CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -Sara Robson has returned to her hometown for a second time with the announcement Austin Peay State University women's golf has signed Tala Mumford, of Metropolis, Ill., to a national letter of intent.

Mumford will join another Metropolis native, Chelsea Harris, as a Lady Gov. Harris, a junior, earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors a year ago. Even the Govs golf program likes the Massac County, Ill., area, with freshman Dustin Korte joining the team this year.

Mumford has been chosen for the All-South team for the last three years. As a senior this fall, Mumford led Massac County High School to a 39-stroke victory in the Class A Illinois State championship. In fact, the lanky 5-10 senior captured medalist honors with a 163 score (81-82) in near frigid temperatures.  She also captured medalist honors at both the regional and sectional tournaments. She was the regional medalist as a junior as well.

"I am very excited to have Tala join our program," said Robson, like Mumford and Harris, a Metropolis native. "Tala represents everything the game of golf and our program stands for.  She is a very dedicated and hard worker who displays honor and integrity in everything she does. 

"Tala is a very talented athlete who is a team player.  She will bring energy, determination and distance to our team.  Tala has played many sports and knows what it takes to be not only a team player, but what it takes to win."

This fall Mumford received Southern Illinois Player of the Week along with Bio-Kinetics Player of the Week honors.

Last summer, she won the William Malone Memorial tourney, played at the Crab Orchard Golf Course in Carterville, Ill.  In total, she had four Top 10 finishes last summer.

Off the course, Mumford is a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was chosen by the senior class for the 2010 DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen Award.

She will join Rachel Deaton, of Jackson, as preps recruit who will join the Lady Govs in 2010-11.

-AP-