HARRISBURG – The Aberdeen Central golfers were outdoors for the first time this spring and made the most of their opportunity on Thursday.

Central’s Olivia Braun tied for first place and the Golden Eagles finished second as a team to Mitchell during the Harrisburg Invitational.

“Coming away with second place today is very gratifying,” said Central coach Kim Zimmerman.

The Eagles ended the day with a team total of 329, led by a 73 from Braun.

“She played really well,” Zimmerman said.

Kyley Wirebaugh tied for eighth place with an 80.

The hot and windy conditions were much different than the controlled environment the Eagles have been accustomed to while practicing inside.

“I think that’s kind of what I expected. I just wasn’t sure of how things would play out,” Zimmerman said of Thursday’s performances. “There’s some things you just can’t replicate inside.”

While the players have been working on conditioning, it still wasn’t the same as being outdoors in the elements and walking up and down the hills on the course.

“I think we wore down a little bit. We started the front nine which was easier,” Zimmerman said. “Then we went to the back. By the time we got to the back nine today, the wind picked up, and obviously it got warmer. I think I could see it in them, they were just wearing down a little bit.”

Still, it was a solid performance for the first competition of the season and Zimmerman knows his golfers can improve on their scores.

“There’s no doubt there’s room for improvement,” Zimmerman said.

The Eagles will travel to Huron on Tuesday, but will be back inside again for more practice today.

“The frustrating part now is we’re back inside again,” Zimmerman said. “Ideally, it would have been nice to go out tomorrow and practice, but it’s not going to happen. We just have to make the best of it, I guess.”

Team Points: Mitchell 310, Aberdeen Central 329, O’Gorman 341, Sioux Falls Lincoln 351, Sioux Falls Washington 352, Watertown 357, Harrisburg 358, Yankton 369, Pierre 372, Sioux Falls Roosevelt 393, Sioux Falls Jefferson 400, Brandon Valley 417.

Top 10 Individuals

1, (tie) Olivia Braun, Aberdeen Central, 73, and Allison Meyerink, Mitchell, 73; 3, Brin Huber, Huron, 75; 4, Ava Eliason, Mitchell, 78; 5, (tie) Paydyn Peterson, O’Gorman, 79, Megan Christofells, Sioux Falls Washington 79, and Maddie Childs, Mitchell, 79; 8, (tie) Quinn Dannenbring, Mitchell, 80, and Kyley Wirebaugh, Aberdeen Central, 80; 10, Riley Zebroski, Watertown, 82.

Other Aberdeen Central golfers: 17, (tie) Leah Gough, 86; 30, (tie) Emma Dohrer 90, and Chloe Vikander 90; 34, (tie) Morgan Jones 91.

To see complete tournament results click on the following link:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/4108055