Delavallade has been the leading lady for Penn State in the early going

    Mathilde Delavallade, a senior from France, has been a mainstay in the Penn State women’s golf lineup ever since she arrived in Happy Valley.

   Delavallade has been the leading lady for the Nittany Lions in the first month of the wraparound 2022-2023 season. Delvallade capped a really consistent first three tournaments as she finished in sixth place in the weather-plagued Evie Odom Invitational, hosted by Old Dominion at Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Va.

   The Evie Odom was originally scheduled to start Friday and finish Sunday. Trying to get ahead of the remnants of Hurricane Ian, tournament officials started the event Thursday, but the storm came pretty quickly and play was halted Thursday and didn’t resume until Saturday. The final round went off as scheduled Sunday.

   Delavallade’s performance led Penn State to a fifth-place finish in a solid 15-team field with a 17-over 857 total.

   Delavallade had been the defending individual champion when Penn State hosted the 46^th Nittany Lion Invitational Sept. 17^th and 18^th at the Blue Course. She settled for a third-place finish in defense of her individual crown, but led Penn State to its second straight team crown in its annual event by a convincing 16 shots.

   What might have been Delavallade’s most impressive performance came when Penn State opened its season Sept. 12^th and 13^th in the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston at the Seth Raynor-designed Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan, S.C.

   Delavallade finished in a tie for second place in the individual chase, a shot behind Mississippi’s Andrea Lignell, a senior from Sweden who was right in the middle of the Rebels’ run to an NCAA crown in the spring of 2021 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lignell is No. 62 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) as I put this post together.

   Delavallade closed with a Penn State record 7-under 64 at Yeamans Hall to finish with a sparkling 8-under 205 total.

   I’m going to work my way back to the Cougar Classic, starting with Penn State’s solid showing this past weekend in the Evie Odom. Ran into some other interesting names while checking on Penn State’s progress this fall, including a fairly spectacular fall debut for Richmond freshman Hannah Lydic, who starred scholastically at Sussex Academy.

   Reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion College of Charleston, behind individual winner Emma Schimpf, a sophomore from Daniel Island, S.C., captured the team crown in the Evie Odom Invitational.

   With the wind up from the approaching remnants of Ian, the Cougars opened with an 11-over 291 over the 5,824-yard, par-70 Princess Anne layout. The College of Charleston bounced back with its best team round of the tournament, a 6-under 274, in Saturday’s second round before finishing up with a 2-under 278 for a 3-over 843 total.

   Penn State’s Big Ten rival Minnesota closed with a spectacular 17-under 263, but it wasn’t quite enough to catch College of Charleston as the Gophers settled for second place with a 5-over 845 total. Minnesota smashed program records with its 263 round and its 845 total.

   Like just about everybody else, the Gophers struggled in the opening round with a 307 before bouncing back with a solid 5-under 275 in Saturday’s second round.

   Schimpf’s 3-under 67 was easily the best round of an opening round buffeted by winds. She added a 1-under 69 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a sparkling 5-under 65 for a 9-under 201 total. Schimpf’s name will come up again later in this post as she shared runnerup honors with Penn State’s Dellavallade when the College of Charleston hosted the Cougar Classic.

   Schimpf’s final-round 65 was not the best of the day, though. That honor went to Minnesota’s Luisamariana Mesones, a freshman from Peru who blistered the Princess Anne layout to the tune of an 8-under 62 as she finished two shots behind Schimpf in the individual chase with a 7-under 203 total. The 62 lowered Mesones’ own program record for a single round.

   After struggling in the opening round with a 3-over 73, Mesones carded a solid 2-under 68 in Saturday’s second round before lighting the fuse for the Gophers’ stunning final-round surge.

   South Florida, playing out of the American Athletic Conference, finished seven shots behind Minnesota in third place with a 12-over 852 total. The Bulls, behind Melanie Green, a junior from Medina, N.Y. who finished in fourth place in the individual standings, struggled to a 299 in the opening round, matched par with a 280 in Saturday’s second round and closed with a solid 7-under 273.

   Green, who represented South Florida in last spring’s NCAA Tallahassee Regional, struggled to a 5-over 75 in the opening round before going off for a 4-under 66 in Saturday’s second round and a 5-under 65 in Sunday’s final round for a 4-under 206 total.

