MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Combining to shoot the program's lowest-ever three-round score in Patriot League Championship history this weekend, as the Navy women's golf team earned fourth place in the 2023 Patriot League Championship on Sunday at the Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, Va.
 
Mara Hirtle led the way as the Mids' top golfer with a ninth-place finish at 5-over par 221, while Navy posted a 32-over par 896 score as a team over the weekend's 54 holes to finish just one stroke behind third-place Lehigh (31-over par 895). The 896 score is the lowest by a Navy team at the PL Championship, breaking the program's previous championship low of 43-over par 907, set as the runner-up in the 2019 league championship.
 
"We had many great scores to finish with our best three-day total of any Patriot League Championship to date," said head coach Nadia Ste-Marie. "To finish in fourth speaks volumes to the strength of our conference. We have had a record-breaking season, and we are proud of our team and what we were able to accomplish this season."
 
Navy rebounded after a 306 opening round to shoot the third-lowest overall team round in program history (both in total strokes and relation to par) at 4-over par 292 in a second round that was suspended midway through on Saturday and resumed Sunday. The Mids then closed out the weekend with a 298 score in Sunday final round to just miss out on third place.
 
Playing on a par-72, 6,100-yard course, the host Richmond Spiders took home the league title by ending the three-round event at a championship-record 10-over par 874, closing it out with a weekend-low of 287. Boston claimed second at 26-over par 890, while Lehigh and Navy were trailed by fifth-place Bucknell (43-over par 907) and sixth-place Holy Cross (83-over par 947).
 
The Terriers' Chirsty Chen earned individual medalist honors with another championship record of 4-under par 212 thanks to back-to-back rounds of 69 after shooting 74 in the opening rounds. Richmond's Vicky Zhu (217), Olivia Wilkie (218) and Rory Weinfurther (218) claimed spots on the All-Patriot League First Team alongside BU's Alice Fan (219) and Lehigh's Yuki Zhu (219). Paige Ritcher (220) of Bucknell, Lehigh's Madison Pineda (220) and Richmond's Lauren Jones joined Hirtle with all-league second team honors.
 
Hirtle responded after a 76 first-round score to shoot 71 and 74 over the event's final two days for a career-best PL Championship score of 221.
 
Freshman Sue Lee used a career-low round of 70 in Sunday's final 18 holes to pull herself into 11th overall at 8-over par 224, falling one stroke short of an All-PL Second Team nod after shooting 81 and 73 in the opening two rounds.
 
Senior captain Eve Worden placed 12th in the field with a 10-over par 226 score in her final collegiate event, shooting rounds of 75, 74 and 77. Tying for 18th was sophomore Bridget Hoang, who shot 79-74-77 over her three rounds for a total score of 14-over par 230.
 
Junior Stephanie Lee had a rough end to the weekend, as a 76 opening round was followed by rounds of 77 and 80 to finish 21st at 17-over par 233, while freshman Hallie Brisco rounded out the Navy lineup by shooting a 20-over par 236 (81-78-77) to tie for 23rd.