Women's Golf Signs Darquea to NLI

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Daniela Darquea, the No. 1 golfer in Ecuador, has signed a National Letter of Intent for the 2013-14 academic year, University of Miami women’s golf coach Patti Rizzo announced Wednesday.

Darquea, a native of Quito, Ecuador, is currently No. 9 ranked amateur golfer in South America. She has four top-10 finishes in recent major tournament appearances, including second-place showings the Genesis Junior Championship (211) and at the South American Junior Championship (290) in April in Bolivia.

“We’re very excited to have Daniela join the team,” third-year head coach Patti Rizzo said. “Coach John Koskinen and I began following her when we noticed her play during the Junior Orange Bowl here last year.

“She’s a great ball striker, has great work ethic and is very solid in her school work,” Rizzo said. “She’s a great addition to our team.”

In March, Darquea placed sixth at the South American Amateur in Columbia after carding a four-day score of 289. She also made a stop in Coral Gables in December 2011 to play in the Junior Orange Bowl, where she finished seventh with a final score of 295.

With its fall slate in the books, the Miami Hurricanes women’s golf team will return to the links Feb. 4-5 for the spring-opening Hurricane Invitational at Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club. For the latest information, follow the official Twitter feed for Miami Hurricanes women’s golf, @HurricanesGolf.