St. Ambrose officially kicked off its spring season by playing in the Western Illinois University Intercollegiate at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., Monday and Tuesday.

It marked the first of three events at Deere Run as SAU will play host to the CCAC Championships and NAIA Championships later this spring.

Battling the weather, a challenging layout and a top-notch field, the Bees finished sixth in the NCAA Division I event. The teams played 36 holes Monday before getting through 18 weather-delayed holes Tuesday.

Amara Lytle placed 28th overall to lead St. Ambrose. She broke 90 in each of her three rounds, carding an 88-85-89 for a 262 total. Katherine Speer finished with a 273 and Kara Williams shot a 274. Leah Sullivan and Aleanna Mendoza also competed for SAU.

Based on the lowest third-round score, Omaha (312-311-302=925) won a tiebreaker over Western Illinois (309-296-320=925) for the team title. Omaha's Nicole Hansen was individual medalist. She had rounds of 73, 74 and 74 for an 8-over 221.

This was the first of two events this week for the Bees. SAU will compete in the Upper Iowa Invite at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo, Iowa, Friday and Saturday. St. Ambrose will host the conference tournament Apr. 17-18 and the NAIA Championships May 23-26.