The Washington and Lee men’s and women’s golf teams swung back into action this weekend at the Jekyll Island Invitational after a two-week hiatus.

The three-day match held in Jekyll Island, Ga., featured teams from across the country, including many nationally-ranked programs.

The women snagged 11th place for the weekend, while the men finished in a tie for 12th.

The women played at Indian Mound Golf Club, where the 11th-ranked Generals took on 17 of the top 35 teams in Division III, including six of the top 10 teams. The men’s matches took place at the Pine Lakes Golf Club and featured 20 of the top 50 teams in Division III.

The women: Responsibility and accountability

The lady Generals sat in 11th place after the first day of competition, shooting 322 (+34). Hannah Jones, ‘21, came in 14th out of 120 competitors, shooting 77 (+5). Liza Freed, ‘18, fired a 79 (+7) to take 27th overall.

The women’s team shot up five spots to sit in a tie for sixth place after day two, shooting just 309. This gave them a two-day total of 631 (+55).

Beth Ann Townsend, ‘21, was the top golfer for the Generals after day two, shooting 80-75—155 (+11) to tie for 11th place. Hannah Jones, ‘21, sat one stroke behind to tie for 24th. Freed was just one more stroke behind at +13, tying for 26th place.

“We all have our eye on winning the conference and eventually getting to nationals, but to do that we know we need to have a strong showing at the next two tournaments,” said Freed.

She said the Jekyll Island Invitational and their next tournament, the March 30 UC-Santa Cruz Invitational in Pacific Grove, Calif., are of great importance for their success.

“Everyone on the team has started the season with unbelievable amount of drive and I think it will run into the rest of the season,” Freed said. “We need to keep up our skills all around the course and make sure we prepare properly for each upcoming challenge.”

Freed noted the importance of supportive teammates in achieving a spot at nationals.

“Though it’s a team sport, most of the work has to be done individually. We keep each other accountable for our actions,” Freed said. “Each player takes on that responsibility and brings everything she can to the practice, workouts and tournaments. If one of us had a bad day, the rest of us will encourage her and help her in any way we can.”

The women finished with a three-day score of 958 (+94). Jones led the way for the Generals with a +21 score of 237, tying for 33rd place. Freed tied for 37th with a score of 239 (+23).

The men: Prep and execution

After the first day of competition, the men’s team sat in fourth place behind two top-25 teams, and sat ahead of the fifth-ranked team in the country with a score of 292 (+4). Brian Peccie, ‘20, tied for sixth out of 150 golfers after day 1, carding a 69 (-3). Robert Quintily, ‘20, also shot under par on the first day, carding a 71 (-1) to come in 11th place.

After day two, the ninth-ranked Generals sat in a tie for sixth place with a total of 586 (+10). Peccie was tied for tenth place with a two-day score of 69-74 (-1). Quintily and Sean Puelo, ‘20, tied for 25th overall after day two with a score of +3. Quintily shot 71-76, while Puelo shot 74-73.

“I’m pleased with the way that we have played so far this season,” Peccie said. “We had a solid fall season and we’re currently ranking inside the top 10 in the nation.”

Peccie said preparing and executing a game plan that each player can stick to has been essential to the team’s success.

“This strength of ours helps us avoid the big numbers on the scorecard, which enables us to stay competitive in tournaments by not ruining our chances with one or two bad swings,” he said.

He also said challenging weather in Lexington has helped the team focus on playing in less-than-ideal conditions.

“We have been forced to play in the wind, rain and cold,” Peccie said. “As a group, we have had to work on playing in tough conditions, which has made us really focus and work even harder on improving swings and our short games.”

The men finished with a three-day score of 885 (+20). Peccie was one of just 13 players to finish the weekend under par, shooting 215 (-1). Peccie tied for 13th overall. Quintily tied for 41st with a final score of 222 (+6).

The men will return to action on April 1 at the Hershey Cup at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pa.