Penn women's golf won the Navy Spring Invite on Apr. 13-14.
Credit: Courtesy of Penn AthleticsThings could not have been scripted better heading into the Ivy League Championships.
This weekend, Penn women’s golf decided that one tournament win wasn’t enough to satisfy the team. In dominant fashion, the Quakers traveled to the par-72 U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club course in Annapolis and captured the Navy Spring Invite title on the backs of strong performances from freshman Madeleine Zang and junior Natalie Cao.
The two-day, 36-hole tournament involved 11 teams overall, including fellow Ivy League competitors Dartmouth and Columbia, who ended the competition tied for fourth. Quinnipiac finished in second place, and Navy — the hosts of the tournament — ended Sunday in third place.
Zang finished fourth overall out of a field consisting of 69 golfers and was the lowest scorer for the Red and Blue, shooting a 77 on Sunday and ending the tournament seven-over-par. Cao put in her own score to be remembered, carding a 75 on the final day and finishing sixth overall at 10-over-par.
The Quakers played a complete tournament, carding a 310 at the halfway mark that gave them an eight stroke lead — a lead that they maintained throughout the rest of the tournament. While second-place Quinnipiac put up an impressive 298 total as a team on day two, they were unable to overcome a rough start as Penn cruised to the finish line.
While Zang and Cao shined, the whole team put up an impressive performance to give the Red and Blue serious momentum for the playoffs. Sophomores Julie Shin and Bridget O’Keefe managed to finish in the top 20 of the field, and freshman Maggie Ni had the best single-day performance out of anyone on the Penn team — hitting an even par on Sunday and ending with a 160 total on the weekend.
Up next, the Quakers will need everyone’s best performance as they prepare for the Ivy League Championship that begins on Friday and runs through the weekend. The team will travel to Greenwich, Conn., and play 54 holes at The Stanwich Club.
The competition will be tough, but if the past two weekends are any indication, the Red and Blue could be in for back-to-back banners.
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.
Donate