Senior Sandra De la Cruz and the Penn State women's golf team will start their 2005 spring season at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 20-23 in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

University Park, Pa (February 14, 2005)- This weekend the Penn State women's golf team will kick off the 2005 spring season when it heads to Dorado, Puerto Rico for the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The Classic is held at the Dorado Del Mar Country Club and runs from Sunday, Feb. 20 to Wednesday, Feb. 23, beginning at 8 am EST each day.

The golfers will play three rounds, totaling 54 holes, on the 6,000-yard, par 72 course. The Classic includes Auburn, Cal-Berkeley, Florida, Georgia, Kent State, Penn State, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Tulsa, USC and Wake Forest. Purdue is hosting the event.

Last year at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, the Lions finished 15th of 15. Amber Weinerth (Auburn, N.Y.) finished 51st overall with a 78-80-78-236, Evelyn Paik (Toronto, Ont.) finished 59th with 80-77-85-242 and Katrin Wolfe (Johnstown, Pa.) came in 69th at 82-83-80-245.

The Lady Lions competed in four tournaments during the fall season. Weinerth shot 75-80-78-233 to lead the team at the Lady Northern held in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she placed 4th. Lauren Lundy (Wayne, Pa.) tied for 10th, and Wolfe and Sandra de la Cruz (Edinburg, Tx.) tied at 12th to round out the team's top four at the Nittany Lion Invitational held in October. Later that month at the Mercedes-Benz tournament (Knoxville, TN), Weinerth led the squad again, tied at 16th, 74-72-77-223. Finally, they finished the year in North Carolina at the Landfall Tradition, Lundy (80-72-79-231), Wolfe (79-74-82-235) and Weinerth (79-82-75-236) rounded out the top three finishers for Penn State.

In the 2002-2003 season, juniors Katrin Wolfe and Amber Weinerth were named NGCA All-Americans. Wolfe was also named an All-American last season. Coach Denise St.Pierre is in her 13th season coaching the Nittany Lions golf team and is currently the President of the National Golf Coaches Association.

Results from the Classic will be posted at the completion of each round at www.purduesports.com. For more information regarding the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, please contact the tournament director, Christi Hermes at (787)796-3070.

For more information on Nittany Lions women's golf, please go to Penn State's official athletics website at www.GoPSUsports.com.