This weekend, the women's golf team got a boost from two players - both of them freshmen.
Led by Lisette Vitter and Meredith Kotowski, the Quakers placed fifth overall out of fifteen teams this weekend at the Rutgers Invitational in New Brunswick, N.J. The Invitational consisted of one round each on Friday and Saturday.
"I felt like the girls played really well this weekend," coach Francis Vaughn said. "The conditions were windy and cold, so the girls pulled through."
Vitter shot 82-76 - 158, and was honored among Penn players along with Kotowski who shot a 79-79 - 158. The pair tied for a sixth-place finish individually.
"Both freshmen were probably two of the lowest scorers of the day," Vaughn said. "They both played really well."
The next lowest scorer for Penn was sophomore Nicole Kouch, who came in at 84-89 - 173, finishing in 38th. Kouch's lowest round at Penn is an 83. Last year, she tied for 32nd overall at the Ivy League Championships and is the third-best on the Quakers.
Following Kouch was Catherine Elliot, shooting a 81-94 - 175. Elliot tied for 45th in the tournament. Captain Stephanie Stamas, whose low round was an 82, struggled this weekend, shooting a 87-95 - 182 - and tying for 53rd. At the Ivy League Championships last year, Stamas tied with Kouch for 32nd.
"The team has been improving and [has] become much better," Vaughn said.
The team hasn't played much over the past few weeks, due to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament being rained out last weekend.
This weekend, Penn finished 31 strokes behind winner Columbia, shooting 326-338-664 on the course.
And while there wasn't much pressure from the Red and Blue, Bucknell (644) came a single stroke short of Columbia (643).
This tournament concludes the Quakers' fall season, and, according to their coach, it ended with a bang.
"There are two girls studying abroad this semester, so the freshmen have had a chance to play," Vaughn said. "The addition of the two girls will make for a very competitive season."
