BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In the program's ninth season, Navy women's golf captured its first Patriot League Championship after outlasting Boston University in the final round. The Midshipmen fired the Sunday low round with a 17-over par 305 to finish at 57-over par 921 over the two days at the Saucon Valley Country Club.
With the tournament victory, Navy now earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Women's Golf Championship. GOLF Channel's College Central will cover the selection show on Wednesday, April 28 at 2 p.m. The regionals of the national championship run from May 10-12.
Following the tournament, head coach
Nadia Ste-Marie was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading her squad to the conference championship. Navy also placed four individuals on the All-Patriot League Teams.
Angelina Chan (So., Franklin, Tenn.),
Mara Hirtle (Fr., Pinehurst, N.C.) and
Stephanie Lee (Fr., Southlake, Texas) all earned first-team honors after finishing tied for fourth and
Christine McDonnell's (Sr., Suwanee, Ga.) ninth-place finish earned her a second-team recognition.
Of the three Midshipmen that finished tied for fourth, Chan posted the team's low round of the day after a 1-over par 73 on Sunday. Lee fired a 5-over par 77 and Hirtle notched a 6-over par 78 as they all finished at 14-over 230, just three shots off the lead. Chan finished the three-round tournament with a field best 2-under par on all par five's while Hirtle was second in par-three scoring at 2-over par. Lee was tied for the most pars in the field with 34 and her six birdies ranked third overall.
McDonnell stayed consistent throughout the weekend as she posted her third-straight 6-over par 78 to cap off the weekend in ninth with an 18-over par 234.
Tori Smith (Jr., Arlington, Tenn.) continued to lower her score over the three rounds and notched on 5-over par 77 to finish tied for 15th at 28-over par 244.
Eve Worden (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) rounded out Navy's lineup after she finished tied for 19th with a total score of 34-over 250. Worden finished action on Sunday with an 11-over par 83.
"I am truly speechless," Ste-Marie said after the tournament. "I am very proud of all the ladies this weekend."
Boston posted a 19-over par 307 on Sunday to finish the three-round event at 59-over par 923, just two shots back of the Midshipmen. Richmond finished third at 68-over par 932 and Rory Weinfurther of Richmond won medalist honors with an 11-over par 227 for the weekend.
Hosting the four NCAA Regionals are Louisville, LSU, Ohio State and Stanford. Each regional will include 18 teams and six individuals. The top six teams and the three lowest individuals not on advancing teams move on to the final site at Grayhawk Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz., from May 21-26 for the national title.
