Seton Hall University
Second Round
WGolf Finishes Fifth at Pirate Invite at Trump
4/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 6, 2014
BEDMINSTER, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's golf team finished fifth among 18 teams at the inaugural Seton Hall Pirate Invitational at Trump National on Sunday.
In Sunday's final round, the Pirates shaved 17 strokes off their team score from round one, due mostly to the significantly more pleasant weather conditions. For the two round event, Seton Hall finished at 63-over-par with a 328-311-639. The Pirates finished eight strokes behind the team champion, Columbia, who won the event by just one stroke over Yale. Seton Hall's lone BIG EAST competition, St. John's, finished just three strokes ahead of the Pirates in fourth place.
Megan Tenhundfeld (Loveland, Ohio) led the Pirates' charge on Sunday with a 2-over-par, 74. The sophomore finished the tournament in a tie for 11th place among 90 golfers with a 14-over-par, 84-74-158.
Teammate Erin McClure (Tucson, Ariz.) was the top Pirate performer for the tournament. The junior tied for ninth overall with a 13-over-par, 82-75-157. McClure finished nine strokes behind both Columbia's Michelle Piyapattra and St. John's Anna Kim. Piyapattra edged Kim for the individual championship on the second hole of a playoff.
"The team had a lot to deal with over the last three days," said Head Coach Sara Doell. "They were dealing with the emotion of many of our seniors playing in their final tournament, the pressure of playing in front of their friends and family and some harsh weather conditions in round one. Given those obstacles, I couldn't be happier with their effort. The scores came down as they should in round two and this weekend served as the perfect tune-up for what we hope will be a productive BIG EAST Championship next week."
Senior < b="">Hannah Basalone (Brea, Calif.) fired an 18-over-par, 79-83-162, to tie for 20th place overall.
Ali Kruse (Overland Park, Kan.) tied for 29th place overall with a 21-over-par, 86-79-165, while teammate Karlie Zabrosky (Erie, Pa.) finished just one stroke behind Kruse with a 22-over-par, 83-83-166.
Because Seton Hall is the host team, the Pirates were able to have their entire roster golf in the tournament. Therefore, the Pirates also had their "B" team compete.
Junior McKenzie Cutter (Waldorf, Md.) led the "B" Team with a 26-over-par, 86-84-170. Senior Haley Van Es (Granger, Ind.) fired a 46-over-par, 94-96-190. Senior Samantha Massei (Allen, Texas) tallied a 65-over-par, 107-102-209, and senior Stacie Ballou (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished up with a 74-over-par, 113-105-218.
For Ballou, Massei and Van Es, this tournament marks the final competition for their collegiate careers. The three, along with Hannah Basalone, will permanently have a special place in the history of the Seton Hall women's golf program as the first four-year graduating class. The four helped start the program in 2010 as freshman, and have helped it mature into a team that now contends for championships week in and week out. The seniors were celebrated with flowers and recognition during the tournament's award ceremony.
"They have meant so much for our program," Doell said. "If our program was going to succeed, it was going to take a special group of people to take leadership and nurture it from the start. That's exactly what these four seniors have done. They take such pride in what we've accomplished and what we hope to accomplish in the future. They're proud to be Pirates and proud to have served such a key role in the history of our program."
Seton Hall will complete the 2014 spring season with the 2014 BIG EAST Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., April 17-19. The Championship will have a different look this year with the newly configured BIG EAST.
