The Yale women’s golf squad demonstrated the importance of teamwork this weekend.
Even though Yale’s top individual performance was freshman Anna Jepson’s fourth-place finish, the Bulldogs topped 16 other teams at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate, held this past weekend.
“[Jepson] is extremely talented,” head coach Mary Moan said. “She possesses the qualities you can’t teach — length and competitiveness. She talks the talk and walks the walk.”
The Elis’ two-day score of 615 was four strokes better than runner-up Brown. Hartford’s Kristy Finlayson was the top individual performer with a two-round score of 144.
While pleased with her performance, Jepson — who was a member of the Swedish national team — was just glad to help the Bulldogs win their season opener.
“It’s always fun to play well,” Jepson said. “But the important thing is that the team won.”
Moan said the key to Jepson’s performance was her ability to block out external factors.
“[Jepson] just really focused on herself,” Moan said. “She kept focused on each shot, and didn’t worry about what any of the other teams were doing. She kept the blinders on.”
Other top Eli finishers included team captain Sarah Seo ’02 and Stephanie Wei ’05 — both scored 154, tying them for seventh place.
Seo’s weekend started inauspiciously. She shot an 83 on Saturday. Determined to improve on Sunday, Seo shot a 71 — her best single-round score ever on the Yale course.
“Sunday was really great,” Seo said. “[After Saturday] there was nothing for me to lose. I just wanted to have a solid score for the team.”
For Moan, the weekend showcased the importance of working as a cohesive unit.
“It was great to see the whole team contribute to this win,” Moan said. “I am very proud of them all.”
And while the Bulldogs finished ahead the likes of Brown (2nd), Princeton (5th), Harvard (12th), Dartmouth (14th) and Pennsylvania (15th), Moan knows there is more to be done if the Bulldogs are to capture the Ivy crown.
“We know we have to play as well or better for the rest of the year,” Moan said. “Yale is one of the most difficult courses we play on all year. I expect big things from this team.”
Even though the sweet taste of this weekend’s victory will fade as the Elis prepare for future contests, Seo knows the importance of capturing an early win.
“This was a great confidence boost for us,” Seo said. “Now we know what its like to win. You should get used to winning.”