Women's Golf Announces Signing of Class of 2019
6/4/2019 9:38:00 AM | Women's Golf
First-years Christine Shao and Annie Sun will join five returnees to the 2019-20 Lions squad which finished third at the 2019 Ivy League Championship.
NEW YORK—Columbia women's golf coach Amy Weeks officially announced the program's Class of 2019 recruiting class on Tuesday morning. Columbia will welcome two golfers to the 2019-20 team including Christine Shao (Green Brook, N.J./The Pingry School) and Annie Sun (Beijing, China/International School of Beijing).
"We are extremely excited to announce our Class of 2019!" Weeks said. "Christine and Annie are highly accomplished junior golfers that will bring a depth of experience to our lineup. Both players are excited to make an impact on the Columbia Women's Golf Team and understand the commitment and dedication it takes to win championships in the Ivy League."
The two incoming student-athletes join five returning letterwinners including rising senior Emily Chu, junior Katie Lee and returning sophomores Alexis Florio, Marlene Tartaro and Jennifer Wang.
Columbia is coming off a 2018-19 season which saw its youthful and talented team place third in the Ivy League Championships, while Wang finished second place individually and earned First Team All-Ivy League honors.
2019 WOMEN'S GOLF SIGNEES
CHRISTINE SHAO
First-Year | 5-8 | Green Brook, N.J./The Pingry School
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2019 graduate of The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, N.J., where she played four years of varsity golf for Head Coach Robert Mauer … Registered four top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes in AJGA competition career … Earned runner-up honors at the AJGA FORE Performance Junior Championship in 2018 … Three-time qualifier for the United States Girls Junior Championships (2016, 2017 and 2018) … Qualified for the PGA Junior Championship in 2016 … Earned fourth place finish at the 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Nationals … Ranked No. 189 in the Polo Golf Rankings … First Team All-State selection as a junior in 2018 … Claimed Skyland Conference individual title with a 74 as a senior … Won 2019 Sectional North Division individual title (72) as a senior … Lowest round score was a 66 set as a junior in 2018 … Fired a course-record tying 66 for a 36-hole total of seven-under-par 136 to win the 63rd NJSGA Junior Girls Championship at 5,559-yard Royce Brook Golf Course (West) … Hit two hole-in-ones in a span of five months in 2018 … Two-time team captain … Earned four varsity letters in golf … As a senior, guided the Big Blue to the 2019 Somerset County team championship and 2019 New Jersey Sectional North Division team title … Finished in third place individually with a two-under-par 70 at the Tournament of Champions as a junior … Led the Big Blue to the 2018 New Jersey state Tournament of Champions championship, an undefeated 17-0 dual match record, Skyland Conference championship and Red Devil Tournament title … Pingry was named the 2018 New Jersey Advance Media "Team of the Year" … Earned 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Honor Roll honors … Also competed in cross country for two years and track and field as a senior … Four-year Honor Roll student.
PERSONAL
Born Christine Lu Shao on June 15, 2001 in Edison, N.J. … Daughter of Michael Shao and Cindy Lu … Has a younger sister Sarah … Her parents are both engineers … Hobbies and interests include photography, drawing and cooking … Has played the violin and piano … Played on same high school team as Yale's Ami Gianchandani … Plays golf because it has a large influence in the way she approaches problems and situations on a daily basis … The integrity of the sport taught her to apply the same mindset to other aspects of her life … Favorite sports memory was shooting her lowest 18-hole round and Tiger Woods winning the Masters in 2019 … Favorite sports figure: Tiger Woods … Selected Columbia for its world-class education, its diversity in New York City and potential career opportunities of being in New York City … Chose Columbia over a scholarship offer from Virginia, along with offers from Duke, Northwestern and various other Ivy League schools … Enrolled at Columbia College … Has future plans to become a lawyer or a career involving Economics.
