Lady Vols Ink No. 1 Golfer in Tennessee
November 08, 2017 | Women's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee women's golf added Malia Stovall to the 2018 class on Wednesday. She is the first player to sign a National Letter of Intent to join the Lady Vols for the 2018-19 season.
"Malia is a very strong player who will come in and help our team right away," head coach Judi Pavon said. "She is a consistent player and I expect to count on her day to day. She is starting school in January but will wait until next fall to start competing for us. Malia is the top player from Tennessee and has had a strong junior career, we are thrilled to keep her in-state."
Stovall is the No.1-ranked player in the state of Tennessee and in 2017, she led Franklin County High School to district and regional titles with a 69.00 stroke average. She became a four-time TN Class AAA Regional High School Golf champion after shooting 66 in the tournament this October. Stovall then went on to win her first state championship with a record-breaking 137. She tied the third-best, 18-hole individual score in state history with a 66 in the first round and her 36-hole total is the second-best individual score in state history.
The Winchester, Tennessee, native has been named to the Tennessean's All-Midstate Girls Golf First Team three years running (2015-17) and is a nominee for the third consecutive year for the Tennessean's All-Midstate Girls Golf Player of the Year. Stovall has also earned TN High School District 8 – AAA Player of the Year honors every season since 2014.
"Tennessee stood out from the beginning," Stovall said. "UT is a great school with great academics, coaches and facilities. I am also excited to be able to represent my home state playing college golf."
The four-year captain has competed in 41 amateur events since 2014, carding top-25 finishes in 40 of them and top-10 placements in 30. Stovall has six career AJGA top-10 finishes, including third place finishes at the AJGA Junior at RiverWatch and the AJGA Scott Stallings in 2017.
In 2017, Stovall finished 18th or better in every tournament and tied for 13th place in the Tennessee Women's Open. During the 2016 season, she won the Tennessee Girls' Junior Championship and tied for 23rd in the Tennessee Women's Amateur.
In addition to leading Franklin County's golf team, Stovall is graduating with high school honors, state honors and state distinction. She is the member of a national honor society, BETA and student council.
Stovall is the daughter of James and Crystal Stovall and plans to enroll in the spring of 2018.
