California men’s golf signed a pair of incoming freshmen to its 2022 signing class in Daniel Heo and Nathan Wang. Both highly regarded recruits, Heo and Wang are ranked in the top 25 of the California recruiting class.
“We’re fortunate to sign Daniel Heo and Nathan Wang,” Alex and Marie Shipman Director of Men’s golf Walter Chun said. “Both young men demonstrate a desire to play golf at the highest level and to get a great education. Their personalities also fit the team culture, so they are perfect fits for the Cal men’s golf program.”
A 6-foot tall senior at Cypress High School (CHS) in Cypress, Calif., Daniel Heo is originally from Seoul, South Korea. During his time at CHS, Heo accumulated a number of accolades including Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America Honors in 2021. Named the most valuable player (MVP) of his team, he led his high school to third place in the Empire State League in 2019 and ultimately set the school record with a 70.0 stroke average. Heo has ranked as high as 59th in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings and he is currently listed as 17th in the 2022 California signing class.
A two-sport athlete in baseball and golf, Heo also excelled in the classroom, receiving an Academic Honors award for having a minimum 3.5 grade point average though 16 A-G courses.
Heo is the son of Suyeon Jo (mother) and Jibaek Heo (father); Heo’s father received a business degree in Korea.
“I’m excited to play golf at Cal because of the many strong tournaments I will be able to compete in which will help me improve both on and off the course,” Heo said. “Not only that, but I believe the coaches will help me improve and feel comfortable getting used to college golf.”
“Daniel has steadily improved over the years,” Chun said. “This shows how hard he works on his game and his passion for the sport. There is no doubt he will continue to make strides, and it will be fun to see his progression.”
The Bears’ second recruit is Nathan Wang, a local from Fremont, Calif. and Archbishop Mitty High School. Wang was the first freshman to ever win the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) MVP award, earning the distinction in 2019. More recently, he qualified for the 2021 US Junior Amateur Championship and led his high school team to a second-place finish at regionals in 2020. Standing 6-feet tall, Wang had several top-15 finishes over the past year including the victory at the AJGA Junior at Peach Tree, an 11th-place finish at the Jack Burke Junior Invitational and a 7th-place finish at the AJGA Callaway Junior Championship. The three-time All-WCAL First Team member’s tournament low was 62 (-10) in the final round of the AJGA Junior at Peach Tree, a tournament which he won handily at 19 strokes under par (68, 67, 62). Wang reached as high as 17th on the Junior Golf Scoreboard (September 2020) and is currently ranked sixth in the 2022 California signing class.
Like Heo, Wang also played baseball concurrent to his time on the golf team and performed well in the classroom as a four-year member of the Honor Roll at Archbishop Mitty.
Wang’s father (Wilson) is an independent contractor while his mother (Sherry) received a master’s degree from Peking University and is currently a financial advisor.
“I am very excited to play golf at Cal because I love the environment that surrounds the team,” Wang said. “The school, coaches, teammates and program are all really amazing; they foster an atmosphere of growth and competitiveness. I believe that Berkeley gives you every resource that you need to succeed. You just have to get out there and grind.”
“Nathan’s enthusiasm, talent and work ethic are attributes that are hard to find,” Chun said. “But once found in a recruit like Nathan, we have to do all we can to sign him.”