The star of the weekend at Bucknell was Joey Maziar '14, who placed second in the tournament, his best finish at Dartmouth.
"I played smart and putted well, and played with a nothing matters' attitude that helped me get rid of my early jitters," said Maziar, who had not played in a tournament since last year.
As a team, the men improved from day one after shooting a 297. The Big Green dropped 10 strokes as a team to shoot a second day total of 287 and a 291 on the third day of competition.
"This win is big for the team," Maziar said. "We weren't able to bring some of our strongest players due to freshman orientation, but showed that we can produce a winning lineup regardless."
On the par 70-course, Charlie Edler '15 was one of just two golfers to shoot under par in the second round with a score of 69. He tied for third place in the tournament.
"My driving was excellent last week," Edler said. "It was one of my better driving performances I can remember."
Other notable finishes for the Big Green included Charles Cai '16 in ninth, Dylan Rusk '16 in 11th and Harry Boling '16 in 13th.
"This past weekend we started a stretching routine before each round, which seemed to pay off because of the cold and windy weather," Edler said. "We were also used to the more wintery conditions coming from New Hampshire."
Dartmouth will return to Ivy League competition at the Cornell Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y., this weekend after being the only representative from the Ancient Eight at Bucknell.
The Big Green women also finished strong at the two-day event in Hanover.
"Even after playing Hanover Country Club for three years, it hasn't gotten any easier. The greens were rolling pretty fast and many of the pins were in challenging spots," Sarah Knapp '14 said.
Dartmouth found success in the senior class, as Knapp placed 10th overall as the top finisher for the Big Green. On the first day, Knapp shot an even par of 72 and finished with a 77 on the second day.
"My mental game was where it needed to be," Knapp. "I never got flustered about hitting a bad shot or having a bad hole, and that resiliency enabled me to stay focused and play well."
The women also improved on their team score from the first day, lowering their total to 304 from 311. Four members of the Big Green were able to knock off strokes from the first day.
"We shot 304, which is a great score for our team," Jessica Goldstein '16 said. "It was also the first time since I have played on the team that all five players shot in the 70s."
Jamie Susanin '17 improved the most, cutting 10 strokes on her second day score to go to a 77 from an 87.
Not far beind Knapp, Jane Lee '15 and Tara Simmons '17 finished in 14th and 15th place, respectively.
"Dartmouth women's golf is moving in the right direction and we can only get better," Goldstein said. "The two words that will embody our team spirit this year are belief and commitment. I think that we were able to believe in ourselves and play to our potential this past weekend."
Yale University dominated the teams in the tournament with its 23-stroke victory to clinch the win, while Boston University claimed second place by 17 strokes. "Our field continues to grow and become more competitive," Knapp said. "It was good to start the season off with strong competition and to see how we measure up, and I'm excited to see how we do at Yale this weekend."
The Dartmouth women will be back in action at the Yale Invitational this weekend in New Haven, Conn.
