MARION, Ind. – With Lauren Keiser’s drive on the first hole of the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational on Friday, the Grace College women’s golf team began official collegiate competition.

The Lady Lancers enjoyed its first tournament as a program, finishing 10th out of 12 teams at the Arbor Trace Golf Club. Grace beat two Crossroads League teams (Mt. Vernon Nazarene, Huntington).

In a pair of hot, humid pair days, Grace showed massive improvement from its first to second rounds.

In the team’s first official round, the Lady Lancers carded a 393. Keiser, who took the first swing in team history, led Grace with a 91. Aspen Rogers was right behind with a 92.

Stevie Luebbert finished the opening round with a 100, and Rylee Wolendowski had a 105. Emily McDermit (104) and Amanda Gifford (110) played as individuals in the round.

Grace dropped its score by 23 strokes in the second round. Keiser carded an 86 to lead Grace again, and Luebbert improved by a team-best 12 shots with a second-round 88.

Libby Tully fired a 95, and Rogers had a 101 to round out Grace’s scoring. McDermit (103), Wolendowski (112) and Gifford (116) also played for Grace.

“The extreme heat and rain delay were difficult distractions for our freshman lineup to overcome, but they all battled throughout the weekend,” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “It was good for the ladies to have this type of round under their belts as we move forward. I was very pleased with our progress from day one to day two as the girls improved by 23 strokes.”

A video of the first-ever tee shot for the Grace program can be viewed at the following link: https://instagram.com/p/7OVPQ5K0x9/?taken-by=gclancers

The Lady Lancers’ second tournament is next weekend for the NCCAA Regional Tournament.