CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's golf team has signed Daniela Bergmann and Michelle Grilliette to join the team for the 2015-16 season, head coach Carol Blackmar announced today. Bergmann will come to the Island University from Schwabmuenchen, Germany, while Grilliette hails from San Antonio.
The pair of players will join a young Islanders squad for the 2015-16 season. Senior Vanessa Johnson returns to the fold after missing the 2014-15 year to add a veteran presence, with junior Ana Paredes the only other upperclassman. Sophomores Julia Dereniwsky, Olivia Lowe and Anna Millet Esteve will also return to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi roster this year.
Bergmann had an impressive playing career as an amateur in her native Germany, taking home third place in the Bavarian Team Championship for the Under-18 division in 2014. She and her team with Golfclub Muenchen Eichenried earned the title in that event in 2010 and 2012 in addition to a second-place finish in 2013. The squad also took first place in the Under-18 German Area Team Championship in 2011.
"Daniela is excited to become an Islander and has worked hard this summer," Blackmar said. "I look forward to watching her play this fall and the impact she will have on our team. The best part of her game has been her putting, and good putters have the ability to shoot low."
She attended Holbein Gymnasium in Augsburg, Germany, where she played under coach Igor Arend for three years. During the 2012-13 year, her team advanced to the Bavarian School Team Championship, coming in third place.
Grilliette attended Churchill High School, where she earned four letters for head coach Randy Spivey. She helped Churchill finish in the top three of its district in all four years with the team, including a district title in her senior season. The squad went on to a third-place finish in the regionals and finished 11th in the state.
Individually, Grilliette was named First Team All-District and First Team All-Region in her senior campaign, posting a third-place finish at both the district and regional competitions. She garnered all-district honors in each of her four seasons, adding a first team selection as a junior, and earned the Texas Junior Golf Tour Girls Sportsmanship Award in 2014-15.
"Michelle was instrumental in her high school team's success last year and we are looking forward to her joining the Islanders," Blackmar said. "Michelle also has shown the type of character that the Islanders seek, as exemplified by her being awarded the TJGT award for outstanding character and leadership."
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