CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Eighteen holes of golf are on the ledger, with the Central Arkansas women's golf team ending the first round of the Chattanooga Classic in fifth place. With three players in the top-20, the Bears sit just two strokes off of second place and only four behind the leader, North Florida.
 
Tania Nunez leads the Bears, finishing with an even 72 after the first round, landing in a tie for sixth place. Starting with two birdies in her first three holes, the junior bogeyed a pair in the front nine before hitting par on 10-straight down the stretch to keep herself within two strokes of the lead.
 
Elin Kumlin ended her first 18 in 13^th, just a stroke behind Nunez at a 1-over 73.  Kumlin birdied on 11 and 13 to pull back down to one over, finishing one under par on the back nine of the course. Camila Moreno captured a third top-20 score for the Bears, in at 17^th after day one. Tallying four birdies on the day, Moreno ended with a 2-over 74 following her first round.
 
Further down the standings, Pear Rittawee shot a 7-over 79 on the first day of the event, rebounding from a tough front nine to finishing with just a plus-2 in the back nine. Karley Whittington ended her first day at a 12-over 84.
 
North Florida finished the first set in first place, followed by Yale, with UTSA and East Carolina in a tie for third place. Among individuals, three golfers are tied for first place, with UTSA's Ana Gonzalez, ECU's Julie Boysen Hillestad and Esme Hamilton of Chattanooga all finishing two under after 18 holes.
 
Play will continue on Monday, with 18 more holes on deck for the Bears.