Boston College steals the show by cruising to team crown in Nittany Lion Invitational

 

   It wasn’t the season opener for new Penn State women’s golf coach Kristen Simpson, but it was the first time she was at the helm for the Nittany Lions’ annual home event, the Nittany Lion Invitational, last weekend at Penn State’s Blue Course.

   It was a little bit of a disappointing sixth-place finish in the 10-team field for Penn State, which had won the team title in the last two editions of the Nittany Lion Invitational, but it figured to be something of a transition year in Happy Valley with Simpson coming in to replace Denise St. Pierre, who retired in the spring after 38 years with the golf program, the last 31 of them as the head coach of the women’s team.

   The title went to Boston College, which posted a couple of solid 1-over-par 289s in Saturday’s double round over the 6,402-yard, par-72 Blue Course layout and then closed with a 299 in Sunday’s final round for a 13-over 877 total.

   The Eagles might be in a little over the heads in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, but they’ve got some players as they proved at Penn State over the weekend.

   Boston College was led by Emily Bohrer, a sophomore from Germany who finished in a tie for third place in the individual standings with a 1-under 215 total. Bohrer opened with a solid 3-under 69 and matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before closing with a 2-over 74.

   James Madison, a Sun Belt Conference entry, closed fast with a 2-over 290 to finish five shots behind BC in second place with an 18-over 882 total.

   The Dukes were led by Amelia Williams, a sophomore from Gainesville, Fla. who shared third place in the individual standings with BC’s Bohrer at 1-under. After opening with a 2-under 70, Williams added a 2-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 1-under 71.

   Youngstown State, out of the Horizon League, and High Point, a Big South representative, shared third place, each finishing six shots behind James Madison with a 24-over 888 total.

   Youngstown State was led by individual champion Madie Smithco, a senior who won back-to-back PIAA Class AA crowns in 2017 and ’18 during a standout career at Pittsburgh’s North Catholic.

   Smithco grabbed the individual lead at Penn State with a sparkling 5-under 67 in Saturday morning’s opening round and never let it go. She added a 1-under 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 for a 6-under 210 total.

   Smithco helped the Penguins match BC’s opening round of 1-over 289, but they struggled a little after that, adding a 12-over 300 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 299.

   The Panthers sandwiched a solid 2-over 290 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 11-over 299s to get a share of third place with Youngstown State.

   Reigning Patriot League champion Richmond finished seven shots behind Youngstown State and High Point in fifth place with a 31-over 895 total. The Spiders matched par with a solid 288 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 303. They finished up with a 304 in Sunday’s final round.

   Richmond was led by sophomore Hannah Lydic, a Sussex Academy product who had a breakout freshman season with the Spiders, as she finished two shots behind Smithco in second place with a 4-under 212 total.

   Lydic added a 3-under 69 in Saturday’s second round to her opening round of 1-over 73 before closing with a 2-under 70. It was the second-best total in relation to par in a 54-hole tournament in program history.

   Penn State got off to a promising start with a 3-over 291 behind an opening round of 3-under 69 from sophomore Michelle Cox, who lost in a playoff for the PIAA Class AAA championship as a senior at Emmaus in 2020.

   But the Nittany Lions struggled to a 305 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a 301 to finish two shots behind Richmond in sixth place with a 33-over 897 total.

   Backing up Bohrer for Boston College was Angel Lin, a senior from Canada who gave the Eagles a second finisher inside the top eight by ending up alone in eighth place with a 4-over 220 total. Lin matched par in both of her loops in Saturday’s double round with a pair of 72s before closing with a 4-over 76.

   Cynthia Zhang, a sophomore from Milpitas, Calif., finished in the group tied for 12^th place for Boston College with a 7-over 223 total. After struggling to a 6-over 78 in the opening round, Zhang matched par in Saturday’s second round with a 72 before finishing up with a 1-over 73.

   Stephany Kim, a senior from the Dominican Republic, gave BC a fourth finisher inside the top 18 as she ended up in the group tied for 18^th place with a 10-over 226 total. Kim was solid in Saturday’s double round, adding a 1-over 73 in the afternoon to her opening-round 74 before closing with a 79.

