VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Following a tournament-low 6-under, 275, in the second round, the Penn State women's golf team is currently second in the 15-team field at the 2022 Evie Odom Invitational. The Nittany Lions climbed six spots from the first to the second round with their strong afternoon play and sit just behind the College of Charleston Cougars.
Following the arrival of Hurricane Ian late Thursday afternoon, the Evie Odom Invitational was suspended until noon on Saturday when the 15 team's tee'd it back up to resume the first round and begin the second.
Penn State tied the low-round of the tournament with the Cougars on Saturday afternoon as both teams turned in matching rounds of 6-under, 274. The Nittany Lions who caught the rough end of the wind on Thursday afternoon saw a 26-shot improvement in their second round and are currently 14-over for the Championship and nine shots back of CofC entering Sunday's final round.
The 6-under round matches a season-low for the Nittany Lions as they also registered a 6-under total during the second round of the Nittany Lion Invitational.
Penn State was paced by three players in red figures led by senior Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) who fired a 4-under, 66, during the second round. Delavallade is currently in second place individually at 2-under for the week and just two shots back of the College of Charleston's Emma Schimpf who is the 36-hole leader.
Senior Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) also impressed as she fired a 2-under, 68, in the second round and moved up 12 spots and into a tied for 13th at 3-over for the tournament. Dhruva bogey'd her second hole of the round, but turned in a clean card the rest of the way including three birdies over her final five holes coming in.
"My placement off the tee was really good and my chipping felt solid," mentioned Dhruva. "I stayed patient the whole round and was able to make a few putts coming in."
Senior classmate Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) was the big mover of the day as she too carded a 2-under, 68, in the second round moving up 21 spots and into a tie for 22nd at 5-over for the championship.
"I did my best to commit to every shot and kept it simple by focusing on fairways and greens," commented Willis. "I stayed patient all afternoon and got a few putts to fall."
Sophomore Michelle Cox (Allentown, Pa.) rounded out the countable team scores with a 2-over, 72, while classmate Drew Nienhaus (St. Louis, Mo.) carded a 4-over, 74, on Saturday afternoon.
"We had a fantastic effort today all through the lineup," stated head coach Denise St. Pierre. "I'm so proud of the team and the way we fought back today after catching an unlucky break at where we were on the course on Thursday when the winds began to gust."
The teams will return to the course tomorrow morning to close out the tournament with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Full first round scores available HERE.
