Division I

Scholar: Jamie Harada

University Name: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

School Mascot: Mustangs

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Hawaii  2) Arizona  3) Texas

Highlight of your college golf career: Winning the Big West Conference for the first time in school history. 

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: Practicing daily and traveling with my teammates 

Any recruiting advice for high school students? The more communication, the better. Don’t be afraid to “bother” the coaches – send lots of emails or make phone calls, even if you are not receiving communication back. It shows that you take initiative and you are very interested. Also, as important as it is to get a coach’s attention, always remember that it’s about finding the right fit for YOU. 

Scholar: Natalie Mattison

University Name: Oral Roberts University 

School Mascot: Golden Eagles

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Utah  2) Las Vegas 3) South Carolina

Highlight of your college golf career: Shooting a 223 total for three days and helping my team finish second out of 71 teams 

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: Traveling with the team and having a close group of friends 

Any recruiting advice for high school students? Email and call as many coaches as you can in your senior year. You have to put in the work to market yourself as much as possible! 

Scholar: Matthew Carungay

University Name: Loyola Marymount University

School Mascot: Lions

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Maui, HI  2) Eugene, OR 3) Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Highlight of your college golf career: Shooting a 212 (-4) three day total at the Wyoming Classic at Classic Club Golf Course in February 2018. Finished t-15 out of 108

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: The ability to play and practice with high level, competitive individuals while playing quality golf tournaments across the country.

Any recruiting advice for high school students? Don’t be afraid to reach and talk to coaches, they are normal people like yourself. College coaches are very nice people and want to get to know you. Don’t be afraid to show off some hidden talents like playing an instrument or playing other sports. This will help you stand out! 

Scholar: Julia Sander

University Name: UC Riverside

School Mascot: Highlander

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Maui, HI  2) Vail, CO 3) San Francisco, CA

Highlight of your college golf career: Winning our Big West Conference Championship in Hawaii in 2016

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: My favorite part about being on a college golf team was the bond I formed with my teammates throughout my four years at UCR. College golf was a full-time job and we spent all day, every day together. Whether it was competing, traveling to tournaments, going to practice, working out together, studying, or just hanging out – we enjoyed spending our time as a team! My teammates were my best friends and I look back on my experiences in college golf as some of the most challenging, rewarding and fun years of my life. 

Any recruiting advice for high school students? My best advice would be to start early! Don’t be afraid to start contacting coaches as a sophomore – or even a freshman! Even though coaches can’t respond to your emails, (as a freshman or sophomore) doesn’t mean they don’t read them! Coaches love to see that you are proactive and showing interest in their golf program. It also allows them to follow your progress and see how your scores improve over time. Leave voicemails or send emails updating coaches on your latest achievements, on the golf course and in school. And my best pro tip – keep tabs on the current golf team and congratulate them when they’ve done well. This shows engagement and investment in the team, which college coaches will appreciate. My last word of advice would be to consider the chemistry of the team and the coach before you commit to a school. Choosing a program where you see yourself fitting in on a personal level will have a huge impact on your experience. True, college golf is about competition – but it is also about forming friendships and creating memories with your team that will last a lifetime

Scholar: Alyaa Abdulghany

University Name: University of Southern California

School Mascot: Trojan/Traveler the horse

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Hawaii  2) East Lake Cup in Georgia 3)

Highlight of your college golf career: My win at the 2020 Australian Masters of the Amateur Championship

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: The support and commanderie from each other. We are very competitive, yet we find ways to help each other

Any recruiting advice for high school students? It’s hard not to get caught up in the stress and anxiety of « what ifs, » but find the dedication and drive of who you want to be and practice postive mentality to reduce that stress

Scholar: Dario Hamada

University Name: Cal State University Fullerton

School Mascot: Titans

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Santa Barbara   2) Sacramento  3) Northridge

Highlight of your college golf career: Team Won Conference my senior year (2019)

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team:The team experience is completely different than it is in high school. You compete with the top athletes and learn a completely different side of the game. You will focus a lot on your physical health and mental game.

Any recruiting advice for high school students? Be PROactive! Often times head coaches are too busy to do the recruiting themselves and ask the assistant coach to do it for them. Be sure to email coaches about your tournament schedule, ranking, what you are working on, videos of your swing and why you are interested in playing at their college. Not only do they want to see the top players on their team but players that are eager to learn and compete!

Scholar: Georgia Lacey

University Name: San Diego State University

School Mascot: Aztecs

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Monterey Bay Peninsula- my absolute favorite golf course 2) El Tigre Golf Club In Puerto Vallarta  3) TPC Harding Park in San Francisco 

Highlight of your college golf career: Winning the teams first mountain west conference championship in 2015, my freshman year.

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: team chemistry; I’m still best friends with all of my teammates even a few years after graduation. Also the feeling of golf being a team sport when it is traditionally supposed to be a completely individual sport. 

Any recruiting advice for high school students? Play as many junior tournaments as possible to gain experience and the attention of college coaches

Division II

Scholar: Stephanie Gonzalez

University Name: Texas A&M International University in Laredo, TX

School Mascot: Dustdevil

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) San Marcos, CA 2) Horseshoe Bay, TX 3) Port St. Lucie, FL.

