Before the spring season started, the Penn women's golf team had only one goal in mind -- the Ivy League Championship.
This weekend, the Quakers can accomplish that goal at the Ridgewood Country Club in Ridgewood, N.J.
Though they have never won a tournament in the program's four-year history, the Quakers are poised to make a run at the title.
"We all have the potential to win," freshman Kim Thompson said.
"Right now, we just want to prove ourselves to the rest of the Ivies that we are capable of winning and we're in for the fight."
With second and eighth place finishes at the Georgetown and William and Mary invitationals, respectively, Penn is peaking at the right time.
And after a one-month layoff since their last tournament, the Quakers are rested going into the weekend.
"We've been working on the mental game and really focusing on course management and our short game," Thompson said.
Penn coach Francis Vaughn has emphasized the mental game throughout the season.
"Our coach only lets us think about positive thoughts. One negative thought can really result in a snowball effect of numerous bad shots," Thompson said.
"If we hit a bad shot, we think about the positive outcome of that shot."
Sophomore Melissa Aylor, who won the William and Mary Invitational, says only the mental game can put them over the top.
"We have to concentrate on every shot and take them as they come," Aylor said.
"We make sure we have a routine on every shot. As long as we do that routine, we'll have that confidence on that swing."
Penn will have to contend with a deep Ivy League conference, headed by Princeton, defending champion Yale, and Brown.
Always a contender, Princeton edged Penn to win the Georgetown Invitational earlier this season.
Possibly playing the best golf in the Ivies, Brown has won two consecutive tournaments this season.
The championship level course will prove tough with its narrow tree-lined fairways and fast greens.
"Accuracy off the tee will be important," Aylor said.
"How well we putt is going to determine how well we do," Thompson said.
On day one Penn must endure a 36-hole marathon to stay in contention, followed Sunday by a standard 18-hole round.
"It is definitely hard and we've been preparing for that," Aylor said. "It's more mental than physical. The last five holes are really key."
