DiLisio has Notre Dame in the hunt at Westbrook Spring Invitational

   Last fall, the Notre Dame women’s golf team was historically good. The Irish had a scoring average that was nearly four shots better than the program’s previous best, achieved a year earlier.

   Those of us who followed the scholastic scene in Pennsylvania the last few years would attribute that kind of improvement, at least in part, to the arrival at the South Bend, Ind. campus of one Isabella DiLisio, who won the 2013 PIAA Class AAA title as a junior at Mount St. Joseph and won the 2014 Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur champion.

   DiLisio of Hatfield doesn’t cut an imposing figure on the golf course. OK, she’s small. But she’s a tough kid and some of that toughness seems to have worn off on the Irish, ranked No. 23 by GolfWeek heading into the spring campaign.

   DiLisio opened that spring campaign Sunday with a bogey-free 3-under 69 at the 6,269-yard, par-72 Vistas Course at Westbrook Village Country Club in Peoria, Ariz.

   The Irish kicked off the spring at the Westbrook Spring Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin, and when a long, long 36-hole day was over, they stood in fifth place at even-par 576 after rounds of 286 and 290.

   DiLisio struggled a little on her second round of the day, carding a 2-over 74 that left her among a large group of players tied for 11^th at 1-under 143.

   But it had to be an encouraging start to the spring for DiLisio. She led a top-notch field after 36 holes at the Windfall Tradition, Notre Dame’s final event of the fall, before faltering with a final-round 84. Turns out she was fighting a back injury for much of the fall campaign and it caught up to her at the Landfall. Still, she had the Irish’s best scoring average of the fall, an outstanding 72.71.

   The Irish were led Sunday by Talia Campbell, a senior from Dallas. She had rounds of 72 and 69 and is tied for fifth at 3-under 141.

   Oregon’s Caroline Inglis, a senior from Eugene, Ore., grabbed the individual lead with rounds of 70 and 69 for a 5-under 139 total.

   She led the Ducks, ranked No. 30 by GolfWeek, to the top spot in the team standings. They had rounds of 285 and 292 to open up a six-shot lead at 9-under 567.

   No. 26 UNLV (285-288) and Kansas State (289-284) are tied for second at 3-under 573 and Big Ten power Ohio State, ranked 44^th, is alone in fourth place with a 1-under 575 total after rounds of 287 and 288.

   UNLV was led by Kaylee Benton, a freshman from Buckeye, Ariz. She had a pair of 70s to finish a shot back of Inglis at 4-under 140. She was joined at that figure by two Kansas State players, Katherine Gravel-Coursol, a junior from Canada, and Connie Jaffrey a sophomore from Scotland. Gravel-Coursol had rounds of 72 and 68 while Jaffrey toured the Vistas Course in 71 and 69.

   Notre Dame’s Campbell was joined at 141 by Ohio State’s Jessica Porvasnik, a junior from Hinckley, Ohio. Porvasnik, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week after finishing in a tie for 13^th at the Northrop Grumann Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif. last weekend, had rounds of 71 and 70.

   DiLisio was one of three freshmen in the Notre Dame lineup Sunday. Emma Albrecht, a freshman from Ormond Beach, Fla., had rounds of 71 and 75 and is tied for 30^th at 2-over 146, Kari Belville, a sophomore from Granger, Ind., had rounds of 76 and 72 and is tied for 43^rd at 148 and Maddie Rose Hamilton, a freshman from Louisville, Ken., had rounds of 74 and 76 and is tied for 54^th at 150.