Charlottesville, VA UVa women’s golf coach Kim Lewellen announced three stantout junior golfers Nicole Agnello (Longwood, Fla.), Brittany Altomare (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Elizabeth Brightwell (Nellysford, Va.) have signed national letters of intent to enroll at Virginia and play for the Cavaliers next fall.

“I am extremely excited about Brittany, Elizabeth and Nicole joining our program,” Lewellen said. “All three ladies epitomize Uncompromised Excellence.’ They each have outstanding character, are good students, and have proven themselves at a national level in their golf. I believe these young ladies will carry on and contribute to the success of our program.”

Agnello has four impressive top-10 finishes in junior competition this year. She tied for top honors at the Florida Women’s State Golf Association (FWSGA) Junior Girls Championship in June but lost in a four-hole playoff for medalist honors. She was the runner-up at the FJT LPGA International last weekend, placed sixth at the Optimist International and was fourth at the AJGA Club Car Junior. She was 33rd at the 2008 USGA’s Girls Junior Championship.

In 2007 on the Florida Junior tour (Girls 16-18 Division), she placed third at the Disney stop, was fourth at The Ocean Course event and finished fifth at the Metro West tournament. Earlier in the season, while competing in the Girls 13-15 Division, she won the Lake Wales and Rio Pinar stops and placed in the top four in four other events.

Also in 2007, Agnello led Lake Mary to the state 2A title and recorded a third-place finish in individual play. She was named the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida Player of the Year. This year she placed eighth at the state championships as Lake Mary finished second overall. Agnello is one of 12 junior competitors nationally named to the 2008 HP Scholastic Junior All-American Team by the American Junior Golf Association.

“Nicole also brings good technique and skill but it is her tenacity, work ethic, and team sprit that will quickly permeate through our program,” Lewellen said.

Altomare has won three American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events and finished in the top-five on eight occasions. She took medalist honors at this year’s Lessings Classic and finished first at the Fidelity Classic in 2006 and the Richmond Junior that same year. She was second at the AJGA’s Northwestern Mutual Financial Junior Classic and was fourth at the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls.

Altomare won the 2008 North & South Junior, was first at the 2006 Westfield PGA Championship and was medalist at the 2005 Scott Robertson (14-and-under). She was a member of the 2006 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team that played at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales, splitting 12 matches with the team from Europe.

She was a four-year member of the Shrewsbury High School boys golf team and captained the squad as a junior and senior. This year her team finished fourth at the state tournament. She is a three-time Massachusetts Junior State champion. She set the course record at the International Country Club (Bolton, Mass.) when she shot a 66 at the age of 13.

“Brittany's tremendous skill and technique combined with experience and success at the national level will make for an easy transition into college golf,” Lewellen said. “I think she is the type of player who could an immediate impact for us at Virginia.”

Brightwell, who attends St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, won the AJGA’s Northwestern Mutual Financial Junior Classic in 2008 and claimed the Low Junior Award at the 2008 Virginia State Women’s Amateur. She was fourth at the 2008 North & South Junior Championship. She shared medalist honors at the 2006 AJGA Srixon Qualifer and has posted a total of eight top-10 finishes at AJGA tournaments

She was named to the Virginia team for the Virginia-Maryland team matches in 2006, 2007 and 2008. She claimed medalist honors at the 2005 Bobby Bowers Memorial in Springfield, Va.

“Elizabeth is an all-around outstanding player who I firmly believe is only beginning to scratch her potential,” Lewellen said. “The consistency she has shown in her games this past summer is something that every coach longs for in a player. Furthermore, she is a local girl who brings a true appreciation for what it means to be a Cavalier.”