Women's Golf Opens Spring Season at the UCF Challenge on SundayWomen's Golf Opens Spring Season at the UCF Challenge on Sunday
Craig Houtz

Women's Golf Opens Spring Season at the UCF Challenge on Sunday

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Penn State women's golf team begins the spring portion of its schedule this weekend as they travel to the Eagle Creek Golf Club to participate in the 2019 UCF Challenge.

FALL RECAP

  • In five fall tournaments the Nittany Lions secured four top-10 finishes including victories at the Nittany Lion Invitational and Princeton Invitational while finishing second at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational after a record-setting final round of 10-under, 278.
  • Senior Cara Basso (Downingtown, Pa.) led the team in the fall with a 72.15 scoring average including three top 10 finishes while freshman Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) was close behind with a 72.85 scoring average securing individual first place during the Nittany Lion Invitational with a tournament record 11-under, 205.
  • Penn State ranks 39th in the current GolfStat rankings following the fall season.

THE TEAM

  • Penn State will begin the spring the same way they ended the fall as senior's Jackie Rogowicz (Yardley, Pa.) and Lauren Waller (Canonsburg, Pa.) along with junior Megan McLean (Lebanon, N.J.) join Basso and Willis in the starting five.
  • Waller and Rogowicz finished the fall season third and fourth on the team in scoring average at 73.62 and 73.92, respectively.
  • The Nittany Lions will also have a pair of individuals as junior Maddy Herr (New Hope, Pa.) and senior Kamerine Taylor (Dublin, Ohio) were the top finishers during a pair of qualifying rounds last weekend at Eagle Creek.
  • PSU's stroke average as a team during the fall season was 292.38 and head coach Denise St. Pierre emphasized keeping their average below 295 this week in order for the early season tournament to be a success.

THE FIELD

  • Penn State is one of 15 teams participating this week. Of the 15 teams in the field five are from the Big Ten as Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin will join the Nittany Lions down in the Sunshine State at the par-72, 6,349 yard course.
  • At No. 18 Illinois is one of three top-25 programs in the field this weekend led by sixth-ranked Vanderbilt and tenth-ranked Kent State. Rounding out the field is Iowa State, SMU, ECU, Tulane, ODU, College of Charleston, Kennesaw St. and Miami.
  • The tournament will feature three-straight days of 8:45 a.m. shotgun starts beginning Sunday morning and culminating on Tuesday.
  • Penn State is making its second-straight appearance at the UCF Challenge after finishing ninth in the 16-team field last season. Miami returns as the defending champion after a score of 4-over, 868
  • Live scoring for all three days of the event is available HERE.

BIRDIES FOR THE HEART

  • The Nittany Lions continue their Birdies for the Heart Campaign to help raise money for the Barbara Streisand Women's Heart Center. During the fall, Penn State registered 227 birdies and look to build on that number this spring.
  • If interested in pledging please fill our THIS FORM or email head coach Denise St. Pierre at dxs10@psu.edu.

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State takes the next month off before resuming its season with a spring break trip to the River Landing in Wilmington, N.C. on March 4-5 before a return trip to Florida for the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. on March 9 and 10.