ORLANDO, Fla. – The Penn State Nittany Lions finished 12th at the UCF Challenge moving up one spot following a final round 301 (13-over) in their first tournament of the 2020-21 season.
Houston, who had a four shot lead entering the round, slid all the way to fifth after posting a 20-over score on Tuesday afternoon.
On another cold and windy day in central Florida, Virginia secured the tournament championship after posting the only under-par round on Tuesday with a 1-under, 287. The Cavaliers finished one shot clear of Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons were the only other team to finish the week under-par with a 4-under final score. Miami (3-over) and Kent State (4-over) round out the top-5
The Nittany Lions rebounded after a tough second round and were led by junior Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) who bounced back from a 10-over second round carding a 74 (2-over) on Tuesday. Willis registered just three bogeys to go along with her lone birdie on the par-5, 13th.
"It was nice to see Sarah bounced back and I thought Vicky did great in her first tournament as a Nittany Lion," commented head coach Denise St. Pierre. "We have some work to do in preparation for our next tournament and the team is motivated to work toward improving and that is what counts most."
Senior Megan McLean (Lebanon, N.J.) carded a 3-over, 75, highlighted by a 1-under opening 9, in the final round on Tuesday to tie for 41st while sophomore Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) and freshman Victoria Tip-Aucha (Vienna, Va.) turned in identical 4-over, 76, rounds to tie for 37th and 48th, respectively.
Sophomore Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) finished the day 5-over, 77, while junior Taylor Waller (Cannonsburg, Pa.) carded a 7-over, 79, highlighted by a 1-under opening nine.
The Nittany Lions return to Florida in three weeks to participate in the Lady Gator Invitational on February 21-23.
FINAL RESULTS
