COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Local standout Anna Cunningham, a senior at Cookeville High School, has signed to attend Tennessee Tech University where she will play golf for the Golden Eagles under coach Polk Brown.
Cunningham will graduate from CHS in December, a semester early, and enroll at Tech in January. She will sit out the spring golf season, and be eligible to begin her collegiate career with the 2014-15 season.
"I am really excited to have Anna come aboard this upcoming spring," Brown said. "She will be a great asset to our team and give us more depth. She has a strong passion for the game, and tons of talent and potential. I strongly believe she will be able to make an impact on the squad."
The daughter of Glenn and Lorna Cunningham, she will join her brother, Adam, who is currently a sophomore on the Golden Eagle men's squad. She plans to major in animal science.
"I'm so excited to be joining the team next semester," she said. "Tech was my first choice of schools to play for and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to being on the team with such a great bunch of girls and I can't wait to continue my golf career.
"I'm really ready, and I'm excited that I get to start in January," she said.
Cookeville High School coach Larry Pitts said Cunningham's drive has helped her earn the opportunity she has.
"Talking to her last year, she didn't know where she wanted to go," Pitts said. "She wanted to play college golf. But at the start of this season, she was determined that she wanted to play for Tech. She set her mind to it, and that's what she's going to do. I'm happy for her."
Pitts said Cunningham's determination is also evident on the course.
"She's really determined and she's persistent. She works hard and she doesn't give up," he said. "She gets out there and grinds away. She's very intense and she's a competitor, and she wants to do well. She's going push herself to do that, and she doesn't have to be pushed.
"You won't find anybody that works harder," Pitts added.
As a junior, Cunningham sank the winning putt on the first hole of a playoff to lift the Lady Cavaliers over Walker Valley in the Region 3-AAA tournament. Then in the TSSAA Class 3A tournament, Cunningham tied for 17th individually and helped CHS tie for fourth place.
This past fall, she qualified for the state tournament as an individual in October, and tied for eighth place.
She also captured the First Flight Division of the 2013 Tennessee Women's State Amateur Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends South Course
"I think it's going to be a good place for me," she said. "I'm really excited, and I really like all the girls on the team."
