University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Women's Golf Signs Four to NLIs
11/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Minnesota women's golf coach Michele Redman announced Friday the addition of four student-athletes, as they signed their National Letters of Intent to join the Gophers next year. They are Joanne Free (Gullane, Scotland/Ross HS), Grace Kellar (Edina, Minn./Edina HS), Jessica Lee (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) and Kate Lillie (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS).
"I could not be more excited for the signing of these four outstanding young ladies," said Redman. "All four bring dynamic skills and attributes that will help our program immensely next season on the course. More importantly, they are each great student-athletes who will represent the University with pride."
Free has played internationally for the Scottish National Team at both the 2016 European Girls Championship and the 2015 Girls Home International Matches. This past year, individually she finished third at the Scottish Girls Amateur Championship and Scottish Golf Girls Order of Merit and tied for 17th at the Irish Girls Under 18 Championship. In 2014 she was the regional and county champion, a semifinalist at the Scottish Girls Championship, and was the Scottish Champion of Champions.
Kellar has been successful in the land of 10,000 lakes, finishing third at the Minnesota State Junior Girls Championship this past year along with a fourth-place finish at the Minnesota High School State Championship, helping lead her Hornets team to the team title. In the last two years she has three top-five finishes on the FCWT junior golf tour, finishing second (Duke) and third (Notre Dame) in 2015 and fifth at the FCWT Junior Golf Open at Heron Bay in Florida.
Lee has found success both locally and nationally, tying for second at this year's AJGA Otter Creek (Ind.) Junior Championship, along with a seventh place finish at the AJGA Junior at Owensboro, Ky. During her prep career, she has earned runner-up and 12th-place finishes at the Illinois State High School Championships in 2015 and 2016, respectively, including a team championship in the former.
Lillie was the champion of the Women's Western Golf Association Junior Amateur, held this past July at Blackhawk Country Club in Madison, Wis. She tied for fifth at the AJGA Otter Creek and was 10th at the PGA Junior Series at Chaska Town Course in Chaska, Minn. This past spring, she finished tied for 17th at the Illinois State High School Championship and helped her team to a fourth-place finish.
