Emory Head Women's Golf Coach Katie Futcher has announced that the following student-athletes will be attending Emory University in the fall and competing for the 2019-20 women's golf program.
Mariana Chong - Lima, Peru (Villa Caritas School)
Mariana joins the Emory community from Lima, Peru. She received an IGCSE ICE merit diploma from Villa Caritas School. Her academic interests lie in mathematics and economics. She volunteers regularly in her community by working with "Pan Para Mi Hermano" and "Mision VC". Both projects connect Mariana with people less fortunate by sharing food and companionship.
Mariana has played in international events all over South America and the world. Some highlights of her summer 2019 campaign include a second place finish in the Abierto de Lima, a top twenty finish at US Kids Teen World Championship and a top fifteen finish at the Annika Invitational Latin American. Another highlight for her was being selected to represent the Peruvian Junior National Team in the spring of 2020. Mariana's current WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking) is 874 and she is the number two ranked junior player in the Peruvian national rankings.
Jessica Lan - Bradenton, Florida (IMG Academy)
Jessica hails from Michigan but has been training at the IMG Academy in Florida for the past two years. She is involved in her community and is a member of the IMG student athlete advisory committee, yearbook, and Blueplaybook, in which she is the president. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is an AP scholar with honors. She was the 2019 recipient of the IMG Ascender award, which honors the athlete that upholds the five pillars of the IMG Academy's foundation; open mind, champion's spirit, passionate soul, helpful heart, and absolute integrity.
In Jessica's short playing career, she has already recorded some strong scores. She has won one HJGT event and finished top three in several other tournaments. In her class, she is the number one ranked player from Michigan. Her current junior golf scoreboard ranking is 797 and her current AJGA ranking is 551.
Jessica is interested in studying finance with a minor in film and media studies. She enjoys photography, video editing, exploring new places and anything to do with music!
Rebecca Schiffman - Chevy Chase, Maryland (Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School)
Rebecca is from Chevy Chase, MD. She is graduating from Bethesda – Chevy Chase High School with honors in the full International Baccalaureate program. Her academic interests include East Asian history and business and plans to pursue a degree through Emory's Goizueta School of Business. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at Hope for Henry, which provides support for seriously ill pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Rebecca was the captain of the coed golf team at Bethesda-Chevy-Chase High school. She qualified for the state championships all four years of high school and placed in the top ten two out of her four years. In 2017, she won multiple MAPGA local events. In 2018, she won two Hurricane tour events and qualified for the Hurricane Tournament of Champions in Orlando and placed top fifteen out of 100+ competitors.
Hobbies include playing recreational tennis, basketball, and lacrosse. In addition, she is a part of several clubs at Chevy – Chase including being a member of the Students Aiding Victims of Environmental Emergencies.
Irene Wang - Beijing, China (Western Academy of Beijing)
Irene was born in New York but has been residing in China for the past seventeen years. She has pushed herself academically and is an International Baccalaureate student. Irene was also a member of 2019 AJGA scholastic honor roll. She volunteers in her community by tutoring elementary school children in English and by performing chemistry demonstrations.
Irene's junior golf career has seen many highlights. In the summer of 2019, accomplishments include an HJGT win at the Virginia Open with scores of 71-69, a second place individual finish at the Connecticut Junior PGA with scores of 73-71, and a second place individual finish at the AJGA Junior at Chicopee with 72-73-72. Irene finished the summer of 2019 with a 74 scoring average. In 2018, she earned several top three performances in HJGT events and other national tournaments. Her current junior golf scoreboard ranking is 290 and her current AJGA ranking is 204.
Irene is Interested in studying business and theater. Her hobbies include piano, guitar, Chinese calligraphy, skiing, performance, and traveling.