BATAVIA, Ohio -- UIC began the 2018-19 season Monday by playing 36 holes on the opening day of the NKU Fall Classic at Elks Run Golf Club in Batavia, Ohio. The Flames sit in 10^th place as a team after shooting 29-over par 632 on Monday.

"We just need to tighten some things up," said UIC head coach Mat Blair on Monday. "We're getting closer to where we need to be, but we gave away some things and got  little careless in some spots. All-in-all, I'm pretty pleased with how the girls performed.

"It was good the way that Stephanie [Mroz] came in and played well as an individual, shooting 80 and 75," said Blair. "We were chasing daylight at the end of the round and I think Claudia [Stampa] would have done a lot better. Meghan [Kramp] had some great stretches today, too. It's there and we just need to learn to finish up rounds each and every tournament."

The NKU Fall Classic concludes Tuesday with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. CT. The final day features one round of 18 holes.

OFF THE TEE

• Senior Claudia Stampa got off to a strong start Monday, shooting 4-over par 75 in the morning round. She birdied the 11^th and 14^th holes on the course and was the only UIC player to register multiple birdies in the first round. She was tied for 11^th among individuals after 18 holes.
• While Stampa was the only member of the Flames to shoot below 80 in round one, freshman Stephanie Mroz hit that mark exactly. Her round featured one birdie on the par-5 third hole and only five scores above par. She is entered as an individual and is unattached from the team score during this tournament.
• 2017 All-Horizon League honoree Kelly Sterling and sophomore Shivani Majmudar each posted a 10-over par 81 in the opening round.
• As a team, the Flames tallied a score of 319 over the first round. The team was tied for ninth place with Horizon League foes Oakland and Green Bay.

DOWN THE FAIRWAY

• UIC had three players improve their scores in the second trip around the track. After opening with an 11-over par 82, Meghan Kramp bounced back and shaved seven strokes to post the team's low round of the afternoon, a 4-over par 75. That matched Stampa's first round score for the program's lowest mark of the day. She played even-par golf on the front nine during the second round
• Sterling also made a leap with a second-round 77 (6-over par).
• Though it did not count toward the team total, Mroz matched Kramp and Stampa by signing for a 4-over par 75 in round two. Mroz had a team-best three birdies.
• UIC improved by six shots in the second round, shooting 23-over par 313. Despite the improvement, the Flames lost one spot in the standings and moved into the 10^th place.

AROUND THE GREEN

• Kramp shot 1-under on six par-5 holes at Elks Run Monday, which is tied among the best in the field. The senior averaged 4.83 strokes on the course's longest offerings.
• Mroz is tied for fifth in the field with four birdies. The newcomer also led UIC with 23 pars, three more than both Kramp and Stampa.
• Freshman Adrienne Montalone also made her collegiate debut Monday.
• UIC finished fifth of the seven Horizon League teams in the field, topping Green Bay by nine strokes and Detroit Mercy by 24. IUPUI was the conference's top team on Monday, and is in second place overall, at 28-over par 596. The Jaguars trail Cincinnati, which leads by 12 shots.
• The Flames will be paired with Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky on Tuesday. Mroz will play with partners from UNC Asheville, Morehead State and Oakland.
• This is the second consecutive season that the Flames have opened the season at the NKU Fall Classic. In the 2017 edition, UIC shot 636 on day one. The team would finish the tournament with a 951, which is the best 54-hole score in program history.