.
The Racers, making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Championship, wanted more out of their first round.
"I think we played better than our score indicated," MSU Head Coach Velvet Milkman said. "We didn't make a lot of putts today and you have to make some to score well on a demanding course like Otter Creek."
"We started slow and were rusty and I anticipated that with our team having finals just before we got here, because we didn't get to practice like we normally would," Milkman added. "But we played better on our second nine today and I think we'll bring that to the course with us for round two."
Pac-10 teams Arizona State and USC, ranked second and third in the latest Golf Week poll, are dueling in Indiana and separated by only two shots after the first 18 holes. ASU had a 297, while the Trojans had a 299. Purdue, ranked seventh nationally, was in third place with a 303.
Oregon and Oklahoma State shared fourth place at 305, while New Mexico (306), Florida State (308), Mississippi (309), Kent State (309), Michigan State (310), Denver (312), Georgia (312), Louisville (315), Illinois State (315) and Baylor (316) made up the rest of the top-15 teams.
When Saturday's final round is finished, the top eight teams advance to the finals of the NCAA Championship May 18-21 at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.
MSU's second round at Otter Creek GC begins Friday at 8:55 a.m. with Megan McKinney, followed by Morgan Cross at 9:06 a.m. Caroline Lagerborg begins play at 9:17 a.m., with Joyce Trus at 9:28 a.m. and Andrea Downer at 9:39 a.m.
The Racers will again be paired with Jackson State and Detroit-Mercy.
