By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The first of three days of action at collegiate golf's largest event came to a close Sunday afternoon, as the Tennessee Tech women's golf team kicked off their sixth-straight year of competition at the Kiawah Island Classic.

The Golden Eagles put together a single-round score of 313 to open play on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, ranking 30th among the 41 teams in the field for 2021. ETSU finished the day at the top of the charts, boasting a 286 overall. Dallas Baptist's Faith DeLaGarza paced the individual scoring in the opening round with a 5-under 67.

On Tech's side of the leaderboard, it was sophomore Elisabeth Toennessen that came out on top through the first 18 holes. The Grimstad, Norway native tied for 77th among the 210 golfers in contention, carding a 77 on the day with a trio of birdies. 

Matching her teammate's birdie total and wrapping up Sunday's action just one shot back was Heidi Lawson. The junior tallied a 78, tying for 93rd overall. 

A pair of veterans were the next Tech golfers to appear on the day's rankings, each tying for 116th. Senior Hannah Bratton rounded out the day with a 79 with a pair of birdies on the scorecard. Redshirt senior Arianna Clemmer also captured a 79, parring eight holes with two birdies.

Rounding out action for the purple and gold was sophomore Gittle Sciolis. Tying for 171st, the Bremen, Ga. native finished the day with an 83.

The second round of play at the Kiawah Island Classic will take part on the Cougar Point Course, with the Golden Eagles slated to kick off Monday's action at 7:00 a.m. CT.

Photo by Thomas Corhern