BLANCO, Texas – The Southwestern University Pirates women's golf team opened up its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) title defense with a strong first day at the SCAC Championships at the Vaaler Creek Golf Club.
Emily Campbell, Leilani McDaniel, and Mikayla Miller led a field of 28 through the first round, putting the Pirates atop the leaderboard with a score of 315, leading second-place Trinity University by 22.
Campbell finished the day as the overall leader, scoring a 76 by making 12 of the 18 pars, finishing a SCAC-best one under in Par 3 scoring and breaking even on Par 5 holes. She struggled on hole two—a 302-yard Par 4—by shooting three over but recovered with a birdie on a Par 3 hole nine, and another birdie on a Par 5 hole 16.
McDaniel finished closed behind with a 77, not finishing with any birdies but showing great consistency by making par an event-high 14 times. Miller placed third with a 79, finishing in the top five in Par 3 and 4 scoring and making par 10 times and birdying on a pair of Par 5 holes. Katherine Dyo finished the round in seventh, shooting an 83, followed by Valentina Olivieri in eighth at 84.