Hilton Head Island, S.C. – Firing an opening-round score of 299, Western Carolina women's golf was ninth after Friday's opening round of the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational, hosted by Mercer at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
 
Second-round play was suspended due to darkness before its completion, with teams between five and eight holes shy of completing the round. Teams will complete the second round before starting the third once play can resume. Plans are for action to resume on Saturday, weather-permitting. Otherwise, the final 23 to 26 holes of the event will be played on Sunday.
 
Live scoring of the 54-hole tournament is available online through the Scoreboard app, powered by Clippd.
 
Western Carolina's scoring five was led by senior Sadler Miller with an even-par 72 over the opening 18 holes. The Clayton, N.C., product had a rather uneventful day, recording 16 pars, including seven-straight to close the round. She countered a bogey on the par-4, 363-yard ninth with her lone birdie on the par-5, 495-yard 18th. Miller was 11 holes into her second round when competitors were chased from the course.
 
Graduate transfer EC Niebauer was tied for 25th through 18 holes, matching Miller with 16 pars with two bogeys. She was poised for a 1-over par round before a bogey on the par-4, 154-yard fourth on her 18th hole relegated her to 74.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five through the opening 18 holes was sophomore Annalee Caveney in a tie for 43rd at 4-over par 76, sophomore Elsa Maren Steinarsdôttir a stroke back at 5-over par 77 in a tie for 48th, and sophomore Emily Rosenschein 78th with a first-round 85. Caveney carded a pair of birdies over her final five holes of the opening round to knock a pair of strokes off her round, while Steinarsdôttir also posted a pair of birdies.
 
After 18 holes, Virginia Tech had a stroke lead over Mercer, 286-to-287, with Central Arkansas in third with an even-par round of 288. A second SoCon foe, UNCG, was fourth, five strokes off the pace at 291, with Boston College rounding out the top five.
 
McKenzie Mages of South Dakota State led the field through the first round, carding a 5-under par 67, to lead Central Arkansas striker Valeria Ramirez (69) by two strokes atop the individual leaderboard. The field included a five-way tie for third place at 2-under par, 70.
 
Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational – Thru 18 Holes:
9 – Western Carolina – 299 (+11)
T13 – Sadler Miller – 72 (E)
T25 – EC Niebauer – 74 (+2)
T43 – Annalee Caveney – 76 (+4)
T48 – Elsa Maren Steinarsdôttir – 77 (+5)
78 – Emily Rosenschein – 85 (+13)