KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Cecelia Knecht (North Charleston, S.C./Fort Dorchester) and Olivia Donnini (Wapwallopen, Pa./Crestwood) played rounds in the 80s, while freshman Alivia Miesowitz (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) carded a career-best 95, placing the Kutztown University women's golf team seventh after the first round of the 2022 PSAC Championship at Berkleigh Golf Club, Friday.

Under gorgeous conditions, which have been tough to come by this spring, and a moderate breeze 50 golfers took to the par 72, 5,856-yard course that formerly served as a stop on the LPGA tour from 1996-2004.

Walking the same fairways as women's golf pro legends like Betsy King and former Berkleigh winners Annika Sörenstam, Se Ri Pak and Lorena Ochoa, Kutztown and its PSAC foes needed time to get acclimated with a new environment. For more than a decade, the PSAC Championship was a mainstay in Hershey, but the Hershey Country Club East Course was unable to host both men's and women's championship tournaments this year, so Berkleigh stepped up to fill the void.

Knecht and Donnini, like they've done most of the season, got the quickest grasp on the playing conditions for the Golden Bears. Knecht produced five pars, shooting 8-over 43 on the front nine and 7-over 44 on the back nine for a team-best round of 87 (+15).

Donnini collected four pars on her way to an 89 (+17) as the duo put themselves among the top 20 on the leaderboard. Knecht is currently tied for 14th and Donnini tied for 20th.

The surprise of the day came from Miesowitz, who got off to a great start. The Hazleton, Pa., native notched four pars on her first five holes to grab an early spot in the top five. She made the turn at 6-over 41, but had a tough go on the back nine where she'll look to improve over the next two days. Still, Miesowitz tied Knecht with a team-high five pars for the round and set a new career low round in the process.

Fellow Hazleton product Grace Babinchak (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) totaled three pars en route to an opening-round 97 (+25) and Kayla McMahon (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) posted a 102 (+30).

Sarah White of Gannon led three players in the 70s with a 5-over 77 to pace the field at the conclusion of action, Friday. Rachel Wilson of Cal U (78) and Madilyn Siuta of West Chester (79) rank second and third, respectively, while Seton Hill's Lauren Barber and Millersville's Taylor Hileman are tied for fourth at 80.

Gannon, the two-time defending conference champion, made a strong first impression in its quest for a three-peat, taking a 20 shot lead over Millersville (323-343). Mercyhurst (344), Cal U (345) and West Chester (350) make up the rest of the top five.

With 36 holes of golf remaining, Kutztown still has its sights set on challenging for a top five spot. The Bears shot a 368 (+80) Friday and are six shots back of Bloomsburg for sixth and 18 behind West Chester for the fifth. KU has placed in the top five in 13 of the last 14 PSAC championships.

Second round play gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday.