Duke Women's Golf Adds Top Recruits In Early Signing Period

Dec. 22, 2004

DURHAM, N.C. - Women's Golf Head Coach Dan Brooks announced on Wednesday the signing of two of the top recruits in the nation to a national letter of intent to attend Duke University in the fall and play golf. Both Jennie Lee of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Amanda Blumenherst of Scottsdale, Ariz., will join the Blue Devils for the 2005-06 campaign.

"Both Jennie and Amanda are two of the top people in the country and that is what excites me the most about this recruiting class," said Brooks. "They are very well respected in the junior golf community, are just good people and will be wonderful additions to our team next year."

Lee and Blumenherst are currently ranked second and third, respectively, in the 2005 class in the Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings.

A two-time Rolex Junior All-America selection, Lee owns five American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament titles over the last four years. Lee, a 2004 first team and 2003 second team Rolex Junior All-America, won the 2004 Junior Heritage, 2003 Sprint Junior Golf Championship, 2003 Needham Junior at Diablo Grande, 2002 ClubCorp Junior at Mission Hills and 2001 Compag Junior All-Star Classic at Cimarron.

"Jennie is a very humble person that works hard and plays a great game of golf," said Brooks. "She has had an excellent junior career and will be a great addition to our program."

Lee qualified for the 2004 U.S. Women's Open and went on to finish 50th with rounds of 73-72-75-74=294, which ranked third among amateur players. She also played on the 2003 and 2004 West Canon Cup teams.

Blumenherst, a three-time Rolex Junior All-America, owns 10 AJGA Tournament titles over the last three years. In seven tournaments this season, Blumenherst has won four of them -- AJGA Southwestern Junior, PING Indianapolis Junior, McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls Championship and the PING Phoenix Junior. She also led her Xavier Prep team to its 23rd Class 5A championship in 25 years this fall, while earning the individual state championship with a seven-under-par score. Blumenherst was named the Arizona Republic Girls Player of the Year for her play.

"Amanda is a very hard worker, is strong and I love the sound of the ball coming off her club face," said Brooks. "She has a beautiful impact and leaves no stone unturned. Amanda knows how to practice and get the most out of her game."

She is coming off a 2003 campaign where she collected four victories at the Southwestern Junior Classic, PING/Marsico Funds Colorado Junior Roundup, Midwest Junior Players Championship and the AJGA Boyne Highlands Junior. Over her career she has played on the 2002, 2003 and 2004 West Canon Cup teams and represented the United States on the PING Junior Solheim Cup teams in 2002 and 2003.

"It is very exciting to bring in two very good golfers and people into the program," said Brooks. "We are together during the season a lot with practicing, playing and traveling. The character of the individuals is so important and I think they will have a nice effect on our team."

Duke will return four letterwinners in 2005-06, which includes 2004 National Player of the Year, Liz Janangelo, first team All-America Brittany Lang, honorable mention All-America Anna Grzebien and Jennifer Pandolfi. So far this season, the Blue Devils have won each of the five tournaments played.

"There is a lot of talent out there and we are always trying to get better," said Brooks. "If we keep focused on the process of what makes a good golfer, I believe we can win any tournament we play in. We have to keep our mind focused on the process and keep improving."

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