Saint Mary's continues in its pursuit of a qualifying spot in the NCAA Division III championship as it competes in its second event this spring at the Northern Kentucky Invitational in Perry Park, Kent.Competing alongside the Belles will be five of the top 10 teams in Div. II as well as several strong Div. III teams including the No. 5 team."The competition will be fierce," Belles coach Mark Hamilton said. "Our goal is to finish as the top Division III team in the field."Katie O'Brien has led the Belles for the last year. The senior captain won the MIAA's most valuable player award last fall and brought Saint Mary's to a third place finish in the conference.Freshman Emily Gore also played well this fall garnering second-team all-MIAA honors and is an important factor in bringing the Belles to the championship event this spring."I expect both of them to continue to play well and score low this spring," Hamilton said.The Belles made great strides during the offseason and Hamilton believes his team has what it takes to propel them to the top of their conference."I think we have worked harder than our competition and have made the necessary improvements to catch and surpass them."In the first event of the spring, the Belles placed 10th at the St. Andrews Invitational in Pinehurst, N.C. This weekend's tournament is the second of seven events on the schedule for Saint Mary's this spring.