ARTICLES
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/8176916472681637566/christine-shao-shoots-72-leads-pingry-to-north-jersey-sectional-title/
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-772981981266476912/girls-golf-pingry-is-team-of-the-year-2018/
https://www.njsga.org/news/post/christine-shaos-record-tying-66-leads-to-championship-of-63rd-junior-girls
ANNIE SUN
First-Year | 5-6 | Beijing, China/International School of Beijing
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2019 graduate of the International School of Beijing in Beijing, China where she played for Head Coach James Fidler … Named an AJGA Scholastic Junior All-American … Earned 2018 All-Asia Team honors … Won the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour New York Summer Classic … Placed third at the AJGA Killington Junior Golf Championship with a 73-73-72 … Earned a fourth place finish at the Golfweek Northeast Invitational … Finished second at the United States Challenge Cup (Francis Ouimet Junior) with a final round of 70 … Finished second at the JGTA Golf Tour of Bintan Lagoon Championship … Two-time team captain … Led her squad to the Beijing International School Golf League Invitational titles in 2016 and 2018 … Led team to the ACASMIS Tournament title in 2018 … Involved in several volunteer activities including teaching local students English at a migrant school in Beijing and taking care of stray dogs at a rescue center.
PERSONAL
Born Annie Sun on October 22, 2000 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada … Daughter of Yi Sun and Zhuo Zhi Lin of Beijing, China … One of four siblings including Margaret, Rachel and William … Sister Rachel attends Columbia, competed in fencing (2016-17 season) and will graduate in 2020 … Hobbies and interests include traveling, listening to music and finding unique and interesting eateries … Favorite food is Korean BBQ … Favorite home-cooked meal is egg and tomato noodles … Favorite sports figure: Tiger Woods … Favorite sport other than hers: badminton … Became interested in Columbia after meeting Head Coach Amy Weeks … Role model is her golf coach Stephen Cowan because he inspires her to be diligent and passionate … Loves to play golf because each shot is different and she gets the opportunity to travel to different destinations to compete in tournaments … Selected Columbia because the institution has the perfect balance between its rigorous academics and competitive golf program … Also selected Columbia because of her diverse academic interests, the Core Curriculum … Enrolled at Columbia College.
ARTICLES
https://www.ajga.org/news/annie-sun-transamerica-scholastic-junior-all-american
"We are extremely excited to announce our Class of 2019!" Weeks said. "Christine and Annie are highly accomplished junior golfers that will bring a depth of experience to our lineup. Both players are excited to make an impact on the Columbia Women's Golf Team and understand the commitment and dedication it takes to win championships in the Ivy League."
The two incoming student-athletes join five returning letterwinners including rising senior Emily Chu, junior Katie Lee and returning sophomores Alexis Florio, Marlene Tartaro and Jennifer Wang.
Columbia is coming off a 2018-19 season which saw its youthful and talented team place third in the Ivy League Championships, while Wang finished second place individually and earned First Team All-Ivy League honors.
2019 WOMEN'S GOLF SIGNEES
| Player | Height | Hometown/Previous School |
| Christine Shao | 5-8 | Green Brook, N.J./The Pingry School |
| Annie Sun | 5-6 | Beijing, China/International School of Beijing |
CHRISTINE SHAO
First-Year | 5-8 | Green Brook, N.J./The Pingry School
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2019 graduate of The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, N.J., where she played four years of varsity golf for Head Coach Robert Mauer … Registered four top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes in AJGA competition career … Earned runner-up honors at the AJGA FORE Performance Junior Championship in 2018 … Three-time qualifier for the United States Girls Junior Championships (2016, 2017 and 2018) … Qualified for the PGA Junior Championship in 2016 … Earned fourth place finish at the 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Nationals … Ranked No. 189 in the Polo Golf Rankings … First Team All-State selection as a junior in 2018 … Claimed Skyland Conference individual title with a 74 as a senior … Won 2019 Sectional North Division individual title (72) as a senior … Lowest round score was a 66 set as a junior in 2018 … Fired a course-record tying 66 for a 36-hole total of seven-under-par 136 to win the 63rd NJSGA Junior Girls Championship at 5,559-yard Royce Brook Golf Course (West) … Hit two hole-in-ones in a span of five months in 2018 … Two-time team captain … Earned four varsity letters in golf … As a senior, guided the Big Blue to the 2019 Somerset County team championship and 2019 New Jersey Sectional North Division team title … Finished in third place individually with a two-under-par 70 at the Tournament of Champions as a junior … Led the Big Blue to the 2018 New Jersey state Tournament of Champions championship, an undefeated 17-0 dual match record, Skyland Conference championship and Red Devil Tournament title … Pingry was named the 2018 New Jersey Advance Media "Team of the Year" … Earned 2018 Transamerica Scholastic Honor Roll honors … Also competed in cross country for two years and track and field as a senior … Four-year Honor Roll student.
