PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. --- The final regular season tournament of the 2017-18 Biola Women's Golf season began on Friday as the Eagles shot their first 18 holes at the UC Santa Cruz Invitational.

The tournament is held at the Pacific Grove Golf Links right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Biola's travel squad carded a 333 on the first day of competition to sit fourth in the nine-team field.

The 333 puts the team within eight strokes of a top-3 finish and just 18 back from runner-up contention. George Fox University, a NCAA Division III school that traveled down from Oregon, is leading the pack through 18 holes with a round one tally of 309. GFU also has the individual leader, Kayle Hunn, who is in the clubhouse with a 72.

Marcel Manalo was the Eagles' top scorer on the opening day. She put up a 78, which was good enough to tie her for fifth place overall. Manalo built her round by shooting no holes over a bogey and adding eight pars and two birdies. Biola's top-3 finishers combined for five birdies on Friday.

Tori Roeske (81) and Jules Loibl (82) both had solid days and sit inside of the top-15 on the individual leaderboard. Loibl ended her front nine with back-to-back birdies, but had two double bogeys on the back that cut into her score a bit.

Those scores are a very positive result as the course played tough all day long, resulting in the field's scoring average coming in at 87.9 (+16).

Biola led the pack today in their scoring on par-3s. The Eagles' golfers turned in an average score of 3.40 on the course's four par-3s. This was .15 better than any other school.

Rachel Reynolds, Kristin Hicks and Mary Karnazes all made the trip and competed as unattached individuals. Reynolds led the charge among that group, turning in a stellar 82, which also allows her to be among the top-15 on the individual leaderboard.

The tournament concludes on Saturday, when it is forecast to be in the 60s and partly cloudy with minimal wind.