Nov. 18, 2015
Vanderbilt head women’s golf coach Greg Allen has announced the signing of Alison Armstrong and Abbey Carlson to National Letters of Intent and both will be eligible to compete for the Commodores beginning in the fall of 2016.
“I couldn’t be more excited about our 2016 class,” said Allen. “They are wonderful young ladies who will make an immediate impact on our team in the classroom, on the golf course and in the community. In addition to their success on the national junior golf level, they will bring tremendous character and a lot of heart to our campus.”
Armstrong comes to Vanderbilt from Tampa, Fla., where she attended Cambridge Christian, where she is ranked 38th in Golfweek’s top 50 recruits for the class of 2016 and is top five among all Florida high school seniors. Armstrong had eight top-10 AJGA finishes, including a top three result at 2015 Toyota Music City Open and a win at the 2013 Bass Pro Payne Stewart Open. In 2015, she set her school scoring record of 67 at the Mustang Invitational.
“Alison is a young lady that has made a steady climb up the rankings the last couple of years and it’s nice to see her get rewarded for her hard work and dedication,” said Allen. “Alison has the presence of possibly being the nicest person you will ever meet, and she probably is, but when she steps on that first tee, she wants to beat you! I love that.”
Carlson is from Lake Mary, Fla., where she attended Circle Christian High School, where she was a two-time AJGA Rolex All-American and a first team member in 2013. She is currently the ninth-ranked player in the class of 2016, according to the Junior Golf Scoreboard. She has two AJGA wins and was runner up at the Rolex Girls and PGA Junior and led her high school team to a state title as a sophomore and runner-up finishes the last two years.
“Abbey was one of the most highly recruited girls during her sophomore year and I’m sure most everyone in the southeast heard me scream when she called to commit on March 24, 2014,” said Allen. “Abbey is one of the coolest players I’ve ever seen on the golf course. She never gets too excited, never ever gets down and will compete until the round is finished. In addition to excelling on the course, Abbey has already been involved with a high school class that built a two seater airplane, and it flies!!! That’s taking the definition of student-athlete to a new level.”
