Chronister, Stanton are 2023 Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame scholarship recipients
The Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame announced that Lily Stanton of Jenks and Nathan Chronister of Pauls Valley are the recipients of its 2023 scholarships.
Each will receive a $5,000 scholarship and be honored at the 2023 Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony Nov. 12 at Southern Hills Country Club.
“The Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame is proud to support Lily and Nathan,” said Lew Erickson, chair of the Hall of Fame scholarship committee. “Our committee was amazed at their love of golf, achievements and positive attitudes. We had a lot of great applicants and the committee is always encouraged by their brilliance and passion for the game.”
Stanton helped lead Jenks to consecutive Class 6A state championships in 2022 and 2023. Her 4.289 weighted grade point average also helped Jenks become the first team to win the state championship and the state academic championship at the same time.
She has signed to play collegiately at the University of Illinois-Springfield. Coach Michael Leotta met Maggie Roller June 21 of 2022 while she was watching her daughter Jenni win the USGA Junior Girls Championship qualifier in St. Louis at Sunset Country Club. He asked her if she had any good recommendations on talented kids in Oklahoma he should watch out for and she told him about Stanton.
“We got in touch and hit it off right away,” Stanton said. “I’m very much looking forward to playing my collegiate golf there.”
Chronister will attend East Central University in Ada and major in accounting. He’ll begin his college career with 30 credit hours he earned online at Murray State, getting a jump on his planned Masters and MBA. He is spending this summer working at Pauls Valley Golf Course, helping with maintenance, pro shop and everything in between.
East Central does not currently have a collegiate team but is considering bringing back the sport. Chronister, who medaled nine times while being coached by his father Chad in high school, plans to be there to try out if it does.
The Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame is a 501 (c) 3 whose purpose is to recognize and honor those individuals who through their achievements, character, spirit or leadership have demonstrated sustained excellence in competition or contributed in other ways to the growth, promotion, legacy, history or traditions of golf in Oklahoma. The 2023 class includes Ron Streck, Mike Hughett, Stacy Prammanasudh, Bo Wininger and Morri Rose.
More information on the inductees or purchasing a seat or table for the 2023 induction dinner is available at www.oklahomagolfhof.org.