Co-captain Meg Sullivan '05 expressed the team's sense of letdown. "This weekend was a bit of a disappointment because we finished third out of a field of seven Div. III teams … [on a] course we are all familiar with because we play it a couple of times a year," she explained.
Particularly disheartening to the women are the two schools behind which they faltered. "Wellesley and Mount Holyoke finished ahead of us, which is tough to swallow since they are our two biggest rivals," said Sullivan.
The women finished a mere 11 strokes behind the champion host team, Wellesley, and five strokes behind Mt. Holyoke, the tournament runner-up.
Though they had hoped for a better finish, the women managed several achievements, both as a team and individually. The team shot its lowest two-day total of the season, 351-346-697, largely the result of senior Emily Foran's stellar performance. Foran took second place overall, shooting a 79-81 for a two-day total of 160.
"The one bright spot of the weekend was Emily's performance," said Sullivan.
"It was great to see Emily start to hit her stride," said Head Coach Jim Plumer. "Her game is coming around after almost a year off, and she was impressive this weekend, shooting two excellent rounds."
Foran's score of 160 was 15 strokes lower than her previous low this fall, which came in the team's first tournament play.
Sullivan shot the second-best score for the team with an 86-85-171 and finished in seventh place overall. Senior co-captain Sarah Godwin was behind her with a 91-88-179, a 12th place finish and a new season-best personal score.
"We definitely made some strides this weekend as four of our five players improved on Sunday (compared to Saturday)," said Plumer, who is taking a positive outlook into the last week of the season.
First-year Ali Berman finished fourth for the team and 24th overall with a 93-98-191, and sophomore Sarah Harper rounded out the Jeffs' five players, tying for 27th with a 105-94-199.
The Jeffs have only one more tournament this season in which to redeem themselves for what has been a sub-par fall season. On Oct. 8-9, the women will compete in the Central Connecticut State University Invitational at Stanley Golf Course in New Britain, Conn.
Sullivan acknowledged the necessity of focused practices this week. "We look forward to a solid week of practice and hope that it will prepare us for the Central Connecticut tournament next Friday and Saturday," she said. "The field this weekend will be a lot more competitive since there are more teams, including a lot of Div. I and II programs."
The women are determined to drastically improve their performance this weekend and prove their might to their competition. "Since it is our last tournament of the fall season we hope to finish up on a good note," Sullivan said.