The University of Hartford women’s golf team had their season debut and teed off for the first time this past weekend Sept. 13–14.

The Hawks had a decent performance as they tied for No. 5 overall for the match.

Out of a total of 10 teams, this was a pretty good start for the women.

One of the star players of the match was senior Annamarie Mallat as she placed the highest out of the Hawks as she tied for seventh.

The team opened their season at the Tignanelli Towson Invitational, which was a two-round event at Eagles Nest Country Club in Phoenix, Maryland.

Of the 10 teams there, the Hawks posted a team score of 638, shooting 62 strokes over par.

However, the host team Towson took home the team title on Monday afternoon after finishing 42 strokes over par for a 618.

They were expected to win the match overall.

Leading the Hawks to their fifth-place finish was Mallat. She shot four birdies and was the 12th-best finisher after posting a 156 score over the two-round event finishing at 12-over.

In addition, the senior played the best single round of all Hartford golfers on Sunday, where she shot 77, five over par.

Finishing close behind Mallat was junior Megan Ryan.

Ryan has a lot of potential this year to post very good numbers for the women’s golf team. Ryan shot a respectable 80 in the opening round setting her at eight over par. She then bettered that score on Monday finishing with a 78, six over par.

Overall, Ryan finished with a score of 158, 14 over par. She has a lot more room for improvement. She finished in a six-way tie for 17th place.

Juniors Cora Bernier and Brittany Ferrante shared in the tie for 45th place at the end of the two-day event.

They each shot 20-over-par with a score of 164.

Ferrante posted her best round on the first day with a 78, six over par, while Bernier shot an 83, 11 over par on Sunday and an 81, nine over par on the final day.

Rounding out the field for the Hawks was senior Brooke Nethercott, whose score of 165, 21 over par put her in a tie for 53rd place.

Hartford returns to the course on Sept. 26 at the Dartmouth Invitational. The two-day event will be played at the Hanover Country Club in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The women’s golf team boasted pretty decent numbers in their first match.

This is very promising for a team that didn’t do too well last season.

So one can only imagine that they must be excited to continue to grow and do well as the season passes.

With a young team, anything is possible this season.