The women's golf team finished fifth at the Ivy League Championships last weekend, held at famed Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, N.J.
The Penn Quakers captured their first-ever league championship, dominating the field en-route to a 22-stroke victory.
For the Bears, Megan Tuohy '12 once again turned in the team's top score, shooting 78-81-84 — 243. Heather Arison '12 played three consistent rounds, shooting 81-81-84 — 246 to finish with the second-best score for the Bears. Captain Susan Restrepo '11 shot a three-day total of 257, while Carly Arison '12 and Sarah Guarascio '11 shot 259 and 260, respectively, for the Bears.
Head Coach Danielle Griffiths said she was especially pleased with Tuohy's performance, praising her for "consistently being our top performer all season." Griffiths also lauded Heather Arison's play, noting "she did a great job of staying in the present."
Griffiths said she was definitely happy with her team's overall performance, highlighting that "we finished one place better than last year. Every semester we have been improving."
The team prepared all season for the fast and difficult greens at Baltusrol, and their work certainly served them well, according to Griffiths. "We were emotionally prepared for six and seven-footers for par," Griffiths said. The team as a whole also did a "good job of staying positive and in the present," which had been one of Brown's goals heading into the championship, she said.
But Tuohy noted that the hard and fast greens still did provide some difficulty for the team. Tuohy also remarked that "we need to work on finishing strong and not focus on the outcome." Nevertheless, she shared her coach's general sentiment, noting that the championship was "overall a positive experience."
Tuohy also said that "the competition in the Ivy League is really improving," which will "encourage our team to work really hard this summer."
The Bears said they were thankful for the opportunity to play at Baltusrol and hope the Ivy League Championships will return there in 2011.
Looking ahead to next season, Griffiths said she wants her players to "play lots of tournament golf." Moreover, she said she hopes all of her players will "work out and work with their swing coaches." If her players do so, she said she is confident they will all "come back ready to play in the fall."
