YPSILANTI, Mich. — No. 20 Milligan University's women's golf program teed off at the NAIA Championships at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Wednesday. The 5,895-yard championship course is home to Eastern Michigan University's golf programs, and the par-72 course holds a USGA course rating of 73. After earning an at-large selection to the tournament, the Buffs were originally scheduled for an afternoon tee time on Tuesday, May 19. However, thunderstorms halted play in the early stages of the afternoon, forcing teams to the clubhouse. The NAIA announced Tuesday evening that the championship would be restructured from 72 holes to 54 holes of play from May 20-22 due to weather. The cut will still be made following 36 holes of play on Thursday, with the top 15 teams on the leaderboard advancing to a final round on Friday.

Overall, the thunderstorms passed, but it was still a chilly afternoon at the course as teams battled 55-degree conditions. Highlighting the team's effort, all five members parred the famous par-5 16th hole, which features a peninsular green and was recognized by USA Today as one of Detroit's "Dream 18—Most Memorable Holes." Catalina Easley led the charge for Milligan, swinging the sticks well and turning in a scorecard of 75 (+3) to put her in a tie for 7th place. As a team, the Buffs held a top-five spot up until the final hole, when they dropped a stroke and moved into a tie for seventh with SCAD Atlanta. The Buffs trail first-place Dalton State by 10 strokes.

Easley, playing out of the No. 3 slot, got her tournament off to a fast start by opening with a par on the 10th and a birdie on the 11th. She then ran into a difficult three-hole stretch from 13 to 15, where significant water hazards along Ford Lake come into play. After enduring three consecutive bogeys, Easley quickly regained her composure to close out her opening nine with three straight pars, making the turn at 2-over-par 38. She carried that momentum onto the front side, extending her par streak to five with back-to-back pars on the 1st and 2nd. After a bogey on the 3rd, she put her foot on the gas and finished by parring four of the final six holes, while recording a birdie on the 6th to keep her name in contention at the top of the leaderboard, finishing the day at 3-over-par in T-7th.

Mallory TeVrucht put together a consistent opening round to follow Easley. TeVrucht impressed on her first nine after starting on hole 10. Her consistency led to six pars on the back side, highlighted by a birdie on the par-three 14th. At the turn, she was in a strong position on the leaderboard, carding a one-over-par 37. She stumbled a bit after the turn, making bogeys on holes 1 through 3, before righting the ship by stringing together five straight pars to cap her 5-over-par 77 round.

Madison Butler also put together a solid outing to help keep Milligan near the top of the team leaderboard. Playing out of the No. 4 slot, she parred seven of her first nine holes to boost Milligan's positioning, making her way to the second nine at 2-over-par. She is currently in T-58th place at 7-over-par (79), after a 5-over-par 41 on the second nine.

Bailey McGaha had an up-and-down round but put her best effort together at the end when it mattered most. As Milligan was battling to keep its position in the top field, McGaha closed her round with four consecutive pars to keep the Buffs in contention. Overall, she carded an 80 on the afternoon, finishing with a 5-over-par 41 on the first nine and a 3-over-par 39 on the second nine. She currently sits in a tie for 72nd place at +8.

Christa Woodard kicked off the tournament, playing the round as an individual for the squad. Woodard tied for a team-leading 1-over-par 37 on the first nine, parring eight of the nine holes. However, on the second nine, a 10 on the par-4 second damaged her otherwise impressive round. After round one, she sits at +10 on the leaderboard.

Milligan will look to build on its strong opening performance when round two tees off tomorrow. Day two could prove to be the deciding round of the tournament; while the Buffs are well-positioned in a tie for seventh, the leaderboard is incredibly congested. Numerous teams are sitting right on their heels, as Oregon Tech holds the final projected cut spot in 15th place at just five strokes behind Milligan. With the field fighting to survive the 36-hole cut on Thursday evening, the Buffs will need another collective performance to solidify their positioning and punch their ticket to Friday's final round.

Click HERE for the full results