ANNAPOLIS, Md. – With sophomore Emma Tang becoming the second-straight Navy golfer to take home the tournament's individual medal, the Navy women's golf team claimed its third first-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational in three years on Sunday afternoon.
 
Playing on their home course at the par-72, 6,084-yard U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club, the Midshipmen used a second-round surge to overtake Patriot League foe Lehigh and claim the team title amongst a 15-team field.
 
Posting a 16-over par 592 that set the Navy program record for a 36-hole event, the Mids opened with a 13-over par 301 on Saturday that found them one stroke behind the Mountain Hawks, but roared back on Sunday by scoring a 3-over par 291 that helped the hosts finish 13 strokes ahead of second-place Lehigh. The round of 291 also marks the lowest team round by the Mids at their home course in program history, surpassing the 293 shot by the Mids in the final round of the 2023 Navy Spring Invitational. Additionally, the 592 tournament score is the second-lowest by a team in course history, finishing 10 strokes behind Dartmouth's 582 outing at the 2023 Navy Spring Invitational.
 
Sitting tied for first on the leaderboard after Saturday's first round with a tournament-low round of 71, Tang posted another round of 71 on Sunday to pull away and finish with a weekend-best score of 2-under par 142. The 142 strokes marked the second-lowest individual 36-hole score in program history and the fourth-lowest in course history.
 
Shooting a 76 on Saturday, senior captain Bridget Hoang finished strong on Sunday with a round of 73 to jump up 13 spots and finish tied for fifth at 5-over par 149, while freshman Megan Kirkpatrick also finished in a tie for fifth at 5-over par 149 after shooting rounds of 74 and 75 in her collegiate debut.
 
Also firing off a strong Sunday performance, sophomore Keira Howard overcame a round of 80 on Saturday to notch a 73 in the final round, tying for 20th with a 9-over par 153 score. Rounding out the Navy lineup, freshman Vivian Cressman rebounded after an opening-round score of 83 by shooting a 74 on Sunday to take a share of 32nd place at 13-over par 157.
 
Competing as individuals, juniors Sue Lee and Hallie Brisco both recovered after a tough Saturday to finish tied for 48th in the field, as Lee posted rounds of 81 and 79 for the 16-over par 160 while Brisco used scores of 84 and 76 to close out at 16-over par 160.
 
Coach Kylee Sullivan Comments
"This was a big weekend for the team. Everyone contributed and played a part in this tournament win. It's great to see the commitment and effort that they have put into our preparation in the past few weeks pay off. We are so proud of Emma for capturing the individual title as well, playing an incredible weekend of golf to get it done."
 
Up Next
Navy will head to the Great Danes Invitational on Oct. 5-6, hosted by UAlbany at the Normanside Country Club in Delmar, N.Y.