Bucknell University Athletics
Johnson Named Rookie of the Year as Four Bison Named to All-Patriot League Teams
4/22/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Four members of the Bucknell women's golf team were named to the All-Patriot League teams while the Bison collected two major awards announced by the league office on Monday. Joelle Johnson was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and head coach Laura Tyler-Cook was named the Coach of the Year. Sophia Bardunias was named to the first team, and Johnson, Paige Richter and Nicole Yun were second team selections.
The Patriot League altered its All-League awards format in 2025-26. Prior to this year, the top-12 finishers at the Patriot League Championships earned All-Patriot League honors. This season, the top-six finishers at the championships earn All-Tournament honors while coaches voted for All-League players and coaching staff of the year.
Johnson became the program's first Patriot League Rookie of the Year after a stellar freshman campaign. Richter became the first golfer in program history to earn All-Patriot League status in all four years of her career. Richter and Lehigh's Yuki Zhu become the Patriot League's fourth and fifth golfers to repeat as four-time All-Patriot League golfers. Only Richmond's Sophie DiPetrillo and Boston University's Christy Chen and Adela Cejnarova have earned all-League status in all four years.
Bardunias repeats as a First Team All-Patriot League honoree after a sixth-place finish last season in her freshman year. Yun and Johnson earned All-Patriot League status from the first time in their careers.Head coach Laura Tyler-Cook became Bucknell's first Coach of the Year since Kevin Jamieson won back in 2013.Â
Johnson's freshman campaign included five top-10 individual finishes and four top-five finishes. The Bowie, Maryland native had two second-place finishes to open her collegiate career in Orange and Blue. At the Bucknell Invitational to begin the season, Johnson tied for first with teammate Katherine Vice. Vice won the tournament after two playoff holes. She then took second at the Battle at the Creek in Bucknell's second tournament.
Johnson averaged a 76.9 over 29 rounds in 2025-26. At the Nittany Lion Invitational, she carded a one-under par 71 in her final round. She wrapped up her fall with a fifth-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational and a third-place finish at the Red Flash Invitational. She earned Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors after her finish at the Battle at the Creek and the Red flash Invitational. In the spring, she tied for eighth at the NKU Spring Fling and tied for 18th at the Patriot League Championships.
Bardunias, a sophomore, earned her second First Team All-Patriot League honor in as many seasons. She finished fifth with a 226 at the Patriot League Championships to make the All-Tournament team. She won four Patriot League Golfer of the Week awards to tie Richmond's Hannah Lydic for most weekly awards in a single season. Her seven career PL weekly awards are second-most to Boston University's Hanako Kawasaki. Â
After averaging a 78.0 in her freshman season, Bardunias dropped to a 75.5 average over 29 rounds this season. She posted eight top-10 finishes including four top-five finishes. She earned her first career win at the NKU Spring Fling where she fired a seven-over 223 for the 54-hole tournament. She was even in the final round to secure her win.
Bardunias took third at El Campeon Collegiate and tied for fourth at the Bucknell Invitational. She tied for seventh at the Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State where she carded a two-under 70 in the first round. She became the sixth player in school history to record a round of two-under par.
Richter placed seventh at each of her first three conference championships before tying for second place in 2026 to earn Patriot League All-Tournament honors. The senior is also a three-time Patriot League Golfer of the Week, a 2025 WGCA All-American Scholar, a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree and a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
The Camp Hill, Pennsylvania native fired a 223 at the Patriot League Championships. She fired a 74-75-74 to finish at +7 for the 54-hole tournament. She tied for second with Navy's Vivian Cressman and was three strokes off the individual champion, Emma Tang. Richter's 220 at the 2023 championships still stands as Bucknell's best 54-hole score at the Patriot League Championships.
Richter turned in another fantastic 2025-26 season, earning four top-10 finishes. She finished in the top-three two times this season. She averaged a 74.9 in the fall and a 79.1 in the spring. She tied for 10th at the Bucknell Invitational to begin the season. She later took third at the Navy Fall Invitational and tied for third at the Red Flash Invitational. Her third-place finishes in those events earned her two Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors.
Yun brings home her first career All-League honor. The junior posted four top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish with a 224 at the Patriot League Championships. She averaged a 77.1, the lowest of her career, over 26 rounds.
She took a fifth-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational where she carded an even-par 72 in the second round. She then took sixth to wrap up the fall slate at the Red Flash Invitational. At the NKU Spring Fling, Yun tied for fifth, shooting two-over par in her final two rounds.
The Bison took second at the Patriot League Championships for their best finish at the conference championships since winning in 2014. The Bison won a program record four tournaments in 2025-26 and set a 36- and 54-hole record at the Bucknell Invitational. The four wins are also the most wins in a single season in Patriot league history.
