Volcano Vista’s Maddison Long signs with Maryland Eastern Shore

WINDOW ROCK – Volcano Vista senior Maddison Long set a precedent for the girls golf program at the Albuquerque public school.

Long, who is half-Navajo and half-Coeur d’Alene, became the first Division I signee in girls golf for the westside 5A school that opened in 2007 as she inked her letter of intent with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women’s golf team.

Long’s parents are Adrian and Kristi Daniels Long and she has roots in the Twin Lakes and Rock Springs, New Mexico area.

The Volcano Vista golfer received 32 collegiate offers before settling on the four-year university in Princess Anne, Maryland.

“I went to Maryland for a visit, and I ended up loving the campus and the staff,” Long said. “I mean, the staff was amazing. Everything about (my visit) was great. I got to meet some of the people on the team and I just kind of knew that is where I would be able to thrive at.

“The location is great,” she added. “It’s not by the sea, but it’s close enough.”

Of the 32 schools, Long also contemplated signing with two other schools: Glenville State University in West Virginia and the University of Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. But she chose Maryland Eastern Shore for its strong science programs.

“Forensic science is something that I’ve always been very interested in,” Long said. “I plan to study biochemistry and I think attending that school in Maryland is a great foundation for that. The science program there is absolutely brilliant.”

The 17 year-old golfer gained a lot of interest based on her golf scores coming down over the past year. She also credits NCSA, a college recruiting platform, for getting noticed.

“My scores have been really coming down,” said Long, who has a handicap of 2.7. “That has definitely helped but I think a lot of is just being very active in the recruiting process. I made sure I was answering all the questionnaires they asked and just reaching out and calling them.

“I mean, I just had conversations with them,” she added.

Long was first introduced to golf when she was six years old when she joined the Notah Begay III junior golf program. She had several mentors, which included some top-notch golf instructors: Corey Douma and Jason Montoya. Douma is the current Director of Junior Golf/Player Development at the Ladera Golf Course in Albuquerque and Montoya is a PGA teaching professional at Santa Ana Golf Club.

“I worked with quite a few people,” Long said. “Everyone in the foundation was very supportive and they helped me start my journey because I’ve always dreamed about being able to go to college to play golf.”

“She had a lot of mentors,” Maddison’s mom, Kristi Daniels-Long said. “Some of the people she’s worked with have moved on, but she kept going with it. I’m just so proud of how far she’s come.

“I mean, this girl has worked so hard,” Kristi continued. “As parents, you want your kids to succeed no matter what. You have to do what you can to support them.”

Despite all of her achievements, Kristi says her daughter has remained humble.

“Maddison doesn’t look at herself the way we look at her,” the matriarch said. “I tell her people are really proud of her. Not only is she going to represent our family, but she’s also going to represent all Indigenous young women.”

Kristi, who grew up in Worley, Idaho, on the Coeur d’Alene reservation, praises her daughter’s dedication to the sport.

“She’s always doing something,” Kristi said. “Even when it’s cold out, Maddison is either chipping, putting or just working out in the garage. I always tease her that she eats, drinks, sleeps and does nothing but golf.”

Before she’s set to graduate high school next month, Maddison is looking to retain her individual district crown she won last season, as well as make an impact in the state golf tournament.

“There’s always going to be that pressure,” Maddison said of earning her second consecutive league title. Winning district “will decide on whether I’ll make it to state, but I’m going to go in with confidence knowing how much work I’ve put in the past few weeks.”

The District 1-5A meet is scheduled for May 7 at the Twin Warriors Golf Club on the Santa Ana Pueblo. The 5A state championships will be held the following week at Twin Warriors on May 13-14. Last season she placed 12th at the 5A state meet.

“I think across the state most of the senior class are great golfers,” Maddison said. “We’ve been playing against each other throughout our high school years. For some, we’ve been playing longer than that at all the country club tournaments we’ve entered. The upcoming state tournament is our last high school golf for all of us and we’re all going to be competing for our spots.

“I just want to do better than what I did last year at state,” she added. “I want to try and just improve.”

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