Xiao claims individual title, leads Penn to record-breaking romp in Lady Blue Hen Invitational

   Even though the spring portion of the wraparound 2019-2020 season is still to come, the numbers say this is the best team Penn has ever had.

   Not even some nasty weather, courtesy of the remnants of Tropical Storm Nestor, could slow the roll of the Quakers Sunday as they cruised to a 29-shot victory in the Lady Blue Hen Invitational, which wrapped up at Rehoboth Beach Country Club in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

   The field experienced the highs and lows of October weather as it played 36 holes on a glorious October Saturday only to be greeted Sunday with temperatures in the low 50s and rain with steady 20-mph winds.

   But nothing seemed to bother Penn, which got a spectacular showing from Susan Xiao, a freshman from Canada whose 7-under-par 209 total broke the program record for a 54-hole tournament by four shots and gave her a dominating nine-shot margin of victory over teammate, Rina Jung, a junior from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.

   After carding a 1-over 289 over the 6,169-yard, par-72 Rehoboth Beach layout in Saturday morning’s opening round, the Quakers erupted for an 8-under 280 behind a sizzling 6-under 66 by Xiao, which, of course, was a program record for an individual round.

   The opening-round 289 would have matched the program record coming into this season, but it has been matched or bettered four times this summer into fall, including the 280 in the second round which now stands as the team standard.

   Penn was the only team to break 300 in Sunday’s miserable conditions, its 7-over 295 giving it an even-par 864 total, which, you guessed it, is a program record. It was the second tourney title of the fall campaign for the Quakers, who won the Nittany Lion Invitational and followed that up by finishing third in the Princeton Invitational and fifth in the Yale Fall Invitational.

   Only one other Penn team, the 2010-’11 squad, had as many as two titles in a season. That team ended up with three tourney wins.

   Seton Hall, which has had a pretty good fall campaign itself, struggled to a final-round 312, but still finished second at 29-over 893. The Pirates, fueled by a spectacular round of 7-under 65 by junior Mia Kness, the 2016 PIAA champion as a senior at Peters Township, opened with a 3-under 285 and added an 8-over 296 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.

   Seton Hall’s Big East rival Georgetown was six shots behind the Pirates in third place with a 35-over 899 total. The Hoyas’ final-round 309 was the second-best team round of the day. Rutgers, out of the Big Ten, was a shot behind Georgetown in fourth place at 900 after closing with a 313.

   It was another 14 shots back to host Delaware, which posted a final round of 315 to finish fifth at 50-over 914. The Blue Hens were the runnerup to North Carolina Wilmington in last spring’s Colonial Athletic Association Championship.

   Xiao opened with a 2-under 70 before unleashing her sizzling 6-under 66 in Saturday afternoon’s second round. Her final round of 1-over 73 was the second-best round of the day in the tough conditions and enabled her to finish at 7-under.

   Jung bettered par in both of her Saturday rounds, following up a 2-under 70 with a 1-under 71. She closed with a 5-over 77 that left her at 2-over 218, nine shots behind Xiao, but with a runnerup finish.

   Abigail Wiranatha, a freshman from West Covina, Calif., finished in a tie for fourth place with Penn teammate Christina Park, a senior from San Diego who was competing as an individual, at 5-over 221. Wiranatha was the only player to better par in the final round with a 1-under 71 that was the Quakers’ low round of the day. Park matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-over 74 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Mary Shin, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif., finished among a trio of players tied for sixth place at 6-over 222. Shin contributed a 3-under 69 to Penn’s sizzling 8-under 280 in the second round before closing with a 5-over 77.

   Rounding out the Penn lineup was Leila Dizon, a sophomore from Los Angeles who closed with her second consecutive 2-over 74 to finish among the group tied for 11^th place at 225.

   Penn got a decent showing from another player competing as an individual, Selena Li, a freshman from Hong Kong who finished among the group tied for 29^th place at 231. After opening with an 81, Li carded a solid 2-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76.

   Penn’s men’s coach Jason Calhoun was filling in for women’s coach Mark Anderson, who had surgery last week. Also helping out during the Quakers’ record weekend at Rehoboth Beach was Penn assistant coach Karen Siegel. Pretty sure that’s the same Karen Siegel who earned a trip to this fall’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Forest Highlands Golf Club’s Meadow Course in Flagstaff, Ariz.