PERSONAL
Born Christine Lu Shao on June 15, 2001 in Edison, N.J. … Daughter of Michael Shao and Cindy Lu … Has a younger sister Sarah … Her parents are both engineers … Hobbies and interests include photography, drawing and cooking … Has played the violin and piano … Played on same high school team as Yale's Ami Gianchandani … Plays golf because it has a large influence in the way she approaches problems and situations on a daily basis … The integrity of the sport taught her to apply the same mindset to other aspects of her life … Favorite sports memory was shooting her lowest 18-hole round and Tiger Woods winning the Masters in 2019 … Favorite sports figure: Tiger Woods … Selected Columbia for its world-class education, its diversity in New York City and potential career opportunities of being in New York City … Chose Columbia over a scholarship offer from Virginia, along with offers from Duke, Northwestern and various other Ivy League schools … Enrolled at Columbia College … Has future plans to become a lawyer or a career involving Economics.
ARTICLES
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/8176916472681637566/christine-shao-shoots-72-leads-pingry-to-north-jersey-sectional-title/
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-772981981266476912/girls-golf-pingry-is-team-of-the-year-2018/
https://www.njsga.org/news/post/christine-shaos-record-tying-66-leads-to-championship-of-63rd-junior-girls
ANNIE SUN
First-Year | 5-6 | Beijing, China/International School of Beijing
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2019 graduate of the International School of Beijing in Beijing, China where she played for Head Coach James Fidler … Named an AJGA Scholastic Junior All-American … Earned 2018 All-Asia Team honors … Won the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour New York Summer Classic … Placed third at the AJGA Killington Junior Golf Championship with a 73-73-72 … Earned a fourth place finish at the Golfweek Northeast Invitational … Finished second at the United States Challenge Cup (Francis Ouimet Junior) with a final round of 70 … Finished second at the JGTA Golf Tour of Bintan Lagoon Championship … Two-time team captain … Led her squad to the Beijing International School Golf League Invitational titles in 2016 and 2018 … Led team to the ACASMIS Tournament title in 2018 … Involved in several volunteer activities including teaching local students English at a migrant school in Beijing and taking care of stray dogs at a rescue center.
PERSONAL
Born Annie Sun on October 22, 2000 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada … Daughter of Yi Sun and Zhuo Zhi Lin of Beijing, China … One of four siblings including Margaret, Rachel and William … Sister Rachel attends Columbia, competed in fencing (2016-17 season) and will graduate in 2020 … Hobbies and interests include traveling, listening to music and finding unique and interesting eateries … Favorite food is Korean BBQ … Favorite home-cooked meal is egg and tomato noodles … Favorite sports figure: Tiger Woods … Favorite sport other than hers: badminton … Became interested in Columbia after meeting Head Coach Amy Weeks … Role model is her golf coach Stephen Cowan because he inspires her to be diligent and passionate … Loves to play golf because each shot is different and she gets the opportunity to travel to different destinations to compete in tournaments … Selected Columbia because the institution has the perfect balance between its rigorous academics and competitive golf program … Also selected Columbia because of her diverse academic interests, the Core Curriculum … Enrolled at Columbia College.
ARTICLES
https://www.ajga.org/news/annie-sun-transamerica-scholastic-junior-all-american
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Feature: WGOLF | Xu Wins Battle at the Creek
Monday, September 29
