Defending champions, the Emory University women's golf team, opened the 2023 NCAA Championships on Tuesday with a strong showing as they fired a day one score of 315 to lead the tournament field.
The Eagles finished the first day of action with +23 score, entering the clubhouse with a three-stroke lead over George Fox and four-stroke lead over UAA foes WashU and Carnegie Mellon which are tied for third. The top nine schools are separated by just 10 strokes as the tournament got underway on the El Campeon course at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
Reigning NCAA DIII national champion in sophomore Ellen Dong highlighted the Eagles on the opening day as she carded a first round score of 76 to pace the team and currently stands tied for fifth in the individual standings.
Freshman Cindy Wang in her tournament debut stands one stroke back of Dong at 77 after the first round and is in a tie for 10th place. Sophomore Sharon Mun recorded a six-over 79 to sit in a tie for 15th while freshman Katie Park turned in a 10-over 83 and sits tied for 47th. Junior Irene Wang rounded out the Emory contingent in Florida with a day one total of 84.
The Eagles will continue the championships Wednesday afternoon looking to bolster their lead. After the first 54-holes of competition are completed, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and the top six individuals not on one of those teams to compete in the final round of competition.