Highlight of your college golf career: Highlight of my career was winning our school’s first ever tournament in 2017. We were hosting the tournament and had lots of support from the school and it was awesome getting the win at home.

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: My favorite things about being on a college golf team was for sure all of the travel and free food. I enjoyed making lasting friendships and LOTS of fun memories with my teammates. I also loved getting to represent my school doing something that I love.

Any recruiting advice for high school students? My recruiting advice would be to don’t be afraid to keep sending email/contacting the coaches. It may seem like you’re being “annoying” but it shows that you’re interested and really want to play at that particular school. Also, go and visit as many college campuses as possible. Go see what you like and don’t like, and make sure it’s a place you would want to live/be at for the next 4 years.

Scholar: Elise Sumner

University Name: Western Washington University

School Mascot: Vikings

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Hawaii 2) Vancouver  3) Alameda

Highlight of your college golf career: Finishing in 6th place in our Hawaii tournament, out of 56 players. Also made every travel team.

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team:  Being on a college team is so different that anything you’ve ever experienced. It is so much fun, your teammates are going to become your best friends!

Any recruiting advice for high school students? Start emailing coaches early, so that you have a plan and multiple options! Best of luck to you! 🙂

Division III

Scholar: Lauren Fesler

University Name: California Lutheran University 

School Mascot: Kingsmen and Regals 

Top 3 places you’ve traveled with the golf team: 1) Tyler, Texas 2) Bremerton, Washington 3) Shreveport, Louisiana 

Highlight of your college golf career: Took home a 2nd place team win in Washington. We lost by one stroke, but played great! 

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: Playing collegiate golf gives players the opportunity to compete in a team environment. Also, the friendships I made with my teammates are lifelong and more like a big family. 

Any recruiting advice for high school students? High School students should start the recruitment process early to ensure that coaches know their interest. They should fill out the prospective student form and send a personalized email to confirm they received it. College coaches can be difficult to reach at times- so make sure to follow up! 

Scholar: Salvador Hinojosa

University Name: Whittier College

School Mascot: Poets

Top 3 places we’ve traveled to: 1) Ventura, CA 2) Palm Springs, CA 3) Las Vegas, NV

Highlight of my golf career: My favorite experience so far, was traveling with the team to play in my first college golf tournament. A highlight of that day, was playing well even though I remember feeling nervous the whole tournament. Both the men’s and women’s team really bonded during that weekend on the way to and from Ventura.  It was also really great to share that experience with my parents, who came out to support me and the team.

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team: playing in tournaments at different schools, and getting to meet other golfers from colleges around the United States. Playing at different courses is challenging, but can help you be a better golfer. 

Recruiting advice for high school students: The best advice I can offer to any high school student, is have a plan.  This includes preparing a sports resume and recording a swing video, that you can include as part of your emails to the coaching staff. These communications are important, so that prospective schools can learn about you as a student and an athlete. Talk to your coaches, and ask them to write letters of recommendation, highlighting your strengths on and off the course. Another piece of advice, is to play in as many tournaments as possible. Coaches are interested in learning about your abilities and statistics, and what you can bring to their team.  Do your research, because according to NCAA rules, you can only communicate with coaches during specific times of the year.  Remember to set up campus visits, and if possible, ask to come out to meet the team during one of their tournaments.  Stay positive, keep on practicing as much as possible, and remember to have fun. 

Scholar: Samantha Rocha

University Name: Occidental College

School Mascot: Oswald the Tiger

Top places we’ve traveled to: 1) Hawaii 2) Monterey Bay

Highlight of my golf career: The highlight of my college golf career was going to Monterey Bay for the UC Santa Cruz Invitational. I had played well that week at a beautiful course and placed 3rd individually. On top of that, my team visited Pebble Beach and we also played a round at Poppy Hills. It was so much fun and something I will never forget!

Favorite thing about being on a college golf team:Some of my best friends are my college teammates. Because you spend so much time together and are going through a similar experience, you become each other’s support system. Having those friendships made the hardships that are inevitable in college a lot more manageable to get through! 

Recruiting advice for high school students: When looking at potential schools, I think it’s important to be realistic with yourself, know what your priorities are, and to try and get an understanding of what a typical week may look like at a prospective school/team so that you know what may be expected of you. Write down a list of qualities that you look for in a school AND a golf team – do you want to be free to choose your own major? Do you want most of your schedule to be filled with golf? Do you want to be far away from home? Is your scoring average near what the coach is looking for? etc. Remember that a school should fit your needs and not the other way around. Be proactive in your research and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions!

NAIA

Scholar: Kailee Ward

University Name: Waldorf University 

Mascot: Warriors

Top 3 places we visited: 1) Bully Pulpit GC, North Dakota 2) Missouri 3) Nebraska

Highlight: Earning second place at a tournament

Favorite thing about being on the team: The life long friends you make

Recruiting Advice: Take all the opportunities you can. Don’t be afraid to do something different or step out of your comfort zone.