PUEBLO, Colo. – Trust the process.
That's what the Metropolitan State University of Denver golf team is doing during the 2019 spring season. Each tournament and each round is a chance to get better.
The Roadrunners got better on Sunday during the first day of the El Cheapo Classic in Pueblo, Colo., sticking strong in the middle of a tough field of teams. MSU Denver put together a score of 306 (+18) for the first 18 holes, good enough for a share of seventh place out of 16 teams going into the final round.
The only teams ahead of MSU Denver on the leaderboard after the first day? Five squads ranked in Golfstat's NCAA Division II Top 50 and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe UCCS. Tied with MSU Denver in seventh place is No. 31 Rogers State and another RMAC foe, Colorado Christian.
"The girls had a much better day today," coach Stef Ferguson said Sunday afternoon. "They all had some really good stretches of holes and quite a few birdies. It helped to get outside more this week to practice for sure."
Leading the charge once again was junior
Jennifer Hankins (Thornton, Colo./Legacy), who tied for the second-best total in the field with five birdies on day one en route to an opening-round 75 (+3). Hankins started the day with two straight birdies and ended the day with two birdies in her final four holes, helping her tie a season-low with her third 75 (+3) of the season.
With 18 holes remaining, Hankins has a share of 13
th place and is just one stroke outside the top 10. Six of the golfers in front of her are ranked in the Golfstat NCAA Division II top 100.
Fellow junior
Sarah Hunt (/) is tied for 21
st in the field of 80 golfers after one day, just one stroke behind Hankins. Hunt played a steady round on Sunday, recording 14 pars and sprinkling in four bogeys for a 76 (+4), a season-low.
Junior
Abby Dixon (Weed, Calif./Weed) posted two birdies on Sunday and signed for an opening-round 77 (+5), giving her a share of 29
th on the individual leaderboard. Dixon tied a season-low round in the process.
Sophomore
Kika Dzoan (Tracy, Calif./Venture Academy) posted a 78 (+6) in the first round, registering two birdies of her own and entering the clubhouse with a share of 34
th place while also tying a season-low round.
If you're keeping score at home, all four Roadrunners with counting scores set or tied season-low rounds on Sunday.
Winnie Shaw (Wichita, Kan./The Independent School) checked in fifth for MSU Denver, posting an opening-round 90 (+18).
With 18 holes to go on Monday, the Roadrunners find themselves just three strokes out of fourth place on the team leaderboard. No. 13 St. Mary's has the lead after a team score of 292 (+4) in the opening round, while No. 6 West Texas A&M is second with a 296 (+8). No. 24 St. Edward's is third after a 299 (+11) on Sunday, while No. 48 Simon Fraser is fourth with a 303 (+15) in the opener. The remaining teams ahead of MSU Denver are UCCS (304, +16) and No. 50 and host CSU-Pueblo (305, +17).
"We are in a really good position going into tomorrow and are close to most of our conference teams which is exciting," Ferguson said. "I'm really proud of all the girls today and looking forward to an even better day tomorrow."
The final round of the El Cheapo Classic will begin at 9 a.m. MT Monday with a shotgun start at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.
