It was a special day for Red Bay’s Anna Seahorn – the day she signed to take her golf game to the next level.

Photo by Alison James
Anna Seahorn celebrates the day of her college signing with young fellow classmates – the kindergarten class for which she is a teacher’s aide.

Seahorn signed last week to play college golf at Wallace State, during a ceremony surrounded by friends and family in the Red Bay High School library. Her new coach, Dan York, was also in attendance.

“We are extremely happy and proud that Anna has chosen to come to school at Wallace,” York said. “She is an outstanding young lady … With her skills and being able to practice and play every day with other outstanding young ladies, we expect great things in the future.”

RBHS Coach Johnny Cleveland said it’s the first time ever, to his knowledge, for Red Bay to have a girl sign for golf.

“She’s a wonderful golfer and a wonderful person,” Cleveland said. “I think a lot of Anna.”

Wallace State’s women’s golf team played its inaugural season in 2015-16, joining the rich athletics tradition at the college. The sport became the eighth Wallace State sport at the time to offer scholarships to potential student athletes, joining baseball, softball, men and women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s golf and cheerleading.

Cleveland said Seahorn began “hanging around” with the golf team in fourth grade and began playing officially in seventh. “She’s a tremendous golfer and tremendous person,” he said. She comes from a “golfing family,” he added – “her mom and dad and grandparents are all golfers.”

Parents Sarah and Keith were on hand to celebrate with their daughter – a proud moment, Sarah said.

“We are so excited,” she said. “She has worked hard for this. We’re just so excited she can continue her career in college.”

Seahorn was all smiles on signing day.

“It meant the world to me to know that I got a scholarship and to have all my friends and family around to watch me,” she said. “It’s always been a life goal for me to play golf in college … I fell in love with the sport when I was younger, and that’s just what I wanted to do. I like that when I go out on the course, I can forget about everything, all the problems or people, and just go out there and play and focus on that.”

Seahorn said Wallace really clicked for her. She felt at home on campus and with the women who will become her teammates.

Cleveland said Seahorn will be greatly missed at Red Bay. “She’s just good all around. She’s the whole package.”