March 4, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- With the wait finally over and the girls anxious to show what they have been working on all winter, the Nittany Lions wasted no time in showing off their skills. Penn State finished in second , which was their best finish in the spring opener since the 2002-03 season when the girls won the Peggy Kirk Invitational.
"This feels great and I am very proud of them," said head coach Denise St. Pierre. "I think this was a great way to begin the spring season as we beat 33 teams. This is a great confidence booster and we are on our way."
The blue and white shot a final round score of 303, which put them at 906 (300-303-303) strokes for the tournament. The second place finish is the highest finish since the girls won the Mercedes Benz Collegiate in October of 2012. Although the team was down in South Carolina, the weather felt very familiar to them as the girls played the final round in 30-degree temperatures.
Junior Katlyn Elliott (Peterborough, Ont.) tallied her best finish of the season as she tied for eighth, her first top ten finish of the season. Elliott recorded a third round 76 to put her at 204 (72-76-76) strokes, which equals eight shots over par for the tournament. Senior Christina Vosters (Bethany Beach, Del.) finished in a tie for 14th as she finished the tournament with a final round 78, putting her one shot behind Elliott. Junior Ellen Ceresko (Jefferson Township, Pa.) recorded the lowest round of the day for the Nittany Lions with her 74 and finished in a tie for 28th.
Kent State claimed the team championship as they shot a final round score of 298 to put them at 892 strokes for the tournament. There was a tie for the individual medal as both Katia Joo of Boston College and Wad Phaewchimplee of Kent State both finished the tournament at four strokes over par.
Looking ahead, the Nittany Lions have a week and a half to get focused on the next tournament, which is the SunTrust Gator Invitational. "We have some work to do and having a few days of practice will be good," St. Pierre said. "We will be in very competitive company so we need to bring the A game. It's nice to have this under our belts." The tournament is from March 14-16 in Gainesville, Florida.