CARMEL, Ind. — Northern Michigan University junior Maya Hunter recorded an opening round of 11-over-par 83 at the NCAA Division II East Regional women’s golf tournament held at the Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, on Monday.

She is tied for 51st in the 81-golfer field with the second round to be played today and the third and final round on Wednesday.

There is “a lot of golf left,” said Northern head golf coach Ben Johnson in an NMU Sports Information news release about the event.

Hunter is the lone golfer representing the Wildcats as NMU as a team didn’t qualify for this event.

A pair of GLIAC golfers are at the top of the leaderboard — Brook Herbstreit of Saginaw Valley State, another golfer playing as an individual at the regional, leads by two strokes after shooting a 2-under 70, while Hannah Meloche of Davenport is tied for second with an even-par 72.

The next best conference golfer is Danielle Staskowski of Ferris State, who is tied for 19th with 77.

And among the five golfers tied with Hunter also shooting 83 was GLIAC golfer AJ Powell of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Hunter started her day on the back nine and made both her birdies there, recording a 4 on the 510-yard 13th and another 4 on the 490-yard par-5 18th.

NMU reported that the 13th was the eighth-hardest hole with a stroke average of 5.49 and her birdie was one of only nine on that hole.

Hunter also had three pars, two bogeys and two double-bogeys on the back nine to make the turn with a 4-over 40.

Her second nine was a bit tougher. While she started with a pair of pars, she took three straight double-bogeys on the third through fifth holes, then settled down with three pars and a bogey on the final four holes for a 7-over 43 to get to her 11-over total.

The 6,061-yard, par-72 course played with an average score of just over a 9-over-par 81, with the toughest holes being the par-4 ninth at 5.00 and the par-4 11th and 14th, each playing at 4.85. Hunter parred all three.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.