Harvard Places Fifth to Start Season

The Harvard women’s golf team opened its spring season last weekend at the Lady Eagle Invitational, where the team placed 5th in the 12-team field.

The phrase “spring season” proved to be misleading, however, as the Crimson battled fog, drizzle and wind chills that dipped into the low 20’s.

“Those were the coldest [conditions] we’ve ever played in,” said junior Carrie Baizer. “It was a struggle to keep focusing [on golf] and not focusing on the cold.”

After spending most of spring break practicing as a team in Orlando, Florida, Harvard had difficulty on the first day of action, firing an opening-round 344.

“We were hitting the ball really well in Florida,” said captain Merry Chiampa. “We’re feeling really good, there’s just a lot of rust [right now].”

Baizer acknowledged the benefits of the spring break trip.

“The training trip was really good for us,” she said. “It gives us a solid base for the rest of the season.”

The Crimson showed improvement on Sunday, taking advantage of slightly warmer weather to shoot a 332. The score gave the team a two-day total of 676, placing Harvard 48 shots behind first-place Georgetown.

The Crimson was paced by junior J.J. Kang, who fired an 83-81-—164 to finish in a tie for 13th place.

“J.J. was definitely the most solid of our group,” said Chiampa.

Kang was joined in the top-20 by sophomore Jennifer Cronan, who shot an 84-83—167, which was good for a tie for 19th place.

Harvard’s scoring was rounded out by Chiampa, who shot an 87-84—171 and tied for 28th, Baizer, who shot a 92-84—176 and finished 41st, and freshman Erin Wilson, who shot a 90-90—180 and tied for 45th.

For Wilson, who hails from Austin, Texas, this was her first foray into the frigid temperatures and harsh weather that are generally associated with the start of the spring golf season. To her credit, her teammates praised her for her ability to deal with the tough conditions.

“We’ve been warning Erin all year, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet’,” said Baizer. “She took it really well. Saturday, she was the only one without a hand warmer. She said she didn’t need it. She probably complained the least.”

Watching Wilson, Chiampa—who came to Harvard from Winter Park, Fla.—was reminded of her own difficulties adjusting to the climate during the spring of her freshman year.

“Nothing is going to prepare you for the weather,” she acknowledged.

The Crimson now has two weeks to practice before the team travels to Trenton, N.J. to compete in the Ivy Championships from April 16th to April 18th.

—Staff Jonathan P. Hay can be reached at hay@fas.harvard.edu.