Trombetta, Lau and Young Sign with U-M During Early NLI Period

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's golf head coach Jan Dowling announced today (Friday, Nov. 10) the signings of Independence, Ohio's Sophia Trombetta, Malaysia's Ashley Lau and Singapore's Jacqueline Young to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.

"Sophia, Ashley and Jacqueline are great young women who bring a wealth of depth and experience to our program," said Dowling. "They will impact our program from the moment they step on campus, and they are excited to be a part of a team environment. Additionally, they are extremely mature and motivated to succeed at the collegiate level and beyond. We cannot wait for their arrival."

A two-time OHSAA All-Ohio Division II first team selection, Trombetta capped off her stellar prep career with a medalist runner-up finish, which paced Independence to its first-ever Division II state title in 2017 after a runner-up team finish the year prior. Dominating qualifying for the state finals, Trombetta won not only three straight sectional title but three district individual crowns, helping her guide Independence to back-to-back team titles at both events in 2016 and 2017.

On her junior circuit, she qualified for back-to-back PGA Junior Championships (2016, '17) and recorded 10 top-10 finishes during summer play in 2017, highlighted by medalist honors at the Golfweek Junior Tour at Avalon Lakes and runner-up finish at the HJGT's 54-Hole Challenge at Innisbrook.

"What has always stood out to me is Sophia's innate athletic ability and pure love for the game of golf and competition," said Dowling. "Watching her play golf is so fun because you can see her passion. She comes from a very athletic background playing both softball and basketball throughout her high school career, and this experience helps her to be a natural leader in our team environment. Sophia is internally driven to be a great player and has the tools to be extremely successful at the collegiate level."

Ranked No. 433 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Lau is considered to be the highest-rated international player to commit to Michigan. Prepping at Hills International in Australia -- the same academy that produced current U-M men's golfer Charlie Pilon -- Lau has built a strong international playing resume. In 2016, she competed in the LPGA's Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, finishing 68th (73-75-76-72/296), and represented Malaysia at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games (t-6th, 70-72-73/215) and the 2016 Queen Sirikit Cup Asia-Pacific Amateur (t-5th, 74-71-72/217).

She posted two top-15 finishes at the Australian Girls' Amateur Championship, tying for sixth in 2016 (71-75-67-71/284) and tying for 12th in 2017 (79-75-73-76/303). After just missing the match-play cut in 2016 at the Australian Women's Amateur Championship, she qualified in 2017; however, she lost her opening match. She won the 2016 Katherine Kirk Classic (70-70-67/207), was the runner-up in 2017 (75-73-76/224) and claimed medalist runner-up honors at the 2016 Sukan Malaysia-Sukma (73-70-75/218).

"Ashley has a tremendous resume loaded with so much international experience," commented Dowling. "She has competed at the highest level of amateur golf and has been successful. Ashley works hard and is committed to making the sacrifices it takes to be a great player. She is also enthusiastically invested in her academic experience, making her a tremendous fit for the University of Michigan. She wants to excel in every area of her life and will contribute to our program in a massive way."

Young, who is No. 1,350 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is a member of the Singapore Golf Association Elite Squad and represented Singapore at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, finishing 16th (77-75-72/224). In the Singapore National Amateur she qualified fourth (77) before losing her opening match, and she finished ninth at the 2017 Philippines Ladies Open (75-72-79/226).

During Young's 2016 season she highlighted her play with a seventh-place finish at the Santi Cup (74-75-74-74/294) while adding finishes of 11th at the Taiwan Amateur (78-81-79-77/315), 14th at the Singapore Ladies Amateur Open (79-74-78/231) and 16th at the Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open (84-77-79/240).

"Jacqueline is passionate about the game of golf and is really looking forward to the collegiate team experience," said Dowling. "She brings plenty of international experience and is excited to work hard and contribute to our team. From the relationship we have built, I sense she is a very mature and independent person who will thrive in our environment. I can't wait to see how she develops as a competitor and person throughout her career at Michigan."

The Wolverines lose a trio of seniors to graduation: Kathy Lim, Megan Kim and Emily White. All three have helped U-M make back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Finals.