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Cumberland Gap High School golf standout Carley Downhour signed to continue her career with Lincoln Memorial University during a small ceremony in the library of the high school on Nov. 22.

Downhour has been the epitome of dedication and excellence on the Lady Panthers golf team since she discovered her love for golf even before she joined the middle school golf team. Downhour realized that she had a talent and began working hard to improve.

When asked about her career she said, “When I realized that I could compete with others I began to dream that I could make it to college playing golf, but it wasn’t until I joined the team that I began to improve. I think that being on a team was good for me because we would push each other. During the summer I sometimes felt I wasn’t getting better, but when the team started practicing I could tell they were pushing me. I play better as a member of a team.”

Downhour’s high school coach David Walker said this about her, “LMU will not ever get someone that will work as hard as her. She has honestly made me look good as a coach, and she has made me and everyone around her a better player. She is also a great person off the course.”

Downhour had offers to attend another college close but chose LMU. When asked why she responded, “I always wanted to go to college and this is a lifelong dream for me. I chose LMU due to its size and it made me feel comfortable, and I really appreciate how the coaches acted when I visited.”

Her parents also took a moment to talk about how hard she worked to achieve her goal, “Carley has always wanted to go to college, and when she chose LMU we were both happy. She works hard; even putting in extra time after official team practices end. We are proud of her and can’t wait to see what she does over there. We can tell you one more thing, golf is more stressful to the parents than the kids.”

Downhour would like to thank God, family and friends and anyone that helped her along the way. Special thanks goes out to her parents, Dennis and Shannon and stepmother Susan, her swing coach Brad Rose and coach David Walker. She plans on getting her degree in chemistry.