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2026 Patriot League Women's Golf Major Awards
2026 Patriot League Player of the Year – Emma Tang, Navy,
2026 Patriot League of the Year – Joelle Johnson, Bucknell
2026 Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year – Bucknell (Head Coach: Laura Tyler-Cook)
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2026 All-Patriot League First Team
Amy Han, Boston University
Sophia Bardunias, Bucknell
Reese Hannon, Lehigh
Vivian Cressman, Navy
Keira Howard, Navy
Emma Tang, Navy
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2026 All-Patriot League Second Team
Joelle Johnson, Bucknell
Paige Richter, Bucknell
Nicole Yun, Bucknell
Yuki Zhu, Lehigh
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The Patriot League altered its All-League awards format in 2025-26. Prior to this year, the top-12 finishers at the Patriot League Championships earned All-Patriot League honors. This season, the top-six finishers at the championships earn All-Tournament honors while coaches voted for All-League players and coaching staff of the year.
Johnson became the program's first Patriot League Rookie of the Year after a stellar freshman campaign. Richter became the first golfer in program history to earn All-Patriot League status in all four years of her career. Richter and Lehigh's Yuki Zhu become the Patriot League's fourth and fifth golfers to repeat as four-time All-Patriot League golfers. Only Richmond's Sophie DiPetrillo and Boston University's Christy Chen and Adela Cejnarova have earned all-League status in all four years.
Bardunias repeats as a First Team All-Patriot League honoree after a sixth-place finish last season in her freshman year. Yun and Johnson earned All-Patriot League status from the first time in their careers.Head coach Laura Tyler-Cook became Bucknell's first Coach of the Year since Kevin Jamieson won back in 2013.Â
Johnson's freshman campaign included five top-10 individual finishes and four top-five finishes. The Bowie, Maryland native had two second-place finishes to open her collegiate career in Orange and Blue. At the Bucknell Invitational to begin the season, Johnson tied for first with teammate Katherine Vice. Vice won the tournament after two playoff holes. She then took second at the Battle at the Creek in Bucknell's second tournament.
Johnson averaged a 76.9 over 29 rounds in 2025-26. At the Nittany Lion Invitational, she carded a one-under par 71 in her final round. She wrapped up her fall with a fifth-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational and a third-place finish at the Red Flash Invitational. She earned Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors after her finish at the Battle at the Creek and the Red flash Invitational. In the spring, she tied for eighth at the NKU Spring Fling and tied for 18th at the Patriot League Championships.
Bardunias, a sophomore, earned her second First Team All-Patriot League honor in as many seasons. She finished fifth with a 226 at the Patriot League Championships to make the All-Tournament team. She won four Patriot League Golfer of the Week awards to tie Richmond's Hannah Lydic for most weekly awards in a single season. Her seven career PL weekly awards are second-most to Boston University's Hanako Kawasaki. Â
After averaging a 78.0 in her freshman season, Bardunias dropped to a 75.5 average over 29 rounds this season. She posted eight top-10 finishes including four top-five finishes. She earned her first career win at the NKU Spring Fling where she fired a seven-over 223 for the 54-hole tournament. She was even in the final round to secure her win.
Bardunias took third at El Campeon Collegiate and tied for fourth at the Bucknell Invitational. She tied for seventh at the Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State where she carded a two-under 70 in the first round. She became the sixth player in school history to record a round of two-under par.
Richter placed seventh at each of her first three conference championships before tying for second place in 2026 to earn Patriot League All-Tournament honors. The senior is also a three-time Patriot League Golfer of the Week, a 2025 WGCA All-American Scholar, a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree and a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
The Camp Hill, Pennsylvania native fired a 223 at the Patriot League Championships. She fired a 74-75-74 to finish at +7 for the 54-hole tournament. She tied for second with Navy's Vivian Cressman and was three strokes off the individual champion, Emma Tang. Richter's 220 at the 2023 championships still stands as Bucknell's best 54-hole score at the Patriot League Championships.
Richter turned in another fantastic 2025-26 season, earning four top-10 finishes. She finished in the top-three two times this season. She averaged a 74.9 in the fall and a 79.1 in the spring. She tied for 10th at the Bucknell Invitational to begin the season. She later took third at the Navy Fall Invitational and tied for third at the Red Flash Invitational. Her third-place finishes in those events earned her two Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors.
Yun brings home her first career All-League honor. The junior posted four top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish with a 224 at the Patriot League Championships. She averaged a 77.1, the lowest of her career, over 26 rounds.
She took a fifth-place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational where she carded an even-par 72 in the second round. She then took sixth to wrap up the fall slate at the Red Flash Invitational. At the NKU Spring Fling, Yun tied for fifth, shooting two-over par in her final two rounds.
The Bison took second at the Patriot League Championships for their best finish at the conference championships since winning in 2014. The Bison won a program record four tournaments in 2025-26 and set a 36- and 54-hole record at the Bucknell Invitational. The four wins are also the most wins in a single season in Patriot league history.
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2026 Patriot League Women's Golf Major Awards
2026 Patriot League Player of the Year – Emma Tang, Navy,
2026 Patriot League of the Year – Joelle Johnson, Bucknell
2026 Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year – Bucknell (Head Coach: Laura Tyler-Cook)
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2026 All-Patriot League First Team
Amy Han, Boston University
Sophia Bardunias, Bucknell
Reese Hannon, Lehigh
Vivian Cressman, Navy
Keira Howard, Navy
Emma Tang, Navy
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2026 All-Patriot League Second Team
Joelle Johnson, Bucknell
Paige Richter, Bucknell
Nicole Yun, Bucknell
Yuki Zhu, Lehigh
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Players Mentioned
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