LIVINGSTON – West Alabama golf coach Adam Buie announced that 11 golfers have signed to play for the Tigers’ inaugural team that begins competition in 2013-14.

With early signees and walk-ons, Buie has built a roster of 17 for UWA’s first team, which currently consists of 10 men and seven women’s golfers. Three of the spring signees are transfers who Buie expects to help the fledgling program immediately.

“I am very happy to bring in three males with college experience,” Buie said. “I believe our blend of experience and the talented freshmen will make our team competitive from day one and I am very excited for the upcoming season.

“On the women’s side we are going to be extremely young with six freshmen and one transfer,” Buie said. “They are all very accomplished high school golfers and it will be interesting to see how our team responds in the college game.”

Spring signees for the women’s team include Ida Bergli and Christine Stryken from Wang Toppidrett High School in Norway, Heather Gillenwaters from Bob Jones High School in Madison and Savannah Payne from Leeds High School.

Bergli and Stryken are members of the Titleist Tour, which is the top junior level circuit for Norwegian junior golfers. Stryken claimed fourth in the 2012 Norgescup. Gillenwaters was the Girl’s Champion at 2012 Bud Burn’s Invitational, runner-up at the 2012 Canebrake Junior and played on the P.U.R.E. Junior Golf Tour in 2009 with a first place finish at Deer-Run. Payne is a three-time St. Clair County Champion and won the 2013 Alabama Sectional.

Agee Evans of Wetumpka will transfer from Faulkner State Community College, where she played volleyball. Originally from San Angelo, Texas, Evans lettered in golf and volleyball for four years at Lake View (Texas) High School.

Buie’s first men’s spring signing class includes Chance Caylor from Auburn High School, Wesley Etheredge and Harris Stevens of Macon-East Academy, as well as Will Morrison of Tuscaloosa, who was homeschooled.

Caylor notched third place finishes at the Auburn Invitational, the Trojan Knight Invitational and the 2013 Sectional Tournament, Etheredge finished third at the AJGO Veritas World Junior State Qualifier and was eighth in AISA tournament as a senior. Stevens twice finished in the top 10 in the AISA Tournament and posted wins at the Wilcox Academy, Lee-Scott Academy and Macon East Invitationals. Morrison qualified for the 2012 North and South Junior in Pinehurst, N.C., and tied for 44th in the national field and also won the 2012 Links Club Championship.

Gabriel Cassinelli and Mason Mitchell are transferring into the UWA program from Shorter and Faulkner Universities, respectively. Cassinelli is originally from Rio de Janiero, where he was a top five junior in Brazil as a high school senior. Had four top 15 finishes in two seasons at Shorter, including fourth place at the Montevallo Full Moon BBQ Invitational. Mitchell won the St. Clair County Championship twice in high school and advanced his junior and senior years to the AHSAA playoffs individually.