Nov. 17, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF head women's golf coach Emilee Klein announced on Monday that Elisa Aoki (Bradenton, Fla.) and Valentina Fontaine (Santiago, Chile) will be joining the UCF program. Aoki has signed a Grant-In-Aid and will join the team in time for the spring semester. Fontaine signed a National Letter of Intent and will become a Knight next fall along with previously-announced signee Amelia Lewis (Jacksonville, Fla.).
"This is an incredibly strong recruiting class as a whole," Klein said. "It is easily the best class that we've ever had here at UCF. Each of the three brings new strengths to the team that are going to launch us to another level. I'm excited and looking forward to having them play for UCF."
Aoki has played in 12 events on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) and has never finished higher than fifth, winning three times. The 2006 Golfweek Invitational Champion, Aoki is ranked No. 61 in the Golfweek national junior rankings and was an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American in 2007. In 2005, she won the 13-14 division of the Junior World Golf Championships by shooting a birdie on each of the last three holes to win by a single stroke.
"Elisa will be a great asset to the program," Klein said. "She is a solid player with an excellent short game. She will add some depth to the team this spring and help us continue to get better."
Fontaine is a native Chilean who has been living in Hilton Head, South Carolina attending the International Junior Golf Academy. She has been a member of Chile's national team since 2003 and was a 2008 honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American. She is ranked No. 40 in the Polo AJGA junior rankings. She is the 2008 Chilean National Match Play Champion and the 2008 Chilean Junior International Champion.
"I am so excited she will be joining our team," Klein said. "She is a hard worker who has excelled over the past year and become a national contender. She will be a great asset and one who will make a big impact on the team."
The previously-announced Lewis completes Klein's star-studded class. Lewis is presently ranked No. 42 in the nation in the Golfweek national junior rankings and No. 18 amongst the current crop of high school seniors. She was an honorable mention AJGA All-America selection in 2008. Also a star prep player at The Bolles School, Lewis was the Calloway Golf PGA Junior Series New Mexico State Champion in June and also won the AJGA Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic in August. In between, she placed second at the AJGA Stanford Financial Junior Championship hosted by David Gosset in late July.
The Knights will kick off their 2009 schedule with the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The season is highlighted by the annual UCF Challenge, March 8-10 at RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento, Fla., an event which brings many of the top 25 collegiate teams to the Orlando-area.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.