UVA Women’s Golf coach Ria Scott announced the signing of a two-person recruiting class of top junior golfers who will join the Cavalier program next fall.
The class includes Jennifer Cleary from Wilmington, Del. and Rebecca Skoler of Needham, Mass.
“Rebecca Skoler and Jennifer Cleary are both complete student-athletes and their athletic, academic and personal profiles are a perfect fit for Virginia,” Scott said. “Rebecca’s hard work and commitment to improvement stood out the moment we met her. She has improved so much, especially in the last six months. You can tell by watching her that she is physically and mentally solid, and that more tournament wins are in her future.
“Anyone that knows Jennifer can see that she is an incredible athlete. She hits the ball well and a long way. She knows how to operate in team settings and knows how to win in various sports. We’re excited to see how what she can achieve as a college golfer.”
An American Junior Golf Association honorable mention All-American, Cleary is currently ranked the No. 21 player by the AJGA, No. 20 by Golfweek and stands No. 11 in her class in the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings. In 2019, she finished in the top-10 at seven of her eight AJGA events. She picked up wins at the AJGA Junior at Chicopee and the Stewart Cink Championship and was the runner-up at the AJGA Junior at Southpointe. As a 13-year-old, she competed at the 2015 USGA Girls Junior Championship and qualified for the 2018 Girls Junior PGA Championship.
An outstanding athlete, Cleary excelled in three sports at Tower Hill School outside of her junior golf career. She is the only female competitor on the school’s 2018 national championship squash team and co-captain of the field hockey squad. She helped Tower Hill, a co-ed team, to its fourth consecutive state golf championship in 2019. Cleary’s father, Blake, attended Virginia.
Skoler picked up a win at the 2019 Sea Pines Junior Heritage in February and qualified for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship and the 2019 Girls Junior PGA Championship. Earlier this month, she tied for third at the PKBGT Invitational. On the 2019 AJGA circuit, she had top-25 finishes at the Scott Robertson Memorial and the Hunter Mahan Junior Championship. She was 19th at the Harder Hall Invitational and 17th at the South Atlantic Amateur.
In 2018, Skoler won the Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur and the stroke play competition at the U.S. Challenge Cup Francis Ouimet Junior. She had top-10 finishes at the AJGA’s UHY LLP CPA’s Junior and the Killington Junior.
Both players have participated in the AJGA Leadership Links program and raised money through direct donations or ones based on scoring birdies or eagles during tournament play.
Cleary has helped to raise more than $14,000 for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation while Skoler’s efforts have supported The B Fund, a non-profit based in Massachusetts that assists families with critically ill children. Because of her community service involvement, Skoler was recognized as an honorable mention selection to the USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award for players who displayed selfless effort and commitment to helping others through volunteer work and fundraising efforts.
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Chris Graham
