For the Penn women's golf team, confidence, and not the rain, prevailed at the Princeton Invitational this weekend.
In a seventh-place finish at Princeton's Springdale Golf Club, the Quakers fought through rain, flooding and a two-hour delay to emerge as a more focused, poised team.
"It was a mental challenge to go back out there and keep pace," junior captain Melissa Aylor said of the rain delay. "We definitely gained confidence and we also learned a lot -- how to handle the rain, how to adjust to fast greens."
Penn senior Laura Dolan agreed that this weekend's rainy tournament proved to be a great learning experience.
"We saw what we could do, and it will make us play better," she said. "We have the potential to be in the top three in the Ivies this year."
Traditionally "one of the more friendly courses" of the year, Aylor said the elements drastically changed the nature of the course.
"There was major flooding, lakes and rivers flowing through the greens," Aylor said. "They were pretty tricky and fast this weekend."
The wet conditions, though, did not deter Aylor, who finished tied for sixth overall with a two-round score of 157. As a team, Penn finished seventh with a total score of 658, nine points better than the Quakers' score at last year's Princeton Invitational.
Stephanie Stamas, the team's lone freshman, finished with a two-round score of 175, tied for 62nd overall and fifth-best on Penn. However, Aylor said that Stamas' score did not reflect her overall performance.
"Stephanie played well," Aylor said. "She handled herself well, and we were all very proud of her."
Penn coach Francis Vaughn was very encouraged by the team's performance this weekend, and is "absolutely" confident that the team will continue to improve.
"I am pretty happy with the way they played," Vaughn said. "We have a more talented, experienced team than we did last year -- there's no doubt about that."
Sophomore Jenna Skorupa played as the team's individual this weekend. The individual's score does not count toward the team's overall score, although she is eligible for the tournament's individual title. Skorupa shot a two-round total of 162.
"Jenna gained a lot of confidence this weekend playing so well," Aylor said.
In looking toward the upcoming year, the Quakers must work to overcome the loss of Division I National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Athlete Stacy Kress. Aylor noted that this weekend's play speaks to the ability of the younger golfers to lead the Quakers.
"We lost Stacy [Kress], but gained Stephanie [Stamas], and she's contributing already, and the others have also stepped up their games," Aylor said,
Vaughn remains confident about this year's team.
"I think the team feels they can improve on what they did this weekend," Vaughn said. "But it is the best team that we've had since we started four years ago."
