BUTTE, Mont. - The Montana Tech Orediggers hosted opening rounds of the Montana Tech Invite at the Butte Country Club today to open the Frontier Conference golf season. The Oredigger women trail Rocky by 17 strokes after the first round sitting in second place. The Oredigger men are in third after the first 36 holes trailing Rocky by 25 strokes. 

The Battlin' Bears opened the 2023 season with a team score of 312 (+28) in the first round of the conference season. Tech posted a 329 (+45) followed by Carroll College with a 346 (+62). 

Franchi Ceartain and Kadie Hoagland lead the Orediggers on the women's side in T6 after shooting 81 in the opening round. 

Rocky's Kadence Fisher and Valentina Zuleta are holding down the top spots with Fisher up one stroke. Fisher shot a 73 (+2) and Zuleta a 74 (+3). 

Tech is playing with a pack mentality as Sami Benson and Cierra Sundeim are in T9 hitting an opening 83 (+12). Emma Wood is just one stroke behind them in 13th finishing with an 84. 

On the men's side, Rocky posted the lowest two rounds by a team with an opening 290 followed by a 286 for a 576 (+16). The Battlin' Bears have six golfers in the top nine. 

The Orediggers were in second after the first round hitting a 294 in the opening round. The men followed with a 307 for a 601 (+41) combined score on day one. Dickinson State was one stroke back of Tech after the first round. The Bluehawks shot a 301 in the second to take a five stroke lead on the Orediggers with a 596 (+36). 

Freshman Tyler Avery leads the field after shooting a 69 and a 71. Avery is one of three golfers with the low score of the day. Avery leads by two strokes at even with a 140 through two rounds. Dickinson State's Bryce Reed and Rocky's William Dexheimer have a combined 142 (+2).

Gabe Witham is in 10th place after shooting a 149 (+9). Trey Mattson is in 11th with a 149. 

The final rounds are tomorrow at the Butte Country Club starting in the morning.