First Setback for Women's Golf

Author: Andreas Apostolatos

In a season marked by firsts, Middlebury's women's golf team suffered the first setback of its inaugural season in the Wellesley Invitational on the weekend of Oct. 4 to 5. In what can only be called a necessary learning experience, the Panthers managed a meager fifth-place finish of the seven teams in competition. It was Amherst that stole the show, as it recorded the only sub-700 score with a 672 combined effort for the two days. The field was hardly even close, as host Wellesley (718) recorded a second-place finish despite being 46 points behind the first-place Lord Jeffs.

While Middlebury's showing may not seem characteristic of a team that had yet to finish lower than first place in its previous two tournaments, the Panthers' result is not as disappointing as it seems. Only 25 points separated Middlebury (743) from second-place Wellesley, and the Panthers finished well in front of cellar-dwellers Vassar (862) and Bowdoin (1016).

Coming into the tournament, Middlebury had never played on the course at Wellesley, and faced teams that brought stronger competition than the Panthers were used to. It was precisely these sorts of predicaments that could bring out the fundamental weaknesses associated with a new varsity program. Moreover, the horrible cold and wet weather on Saturday did not bode well, especially for the visiting teams. Golf is not an easy game to play at the best of times, but when the weather does not cooperate it can become all the harder.

Only first-year Heather Gallagher, who went on to finish 11th overall, managed an strong opening round performance, as she notched an 85 on Saturday. No other Panthers were able to score below the 90 mark on the opening day.

"The field of players at the Wellesley tournament was much more talented than those we've played in the past," commented sophomore Sally Hartman, who managed to tie for 13th place overall with a combined two-day score of 187. "We'd never played on that course, and when you factor in the horrible weather conditions we were forced to compete in on Saturday, things could have gone worse. Considering this was only our third meet ever, we have really good team chemistry and are doing pretty well."

Middlebury will close out its first year on the college's varsity circuit on Sunday when they travel to Williams, the very same place where the team thrived in its first match on September 14. With another strong finish likely, the Panthers will conclude their debut season having certainly held their own among some top competition. On a team comprised of all underclassmen, save senior Emily Lord, the women's golf team is only set to return stronger next season having gained experience and success in its inaugural campaign.