COLUMBIA, MO. – The University of Missouri Women's Golf program has added prep standout Olivia Sowers of Columbia, Mo. to its program, as announced today. Sowers earned All-State honors this fall with a fourth-place finish at the 2018 Missouri Class 2 Girls State Championship, when she shot a two-day 153 total (76-77) to lead her Rock Bridge High School team to a third-place team finish.
Sowers had an outstanding senior season for local power Rock Bridge, as she won Class 2/District 4 medalist honors with a 75 in addition to her strong showing at state. She won seven different tournaments for Coach Melissa Coil's Bruins team, and finished in the top five in every tournament this fall. A four-time All-District performer, Sowers also had an impressive summer season in 2018, as she placed third in stroke play at the Missouri Junior Match Play Championship (72) and also took third at the Missouri Junior Amateur Championship (73-75 = 148).
"We are thrilled to have Olivia join our very strong class of 2019," said Head Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer. "Olivia really caught our eye this fall with her consistent play. She is an outstanding competitor who has great strength and distance, and we know with her athletic ability and work ethic she will develop into a fantastic collegiate player. She loves Mizzou and we love that she was right here in our back yard, so we know this is a perfect fit for our team and for Olivia," she said.
Sowers has a strong lineage to Mizzou and both its men's and women's golf programs, as her parents Steve and Linda (Franz) each played at Mizzou. Steve lettered for the Tigers from 1991-93 and was MU's top finisher in the 1993 Big 8 Championship, while Linda played from 1980-84 and later went on to serve as the first-ever women's golf coach at the University of Tennessee, from 1992-95.
"I've been dreaming about the day I would get to call myself a Tiger for a long time," said Sowers. "The coaches are extremely dedicated to helping you become the most successful version of yourself on and off the course, which is really important to me, and I felt I fit right in with the team and the other incoming freshmen. Getting to follow in the steps of my family is a huge honor that brings me great happiness. Mizzou is going to be a great place to continue my golf career, get an outstanding education, and become life-long friends with my teammates," she said.
Sowers has an interest in studying agricultural business at Mizzou. Her academic honors include being selected for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership program, as well as an American Legion Auxiliary Missouri Girls State delegate.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Golf, stay tuned to www.MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MUWomensGolf) and on Facebook at MizzouWomensGolf.