GOODYEAR, Ariz. --- The 2017-18 Biola Women's Golf season kicked off on Monday morning as the new-look Eagles completed the first round of competition in the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate at the Golf Club of Estrella.
 
Head Coach Jane Carr's team is right in the thick of things after day one of competition, shooting a 313, which is already one stroke better than the team's best-ever single-round score. That score has the team tied with Metro State for eighth-place in a 17-team field.
 
The competition is bunched up near the top of the field as just 11 strokes separate the first-place CSU San Marcos Cougars and the two teams tied for eighth. That tight group continues all the way down to 11^th-place, where Chico State shot 316.

"I'm very excited about the start of our 2017-2018 season," said Head Coach Jane Carr. "One of our goals this year was to break the schools single round record of 314 and we shot 313 in our first round this season. We have a young team with a freshman and four sophomores traveling this week."
 
Two of the Eagles' top-3 scorers on the day are new to the team this season. Jules Loibl carded a team-best 73 (+1). That score would've tied her for second-best individual single-round score last year and ties her for fifth on the tournament's individual leaderboard.

"Jules is the first to practice and the last to leave. She is a fiery competitor and an inspiration to her teammates," said Carr.
 
Then came Tori Roeske, who shot a 77, which is three strokes better than her average score from 2016-17. Finally, Marcel Manalo, another newcomer, shot an 81 in her first collegiate round.
 
Loibl's strong round was paced by 13 par scores and two birdies. She had a 38 on the course's front nine and came in one stroke under par with a 35 on the back nine. Manalo's 81 began with a bang as she birdied two of the first three holes she played. She began on the par-5 hole four and carded a four and then posted a three on the par-4 two holes later. A seven on hole 16 elevated her score a bit higher than her round should be reflected. Look for her to nail that hole tomorrow.
 
Bella Larson (82) and Alexis Gopfert (85) rounded out the Eagles' scorers. Gopfert averaged a round of 80 last season, so look for her to bounce back and help BU move up the leaderboard tomorrow.

"Sophomore Bella Larson had a rough start and was 6-over after the first two holes, but settled into stride to finish the day 10-over par," said Carr. "I'm incredibly proud of the way Bella fought back and didn't give up on the round after such a rough start. Freshman Marcel Manalo battled through a sore throat and cough had a solid round of 81, as did sophomore Tori Roeske who carded a 77 with 11 pars and 1 birdie."
 
The final round of competition begins at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Weather is supposed to be partly cloudy with light winds and a high of 91 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Follow live results of the final round at http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=13731