Sophomore Summer: Moon Cheong of Women's Golf

Throughout the summer, DartmouthSports.com will be focusing on members of the Class of 2021 who are currently in their "Sophomore Summers" presented by Cape Air.

This installment focuses on Moon Cheong of the women's golf team. Cheong comes from Charlotte, North Carolina, and was 13th at the Ivy League Championship this past spring, helping the Big Green to their best finish ever, claiming second place.

DartmouthSports.com: What have you been doing during your sophomore summer?
Moon Cheong: I'm currently taking classes (ENGS 22, ENGS 25, and JWST 11) and doing research on the biomechanics of bistable and multistable structures. The research I'm doing is centered around the opening and closing of the Venus Flytrap, which I find really interesting. This is my first time doing research through Dartmouth and I'm really excited to start experimenting with different models and seeing what we can find out about the structures.

DS: What is your favorite place on campus?
MC: My favorite place on campus is Tuck Mall. I spent a lot of time at Thayer this past winter and spring and loved walking down Tuck Mall and looking at the street lamps.

DS: What was it in the recruiting process that sold you on Dartmouth?
MC: I knew I wanted to come to Dartmouth after meeting Coach Kirk and touring the golf course. I immediately saw that Coach Kirk cared wholeheartedly about the program and his players, which is something that I'm immensely grateful for and lucky to have found. Having the golf course so close to campus was another thing that really sold me on Dartmouth as proximity to practice facilities was a definitely something I was looking for during my recruiting process.

DS: What has been your best on-field memory thus far in your Dartmouth career?
MC: The best on-field memory I've had has to be this past spring at the March Madness Match Play event in New Jersey. It was my first time playing in a match play tournament, so it was already a special experience for me. The first day, we were up against No. 2 seed Princeton. By the time we had made it to the 18th hole, my opponent and I were all-square, so I knew I had to win the last hole in order to secure a point for our team. I chipped in from behind the green to beat my Princeton player and win my first ever match!

DS: What are your plans for your upcoming off-term?
MC: I'm going to be in Singapore during my off-term to spend time with my extended family as I'll be coming off of an exchange program in Hong Kong in the fall. I'm hoping to do research while I'm overseas and eat lots of delicious Singaporean food.

DS: Do you have a nickname on your team? Who gave it to you and why?
MC: One of our freshmen on the team, Kristen Chen, started calling me 'Moonbeam' this year and the name has stuck!

DS: What would be your best advice to your 15-year-old self?
MC: I would tell myself to not stress out as much! During high school I was always worried about recruiting and golf. I would let myself know that everything would pan out just fine and to trust myself and my own abilities.

DS: If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
MC: I would go to Japan for a number of reasons. I'm planning on getting an ASCL minor, so I love learning and experiencing different cultures and societies. I've also always wanted to visit a Japanese onsen and see the cherry blossoms in spring.

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