RAPID CITY – Aberdeen Roncalli’s Claire Crawford is sitting in first place following the opening round of the Class A State Golf Meet at Meadowbrook Golf Course in Rapid City on Monday.

The freshman finished with a score of 81, one stroke ahead of St. Thomas More’s Rylan Horning. Crawford was a model of consistency, shooting a 39 on the front nine and a 42 on the back nine.

Sioux Falls Christian’s Tori Peterson and Vermillion’s Stephanie Carr are currently tied for third with a score of 83, while Dakota Valley’s Katie Betsworth is in fifth place with a score of 84.

Roncalli coach Jon Murdy said the team struggled to start out the day, but was able to rebound and finish strong.

“Very happy with how the girls played today,” Murdy said. “They had to test their mental toughness today.”

After being down mentally, Murdy said the team is in a better state of mind entering today’s final round.

“Got them in a good frame of mind for them to take on the course (Tuesday),” Murdy said. “With a better game plan for every girl, they can go out and believe and trust that they have the golf game to take on the course and play for their team and their school.”

Other Roncalli golf results after round one included Grace Seyer tied for 36th with a score of 97, Morgan Helms tied for 63rd with a score of 105, Ava Danielson tied for 72nd with a score of 109, and Reese Henrich sitting in 82nd place with a score of 116.

Other area golfers included Groton’s Carly Guthmiller, who is tied for 19th with a score of 90.

In the team standings, Sioux Falls Christian (339) holds a four-shot lead over Vermillion (343) for

first place. Roncalli currently sits in eighth place with a score of 392, while Groton is in 12th place with a score of 426.

Murdy said he looks forward to seeing what will happen on the final day of the tournament.

“Looking forward to what the girls will do tomorrow,” Murdy said. “Can’t say how proud of these girls I am. They have been improving all year and want to keep improving.”

To see complete opening day results, click on the following link:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/9578943950383765210