Feng Shines in Collegiate Debut as Harvard Women’s Golf Ties for Third at Nittany Lion Invitational

The Harvard women’s golf team opened its 2026-27 season with a strong showing at the Nittany Lion Invitational, finishing tied for third in the 18-team field after playing three rounds at the Penn State Blue Course in State College, Pa.

The Crimson finished the two-day tournament at 11-under par, matching host-school Penn State for third place. Virginia Tech captured the tournament title at 20-under, while Maryland finished five strokes behind at 15-under. Harvard’s 11-under finish came despite an uneven opening day, as the Crimson followed an even-par first round with a blistering 11-under second round before closing at even par on Tuesday.

While Harvard’s team performance offered an encouraging start to the fall season, freshman Rayee Feng stole the show in her collegiate debut. Feng finished in fourth place at eight-under par, just five strokes behind individual champion Valentine Delon of Virginia Tech.

Feng was very consistent throughout her first tournament for the Crimson, carding rounds of 70 (-2), 68 (-4), and 70 (-2). She was one of just four golfers in the field to finish eight-under or better and ended the tournament only one stroke behind runners-up freshman Hanny Wang of Yale and graduate student Nicha Kanpai of Maryland.

Feng was particularly effective on the par fours, playing them at three-under for the tournament with a 3.90 scoring average, tied for the best average in the entire competition. Feng also recorded 15 birdies, tied for the second-most among all participating golfers.

Junior Vanessa Zhang provided another strong performance for Harvard, finishing tied for 15th at one-under. Zhang opened with a three-over 75 before responding with a four-under 68 in the second round and an even-par 72 to close the tournament.

Zhang, the 2025 Ivy League individual champion and a two-time NCAA Regional qualifier, was particularly effective on Penn State’s par fives. She played them at four-under for the tournament with a 4.67 scoring average, tied for ninth-best in the field.

Sophomore Nicole Iniakov matched Zhang’s strong finish, also tying for 15th at one-under. Iniakov opened with a two-under 70 before shooting an even-par 72 in the second round and a one-over 73 to close the tournament. She was particularly effective on the par fives, finishing four-under with a 4.67 scoring average to tie Zhang for ninth-best in the field. Iniakov also recorded two eagles across the three rounds, the most of any golfer in the tournament and accounting for two of Harvard’s three eagles.

Junior Lucy Yuan finished tied for 27th at one-over after posting rounds of 73 (+1), 71 (-1), and 73 (+1). Yuan entered the season coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which she finished second individually at the Ivy League Championships and earned All-Ivy League honors.

Sophomore Dixon Hill also contributed to the Crimson’s scoring effort, finishing tied for 34th at three-over. After opening with a four-over 76, Hill responded with a two-under 70 in the second round before closing with a one-over 73. Hill also recorded one of Harvard’s eagles during the tournament and finished with 40 pars, tied for ninth-most in the field.

The Crimson’s performance was driven in large part by its success on the longer holes. Harvard finished the tournament at 13-under on par fives, tied with Quinnipiac for the second-best score in the field behind Virginia Tech’s 18-under performance. The Crimson was also the only team in the field to record three eagles. Harvard was equally impressive on the par fours, playing them at even par with a 4.00 scoring average, tied with tournament champion Hokies for the best score among all 18 teams.

The third-place finish provides an encouraging opening result for a Crimson team looking to build on consecutive runner-up finishes at the Ivy League Championships. Harvard returned several of its top contributors from last season, including Yuan, Zhang, Hill, Iniakov, and senior Bonnie Zhai, while Feng’s immediate emergence adds another potential weapon to an already deep roster.

The tournament also marked the beginning of Naree Song’s fourth season as the Head Coach of the women’s golf team. Song has guided the Crimson to second-place finishes at each of the past two Ivy League Championships.

For Harvard, the season opener offered both a glimpse of its established talent and an early indication of what its newcomers can do. With Feng immediately placing herself among the tournament’s top golfers and the Crimson finishing 11-under as a team, Harvard leaves Pennsylvania with a podium finish and momentum as it begins another pursuit of its first Ivy League title since 2019.

The Crimson will have nearly three weeks away from competition before returning to action on Sept. 26 and 27 at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J.

—Staff writer Tamar H. Scheinfeld can be reached at [email protected].