Yu Young Lee, a former standout student-athlete for Division I national champion Duke University, has been named the first-ever men’s and women’s assistant golf coach in New Jersey City University history, head coach Joe Yeck has announced.
Lee, a four-year scholarship athlete for the Blue Devils from 2006-10, will be coaching collegiately for the first time. A product of The Leadbetter Golf Academy and Mike Bender Golf Academy in Florida, she will enhance the technical knowledge of NJCU’s men’s and women’s golfers. Furthermore, she will help Yeck continue to build the men’s golf team and will assist in the launching of the women’s golf program set to begin competition in Fall, 2020.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Yu join our men’s and women’s golf program here at NJCU,” Yeck said. “Her extensive golf background and experience playing Division I golf will provide our student-athletes with first class insight and knowledge on what it takes to be a successful program on the collegiate level. She will help exemplify what type of leadership and discipline is needed to be a successful golfer and add a technical component to the golf swing that will allow our players to continue to get better.”
Lee added: “I’m excited to join the NJCU golf program and look forward to building the program with Coach Yeck. We both have the same goals in mind and understand the challenges that lie ahead. I am dedicated to building a stronger golf team at NJCU. I want to challenge the players so they become a more well-rounded student athlete on and off the course.”
Lee competed for Coach Dan Brooks and contributed to Duke’s 2007 NCAA Division I women’s golf national championship team. The Blue Devils won two ACC championships during her freshman (2007) and sophomore (2008) seasons, and were honored at the White House by President George W. Bush after winning the 2007 national title.
Lee served as Duke’s co-captain her senior year (2009-10). She was a teammate of current LPGA professional Amanda Blumenherst.
A May 2010 graduate of Duke with a Bachelor of Arts in International Comparative Studies with a concentration on Western Europe, she earned a Masters of Law in Political Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China in July, 2013.
Professionally, since March 2016, she has worked for the Bergen County Technical School/Bergen County Special Services in Hackensack, N.J. She previously worked as the Assistant to the Director of Communications for Bergen County, New Jersey (2014-2016), the Director of Marketing and Communications for The Korean Women’s Association of America (2014) and interned at the United Nations Headquarters in its Department of Public Information.
A 2006 graduate of Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., she played four seasons of varsity golf for the Panthers and posted a 36.0 stroke average over nine holes as a senior. She won six of 10 matches in her final year and collected Student-Athlete of the Week by the Orlando Sentinel after shooting 35 and 36 in one week, while winning both events. As a senior, she placed fourth in the District Championship and fifth in Regional Championship and was a two-time First-Team All-Metro Conference selection as a junior and senior.
A native of South Korea, Lee, 32, resides in Leonia, N.J. She speaks five languages—English, Korean, Chinese, Spanish and Italian.
COLLEGE TRANSACTION:
NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY—Named Yu Young Lee as assistant men’s and women’s golf coach.
