Women's Golf Kicks off 25th Anniversary Season with Home Invitational

Saturday, September 9

Lewisburg, Pa. (Bucknell GC)

All Day

Bucknell University

Bucknell Invitational

Photo by: Keith Lucas

Women's Golf Kicks off 25th Anniversary Season with Home Invitational

9/6/2023 5:37:00 PM | Women's Golf

Setting The Scene
What: 2023 Bucknell Invitational
When: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 9-10 (54 holes); 8:30 a.m. shotgun Saturday; 9 a.m. shotgun Sunday
Where: Par-70, 5901-yard Bucknell Golf Club, Lewisburg, Pa.
The Field: 11 teams (Bucknell, Boston University, Bryant, Delaware State, Holy Cross, Lehigh, LIU, Navy, Niagara, Saint Francis, Stonehill)

LIVE SCORING: Golf Genius (link coming soon)

About the Bison

The Bucknell women's golf team begins its 25th anniversary season at its annual home invitational this weekend.
This year's event features an 11-team field, including Patriot League rivals Boston University, Holy Cross, Lehigh, and Navy. Bucknell will be hosting the 2024 Patriot League Championship in April.
The 2023-24 Bison squad features a balance of classes, with three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen.
Three of Bucknell's four first-year players are in the A Team lineup this week. Sofia Nogalo, Lila Smith, and Nicole Yun will be joined by senior Cristina Canales and sophomore Paige Richter.
The fourth newcomer, Katherine Vice, is on the B Team with seniors Kayla Yi and Kelsey Yi, junior Tara Thomas, and sophomore Erin Drahnak.
Nogalo made a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th hole during team qualifying this week. Thomas aced the same hole at the Bucknell Invitational last fall.
Richter was the team's top performer last season as a freshman. Her 75.7 spring average and 76.2 mark for the full 2022-23 campaign were team bests. Last spring, she finished third at the SMSU Spring Classic in Arizona, fourth at the Navy Spring Invitational, and T-7th at her first Patriot League Championship. Eleven of her 12 spring rounds were in the 70s, including three 72s.
Richter is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Pennsylvania Women's Amateur Championship last month. Her 5-over total of 227 on the par-74 course was six shots behind the champion, Rylie Heflin of Duke.

The Bison at the Bucknell Invitational

The Bison have won this event six times: 2006, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2021 (spring), and 2022.
Led by medalist Tara Thomas, Bucknell ran away with the title last fall. The Bison shot 306-296-303, with the second-round score tying a school record. The 54-hole total of 905 was two shots off the school mark. Second-place Mount St. Mary's finished 15 shots back.
Thomas shot 77-69-70 to win the individual title by nine shots. She fired the third 69 in team history and also set the 54-hole scoring record (216). Her record-setting weekend was capped by a Sunday hole-in-one at No. 16, and she played the last 36 holes in 1-under par. Thomas also became the first Bison ever to post two rounds of 70 or better in the same tournament.
Bucknell has had seven medalists at its home event. Prior to Thomas last season, the most recent was Casey Morrow in the spring of 2021. Other individual champions are Lindsay Dodovich (2016), Katie Jurenovich (2010), Teri Schlang (2006), Jess Hetrich (2002), and Hilary Mainka (1999).

Next Up

The Bison have five events on the fall schedule. Next up is the Delaware State Invitational at Kings Creek CC in Rehoboth Beach Sept. 18-19.
Bucknell will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special event on Oct. 13-14. On Friday, Oct. 13, there will be a reception and meet-and-greet with the current team from 7-9 p.m. at the Bachman Golf Center. The next day, guests may take part in a round of golf at the Bucknell Golf Club, starting with a 9 a.m. shotgun. Following the golf tournament, there will be a luncheon at the clubhouse, where the achievements of the Bison women's golf program will be celebrated.
This is also the 10-year anniversary of the team's 2014 Patriot League championship.