Radford women’s golf coach, Jeff Beeler, announced the addition of two class of 2018 signees that signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday in the early signing period.
Riko Nagai and Natalie Welsh join the Highlander family and will begin play next season. “Both Natalie and Riko will represent our university and program with great pride and should have an immediate impact on our program,” Beeler stated.
Nagai joins the Highlander family from Yokohama, Japan. She attends the Cebu International School of the Philippines. She was junior girls’ club champion three years in a row (2015-17). Nagai won the Philippine Ladies Open Class A Division in 2015. From her sophomore to senior season she was honored as the team captain of her high school squad. She helped lead the Cebu Country Club Team to a second place finish two years in a row and a third place finish during the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub in 2017.
Jeff Beeler on Riko Nagai
“Riko is extremely passionate about the game and will bring a great work ethic to our program. She has a wonderful and powerful golf swing that is only going to get better and is key when mentioning her upside, which is extremely high.”
Welsh, a native of Valencia, Pa., currently attends Mars Area High School where she was a 2017 Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League State Champion, shooting a 70. In the same year she was a Midwestern Athletic Conference Champion. Welsh finished fifth place at the 2017 Junior PGA Championship Tri-State Section Qualifier, third in the 2017 HJGT Cleveland Junior Shootout and second in the 2017 PKBGT Virginia Commonwealth Classic. Also a three-year high school team captain, Welsh is a two-time WPIAL Section Champion, a two-time MAC Champion and a four-time WPIAL Championship Qualifier. She capped off a tremendous 2017 slate with an eighth-place finish at the PiAA State Championship.
Jeff Beeler on Natalie Welsh
“Natalie is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough. She is a great ball striker that has the ability to keep it around par, which gives her a chance in each and every tournament she competes in.”
–RU Athletics
