Nov. 17, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern women's golf head coach Emily Fletcher announced Monday the signings of Anne Ormson and Lauren Weaver to National Letters of Intent. These players mark Fletchers' initial signees at Northwestern.

"I am so proud to announce the signings of Lauren and Anne," said Fletcher. "I believe they will be terrific additions to our team. They are extremely passionate about Northwestern and their golf. In Lauren and Anne we arguably have the top player out of the Southwest and the Midwest."

Weaver, who grew up in the Cleveland area but has resided in Scottsdale, Ariz., the last four years, just successfully defended her Class 4A Division I individual state title. Lauren closed out her high school career with blistering rounds of 68-66, to win the individual title by six shots. She also led her team to the state title for the second consecutive year.

Weaver was recently named to the 2008 HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team by the AJGA. The HP Scholastic team consists of 12 young men and 12 young women who demonstrate the ability to excel both on the golf course and in the classroom. This is the second year in a row that NU has signed HP Scholastic All-Americans, with Kylie Fuller attaining the same honor last year. Lauren ranks third in her class of nearly 400 students.

Lauren is the top-ranked player in the state of Arizona by the Junior Golf Scoreboard and the 23rd ranked player in the 2009 recruiting class by Golfweek Magazine. She owns one AJGA tournament title and has notched six top-10 finishes in AJGA events since 2006. Weaver also qualified for the USGA Juniors last summer.

"Lauren will be an immediate impact player for us," said Fletcher. "She possesses the talent and desire necessary to have great success at the collegiate level and beyond."

Anne Ormson, a native of Granger, Indiana, is the top ranked player in the state of Indiana by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Ormson has notched nine top-10 finishes in national AJGA tournaments and also competed in the USGA Girls Junior Championship in 2007.

In addition to her golf accomplishments, Ormson is a National Honor Society member. Her sister, Laura, attends Wake Forest University where she is a member of the women's golf team.

"Anne is a tremendous ball striker," noted Fletcher. "She has great length off the tee and but has also shown great finesse around the greens. She'll be coming to Northwestern with a wealth of tournament experience that I know will serve our program well."

"I couldn't be more excited about the signing of Lauren Weaver and Anne Ormson," added Director of Golf Pat Goss. "Coach Fletcher and I worked on this recruiting class together, and these are the first girls to commit to the program under Coach Fletcher's leadership. Lauren and Anne understand and believe in what we are trying to accomplish with our women's golf program. They will both make an immediate and strong impact on Northwestern women's golf."

The Wildcats have completed the fall portion of their 2008-09 season, placing in the top-10 in five of their six tournaments. NU returns to the course Feb. 8-10, 2009, in Rio Grande, P.R., competing at the Lady Puerto Rico.