ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's golf team is set to compete in its first tournament of the 2023-24 season on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10, with recently-promoted interim head coach Kylee Sullivan leading the Midshipmen into the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa.
 
Hosted by the Bison at the Par-70, 5901-yard Bucknell Golf Club, the 54-hole tournament will open up with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start for Saturday's first two rounds, while Sunday's final round is slated for a 9 a.m. shotgun start.

Navy Lineup
1. Mara Hirtle
2. Stephanie Lee
3. Emma Tang
4. Keira Howard
5. Bridget Hoang
Ind. Hallie Brisco
Ind. Sue Lee

The Field
The Mids and Bison will be joined by two other Patriot League foes in Boston University and Holy Cross, while the rest of the 11-team field is made up of Bryant, Delaware State, LIU, Niagara, Saint Francis and Stonehill.
 
Live Scoring
Fans can follow the Mids throughout the weekend via Golf Genius (link coming soon).
 
Sullivan Takes Charge
After two seasons as an assistant coach for the Mids, Sullivan was promoted to interim head coach in August 2023 following the retirement of longtime head coach Nadia Ste-Marie … With Ste-Marie's retirement, Sullivan becomes just the second head coach in program history … Sullivan has helped develop four All-Patriot League selections and nine Patriot League Golfers of the Week in her first two seasons at Navy, and she was also instrumental in the Mids shooting their lowest season average and lowest Patriot League Championship team score in program history during the 2022-23 season … A four-year letterwinner at Oakland University, Sullivan has previous experience leading a program, serving as the interim head coach of both the Ferris State men's and women's teams during the final months of her two-year stint on the Bulldogs' coaching staff.
 
Hirtle Earns the Captaincy
Three-time All-Patriot League honoree and senior golfer Mara Hirtle will serve as the Mids' team captain this season … Earning all-league first-team honors as a freshman and second-team distinction as a sophomore, Hirtle had another banner season as a junior in 2022-23 en route to an All-Patriot League Second Team selection … Hirtle led the team with a 75.46 scoring average over 26 rounds, the second-lowest single-season scoring average in program history, while her win at the JEL Outer Banks Intercollegiate gave her a program-best two career victories … Named the Patriot League Golfer of the Week three times for second-straight season, she also became the first player in program history to win Patriot League Golfer of the Week five-or-more times in their career … Hirtle also lowered her career scoring average to 76.86, currently the second lowest mark in team history.
 
Returning Firepower
In addition to Hirtle, the Mids return four other golfers from the 2022-23 squad, including a two-time All-Patriot League pick in senior Stephanie Lee … Lee had an impressive 2022-23, as she posted the second-best scoring average on the team with a 76.04 mark across 26 rounds and twice earned Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors … Lee also claimed her first-career individual medalist honors at the Navy Spring Invitational, shooting a program-record 36-hole score of 4-under par 140 and a program-low round of 5-under par 67 … Junior Bridget Hoang was named the Patriot League Golfer of the Week by earning second place at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational with a program-record 54-hole score of 1-under par 215 … Sophomores Hallie Brisco and Sue Lee both had solid rookie seasons, as Brisco posted a 78.00 scoring average over 17 rounds, tallying a pair of top-5 finishes and a Patriot League Golfer of the Week award, while Lee racked up a 78.19 scoring average and one top-10 finish.
 
Freshman Trio
Freshmen Keira Howard, Una Johnson and Emma Tang make up the three-women Class of 2027 … The 2021 East Bay Athletic League Golfer of the Year, Howard was also named an American Junior Golf Association Rolex Scholastic All-American during her high school career … Johnson was named the WIAA West Central District II Tournament champion as a junior and senior … Tang Won medalist honors at the U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier as a senior.
 
Navy at the Bucknell Invitational
The Mids have been a force in their last two appearances at the Bucknell Invitational, claiming first place at both the 2019 and 2021 editions of the event … At the 2019 Bucknell Invitational, Shannon Gould won her first career individual title with a 7-over par 217 to set a then-program record for lowest 54-hole tournament individual score, which propelled the Mids to the team title with a three-round score of 55-over par 895 … The 2021 Bucknell Invitational saw Hirtle finish tied for first in the individual standings with an 8-over par 218 as Navy grabbed the team title with a three-round score of 45-over par 885 that was the then-best score for a 54-hole tournament in program history … The Mids have played at the Bucknell Golf Club three other times as well, competing at the 2013 Lady Bison Classic along with the 2013 and 2016 Patriot League Championships.
 
Next Up
Navy continues its fall slate on Sept. 16-17 at the Nittany Lion Invitational in University Park, Pa.