WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Stephanie Lee (So., Southlake, Texas) posted a 17-over par 233, finishing tied for ninth, to lead the Navy women's golf team (0-0) to a tie for fifth place at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, hosted at the Kingsmill Resort River Course.
The tie for fifth place at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, which concluded play on Tuesday, marked the fourth top-five finish of the season for the Midshipmen, and their best finish since posting a second-place mark at the Lehigh Invitational during the fall portion of their schedule.
In total, the Mids tallied a 74-over par 938 over the two-day event, with their best score coming in the Monday's second round with a 24-over par 312. Following Lee among the top-20 finishers in the event for Navy was the duo of
Eve Worden (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) and
Mara Hirtle (So., Pinehurst, N.C.), who finished tied for 15th and 19th, respectively.
"The team dug deep and showed a lot of grit during some very challenging cold and windy conditions," said head coach
Nadia Ste-Marie. "I am extremely proud of the effort given by all."
Lee, the top-finisher for Navy, opened play on Monday with a 5-over par 77, before improving on that score by a stroke in round two with a 4-over par 76 to enter Tuesday's final round in sole possession of 12th place. In the final round of action on Tuesday, Lee rose three spots up the leaderboard into a tie for ninth with an 8-over par 80, that included a pair of birdies on the front nine.
Lee's 233 over the three-round tournament marked the third-best 54-hole score of her career, in addition to the tie for ninth place in the individual rankings being her third-best overall finish.
Worden, who finished just a stroke behind Lee, opened competition with a 7-over par 79, before compiling a round-two mark of 4-over par 76. The 76 tied the fourth-best round by the junior this season. In the third round of action on Tuesday, completed play with her second 79 of the tournament, securing a top-15 finish.
Hirtle, the reigning Patriot League Women's Golfer of the Week, finished with an overall mark of 19-over par 235, highlighted by a final round 5-over par 77 that catapulted the sophomore five spots up the leaderboard to finish in a tie for 19th place.
Prior to her recording her best score of the tournament in the third and final round on Tuesday, Hirtle began play with a first-round mark of 6-over par 78, followed by an 8-over par 80 to sit in a tie for 24th.
The final-round 77 by Hirtle finished just above her average per round score of 76.8, leading to the aforementioned five-position jump to a tie for 19th for the sophomore. Through 21 rounds played this season, the 76.8 average by Hirtle ranks as the fourth-best mark for a single season in program history.
Angelina Chan (Jr., Franklin, Tenn.) also recorded a third-round mark of 5-over par 77, which allowed the junior to rise 11 spots and finish in a tie for 30th. Prior the meteoric rise on Tuesday, Chan posted an 81 and 80 in rounds one and two, respectively. The 77 tied the lowest round of the spring for the junior, in addition to besting her per-round average this season (78.1) by a stroke.
Bridget Hoang (Fr., Lawrenceville, Ga.) rounded out the Navy presence in the field, posting a 25-over par 241, highlighted by an opening-round 7-over par 79. The freshman followed the 79 with an 82 in round two, prior to improving on that mark by two strokes on Tuesday with a final-round mark of 80.
Delaware took first in the team standings of the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, posting a 47-over par 911, while the Blue Hens' Oihana Etxezarreta was crowned the tournament's individual champion with an outstanding mark of 1-under par 215.
UP NEXT
Following its top-five finish at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, Navy will return to action April 8-9 for a dual match against Delaware State that is slated to be held at the USNA Golf Club.
