MADISON, Wis. — Led by a trio of players in a tie for seventh place the UTSA women’s golf team is atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Badger Invitational, which teed off Sunday at University Ridge Golf Course (par 72/6,248 yards).
Daniela Abonce, Maria Bastarrica and Morgan Ellison all carded a 1-over-par 73 to grab a share of seventh and help the Roadrunners to a two-shot lead in the team standings.
UTSA posted a 7-over 295, good for the top spot in the 13-team field ahead of Delaware (297), Rutgers (298), Yale (299), Sam Houston (300) and host Wisconsin (300).
Abonce, the 2024 American Athletic Conference Champion, registered a pair of birdies to highlight the opening round of her junior campaign. The Veracruz, Mexico, native wrote down a two on the 174-yard third hole and a four on the 514-yard 16th hole to help claim a part of the eight-way tie for seventh.
Bastarrica, a native from Spain, recorded 15 pars and a birdie on the 483-yard, par-5 ninth hole to headline the first 18 holes of her sophomore season.
Ellison, a senior out of Peachtree City, Georgia, paced the Roadrunners in birdies with four in the opening round. She had a two on the 168-yard eighth hole before circling her number three times during a five-hole stretch on the back nine.
Olivia Williams provided the other counting score in the opening round with a 4-over 75 that featured a pair of birdies to settle into a tie for 27th, while Sydney Bisgrove rounds out the UTSA lineup in a tie for 72nd (+13).
That trio is four strokes off the pace of 3-under par set by Lucrezia Rossettin of Rutgers and Grace Jin of Sam Houston with 36 holes remaining.
Round two is scheduled for Monday and the Roadrunners will tee off beginning at 10:40 a.m.
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