Nov. 19, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri women's golf coach Stephanie Cooper announced on Friday that Kansas City standout Ellen Hoeper (Notre Dame de Sion HS) and St. Louis standout Chelsea Schriewer (Duchesne HS) will join the Tigers in the 2005-06 season. Cooper said that the opportunity to bring in two of the states best young players in the state of Missouri is truly something special for the Missouri golf program.
"I'm very excited about closing down our boarders and keeping our two strongest junior golfers in the state," Cooper said. "Missouri Junior Girls golf is growing and getting stronger and more competitive every year. The addition of these two outstanding individuals is a tribute to the foundation we have built here and also the vision of what we can accomplish in the next four years."
When Cooper said that the Tigers were getting two of the strongest junior golfers in the state, she wasn't exaggerating. Schriewer won the Missouri State Golf Championship last season while Hoeper finished second in the tournament. Both have had great careers in high school and look to help continue the upward motion of MU women's golf.
Schriewer qualified for the State Tournament in each of the last three years, finishing 10th as a sophomore, 12th as a junior and then winning the tournament earlier this fall. She was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year this season after winning or tying for first in all seven tournaments she played in her senior season. Schriewer was unbelievably consistent in 2004, registering a 73.0 stroke average. She qualified for the US Girls Junior in 2003 and 2004 and was a co-medalist in the qualifier.
"Chelsea is an extremely strong player with solid fundamentals. She has a winner's mentality and a love for the game of golf that has made her a success on many levels of competition and we are excited to have her join our Tiger family."
Hoeper has also consistently been one of the top girl's golfers in the state over the course of the last four years. At Notre Dame de Sion, she was a runner up at the State Tournament in 2003 and 2004 after winning the event as a sophomore and finishing sixth in 2001. Hoeper had a tremendous summer in 2004, winning the Missouri State Junior Championship. She will be one of three Tigers on the roster to have won the event with sophomore Lyndsey Adams winning the tournament in 2003 and junior Denise Knaebel winning it in 2002.
Hoeper will also be receiving the Kenneth Smith Award later this month (Nov. 29) in Kansas City. The award is given to one of Kansas City's top golfers every year and $1,000 is presented to the Kansas City Golf Association in her name. She is the first Kenneth Smith Award winner to attend Mizzou in school history.
"Ellen will be a great addition to our program out of the Kansas City area and she continues to improve every day. Her work ethic is outstanding and she wants to be part of a program that has become very competitive on a national level, " Cooper said.
The Tigers recently wrapped up their 2004 Fall Campaign and will hit the links again on Feb. 21, 2004 in Parrish, FL at the Central Regional Championship. For more information on Missouri Women's Golf, log on to www.mutigers.com.