The Eastern women’s golf team will begin its season with a crop of young players.

The Panthers’ roster consists of five freshman, three sophomores and one senior.

As a freshman last season, Lexi Hammerton competed in all 10 events and had an 84.5 stroke average for the season.

Her best round of the season was 24th place at the Butler Fall Invite.

She also tied for 40th at the end-of-season Ohio Valley Conference Championship.

Tiffany Wolf, the lone senior, led the team last season with an 83.5 stroke mark as she competed in 10 events as well.

Her best mark came in the second round of the Austin Peay Fall Intercollegiate, where she shot a 74.

Wolf was also placed on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll last season.

The Panthers lost two key players form last season, in Elyse Banovic and Emily Fitzgerald, who were two of the top three golfers on the Panthers last season.

Banovic was second on the team last season in stroke average with 84.5.

She competed in 10 events and had a low round of 77.

Fitzgerald competed in nine events and had a stroke average of 86, which was tied for third on the team.

The Panthers competed in 10 events last season and did not have a top five finish.

Their best finish came in the Butler Fall Invitational when they placed sixth out of 10 teams and had a score of 661.

Eastern placed ninth in the conference tournament last season.

The Panthers will start this season at the Western Illinois Autumn Invitational Friday at the Harry Mussatto Golf Course in Macomb.

This tournament will be a 36-hole event.

Teams included in this tournament are the University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of Illinois-Chicago and Indiana State University.

This is the first time the Panthers will be competing in an event hosted by Western Illinois in four years.

The Panthers competed in the Western Illinois Westerwind Classic at Harry Mussato Golf Course and placed third in the event out of eight teams.

The last time the Panthers competed in the Western Illinois Autumn Invitational was 2009, when they placed fourth out of nine teams.

This last time this tournament was around was 2012, when Western placed first in the tournament.

The Panthers will also compete at four other events in the fall, including the Southern Illinois Invitational, and the Butler Invitational.

Bob Reynolds (@BobReynoldsDEN) can be reached at 581-2812 or rjreynolds@eiu.edu