Aug. 22, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion women's golf team heads into the 2008-09 season looking to continue to build upon last year's progress. A team that features a lot of talent on its young roster will tackle its always tough schedule as head coach Denise St. Pierre and her squad continues its consistent ascent.
While a youthful squad greets the veteran mentor for the new campaign, St. Pierre sees a motivated team in action. "I'm very pleased with the work ethic of this young group," St. Pierre said. "I believe that they have focused on the things we asked them to work on when we sent them home for the summer. Now it is up to both golfers and coaches to forge the confidence necessary to compete at this level."
St. Pierre will be looking to replace four talented lettermen but welcomes a solid corp of sophomores and juniors back plus a talented freshmen. With a roster that features no seniors, youth will be served this year.
Victoria Arena returns after a promising freshman season, looking to step into the role of team leader on the course. Arena played 13 rounds last year, including a top 30 finish at Big Tens. Her rounds of 74 and 76 at the Big Ten Championships last season helped her post an 80.1 average, which is tops among Penn State's returners. Giulia Carando was also solid as a freshman last year and returns for her sophomore campaign after posting an 82.7 average last season.
Classmate Brianna Malcolmson tied for 54th at Big Tens last year and ended the campaign with a solid 81.4 average. Her top finish was a 15th place finish at the Nittany Lion Invitational. Junior Katherine Murphy, a two-year letter winner was also 54th at BIg Tens in 2007-08 and posted an 81.1 average in 28 rounds. Murphy had one top ten last year, a 10th place finish at the Nittany Lion Invitational. Four other returners will look to help fill the void left by the graduated players. Junior Lindsay Cullen and sophomores Gia Fanelli, Dineen Notman and Kelly Osborne all return after seeing spot action during previous Penn State seasons.
St. Pierre will welcome freshman recruit Emily Riddle this year as the St. Mary's, Pa., native brings a long list of junior golf accolades with her from Elk County Catholic High School. Riddle was a three-time District 9 champion and won the PIAA state championship once. St. Pierre believes Riddle could have a quick impact on Penn State's fortunes this year.
"The key for this group will be confidence," St. Pierre said. "They are all talented players. But when you're young, sometimes you lack that confidence that you need. My biggest task beyond the technical aspects of the game will be to continue to pull that confidence out of them as we progress through the season."
Penn State will once again face a challenging schedule in 2008-09, including its own Nittany Lion Invitational. Penn State will visit Bucknell, Princeton and Wisconsin for tournaments in September and Iowa and Purdue for October competitions. March will send Penn State to James Madison and William and Mary while April features trips to the University of Miami (Fla.) and Ohio State for tournaments before a trek to Purdue for the 2009 Big Ten Championships.
"We should be able to improve upon some things from last year," St. Pierre said. "We are competitive now and are working on improving every day. I feel like this team is one that, if we do the right things early on, can reach some high expectations later on. We need to get them to feel confident and that is something we will work on all year."
With a young team, St. Pierre will attack the schedule with the tenant of mental and physical growth over the course of the nine-month season. "What I try and impart upon my players is that, as long as they are working hard in practice sticking to the process for improvement, they should never be disappointed in themselves."
Penn State will open up the 2008-09 season with a trip to the Bison Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, September 6-7, at Bucknell. The Lions then host the Nittany Lion Invitational on September 13-14.