The women’s golf team has four new faces on a roster that hopes to capture its first conference title since 2007.

Brooke Cusumano, Xianmei Jin, Savannah Myers and Kristie Yang join a team that has finished in the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships for the past two seasons.

Head coach Alexis Mihelich is expecting a lot from this class because she’s been watching these players since she started at SIU in August of 2011.

“I have high expectations. I’ve spent the last two years recruiting these players,” Mihelich said. “They’re a right fit with the current team and, with their competitive experience, (they) come in and make an impact from the start.”

Cusumano, of St. Louis, attended Westminster Christian Academy, where she was a two-time Missouri individual state champion in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, her school claimed three of the top four individual places and won the state championship as a team by 91 strokes. In 2013, Cusumano took the top spot, with her school claiming the team state championship by only 52 strokes. Cusumano’s brother plays golf for new Missouri Valley Conference entry Loyola University, where he is an all-conference performer.

While Cusumano said she hasn’t seen any players from the other MVC schools, she said that if SIU plays to their potential, they will do very well against the competition.

“I haven’t really seen anyone on the other teams, so I’m just kind of playing my part,” she said. “If we all do what we can and have the ability too, we could do really good.”

Mihelich’s last summer signee was Jin, who has experience playing in tournaments with many of the top players in the country.

Jin was born in China, but attended high school at Mesa Grande Academy in Calimesa, Calif. Because her high school didn’t have a golf team, she succeeded on her own, signing with SIU when she was the 66th-best prospect in the country. She had a scoring average of 77.2 when she played in American Junior Golf Association tournaments, and shot a 69 at a 2012 AJGA event.

Jin said the golf courses are not the same in southern Illinois as they are in California.

“The grass is kind of different and the weather is so different,” Jin said.

Myers, a freshman walk-on, enters SIU as a 10-time varsity letterman in high school.

Myers, of Decatur, was the captain and Most Valuable Player of her high school team for four years. She was also a two-time Decatur City Junior Open champion in 2009 and 2010.

Myers said of all the schools that she visited, SIU was a step above the rest.

“I looked at other schools, but nothing really compared to SIU,” Myers said.

Yang, of Chino, Calif., was named a first-team all-conference performer four times while playing for Diamond Bar High School. Mihelich said Yang’s high school team was the runner-up in last year’s state championship.

“That high school team could have won the state championship in 49 other states,” Mihelich said.

Yang said she had offers from colleges in California, but wanted to go elsewhere. She said the nature was another aspect that drew her to SIU.

“I wanted to experience something different, and I really like nature,” Yang said. “So being around all this green, I really like it.”

Yang was one of Mihelich’s early signings. In November, Cusumano and Yang signed to play at SIU and will both have four years of eligibility.

Yang lives with Cusumano and Jin in Thompson Point, and said despite only living with the girls for a little over a week, they have already become close friends.

Mihelich said that the seniors have been good role models for the freshmen to look up to and are bonding with the younger players.

“They all get along; they’re already planning socials,” Mihelich said. “It’s a really friendly bunch.”

Mihelich said her goal of winning the conference is something that’s eluded her team the past two seasons.

“I’ve come pretty close the last two years,” Mihelich said. “This year I think is the right mix of players to get it done.”

The Salukis will participate in five tournaments this fall season, beginning Sept. 8 at the Redbird Invitational in Normal.