The Panthers finished up 18 holes on Monday afternoon at the Evansville Braun Intercollegiate invitational, and Eastern turned things around in the standings.

Junior Anne Bahr continued to lead Eastern posting a 6-over round one score of 78 to put her in a tie for 11th out of the 59 qualifying players.

With Bahr continuing her strong play, she said she is pleased after her results.

“I hit a lot of fairways and greens so that was especially key for me,” she said. “But overall just keeping calm and being smart when I got into trouble was the biggest thing. It helped to eliminate any big mistakes.”

Senior Chloe Wong was second on the team and in a five-way tie for the 18th spot after going 9-over with a round score of 81.

With one more round to go, Wong knows round two will be important for the team.

“We need to continue to play one shot at a time,” she said. “We have one round left and we need to make it our best to build up our confidence for the spring semester”

Senior Madison Burgett was next in the rankings finishing tied for 37th place after a round one score of 85 and going 13-over.

Senior Alexandra Pickens, after leading Panthers in the Dayton Flyer Invitational, took a big dip the rankings for Eastern. Pickens is tied for 52nd place after posting an 18-over round one score of 90.

Sophomore Katlyn Hasprey, who didn’t compete in the Dayton Flyer Invitational, was the last Eastern golfer on the day and she sits in 58th place with a round one score of 93.

With Hasprey struggling in round one, she will look to improve in round two with work off the tee and her swing.

“I struggled off the tee today and didn’t set myself up on the appropriate places I needed to on the green,” she said. “My swing plane is not where it needs to be so that’s what I’ll work on over winter and during the spring”

After day one, host team Evansville is leading the way in the standings with a total of 303. Butler is right on their tail sitting only five points behind Evansville in second place with a combined score of 308. Valparaiso is in the third spot with a combined score of 312.

In the middle of the standings, Indiana State has a round one score of 317, Northern Kentucky combined for a score of 319, Chicago State sits at No. 6 with a team score of 327 and No. 7 is owned by Lipscomb with a score of 330.

The Panthers occupy the No. 8 spot after a combined round one score of 334. No. 9 Indiana State (B) 343 and Tennessee State University rounds out the top ten with a combined score of 352.

Vince Lovergine can be reached at 581-2812 or vplovergine@eiu.edu