May 4, 2009

Three golfers have signed letters of intent with the Eastern Washington University women's golf team for the 2009-10 season, head coach Marc Hughes announced.

These include Morgan Lee, a senior at Great Falls (Mont.) High School, Dana Stapleton, from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jayme Carbon, who attends Thomas Jefferson High School in Auburn, Wash.

"I am really pleased with this group," Hughes said. "We will have a very young group of kids representing us next year. We won't be overly experienced, but they all have great character and are very positive examples of what it means to be a student-athlete. Our goal will be to become progressively more competitive throughout the year, as we lead up to the conference championship next April."

Lee attained All-State accolades three of her four years on the squad. At the Montana High School AA State Tournament in October 2008, Lee shot a second-round score of 69, the lowest in state tournament history.

In addition to playing well in the high school ranks, she also claimed the Great Falls City Championship in 2008 and qualified for and played in the Junior Americas Cup (2007 and 2008), Big I Classic (2008) and the Montana-Alberta Ryder Cup (2005 and 2007).

Lee also brings outstanding academic credentials to Eastern Washington, as she ranks first in a class of 362 with a 4.0 grade point average. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and was named Academic All-State all four years.

"Morgan is a multi-sport athlete who has been successful at just about everything she has done," Hughes said. "I like those kinds of kids, as they don't have to be instructed on how to get from A to B - they just get there. And anytime the Eastern Eagle logo can be worn proudly in Montana is an added bonus. Morgan will be a really good player in this program."

Stapleton finished in the top 15 at the 4A state tournament in each of her four years at CHS. In doing so, she helped the team finish third her final three years with the squad after qualifying for state as an individual her freshman campaign.

Also, she placed in the top six at the Desert Sky Region tournament all four years, claiming the title in 2006 as a sophomore with a two-round score of 151 (76-75). Stapleton also played at the Junior World Championships in July 2008 as one of 124 qualifiers from 25 different countries.

She also brings impressive academic skills to Eastern, as she currently carries a 3.80 GPA.

"I anticipate Dana coming in and making an impact immediately," Hughes said. "In addition to being a really good kid, she has a lot of competitive experience. That will be helpful to our young team next year. I'm excited that she chose Eastern, as she will be a great Eagle."

Carbon has qualified for the 4A Washington state tournament each of her four years at TJHS (this year's will take place May 27-28 in Pasco, Wash.). She has placed in the top 20 at the district championships every year, with her best performance - fifth - coming in her senior season.

Her junior and senior campaigns, Carbon was named first team All-4A South Puget Sound League, while she earned second team accolades her freshman and sophomore years. She was also a Washington Junior Golf Association state qualifier in 2009 and district qualifier the previous three years.

Carbon also played softball with the Raiders, earning first team All-League honors the past two seasons. She is also currently in the top 12 percent of her class academically with a 3.76 GPA.

"Jayme is a pure athlete, and I think she will develop really well here," Hughes said. "She doesn't have the experience that the others have, but she has been devoted to a number of sports. She could have gone and played softball as easily as golf. She has intangibles that will make progress easier for her. 

"Jayme is the quiet, warrior type who wants to come to Eastern to play. She's not used to sitting on the bench in anything, so she will find a way to play. As a coach, you like those kinds of kids."