   Green had a pretty nice summer, earning a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, N.C. and qualifying for match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

   Sacramento State came east for the Evie Odom and finished a shot behind South Florida in fourth place with a 13-over 853 total.  After opening with a 296, the Hornets, who play out of the Big Sky Conference, were under par in each of the final two rounds, recording a 1-under 279 in Saturday’s second round and finishing up with a 2-under 278.

   Penn State’s draw left it facing the brunt of the windy conditions and resulted in an opening round of 306. The Nittany Lions came roaring back with a sparkling 6-under 274 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a 3-over 283 that left them four shots behind Sacramento State in fifth place.

   Backing up Schimpf for College of Charleston was Mary Kathryn Talledo, a sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C. who finished among the group tied for 18^th place with a 5-over 275 total. Talledo added a 2-over 72 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 74 before contributing a 1-under 69 in the final round as the Cougars held off Minnesota in the team chase.

   Viktoria Hund, a junior from Germany, landed among the group tied for 22^nd place at 6-over 216 as she bounced back from an opening-round 75 with a sparkling 3-under 67 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Hund and Schimpf finished 1-2, respectively, in leading College of Charleston to the title in last spring’s CAA Championship at The Reserve at St. James Plantation in Southport, N.C.

   Adrian Anderson, a freshman from Murrells Inlet, S.C., matched par in the final round with a 70 to end up in the group tied for 28^th place for the Cougars with a 7-over 217 total. After opening with a 76, Anderson carded a 1-over 71 in Saturday’s second round.

   Another freshman, Raegan Propes, like Schimpf a Daniel Island, S.C. native, rounded out the College of Charleston lineup and ended up in the group tied for 37^th place with a 218 total. Propes struggled to a 75 in the opening round before contributing a sparkling 3-under 67 to the Cougars’ surge in Saturday’s second round. Propes finished up with a 77.

   Another program record fell in the final round as Indiana’s Alexis Florio, a redshirt senior from Cranston, R.I., ripped off a sizzling 6-under 64 to finish alone in third place in the individual standings with a 5-under 205 total that left her two shots behind Minnesota’s Mesones. Florio, a transfer from Columbia, had opened with a 72 before adding a 1-under 69 in Saturday’s second round.

   Isabella McCauley, a freshman from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., gave Minnesota a second finisher in the top five as she also went off in the final round to the tune of a 7-under 63 that left her a shot behind South Florida’s Green in fifth place with a 3-under 207 total.

   It was two shots back to Penn State’s Delavallade in sixth place with a 2-under 208 total. Her opening-round 72 was pretty solid considering the conditions and Delavallade then fired a 4-under 66 in Saturday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 70.

   James Madison’s Kate Owens, a redshirt senior from Suwanee, Ga., was another two shots behind Delavallade in seventh place with an even-par 210 total. Owens matched par with a 70 in difficult conditions in the opening round and added a 1-under 69 in Saturday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 71.

   Backing up Delavallade for Penn State in the Evie Odom was Isha Dhruva, a senior from Katy, Texas who finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 5-over 215 total. After struggling in the opening round with a 75, Dhruva registered a solid 2-under 68 in Saturday’s second round before finishing up with a 2-over 72.

   Sarah Willis, a fifth-year senior from Eaton, Ohio, also struggled in the opening round with a 77 before contributing a 2-under 68 to the Nittany Lions’ bounce-back second round. Willis closed with a 2-over 72 to land among the group tied for 28^th place with a 7-over 217 total.

   Sophomore Michelle Cox, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Emmaus, finished up with an encouraging final round of 1-under 69 to end up in the group tied for 50^th place with a 221 total. Cox struggled in the wind in the opening round, finishing with an 80, before rebounding with a 2-over 72 in Saturday’s second round.

   Cox had a solid summer, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur at Lancaster Country Club. Cox was the closest pursuer to eventual champion Jackie Rogowicz, a former Penn State standout, through two rounds before struggling at the William Flynn gem at Lancaster in the final round.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup in the Evie Odom was Drew Nienhaus, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo. who ended up in a tie for 72^nd place with a 229 total. Nienhaus added a 4-over 74 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 75 before closing with a 79.

