Nov. 19, 2010

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's golf team has signed two highly ranked recruits to national letters-of-intent, head coach Laurie Gibbs announced today. Alina Ching (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou HS) and Somin Lee (Denver, Colo./Overland HS) will begin playing for the Waves in fall 2011.

Ching has been an All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu first team honoree since her freshman year and will defend her 2010 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Championship individual title in the spring. She is currently ranked 26th in the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings for the class of 2011.

Ching has enjoyed success at every level of junior and amateur golf over the last four years, including breaking Michelle Wie's record when she qualified for match play and won her first two matches at the 2010 Manoa Cup, which is the Hawaii state amateur championship for men.

"We are very excited to have Alina join the Pepperdine family and become part of the women's golf team," Gibbs said. "She has a very warm personality, is an excellent student and a champion golfer who will immediately contribute to the team."

Said Ching: "One of the most important reasons why I chose Pepperdine is because of the golf team and the golf coach. I really admire the program and the team dynamics. I look forward to achieving a great education and a wonderful experience on the golf team. Coach Gibbs has done great things with the golf program at Pepperdine and I am excited to be a part of that experience.

Lee won the 2010 Colorado State High School 5A Championship and will defend her title in the spring. She is currently ranked 24th in the Golfweek ratings and 38th in the Junior Golf Scoreboard for the class of 2011.

Having only played golf for four years, Lee's tournament success has been impressive. She finished last summer with five wins and three runner-up finishes in Colorado Junior Tour events. She also won an AJGA tournament in Nebraska and finished second at the Optimist International Junior in Florida.

"Somin's 2010 success, after only playing a few years of tournament golf, leads me to believe that her potential is unlimited," Gibbs said. "Somin will be an excellent teammate, and as she begins to play in more national amateur tournaments this summer, she will be well-prepared to contribute to the Waves."

Said Lee: "I chose Pepperdine because of the beautiful campus, excellent golf weather, friendly golf team and the nicest coach. Coach Gibbs has a really bright personality and I look forward to helping the Waves win more college tournaments."

Pepperdine, which has made trips to the NCAA Championships in 10 of the last 12 years with eight top-10 finishes and four top-five results, resumes the 2010-11 season at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif., on Feb. 14-16.