Waynesburg University’s  women’s golf team sent all four of its members to the Saint Vincent Invitational in Latrobe, Pa. on Monday, Sept. 23. 

A key storyline of the season continues to be the two freshmen, Abigail Noble and Julia Clement, who are getting an opportunity to build experience for the spring.

Head coach Mike Cipoletti is finally seeing some of that practice pay dividends for his two up and comers.

“The things that [Julia and Abigail] have been working on with the coaching staff are translating out on the course,” Cipoletti said. “We put a big emphasis on consistency and learning how to recognize what’s working and what’s not, both Julia and Abigail are doing great.”

It was the rain that put a damper on the beginning of the invitational, which can obviously play a huge factor in effectiveness.

Senior team captain, Maeve Hanley, tried to put a positive spin on the less than ideal conditions.

“The weather today wasn’t the best at the beginning of the match, but it was a good preview for the weather we typically see at PACs,” Hanley said. “Playing in rain is never easy, rolling with the punches, I played well, but there’s always things to improve on.”

Hanley paced the Yellow Jackets again, placing sixth overall out of the 14-person field.

“At first with the weather, I was just trying to get through the round by keeping my head down and moving,” Hanley said regarding her mindset. “As it got nicer later in the day, I started to focus on each shot more and little things I could do to improve my score.”

Cipoletti echoed the fact that Hanley’s focus plays a large part in her success.

“[Maeve] had a really good round. She played steady, rebounded well from some tough breaks and she was very close to having a great round,” Cipoletti said. “Real happy with where Maeve is at this point in the season.”

Waynesburg finished with a score of 539, behind both Seton Hill (429), and Saint Vincent (446).

Hanley finished 37 over par with a 109, Noble finished in 10th with a 118, Clement in 11th at 132 and junior Sara Otto in 14th with a score of 190.

Despite not being exactly where they wanted to be, Hanley was encouraged by the group’s performance.

“With the conditions, I thought we played well as a team,” Hanley said.  “Latrobe Country Club is a tough course with difficult pin placements that get even harder when the ground is so wet.”

There is one more invitational, which occurs in Grove City on Sept. 26,The PAC championships will follow suit in mid-October. 

“It should be a deep field, with most of the golfers we’ll be up against at PACs,” Cipoletti said of what to expect in Grove City. “I’d like to see us be comfortable in that environment,  and just keep stacking up experience.”

Hanley is treating it as the final tune-up before the biggest outing of the fall arrives.

“Grove City’s course can be difficult, but I’m looking forward to it,” Hanley said. “I’m hoping to shave a few strokes off of my score and improve in areas I was lacking in today.”

Waynesburg is planning on sending all four women on Sept. 26. Tee time is set for 9:30 a.m.