LAUREL, Mont.- Both Rocky Golf teams are well on their way to defending their home course, holding sizeable leads following the first two rounds of the Beartooth Invitational. 

No. 18 Men's Golf Claims Top Two Team Spots

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Entering two squads in their home tournament, the No. 18-ranked Battlin' Bear men closed Day One holding both first and second place on the team leaderboard.

Sophomore and Laurel product Sam Norman led the charge, turning in a dominant performance on his home course. Norman built a seven-stroke individual lead by shooting an 11-under-par 133 (67-66) through two rounds. Teammate Braxton McDonald sits in second place at 4-under-par 140 (72-68).

Kristjan Burkelca (72-72—144) tied with Rocky 'B' team scorer Adam Hyde-Lay (75-69—144) for fourth overall at even par. Nathan Piers rounded out the top team's scoring at 4-over-par 148 (79-69), bouncing back with a strong 3-under afternoon round.

Other competing Battlin' Bears included: 

• T-14th: Kellen Meyer (B) — +5 (149)
• T-14th: Alfredo Guerra — +5 (149)
• T-20th: Cody Grounds (B) — +9 (153)
• T-20th: Trent Nobach (B) — +9 (153)
• T-30th: Alexander Brester (B) — +11 (155)
• T-30th: Tye Boone (B) — +11 (155)

The top Rocky squad holds a 31-stroke advantage over the field at 15-under-par 561 (286-275). The Rocky 'B' squad sits in second at 16-over-par 592 (302-290), giving Rocky's first team a 33-stroke margin over the nearest non-Battlin' Bear competitor, Montana Tech (18-over-par 594).

No. 25 Rocky Women Open Up 55-Stroke Advantage

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The No. 25-ranked Battlin' Bear women placed all four counting scorers inside the top eight overall to construct an overwhelming 55-stroke lead after 36 holes on Monday.

Freshman Natasza Klimko led Rocky's squad in second place overall with a 6-over-par 150 (76-74). Klimko surged in round two, firing four birdies across her final seven holes to tie for the second-best afternoon score in the field.

Anna Lende (77-78—155) and Kirsten Smith (82-73—155) tied for fifth place at 11-over-par. Smith's 1-over-par 73 in the second round was the best round recorded in the women's field on Monday. Alivia Webinger finished seventh at 13-over-par 157 (80-77), and Catalina Garcia placed eighth with a 19-over-par 163 (83-80) to round out Rocky's scorers. 

Other Battlin' Bears to compete in Laurel on Monday included: 

• 14th: Maggie Urian (Ind.) — +28 (172)
• 15th: Carlee Verdugo (Ind.) — +29 (173)
• T-19th: Lilia Troxel (Ind.) — +35 (179)
• 27th: Hallie Hofer (Ind.) — +42 (186)
• 33rd: Remi Pederson (Ind.) — +49 (193)

Rocky leads the women's team standings at 41-over-par 617 (315-302), well ahead of runner-up College of Idaho (96-over-par 672). 

Up Next

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The Battlin' Bears return to Laurel Golf Club on Tuesday, September 29th, to conclude the Beartooth Invitational with the third and final round beginning at 8:30 a.m. MT.