The Belles finished in 18th place at the IWU Fall Classic Tournament in Normal, Ill. while turning in a team score of 696 (120-over par) this weekend.
The team shot a 347 the first day and a 349 on the second day of the tournament.
Co-captain Alex Sei said hard winds contributed to the Belles' struggles, and although coach Mark Hamilton was "disappointed" with the finish, he said he saw signs of improvement.
"We showed some definite signs of improvement," he said. "If we continue to work on our short game we should lower our scores dramatically. "
DePauw captured first place by shooting 56-over par for a combined squad total of 632 (311, 321). Wisconsin-Eau Claire trailed by one stroke to finish in second place in the two-round, 72-par tournament.
Junior captain Katie O'Brien led the Belles in scoring with an 86 on day one and an 82 on day two for a combined total of 168 (24-over par) to finish 43rd in a field of 134 golfers.
Kate Doornbos, the only freshman competing for the Belles in the tournament said she only felt "some pressure" to prove herself on the team.
"I'm more excited than anything," she said. "I just try my best."
Doornbos finished with the second lowest score on the squad (174) by shooting 30-over par to finish 64th. Meredith Fantom and Katie McInerney both shot 180s to finish 84 and 85, respectively and Alex Sei shot a 182 (95, 87) placing 89th.
The tournament's individual winner, Katie Tewell from Franklin College, shot just 4 strokes over par and had a total score of 148 (74, 74).
The Belles will have a chance to show their improvement when they play the Comet Classic hosted by Olivet College Sept. 22-23.
