March 25, 2014
Johns Island, S.C.-In the final round of the Briar's Creek Invitational, Penn State posted their lowest team score of the year with a 289. Improving their score each round propelled the Nittany Lions to a second-place finish, just four strokes behind Texas Tech. The blue and white tallied 892 (309-294-289) strokes to finish at 28 strokes over par.
"We are very excited and I am proud it was a team effort," said head coach Denise St. Pierre. "Texas Tech played great today and we can't control that. I felt the players all stayed steady."
Senior Christina Vosters (Bethany Beach, Del.) won her first career individual championship as she tied her career low with a third round 68. Vosters finished with 215 strokes (72-75-68) as she recorded a one-under par for the tournament, marking her as the only golfer who finished with a score below par. Vosters' individual championship was the first for a Penn State player since Ellen Ceresko won the Nittany Lion Invitational in 2012. Junior Ellen Ceresko (Jefferson Township, Pa.) recorded a third 75 to finish in a tie for 15th with 223 (73-75-75) shots.
"I am very happy to see Christina win. She is such a great player and this has been a huge goal of hers," said St. Pierre. "I am glad to see it happen before she graduates."
Texas Tech won the team championship as they notched a third round 286 to give them 888 (299-303-286) strokes for the tournament. Penn State finished ahead of several ranked teams, including No. 10/11 Clemson. The Nittany Lions have started off their spring season with two-second place finishes out of three tournaments, finishing second at the Kiawah Island Classic.
Looking ahead, the Nittany Lions head to the Bryan Park Invitational in Brown's Summit, North Carolina from March 28-30.
"The hope is that it will give them more confidence. We are excited to play this weekend," said St. Pierre. "We are on a mission to up our ranking and this will help."
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