Saint Mary's hopes to capture a fifth-place finish this weekend at Northern Kentucky's Invitational.Teams from Divison I, Division II and Division III are included in the 18 schools competing in the Invitational. Coach Mark Hamilton said the Belles look forward to the meet, describing it as an opportunity to compete against deeper teams."Some of the teams we'll be competing head-to-head with, and other teams we'll be playing just for pride," Hamilton said. "We're looking to shoot 320 each day, and we'll see where that score falls amongst the fray."Hamilton said the team looks forward to facing stiffer competition."We're like amateurs playing pro's, but the amateurs still have a really good chance," Hamilton said, referring to the large, talented Division I and II teams the Belles are set to meet.Included in the tournament are seven teams the Belles have faced in previous meets, five of which they have defeated. This weekend's invitational should be approached like a chess match, Hamilton said, with the Belles aiming to stay one step ahead of the game. Mentally, this will require Saint Mary's to remain focused on the course and calm in pressured situations."We're a couple of players short, so we'll need the underclassmen to step up this weekend, especially if things get tight," Hamilton said. Hamilton expects the most of the pressure to come from DePauw. "They're playing good golf right now," Hamilton said. "It's going to take 315's all weekend to beat them. We can't make any mistakes."
