With the weather finally acting in its favor, the Penn State men's golf team is looking to successfully return to competition.

After finishing 11th out of 20 teams in the El Diablo Intercollegiate golf tournament held in mid-March, the Nittany Lions had a month-long layoff between competition that was marred by snow and rain.

With the Princeton Invitational scheduled for last weekend, Penn State hoped to emerge victorious. Heavy rains once again proved to be the team's Achilles heel as the tournament was postponed, dashing the team's legitimate chances of success.

"It was tough to have the Princeton Invitational cancelled, because we felt that we would have had a very good chance of winning," senior Jim Fuller said. Many coaches, including Princeton men's golf coach Will Green, believe the weather has set their squads back weeks and even months.

"Right now, I would say we're about a month behind schedule," Green said, blaming inconsistent weather as the team's main antagonist.

After hitting the links and driving range this week and gaining valuable practice time, Penn State does not believe it is far from where it needs to be, said golfers Andrew Price and Greg Pieczynski.

"The weather has been difficult so far, but we'll just have to overcome that," Pieczynski said. Penn State will travel to Kent State to compete in the First Energy Intercollegiate tournament, which will take place Friday through Sunday at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Penn State has traditionally fared well in the competition, tying Toledo in last year's match and losing a one-hole playoff to finish second.

With a solid, experienced roster, Penn State is optimistic that success is within its grasp.

"We're getting in the groove, and we expect that good things will come," Fuller said.