Two frosh give depth to W. Golf

Even though the members of the Penn women's golf team can't drive the ball nearly as far as Tiger Woods, they are hoping to be a bit more consistent than the up-and-down golf icon.

The Quakers pulled out of a slump last season, ultimately finishing sixth in the Ivy League Championships after a tough regular season.

This year's squad is hoping to build upon that late-season success.

The Quakers have boosted their roster -- and their hopes -- with the addition of two promising freshmen, Lauren Eveland and Melissa Aylor.

"We are still a relatively young team," Penn senior Rachel Slosburg said. "We're very excited about the freshman recruits. Once we get them acclimated, they have very strong potential."

Talent alone will not be enough, though. Because the Quakers are young, the experience they do have is crucial.

Veteran junior Stacey Kress will once again be an important player for the Quakers. She led the team last year, posting the lowest Penn score at the Ivy Championships, as well at the William and Mary Invitational and the Rutgers Invitational.

"This is going to be our best season so far," Kress said. "Once the recruits get used to tournament play, hopefully they will be able to give us some lower scores."

Since the competition isn't getting any easier, the Quakers are going to have to improve their game to keep up.

"Lots of golfers can drive the ball 225 yards, but the short game is what is crucial," Slosburg said. "I think the more we work on chipping and putting, the lower our scores will be."

Penn will once again face a demanding schedule this fall. The season kicks off this weekend in North Carolina at the Elon Invitational.

On Sept. 29-30, Penn will face the cream of the East Coast crop at the Yale Invitational. The competition, however, will not be the only worry on Penn's mind when they travel to New Haven, Conn.

"The Yale tournament is, by far, one of the hardest because of the course itself," Penn sophomore Valerie Wong said. "The weather's always a challenge. It's just a really difficult course with large greens."

The Quakers will see how they stack up against many of their Ivy League foes again at the Princeton Invitational on Oct. 6-7.

"Princeton is another tough tournament," Slosburg said. "But good competition will make us better in the long run."

In order to prepare for the upcoming season, each Penn linkswoman is working on the weaknesses in her own particular game.

"Everybody has strengths and weaknesses," Wong said. "We're all working on the things in our game that we need to work on."

Most importantly this season, Penn seems to be a tight-knit team on and off the driving range.

Because when it comes time for the important tournaments, it's all about how the team preforms as a whole. One person cannot carry the team alone, as was proven in previous years.

"I think this year, the players, especially the new players, are going to be very dedicated to the team," Kress said. "We'll see what happens this weekend. No matter what, we still always want to have fun."

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