Women's golf takes tenth in strong field at JMU Invitational

With an overall performance that fell short of the the women's golf team's full potential, the Tigers placed tenth in the James Madison Invitational this weekend.

Despite favorable weather and a fairly standard course which would ordinarily favor good scoring, senior thesis stress plagued Princeton and kept the Tigers from attaining a higher finish.

Princeton finished in tenth place, shooting a total of 643 — 27 shots behind the winning teams. Maryland and Rollins tied for first place with a score of 616. Yale, which will most likely be Princeton's strongest opponent at the Ivy League Championships beginning April 22, finished in 13th place with a score of 655.

An overall disappointing effort for Princeton was highlighted by Megan Milam, who finished in 20th place overall with a total score of 157.

"Megan Milam played really well, although the rest of the team underperformed," senior Julia Allison said.

Other individual performances put Tigers in the middle of the pack. Allison placed 51st with a score of 163, immediately followed by fellow senior Natalie Christensen, who placed 53rd with a score of 164. Sophomore Vanessa Redman and senior Adrienne Gill tied for 61st place with a 166 finish.

After this weekend's tournament, the team will compete next at the Ivy League Championships. The Tigers will be hoping for a better team effort in the most important tournament of the spring season.

With three of five players finishing up their senior theses, Allison is confident that extra time and more practice will provide for a stronger contribution from the senior Tigers.

As their toughest Ivy League competitors fell behind them at the James Madison tournament, the Tigers have a sense of confidence in their future prospects.

"It's going to come to a showdown between Princeton and Yale," said Milam. "(Yet) we have one of the strongest teams Princeton has ever had."

Still in high spirits and with renewed determination, Princeton is ready to face the upcoming competition.

"We can definitely win," Allison said.