NORMAL, Ill. -- As season openers go, you could not classify this one as anything other than promising for the Ball State women's golf team.
If the Cardinals entered the Redbird Invitational with the belief they could make a big jump this year, their performance over 54 holes at Illinois State's Weibring Golf Club only served to confirm those aspirations.
Ball State contended from start to finish, ultimately finishing third Monday behind top-10 performances from Manon Tounalom and Hadley Moritz.
It was technically the same place Ball State finished at last year's event, but in reality this result was far better.