W. Golf improves on Yale trip

The Penn women's golf team showed its promise by setting a school record with a score of 371 at the difficult, hill-laden Yale Golf Course on Saturday. As the excitement caused by Saturday's great performance subsided, the Quakers realized that Sunday's play at the Yale Invitational would be very difficult. They were forced to battle the elements as well as the blind shots and prevalent rough imposed by the tough links. A steady rain fell for much of Sunday's round, resulting in thicker rough and slower greens. But the Quakers displayed an excellent ability to improve, as they finished off the weekend with an even lower, more noteworthy record score of 365. The Quakers' commendable performance this weekend helped them finish 12th out of 18 teams, a vast improvement over last year's finish of 19th among the 21 squads assembled in New Haven, Conn. Penn coach Francis Vaughn was understandably pleased with the Red and Blue's effort. "The ladies adapted well to the rain and actually shot better," he said. "It was a great team effort to put the score on the board that we did, especially in comparison to last year." Captain Jen Schraut also relished in the team's excellent performance, noting last year's struggles. "I was very pleased with the positive attitude and much improved scores of the team," she said. "It was lots of fun to see such a positive difference this year." Schraut also lauded the team for its commitment. "Everyone really put in all their effort and worked to improve," she said. "Team spirit was also high, which helped." Sophomore Stacy Kress led the way for the Quakers, as she finished 26th overall with a score of 170 over two rounds. She shot an 84 on Saturday and an 86 on Sunday. Freshmen Laura Dolan and Valerie Wong contributed to the team's success as well, despite the anxieties they confronted at their first college tournament. "It was exciting, even though I was a little nervous," Dolan said. "It was definitely a new experience." Wong and Dolan were also optimistic that the team is only headed for more prosperity. The Quakers have their next chance to continue their progress at the Princeton Invitational. "I hope we keep improving and move up the ranks from tournament to tournament," Wong said. "It is going to be a good year for Penn." If this weekend's performance is any indication of what's to come, Wong's prediction is right on target.

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