On Wednesday, St. Mary senior Ellie Roof signed to continue her standout golfing career at Center College with her parents Nicki and Kenny and brother Jack at her side. She has been a one-woman show for the Vikings since her former and future teammate at Center College, Margaret Butts, graduated from St. Mary.
“Today is a day I have been thinking about for a long time. When I was 12 years old, I wanted to play golf in college. Achieving this is not easy and would not be possible without the people in my life,” Roof said.
“But first, I would like to thank my parents, without both of you, I would not have been able to play in tournaments every weekend over the summer. I know you’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to chase my dreams.”
Roof was surrounded in the St. Mary library by friends, family, former classmates, former St. Mary men’s golf coach Kurt Averill, media, and teammates such as her older brother Jack Roof, Rocco Zakutney, Cade Fleming, and Butts.
“Ellie is so much more than just an accomplished athlete. First and foremost, this young woman is a Christian, and her GPA is outstanding,” St. Mary High School Principal Doug Shelton said.
“She’s a class officer, a part-time soccer player, and this season she’s a full-time basketball player. She’s active in community service and has joined about every club we offer. She’s the daughter of two proud parents.”
Throughout her high school career, Roof has continued to shine on the golf course as a dynamite piece in women’s golf in the First Region and western Kentucky area. She leaves a lasting impression on the golf community throughout Paducah as she heads to Danville to continue her career at the collegiate level.
“She happens to be good at golf, winning numerous awards along the way,” Shelton said. “Ellie has taken advantage of every opportunity available (at St. Mary) academically and athletically. In short, she is ready to graduate from St. Mary.”
Roof was named a Center College Fellow in March of this year. In addition, as a fellow, students like Roof receive a minimum scholarship of $26,000 per year for four years and are considered for higher scholarships from the college.
“I’d like to thank Coach Wood for this opportunity. I’m thankful to be coming into your program,” Roof said. “I knew from the second I stepped on campus that this was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. And thank you, Margaret (Butts), for introducing me to the best group of girls I now call teammates.”
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