Women’s Golf Signs Two to 2014 Class

CLEMSON, SC – Two female golfers signed letters of intent to play women’s golf at Clemson University on Wednesday. Riley Lovorn of Anderson, SC, and Marisa Messana of Plantation, FL, have both signed on to join J.T. Horton‘s young team, which is in its inaugural season.

“Signing period is always a fun day for Clemson Athletics and our golf program as a whole,” Horton said. “We have added two young ladies today that will definitely help us create the depth on our team that we need to be successful at an elite level. We are lucky these two ladies have chosen Clemson, and we are looking forward to having them join us on campus soon.”

As well as great golfers, both ladies are great students and are very active at their schools and in their communities. Messana is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honors Society and is an Officer for the Make-A-Wish Club. Lovorn is the editor of her high school yearbook, participates in the National Art Honor Society, and is on the honor roll.

Messana is the 38^th-ranked player in the class of 2014 according to Golfweek.  She brings a lot of experience and success to the program.  She placed in the top five in 11 of her 17 tournaments in 2013, including four wins.  Messana finished sixth at the AJGA TaylorMade- Adidas Golf Junior. She has been the captain of her Varsity golf team since her freshman year, and her high school has won three state championships during that time.

“Marisa is going to be a very nice addition to our program,” Horton said. “She has many accomplishments in academics, golf and community service and has a strong desire to be the best at anything she does. She is a team player and understands the importance of her position to help our team continue to improve. On the course, she has been playing some great golf over the last year. We have seen her take her game go to a new level. We are excited to see what she will be able to accomplish here at Clemson!”

Lovorn, from nearby T.L. Hanna High School, is coming off a win in  the South Carolina Junior Golf Tradition Four-Ball at Pebble Creek in Taylors, SC. She and her partner shot a tournament-record 129 to win convincingly. She has been a six-year Varsity starter, and has earned all-region honors the last four years and all-state honors the last three years. Lovorn has also had success as a junior, winning the 2011 Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Upstate Classic, the 2013 Cobbs Glen Invitational (co-champion) and the 2013 PKB Palmetto Classic.  She finished runner-up in the Blade Junior Classic this year as well as third in the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea.

“Riley is a local young lady from Anderson, SC who has worked extremely hard on her game the past two years,” Horton said. “It is really starting to show as her scores and tournament results are improving very quickly. She has a tremendous demeanor for golf, and she is really competitive. She may not have the tournament experience that some will have, but don’t let that fool you because she can really play. I fully expect her to have a great college career and contribute to this team in a big way.”