The women’s golf team finished seventh in its last competitiom until the spring at last weekend’s Lehigh Invitational, hosted by Lehigh University. The two-day, 36-hole tournament, played at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., featured nine teams. The Big Green shot an aggregate score of 332 on Sunday and 325 on Monday to finish above Lehigh’s B team and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Dartmouth was led by Jane Lee ’15, who shot a 79 on Sunday and a 76 the following day to finish in a tie for 12th place. Sarah Knapp ’14 followed up an opening day 81 with a 76 on Monday to jump up to 16th overall, while Tara Simmons ’17 capped a strong first fall season with a 77 on Monday after an 81 on Sunday to finish 18th.
Harvard University won the invitational with an aggregate score of 600, beating out second-place Princeton University by 12 points. Princeton senior Kelly Shon shot an aggregate of 142, which gave her the individual victory by a margin of four strokes.
The course was challenging, with quick greens and long rough, which impacted first day scores.
“We came into this season with two goals: to believe and to commit,” Knapp said. “I think this course really tested those goals.”
The Big Green saw the third-best improvement from day one to day two, shaving seven shots off their score. Only the Midshipmen and Mountain Hawks cut more strokes between the days.
“It was a course where if you put yourself in the wrong position, it was tough to make it out,” Simmons said.
Continuing a season-long trend, Lee was the most impressive individual performer for Dartmouth, shooting the lowest score on both days.
“Our anchor is Jane Lee,” head coach Alex Kirk said. “She was really impressive this weekend in a very competitive field.”
The invitational format allowed teams to field five golfers, and to then choose from the best four scores. Dartmouth players suffered a setback at the start of the competition, when Jamie Susanin ’17 withdrew due to a back injury. Dartmouth was the only school that was forced to compete with just four golfers.
Evan Sterneck ’14 finished with an aggregate score of 187 to take 43rd. The last golfer that competed for the Big Green was Lily Morrison ’16, whose score of 169, while not counting towards the team score, was good enough to place her 38th.
The team is pleased with the level of effort it put in this fall season, especially against tough competition in the Lehigh Invitational.
“It was a really successful season,” Knapp said. “We laid a good groundwork for the spring.”
Kirk said he was confident in the top three on the team, and is still hoping for more consistency from the fourth and fifth golfers on the roster.
“The ultimate goal is playing well against the Ivies in the spring,” Simmons said.
The team has emphasized the mental aspects of the game, as well as strength and conditioning in the offseason. It will begin practicing indoors for the spring season on Feb. 1 before teeing it up on April 5 for the first round of the Seton Hall Pirate Invitational in New Jersey.
“We have the talent and I’m really happy to work with them,” Kirk said.
