For Immediate Release: For More Information:

October 2, 2011 Sloane Skinner, 859-533-9764 sskinn01@leeu.edu Lady Flames Turn Up the Heat

With only three years of experience, the Lady Flames have proved to be competitors on and off the course. The Lee University womens golf program is fairly new to the scene, but they are aggressively making up for lost time. Coach John Maupin was pleased when the Flames placed 10th in the NAIA National Tournament. On top of that, their cumulative team GPA was a 3.864, which allowed them to grab the NAIA National Scholar Team of the Year. As if that werent enough, they were awarded the 2010-2011 NGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award. The All-Scholar Team Award is a terrific accomplishment because it includes both NAIA and NCAA golf programs. In other words, the ladies had the highest GPA of any womens teams in the country. The Flames beat teams like Xavier University, University of Alabama and Harvard. This studious and athletic team is not satisfied. They hope for an even brighter future both academically and on the course. Just three years ago there was no womens golf program at Lee. When Maupin was hired in 2008 he worked aggressively to recruit players to build a womens team. Current juniors Kristin Bourg, Chelsea Rakestraw and Sloane Skinner have seen a huge transformation since the founding days. It only gets easier, said Skinner, when we first stepped on the scene we had no expectations for how the program would grow. We simply tried to play good golf and pave the

way for future girls. Looking back, I cant believe how far weve come. I definitely owe it to Coach Maupin and my teammates. We are such a tight support group. The team also includes sophomores Geandra Almeida and Courtney Shelton and freshman Madison Alexander. With such a young team, it looks as though they will only improve with age. Maupin is looking to expand his team for next year, in hopes they will carry a legacy of good grades and good playing. He speaks highly of his team and believes he is very lucky to have them as players. He expresses that this award shows that they are student athletes and not just athletes. It is important to him that his players have an equal balance in life. Maupin has athletic as well as academic goals for both of his teams in the player handbooks. He likes to make sure his players put forth effort in school, but could not have imagined that they would be such disciplined students. When asked if he was surprised by the award he said, It was a huge surprise. I knew they had a great GPA, but didnt think it would be such a huge deal. He went on to say, Balancing time is huge because student athletes have so little of it. They have great time management and organization. He added that he has been told the teams academic award is one of the biggest accomplishments the athletic department has ever had. The team is definitely making a name for themselves. Being a student athlete is very difficult and Kristin Bourg has been successfully handling the role for almost three years. She said, Balancing school, practice, tournaments and workouts is very challenging. She explained that on average, the team misses ten days each semester. They have to work with

their teachers to make sure everyone is on the same page. Thankfully, most of the professors at Lee are understanding and accommodate the womens needs. This makes the task of catching up on missed school days much easier for everyone. She explained that although being a student athlete can be stressful, it is extremely rewarding. She is thankful to play golf for such a great university. Id like us to not settle with our achievements from the past season, but Id really like to place in the top 8 at nationals and win the conference tournament, she went on to say, I think we can keep up the good grades and work hard in the classroom. Having success in the classroom gives us more credibility. It is ironic that the Lady Flames have seen so much success in both the athletic and academic arenas because golf is a game that requires dedication much like school work. One must be meticulous and work hard to see results. Every day a person needs to put in the time, even if he or she does not see dramatic results. Golf can be boring and extremely frustrating at times, but when it finally clicks, a person is officially addicted to the game. Golf also teaches people to be honest and trustworthy. It has been said that golf is the game of life. Who can argue with that? There will be ups and downs, but in the end you will be rewarded for your endurance. The women on this team have learned a lot about life and themselves while playing the game of golf. None of them have mastered it and sometimes they honestly hate it, yet they still come back every day for more. They have dedication to their studies, and strive for perfection. Following such a successful season could be daunting for some, but these young women are ready to tackle whatever needs to get done, whether it is on the golf course or in the classroom. The possibilities are endless for this team.

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