Golf Teams Place Pair of Top-Five Finishes

The Middlebury men’s and women’s golf teams both notched top-five finishes this weekend. The men finished fifth at the Williams Invitational at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. while the women placed third at the Mount Holyoke Invitational at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass.

The women finished with a score of 637, trailing only Williams (619) and Ithaca (631). They sat in second after day one, two strokes ahead of Ithaca, but fell back slightly on Sunday.

Michelle Peng ’15 led the Panthers with a score of 153, enough for a share of third place overall in the tournament. She was tied for first after shooting a sparkling 75 on Saturday. Monica Chow ’16 also earned a top-10 finish, placing tied for eighth with a score of 159. Jordan Glatt ’15 (162), Theodora Yoch ’17 (163) and Caroline Kenter ’14 (170) followed Peng and Chow, finishing 13th, 19th and 25th overall, respectively.

“As the fall season progresses the team continues to get stronger,” Peng said. “We need to stay mentally tough and be able to perform well both days.”

Host Williams won the men’s tournament with a score of 607, followed by RPI (611) and Trinity (612).

The Middlebury team found itself in a tie for 12th place after a disappointing 317 on Saturday. They rallied back on Sunday, however, propelling themselves into fifth with an impressive 301. It was the best team score on Sunday and was the result of a full team effort, with every golfer breaking 80.

Rob Donahoe ’14 followed up his first-place finish last weekend by capturing a share of seventh place at Williams with a score of 151. Fitz Bowen ’17 (154) finished in the top 20, matching Donahoe with a second-day 73. John Louie ’15 (155), Chris Atwood ’14 (158) and Max Alley ’14 (168) rounded out the Panthers squad.

“We have the talent to be the best in the NESCAC,” Bowen said. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and put it together both days of the tournament.”

The men travel to Bowdoin this weekend to participate in the important NESCAC Qualifier at Brunswick Golf Club. The top four teams will qualify to compete for the

NESCAC Championship in the spring. The Panthers finished in fourth place last year.

The women host the Middlebury Invitational at Ralph Myhre Golf Course this weekend. They finished second in the same tournament last year.