Competing against nationally ranked teams in brutal weather early in the season. Not exactly prime conditions for a high finish in a golf tournament.

But the men's golf team overcame these obstacles to finish a strong fourth in a 12-team field at the Wofford Invitational over the weekend.

Individually, Junior Jason Tyska finished in a tie for fourth in the field shooting 73-71-73-217. Also coming in at high positions were Matt Shiley in tenth (70-78-72-220) and team captain William Smith in 14th (73-73-76-222).

The team played in severe weather conditions all three days of the 54-hole tournament. Strong winds, heavy rains and bitterly cold temperatures made it difficult for most teams to play in the Spartansburg, S.C., invite, but the Lions thrived.

"The weather didn't affect us at all," senior Dan Vona said. "The team knows how to play in that weather. It could have been an advantage because we're used to those conditions."

The Lions were also competing against southern schools that are able to play year round. Penn State, on the other hand, has been unable to play on the local courses or get much outdoor practice. Most of their practices have been held in Holuba Hall.

"We played as well as any of the top teams," said Coach Mary Kennedy-Zierke. "Even if we were at mid-season or the end of season, it would be exceptional play by our team under the weather conditions. This will build the confidence of the team going into regionals, knowing we're as good as anyone else."

Vona agreed with Kennedy-Zierke.

"We came together as a team really well," he said. "The team didn't think about the difficulty of the field. We held our own and proved we can play with anybody"

The golfers got off to a quick start in Friday's first round. They shot 293 and finished tied for second for the day. Junior Shiley led the way with a 70 on the par-72 course. Tyska and Smith also contributed to the fine team performance with two scores of 73.

Penn State continued its fine play with scores of 300 and 297 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to finish at 890. The rounds gave the Lions a fourth place tie with Wake Forest and a new confidence for the rest of the season.

"All of them handled and managed themselves better than in a long time," Kennedy-Zierke said. "This will give them a boost for the rest of the season, especially Big Ten competion and ultimately the NCAAs."

Virginia won the invitational with a 869 total, including an eight under par final round of 280. Jimmy Flippen of Virginia finished first in the tournament with scores of 73-71-70. Virginia's Dan Ladd and Dean Smith also finished in a tie for second to add to the Cavaliers' dominant weekend.