NORFOLK (WAVY) – Talk about going out in style. In her final conference tournament, Old Dominion’s Leah Onosato won the Sun Belt Conference individual golf tournament, the first time a women’s golfer has ever accomplished that feat at ODU.
“It’s special. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of how far I’ve come,” Onosato said.
A native of Japan, Onosato didn’t move to the United States until she enrolled at ODU five years ago.
She got into golf because of her father and he was following her conference tournament run on an app.
“I could feel how nervous he was for me but he stayed up the whole time, he kept refreshing and went and woke my mom up from sleeping…..at the same time all my teammates were rushing at me congratulating me, it was a hectic frenzy.”
Onosato has already earned her bachelor’s degree in English and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, now she’s going for her master’s in applied linguistics.
“It’s pretty much the study of languages,” Onosato said. “I really love languages and I love studying languages.”
Onosato had dreams of playing professional golf one day, but it sounds like she may have other ideas.
“I have not made up my mind if I’m going to pursue that. A lot of people want me to but I also know that there may be other stuff that I want to do in life.”
“She’s so smart, she’s so talented, the English department thinks the world of her,” head coach Mallory Kane said. “She’s really in that part of her career, for her, it’s sticking to what you are most passionate about, and she loves the English Department and she may be running that place in another few years.”
Whether or not pro golf is in her future, Leah Onosato will always be ODU’s first women’s golf champion.