Player: Valery Plata
University: Michigan State University
Area of Study: Supply Chain Management
Expected Graduation: 2022
Soldier Honored: David J. Todd, Jr.
Summer 2021
Played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the second straight year … Finished 29th in stroke play at the U.S. Am and advanced to the round of 32 … Earned a sponsor exemption to play in the Meijer LPGA Classic in June where she made the cut and finished tied for 70th place at 4-under-par 284.
2021 - Junior
First Team All-Big Ten selection … Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten … WGCA Scholar All-American … Led the Spartans for the second year in a row with a 72.26 average, which is the third-best single-season average in program history … Improved upon her previous year scoring average of 72.37 … Tied for third at the Big Ten Championships with a five-under-par 211 and also took home the Big Ten's Mary Fossum Award for lowest stroke average to par (-0.57) … Carded a pair of 4-under-par 68s in each of the last two rounds of the conference championship … Won the Indiana Invitational for the second first-place finish of her career, shooting a 4-under-par 212 … Shot a season-best 7-under 209 at the IU Spring Challenge, placing second, which included her lowest round of the sporing – 65 – to close out the tournament … Was MSU’s top finisher in six events and played a team-best four events under par … Recorded three top-five finishes, three in the top ten and four in the top 20 … Led the Spartans at the NCAA Championships, tying for 50th, shooting a 6-over-par 222 … Finished 1-over-par 217 and tied for 12th place at the NCAA Louisville Regional.
Summer 2020
Advanced all the way to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland … She earned the No. 2 seed in match play at the U.S. Women’s Am after finishing 2-under-par in stroke play.
2019-20 – Sophomore
Voted the Big Ten Player of the Year and named to the All-Big Ten First Team … WGCA All-America honorable mention selection … Named MSU’s George Alderton Female Co-Athlete of the Year … Led the Spartans with a 72.37 scoring average … Recorded her first-career win in also helping MSU to the team title at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational (Oct. 11-13) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, carding the second-lowest 54-hole tournament total in school history with an 11-under-par 205 (69-68-68) … Tied for second place in the Spartans' home Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 22-23) for what was then the best finish of her career … Finished no lower than 17th in the Spartans' three spring tournaments, capped by a first-place finish in a duel vs. No. 9 Florida in early March … Led MSU with 10 rounds under par ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2018-19 – Freshman
Was in the starting lineup for nine tournaments … Ranked fourth on the team with a 75.3 average … Had her best finish of the season and led all Spartans at the Tar Heel Invitational, taking 14th with an even-par 216 (72-72-72) … Was the top Spartan finisher at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, taking 21st place at 8-over-par 224 (70-78-76) … Tied for 23rd at the Lady Buckeye Invitational at 9-over-par 227 (80-72-75) ... One of four Spartans to earn WGCA Scholar All-American accolades.
High School
Advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2018 U.S. Girls Junior Captured the gold medal at the 2017 Youth South American Games with a 9-under-par … Placed eighth at the 2017 IMG Junior Golf World Championship at Torrey Pines … Helped Colombia to a fifth-place finish in the 2017 World Junior Golf Team Championship in Japan … Played in the 2016 Junior Orange Bowl, which features the world's top 40 high school girls … Qualified for the 2015 and 2016 USGA Girls Junior Championships, making it to the round of 64 in 2016 … Won the U-15 South American Team Championship in 2015 and ‘16 and claimed the individual title in 2015 … Captured two more South American Team Championships in the U-18 bracket in 2017 and '18 … Was the Colombia U-18 national champion in 2017 and was a three-time U-15 national champ from 2014-16 … Played in the 2018 Annika Invitational USA.
Personal
Daughter of Reinaldo Plata and Eilen Pardo ... Majoring in business.
GETTING TO KNOW VALERY PLATA
Favorite Quote
I have three - Rejection is a blessing. Everything happens for a reason. And the only way is through.
What is your favorite golf course?
Poppy Hills Golf Course
What is your favorite part about being a Spartan?
It is hard to choose, but I would say that being part of what we call the Spartan Family is really special, it
includes current and former players, coaches, athletic trainers, and all the people who genuinely care about
out program.
What is your dream job?
Any job that would allow me to help people who are in need.
If you could share a meal with four individuals living or dead, whom would you choose?
My grandpa Reynaldo, Blake Mycoskie, Sabrina Ionescu and J.K Rowling.
What is your favorite board game?
Sequence