It is April. It is time for spring. 300-yard drives and 30-foot putts are on every golfer's mind.

That is, with the possible exception of the Big Hitter, Mother Nature.

Freezing weather and snowfall kept most New England golfers indoors this weekend - most normal golfers, that is.

Following the example of the U.S. Postal Service, tthe Harvard Women's golf team did not let the oppressive conditions keep them from competing in the Lady Eagle Invitational at Oyster Harbors Country Club on Saturday and Sunday.

The horrendous weather sent scores skyward across the board.

The Crimson shot a total of 773 strokes in the tournament, which put the squad in seventh place out of 11 teams.

Princeton was the tournament champion with a 683 score, narrowly defeating second-place Yale at 688.

Dartmouth, the only other Ivy League participant, finished fifth with a score of 742 strokes. B.C. and B.U. rounded out the local field, with the Eagles coming in sixth with 751 shots and the Terriers placing ninth at 814.

The story, however, was the weather.

"The conditions were really awful," senior Margaret Roberts said. "It was in the mid-30's and sleeting."

It may seem easy to dismiss Roberts' comments, because she is from Dallas, Texas. But the testimony of a Minnesota native is irrefutable.

"These are the worst conditions I have ever played in," freshman Jocelyn Bozivich of St. Paul said. "I thought it would be a little nicer by now. It could be a really cold spring."

The golf, though not stellar, was satisfying.

"Considering the weather, we were happy," Roberts said. "People didn't score as well as they may have liked, but we played well."

In a weekend where shooting 78 was described as "phenomenal," Mother Nature seemed like the big winner.

"The scores reflect our ability to survive the worst conditions ever," Roberts said.

With the first tournament under their belt, the Crimson hope to find better weather and lower scores.

"With this being the first tournament, I was a little nervous," Bozivich said. "The competition was pretty much the same as in the fall. The same teams finished in the same places. We just need to keep LADY EAGLE INVITATIONAL 1.Princeton  683 2.Yale  688 3.Rutgers  711 4.Hartford  731 5.Dartmouth  742 6.B.C.  751 7.HARVARD  773 8.Amherst  797 9.B.U.  814 10.Mount Holyoke  879 11.UNH  883