Kassidy Long-Goheen and Kristin Strankman will be joining the Vandals on the links for the 2012-2013 season after sending in their letters of intent.
“We couldn’t be more excited about our two signees for 2012,” coach Lisa Johnson said. “Kassidy and Kristin both have Northwest roots, which makes Idaho a great fit.”
Long-Goheen and Strankman will be joining a Vandal team that is losing three seniors at the end of the season.
“Both are excellent students with loads of junior golf tournament experience,” Johnson said. “They come from great families and will bring that sense of family to Idaho.”
Strankman will graduate in 2012 from Richland High at Richland, Wash., but has ties to Idaho since her dad was a golfer at Idaho State University.
Strankman is a multi-sport athlete with most of her accomplishments coming off the golf course. She has been named a Big Nine Conference All-Area Most Valuable Player twice and a conference first team member three times. Strankman was also named Athlete of the Week four times by the Tri-City Herald newspaper.
“(Strankman) is a consistent and steady golfer with a great on-course demeanor,” Johnson said. “She always finds a way to get the ball in the hole in big events as she is an excellent putter.”
Johnson said Strankman’s three-sport athlete experience will help her transition to college athletics.
Strankman has won more than10 golf tournaments and was a finalist at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Junior Girls Championship in August 2011. She is also ranked in the top 10 junior golfers in Washington.
“It’s been fun to watch Kristin (Stankman’s) scores improve dramatically throughout her high school career,” Johnson said. “She is a delightful person and always gives 100 percent.”
Joining Strankman as a freshman on campus will be Long-Goheen.
Long-Goheen was recruited out of Desert Vista High School at Phoenix, Ariz., where she plans to graduate in spring 2012. In three golf seasons, Long-Goheen has been named her team MVP three times. During her summers, Long-Goheen competes in the Washington Junior Golf Association where she is currently ranked 14.
“Kassidy (Long-Goheen) is a leader by example and a team player,” Johnson said. “Her work ethic is second to none, which has allowed her to shave several strokes off her scoring average in the past year. She has excellent fundamentals, which will carry over into the college game well. She has a strong mental game that will only continue to improve in college.”
Strankman and Long-Goheen will be joining an Idaho team currently ranked the top WAC team.
“We look forward to them joining our tight-knit team and contributing to future successes,” Johnson said.