Mesa, Ariz. --- Minnesota State combined to shoot a 325 and is in tenth place after the first round of the 2010 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship which is being held May 12-15 in Mesa, Ariz.

Senior Kassie Ellsworth (Hayward, Wis.) fired a four-over 75 on the 5,830-yard lay-out at the Longbow Golf Club and is tied for eighth as MSU’s top performer on the day. Sophomore Samantha Bergmann (New Ulm, Minn.) carded an 81 and is tied for 39th. Sophomore Lisa Moline (Duluth, Minn.) shot 84 and is tied for 56th. Senior Jaymie Halvorson (Red Wing, Minn.) is tied for 60th after shooting an 85 and junior Kathleen Ritter (Red Wing, Minn.) recorded a 90 to rank 67th.

Nova Southeastern (Fla.), which combined to shoot a 298 on the day, ranks first in the team standings. Newberry’s Maria Luiz Berio shot a 71 to stand atop the individual leaderboard.

Round two of the four-day tournament is scheduled to get underway tomorrow morning.

MSU, which is coming off a third-place finish at the recently completed NCAA Super Three regional tournament, is making its ninth appearance in the NCAA championship tournament. MSU’s best-ever finish at the national tourney came in 2000 when the Mavericks finished fifth in the final team standings.

2010 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship
After First Round, Mesa, Ariz., Longbow GC
#    Team    Par    Team Score                     
1     Nova Southeastern    +14    298     
2     Rollins College    +22     306
3     Tarleton State    +27     311
4     Sonoma State    +29     313
5     Grand Valley State    +31     315     
T6     Florida Southern    +33     317
T6     Indianapolis    +33     317
T6     California-PA    +33     317
9     CSU-Monterey Bay    +35     319
10     Minnesota State     +41     325
11     Augustana (S.D.)    +43     327
12     Western New Mexico    +65     349

Complete results are available here.

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