DeKALB, Ill. – Renata Petersen, an accomplished high school and junior golfer from Lakewood, Illinois, will join the Northern Illinois University women's golf program for the 2021-22 season, NIU head coach Kim Kester announced Tuesday.
 
"We are excited to announce the signing of Renata to the Huskie golf program for next fall," Kester said. "She brings a strong record of achievement both on the course and in the classroom which will contribute to the future success of NIU women's golf."
 
Petersen played four seasons of varsity golf at Crystal Lake Central High School where she earned all-conference and all-area accolades all four years. She collected first team all-area honors as a junior and senior and was a second team selection her first two seasons. Petersen won the Fox Valley Conference Tournament in both 2019 and 2020 and qualified for the 2020 state meet after finishing second at regionals. She also placed in the top five in the region as a junior, placed fifth in the conference meet as a sophomore and was ninth her freshman season.
 
She shot a career low score of 75 as a junior in 2019 and was named the McHenry County Junior Golf Association Senior Girls Player of the Year that year. She also competed in the Illinois Women's Golf Association State Junior Championships.
 
In addition to her golf experience, Petersen served as a manager for the Crystal Lake Central wrestling team for four years and is a certified IHSA and USAW Wrestling official. An honor roll student, she speaks fluent Spanish after studying abroad in Mexico for two years during high school.
 
NIU, which saw its 2020 spring season cut short by COVID-19, opens competition in 2021 at the MAC Challenge in Lakewood Ranch, Florida on February 8-9.  The complete NIU 2021 women's golf schedule will be available in the coming weeks on NIUHuskies.com.
 
-- NIU --