While Bulls charged ahead and turtles showed that consistency wins, the Hoyas hardly went anywhere at all at the University of South Florida’s Waterlefe Invitational on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Maryland Terrapins jumped out to a first-round lead they would never relinquish, while the South Florida Bulls began the final round of competition in fifth place before shooting a tournament-best 299 over the final 18 holes to finish third. Par for a team was 288 in each round.

“We were capable of finishing above the middle of the pack,” Head Coach Patty Frohna-Post said.

But against windy conditions and some of the best teams in the region, the Hoyas could not post a strong showing.

Georgetown was one of four squads in the 14-team field to shoot above 330 in the first round, putting them at the bottom of the pack from the get-go. After one round, the Hoyas were in 11th place and hovered there for the next two rounds. The team shot a 335 in the second round, knocking them down to 12th place, where they remained at tournament’s close.

“I still haven’t found the right mix of girls yet. There are eight girls on the team that can play and now it’s just putting them together.”

No Hoya hit par in any round, with sophomore Carly Hunt coming closest with a 3-over 75 in the final round.

Led by sophomores Hunt and Chelsea Curtis, Georgetown is short on experience, which led to difficulties on the course.

“The course was tough. There were water hazards on every hole,” Frohna-Post said. “I think they got mentally frazzled in the beginning, but by the third round they figured it out.”

While the Hoyas improved to a 33-over 321 in the final round, they were not the only ones; every team except East Carolina, Princeton and Maryland also improved from the second round to the third. Maryland dominated the first two rounds with the lowest score in each. Three Terrapin golfers finished in the top 10. Kelly acWhinnie, Kelly Calkin and Katie Stepanek placed seventh, eighth and 10th, respectively.

Windy conditions forced bad play, as no team shot near par for the tournament, with South Florida coming closest at 11 over.

While the Hoyas placed at the bottom of the pack, Frohna-Post is confident her team will find its bearings. But progress may not come quickly. She was unsure the team can repeat last year’s surprise second-place finish at the Big East tournament, especially given the loss of three seniors from last year’s team. “I don’t think we’ve reached our potential yet,” Frohna-Post said. “This year is really just a rebuilding year.”

Curtis and Hunt will be vital to the Hoyas’ success in the coming month in the run toward the Big East tournament.

“[The team is] capable of going low,” Frohna-Post said. “We just haven’t gotten there yet.”

The Hoyas tee off at their only home tournament of the year, the Hoya Invitational at Raspberry Falls Golf and Hunt Club in Leesburgh, Va., on April 1.