SMITHVILLE, Mo. – The Southwest Minnesota State University women's golf team shot an opening round score of 55-over 343 and is currently in sixth place at the 54-hole, 13-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship played at the par-72, 5,930-yard, Paradise Pointe-Outlaw Course.
 
Playing with a strong wind throughout the round, Courtni Frank and Ashley Trongard fired SMSU's two lowest scores on Friday and are currently in the top 15. Frank currently sits in ninth place in the 65-player field after carding an 8-over 80 with one birdie and nine pars. Trongard is tied for 13^th with a round of 10-over 82, which included one birdie and nine pars.
 
Sally Gallagher recorded a 16-over 88 and is tied for 31^st after making one birdie and seven pars. Jacqueline Gossen had four pars and finished with a 21-over 93 to sit in a tied for 48^th, while Danielle Podoll also closed with a 21-over 93 with a pair of pars.
 
SMSU, along with most of the teams in the championship, struggled with the 477-yard, par-5 ninth, as the Mustangs finished a combined 16-over on the hole. The average score on the hole was 6.74 and yielded the fewest pars on the day with 11.
 
Augustana is the first-round leader with a round of 18-over 306. Minnesota State is in second place at 43-over 331, followed by Wayne State at 45-over 333. Shannon McCromick from Augustana is the individual leader with a 1-over 73.
 
SMSU opens round two on Saturday at 9 a.m.