Twin Sisters Leading EMU Women’s Golf to New Heights
Highest program national ranking ever attained at No. 29
By Tom Lang
Janae and Jasmine Leovao share a lot of similarities, as do many twin sisters.
For starters, they look so much alike that EMU head golf coach Josh Brewer needs a ‘cheat’ to tell them apart.
They have the same schedules for school and golf and seem to do virtually everything together. They are both majoring in Business Management, transferring together in mid-2025 after three years at Long Beach State.
A year ago, neither one had any interest in leaving their native home of southern California for the ice-cold Midwest (but we’ll address that change-of-heart later). Even before making that move, they agreed that the Midwest was filled with really good women’s college golf teams, citing 2025 NCAA Champion Northwestern, and the long-standing tradition at MSU winning Big Ten titles and sending women to the LPGA Tour.
They also agreed that coming to Eastern Michigan with the financial support of the GameAbove organization and the training available from head coach Josh Brewer, and assistant Caterina Don (a multi-year competitor at the Augusta National Woman’s Amateur) was the best route to attain their college and LPGA Tour dreams.
Despite all this synergy, they do disagree on who is the better golfer. The twins each say the other one is better.
Regardless of that question, there’s no question the Leovao twins have added a huge element for winning to the Eastern Michigan women’s program just over halfway through the 2025-26 season. The women’s golf program had never been nationally ranked inside the top 100, until now. EMU broke into the top 30 last fall at No. 29, and in the rankings on Feb. 18, EMU came in at No. 30 – while Ohio State was 41, MSU was No. 46 and U-M came in at 50. The Eagles’ biggest competitor, MAC leader Kent State, was ranked 28.
New records being set and performances showing off the resurgence in Ypsilanti are long, but here are a handful of highlights:
Three players finished in the top 10 individually with all five players finishing among the top 21 when the team took second place at the Alice and John Wallace Invitational, Feb. 14-16, Palm Desert, Calif. The Eagles, finished behind No. 2 USC while besting No. 11 UCLA and No. 10 Vanderbilt.
MAC Golfers’ of the Week: Sept. 19 - Janae Leovao; Oct. 10 - Baiyok Sukterm; Oct. 24 - Jasmine Leovao; and Feb. 20 - Janae & Jasmine Leovao when they tied for 4th in Palm Desert.
Janae Leovao, in the fall season, became the first EMU player to win back-to-back titles in program history, and the wins were her first ever in college play.
Three teammates finished among the top 10 at The Southern to take the team crown, its first in the last three years.
Four players ended the fall season ranked in the national top 150 (93 Jasmine Leovao, 107 Janae Leovao, 138 Savannah de Bock, 139 Baiyok Sukterm)
Over the Christmas break, de Bock won the title at the Citrus Golf Trail Invitational (Orlando) and Julianna Go won the NGAP Riviera Amateur Open (Silang, Philippines)
Why EMU?
In today’s world of college athletics, financial help is key, and that was no different for the Leovoa twins. Jasmine said she was feeling the need for a change because in their first three years, the Long Beach team wasn’t thriving or improving, which affected her outlook on a future golf career. On her own, Jasmine had made it to the NCAA post season all three years, once going to the national finals.
“As a freshman I won the conference and made it to NCAA Regionals,” she said. “As a sophomore, our team made it to regionals, but I reached nationals as an individual. I just wanted my last year to be a change because I figured we weren’t making it that far as a team, and I wanted to be part of a team that makes it far and is really successful. So, I entered the transfer portal on my own.
“My parents didn’t want us separated and it wasn’t going to be ideal being separated. Eastern Michigan’s offer was the best – by far. Yet I was hesitant because I had never heard of the school, and being from southern California and the perfect weather there … I didn’t want to go to Michigan. I responded to all the other schools instead.
“So, it’s crazy that we ended up here.”
They both did, even though Janae initially had no plans to move on from Long Beach State.
“I didn’t feel that I was ready for the portal, because I didn’t feel like I did enough (at Long Beach),” Janae said. “I had zero collegiate wins and only made it to regionals individually as a junior, with Jasmine. So, I didn’t feel I was ready to move on, especially because the way we grew up in golf. Our dad said you have to dominate a certain level before you can move on, and that’s how we approached tournaments (starting in Junior golf).
“I didn’t feel like I was dominating at all at Long Beach and felt I could have spent another year trying to better myself there. But after hearing about Jasmine’s offers and how much they wanted her here, I thought it would be a cool opportunity for me, and doing it together, too… Being able to have each other has been very comforting in knowing we can make mistakes together and go through the whole process together is very nice.”
Once arriving in Michigan, they knew making the move together made sense and has eased the transition and learning all new patterns, together. Nothing could prepare their Samoan family background for the bone-chilling days of Michigan’s off season, but with the newer GameAbove Golf Performance Center for indoor practicing at Eagle Crest Golf Club, and the obvious good results on course, the twin sisters have excelled at EMU and have no regrets.
“I’ve never felt this much support and more a part of a community than GameAbove,” Janae said. “I feel like they are always looking out for us and not just thinking about what we can do here, but what they can do for us after we are done at EMU (this summer). We wanted to be in a place where we could take our game to the next level, and this is the only place that offered to help us after college. That shows they don’t just care about what we can do for the school in our only year here but shows what the program can do for us and how they can build us up to be ready for pro golf.”
Coach Brewer said: “They are sponges. They want to get better. They know their game still has holes in it and they want to play against Nella Korda and the best players in the world. It’s amazing how everyday they want to learn.
“There’s a couple things this program has never done, and we know we just need to get better. It begins with the MAC, as a team we need to win that. Then you punch your ticket to go to nationals. Our dream and our goal is to raise a National Championship trophy here. I’m an IU (Indiana) grad and what I just saw Curt Cignetti and Indiana football do, I didn’t think I could ever see…. So why aren’t we next?”
Brewer joked about getting two players in one by recruiting twins.
“Sometimes remembering who is who becomes complicated,” he added about a ‘cheat’ they use. “It’s the earrings. Janae has hoops and Jasmine has dangly. I told them don’t you two ever change, please. So, if they ever show up without earrings, I’m in trouble.”
