Mickle signs to golf at Mount Vernon Nazarene

Kortnee Mickle wanted to golf or play basketball in college. On Jan. 16 the River View High School senior officially made the decision to go with golf when she signed her letter of intent to join the team at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

“Coach King talked to me at our district match, and I felt blessed that he kept in touch with me,” Mickle said. “I knew I wanted a Christian college too. That was my main goal.”

Mickle started golfing in eighth grade.

“I was all about volleyball until the summer before eighth grade,” she said. “I went golfing with my dad one day and fell in love with it and decided to try it out. If you would have told me then I was going to golf in college I would have laughed at you. I kept practicing though and didn’t give up.”

Mickle’s golf awards from her sophomore through senior year include first-team MVL, first-team Division II and first-team Eastern District.

“One of my favorite memories from golf is going to districts as a team,” Mickle said. “I went as a junior myself but liked going as a team. We always have fun together and this year did a lot of laughing and joking around. I like that golf is about you but still a team sport.”

Mickle is the daughter of Zach and Keeley Mickle.

“I liked that Mount Vernon was personable and welcoming,” Zach Mickle said.

He grew up in Mount Vernon, and Keeley Mickle graduated from the university. She is excited to have her daughter go to her alma mater but made sure it was her decision.

“We visited a lot of colleges,” Keeley Mickle said.

She and Zach Mickle said Kortnee has really come a long way with her golf game.

“We started with a cheap set of clubs, and she took off with it from there,” Zach Mickle said.

Keeley Mickle said, “She helped herself a lot with videos and working to figure out what she needed to fix.”

River View head girls golf coach Sean Nicely agreed Kortnee Mickle is a hard worker.

“You never have to push her because she pushes herself,” he said.

Nicely encourages more girls to give golf a try. “It’s fun and something you can do your whole life,” he said.

Kortnee Mickle plans to major in early childhood education at Mount Vernon.