TULSA, Okla. — Second-years Macy Cooper and Alyson Thomas each carded 3-over par 74s on Monday to share third place individually, leading the Harding women's golf team into fourth place following the opening round of the NSU Women's Classic at Page Belcher Golf Course's Stone Creek layout.
The Lady Bisons turned in a team score of 20-over 304 on the par-71, 6,104-yard layout, putting them firmly in contention heading into Tuesday's final 18 holes. Harding trails tournament leader Rogers State (297) by just seven strokes in the 12-team field. Southeastern Oklahoma State is second at 298, followed by Oklahoma Baptist in third at 301. The Lady Bisons lead fifth-place Arkansas-Monticello by two strokes.
Cooper delivered the best round of her collegiate career Monday, shattering her previous personal best of 78 set during the first round of the 2025 Battle for the Belt. The Greenbrier, Arkansas, native produced several clutch shots throughout her round, beginning on No. 1 where she nearly holed out with an approach from 95 yards. Cooper later salvaged par on No. 10 by rolling in a 20-foot putt, and provided her biggest highlight on the par-4 16th: after finding trouble in the rough and trees off the tee, she punched a 7-iron up near the green and chipped in from 15 yards away. She finished tied for second in the field with 13 pars.
Thomas stayed locked in on Monday to match her collegiate career-best round of 74, set just last week in the final round of the WinStar Invitational. Thomas caught fire late on the back nine, draining a 13-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole before closing her round in style on the par-4 18th. From 140 yards out in the fairway, Thomas stuck her approach to 12 feet and buried the putt for her second birdie of the back nine.
Fourth-year Sydney Kincade gave Harding three players inside the top 10 on the individual leaderboard, carding a 4-over 75 to tie for 10th place. Kincade was the tournament's most consistent ball-striker Monday, pacing the entire 68-player field with 14 pars.
Second-year Vivian Volion and 4th-year Cooper Meyer rounded out the scoring for Harding, each carding an 81 (+10) to sit in a tie for 38th place.
As a team, Harding dominated the par 4s on Monday, leading all 12 squads with a 4.07 scoring average (+3) across the course's par-4 holes. The Lady Bisons also ranked third in total pars with 55.
Morgan Simmons of Oklahoma Baptist leads the individual competition after turning in an impressive 3-under 68, holding a four-stroke lead over Arkansas-Monticello's Renata Abad (72). Cooper and Thomas sit five strokes off the pace in a seven-way tie for third.
The final round of the 36-hole tournament will conclude Tuesday morning.
