BECKER, Minn. - This week, the University of Northwestern Women's Golf team is setting out to do something the program has never done before--win four-consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Championships. If achieved, it would put an exclamation point on the careers of seniors Morgan Philyaw (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) and Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), the two best to ever tee it up for the Eagles, as they would win UMAC titles all four years of their careers. The setting for the three-round event is, once again, Pebble Creek Golf Club, where Northwestern has already been victorious this fall, in last month's UMAC Preview. Click here to follow along live all weekend.

Day One

If Thursday's opening round was any indication, UNW should feel well about its chances, as all five participants are in the top five scores. A team score of 314 (+26) has the Eagles in first place by 28 strokes over second-place UW-Superior with two rounds to play. Morgan Philyaw (Jordan, Minn./Jordan), a two-time medalist in the event, sits alone atop the individual leaderboard at 76 (+4). The senior made a pair of birdies and shot one-under par on the front nine. Bri Brandt (Blaine, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) is tied for second place, two shots behind Philyaw at 78 (+6), while Ellie Rolland (Otsego, Minn./Rogers) fired a 79 (+7), which has her in fourth place. Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and Brielle Lenz (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) are tied for fifth after carding 81's (+9), and made two and one birdie, respectively.

As the team leader, Northwestern will be among the final groups to tee off Friday, with Lenz leading things off at 11:50 AM in Becker.