Coming off an impressive second- place finish at the Cornell Invitational last weekend, the Penn men's golf team continued to build confidence, rolling to a sixth-place finish at the James Madison Invitational this past weekend.
The Quakers will attempt to carry this momentum into next week's Big 5 Classic hosted by Penn at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Sophomore Sean Barrett led the way in Virginia with an eighth-place finish after shooting a 210 over the three-day span. He saved his best day for last, posting a 3-under-par 68 in the final round.
Penn freshman Dean Merrill, coming off his team-leading fourth- place outing at Cornell, came through again, finishing the tournament in 19th place with a 215 overall.
Penn coach Rob Powelson called the team's performance a "nice boost" going into next week's event.
With his team members hailing from across the country, from Florida to Texas to Washington to California, Powelson said this weekend the diverse group all "gelled together and fed off each other."
This weekend's team was what the coach called the "A" roster, consisting of Barrett, Merrill, Patrick Cooper, Derek Rogers and Garrett Wentzel -- another rookie.
"Our freshmen have come through for us. Merrill had a great tournament, and Wentzel had a strong effort as well. They're definitely making an impact," Powelson said.
Realizing the Quakers' dramatic improvement over the past year is easier than reading a flat green. Powelson said this year's squad was "20 shots better than last year's JMU Invite team."
The team's camaraderie can best be summed up by a commitment to winning. Powelson noticed that while many teams fall apart in poor rounds, this team tends to come together.
"They have each others' back. That attitude shows their talent level. It shows what they can accomplish as a team."
This display against "strong programs like Rutgers provides great experience and preparation for the Ivy League championship," Powelson said.
Landing themselves on the 18th green of the collegiate golf world, this week's sixth-place finish tied the Quakers with Maryland, a top 50 team.
The team is starting to turn heads. And they didn't even have to yell, "Fore!"
Just recently, Powelson learned of a Penn invitation to this year's prestigious UC Riverside tournament on March 7-8. At the contest, the Red and Blue will face the likes of nationally ranked powerhouses UCLA and Southern California.
If Penn can continue its strong play of late, it just might get to play at courses in the home states of its fellow team members, such as Florida, Texas, Washington and even California.
