BURLINGTON, N.C. – Three different North Carolina A&T Aggies posted the same score on Monday as the A&T women's golf team opened the season at the Elon Invitational hosted by Elon at the par-71, 6,065-yard Alamance Country Club golf course on Monday.
The teams played two rounds on Monday and will play the third and final round on Tuesday. The Aggies head into the final round in eighth place after shooting a 44-over 612. After the first round on Monday, the Aggies are in sixth place after shooting an 18-over 302.
Elon is the tournament leader after 36 holes as the Phoenix shot a 2-over 570. Elon was followed by William & Mary (585), UNC Greensboro (589), Gardner-Webb (596) and Radford (602) in the top-5.
Sophomore Vileska Gelpi led the Aggies with a two-round 10-over 152. She sits in a seven-way tie for 26th. Three of her teammates are tied for 38th in seniors Kiaira Porter and Jayla Rogers and sophomore Kennedi Lee. All three ladies shot a 13-over 155. The other Aggie who participated on Monday was freshman Tori Mouton who shot a 24-over 166.
Individually, UNCG's Nicole Lu leads the tournament with a 3-under 139, followed by William & Mary's Grace Lu. Elon's Lotte Fox, Annabelle Ackroyd and William & Mary's Sarah Houle are in a three-way tie for third with an even-par 142.
Gelpi had a great start to her season. After opening the day with a par on the par-4 fifth, she birdied her next two holes. Gelpi also birdied the par-5, 491-yard 12th to move her score to 2-under. Bogeys on 14 and 18 moved her back to even par, and she had an unfortunate double bogey on the par-4 second. Gelpi ended her first 18 holes at 3-over after a bogey on the par-3, 154-yard fourth.
Her second round didn't start as well as her first, but it ended better. She tripled bogeyed the fifth to start Round 2. Then, after five bogeys got her to plus-8 going to the par-4, 355-yard second, she birdied No. 2 and No. 3. The round ended with a bogey as she finished 7-over over her final 18 holes of the day.
Porter, meanwhile, recovered from shooting 80 in the first round to post a 4-over 75 in the second round. Her second round card included three birdies after she went birdieless in the first round. Porter's second-round score moved her up nine spots from her 47th place finish after the first round.
Rogers shot 77 in the first round and 78 in the second round. She carded a total of seven birdies on Monday. Rogers started her season with a birdie as she carded a three on the par-4, 371-yard seventh. She ended the round with a birdie on the par-5 sixth. Rogers got to 1-under for the second round when she birdied the par-4, 365-yard ninth and the par-4, 363-yard 10th. However, a double bogey followed by three bogeys moved her back to 4-over before she birdied the 18th. Her round ended with a double and two bogeys.
On Monday, Lee made her debut as an Aggie after transferring from Texas Southern. Lee shot 76 in the first round and 79 in the second. She had one birdie on the day but hit enough par puts to keep pace with her teammates.
Play begins Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.
