Maddison Long has change of heart, set to golf for Manhattan University

WINDOW ROCK

Native golfer Maddison Long has found a new home with Manhattan University in Riverdale, New York.

Long is half-Navajo and half-Coeur d’Alene and her parents are Adrian and Kristi Daniels Long.

She recently completed her first collegiate season this past spring with the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. But a few months after signing her letter-of-intent in 2024, UMES had to fill the head coaching vacancy after the departure of then-coach Tiana Jones, who had convinced Long to attend the Maryland university.

“She was actually offered a position with PGM of America,” Long said. “She’s an amazing professional and an amazing coach, so I was a little disappointed that she left but ultimately, I was excited for her because that’s an amazing position to have. I don’t blame her at all for taking that position.”

Following the completion of this year’s collegiate golf season, the Albuquerque native put herself in the transfer portal where she drew interest from Manhattan head coach Keith Prokop.

“I was kind of looking for an environment that aligns with my academic and athletic goals,” Long said of her decision to change schools. “I am super grateful for everything that UMES did for me, but I was looking for a program that had a strong support system and a place that would give me a little bit more opportunities.”

It didn’t take long for Long to consider Manhattan University as she had conversations with Oklahoma native Beans Factor. The two Native American golfers developed a relationship through the NB3 Foundation that was founded by professional golfer Notah Begay III.

“I heard Beans committed there and she spoke highly about (Prokop) and the program there,” Long said. “I got to visit the campus and the facilities are amazing. You know, it’s really nice that Beans is going there, too. She is someone who kind of understands where I come from. Having that Native connections is something that I didn’t get UMES.”

Long believes Manhattan will offer her a stronger sense of belonging as she is “super excited” about joining the Jasper women’s golf team.

“I really like to have a close-knit environment and the Manhattan men’s team had that,” Long said. “With the new incoming women’s team, I’m hoping to have that close-knit environment; the coaches are really stressing that, so I’m excited.”

Long, who has roots in the Twin Lakes, New Mexico area, led her previous team in scoring, which included a win at the Virginia Wesleyan Invitational at Cypress Point Golf Club where she carded a 77 and 79, respectively, during the two-day tournament.

“It was windy, especially the second day,” Long said. “The tournament director ended up pushing the start time back by like hour-and-half. Like most college tournaments, everyone had to share the driving ranges, so having that delay messed up our grooves and that was a little frustrating.”

But when they got the OK to compete, Long didn’t miss a beat.

“Honestly, I just had a lot of fun out there,” she said.

Long, who graduated from Volcano Vista in 2024, acknowledged that it took her some time to adjust when she arrived at UMES.

“The spring went a lot better for me because in the first semester I had to get used to things,” she said. “We also had a new coach (Jerel Walker) come in, so everyone was trying to figure out schedules and traveling situations.”

“The second semester was a lot more organized,” Long added. “I was able to find a routine quickly. I kind of had a heavy class schedule, but even with that I was able to balance my study halls I needed and all of that.”

Golf-wise, Long says she’s improved her game.

“I learned a lot and I was more in tuned with my swing mechanics,” she said. “I was able to make a lot of changes and I could see that it definitely helped on my scorecard and how I felt during the season.

“In high school, I jumped around coaches, and I really didn’t understand that area of my game,” she added. “It’s something that I talked about with my teammates and coaches, and we just worked on it every single day.”

While at Manhattan, Long is going to continue to study biochemistry, a field that has sparked her interest.

“I kind of gotten really passionate about environmental sustainability,” Long said while adding that she’s wants to apply that science to golf.

“I talked to one of the deans who wants to make golf more sustainable,” she said. “That is something that I want to go into … I really love golf and if my career doesn’t have me playing golf, there is always a place for me outside of that.”

Long is currently in Idaho, interning with the forestry department with the Coeur d’Alene tribe. Last summer, she worked with the tribe’s lake management team.

While there, she is going to continue to work on her game as she preps for her sophomore season.

“There are a lot of nice courses in that area,” Long said. “I’ll be able to go to the range after work or even before work, so I’ll be pretty busy.”

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