WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – With first-years Annabelle Chen and Abigail Kim leading the way, the Amherst College women's golf team finished the first round of the NESCAC Championship in third place on Saturday at the par-71 Taconic Golf Club.

The two-time defending NESCAC champion Mammoths carded a team score of 312 (+28) to land in the middle of a tightly bunched pack. Hamilton is one stroke better at 311 (+27) and Middlebury is one stroke behind at 313 (+29). Williams will take a commanding lead into Sunday's final round after shooting a 289 (+5) on Saturday with Ephs junior Gio Kim (no relation to Abigail) atop the individual leaderboard with a four-stroke lead after carding a 2-under 69.

Chen led the Mammoths with a 5-over 76 to place eighth overall after a round with four birdies that was notable for a 2-under score on Taconic's three par-5 holes. Abigail Kim was a stroke behind with a 6-over 77 to rank ninth overall. Junior Jessica Huang was another stroke back, shooting a 7-over 78 to tie for 10th place. Sophomore Lindsey Huang (no relation to Jessica) rounded out Amherst's scorers with a 10-over 81 to tie for 15th place.

The Mammoths return to the course in Williamstown on Sunday (May 5) for the final round of the NESCAC Championship with an automatic trip to the NCAA Division III Championship awaiting the conference champion. Tee times begin at 9 a.m.