Good fore-cast
Season looks bright as seniors shine; lady linksters place third in opening tourney

By MICHELLE ROACH
Collegian Sports Writer

If the women's golf team's season-opening play at the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational in Florida last week is any indication of how the Lady Lions will play this year, the team may be in for a long season -- literally.

The team is looking to qualify for regionals this year, which would extend the season an extra week after the Big Ten championships in May. The Lady Lions would like to place in the top five at the championships, Coach Denise St. Pierre said.

In order to qualify for regionals, the No. 8 Lady Lions will have to move up in the rankings to fifth. But their play last week may help boost their current mark, St. Pierre said.

The team placed third out of a field of 18, seven shots behind Indiana and three behind Central Florida, last week.

"If we don't make it to regionals, I'll be a bit surprised." St. Pierre said. "This team is extremely talented and definitely has the ability to get there."

St. Pierre said senior Heather Preston's play really came together. Placing fifth out of 99 competitors, Preston shot a career-low 73 in the final round of play.

Also placing high for the Lady Lions was senior Kristen Lindgren, who finished eighth. The captain said the team played exceptionally well.

"We went down with a different attitude -- to play our best and have fun," Lindgren said, adding that the Lady Lions should do better this spring than they did in the fall because they are coming together and maturing.

The team is already doing better. At the tournament last week, they shot six strokes below their fall average of 315.

Another contributer to the lower score was freshman Holly Turton, who finished 15th. St. Pierre said Turton is a big part of the team this season.

St. Pierre is also looking to the five seniors to help the team gel.

"The seniors don't want to leave Penn State without giving it at least a 110 percent shot," she said. "The team is special because they've been together so long."

St. Pierre's outlook on the season is simple.

"It's going to happen real quick," she said. "They know where they're going and they know what they want."The Lady Lions are getting ready for their next tournament -- the Duke Invitational in two weeks. It is particularly important because many teams in the Mid-Atlantic region will be competing.