Tennessee Women's Golf Team Preview: Meet the Freshmen

With only three weeks left before the Lady Vols kick off the spring season in the Northrop Grumman, UTSports.com will preview each class starting with Tennessee's freshmen.

Mariah Smith (Fr. | Clarksville, Tenn. | Clarksville H.S.)

Smith continues her freshman season this spring after playing in all four of Tennessee's fall tournaments. The Clarksville native opened her collegiate career with a 51st place finish at the Ocean Course Invite before shooting 226 in the annual Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship. She capped the fall with back-to-back 41st place finishes at the Magnolia Invite and the Trinity Forest Invite.

Smith captained Clarksville High School's women's golf team all four years and led the team to the 2016 TSSAA Division I Class AAA State Championship title. Along the way, the team captured the 10AAA District and 5AAA Regional Championships while Smith took home medalist honors in all three postseason tournaments. At the state championship, she carded the third-lowest individual score in tournament history with a five-under-par 139 (71, 68).

In 2016, Smith also carded a top-three finish at the Bubba Conlee Invitational and placed seventh at the AJGA Girls Championship. Overall, she has six career AJGA top-10 finishes. She posted a third place finish at the TN Girls Junior Amateur in 2015.

Malia Stovall (Fr. | Winchester, Tenn. | Franklin County H.S.)

An early enrollee, Stovall was the No.1-ranked player in the state of Tennessee in the 2017 class. During her senior season, she led Franklin County High School to district and regional titles with a 69.00 stroke average and became a four-time TN Class AAA Regional High School Golf champion after shooting 66 in the tournament last October. Stovall 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 in a row and is a nominee for the third consecutive year for the Tennessean's All-Midstate Girls Golf Player of the Year. Stovall also earned TN High School District 8 – AAA Player of the Year honors every season since 2014. Earlier this month, she was named to the TWSA All-State Golf Team.

The four-year captain 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.

Last year, 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.

Waverly Whiston (Fr. | San Diego, Calif. | La Jolla H.S./IHigh Virtual Academy)

Whiston continues her debut season on Rocky Top this spring after competing in all four of Tennessee's fall tournaments. In the Ocean Course Invite, she tied for 37th place and carded her first round of par or better as a Volunteer. She then shot 220 in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship before carding a career-low 217 at the Magnolia Invite en route to an eighth place finish.She posted a tournament-low and career-low score of 67 in the second round of the Trinity Forest Invitational to record her second top-10 finish of the fall. Overall, Whiston has shot four rounds of par or better since donning the orange and white.

Whiston was tabbed the No. 7-ranked player in California and the No. 10-ranked player in the country in the 2017 class according to Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings and Golfweek, respectively. She led La Jolla High School to three consecutive Western League Championships between 2013-2015. There, Whiston was the 2015 Western League High School Champion and Western League Player of the Year. She also earned 2015 First Team All-CIF accolades and was a Second Team All-CIF selection in 2013 and 2014.

In 2016, Whiston advanced to the quarterfinal round of match play at the USGA Girls' Junior Amateur after being crowned the FCG San Diego Junior Amateur Champion. She also advanced to the match play portion of the USGA Women's Amateur in 2015.

The California native has seven career AJGA top-10 finishes, including a fourth place finish at the AJGA City of London Junior Championship and tenth place finish at the AJGA Junior at Carlton Oaks in 2016.

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