Mother Nature ruined the Penn women's golf team's hope of capturing its first team title at the William and Mary Invitational. But it also gave sophomore Melissa Aylor a chance to finish first.
The second day of competition was canceled due to inclement weather, but the tournament will still officially count.
The Quakers finished with a score of 320 and finished eighth out of 22 teams.
Though this is a slight disappointment from last week's second place at the Georgetown Invitational, the Quakers feel they are peaking toward the end of the season.
"We've been constantly improving, and we're in a good position for the Ivy League Championship," junior Valerie Wong said.
Aylor shot an almost even-par round of 73, a collegiate best. This is no surprise for the sophomore, who placed fourth at the Georgetown Invitational and was nearly named All-Ivy as a freshman.
"I've been striking the ball these past few weeks better than I have all season," Aylor said. "My confidence and mental game has been definitely better."
Struggling in the early part of the round, Aylor began to make a charge on the back nine, shooting one-under par.
"[Coach] gave me tips on the fifth hole, and everything started to click from there," Aylor said. "I was confidant in each stroke."
Aylor was pulling the ball, going left and long. She made a simple adjustment -- following through on her shot. She ended with three birdies on the round and a tie for first in the strongest field Penn has played all season.
Aylor's course management was perfect under such harsh conditions, playing conservative and aggressive at the right times.
"Sometimes it was too difficult to shoot at the pin, and I tried to make par," Aylor said. "Some pins I could definitely shoot at and tried to make birdie."
Aylor's stellar round, however, was not enough to beat Princeton, who finished 10 strokes ahead of Penn.
The Red and Blue will get another chance at Princeton at the Ivy League Championships, which is April 25-26.
During the long layoff, the Quakers will strive for the Ivy League championship.
"We're going to practice every day. We're going to try to peak at the right time and keep the momentum," Aylor said.
"This is the strongest team we've ever had. This Ivy League championship is going to be really exciting. We have a chance."
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