KINGSTON, N.Y. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Golf secured a fifth-place finish and set several new program marks this week at the Hill Yeah! Invitational, hosted by Stonehill College, at Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston, New York.
 
The Screaming Eagles finished fifth out of nine teams with a score of 608 (315-293) and 32 over par. Merrimack College won the invitational, shooting 14 over par for a total of 590 (301-289). The tournament shifted from 54 holes to 36 due to inclement weather.
 
USI's strong finish on Tuesday with a single-round score of 293 set a program all-time record for the best team 18-hole score, beating the previous mark by one stroke. The Screaming Eagles' tournament total of 608 is the program's best 36-hole score since joining the Division I level in 2022.
 
Junior Brianna Kirsch was USI's highest finisher, tying for third overall at the invitational with a score of one over par, 145 (72-73). Her total of 145 is a USI best individual 36-hole score since the jump to Division I in 2022 and tied for second-best all time in program history.
 
Junior Elizabeth Mercer followed closely behind Kirsch. Mercer competed individually in the tournament. She finished tied for sixth place with a score of two over par, 146 (74-72). Her 36-hole score tied for fifth on USI's all-time individual 36-hole records.
 
Sophomore McKenna Lowe tied for 12^th after making a huge jump on Tuesday, finishing seven over par and shooting 151 (80-71). Lowe's final-round score of 71 tied for the program's ninth-best individual all-time single-round score and tied for the best single-round score by a Screaming Eagle since USI's move to the D-I ranks.
 
Kirsch set the pace for USI on Monday, shooting an even-par 72 with three birdies in the first round. Mercer joined Kirsch near the top of the leaderboard with a two-over 74 and recorded four birdies in the opening round.
 
In the second round, the Screaming Eagles soared. Five out of six USI golfers improved their score in round two.  Lowe led USI on Tuesday and improved her score from Monday by nine strokes, shooting a team tournament-best 71 (- 1), the only USI round below par during the invitational. Mercer improved her score by two strokes to an even-par 72 after five birdies. Freshman Kaidyn Wardlaw improved by eight strokes to 75 on Tuesday, and senior Tora Timinsky improved by six strokes to 74.
 
USI will look to carry its momentum into next week, October 5-6, at the Butler University Fall Invitational at Highland Golf Club in Indianapolis, Indiana.