Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions that slowed play and limited the tournament to only 45 holes, the men's golf team persevered and finished third at the George Washington Invitational.
The women had better weather but worse results, placing 17th out of 20 teams at the First Market Bank Intercollegeiate tournament.
Sustained winds of 35 mph - at times gusting up to 50 mph - greeted the men at the Bear Trap Dunes Golf Course in Bethany Beach, Del.
"It made ball-striking and accuracy even more important," junior Mike Blodgett.
The tempestuous winds significantly slowed down play on Friday, and many golfers had to finish their first rounds on Saturday morning before beginning another round of 18. Blodgett was on the course for nine straight hours.
Due to the backlog, tournament officials shortened the event from 54 holes to just 45.
Blodgett was the top finisher for the Quakers at the tournament for the second straight year. He carded scores of 75-72-37 for a total of 184, finishing sixth overall, four strokes back from the lead.
"This was my third time seeing the golf course and the experience has definitely benefitted me," Blodgett said. "This golf course is about avoiding the hazards and not having big scores."
Two other Quakers who were playing the course for the first time cracked the top 20. Freshman Kevin Huntington posted a three-round score of 187 to tie for ninth and junior Brett Rendina finished 10 strokes back with a score of 190 to tie for 18th.
As a team, Penn was satisfied with its third place finish in a field of 20 schools that featured top talent from Maryland and Seton Hall.
"We played really consistent throughout the tournament," assistant coach Chad Perman said. "Being in position to compete under the pressure and executing in those situations will help us as we prepare for the Ivy League Championships in April."
The women experienced more favorable golfing conditions in Williamsburg, Va; despite forecasters predicting afternoon showers on Saturday, the team played under sunny skies the entire weekend.
The fair weather, however, did little to help the Red and Blue, who continued to struggle at William and Mary. In past years at the tournament, Penn has finished in the lower half of the field, but this 17th-place showing was the team's worst thus far.
The women's team posted a score of 338 in the first round. That improved to 330 in round two, hardly enough to help the Quakers but still enough to please coach Francis Vaughn.
"Our team really improved after the first day," Vaughn said. "Each golfer improved in some way and being able to better the team score between the two rounds was a step in the right direction."
Vaughn did not know exactly where his team would wind up, since the Quakers left the tournament early, with 12 teams still golfing.
Yet he did feel that this tournament was much needed practice for the Ivy League Championships.
"The tournament helped us get back in the swing of things," Vaugh said. "Playing tournaments allows you to gauge how the team has progressed, and while there are areas that each player needs to improve on, the experience earned during the tournament will benefit us in upcoming events."
