MARYVILLE, Mo. – The College of Saint Mary golf team completed a terrific opening tournament in its spring debut on Saturday, finishing third in a strong nine-team field at the Graceland Spring Invitational at the Mozingo Lake Golf Course.

"We came into this tournament with no expectations, especially since we'd never seen the course and the conditions were tough,'' CSM Coach Keri Rodriguez said. "Finishing third was an incredible surprise and a testament to this team's grit.''

The top two finishers are nationally rated: champion Indian Hills Community College (665) and runner-up Clarke University (709). Then came CSM (744), followed by Mount Marty University (762), Buena Vista University (763), Peru State College (785), North Iowa Area Community College (794), Waldorf University (888) and the Peru State 'B' team (915).

"Even more impressive, our team improved by 20 strokes today in even colder conditions,'' Rodriguez said. "They stayed locked in, battled through, and kept their composure all the way through.''

Victoria Farkas led the way for the Flames in 10^th place with a 91-85—176. Next was Katie Freeman in 13^th with a 92-93—185, followed by Frede Weiss in 21^st with a 100-90—190. Fourth on the team was Sofia Chavez in a tie for 24^th with a 99-94—193 and then Erika Headlee in a tie for 28^th with a 100-94—194.

"Shoutout to freshman Frede Weiss for stepping into the top five for this event and bouncing back with a strong performance today,'' Rodriguez said. "Proud of this group!''

CSM returns to action April 7 and 8 at the Concordia Spring Invite in Lincoln, Neb.