Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Emily Mahar led the Virginia Tech women's golf team in scoring during its recently-concluded fall season.
Saturday afternoon, she scored big off the course as well.
Mahar, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, received the 2018 Carilion Clinic Scholarship for Virginia Tech Athletics and was recognized during an on-field presentation midway through the Virginia Tech-Boston College football game at Lane Stadium.
Carilion Clinic, a partner with Virginia Tech Athletics who purchased the naming rights to Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum three years ago, hands out a scholarships each year to a deserving Tech student-athlete or athletes with plans for pursuing a career in the medical field. Mahar is pursuing a degree in human development and plans to seek a career in physical therapy.
"I am very grateful for this scholarship because, without it, I don't think I would have the chance to achieve these dreams and goals," Mahar said. "I would not be a Hokie and probably not have the opportunity of attending college in America. I love everything about Virginia Tech, and that would not be possible without this scholarship."
Mahar played well on the course this fall, recording three top-20 finishes in five events, including a top-five and a top-10 finish. She nearly won her first collegiate tournament, coming in second with a 3-under-par at the Minnesota Invitational, and for the fall, she shot an average of 73, tops on the squad.
Off the course, she chose human development as her major because of her interest in physical therapy.
"I like the idea of helping people and providing my services wherever I can," Mahar said. "I am interested in physical therapy, especially being an athlete. I have been able to keep my body better protected because I have a little bit of knowledge in that field already. I took a sports medicine class in high school and fell in love!"
The 19-year-old played her high school golf at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix before enrolling at Tech, and she hopes to play professional golf before embarking on a career as a physical therapist. Her goal is to open her own physical therapy clinic for up-and-coming athletes.
"Both of these [golf and physical therapy] are my passions because I find enjoyment on the course and in learning about the development of our bodies and brains," Mahar said. "I have been able to make many connections between those two in recent times, and it has only spurred my interests further."
Mahar and the rest of the Tech women's golf team resume play next February when the Hokies travel to Puerto Rico for the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The three-round tournament will be played at the Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico starting Feb. 10.