BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freshman
Mara Hirtle (Pinehurst, N.C.) sits atop the individual leaderboard after the first day of the Patriot League Championship after she posted a two-round score of 8-over par 152 (76-76). As a team, Navy is tied for first with a total score of 40-over par 616 (308-308) following the first two rounds of the championship the Saucon Valley Country Club.
The Midshipmen are tied with Boston University at 40-over par 616 (304-312). Navy sat in third place after the opening round but jumped up two spots after it posted the lowest score of the afternoon rounds with its second 20-over par 308 of the day.
"I am so proud of how everyone played today," head coach
Nadia Ste-Marie commented. "We are in a great place and excited for tomorrow's final round."
Hirtle fired back-to-back 4-over par 76s to carry a one-shot lead over a host of golfers tied for second at 9-over 153. Hirtle is in the top two in the field in both par-three scoring and par-four scoring at 1-over par and 3-over par, respectively. The freshman's 3-over par mark on all par four's leads the field after day one. Hirtle posted four birdies during the first two rounds, which is tied for third overall.
Stephanie Lee (Fr., Southlake, Texas) is one of six golfers tied for second and one shot behind Hirtle for the lead. Lee notched the second-lowest score during the second round of the day with a 3-over par 75. She started the day with a 6-over par 78. Lee is tied for third in the field with four birdies through two rounds and her 23 pars lead the 35-player tournament.
Overall, the Midshipmen have four individuals within the top 10 as
Christine McDonnell (Sr., Suwanee, Ga.) is ninth at 12-over par 156 (78-78) and
Angelina Chan (So., Franklin, Tenn.) is tied for 10th with a 13-over par 157 (76-81). McDonnell is tied for fourth in the field in par-five scoring at 1-over par while Chan has a field-best 1-under par on the par five's. Chan was also tied with Hirtle for the Midshipmen's lowest score after the first round with a 4-over par 76.
Rounding out Navy's lineup is
Tori Smith (Jr., Arlington, Tenn.) and
Eve Worden (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) who are tied for 18th with a pair of 23-over par 167s. Smith posted a 16-over par 88 in round one but bounced back with a 7-over par 79 to end the day. Worden finished at 12-over par 84 in round one and then cut one stroke off her score in round two with an 11-over par 83.
Richmond is five shots behind Navy and Boston at 45-over par 621 with Bucknell sitting in fourth at 64-over par 640. Lehigh and Holy Cross round out the field with scores of 89-over par 665 and 125-over par 701, respectively.
The final round of the Patriot League Championship begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning from the Saucon Valley Country Club.
