The Valparaiso University men’s golf team landed two future Crusaders during the early signing period. Jeremy Wu (Medford, Ore./St. Mary’s School) and Matthew McCarthy (Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic) both signed National Letters of Intent and will be joining the program as freshmen in the fall of 2016.

“Both of these young men have great support systems surrounding them. They have wonderful families with parents that are very encouraging and positive, along with terrific high school and swing coaches. These guys have played in a lot of quality tournaments throughout the school year and during the summer and their results are laudable. Jeremy and Matthew are winners with excellent golf acumen. We are very excited to have these two as part of the Valpo family,” head coach David Gring had to say about the signees.

Wu has earned All-State honors each of the last three seasons, highlighted by a record-setting performance in winning the individual state title by eight strokes in 2015. Wu helped his high school to a state runner-up finish with the championship performance, following back-to-back years where he finished in eighth (2013) and in sixth place (2014) in helping lead his team to the team championship. Wu’s first round in 2015 set a record for the lowest score ever recorded in OSAA (Oregon State Athletic Association) tournament history (63), while he also set a record for lowest two-day total at the 3A level.

Wu is a member of the National Honor Society and carries a 3.93 grade point average, placing him in the top ten percent of his graduating class.

“Jeremy is a gifted multi-sport athlete with a tremendous competitive spirit,” said Gring. “His tournament results are exemplary and he has steadily improved his game over the last few years. He has a fabulous short game, coupled with solid ball-striking. Jeremy has an awesome personality and he is a lot of fun to be around.”

McCarthy was a member of the 2012 2A Illinois state championship team and finished tied for seventh overall as an individual in 2014, when he was also a member of the All-State team. McCarthy, who was named Metro East Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2015, won the conference individual title in 2015 and went on to place second at regionals and fourth at sectionals.

McCarthy is also a member of the National Honor Society and holds a grade point average of 3.59.

“Matthew is another pure ball striker and a terrific manager of the golf course,” said Gring. “He has good length and that is combined with an excellent touch around the greens. This young man has a tremendous work ethic and I love his determination. It is clearly evident in his successes both on the golf course and in the classroom.”