Basso, Herr help Penn St. finish second in Nittany Lion Invitational

   You won’t hear Penn State coach Denise St. Pierre complaining about a second-place finish in a 14-team field, but she did admit a victory in the Nittany Lion Invitational, which the hosts led after two rounds, would have tasted a little sweeter.

   Big Ten rival Maryland was just a little better in Sunday’s final round as the Terrapins matched par, their 288 the day’s best round, as they claimed a five-shot victory over Penn State with a 1-under-par 863 total.

   Maryland grabbed the individual gold as Laura Van Respaille, a freshman from France, also had the day’s best round, a 2-under 70 over the 6,341-yard, par-70 Blue Course, to finish at 4-under 212.

   Two Penn State players, junior Cara Basso, the former Villa Maria Academy standout who claimed the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Match Play Championship this summer, and sophomore Madelein Herr, the former Council Rock North standout, finished tied for second at 2-under 214.

   Basso, the 2012 PIAA Class AA champion as a sophomore, had a 1-under 71 in the final round while Herr, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior two falls ago, matched par with a final-round 72.

   “I said from the very beginning, before it even started, I knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk,” St. Pierre told the Penn State website. “I knew we had some competition here and it’s nice when you do. Unfortunately, it stings a  little bit when you come  up a  little short,  but  at the same time I’m hoping there’s some lessons we  pull out of  this and it makes us a better team in the future.”

   Penn State had bettered par in each of Saturday’s rounds with a pair of 1-under 287s (I gave them credit for a 2-under 286 in the second round in my post on the Day 1 proceedings) and held a one-shot lead on Maryland, which bounced back from an opening-round 293 with a 6-under 282, the best team round of the tournament.

   While Maryland matched par in Sunday’s final round, Penn State had a 4-over 292 to finish alone in second at 4-over 866.

   Penn State finished 14 shots clear of the rest of the field as reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion Delaware took third at 18-over 882 after a final round of 5-over 293. Ivy League champion Princeton was fourth at 889 after a final-round 298, Rutgers was fifth at 894 after a final-round 893 and Seton Hall struggled a little in the final round with a 306 to end up in sixth at 897. Penn, with a final round of 303, finished 11^th at 919.

   Backing up Van Respaille for the Terrapins was Ludovica Farina, a junior from Italy who finished alone in sixth at even-par 216 after matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Maryland got a couple of strong showings from two other freshmen in nailing down the team title. Charlotte Lafourcade, like Van Respaille a French woman, finished alone in 11^th at 3-over 219 after a final round of even-par 72. And Virunpat Olankitkunchai of Thailand had a final-round 73 to finish tied for 15^th at 222.

   Xiaolin Tian, a sophomore from China, was also in the group with her teammate Olankitkunchai tied for 15^th at 222. Tian struggled in the final round with a 78 after solid rounds of 73 and 71 in Saturday’s double-round.

   Penn State had a third player in the top 10 as junior Jackie Rogowicz, a two-time District One champion at Pennsbury, finished in a group of three players tied for eighth at 2-over 218. Rogowicz was at 1-under after rounds of 72 and 71 Saturday and finished up with a 3-over 75.

   Junior Lauren Waller, the runnerup in the 2014 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Canon-McMillan, finished tied for 20^th at 224 after a final-round 78. Kamerine Taylor, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, struggled mightily in Saturday’s double-round, but bounced back with a final round of 2-over 74 that was a counter for the Nittany Lions. She finished tied for 58^th at 236.

   Ashni Dhruva, a sophomore from Katy, Texas, took aim on being part of Penn State’s starting five with a strong showing over the weekend. Dhruva, who was one of the six players Penn State took to the Big Ten Championship last spring at TPC River’s Bend, competed as an individual and joined Waller in the group tied for 20^th at 224 after a final-round 75.

   Among the other Penn State players who competed as individuals in the Nittany Lion Invitational, freshman Olivia Zambruno, the PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic, finished tied for 43^rd at 230 after a final-round 77, sophomore Megan McLaren, a Voorhees High product, finished tied for 55^th at 235 after a final-round 76 and Ariana Coyle Diaz, a  senior from Ireland, finished tied for 63^rd at 240 after a final-round 75.

   Delaware was led by Ariane Klotz, a sophomore from New Caledonia who finished tied for fourth at 1-under 215 after a final round of 1-under 71. She shared fourth with Harvard’s Anna Zhou, a junior from Palo Alto, Calif. who matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Finishing alone in seventh, a shot behind Maryland’s Farina at 1-over 217 was Yale’s Jennifer Peng, a senior from Highland Park, N.J. who matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Joining Penn State’s Rogowicz in the group tied for eighth at 2-over 218 were Princeton’s Tiana Lau, a junior from Hong Kong, and Ohio University’s Nicole Smiley, a junior from Dublin, Ohio. Lau matched par in the final round with a 72 while Smiley fired a 1-under 71 in the final round.

   Backing up Klotz for the Blue Hens was Ashley Dingman, a junior from Fairfield, Calif. whose final round of 3-over 75 left her tied for 12^th at 4-over 220.

   Also for Delaware, Isabella Rimton, a sophomore from Sweden, finished tied for 25^th at 225 after a final-round 75, Josefina Fernandez-Davila, a sophomore  from Peru, was tied  for 29^th at 226 after a solid even-par 72 in the final round, and Valentina Mueller, a junior from Switzerland, was tied for 48th at 232 after a final-round 80.

   After sharing the individual lead following Saturday’s double-round, Seton Hall sophomore Maddie Sager, the PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Owen J. Roberts two falls ago, fell back with an 80 Sunday, but led the way for the Pirates as she finished tied for 15^th at 6-over 222.

   Freshman Mia Kness, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Peters Township last fall, finished tied for 25^th at 225 after a final-round 75. Senior Macky Fouse, the PIAA Class AA champion as a senior at Central Valley in 2013, finished tied for 35^th at 228 after a final-round 75, Lizzie Win,  a sophomore from Sylvania, Ohio,  finished tied for 43^rd at 230 after a final-round 76 and Cassie Pantelas, a senior from Canton, Ohio, finished tied for 48^th at 232 after a final-round 80.

    Sager, Kness and Win all represented Seton Hall in last month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.

   Sophomore Sammie Staudt, a former Coatesville standout, made it clear she plans to compete for a spot among the Seton Hall starting five. Competing as individual, Staudt carded a final-round 76 to finish tied for 20^th at 8-over 224.

   Penn was led by Selina Zeng, a freshman from Oak Brook, Ill. who finished tied for 33^rd at 227 and Christina Park, a sophomore from San Diego who finished tied for 35^th at 228. Zeng and Park each finished up with a 3-over 75 Sunday.

   Also for the Quakers, Rina Jung, a freshman from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., finished 42^nd at 229 after a final-round 77, Chelsea Liu, a freshman from China, was 66^th at 241 after a  final-round 82 and Michelle Yom,  a senior from Torrance, Calif., was  tied  for 69^th at 243 after a final-round 76.