DAVIE, Fla. – Thanks to a pair of birdies over the final three holes, Nova Southeastern senior Hanna Ahlander climbed back to even-par and into a three-way tie atop the leaderboard following the opening round of the NCAA Division II Women's Golf South Regional on Monday. The Sharks (+16) currently sit tied for fourth as a team, five back of Lynn.

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Standing: T4th of 12 Teams
Tournament Leader: Lynn
Location: Grande Oaks Golf Club | Davie, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 71/5,887
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_WGolf | Instagram - @NSU_WGolf

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In an up-and-down opening round for the Sharks, head coach Heather Wall's team shot a (+16) 300 on its home course Monday. The score matched Tampa for fourth-best among the 12-team field.
• Lynn made up ground on the back nine before entering the clubhouse at 11-over par, good enough for a one-stroke lead over both Anderson (S.C.) and Saint Leo.
• Ahlander began the morning with seven straight pars and moved to one-under after a birdie on the Par-5 8^th. Three bogeys over the next six holes would slow the Swede's momentum, yet Ahlander finished strong to grab the 18-hole lead alongside Columbus State's Victoria Libaak and Saint Leo's Francesca Santoni.
• Just two back of the leaders stands NSU's Sofia Garcia Austt. Garcia Austt posted a round of (+2) 73 to open in a tie for fifth.
• Nicola Fall wrapped up the afternoon tied for 28^th at five-over par, while Ellen Andersson finished at nine-over.
• Ellen Ramstedt rounded out the lineup with a round one score of (+10) 81.

STATS OF THE DAY:

• Birdies proved tough to come by on Monday, as neither team combined for more than 10 in the opening round. NSU recorded a total of seven.
• Ahlander accounted for three of the Sharks' seven birdies.
• Monday's round one scoring average finished at 76.64.

BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• The Top-5 teams, along with the Top-2 individuals on a non-advancing team, will qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championship on May 10-14 at Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Ga.

 
UP NEXT:
Grouped with Tampa and Limestone, the Sharks will tee off the second round at 8:11 a.m. on Tuesday.  For coverage, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_WGolf.