Women's Golf | 10/20/2026 11:00:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher women's golf team claimed two major Empire 8 awards and had a conference-high five players garner All-E8 honors for the 2026 fall season, the league office announced on Monday. 

Head coach Bob Simms claimed Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, while senior Sarah Burgess received the Empire 8 Torchbearer Award for the second straight year. The Torchbearer Award is presented annually to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) participating in the championship for each E8 sport. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must be a junior or senior and in at least their second season of competition with their current team. Burgess, who studies biology, boasts a 3.94 GPA. 

The All-Empire 8 first and second teams were based on results from the Empire 8 Women's Golf Invitational, played last week at the Lake Shore Yacht and Country Club in Cicero, New York. The Cardinals won the tournament for the second year in a row, beating Nazareth by 25 strokes and Utica by 106 strokes. 

Three Cardinals achieved first-team All-Empire 8 status – Burgess, freshman Hailey Baughan and sophomore Emma Sweazy. Senior Emily Wyman and freshman Gabriella Dardis were second-team performers. 

Sweazy, the 2025 E8 Player and Rookie of the Year, led Fisher in the tournament, placing second at +23 (167 strokes), two strokes behind individual champion Emily Mayer (Nazareth). Sweazy and Mayer tied for the low score (80) in the second round.  

Burgess shot 27-over-par 171 to finish in fourth place and claim her third consecutive first-team All-E8 honor. She carded four birdies in the tournament.

Baughan was one stroke behind Mayer after Sunday's round but finished fifth at +28 (172). She carded an 86 in both rounds of the Empire 8 tournament. 

Dardis shot 31-over-par 175 on her way to a sixth-place finish. Wyman, who carded a 190 (+46), placed 10th.