Women's Golf Looks to Ride NLI Momentum Into Tennessee This WeekendWomen's Golf Looks to Ride NLI Momentum Into Tennessee This Weekend
Mark Selders

Women's Golf Looks to Ride NLI Momentum Into Tennessee This Weekend

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Penn State women’s golf team looks to ride the momentum off its victory at the Nittany Lion invitational a few weeks ago as they travel to the 28th-annual Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship hosted by the University of Tennessee at Cherokee Country Club Sunday through Tuesday.

The event will feature one round per day on Sunday through Tuesday with split tee times on Sunday and Monday beginning at 9:30 a.m. followed by a 9:15 shotgun start for Tuesday’s final round.

The breathtaking Donald Ross designed course has been around since the early 1900’s giving it over 100 years of history and tradition. The course is playing as a Par-71, 5,990-yard layout this week with five par-5’s, six par-3’s and seven par-4’s that goes out in 35 and comes in at 36.

Live scoring for the event is available HERE.

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LAST TIME OUT

  • The Nittany Lions capture the team championship at their home event, the Nittany Lion Invitational, marking the first victory in the head coaching career for Kristen Simpson.
  • It also marked the 26th for the Nittany Lions and it comes in the 49th installment of their home tournament while becoming their sixth Nittany Lion Invitational title in the last 10 years, but the first since the 2022 event.
  • Following a bogey on the par-3 17th, freshman Audrey Lam went pin-seeking on 18 and even after clipping some leaves she stuck one within a few feet for a tap in birdie which ultimately secured the team championship for the Nittany Lions who finished the week 14-over, 878, and one stroke clear of Delaware.
  • Lam finished the week as one of just five players in red figures at 1-under, 215, registering her first collegiate top-5 finish in a tie for fourth, just four strokes behind Yale’s Mia Sessa who earned individual medalist honors at 5-under, 211.

THE FIELD

  • The 15-team field this week features the Nittany Lions and host Lady Volunteers along with Campbell, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Florida International Jacksonville State, Memphis, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, Oregon State, South Alabama, TCU, UNC Charlotte and Western Kentucky.

THE TEAM

  • The starting lineup remains consistent from the Nittany Lion Invitational led by sophomore Jiratchaya Jiratthitinun followed by Lam and fellow freshmen Mara King and Lillian Guleserian and rounded out by sophomore Hannah Rabb.
  • Sophomore Lauren Thompstone will play the week as an individual after finishing as the highest individual in the Nittany Lion Invitational in a tie for 19th at 6-over.
  • Jiratthitinun leads the team with a 72.83 stroke average while Lam sits second at 73.17 and Guleserian and King are tied at 73.67.
  • As a team through two events this season Penn State is averaging 292.50 per 18 holes, which is around 7-over.

NEXT UP

Penn State concludes the fall portion of its 2025-26 season at a familiar event, the Evie Odom Invitational, in Virginia Beach on October 16-18.