   There was a familiar name in the James Madison lineup as junior Haley Quickel, a scholastic standout at Padua Academy, finished among the group tied for 58^th place with a 224 total. After struggling to an 81 in the opening round, Quickel bounced back in a big way, posting a 1-under 69 in Saturday’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 74.

   The weather was perfect the weekend of Sept. 17 and 18 and homestanding Penn State was really strong on its way to its second straight team crown in the Nittany Lion Invitational on the Blue Course.

   The Nittany Lions opened with a 1-over 289 over the 6,402-yard, par-72 Blue Course layout before adding a solid 6-under 282 in the afternoon of a Saturday double round. They closed with a 2-over 290 for a 3-under 861 total.

   It was another 16 shots back to Kennesaw State in second place with a 13-over 877 total. The Owls, playing out of the ASUN Conference, led Penn State by three shots after opening with a 2-under 286. They fell back with a 301 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 290 that left them with a 13-over 877 total.

   Boston College, which plays a very tough Atlantic Coast Conference, was a shot behind Kennesaw State in third place. The Eagles matched Kennesaw State’s opening round of 2-under 286 before posting back-to-back 8-over 296s that left them with a 14-over 878 total.

   Head coach Denise St. Pierre sent 11 players out in the Nittany Lion Invitational and Penn State put on a display of depth she hasn’t enjoyed in the seven years I’ve been following the program closely.

   Leading the way was Delavallade, who finished in third place in the individual standings with a 2-under 214 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Delavallade carded a 3-under 69 in the second half of the Saturday double round. She closed with a 1-over 73.

   It’s been four years since Willis, then a freshman, burst onto the scene by rolling to the individual title in the Nittany Lion Invitational while competing as an individual.

   Willis chose to return to Penn State for a fifth season to make up for the spring of 2020 lost to the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. She and Cox backed up Delavallade in the Nittany Lion Invitational as they were part of a trio tied for fourth place at 1-over 217, three shots behind Delavallade.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Willis posted a pair of 1-over 73s. After struggling to a 76 in the opening round, Cox bounced back with a 2-under 70 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round and closed with a 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup were Nienhaus and Dhruva, both of whom landed in the group tied for 11^th place at 4-over 220. Nienhaus added a 2-under 70 in the second round to her opening round of 1-over 73 before struggling a little in the final round with a 77. Dhruva sandwiched a 74 in the second round with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Joining Nienhaus and Dhruva in the group at 4-over was teammate Katie Scheck, a sophomore from Greensboro, Ga. who was competing as an individual. Scheck matched Dhruva’s splits, sandwiching a 74 in the second round with a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Victoria Tip-Aucha, a junior from Vienna, Va. via Thailand, was also solid while competing as an individual as she finished in the group tied for 17^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Tip-Aucha opened with a 2-under 70, struggled to a 78 in the afternoon of the Saturday double round and closed with a 1-over 73.

   Senior Lauren Freyvogel, the 2017 PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Pine-Richland, finished in a  tie for 22^nd place with a 6-over 222 total. Freyvogel matched par in the opening round with a 72 before registering back-to-back 3-over 75s in the final two rounds.

   Myranda Quinton, a freshman from Canada, acquitted herself well in her Nittany Lion Invitational debut as she finished among the group tied for 25^th place with an 8-over 224 total. Quinton sandwiched a 74 in the second round with a pair of 3-over 75s.

   Jami Morris, a sophomore from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, closed with a 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 51^st place with a 231 total. Morris struggled in the Saturday double round, adding a 77 in the afternoon to her opening-round 81.

   Rounding out the Penn State contingent was another fifth-year senior, Taylor Waller, a scholastic standout at Canon-McMillan. After opening with a 6-over 78, Waller added an 81 in the second round before closing with an 82 that left her in a tie for 84^th place with a 241 total.

   The individual title in the Nittany Lion Invitational belonged to Toledo’s Amelia Lee, a senior from Hilliard, Ohio. Lee was under par in each round, opening with a 4-under 68, adding a 1-under 71 in the second round and closing with a 2-under 70 to finish atop the leaderboard with a 7-under 209 total. It was the first career collegiate victory for Lee.

    The runnerup in the individual chase was none other than Lydic, a standout in Delaware junior circles for years before joining the program at Richmond this fall. Lydic got a little better in each round at Penn State’s Blue Course, shaving three shots off an opening-round 74 with a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of the Saturday double round.

