The women's golf team concluded the fall season with a trip to Wellesley, Mass., this weekend to compete in the Wellesley Invitational at the Nehoiden Golf Club. The sun did not shine down on the golfers, however, as torrential downpours caused the first rounds of the tournament to be cancelled when the entire Northeast region was flooded. Nevertheless, every team was in the same boat as they had to endure the same poor weather conditions. Amherst registered a fourth-place finish with a score of 374, finishing three strokes ahead of Vassar College. The victor of the weekend was Middlebury College, logging a score of 343 in its winning efforts.

Despite an unimpressive overall finish, the Jeffs played well, especially Sarah Harper '07, who finished with a score of 80. Though she did not accomplish her goal of breaking into the 70s, her score was enough to secure a third place overall finish in the tournament, only five strokes behind Mt. Holyoke College's Kara Solem and Wellesley's Susan Choi, who tied for first with scores of 75.

"If not for one double and two unnecessary bogeys, I would've reached my goal of breaking into the 70s," said Harper. "It was still a great weekend overall."

Ali Berman '08 tied for 11th in the tournament with a score of 91, while Kristin Beneski '08 tied for 19th with a score of 99. Both sophomores' results were consistent with the improved level of play they have demonstrated in the past weeks. Captain Melissa Sidman '06 did not enjoy the same success she did last week when she fired her collegiate career best of 90 at Middlebury College. She tied for 23rd in the tournament with a score of 104.

When reflecting on the conclusion of the fall season, Harper avoided any sentiments of regret. "This was the last weekend of our fall season, and my last weekend of this season because I'm going abroad to Argentina in the spring," she said. "I was happy that we got to play at least one of the two days of the Wellesley Invite."

This tournament concluded the women's 2005 fall season. The campaign saw some ups and downs, as well as some overall individual improvement. The loss of three Jeffs to graduation last spring left a large void to fill in the team this season, but the remaining players nonetheless played well as individuals. With the absence of Harper in the spring, the women's golf team will be recruiting players once more in hopes of completing the team.

At the start of what she called a "rebuilding season," Head Coach Michelle Morgan said she saw great potential in her players and that she hoped that her one-on-one coaching techniques would help each player with her individual needs. At the season's conclusion, with a senior shooting her career best score, two sophomores showing consistent improvement and a promising junior leading the team, it seems that Morgan has done just that.