When the time came for golfer Alice Ho to choose where she would continue her education, she had no shortage of choices.

After considering her sister’s school Ohio University and The Ohio State University, Ho chose SIU. Ho picked the university because of the beautiful campus and an academic scholarship, which supplemented her athletic scholarship.

Ho was a 2012 second-team All-Ohio honoree at Wadsworth High School. Her statistics stood out to head coach Alexis Mihelich, who regularly scours the national junior golf rankings as part of the recruiting process. After Mihelich sent Ho an email, the mutual interest between Ho and the program grew.

“I knew Alice just loved the game,” Mihelich said. “She was really dedicated to getting better. She’s from a golfing family and I knew she would have a good four-year career here.”

Golf is not the only talent Ho possesses. A self-taught musician, Ho has been playing piano and guitar since the age of 13. Although she has never had a lesson, she can play piano pieces as difficult as Yiruma’s “River Flows in You.” She said playing music helps reinforce coordination on the golf course.

Ho is a native of Wadsworth, Ohio, which is 15 miles west of Akron. In a video on her YouTube page, Ho called Ohio State her dream school. Ho also considered offers from Kent State University, Akron University and Division II Ashland University in Ohio and Coker College in Hartsville, S.C., before joining the Salukis.

Ho is expected to contribute right away; she will help fill the void left by the departure of Ashleigh and Cassie Rushing. However, her role with the team has yet to be defined, that responsibility will not be hers alone to shoulder.

“It’s a team effort for replacing those golfers that graduated,” senior captain Kris Grimes said. “But she’ll help make our team stronger.”

Ho has been well received by her teammates and coaches. Senior Whitney Nugent called her a funny, sweet, and outgoing person, while Mihelich likes her work ethic.

Ho was a successful high school golfer; she was named First-Team All-Suburban League and All-Northeast Ohio for four consecutive years.

The right-hander was the first Medina County freshman to advance to the state tournament and returned as a junior and senior. Her best finish at state came in her junior year when she finished ninth. Ho also holds the boys and girls nine-hole record with a score of 33 at Wadsworth High School.

Ho is no slouch in the classroom either. The dietetics major earned a Dean’s Scholarship for her academic performance in addition to an athletic scholarship. Ho wants to be a registered dietician after her career at SIU.

While Ohio University is not on the Salukis’ schedule for this season, a matchup between Ho and her sister is not out of the realm of possibility.

“I think that would be fun,” Ho said. “I would like that.”