Freshman Phenoms

By Sarah Leggett, GoDuke the Magazine

Gina Kim and Maria Mateas — two freshman phenoms … roommates on East Campus … both from Chapel Hill … both ready to make their mark in Duke record books.

Kim is the newest face on the Duke women's golf team and brings a wealth of knowledge on and off the tees and greens. A two-time Rolex Junior All-America selection, she followed in the steps of her father and grandfather on the course.

“My grandpa was a huge golfer,” Kim said. “My dad followed him and then played a lot. When I was around six, my dad took me out to a driving range, one of those late-night driving ranges. Honestly, I wasn't that interested at first but my sister immediately quit. She started at the same time as me and I saw it broke my dad's heart. So I did it for him. Later on, I really started loving the game and the competition behind it.”

One broken heart and countless honors later, it's safe to say Kim made the right decision.

A two-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) winner — at the 2016 Rolex Girls Junior Championship and 2014 AJGA Junior at Cattail Creek — Kim was ranked No. 6 overall in the Rolex AJGA rankings and fifth in the Golfweek listings prior to arriving at Duke. Over the final four AJGA events she competed in, Kim placed second twice, tied for fourth and took eighth with a 70.79 stroke average.

Kim was tabbed second team All-America while also being listed No. 2 on the preseason Top 10 freshman list by Golfweek's Kevin Casey. She was a member of her high school golf team as a freshman through junior year. “I didn't play senior year because I was too busy with my own personal schedule and getting ready for college,” she commented. Kim focused her time on the professional circuit in a more individual setting.

Throughout her junior career, Kim collected 27 top-10 AJGA finishes since 2012 and was a member of the 2017 Junior Solheim Cup, the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup and the 2016 and 2017 Wyndham Cup East teams. She also was a two-time North Carolina 3A state high school champion and competed in the Evian Junior Cup in 2014, posting two rounds of 72 as the United States won the championship.

With such a successful amateur career prior to coming to Duke, the pressures of continuing to produce on a larger scale could intimidate some. But Kim lives for the competition and for being a student-athlete.

“Even though my family lives close by, coming to Duke was a huge transition,” Kim said. “It's not just coming to any college … it's Duke. I'm honestly still going through that transition and trying to get used to it. It was a bit hard at first but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.”

The powerhouse women's golf team — a six-time NCAA championship program — opened up its fall season in September and most recently captured back-to-back tournament titles at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational title and the Landfall Tradition.

At the Tar Heel Invitational, the Blue Devils carded a 14-under-par 850 score over three days to win by six strokes at Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill.

Kim competed in the first three fall events and carded three rounds of even or under par as Duke headed to Wilmington, N.C., to close the fall at the Landfall Tradition.

“We got our first team win at the Ruth's Chris Invitational so that was really nice,” Kim said. “Individually, I didn't start as well as I was hoping to. I think part of the reason why was because I was still trying to figure my way through college and transitioning. It is kind of like a whirlwind right now. I'd say team-wise, we've definitely produced some really good results and we actually came really close to winning some of them too. I feel like we are getting ready for more wins and more success in the spring semester.

“Most of all, I think I've been stressed out with college and how everything is working out because it is so different for me. I want to get my mind off of that and have fun playing golf.”

At the Landfall Tradition, Duke came from nine stroke behind heading into the final day to shoot a three-under, 285, including a six-under ledger over its final six holes to catapult into the lead and win the team title over South Carolina by two strokes. Kim shot a career-best three-under-par, 69, on her way to tying for individual medalist honors along with senior Virginia Elena Carta.

“It's because of my team and my coaches that I was able to win and I couldn't be any happier to share this awesome experience with them,” said Kim.

Meanwhile on West Campus, Mateas is living it up with the Duke women's tennis program. It's no secret that these Blue Devils, like their golfing counterparts, have seen great success throughout the years with one NCAA championship, nine final four appearances and 17 ACC titles. As one of the top programs in the country, Duke is a sought-after home for top recruits like Mateas.

“My brother played before me and I was always at the court with him. I was bored and annoyed that everyone knew him and didn't know me,” Mateas said. “I wanted people to know me as Maria and not as Catalin's sister, so I started playing as well but it was mostly just out of boredom.”

Mateas came to Durham with a career-high singles ranking of 284 on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) pro circuit and is currently tabbed No. 310 in the world.

Most recently on the professional circuit, Mateas captured her first singles title in August at the Fort Worth Tennis Classic in Texas and was tabbed the No. 27 junior player in the world in 2016 after playing in the main draw of all 2016 junior grand slams.

Mateas has played at a high level so far this fall, including a trip to the singles main draw title match at the 2018 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships earlier in October. The top-ranked freshman in the country by the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), Mateas defeated three consecutive nationally ranked players en route to the championship match, including North Carolina's No. 2 Makenna Jones, becoming the first Riviera All-American singles finalist from Duke since Daniela Bercek in 2005.

“All-American was so fun,” Mateas commented. “I entered with high expectations for myself but I also entered being a little nervous just because I didn't know what to expect. But it was really nice having the team behind me and watching every single match. I felt a lot of support from them, which gave me a lot of confidence. Then making it to the finals was really fun. It definitely prepares me for the spring. I know what to expect now. I know that everyone is dangerous and I need to respect every opponent. But I'm also excited to be playing with a team.”

Although golf and tennis are vastly different in many ways, Kim and Mateas share — and appreciate — the bond of being Duke student-athletes.

“There's a lot of pride in being a Duke student-athlete,” said Mateas.

“There are so many resources and so much support from every corner of this campus,” noted Kim. “Honestly, I don't even know every single one of them yet. I'm still learning my way through every single one them. It's a constant reminder of how much Duke really cares about and supports the student-athletes and how far they are willing to go to help us become better students and better athletes and as a better person in managing life.

“I don't know how many times I can possibly say this,” Kim added, “but it really makes me feel grateful that I really chose the best option there was.”

Players Mentioned

Virginia Elena Carta

Gina Kim

Maria Mateas

Duke information