The lone bright spot in the tournament for the College was the future of the program, as Sunny Zhang '10 finished with the lowest score for the Big Green.
"The first day I played pretty well," Zhang said. "I felt really comfortable and was just in the zone. I made some small mistakes but nothing costly. The second day I had a harder time concentrating,"
She tied for 21st place individually, finishing with 78-85-163, showing that she matriculated ready to make an impact for the squad. Zhang was the only Dartmouth player to record a score below 80.
Unfortunately, she was playing as an individual, and didn't count toward team scoring. Had she been subbed into the lineup for the squad's high score, the team would have leapfrogged over Brown and Long Island into seventh place.
Standard college golf scoring takes the top four scores of five team members. Schools often bring more than five players to tournaments, however, and extra golfers compete as individuals.
Lauren Strickler '09 turned in the second lowest score for the Big Green, 85-83-168. Rounding out the team's performances over the weekend, Elizabeth Dupuy '08 and Ann Kapusta '07 shot 171 and Annie Daher '07 shot 172.
The results were particularly disappointing in the wake of the women's strong season opener. The Big Green took fifth of 17 teams last weekend at the Dartmouth Invitational in Hanover.
"This weekend we all struggled. We played much better last week. I was disappointed with how I played," co-captain Daher said.
"We just didn't play to our capabilities," Strickler said. "I was only one over making the turn, but then I just didn't close out my round."
Daher and Strickler's experience this season has mirrored that of the team. The pair played particularly well in the top five finish in Hanover, finishing in 12th place overall.
"The team didn't play its best [at Princeton]," Zhang said. "But everyone gave it their all and that's what counts. No one gave up and we were all very supportive of each other. Being a freshman, I think this was a great first trip for me."
While the team performed below its capabilities and expectations this weekend, they will be eager to prove that the showing was an aberration.
"I think we're all planning on working on short game for next week. Yale is a very difficult golf course and a solid short game is vital," said Daher.
"The important thing for me and the team to remember," Strickler added, "is that every shot counts from the first tee shot to the last putt. I know that we can play better next weekend at Yale."
Next week, the Big Green will play at the Yale Invitational at The Course at Yale in New Haven, Conn., as the team will look to regain its form and continue to prepare for the ECAC championships to be held in two weeks.