San Francisco, CA -- The Academy of Art University women's golf team is a little top-heavy when it comes to upperclassmen on this year's team, but the Urban Knights made a big step toward building for the future when golfer Crystal Wang signed her National Letter of Intent during the early signing period, committing to be on the Knights squad for the 2013-14 season. Wang, who hails from La Jolla, CA and went to University City High School in Irvine, has an impressive resume that will contribute much to the Urban Knights program.

"I'm very excited to welcome Crystal Wang to the women's golf team and the entire Urban Knight family," said head coach Cheryl Lala. "She has shown tremendous ability and depth in performance throughout her junior golf career spanning AJGA and Junior World competitions."

Wang has played and succeeded on the national and international scale, achieving Junior World Ranking when she was only six years old and maintaining a rank within the world's top 65 amateur golfers to this day. She has won a bevy of tournaments, competing on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT), the Future College Golf Association (FCGA), and the Junior Amateur Golf Scholars (JAGS).

Over the past two years, Wang has won six tournaments, including the Australia US Team Junior Invitational, the Taiwan Acer Junior Invitational, and the Rancho California GC in 2011. This year, she won at La Costa South (FCWT), at Carlton Oaks (JAGS), and at ASU-Karsten (JAGS), while also finishing in fifth place at the Kia Classic LPGA Qualifying in February.

That was just her amateur resume, as Wang also played varsity golf for four years at University City High School, participating in its unique UCHS Visual Arts, Technology and Theatre Academy (ArtsTECH) program. She was a four-time CIF Sectionals Finalist, and also finished in the Top 15 at CIF Regionals.

"I chose Academy of Art University because of how it balances sports and education for the professional world,” Wang said. “Not only is it a top NCAA Division II golf program, but it's also one of the top art schools in the U.S. It is very famous in Taiwan. Most of all, I'm excited to work with Coach Lala. I believe that I made the right decision choosing a profession in Interior Architecture & Design and at the same time playing my beloved golf.”

Wang also talked about how she was taken with the campus in her short two hour tour of the Academy, and how Coach Lala's strict but fair attitude inspired her to commit to the Urban Knights.

"Not only is Crystal a great golfer but she is also an artist at heart and has a great deal of passion for interior architecture," said Lala. "She is the perfect fit for our program and an individual who will bring much success to our team for years to come."