Milligan College is Next Stop for Lady Flyers' Mirovich
Winding down a successful two years on the golf course and in the classroom at Sandhills Community College, Danielle Mirovich recently signed a letter of intent to continue her athletic and academic careers at Milligan College located in Milligan College, TN.
Milligan Coach Tony Wallingford was on hand for the occasion held at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club along with her parents, Dannie and Pam Mirovich, Sandhills coaches, teammates and friends.
The product of Mount Pleasant High School near Charlotte will tee it up for the last time as a Lady Flyer at the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Daytona Beach, FL on May 13-16.
"We're very excited to have Danielle join our program," Wallingford told the attendees. "Milligan is a very rigorous academic environment and we need good students. Milligan is a Christian institution and we need someone with character who will be a positive influence on our campus.
"We have a championship golf program and we need people who can play. Danielle is all three of the things we're looking for in a student/athlete."
Mirovich established personal single round (77 and 76) and 36-hole low scores as a Lady Flyer in each of her last two spring tournaments. Her stroke average for the spring season of 83.5 is four strokes less than it was for the previous year.
An improved short game accounts for some of the improvement. She gives a lot of the credit to Head Coach Herb Pike, and assistant coaches Bonnie McGowan and Donna Andrews, who are both members of the teaching staff at Pine Needles.
"It has been great having the opportunity to play for Sandhills, practice in Pinehurst and having Bonnie and Donna to help me out - and Herb's been great too," she said. "I wanted my experience here to be Christ-centered and all three coaches are strong believers."
Pike is a teaching professional at Legacy Golf Links. McGowan and Andrews both played at UNC and Andrews won six LPGA events, including one major during her professional career.
"It's been enjoyable to watch how well your game has progressed, but more importantly to see your walk with the Lord and how strong that's become," Andrews told her at the signing. "To have been a part of that is amazing."
Pike is looking for Mirovich to cap her Sandhills career by playing well at the national tournament.
"Danielle has improved a great deal this year," the coach said. "She is just a special person."
Milligan is a member of the NAIA and the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Wallingford's squad won its fourth AAC title last year in his eighth season as coach, and was ranked 21st in the NAIA Coaches Poll.
Just as Mirovich seems to have checked all the boxes for what the Milligan coach was looking for in a new recruit so too has Milligan done that for her. She plans to enroll in the Digital Media/Media Ministry Program.
"I've always loved the mountains of Tennessee," she said. "When I visited there I fell in love with the team and came away knowing this was where I wanted to go."
C. Bergmann