It has been touted throughout all sports that a successful team with a good foundation will experience continued success in the future.

This then can be relayed to the Penn State women's golf team. There are currently 15 golfers on the team, and on average, any six golfers travel to compete in tournaments. This season, out of the 15 golfers, five are freshmen. They are Amber Weinerth, Katrin Wolfe, Betsy Houseman, Hilary McCall and Courtney Gagnon.

Penn State women's golf coach Denise St. Pierre feels very confident about all the golfers.

"I am excited about the future of the program," St. Pierre said.

Two of these freshmen, Weinerth and Wolfe, have been traveling with the team since last fall and competing regularly in tournaments, usually with four seasoned seniors.

"The freshmen we brought in have the potential to be leaders on this team," Penn State assistant women's golf coach Emily Marron said. "And it is exciting for the future."

They have both been quite successful in these tournaments.

Marron said that she is impressed with the ability of Weinerth and Wolfe to immediately come in and jell with the seniors, not to mention their ability to contribute.

St. Pierre also has a great deal of confidence in the two competing freshmen golfers.

"We are certainly very pleased with the way they are fitting in, and how they are making a significant contribution to the team," St. Pierre said.

Weinerth wanted to attend a school outside of her home state of New York, yet close enough to get home if needed, and after thinking it over some, Penn State fit perfectly into her plans. She also credits the reputation of the coach, as well as the academic opportunities offered by Penn State for her decision to choose University Park.

Wolfe, however, lives in Pennsylvania, but also decided after checking out the program that Penn State was the place for her. She has experienced continued success throughout the previous tournaments.

"They are a big reason for the team's success so far," Marron said.

Meanwhile, Houseman, McCall and Gagnon have been redshirted this season to help hone their skills for the future.

Although Houseman was born in Texas, she also lived in State College for some time when she was younger, which added to the lure of Penn State. The challenge of a competitive program also played a large role in her decision.

"I was looking for a school that was D-I," Houseman said. "And Penn State is a big name."

Gagnon also traveled outside of her home state to attend school, making the trek east to Penn State from Illinois.

McCall, on the other hand, did not have to venture far to find a school for her. She decided to stay within her state.

She simply credits Penn State's overall image as her main reasoning behind her decision.

"[I chose Penn State] because of the reputation for academics and athletics," McCall said.

With such young talent from all of the freshmen, sophomores and juniors, as well as the experience of the seniors, there is much optimism about this year, as well as years to come for the women's golf team.

"The sky is the limit," Marron said.