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 WCU head coach Steve Lott, who is a three-time SoCon Coach of the Year, signed four for next season. |
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Nov. 21, 2007
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head women's golf coach Steve Lott announced the signing today of Christina Amoriello (Stoneman Douglas High/Coral Springs, Fla.), Blaire Minter (Walton High/Marietta, Ga.), Rachel Nelson (Lakota West High/West Chester, Ohio) and Ashley Shinn (Gainesville High/ Gainesville, Fla.) to National Letters of Intent.
Western will lose three players in May in the form of senior Kandy Carland, senior Malin Fryk and Katja Dammann.
"Our golf program has never had a shot in the arm like this in our 15 years of existence," said Lott, who is a three-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year. "Each of these young women are great students, great golfers, wonderful people and very enthusiastic about being a part of the Catamount Golf Family."
Amoriello has been a team captain and MVP on her high school golf team all four years. She was twice an All-County selection and just this year won the Sportsmanship Award for the South Florida Junior Tour. Academically she is very solid and has been asked to join The Honors College at Western Carolina University in 2008. She has been listed for three years in Who's Who Among American High School Students and has twice won the Founders Award for The JGA of Broward County. Christina is the daughter of Paula & Patrick Amoriello.
"Christina has an infectious enthusiasm about her," Lott said. "Not only will she bring a solid golf game to the course, she will bring an air of excitement to the team. Her first day on campus was the night of the Wofford game. When I picked her up at Madison, she was decked out in purple and had `Go Cats' painted on her face; I was an even bigger fan from that moment on. She will be a big part of our success over the next four years."
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"Blaire is ball striking machine. The first time I saw her play I was blown away by her golf game. When I finally got to talk to her I was even more impressed. She is a wonderful young lady who will help us reach new levels on the course and in the community. A testament to Minter's ball striking was a stretch last year where she hit 46 consecutive greens in regulation during competition. I'm pretty sure Tiger (Woods) has never done that," said Lott.
Nelson has had a high school career to remember. She was named both the Cincinnati Player of the Year and Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Player of the Year in 2007, and is also a four-time First Team All-GMC Conference selection. This year also marked the second time she was named to the All-Ohio State Team. She holds every scoring record at Lakota West High, including a score of 67 (-5) shot at the 2007 GMC Championship. Academically, Nelson is also very strong as she has been selected to the GMC All-Academic Team for four consecutive years and maintains a 3.95 GPA. She is the daughter of Dayna and Tim Nelson.
"Rachel is everything you look for in a college golfer," said Lott. "She has a very solid all around game and has the ability to go real low. If you studied her career you would find that her greatest achievements on the golf course always come in the big events. Rachel will play a big part in the future of our team. I was also impressed by her easy going personality; she has a constant smile that could light up the Ramsey Center."
Shinn has been a force to be reckoned with on the golf course since middle school. She had her first under par round in competition (68/-4) in the ninth grade. She was also named the All-Area Player of the Year during both her freshman and sophomore years. She has been selected to the All-Area Team four times and was the 2006 Gainesville Sun Player of the Year. For the week of September 18, 2006, Shinn was named the Golfweek magazine "National Player of the Week." In the classroom Shinn is equally as strong. The daughter of April and John Timmons and Dawn and Thomas Shinn, she was voted into the National Honor Society her sophomore year and won the Gainesville High School Academic Excellence Award in 2006.
"Ashley (Shinn) will be a great college golfer. She has played at a very high level for a long time and knows how to fill up the cup," Lott said. "I was sold the first time I ever saw her hit a shot. She brings a full plate to the table. Not only is she a great player and student, she has a fun loving personality that puts everyone around her at ease. I look forward to seeing her in the Purple & Gold."
Western Carolina opens the spring portion of its schedule on Feb. 24-26 at the Kiawah Spring Invitational held at the Osprey & Cougar Point Golf Clubs on Kiawah Island, S.C. The Catamounts finished the fall season at Kiawah with an eighth-place finish.
