SANDESTIN, Fla. - As the sun sets on the first 18 holes at the Golfweek October Classic, the No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team sits seventh after a 31-over par, 319 opening round Sunday, Oct. 18. Senior Emily Gastrau (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Wauwatosa East) delivered the round of the day for the Green and White, navigating the difficult 5601-yard par-72 Links Golf Club at Sandestin at four-over par 76.

Gastrau eased into her round with four consecutive pars before picking up her first birdie of the day at hole eight en route to a one-over par 37 on the front. She picked up another birdie on 14 for a second nine 39 to finish with a 76. Freshman Natalie Ocheltree (Normal, Ill.-University High) fired the Titans' other sub-80 score with a six-over par 78. Similarly to Gastrau, Ocheltree started with four pars and added 10 more along the day to finish inside the top-15 at tied for 13th. 

Statistically, IWU ranked tied for second on the day in pars with 52. The Titans were sixth in par three scoring average at 3.35 and ninth in par four with 4.56. Illinois Wesleyan tied for fifth with a 5.55 scoring average in par fives.

Fifteenth-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor holds an eleven-stroke lead after a 13-over 301. No. 19 UC Santa Cruz fired a 24-over 312 to sit in second, while UW-Eau Claire and Huntingdon share third with 27-over 315 totals. No. 22 Trinity (Texas) and Sewanee sit in front of IWU with rounds of 316 and 318, respectively. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin members, Augustana and Millikin shot rounds of 339 and 357, respectively. 

Individually, a three-way tie tops the leaderboard between Yvette Gorden of Huntingdon, Olivia Lew of UC Santa Cruz, and Julia Sosa of Mary Hardin-Baylor. All three fired one-over par 73's. UMHB has three golfers inside the top-five.

Round two of the Golfweek October Classic gets underway tomorrow, Oct. 17. Tee times of the second 18 when available can be found here, as the Titans look to push up the leaderboard.

IWU Individual Standings
T5. Emily Gastrau 76
T13. Natalie Ocheltree 78
T32. Nora Cerroni 81
T56. Julia Henry 84
T81. Grace Fagan 87

Team Standings
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor 301
2. UC Santa Cruz 312
T3. UW-Eau Claire 315
T3. Huntingdon 315 
5. Trinity (Texas) 316
6. Sewanee 318 
7. Illinois Wesleyan 319
8. Macalester 320
9. Centre 323
T10. Southwestern 330
T10. Rhodes 330
12. Gustavus Adolphus 331
13. Carleton 334
T14. Berry 337
T14. East Texas Baptist 337
16. Oglethorpe 338
17. Augustana 339
T18. Hardin-Simmons 341
T18. Ohio Northern 341
T18. UW-Whitewater 341
T21. Susquehanna 347
T21. Piedmont 347
23. Mississippi University for Women 354
24. Millikin 357