   Rounding out the Boston College lineup was Canice Screene, a senior from England who finished among the group tied for 30^th place with a 229 total. Screene struggled a little in Saturday’s second round with a 79 after opening with a 2-over 74 before contributing a counting 4-over 76 in Sunday’s final round.

   Danielle Suh, a senior from Herndon, Va., led the way for High Point as she finished alone in fifth place, two shots behind BC’s Bohrer and James Madison’s Williams with a 1-over 217 total. After struggling to a 5-over 77 in the opening round, Suh carded a sparkling 4-under 68 in Saturday’s second round. Suh matched par in Sunday’s final round with a 72.

   Richmond’s Rory Weinfurther, a senior from Fayetteville, Ga., and Akron’s Daphne van Son, a junior from the Netherlands, finished in a tie for sixth place, each landing two shots behind Suh with a 2-over 219 total.

   Weinfurther bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 77 with a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72. After opening with a solid 2-under 70, van Son recorded a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second before closing with a 75.

   Cox and Victoria Tip-Aucha, a senior from Vienna, Va. via Thailand, gave Penn State a pair of top-10 finishers as they ended up in a tie for ninth place with Youngstown State’s Elizabeth Saur, a junior from Grove City, Ohio, all three ending up two shots behind BC’s Lin with 6-over 222 totals.

   After her solid start, Cox struggled to a 6-over 78 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a 75. Tip-Aucha matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 4-over 76 in Saturday’s second round and finishing up with a 74.

   Saur was solid in Saturday’s double round for the Penguins, adding a 1-under 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 73. Saur struggled a little in Sunday’s final round with a 6-over 78.

   Backing up the top two for Penn State was Carlota Garcia, a graduate student from Spain who is taking a fifth year at Penn State after playing four years at South Alabama. Garcia sandwiched a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second round with a pair of 76s to join the group tied for 18^th place with a 226 total.

   It was a second straight solid showing for Penn State from Drew Nienhaus, a junior from St. Louis, Mo. as she finished among the group tied for 26^th place with a 228 total.

   Nienhaus opened with a 2-over74 and added a 78 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 76 in Sunday’s final round.

   Nienhaus was Penn State’s top finisher in its season opener in the Cougar Classic hosted by the College of Charleston at the Yeamans Hall Club, a Seth Raynor classic in Hanrahan, S.C., finishing in a tie for 28^th place with a 3-under 210 total.

   The Nittany Lions finished last of 17 teams in Simpson’s debut against a loaded field in the Cougar Classic.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was Jami Morris, a junior from Chagrin Falls, Ohio who finished in the group tied for 38^th place with a 233 total. Morris sandwiched a 5-over 77 in Saturday’s second round with a pair of 78s.

   Simpson got an encouraging performance from Myranda Quinton, a sophomore from Canada who competed as an individual in the Nittany Lion Invitational. Quinton tallied a pair of 3-over 75s in Saturday’s double round and finished up with a 78 to land in the group tied for 26^th place with a 228 total.

   Haley Quickel, a senior who starred scholastically at Padua Academy, was in the lineup for James Madison and joined Quinton in the group tied for 26^th place with a 228 total. Quickel registered a solid 1-over 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 77. She closed with a 78 in Sunday’s final round.

   Junior Lauren Jones, the Inter-Ac League’s individual champion as a senior at Episcopal Academy in the spring of 2021, was in the lineup for Richmond. Jones, who plays out of Merion Golf Club, added a solid 2-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to an opening-round 77, but struggled mightily in the final round with an 87 that left her in 46^th place with a 238 total.

   Sophomore Chaela Barnett, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Archbishop Wood, was in the lineup for Youngstown State and finished alone in 37^th place with a 232 total. Barnett struggled a little in Saturday’s double round, adding an 81 in the second round to her opening-round 79, but bounced back to match par in the final round with a 72.

   Sophomore Adena Rugola, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a scholastic standout at Uniontown, competed as an individual for Youngstown State in the Nittany Lion Invitational. Rugola added a 78 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 79 before closing with an 83 to finish in the group tied for 48^th place with a 240 total.