WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—First-year Katie Yang (Orlando, Fla.) fired a 3-over 74 to help the Babson College women's golf team conclude the opening round of the Williams Invitational in 11th place on Saturday at Taconic Golf Club. 

The Beavers posted a score of 315 and are two shots behind the Williams B team and eight strokes ahead of 12th place York (Pa.). No. 6 Amherst finished the day with a score of 2-over 286 and leads Wesleyan (293) and No. 5 NYU (293) by seven shots. No. 8 Williams (296) and No. 10 Wellesley (298) are currently fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Yang, who started on the 11th hole, made two birdies and five bogeys to finish the opening round in a tie for 13th place. She made her first birdie of the day on the par-5 18th hole and made another birdie at the par-4 fourth to get back to 1-over before making back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8. 

Sophomore Hannah McCarthy (Toronto, Ontario) and first-year Vanya Bansal (Noida, India) both shot 79 and are tied for 41st position. McCarthy made consecutive birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to finish her first nine holes at even-par, while played her final 14 holes in 2-over following a tough start. 

Junior Victoria Salim (Semarang, Indonesia) made one birdie on the way to shooting a 12-over 83 that has her tied for 61st position, and classmate Michelle Guan (Brookyln, N.Y.) carded a 16-over 87 and is tied for 77th overall. 

Final round play at Taconic Golf Club begins on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. 

TOURNAMENT NOTES
•    Babson's score of 315 is its second lowest in seven competitive rounds at Taconic GC behind its 305 in the first round of the 2024 Williams Invitational. 
•    Bansal was tied for fourth in the 98-player field in par-3 scoring at even and the Beavers finished the day tied for sixth playing the par 3s at 9-over. 
•    McCarthy has now broken 80 in three of her five rounds at Taconic GC over the last two seasons. 
•    The average score for the field in Saturday's first round was 81.32.