ANDERSON, IN - Transylvania University women's golf opened the HCAC Women's Golf Conference Championship with a strong performance Friday at Anderson Country Club, sitting in second place after the first round of the three-day event.

The Pioneers posted an opening-round score of 52-over par and trail only tournament leader Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology heading into Saturday's second round. Transylvania also created separation from the rest of the field, holding a 13-shot advantage over third-place Mount St. Joseph University after day one.

Sophomore Nicole Mears led the way for the Pioneers, tying for fourth individually with a 9-over-par round. Mears remains firmly in contention entering the final 36 holes of the championship.

Transylvania's freshman class played a major role in the team's opening-round success. Freshman Ginger Mooser finished eighth overall after carding an 11-over-par round. Fellow freshman Emery Herron tied for 13th at 15-over, while freshmen Addilyn Johnson and Macy Saylor each ended the day tied for 17th at 17-over par.

The Pioneers displayed impressive depth throughout the lineup, placing all five scoring golfers inside the top 20 of the conference championship field hosted by Anderson University.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology leads the tournament at +45, followed by Transylvania at +52. Mount St. Joseph sits third at +65, while host Anderson University rounds out the top four at +69.

Individually, Erin Nolan holds the tournament lead after an opening-round 2-over-par performance. The HCAC Women's Golf Conference Championship continues Saturday with round two before concluding Sunday.

Transylvania University is a proud member of the NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of the Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.