AOTW: Keira DeLand sets off for next level after crushing Alaska’s golf courses

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Following a season during which the Lee University Flames placed 10th in the NCAA Women’s Division II Golf National Championships, the team is reaching out to the 49th State to upgrade its lineup.

Palmer native Keira DeLand has now officially set off on her collegiate journey, and is set to be a part of the Flames’ roster for the 2024-25 season.

Wrapping up her youth career in Alaska, the recent graduate of the Mat-Su Career and Technical High School won a pair of major tournaments in Alaska this year, earning titles as part of the women’s Alaska State Amateur Championship at the beginning of August as well as the Alaska State Amateur match play women’s golf tournament in July.

“I wanted to win both of them,” DeLand said prior to her departure down south. “That was a goal I set for myself earlier in the season.”

DeLand has been playing the sport for most of her life, crediting golf as something she could do with most of her family. As the years went on, DeLand realized she had a chance to turn her talents on the course into something more.

“I just started playing more and more as I got older,” he said, “and then when once I hit high school, I was like, ‘OK, I could actually go to college for this.’”

“She used to always carry her clubs and ride her bike over, and was very avid at golf right from the get-go,” Palmer Golf Course General Manager George Collum said. “We could tell she had a lot of talent right away. It’s been fun watching her develop and get better.”

She did all of this in a state where opportunities to swing a club are limited.

“Golf is something in the state that’s not really recognized,” DeLand said. “Some people didn’t even know that you could play golf in college. But with the five months that we do have, we’re just like everyone else. Once the golf season gets good here, it’s so beautiful.”

As her days in high school began to wane, DeLand turned her attention to the recruiting trail. A direct message on Instagram would help lead her down the path to collegiate play.

“It was February of my senior year, and I still hadn’t picked a school; I couldn’t find one that I really loved,” she explained. “So I actually reached out to my coach. We just started talking, and now we’re here.”

Now off to Cleveland, Tennessee, DeLand has the opportunity to play to her heart’s content.

“I knew I wanted to be somewhere down south,” she said. “I wanted to be somewhere different and play golf year-round. I knew [the Flames] were really competitive, and the girls were really good. It was a perfect fit.”

She heads off to the Lower 48 with the full support of her loved ones.

“We have family based in the south, so for me, it’s very special that she’s going into Tennessee,” her mother, Meghan, said. “I’m really excited for her.”

“It’s exciting,” said DeLand’s uncle, Tom. “You know, it’s bittersweet having her leave home because she’s been such a blessing to our family. But it’s a great opportunity for her.”

DeLand, excited for the new adventure, said she also has lots of stories to tell her new teammates.

“I think I convinced someone that I lived in an igloo,” she said. “The classic one is that we don’t have grocery stores or that it’s snowing all year round. So, there’s classic ones you can pull.”

Lee University begins play Sept. 16 as part of The City With Spirit Fall Classic.

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