Lehigh sophomore Reese Hannon has emerged as a key performer with a blend of late-blooming golf talent, basketball-bred competitiveness, and a deliberate focus on the mental game. She played every round as a freshman, opened her college career with two top ten finishes, and now owns two of the three lowest competitive rounds in Lehigh history. Early in her sophomore season she placed sixth in an eighty one player field at the Boilermaker Classic with rounds of 71 and 73, reinforcing her role near the top of the Mountain Hawks lineup.
Career Highlights
• Immediate impact player who has competed in every round since arriving at Lehigh
• Opened college career with top ten finishes at the Bucknell Fall Invitational and Lehigh Invitational
• Holds the second and third lowest competitive rounds in Lehigh women’s golf history with scores of 69 and 70 at Architects Golf Club
• Top finisher for Lehigh in three of five fall events as a sophomore
• Named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as a freshman
• Four year letter winner in both golf and basketball in high school
Collegiate Results Snapshot
2025 to 2026 Sophomore Season in Progress
• Even par 144 at the Boilermaker Classic with rounds of 71 and 73
• Sixth place finish in an eighty one player field
• Matched her Lehigh career low round of 71
• Logged the twenty first round of 71 or better in program history
• Continues to be one of Lehigh’s top scoring options in the early part of the season
2024 to 2025 Freshman Season
• Twenty four rounds played across nine tournaments
• Led Lehigh in three events
• Scoring average of 79 point 5
• Low round of 71 at the UAlbany Great Danes Invitational
• Collegiate debut T8 at the Bucknell Fall Invitational at 223
• T4 at the Lehigh Invitational at 154
• T42 at the ECU Ironwood Invitational at 232
• Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selection
High School Highlights
• Skyland Conference Raritan Division First Team in 2023 and 2024
• Four year letter winner in golf and basketball at Mount Saint Mary
• Helped her program to consistent regional success while maintaining strong academic performance
• Multi sport background that shaped her competitive mindset and leadership style
Career Snapshot
• Late starter in tournament golf who has quickly closed the experience gap
• Multiple top ten finishes early in her career with a clear upward scoring trend
• Recognized for academic achievement and leadership in both high school and college
• Represents the model of a student athlete balancing engineering studies and Division I golf
Interview Highlights with CGN
Path into golf and multi sport background
Hannon grew up in a golf aware household where her parents played and watched the game on television, but she did not commit fully until later. Her first real exposure came through a First Tee program around age nine. She then focused on soccer, basketball, and lacrosse until the pandemic shut down those seasons. With other sports on hold, she turned to early morning rounds with her mom while learning the game. Her dad later added instruction and course guidance, and by high school she began pursuing tournament golf.
Basketball remained central. She grew up on mostly boys teams, played for her dad once girls teams formed, and credits the team structure and decision making for shaping her competitive approach. She still follows the NBA closely and has been an OKC fan for years.
Why Lehigh
Hannon initially expected to play college basketball. Once she shifted toward golf, she targeted schools offering both engineering and women’s golf. Her first visit to Lehigh created an immediate sense of belonging, and once she committed it became the only school she applied to. She describes returning to campus as a reaffirmation of that early feeling.
Freshman impact
Hannon played every round as a freshman and quickly produced results with a T8 at Bucknell and T4 at the Lehigh Invitational. Strong team support and coaching helped her transition, and the early success confirmed she could contend at the Division I level.
Summer jump and mental game development
After a challenging stretch late in the spring, Hannon began consistent work with Lehigh sports psychologist Dr Sturba. Their focus included enjoying golf, using on course resets, and separating performance from emotion. She continued the program through summer and into her sophomore season.
She worked on swing mechanics with coach Brian Dobby, but the clearest improvement came from tournament experiences with her dad as caddie. They talked through every shot, building course management instincts she lacked due to being a later starter in competitive golf.
Handling doubles and resets
Hannon reframes mistakes. If she hits a poor shot, she accepts it quickly and treats it as a challenge. Her coach’s “reset the par” method guides her after trouble: a drive into the trees on a par four becomes a new par four from that spot, helping avoid compounding mistakes.
She notes that three of her under par rounds this fall included double bogeys, proof that one bad hole does not define a round. She leans on self belief that birdies remain possible. For full resets she uses small cues like a “positive potato” from her mom, or simply pausing to breathe and listen to the wind.
Family influence
Hannon credits her parents for letting her choose her own priorities and never forcing golf. Their message that she could have anything but not everything guided her transition into the sport. Her older brothers shaped her competitive drive by never letting her win easily, whether in driveway basketball or backyard football.
Low rounds at Architects
Her 69 and 70 came at Architects Golf Club, a course she knows well from high school and where the Lehigh coach first recruited her. Familiarity combined with strong recent practice gave her confidence. She started three over through three holes in the 69 round, including a double, before settling in, hitting shots closer, and converting putts. The team’s tradition of tossing birdies added to the energy.
Music and personality
Her go to performance energy song is “Kingdom” by Down Straight, Cody Rhodes’s WWE entrance theme. She also listens to a wide range of country music including Eric Church and Chris Stapleton.
Goals and outlook
Lehigh’s primary team goal is to win the Patriot League Championship. Hannon believes the team has the depth, schedule, and momentum to prepare well. Individually she wants to maintain her fall consistency, avoid last spring’s dip, and put herself in position to contend for a tournament win while continuing to support her teammates.
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