Three local players and a Colorado-based team lead after Monday’s opening rounds of women’s NCAA Division I conference championships.
Setting the pace in the 54-hole events, that will continue through Wednesday:
— Coloradan Jaylee Tait, a sophomore at Montana State, shot a 3-under-par 69 and leads the women’s Big Sky Conference Championship in Boulder City, Nev., by two. Tait (pictured), a 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier, made six birdies on Monday.
— The University of Denver, seeking its 13th consecutive conference title, is off to a very good start. The Pioneers, with a 7-over-par 295 round in the women’s Summit League tournament in Nebraska City, leads second-place Oral Roberts by 20 shots with two rounds remaining. And DU’s Jessica Carty fired a 3-under-par 69 and leads the individual competition by four shots over South Dakota’s Brenna Lervick.
— Then at the women’s Mountain West Conference Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Colorado State freshman Katrina Prendergast shares the individual lead after round 1. Prendergast carded a 1-under-par 71 to earn a tie for the top spot with Georgia Lacey of San Diego State and Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir of Fresno State.
Here are the scores for local players and teams:
Women’s Mountain West Conference Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Rancho, Mirage, Calif.
6. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 309
T1. Katrina Prendergast 71; 19. Sarah Archuleta 77; 34. Brianna Becker 80; 37. Elisabeth Rau 81; 37. Mikayla Tatman 81.
Also
34. Coloradan Kathleen Kershisnik, Wyoming 80.
Women’s Big Sky Conference Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Boulder City, Nev.
5. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 302
23. Kala Keltz 75; 23. Nicole Okada 75; 28. Baile Winslow 76; 28. Janet Yeo 76; 46. Amanda Myers 82.
Also
1. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State 69.
Women’s Pac-12 Conference Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Pleasanton, Calif.
4. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 286
5. Esther Lee 70; 5. Alexis Keating 70; 22. Brittany Fan 72; 39. Natalie Vivaldi 73; 45. Gillian Vance 75.
Women’s Summit League Championship
April 18-20, 2016 in Nebraska City, Neb.
1. (out of 9 teams) Denver 295
1. Jessica Carty 69; 3. Kathi Baratta 74; 5. Mariell Bruun 76; 5. Sophie Newlove 76; 10. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 78.