W. Golf enters post-Stacy Kress era

Coming off a solid 2002-2003 season, the Penn women's golf team is poised to take another step toward the top of the Ivy League. Expectations are mounting for the Quakers, as the program enters its fifth full season of play.

Five letter winners return from last year's squad, adding experience to a talented group of players. However, the loss of Stacy Kress, one of the Quakers' strongest players, leaves a large void in the lineup.

Kress, an academic All-American and an academic All-Ivy performer, graduated last year after being the key member of the Quakers in the program's first four years of play.

"It will be different not having Kress," Penn coach Francis Vaughn said. "She was actually women's golf's first recruit," and her departure leaves "big shoes to fill."

Despite the absence of Kress, Penn returns a solid core of players, led by junior Melissa Aylor. Aylor became the first medalist for Penn women's golf at last year's William and Mary Invitational. She tallied a 73 in the rain-shortened event, beating out Princeton's Avery Kiser for the individual title by one shot.

Aylor's individual achievement was just one of many highlights from the Quakers' 2003 spring season, which included a second-place finish overall at the Georgetown Invitational. At Georgetown, two Penn golfers finished in the top five of the individual standings -- Aylor was fourth, and then-sophomore Lauren Eveland placed second with a two-round score of 150.

This season seems to be a time for optimism. Joining Aylor and Eveland, freshman Stephanie Stamas is expected to contribute greatly. Vaughn described Stamas as a "very fine player" who will "definitely help our team."

The first test for the Quakers comes this weekend at the Princeton Invitational at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J. The tournament will help indicate how Penn will stack up against other Ivy League teams, as the field includes Princeton (its A and B squads), Brown, Dartmouth and Harvard. in addition to what Vaughn said would be approximately 15 other schools from the Northeast.

Sophomores Kim Thompson, Alexis Wukich and Jenna Skorupa will join Aylor, Eveland and Stamas in this weekend's competition. Five of the six players will represent Penn in the team competition, while one player will compete as an individual.

Experience may be on the Quakers' side at the Princeton Invitational. Vaughn pointed out that "other than Stephanie, everyone has played" at Springdale Golf Club, and familiarity with the course could play a large role in Penn's play.

Though it is too early to make any solid predictions for the Quakers' upcoming season, Aylor believes that they have the talent to compete with the best in the Ivy League.

"Yale is again the favorite to win the Ivies," she said. "But we have the ability to place in the top three" if we play up to our potential.

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