RICHMOND, Ky. – MaddiJo Benton from Ravenna and Karra Tucker from Madisonville, Kentucky, and Imogen Jessen from Adelaide, South Australia signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to play collegiate golf at Eastern Kentucky University, head coach Mandy Moore announced today.
 
Benton earned Second Team Kentucky All-State honors, won four high school tournaments and also finished eighth at the Kentucky State Championship as a senior this fall.  She was the Class 2A State Tournament runner-up and the 11th Region Tournament runner up.  Benton was chosen as the 11th Region Player of the Year.
 
"MaddiJo is coming off of a great summer and high school season," Moore said.  "We feel very fortunate to have her on our team.  I love getting players that love the game and love EKU, and she is one of those.  I'm very much looking forward to coaching her.  I know she will make an impact on our program both on and off the course."
 
As a junior, the Estill County High School product won six tournaments, was the 11th Region Tournament Champion and the Class 2A State Tournament Champion.  Her brother Joe is a member of the EKU men's golf team.
 
Tucker, a First Team Kentucky All-State selection, won the 2nd Region Championship and finished fourth at the Kentucky State Championship this fall.  As a junior at Madisonville North Hopkins High School in 2022, Tucker was a first team all-state choice , 2nd Region Champion and 2nd Region Player of the Year after earning four season wins. 
 
"We are very excited that Karra will be joining our team next fall," said Moore.  "I love her competitiveness and she has a great work ethic which has been evident in her consistent improvement over the past few years.  She is a strong ball striker and knows how to go low.  I expect her to make an immediate impact on our team next year."
 
As a sophomore, Tucker picked up second team all-state recognition while helping MNHS to a fourth place finish at the state tournament. 
 
Jessen has been ranked as high as 836 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.  She is the 2023 winner of the South Australian Junior Masters.  In 2022 and 2023 Jessen was the South Australian State Representative in the U18 Australian Junior Interstate Series.  She served as captain of the 2023 South Australian Interstate Team.  In 2023 Jessen was South Australian State Representative in the Open Women's Australian Interstate Series.
 
"We feel very lucky to be adding Imogen to our team next fall," Moore said.  "She has a lot of great tournament experience and knows how to win.  I love her passion for the game and desire to improve and I can't wait for the opportunity to coach her."
 
Jessen was the winner of the 2022 U18 Schools Competition South Australia.  She finished eighth in the 2022 World Teens at Pinehurst North Carolina.  Jessen was selected for the South Australian Sanderson Cup Team of the year.  She also competed as an amateur in the PRO WEBEX mixed field competition.  She is a member of the Golf Australia High Performance Program and ranked 18th in the Australian Junior Order of Merit.
 
The Colonels have concluded the fall portion of their 2023-24 season.  The team will return to competition on Feb. 10-12 at the Columbia Classic in Melbourne, Florida.