TROPHY CLUB, Texas (March 22, 2021) – After a sluggish start, Oklahoma Christian steadily moved up the leaderboard into third place in the first round of the Lion Invitational, which began Monday at Trophy Club Country Club.

Overcoming a three-hour delay due to thunderstorms in the middle of the round, unranked OC posted a team score of 309, trailing only No. 1-ranked Dallas Baptist (Texas) at 291 and tournament host (and No. 11-ranked) Texas A&M-Commerce at 307. OC was 12 shots clear of the rest of the 15-team field.

Among the squads trailing OC were No. 19-ranked St. Mary's (Texas), Midwestern State (Texas) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (both of which received votes in the most recent NCAA Division II coaches' poll) and NAIA No. 11-ranked Oklahoma City University.

Dallas Baptist had the top three players in the 75-woman field in Hanna Harrison, who shot a 2-under-par 70, and Faith DeLaGarza (72) and Olivia Mitchell (73). Right behind them, tied for fourth, was OC freshman Camilla Jarvela of Espoo, Finland, who overcame two early double bogeys to shoot a 75 on the 6,075-yard course.

Also in the top 10 was OC's Alexandria Bennett, who has won the last two Lone Star Conference player-of-the-week honors and was coming off her first career win in last week's Midwestern State Invitational in Wichita Falls, Texas. The sophomore from Plano, Texas, recorded two birdies en route to a 77.

Another shot back, tied for 16th, was OC senior Abigail Rigsby of Courtenay, British Columbia, and another shot behind her was freshman Wilma Merenmies of Jyvaskyla, Finland, tied for 18th.

OC junior Shaley Goad of Wheeler, Texas, shot an 81 and was tied for 26th.

The final round will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.