Dartmouth recorded a two-round overall score of 629, giving the team a nine-stroke victory over second-place Siena College. The tournament, which was held at Hanover Country Club over the weekend, also marked the debut of head coach Janet Coles, a 14-year LPGA Tour veteran.
"It was really terrific," Coles said. "The course, the condition of the course and the facility were really top notch. It's an honor and a thrill to be representing such a great college."
The Big Green stood out in the 12-team field by placing three golfers in the top five overall. Heather Roland '12 and Jane Lee '15 paced Dartmouth, shooting 10 over par and tying for second place with University at Albany junior Stephanie Klein. Sarah Knapp '14 Dartmouth's highest placer at the Ivy League Championships last spring finished fifth at 12 over par. Marietta Smith '12 tied for 21st place at 21 over par.
University of Hartford junior Sarah Sideranko shot a first-round 71 the tournament's low round and scored a 149 overall to win by five strokes.
"I think we executed well," Coles said. "The players all drove the ball really well, we stayed in play. They stayed towards the middle of the green. They putted consistently. They played one shot at a time, and didn't try to get ahead of ourselves."
Dartmouth started the tournament with a historic first round, shooting a cumulative four-player score of 303 to set a school record. The team's four scoring players combined to shoot 15 over par on the 5,816-yard, par-72 course, propelling the Big Green to a commanding 17-stroke advantage. Roland and Lee's rounds of 75 tied for the second-lowest of the tournament.
Dartmouth's second team also shot well, as Julie Campbell '13 and Kathleen Quirk '12 both finished in a five-way tie for 12th. Overall, the team of Campbell, Quirk, Savannah Grice '15 and Colleen Carroll '13 combined to shoot a two-day score of 663 and finished in sixth place.
Coles said she stresses preparation for tournament golf, noting that she believes Dartmouth can improve by learning how to approach each round one shot at a time. The Big Green golfers must also work on their short game to be competitive at bigger tournaments, according to Coles.
"We still have to learn the short game in the scoring zone," she said. "How to save par, knowing when to protect par, learning how to manage ourselves under pressure. In tournament golf, putting is the game."
The Big Green will head to Princeton University this weekend for the Princeton Invitational, which will offer Dartmouth its first chance this season to measure itself against its Ivy League competitors. The Big Green finished last at the Ivy League Championships last spring, its third consecutive last-place finish.
