Eastern Montgomery High School’s Haley Howard (center, front row) will continue her golf career at UVA-Wise. She signed a letter of intent on Wednesday. Pictured with her (front row) are her father, Gordon Howard, and mother, Kari Howard and (back row from left) Coach Lee Velez and Eastern Montgomery Athletic Director Kirk Litton.
By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
The Eastern Montgomery High School golf team had its first winning season last year since jumpstarting the program just six years ago, and Haley Howard was a big part of it.
Not only did she claim medalist honors at the Pioneer District tournament by shooting an 80, she also finished sixth in region play and was the top-Class A female qualifier in the women’s state tournament.
Wednesday, in front of family, coaches, teammates and friends in the EMHS library, Howard signed a letter of intent to play this fall at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
Her high school coach, Lee Velez, described her as an amazing player who was dedicated and willing to put in the time and the effort necessary to make her a better golfer.
Howard said she chose UVA-Wise because of the coaching staff. She plans to major in art.
Robin Dotson was named the university’s women’s golf coach in 2019. Previously, he had served for five years as the Central High School (Va.) golf coach.
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise is a public liberal arts college. It is part of the University of Virginia and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia. The school has a current enrollment of 2,221 students.
The school’s athletic programs are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Division II, primarily competing in the South Atlantic Conference.
