Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's golf team opened its first Atlantic 10 Championship Thursday, carding a 326 (+38) to sit in fourth place in Orlando, Fla., at Evermore Resort Golf Club.
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD
Loyola Chicago posted the best team score Thursday, closing at 304 (+16) to own a nine-stroke advantage over Dayton, which handed in a 313 (+25). Richmond sits four strokes behind the Flyers at 317 (+29) and owns a nine-stroke lead over the Dukes, while La Salle (355) and Saint Joseph's (413) round out the field. Thursday marked the first of three rounds at the Cypress Course, which owns a par of 72 and plays at 6,001 yards.
 
DETROIT ROCK CITY
Pacing Duquesne in the first round Thursday was freshman Abby Slankster, who led the field in pars (13) in carding a 78 (+6). She sits in a tie for seventh individually with Cassie Psuik of Loyola Chicago, which is in first place as each the five participants for the Ramblers sit in the top 11. Cate Reisinger for Loyola Chicago leads the pack in the early going after finishing even in the first round (72), three strokes ahead of Jenna Harter of Dayton and Olivia Wilkie of Richmond. Slankster opened with a par before notching a birdie on No. 2, a 491-yard par five. The hole proved to be the toughest on the course in the first round, with the average score among competitors at 6.21. Slankster was the only student-athlete to register a birdie on the hole.
 
KNOW YOUR STRENGTH
A number of Dukes were atop the leaderboard Thursday in scoring in each of a par three, four and five. Slankster and freshman Katie Caryl each finished below par on a par five, averaging 4.75 on such holes to top the field along with Wilkie of the Spiders. Slankster also averaged 4.30 strokes on a par four, tied for six with freshman Sasha Petrochko, while junior Lindsey Powanda was one of four players to finish even on a par three, joining Harter of the Flyers and Grace Durkin and Psuik of Loyola Chicago.
 
SUNSHINE STATE
Petrochko and Powanda sit just outside the top 10 after Thursday's first round, as the pair are in a three-way tie for 11th after handing in an 80 (+8). Powanda rallied on the back nine, finishing even after notching a birdie on back-to-back holes at 16 and 17. Petrochko's lone birdie of round one came at No. 12, a 354-yard par four. Caryl and fellow rookie Katie Fodale each finished at 88 (+16) Thursday, with Caryl posting a pair of birdies on a par five, including No. 9 (479 yards) and No. 13 (452), while Fodale finished with a 46 on the front nine and a 42 on the back.
 
UP NEXT
Caryl will open action for Duquesne in round two Friday at 7:30 a.m. from the first tee, followed by Fodale at 7:39 a.m. Slankster will be the last member of the Dukes to tee off, joining Hanna Mitchell of Saint Joseph's and Paige Cerminaro of La Salle in a group slated to go off at 8:06 a.m.
 
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