Megan Cahill has been raised in a golfing family but her interest in the game didn't start until three years ago when she decided to try out for the Auburn varsity team.

That desire to play has grown into a passion as Cahill signed a letter of intent to attend and play golf for Siena College, Tuesday.

“She is a natural athlete,” Maroons coach Donna Goddard said. “She came with a basic swing and built on that. At the end of her sophomore year she decided that it was what she wanted to do, her attitude changed and her game really came around.”

Cahill was recruited by Siena College, a Division I school, and said she chose the college for its combination of academics and athletics, but also for the team itself.

“When I went there and talked to the coach and met the girls on the team I knew I wanted to go there,” Cahill said. “I just instantly loved the girls on the team and since golf is a small team sport, you really have to have that kind of connection.”

Laughing when asked if she expected to be playing for a Division I team when she took up golf three years ago, Cahill said it's surprising to see how far she has come. Faced with the prospect of starting over as a freshman, Cahill isn't worried about how she will handle Division I competition. Instead, her current focus is on her senior season with the Maroons.

“I want to earn respect,” Cahill said. “This year my goal is to win sectionals. I want it, I want sectionals.”