Sarah Shea out of Sequim High School and Brianna Esvelt out of Columbia Basin College set to join Vikings
WWU Golf: Pair of Washington Players Set to Join Vikings for 2018-19 Season
April 24, 2018
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University head women’s golf coach Bo Stephan has announced a pair of program additions that will begin competing for the Vikings in the 2018-19 season.
Sarah Shea out of Sequim High School in Sequim, Washington and Brianna Esvelt out of Columbia Basin College are set to join the Western program after signing National Letters of Intent.
Shea will be a freshman when she joins the collegiate ranks after a standout prep career at Sequim High School. Shea earned First Team All-Olympic League four times during her high school career has two top 25 finishes in the WIAA 2A State Championships. Outside of competition for her high school, Shea won first place in her age division in the Pacific Junior Tour Tournament at Bremerton’s Gold Mountain Golf Course (Olympic Course) and was the first flight runner-up at the 2017 Pacific Northwest Golf Association Junior Girls Championships at Sandpines Golf Course in Florence, Oregon. Shea is the younger sister of current WWU men’s golfer Jack Shea.
"I think Sarah has a tremendous upside. She's only recently decided to just focus on golf and competing and playing with other collegiate players is going to be huge for her development,” said Stephan, who is in his 13th season leading the program. “I also think that having her brother here competing on the men's team will really help that transition into college golf and college life."
Esvelt is a product of Kennewick’s Kamiakin High School and has spent the last two years at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. She was named the 2017 Northwest Athletic Conference Golfer of the Year and is on track to repeat as the top player in the league this season. During her junior college career Esvelt has won 9 tournaments, including 5 of 6 events, during the current season.
During her prep career, Esvelt finished 4th at the WIAA 3A State Tournament in 2016, turning in rounds of 79 and 80 to help lead Kamiakin to a 2nd-place finish.
"I am really excited to get Brianna in here. She has had a very solid career at Columbia Basin and her tournament experience will be such a huge factor for us,” commented Stephan. “She has been playing really well in tournaments this spring and I know that she'll work hard to improve even more this summer and be ready to compete in the fall."
-- @WWUAthletics --
