DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. – At the halfway mark, the College of Saint Mary golfers have put themselves in good position.

The IMA Great Plains Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championships are underway at the Dakota Dunes Country Club, and through 27 of 54 holes, the Flames are in third place among the 12 teams.

Morningside University leads through 27 holes with a score of 476. Doane University is in second with a 497, just six strokes ahead of CSM's 503.

"Given the conditions, I'm very pleased with how the team played today,'' CSM Coach Keri Rodriguez said. "It's a lot of golf in cold, windy weather, and that can be mentally draining –but they pushed through and stayed tough.

"We're looking to carry that momentum into tomorrow and finish just as strong, if not better.''

The Flames finished sixth last season. Here are the rest of the scores at the midway point: Concordia University 523, Hastings College 525, Briar Cliff University 528, Northwestern College 529, Mount Marty University 541, Dordt University 558, Dakota Wesleyan University 565, Waldorf University 635 and Midland University 643.

Individually, sophomore Victoria Farkas is in the thick of the chase. She's fourth at the halfway mark with a 27-hole total of 118 strokes. She carded three birdies in her first 18 holes. Three golfers share the lead with scores of 116, just two ahead of Farkas: Ivanna Becerra Diaz and Kamryn Zuniga of Morningside, along with Allison Meyerink of Dakota Wesleyan.

Also for CSM, Katie Freeman is tied for 11^th with a 125. Frede Weiss and Emily Faubel are tied for 19^th with scores of 130, and Sofia Chavez is tied for 38^th with a 141.

Play will resume on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. with the final nine holes of round two and then the 18-hole final round for a total of 54 holes.

The GPAC team champion advances to the NAIA National Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich., May 19 and 20 at the Eagle Crest Golf Club.  The individual champion (unless on the winning team) will also advance to the NAIA Championships.