Silver City, NM- When Shelby Turner was first encouraged to try out golf back in the 8th grade, she probably had no idea that it would someday get her into college. Well one of the things; she also has a number of scholarships that helped out too.
Shelby graduated from high school last summer as one of four valedictorians out of Deming High School. Along with two local scholarships, as well as a valedictorian scholarship and a WNMU regent scholarship, Shelby received scholarship for golf and is now a proud member of WNMU’s Women’s Golf Team.
Shelby’s golf career began five years ago, when a friend of hers suggested that she give the sport a shot. She’d already had a history of playing softball for a number of years and decided to try it out. Not long afterward, Shelby fell in love.
“I like that golf is an individual sport,” Shelby said. “It’s a team effort, but mainly you rely on yourself.”
Once she got started, Shelby soon found herself meeting great acclaim out on the green, playing for the Texas Girls Invitational in Houston, TX and on two occasions playing in the Junior Americas Cup as one of four girls representing the state of New Mexico.
Shelby soon received a scholarship to play golf for WNMU, where she had already taken several dual-credit courses during high school, and the rest is history. Aside from being a member of the Women’s Golf Team, Shelby also serves as a member of SAAC, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for WNMU.
Her drive probably comes from her family, who always pushed her to do her best, especially academically. Shelby graduated at the top of her class in 2014 and now majors in Business Management and Accounting at WNMU, saying that her family includes lots of business owners. But Western’s main draw for Shelby is golf.
“I really wanted to play golf on a collegiate level and I get that at Western.” Shelby said. “With only five girls on the team, we all get a lot of playing time.”
Shelby isn’t entirely sure what she wants to do after graduating from Western New Mexico University, though with this being her freshman year she has more than enough time. For now though, Shelby can be found on the Women’s Golf team, who’s next big tournament will be this February at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX.
For information on their schedule, their roster or even if you want to join the team, visit WNMU’s Athletics site at www.wnmumustangs.com.
