The Belles faced tough competition this weekend.
Saint Mary's traveled to The Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Mich., to compete in the MIAA NCAA qualifying tournament Friday and Saturday. With two rounds completed, the team is in fifth behind Olivet, Albion, Hope and Tri-State.
Shooting a score of 374 Friday and 386 Saturday, the two-day total for the Belles is 760 - 72 strokes more than first place Olivet. They were 42 strokes better than their nearest competitor, Kalamazoo. Although originally scheduled to participate, Adrian, Alma and Calvin did not compete.
Junior captain Katie O'Brien led the Belles, firing an 84 Friday and 81 Saturday, putting her in the top-10 for individual golfers in both rounds. Sophomore Meredith Fantom followed next on the team, with a total of 192.
Last fall, Saint Mary's finished fourth in the tournament, with a three-day total of 1484. After this weekend, the Belles were performing slightly better this year, scoring 739 in their first two rounds. Sophomore Perri Hamma is tied for 23rd after firing rounds of 95 and 98.
The third and final round was postponed and will be played at Tri-State University's Zollner golf course Tuesday. The team with the lowest cumulative score after all three rounds will then advance to the NCAA Championships held May 8-11 at El Campeon Golf Course at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
