STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Brooke Graham (Carlisle, Pa./Boiling Springs) made quite the first impression in her maiden tournament as a member of the Kutztown University women's golf team. The freshman from Carlisle, Pa., shot a school-record 1-under 71 and became the first Golden Bear to break par on her way to medalist honors at Sunday's East Stroudsburg University Fall Invitational at Glen Brook Golf Club. Kutztown held off Jefferson by two shots for the team title.
 
Despite dealing with periods of rain throughout the afternoon, Graham kept her focus and played superbly. Following a bogey on the par-4 first, Graham ripped off 10 straight holes of par or better scores, including birdies on the par-4 seventh and par-3 tenth. She recovered from her only other bogey on 12 to finish with five more pars and a birdie on the par-4 at No. 15.
 
Graham set the program's new record low round by one shot over Chelsea Corbo (2011) and Rachel Tarnopoll (2019), each of whom carded their career-best rounds on par 72 courses for even par scores. In fact, Tarnopoll's round came on the same course at Glen Brook Golf Club.
 
Graham, the younger sister of former Golden Bear golfer Rebecca Graham (2015-19), who ranks in the top 10 on the program's individual season and career average lists, is the first golfer to win their debut tournament for KU since Shannon Weber in 2017, but Weber was a senior transfer from Millersville. The last freshman to win in their KU debut was Jessica May at the Lehigh Quad in Sept. 2002.
 
Not to be overshadowed by Graham's performance was the round turned in by Rhi Stutz (Prescott, Wisc./Prescott) in her college debut. The freshman from Prescott, Wisc., carded a 5-over 77 to tie for third on the day. Stutz was consistent with a birdie and six pars on the front nine, which she played in 3-over 39. She added two birdies and three pars coming in with a 2-over 38 on the back nine.
 
For Kutztown, it marked the first time two golfers finished with rounds in the 70s in the same tournament since Jillian Jones (74) and Tarnopoll (76) achieved the feat in the second round of the 2018 PSAC Championship.
 
The top three rounds by Golden Bears all went to first-year members of the team. Grace Klements (Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Pinelands Regional), a freshman from Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J., put forth an 89 (+17) to tie for 10th. Klements collected nine pars in a strong first showing.
 
Senior Grace Babinchak (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) rounded out the scoring for KU, using five pars to shoot 18-over 90. The Golden Bears finished at 39-over 327 as a team, besting Jefferson (329) by two shots. It was the team's lowest score in a round since shooting 320 in the second round of the 2018 NCAA East Super Regionals.
 
All seven players on the roster competed for Kutztown on Sunday. Alexis Peet (Greentown, Pa./Wallenpaupack), entered individually, registered a 90 with seven pars. Gabby Cohen (Jeffersonville, N.Y./Sullivan West) also had seven pars on her way to a 91 and Alivia Miesowitz (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton), another individual entry, collected a 97 with a pair of pars.
 
Graham was the medalist by three shots over Jefferson's Ammala Moua (74, +2). Stutz and Jefferson's Vivian Chuang tied for third (77, +5), with Bloomsburg's Noemi Krizso (78, +6) rounding out the top five.
 
Kutztown will return to action at the Shepherd Rams Invitational Sept. 25-26.