HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- Ithaca College freshman Lisa Calcasola posted a career-best round and holds the lead in the individual standings after the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships at Mission Inn Resort. Calcasola posted a score of 3-over-par 75 on the par-72 layout on the El Campeon Course, which played to 5,844 yards.
 
 Ithaca stands fourth in the team standings following the opening round with a team total of 326, which is 15 strokes behind opening-round leader Rhodes College (311). Methodist University is second at 321 and Mary Hardin-Baylor is third at 325. All five players in Ithaca's lineup scored at least three strokes below the field average, which was 88.69 in the opening round, and all five rank in the top half of the field of 110 players.
 
Calcasola played a steady opening nine holes, starting on the 10th hole. She made five pars and four bogeys to go out in 4-over-par 40. Another bogey on the fourth hole, her 13th, pushed her to +5 for the round, but she made birdies on her 16th and 17th to get back to 3-over par and take the individual lead. On the course's front nine, her second nine, Calcasola made two birdies, six pars and just one bogey to total 1-under-par 35 on her inward nine. The freshman from Longmeadow, Mass. carried a season-scoring average of 82.94 into the tournament and her previous best round was a 79, which came in her last round of the regular season.
 
Ithaca's team score of 326 also included rounds of 83 from Kelsey Baker and 84s from Sharon Li and Amanda Failla. Kimberley Wong also played a solid opening round of 85.
 
Baker stands tied for 35th after the opening round score of 11-over-par. She started her round with a double bogey and made three more bogeys on the back nine to go out in 41. Another double on the third hole, the hardest hole in terms of scoring average in round one, and four more bogeys on the front nine saw her come in with 42.
 
Failla and Li posted identical scores of 84, and are tied for 39th in the individual standings. Failla went out in 41. She made four bogeys and a double in her first six holes, but came through with a birdie on 17. Three bogeys and two doubles on the back nine saw her come home in 43. Li went out in 41 with two bogeys and a triple bogey on her opening nine. She made three bogeys in her first five holes on the inward nine, and then made back-to-back double bogeys for a score of 43.
 
Wong's round of 85 was built on 43 going out and 42 on the second nine. She made nine bogeys, two doubles and seven pars for her round of 13-over-par. She stands in a tie for 47th.
 
Ithaca's group will begin from the first tee in Wednesday's second round with tee times beginning at 7:45 a.m. through 8:25 A.M. Ithaca golfers will be paired with players from Williams College and Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
Complete Scoring and Statistics at Golfstat