WARWICK, R.I. – Eastern Connecticut State University senior Daria Fournier (Farmington) shot an 8-over par 44 on the back nine and stands in eighth place after the first day of the inaugural Little East Conference Women's Golf Championships Thursday afternoon at the par-72, 5,636 yard Valley Country Club.

The only first-year program among the seven competing institutions,  Eastern (438 points/+150 ) enters the second  of the two-day, 36-hole tournament in fourth place, 58 strokes behind third-place University of Southern Maine (380/+92) and seven strokes ahead of fifth-place Westfield State University (445/+157)

Husson University (384/+76), an affiliate member of the LEC, leads the field by six strokes.

Fournier chopped six strokes off her score on the back nine Thursday,  birdieing the 316-yard par-4 14^th hole and parring 102-yard par-3 No. 12. On the front nine, she parred the 346-yard par-4 fourth hole and the 179-yard par-3 No. 8 hole.

Fournier completed the first 18 holes at 22-over par and was followed by teammates Grace Rose (Waterbury), Sophia Ramino (Haddad-Killingworth), Ana-Clara Silva (Danbury) and Kate Sarra (Newburyport, MA).

Rose (+31) is in 16^th place, Ramino (+47) tied for 24^th, Silva (+50) tied for 28^th, and Sarra (+61). Rose and Ramino each sliced three strokes off their scores on the back nine and Silva improved by two. A first-year student, Rose parred two holes on the back nine – Nos. 11 and 17 and Ramino, a junior, parred No. 14.

Action gets underway at 9 a.m. Friday, with the Warriors teeing off at 10:20 a.m.

The top ten finishers in the 33-person field will be recognized with All-LEC honors (the first five as first-teamers and the next five as second-teamers).

Women's golf was chosen as the 24^th LEC championship sport this past summer. The sport is comprised of five primary LEC institutions and two affiliate members.
Following a mandatory two-year waiting period, the  LEC champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III championships beginning in 2027-28.