ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Four Navy women’s golfers finished among the top-20 individuals as the Midshipmen shot a 40-over par 616 to take the top spot among 15 teams at the Navy Fall Invitational, held at the US Naval Academy Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday.
The Mids entered the final round in first place after shooting the lowest team round of the weekend at 13-over par 301 on Saturday through rain and wind, a team score that stands as the fourth-lowest round at the course in program history. Navy kept itself ahead of the rest of the field with a 27-over par 315 on Sunday through very wet conditions, posting a 616 score that is the third-best all-time by a Navy team on their home course in a 36-hole tournament.
“The storm brought some of the most difficult wind/rain combination we’ve faced at any event in my time here,” said head coach Nadia Ste-Marie. “It was a challenging couple of days with a very rewarding finish. I am so proud of our team for all of their hard work, focus and determination.”
Quinnipiac finished in second at 45-over par 621, while Delaware State jumped up to third place at 46-over par 622 after shooting Sunday’s lowest team round of 19-over par 307. Sacred Heart was in fourth place with a weekend total of 48 -over par 624, while LIU rounded out the top-5 teams with a 54-over par 630 and the weekend’s top player, as the Sharks’ Emily Byrne shot a weekend-low round of 3-under par 69 on Saturday and finished with a first-place score of 2-over par 146.
A pair of Mids finished in a six-way tie for sixth place, as juniors Mara Hirtle spirit Stephanie Lee both wrapped up play on Sunday at 8-over par 152. Hirtle shot a 1-over par 73 in Saturday’s opening round to sit third overall entering Sunday, going 7-over par 79 in the final round. For Lee, she shot a 3-over par 75 on Saturday before turning around to shoot a 5-over par 77 on Sunday.
Two more Mids ended the weekend in a tie for 18th at 12-over par 156, as sophomore Bridget Hoang was 4-over par 76 on Saturday and 8-over par 80 on Sunday, while senior captain Eve Worden posted scores of 5-over par 77 in the opening round and 7-over par 79 in the final round.
The final Navy scorer was a freshman Sue Lee in 47th place, as the rookie shot an overall score of 20-over par 164, shooting 11-over par 83 on Saturday but improving to a 9-over par 81 on Sunday.
Competing as individuals, sophomores Jenna Han spirit Hannah Han-Kim both finished in the top-70 scorers. Han shot rounds of 11-over par 83 and 12-over par 84 to finish in a tie for 59th at 23-over par 167, while Han-Kim posted a 29-over par 173 weekend score to end in a tie for 69th, going 12-over par 84 on Saturday and 17-over par 89 on Sunday.
Freshman Hallie Briscoe also competed as an individual in her first collegiate event, ending the weekend in 72nd at 30-over par 174. She opened with a 13-over par 85 in the first round before shooting a 17-over par 89 in Sunday’s final round.
Navy will compete in the JEL Outer Banks Women’s Intercollegiate next weekend, Oct. 7-9 at Duck Woods Country Club in Kitty Hawk, NC, while Worden heads to the Jackson T. Stephens Cup on Oct. 9-12 at the Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.