PALM COAST, Fla. --- It took some time on Monday for the Biola Eagles to finally get where they wanted to be on the leader board. But now that Jane Carr's group has a four-stroke lead on the rest of the field and four players in the top-15 of the individual board, they can play the next 36 holes at Hammock Beach GC with increased confidence.

The Eagles showed an impressive amount of grit and resolve during the middle stages of their rounds after they found themselves in a few bogey situations in the first couple of holes. Biola was listed as low as eighth place after holes four and five. But a string of pars from Alexis Gopfert. Sophia Karnazes and Sami Penor anchored the Eagles' team score while the other teams began to struggle.

Karnazes was dialed in from start to finish in round one, recording a par score on 14 holes Monday and throwing in two birdies to finish the day in a three-way tie for first place on the individual leader board.

Freshman Sami Penor also rebounded nicely from three early bogies to climb into eighth place with a 78. Penor was one of two players and the only Eagle to play even-par or better from holes 11 through 18 on Monday. Meanwhile, Alexis Gopfert and Tori Roeske both benefited from birdies on 15 to guarantee that all of Biola's top four scores landed in the top-14 of the individual leader board.

Those scores helped the Eagles leapfrog the Erskine College Flying Fleet over the last three holds and build their four-stroke lead. After Erskine College, Biola is up six shots on Bethel (Ind.) and seven strokes on fourth-place Campbellsville.

Round two at the Hammock Beach Resort Conservatory Course will begin about 9 a.m. Pacific Time.