Warm weather and practice were exactly what the Falcons women’s golf team needed, and that’s exactly what they got. With 16 days left until the Mid-American Conference Championship, the Falcons will have a busy schedule competing seven of those days. After a somewhat disappointing first event of the year, the Falcons are poised to improve after the recent warm spell, which has allowed the team to play outside since spring break. Junior Megan Gormley is excited about the prospect of competing for the first time in over a month. ‘After practicing outside for the last three weeks, we are prepared to play,’ Gormley said. ‘We have been practicing really well lately. As a team, we are the most prepared we have been during any spring I have been here.’ The team will need to play well this weekend when they travel to Peoria, Ill., for the Grand Prairie Collegiate Classic hosted by Bradley University. The event is only the second for the Falcons during the young spring season, but it begins the start of a treacherous schedule that runs through the end of April. Coach Stephanie Young is anxious to get her squad back on the course. ‘It has been a month since we competed, and we are ready to get out there,’ she said. The Invitational is in its inaugural season, and due to weather concerns the Falcons will be unable to play a practice round on a course they have never played. ‘This is a brand new event, and we have not played the course before,’ Young said. ‘But nothing changes; courses may change, but our attitude toward the event won’t.’ As for the weather, Young thinks it’s a level playing field. ‘The weather should be good for Saturday’s round, but Sunday and Monday we are expecting bad weather,’ she said. Asked how the weather would affect the teams’ performance, Young thinks it won’t disrupt the teams’ effort. ‘ ‘Everyone has to play in the same weather, so we will find a way,’ she said. Asked for her expectations of the meet, Young was confident. ‘We want to improve on our first event,’ Young said. ‘I expect the girls to be sharp. With three weeks until the MAC Championships, we need to convert.’ Junior Hannah Lambert is also excited to get back into the action and compete. ‘We have three tournaments in the next nine days, but we will be ready because we have been able to practice outside every day since break,’ Lambert said. The team will travel to Illinois today to prepare for the 54 hole event which begins tomorrow.