Episcopal's Terzian shines for Delaware at Kiawah Island

   Amanda Terzian, a former Episcopal Academy standout, has been a solid player on the University of Delaware women’s golf team.

   But the junior really took her game up a notch at last week’s Kiawah Island Classic, one of the biggest events in college golf with teams from 36 schools coming together to play the Oak Point and Cougar Point courses at Kiawah Island, S.C.

   Terzian opened with an even-par 72, fell back with a second-round 80, but then carded a 3-over 75 in windy conditions on the Cougar Point course March 4  to finish at 11-over 227 in a tie for 22^nd in the top-notch field.

   Terzian’s strong showing helped the Blue Hens finish 14^th with a 926 total. Her opening round helped them post a 301 total and they followed that with rounds of 318 and 308.

   Like Delaware, Bucknell was opening its spring campaign at Kiawah Island and Lauren Bernard, the former Notre Dame standout and an Aronimink Golf Club member, started her senior season off with a nice showing. After rounds of 83 and 82, Bernard, the 2011 Women’s Golf Association of    Philadelphia Amateur champion, was at her best when the conditions were the toughest, carding a final-round 78.

   Bernard’s 243 total left her in a tie for 108^th and led the Bison to a 34^th -place finish in the 36-team field with a 1,024 total.

   Two-time Garnet Valley All-Delco Erica Pellegrini was also at Kiawah Island with The Citadel. Rounding into form in her final spring campaign after taking off last spring and the fall campaign to study in Spain, Pellegrini had rounds of 87 and 81 before being disqualified.

   The Citadel website was not forthcoming with the cause for the DQ, but it was likely a scorecard issue as a result of a ruling that didn’t go her way. The Bulldogs finished 33^rd in the team standings, four shots ahead of Bucknell at 1,020.

   Kent State, led by co-medalist Wad Phaewchumplee, a freshman from Thailand, took team honors in the field with rounds of 292, 302 and 298 for an 892 total that was 14 shots clear of runnerup Penn State.

   Phaewchumplee had rounds of 69, 81 and 70 for a 4-over 220 total to share medalist honors with Boston College’s Katia Joo, who had rounds of 72, 73 and 75.

   Penn State was led by junior Katlyn Elliott, who finished tied for eighth at 224 (72-76-76) and senior Christina Vosters, who finished tied for 14^th at 225 (75-74-78).  Junior Ellen Ceresko, who won her second straight Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur championship at Gulph Mills Golf Club last summer, also had a strong showing for the Nittany Lions, finishing in a tie for 28^th at 228. Ceresko had Penn State’s best score in the final round, a 2-over 74 after opening with rounds of 76 and 78.

Brennan off to good start

   Villanova junior Ted Brennan played in the shadow of fellow Haverford School products Michael Kania and Cory Siegfried as well as Steve Skurla as a sophomore with the Wildcats a year ago.

But, as was reported in a small blip in the Daily Times print product last week, Brennan opened the spring portion of Villanova’s schedule with a solid showing at the Harmony Golf Preserve Intercollegiate in Harmony, Fla.

   Brennan had rounds of 71, 74 and 74 for a 219 total that left him a tie for 10^th in a five-team field that, other than the Wildcats, was comprised of Florida schools. Pretty good bet those players have been out on the links a few more times in the last couple of months than Brennan and his teammates have been on the frozen tundra of the Philadelphia region.

   Brennan was the 2010 Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Player of the Year as a member at Philadelphia Country Club and was a solid player at The Haverford School. This year he is one of the veterans on James Wilkes’ squad along with seniors Vince Boyle, the 2009 Catholic League champion at Archbishop Ryan, and Robbie Meador, who is from Miami Lakes, Fla.

   Following Brennan’s tie for 10^th at the Harmony were Luke Waggoner, a sophomore from Crystal Lake, Ill. who finished tied for 19^th at 225 (74-74-77), Peter Mandich, a freshman from Naperville, Ill. who ended up tied for 22^nd at 227 (78-76-73), Lucas Trim, another freshman from Tampa, Fla. who was another two shots back of Mandich in a tie for 25^th at 229 (70-81-78), Meador, who finished 29^th at 233 (78-80-75), Boyle, who finished 30^th at 235 (80-80-75) and Scott Miller, a junior from Madison, N.J. who finished 31^st at 263 (84-85-94).

   Sparked by Trim’s stellar opening-round 70, the Wildcats got off to a great start in the team race at 293 before falling back a little with rounds of 304 and 297 for an 894 total. Florida Gulf Coast and Northwood University shared medalist honors at 854, followed by Florida Atlantic in third at 871 and Stetson in fourth at 877. But again, the Florida schools have been playing all winter while the Villanova contingent was probably happy to green grass without a foot of snow piled on it.

   Villanova gets back in action when it hosts the Wildcat Invitational March 31 and April 1 at White Manor Country Club. Hopefully, some semblance of spring will have shown up around these parts by then.