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Daytona Beach, FL - With a hunger to defend its NEC title, Sacred Heart sits atop the team leaderboard at the 2023 Northeast Conference Women’s Golf Championship after 18 holes at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL.

The Pioneers (303) are seven strokes ahead of Merrimack (310). Howard (312) sits third after the opening round of the three-day championship. 

Sacred Heart sported the top two golfers after Sunday’s opening round on the Hills Course on a warm, clear sky day following a night of heavy downpours.

2022 NEC Rookie of the Year Chantal El Chaib (Abu Dhabi, UAE/The British School) shared the top spot on the individual leaderboard with senior teammate Kailee Welch (Huntington Beach, CA/Mater Dei). Both Pioneers kicked off the championship with their best foot fore-ward, firing an even par 72 on the day. El Chaib recorded a birdie in both the front and back nine and Welch posted back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17. 

Leading Howard Kyra Cox (South Salem, NY/Furman University), who is in third after carding a 2-over 74 in the opening round. Teammate Jada Richardson (Suwanee, GA/Wesleyan School), a sophomore, is tied for seventh after firing 4-over 76 to make the top-ten leaderboard.

Rookie Veronica Chen leads Maryland Eastern Shore and is tied for fourth with Merrimack’s Prakruthi Sastry (Bangalore, India/Mallya Aditi International School) and Ava Lucas (Raleigh, NC/Cardinal Gibbons (Methodist University)) after the trio shot a 3-over 75. 

In a four-way tie for seventh place at 4-over 76 is graduate Anna Ferreyra-Heit from Delaware State, along with FDU golfers Abbey Baker (Nova Scotia, Canada) and Kaitlyn You (Torrance, CA/Torrance) and Howard’s Richardson.

Round two is set for Monday morning with tee times beginning at 7:30 am.

Team Standings
1. Sacred Heart (303)
2. Merrimack (310)
3. Howard (312)
4. Delaware State (313)
5. FDU (314)
6. LIU (325)
7. NC Central (342)
8. Wagner (345)
9. Saint Francis U (346)
10. Stonehill (367)
11. Maryland Eastern Shore (386)

Individual Standings
T.1 Chantal El Chaib          72, E
T.1 Kailee Welch                72, E
3. Kyra Cox                        74, +2
T.4 Veronica Chen             75, +3
T.4 Prakruthi Sastry           75, +3
T.4 Ava Lucas                    75, +3
T.7 Anna Ferreyra-Heit      76, +4
T.7 Abbey Baker                76, +4
T.7 Kaitlyn You                   76, +4
T.7 Jada Richardson          76, +4