BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy junior Emma Tang was named the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Golfer of the Year after winning her second straight Patriot League individual title when postseason awards were announced Wednesday.
Tang became the second student-athlete in League history to earn consecutive Patriot League Women’s Golf individual titles after shooting a 4-over-par 220 (75-71-74) at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Md.
Bucknell freshman Joelle Johnson collected Patriot League Women’s Golf Rookie of the Year honors. Johnson recorded four top-five finishes and earned Patriot League Women’s Golfer of the Week twice.
Bucknell’s coaching staff, led by head coach Laura Tyler-Cook, received the Patriot League Women’s Golf Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Bison to a second-place finish at the championship. Tyler-Cook and Bison improved their national ranking by 59 spots, while collecting 10 weekly awards throughout the season.
Three-time defending Patriot League women’s golf champion Navy had five student-athletes selected to one of the All-Patriot League Teams, including three to the first team. Bucknell had four selections, while Lehigh had two and Boston University had one.
The Patriot League major awards and All-League teams were voted on by Patriot League women’s golf head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Golfer of the Year
Emma Tang, Navy, Jr., Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills
*Tang became the second student-athlete in League history to claim the Patriot League Championship individual title in consecutive years, shooting a 4-over-par 220 (75-71-74) at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club.
*She won two tournaments, including the Lehigh Invitational, recorded two top-three finishes and four top-10 finishes during the 2025-26 season.
*Tang posted a 75.93 scoring average in 29 rounds, earning All-League honors for the third time.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Golf Rookie of the Year
Joelle Johnson, Bucknell, Fr., Bowie, Md./Indian Creek School
*Johnson posted five top-10 and four top-five finishes during her freshmen campaign, earning two Patriot League Women’s Golfer of the Week honors.
*The Bowie, Md. native recorded a scoring average of 76.6 strokes per round over 26 rounds for a 929 national rank, best among League freshmen.
*The freshman helped the Bison win four tournaments during the 2025-26 season.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Golf Coaching Staff of the Year
Bucknell (Head Coach – Laura Tyler-Cook)
*Tyler-Cook led the Bison to a second-place finish at the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Golf Championship, the squad’s best finish since winning the title in 2014.
*She helped the Bison improve their national ranking by 59 spots, winning four tournaments during the 2025-26 season.
*Tyler-Cook’s Bison improved their scoring average by more than 11 strokes from the previous season.
Bucknell’s Richter and Lehigh’s Zhu Highlight Multi-Year All-League Honorees
Bucknell’s Paige Richter and Lehigh’s Yuki Zhu earned All-Patriot League honors for the fourth time. Richter earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after a second-place finish, shooting 7-over-par 223 at the championship.
Navy’s Tang earned First Team All-League honors for the third time, while Navy’s Megan Kirkpatrick, the 2025 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Boston University’s Amy Han and Bucknell’s Sophia Bardunias are all two-time All-League selections.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Golf Major Awards
2026 Patriot League Player of the Year – Emma Tang, Navy, Jr.
2026 Patriot League Rookie of the Year – Joelle Johnson, Bucknell, Fr.
2026 Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year – Bucknell (Head Coach: Laura Tyler-Cook)
2026 All-Patriot League First Team
Amy Han, Boston University, Jr.
Sophia Bardunias, Bucknell, So.
Reese Hannon, Lehigh, So.
Vivian Cressman, Navy, So.
Keira Howard, Navy, Jr.
Emma Tang, Navy, Jr.
2026 All-Patriot League Second Team
Joelle Johnson, Bucknell, Fr.
Paige Richter, Bucknell, Sr.
Nicole Yun, Bucknell, Jr.
Yuki Zhu, Lehigh, Sr.
Angelina Kim, Navy, Fr.
Megan Kirkpatrick, Navy, So.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.