   Leading the way for Rutgers was Anna-Maria Diederichs, a freshman from Germany who broke up Penn’s domination of the top five with a third-place finish at 3-over 219. Diederichs matched par in both ends of Saturday’s double round with a pair of 72s before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Sharing sixth place with Penn’s Shin at 6-over 222 were Seton Hall’s Lizzie Win, a senior from Sylvania, Ohio and Georgetown’s Ashley Fitzgibbons, a senior from Sammamish, Wash. Win matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 4-over 76 before closing with a solid 2-over 74. Fitzgibbons fired a 1-under 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round and was even-par for the tournament before closing with a 6-over 78.

   Delaware was led by Ariane Klotz, its senior standout from New Caledonia who finished alone in ninth place in the final Lady Blue Hen Invitational of her career at 7-over 223. Klotz opened with a splash, a sparkling 5-under 67 before adding a pair of 78s.

   Carolina Ronchel Salas, a senior from Spain, gave Seton Hall a second top-10 finisher as she ended up alone in 10^th place at 8-over 224. Ronchel Salas carded a pair of 1-over 73s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Kness opened with the best round in the history of Seton Hall women’s golf, a flawless 65 that featured seven birdies and nary a bogey. But she couldn’t recapture that opening-round magic as she added an 81 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with an 80 as she finished among the group tied for 16^th place at 226.

   Senior Maddie Sager, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Owen J. Roberts, struggled a little in Sunday’s tough conditions with an 80 as she finished among the group tied for 25^th place at 229.

   Rounding out the Seton Hall lineup was Sarah Fouratt, a sophomore from Santa Maria, Calif. who finished among the group tied for 46^th place at 238. Fouratt posted a solid 1-over 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round, but bracketed it with an opening-round 82 and an 83 in Sunday’s final round.

   It was another strong outing for senior Sammie Staudt, a four-time PIAA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Coatesville, who, again, competed as an individual. Staudt opened with a 77 and added a 2-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76 that left her in the group tied for 19^th place at 227.

   Backing up Klotz for Delaware was Thitaree Sakulbunpanich, a junior from Thailand who finished among the group tied for 11^th place at 228. Sakulbunpanich followed up a pair of 1-over 73s in Saturday’s double round with a final-round 79.

   Lexi Dart, a freshman from England, finished in the group tied for 38^th place at 236 as she closed with an 82. Kylie Greulich, a senior from Huron, Ohio, saved her best for Sunday’s wind and rain, a final-round 76 that boosted her into a tie for 51^st place at 241.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Lene Sperling, a freshman from Germany who finished in the group tied for 58^th place at 242. Sperling opened with rounds of 76 and 78 in Saturday’s double round, but couldn’t handle Sunday’s tough conditions as she closed with an 88.

   Typical of most host teams, Delaware sent out another foursome of players to compete as individuals in the Lady Blue Hen Invitational.

   Siena Ferrick, a junior from Vienna, Va., led that group, finishing in a tie for 55^th at 245. Ferrick closed with an 85 after posting a pair of 80s in Saturday’s double round. Isabella Rimton, a senior from Sweden had a pair of 79s in Saturday’s double round, but struggled to a 91 in Sunday’s final round to finish among the group tied for 59^th place at 249.

   Aashaka Desai, a senior from the United Arab Emirates, finished alone in 62^nd place at 251 after closing with an 84. Josefina Fernandez-Davila, a senior from Peru, finished alone in 65^th place at 256 after a final-round 90.

   Georgetown got a strong showing from senior Kate Evanko, who starred scholastically at Unionville. Evanko sandwiched a 2-over 74 with a pair of 76s to end up among the group tied for 16^th place at 226. Esther Park, a product of the Charter School of Wilmington who is having a solid freshman season for the Hoyas, finished in the group tied for 27^th place at 227. Park matched par in the second round with a 72, but struggled to an 80 in the final round.

   Dartmouth, which finished in eighth place at 64-over 928, was led by sophomore Kaitlyn Lees, a former Agnes Irwin standout and a three-time Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ champion. Lees matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 3-over 75 before closing with a 79 to join the group tied for 16^th place at 226.

   Freshman Samantha Yao, a two-time District One Class AAA champion at Conestoga, finished in the group tied for 48^th place at 239 for the Big Green, the runnerup to Harvard in the Ivy League Championship last spring at The Ridge at Back Brook. Yao had rounds of 78 and 77 in Saturday’s double round before finishing up with an 84.

   Navy, which finished ninth in the 11-team field with a 65-over 929 total, got a strong showing from senior captain Morgan Frazier, who was a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Cumberland Valley in 2015.

   Frazier, a semifinalist in last summer’s Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Militia Hill Course, finished among the group tied for 35^th place at 234 after three rounds in the 70s. Frazier opened with a 79 and added a 77 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 78.