The combined score was good enough for one under par as a team and landed the Hoosiers in 14th place out of 19 teams in Boulder Creek, Nevada.
Chevalier led the Hoosiers with a score of 67, five under par, in the first round, a career-best score and tied three former Hoosiers for the lowest round in team history. The most recent IU 67 score was Jacqueline Yanch in the final round of the Challenge at Onion Creek in November 2009.
After a shaky first five holes that alternated between birdie and bogey, Chevalier said she knew she was at a crucial point in her round.
“At the beginning I knew it was going to be a day with a lot of birdie opportunities, so I was kind of stressed out,” Chevalier said. “I realized I had to be patient and just calm down, and I’m very happy because I managed myself pretty well.”
Chevalier finished strong, posting three birdies and six pars on the back nine and placing herself squarely in the mix on the individual leaderboard in a tie for third place.
Chevalier’s day for the record books, in conjunction with another career-best score, a 71 from junior Pear Siriko, paced the Hoosiers.
Freshmen Erin Harper and Eva Domingo, in addition to junior Ana Sanjuan, rounded out the first round scores with 73, 74 and 75, respectively.
The 285 posted by the Hoosiers was the lowest team score since the team notched a 285 in the second round at the IU Fall Invitational in October 2012.
“Boulder Creek kind of plays into our strengths I think, in terms of length and having pretty good greens, so I’m very excited about heading out there,” Wallman said.
Wallman also noted the strength of the other teams in the tournament, including three fellow Big Ten teams — Michigan, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
Following the first round of action Sunday, Michigan and San Jose State were tied atop the leaderboard with scores of 275, 13 under par.
The second round of the tournament took place Monday, with the final round coming Tuesday before the Hoosiers return from Las Vegas.
For Chevalier and the rest of the team, the key will be continuing their strong start to the tournament with consistent play the next two rounds.
“Tomorrow I’m just going to try to stay patient, hit my targets, hit one shot at a time,” Chevalier said.
