After an impressive weekend of tournament play, both the men's and women's golf teams have shown that, although there is still room for improvement, it has come a long way from last year's struggles.

The men's team captured third place in the annual ECAC tournament, while the women's team fired its lowest round in the young history of the program, shooting a first-round 343 en route to an eighth-place finish at the Rutgers Invitational.

The men's team traveled to Colgate with hopes for its first ECAC title since 1994, but the Crimson fell just short. However, Harvard could not be too disappointed with its third-place finish, which included a final round score of 311, the best of the day for all teams.

Leading the way were junior co-captain Kaj Vazales and sophomore Andrew Malcolm, both of whom shot 155 for the two-day tournament.

A light rain Sunday lengthened the already challenging course. Scores ballooned even more during Monday's final round when 25 m.p.h. gusts wreaked havoc with the players' approach shots.

However, Harvard was not intimidated by the brutal conditions. Junior Jack Lynch, freshman Joe Jackson and Malcolm were a combined eight shots better the second day. This helped the team edge rival Dartmouth, although champion Skidmore and runner-up Colgate remained just out of reach.

"We were pleased as this is another step forward for us," Malcolm said.

The team's improvement over last year goes beyond lower scores and higher tournament finishes.

"The real strength for this team is in our team chemistry," Lynch said. "We are great friends on and off the course and are always encouraging each other and really helping each other to play our best."

Lynch, with the help of a putting tip from Malcolm before Monday's round, followed up his 81 with the team's low round of 76.

Jackson's addition has only strengthened this unity and has given the Crimson a consistent fifth man.

Although Kaj Vazales has

asserted himself as Harvard's top player with his strong play, there is such a balance that anyone is capable of shooting the team's low round.

Though this balance has given the team greater consistency this season, Malcolm believes the team "needs one player to consistently go low if the team is to step up another level. Right now that just hasn't happened."

The team has one more chance to improve this Saturday when it travels to the NEIGA championships at New Seabury Golf Club on Cape Cod, a course that will favor the Crimson's precise ball-striking. Improvement has been the theme for this season's women's team as well. The Crimson's record-setting first-round 343 was followed with a 346, good enough for an eighth-place finish out of 16.

And while last year's individual scores frequently ran into the hundreds, all four scores were in the eighties Friday. Junior Marcie Chan fired a team-low 80 en route to a 161 two-day total.

Despite her individual success, it was the newfound balance of the team that has made the difference this fall.

Senior captain Jennifer Laine and sophomores Maureen Shannon, Sara Leventhal and Nicole Saniola round out a young but very tournament-experienced Crimson team.

"Last year we had girls who played a lot of golf but were unfamiliar with tournament play," says Chan. "This year, experience has turned into our greatest strength."

If the team can carry over the great short-game play it had over the weekend, a top-ten finish at the ECACs in two weeks is within reach. The tournament will be held at Bucknell, making it a homecoming of sorts for Shannon, who transferred from Bucknell to Harvard just last year.

Knowing the course, Shannon believes that "a score in the 330s is definitely attainable. We have a lot of potential; hopefully we can just capitalize in our final tournament."

Both teams head into their final fall contest knowing they have accomplished much this season already. But they also realize that, with their talent, things should get even better for Harvard golf.