BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Despite losing in a two-golfer playoff for the individual crown, junior Mara Hirtle and the Navy women's golf team both set program records en route to first-place finishes at the Lehigh Invitational, held Monday and Tuesday on the par-72, 6012-yard Grace Course at Saucon Valley Country Club.
 
Hirtle achieved a program-record 36-hole score of 1-under par 143 to sit tied for first with Quinnipiac's Kaylee Sakoda entering the playoff, while the Midshipmen shot 18-over par 594 to clinch first place and set a new program-low score for a 36-hole tournament.
 
Sakoda claimed the individual crown on the fifth playoff hole when she shot par and Hirtle bogeyed after the duo both pared on each of the first four playoff holes.
 
Trailing Navy in second place was Fairleigh Dickinson at 26-over par 602, while St. John's placed third with a 27-over par 603 score, Quinnipiac took fourth at 29-over par 605 and Howard rounded out the top-five teams at 31-over par 607.
 
Hirtle shot her way into a tie for first place after Monday's opening round at 1-under par 71, posting birdies on the fifth, 13th and 18th holes. She stayed in first after the final round with birdies on the fourth and 18th holes, joined at the top of the leaderboard by Sakoda.
 
The next-lowest Navy finisher was junior Stephanie Lee, who shot a 6-over par 150 and tied for ninth place. Lee opened the tournament by sinking four birdies on Monday to counter three bogeys and a triple-bogey, standing eighth at 2-over par 74 before closing the week with a 4-over par 76 in Tuesday's round.
 
The third-best member of the Mids' lineup was senior Eve Worden in a tie for 18th, as the team captain scored a 7-over par 151 over 36 holes. She recovered after shooting 6-over par 78 on Monday by notching a 1-over par 73 mark on Tuesday that included birdies on holes No. 3 and No. 15, moving her up 10 spots in the final leaderboard.
 
Sophomore Bridget Hoang also tied for 18th overall at the conclusion of the tournament at 7-over par 151. Hoang started by tallying five birdies during an even-par 72 round on Monday, but had a setback on Tuesday when she shot a 7-over par 79 over the final 18 holes.
 
A 36-hole score of 12-over par 156 put freshman Sue Lee in a tie for 33rd place, as the rookie landed back-to-back rounds of 6-over par 78, registering three birdies over two rounds.
 
Competing as an individual, fellow freshman Hallie Brisco was able to grab fourth place with a tournament score of 2-over par 156, shooting 2-over par 74 on Monday before coming back with an even-par 72 round on Tuesday, as the rookie recorded five of her seven birdies during the final round.
 
A second Midshipman competed individually, as sophomore Jenna Han tied for 38th with a total of 15-over par 159. Han shot an 8-over par 80 in the first round before lowering her score to 7-over par 79 for the second round, notching three birdies over 36 holes.

"This was a strong final tournament to wrap up a great fall season, shooting our lowest 36-hole team score in our history," said head coach Nadia Ste-Marie. "We're so proud of all the hard work and dedication our team has put in so far this year."
 
Hirtle's 1-under par 143 score for a 36-hole event eclipsed the previous Navy low of even-par 144 (72-72) set by Christine McDonnell at the 2019 Navy Spring Invitational. The previous team-low score for Navy at a 36-hole event was a 23-over par 599 mark at the 2019 Hatter Classic in Longwood, Fla.

The Lehigh Invitational marks the final tournament of the fall season for the Mids.