   Lydic then closed with a sparkling 4-under 68 to finish four shots behind Lee in second place with a 3-under 213 total while leading Richmond to a fifth-place finish in the team standings with a 30-over 894 total.

   Lydic’s Richmond teammate, sophomore Lauren Jones, the 2021 Inter-Ac League champion as a senior at Episcopal Academy, finished in a tie for 68^th place in the Nittany Lion Invitational. Jones added a 79 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round to her opening-round 78 and closed with a 77 to finish in the group tied for 68^th place with a 234 total.

   Lydic had opened her college career at Richmond by winning the individual title in the William & Mary Fall Invitational less than a week before the Nittany Lion Invitational.

   Lydic burst out of the gate with a 7-under 65 over the Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va., added a 1-under 71 in the second round and closed with a 3-under 69 to romp to a seven-shot victory with an 11-under 205 total. Lydic’s victory in her college debut helped the Spiders finish second to Elon in the team chase.

   Jones was also solid at Kingsmill, finishing in a tie for 19^th place with an 11-over 227 total.

   Penn State opened its fall campaign against a loaded 18-team field in the Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall and finished in a tie for 12^th place with Big Ten rival Illinois with a 10-over 862 total.

   The Nittany Lions opened with a 5-over 289 over the 6,269-yard, par-71 Yeamans Hall layout and added a 7-over 291 in the afternoon session of the opening-day double round. Penn State, fueled by Delavallade’s sizzling 7-under 64, closed with a 2-under 282.

   Southeastern Conference power Ole Miss, behind Lignell, the individual champion, edged ACC entry Clemson by a shot to claim the team crown.

   The Rebels put together rounds of 7-under 277 and 6-under 278 in the opening-day double round before matching par in the final round with a 284 for a 13-under 839 total.

   Clemson opened with a 4-over 288, but got it going in the second round with a 9-under 275 before closing with a 7-under 277 for a 12-under 840 total.

   Lignell opened with a sparkling 4-under 67 and added a 3-under 68 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 2-under 69 that gave her the individual title with a 9-under 204 total.

   Delavallade couldn’t quite catch Lignell with her final-round heroics as her 64 left her in a tie for second place with an 8-under 205 total. Delavallade had matched par in the opening round with a 71 and added a 1-under 70 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   The College of Charleston’s Schimpf was tough on her home course at Yeamans Hall as she sandwiched a 69 in the second round with a pair of 3-under 68s to share runnerup honors with Delavallade at 8-under.

   Willis backed up Delavallade in the Cougar Classic as she finished in the group tied for 39^th place at 3-over 216. Willis opened with a solid 2-under 69 and added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before finishing up with a 3-over 74.

   Nienhaus finished in the group tied for 52^nd place with a 6-over 219 total after closing with a 1-under 70. Nienhaus had opened with a 2-over 73 before adding a 76 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   Cox struggled to a 78 in the opening round at Yeamans Hall, but improved with a 1-over 72 in the afternoon of the double round. She closed with a 75 to finish among the group tied for 78^th place with a 225 total.

   Waller rounded out the Penn State lineup in its season-opening tournament as she added a 77 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her opening-round 76 before closing with a 2-over 74 to finish in the group tied for 85^th place with a 227 total.

   Richmond finished off its fall schedule at the Lady Paladin Invitational, hosted by Furman at the Furman University Golf Club Sept. 23^rd to Sept. 25^th, and Lydic cooled off a little as the Spiders finished in 14^th place in a tough 18-team field with a 40-over 904 total.

   Lydic finished in a tie for 80^th place with a 234 total. Jones finished with a solid 9-over 225 total that left her among the group tied for 35^th place. Richmond will take a bonding trip to Ireland and play some golf across the pond before returning to action for the spring portion of the wraparound 2022-’23 season.

   The Spiders came up a shot short of a title in last spring’s Patriot League Championship and will be taking aim at a conference crown next spring.

   Stetson opened its season in the Lady Paladin and finished last of the 18 teams with a 58-over 922 total.

   It marked the college debut of Grace Smith, who helped Strath Haven capture the first Central League and District One Class AAA team crowns in program history in 2019. Smith, listed as the No. 1 player in the Stetson lineup, finished in the group tied for 67^th place with a 13-over 229 total. Smith sandwiched a 3-over 75 in the second round with a pair of 77s.