The Penn women's golf team did not get off to the best start over the weekend at the William and Mary Invitational, but the Quakers rallied on the second day to finish in 11th place with a score of 665.
James Madison won the invitational with a team score of 613. Princeton trailed closely behind, ending the meet with a score of 615.
The Quakers score on the second day was only two points better than their first day score, but Penn passed two teams on the way to their 11th place finish.
"We were very pleased [with the way the meet went], considering we met our goals for the second day," Penn junior Stacy Kress said. "The conditions were good.
"We all played pretty well."
Kress led the way for the Quakers, who shot a 79 on the first day -- tying her for 25th place -- but had a strong 75 on the second day to move up to 11th place overall with a total score of 154.
Princeton's Avery Kiser shot a 78-70 for a score of 148 to finish in first place, one ahead of James Madison's Jessica Lewis and teammate Meg Nakamura.
The meet over the weekend was the first for the Quakers in the spring season.
"I definitely think this was a good meet -- especially for the freshmen, as they had another tournament experience," Kress said. "Just getting back into the mode of focusing and concentrating was good. We know what we need to do to continue to improve."
In the Red and Blue's final meet of the fall season, they finished 14th out of 23 teams at the East Coast Athletic Conference Championships. Their finish guaranteed them a spot in ECAC Champs during the 2002 fall season.
In addition to Kress, the Quakers were led by Lauren Eveland and Valerie Wong, who each tied for 57th with a score of 170.
Penn's Jessica Penzell made the biggest jump from day one to day two, improving 14 strokes with a score of 97 on Sunday. She finished tied for 84th place with a score of 208.
Also performing well for the Quakers was Melissa Aylor, who shot 83 on both days to finish in 51st place with a score of 169.
"The first day we didn't play quite as well as we had hoped," Kress said. "There were two teams we thought we could make a move on -- and we did on the second day."
The Red and Blue have only one meet left this season, Ivy League Championships on April 19-20. The Quakers were sixth last season.
Penn got close to perennial Ivy favorites Princeton and Yale at the William and Mary Invitational and have high hopes for Ivy Champs in Jackson, N.J.
"I think there are a number of us who can finish All-Ivy," Kress said. "We're continuing to practice. We're optimistic... we may not win, but hopefully we'll beat a number of teams."
Daily Pennsylvanian Senior Sports Editor Amy Potter contributed to this report.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.