Keiter commits to Cleveland St.

Barrington senior Brittany Keiter knew what she wanted to do at a young age.

"I wanted to be a professional golfer," she said. "But putting it in perspective, playing college golf is a feat in itself."

That feat has become a reality.

Keiter signed a national letter of intent Monday to play golf for Cleveland State University in Ohio.

A four-year varsity player for coach Jodi Schoek at Barrington, Keiter helped lead the Fillies to four straight appearances in the IHSA state finals.

"If the opportunity presents itself to play professionally after college, I'd definitely be interested," said Keiter, who will study sports marketing and advertising at Cleveland State. "Who knows? We'll see what happens."

Keiter will be playing for head coach Steve Weir and his assistant Nathan Michols. She will probably be the only girl from Illinois on the roster next year.

"I loved the atmosphere," Keiter said of her future college. "You can get the city feeling with Cleveland and have the college campus life at the same time."

Keiter spent plenty of time on the golf course to get where she is today.

Her father Bruce was an avid golfer and began teaching Brittany at 8 years old.

"My dad was really into golf, so I just kind of followed in his footsteps," Brittany said. "He was a member at the Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington and he took me there to play for the first time when I was 9 or 10 years old.

"I just fell in love with the sport. I had a natural talent for it, and, of course, when that happens, you take a liking to something real fast. I loved everything about the game."

Keiter, whose drives average about 255 yards, turned in her career best score of 71 when she was a junior at the Bonnie Dundee Golf Club in East Dundee.

She averaged 79 in high school where she and her teammates won four undefeated Mid-Suburban League championships, four regional championships, three sectional titles and qualified for the state finals all four years.

"Coach (Jodi) Shoeck was awesome and made it so much fun," Keiter said. "And I'll remember all the friends I made. My best friend was a teammate of mine."

Shoeck remembers the first time she saw Keiter on a golf course.

"It was at Foxford Hills Golf Club (Cary) during our summer camp before her freshman year," the coach said. "She was dressed to the nines and looked like a little pro out there. At tryouts that year, I realized the team had something very special with the entire freshman class.

"I moved Brittany and McCall Barsamian up to the varsity squad that first week, and they didn't miss a beat the next four years."

Keiter, a Boston Red Sox fan because her dad's family is from Boston, is also a big fan of Lorena Ochoa, currently the top-ranked female golfer.

"She's pretty much taken over the women's game of golf," Keiter said. "And I think that's really good."

Trying out for the first time in her high school career, Keiter made the Barrington lacrosse team this spring.

"I just like to pretty much play all sports," she said.

But golf will be her ticket to Ohio.

"I had some offers from bigger schools," she said. "But after I visited Cleveland State, I knew I could fit in really well and get a good education."

Schoeck sees a bright future ahead.

Every day will be exciting to watch," the coach added. "She has high expectations of herself and works hard to achieve her goals. You can never count her out of any tournament because she is the ultimate competitor. She has a will to win and to be the best."