López Echevarría Signs NLI with Kentucky Women’s Golf
ROQUETAS DE MAR, Spain – Spaniard Marta López Echevarría has signed a national letter of intent with the Kentucky women’s golf team.
Bringing an impressive amount of international experience with her, López Echevarría will join the Wildcats in the fall of next season as a freshman.
“I chose Kentucky because they have a very strong program athletically and academically and because the coaches made me feel at home,” López Echevarría said. “That was very important for me and my family.”
Continuing to search far and wide for future Kentucky Wildcats, UK head coach Golda Borst and assistant coach Brian May signed a Spaniard for the second time in the last year. Current sophomore María Villanueva Aperribay, who transferred from Augusta, is also from Spain.
A member of Spain’s girls’ national team, López Echevarría is currently ranked No. 53 in the European Golf Rankings and fourth in the U18 Spain rankings.
“We are very excited to have Marta join us next fall,” Borst said. “She will bring a great deal of international experience to our team and she knows what it’s like to be a part of a strong and successful team, which I like. I look for Marta to have a strong presence within our group and for her to have an immediate impact on our program. Marta is not only a great player but also a great student. We could not be prouder to have her join our Wildcat family.”
López Echevarría hails from Roquetas de Mar, Almería in Spain and currently attends IES Ortega y Gasset.
The future Wildcat has a wealth of international experience and success. López Echevarría has posted eight top-10 finishes in World Amateur Golf Ranking-recognized events since 2018, including winning the Campeonato de Espana Sub-16 Femenino in May 2019 with a three-round score of 3-under par. She also placed second at the Andalucia Cup in January 2020.
López Echevarría was a key member of the Spanish national team at the European Girls’ Team Championship in September, which won the B Flight and placed ninth overall. She also competes for Team Andalucia, which placed second in the 2019 Spanish Amateur Championship and fifth in the 2019 European Young Masters.
López Echevarría chose Kentucky over Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Texas State, Delaware and UNLV.
Kentucky’s recent signing classes have made immediate and major impacts. This season’s lone freshman, Laney Frye, leads the team in scoring average through the first three tournaments of the 2020-21 season and has the top finish on the team, tying for sixth at her first collegiate tournament.
The 2019 signing class raised the standard of competition last season. Now sophomores, Jensen Castle and Marissa Wenzler posted the best and third-best single-season stroke averages in school history, respectively, and led the team to two championships and a runner-up finish as freshmen.
The current Wildcats just competed their fall season and are on a three-month break until the 2020-21 season resumes in the spring. UK’s first spring tournament will be Feb. 14-16 at the Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
