W. Golf hits goals in first varsity year

After its first official year of varsity competition, the Penn women's golf team will look to carry the momentum of its progress into next fall. Overall, the Quakers competed in five tournaments and also spent a week practicing in Florida this spring. Their most impressive performance as a team was a 12th-place finish at the Rutgers Invitational in October, an event in which the Quakers shot under 400 on both days. The highlight of the season was without a doubt the individual performance of freshman Stacy Kress at this year's Ivy Championships. Kress' fifth-place finish was good enough for first team All-Ivy honors. "[Kress' performance] was a real thrill for all of us on the team," coach Francis Vaughn said. "Playing well [in the Ivy Championships] was a great story for the first year of women's golf at Penn." Vaughn -- who also coaches the men's team -- set the team's goals for its first year in terms of progress, not scores. Over the span of their first season, the Quakers clearly made a good bit of that. In their final tournament of the year -- the Ivy Championships -- the Quakers shot a two-day total of 784, breaking 400 on both days. While the Red and Blue still finished in the Ivy cellar, this effort was an improvement over the 19th-place finish at the Yale Invitational last September. "I think we're happy with how we've done this year," junior Jen Schraut said. "Hopefully we can come together next fall and keep improving and having fun." "The team's highlight is the improvement of our ladies over the course of the year," Vaughn said. "Each of the players improved on their own golfing ability. We've reached our goals in making sure that each of them improved." The Quakers should have a solid foundation to build upon next year, as the only loss to graduation will be senior captain Natasha Miller. "Miller's leadership will be missed," Vaughn said. "She was a very diligent practicer and set a good example for the rest of the players on the team." In addition to four returning players, the Quakers will also have the benefit of Vaughn's first real year of recruiting. "We do have a couple of young ladies who have been admitted, and [they] are very excited about coming to Penn," Vaughn said. "They will complement the rest of our team very well." Adding to the list of developments for Penn, this winter, the Quakers had the use of a new computer system within their indoor practice facility inside Hutchinson Gymnasium. As the golfer hits the ball into a net, a video camera records her form. She can then set up a split-screen in which she can compare her technique to either another one of her own swings or that of a professional. Between now and next fall, the individual team members will all go work on their games during the summer. "The majority of the young ladies will work individually during the summer months so that they will be prepared for the tournaments in the fall," Vaughn said. The Quakers will look to carry the momentum from a successful first season into next fall. "I think having more experience in tournament golf will help out," Kress said. Next year the Quakers will get that tournament experience, as they will compete in four tournaments in the fall. If things go well, an additional tournament may be added to the three planned for the spring as well.

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