LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Kentucky women?s golf coach Stephanie Barker announced the signing of three student-athletes for the 2007-08 season. Barker and assistant coach Jenny Throgmorton have signed two international players from Sweden in Emma Eksell (Gothenburg) and Louise Ljungstedt (Liding?), as well as Paige Lausier from Ocala, Fla.
?I believe all three of our signees bring to the table a multitude of impressive traits,? said Barker. ?They all have great fundamentals, are athletic and take pride in working hard to accomplish their goals.?
Ljungstedt is currently ranked 26th on the Skandia Tour Elite in Sweden and is ranked 35th in the country by the Swedish Golf Federation. In 2006, the future Wildcat placed in the top-10 of seven tournaments and in the top-25 seven times. Ljungstedt won the Srixon Junior Open, a Junior Masters Invitational, and the Skandia Tour Riks tournament. Additionally, she also competed in a Telia Tour event and held the fourth lowest amateur ranking in the field.
?Louise is quite a talented and consistent golfer,? said Barker. ?She is smart, has great experience and handles herself in a professional manner. She has many impressive traits that will impact our program in a positive way.?
Eksell holds the 59th rank on the Skandia Tour Elite and holds the 53rd ranking by the Swedish Golf Federation. In 2006, Eksell claimed the Oijared Junior Open while placing in the top-10 in nine events and the top-20 three times. In 2005, she placed second in the Hovas Junior Open held in her native country and enjoyed six top-10 finishes.
?Emma has a fantastic short game and is very creative around the greens,? Barker said. ?It is obvious that she knows how to get the ball in the hole. Emma has a great track record over the last few years and definitely has not reached her peak level of performance.?
Lausier attends St. John Lutheran in Ocala, Fla. The Sunshine State native is the daughter of a golf professional, which Barker feels attributes to her excellent course management strategies and management techniques.
On the links, Lausier claimed the County, District and Regional Championships as a senior qualifying her for the State Championship as an individual this fall. Lausier earned a 12th place finish at the State Title carding scores of 77 and 71 over the two rounds. The future Wildcat was named the Marion County Player of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006. She was the Junior Olympics runner-up in 2005. In addition to her achievements on the course, Lausier has maintained a 4.0 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.
?Paige is a great athlete with a very fundamentally sound swing,? said Barker. ?She has fantastic touch around the greens and really knows how to keep the ball in play. Paige is eager to do what it takes to compete successfully at an elite level.”
The three signees for 2007-08 will join juniors Elizabeth Dotson and Beth Felts, and freshman Erica Still.
?The team was impressed by how mature these ladies are and how well they fit in with our team,? added Barker. ?All three of these players have experienced some great success and rapid growth in their games the last two years. It will be exciting to build on this while they are here at Kentucky.?
