NORFOLK, Va. – At a time when the transfer portal sucks up so many college athletes and takes them on a grass-is-greener trip that often disappoints, Jana Melichova is an example of someone who showed a ton of loyalty and is all the better for it.
Saturday morning, the Old Dominion University women's golfer walked across the stage at Chartway Arena and received her diploma from President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
And it wasn't just any degree. She earned a bachelor's degree in international business, with a minor in economics, from the prestigious Strome School of Business. She graduated with a 3.5 grade-point-average.
A few hours later, she boarded a plane at Norfolk International Airport with head coach Mallory Kane headed for the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Michigan. She teed off Monday morning as the No. 1 seed among the six golfers who received individual postseason bids.
It is the fifth year in a row that ODU, one of the nation's best mid-major programs, has either gone to the NCAA Tournament as a team or sent individuals.
If she plays well enough, she will advance to the NCAA finals on May 20-25 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kane says Melichova could finish in the Top 10 among individuals.
And here's the kicker: Kane says Melichova is the best female golfer ever to play at ODU.
Ever.
"We've had some great ones," Kane said, mentioning Katerina Vlasinova and Maggie Simmermacher. "But she's the best we've ever had and it's not even close.
"That's probably true for our male golfers here, too. She's that good.
"Jana is in a class by herself. She holds every record we keep."
The senior from the Pikovice, Czech Republic, located about 20 miles south of Prague, knew that several Power 5 schools would have offered her a full ride had she entered the portal, but she says it was something she never seriously considered.
"I love coach (Kane)," she said. "I love my teammates and the university. I've had such a good time here."
Kane says her devotion to ODU is admirable.
"So many athletes have some cross words with their coach or have a bad day and they go off and enter the portal," she said. "What Jana has done is so refreshing.
"She's loved her time at ODU. She loves her teammates. And she's been so good in the classroom."
Her loyalty is likely the result of the solid family values instilled in her by her parents, Vladimir and Jindriska Melichova.
She grew up in the post-Communist era when the Czech Republic's economy began to thrive under capitalism. Her father, who prospered in the telecommunications industry, and mother, spent a lot of time with their three children, including two older sons.
Her parents insisted their children play some kind of sport. Vladimir Melichova loved to play golf and when she was about seven, Jana asked him for a set of clubs.
"I was playing tennis, but my youngest brother started playing golf, too, so I was watching him," she said.
"I told my dad that I really want to try out this game. It looks like fun.
"My dad said he would buy me clubs, but told me, 'you have to promise me you won't stop playing.'
"He didn't want me to start and say I didn't want to play."
Coach Mallory Kane with Jana Melichova
By age nine, she gave up tennis and began playing golf with a passion. It was quickly apparent that Melichova was a prodigy.
A year later she was playing in tournaments. Although she says nine is a relatively late age to begin playing golf, and become proficient enough to excel, she excelled quickly.
"My dad was traveling with me all around Czech," she said.
When she was just 13, she began playing in international tournaments and two years later, joined the Czech national team.
In the process, she brought home enough trophies to fill a couple of bookcases. She was the International Match Play Champion, the Czech International Stroke Play Champion, the Czech Amateur Tour Champion and finished third in the German International Championship.
Several American universities had offered her scholarships by the time she entered her senior year of high school, but then she did something that led to her eventually coming to ODU – she took a gap year.
"I knew I didn't want to go to the United States to play in college, but I also didn't know what I wanted to do," she said. "In Czech, it would be so difficult to combine school and golf.
"I wanted to get everything settled and see what I wanted to do. During that year I focused on golf and kind of organized my life."
There are no high school nor college golf teams in Europe, meaning had she gone to school in the Czech Republic, she would not have had a scholarship, coaches, teammates and academic support ODU athletes receive.
Late in her gap year, decided she wanted to go to America after all. However, the list of colleges recruiting her had by then shrunk.
She had heard of ODU from Vlasinova, who is also from the Czech Republic, and made two on-site visits – to Cal State Fullerton and then ODU.
"When I went to Fullerton, it was my first time in United States and it was so was amazing," she said. "They walked me through the campus and all I could say was 'wow.'"
Then she visited ODU. "The campus here is even better and the team is so good," she said. "But the main reason I chose ODU was coach (Kane).
"She is amazing. She was so truthful."
"When she talked to me, she wasn't trying to sugar coat things. She told me what I was expected to do here, the challenges I would face. I liked that. I'm used to that back home."
She indeed faced challenges that every international player struggles with when coming to the United States. Life is different here, as is the language. Although she took years of English in grade school, classroom English isn't spoken in Norfolk.
But her biggest struggle came with the mental attitudes of Americans. It seems we are much more positive than her compatriots in the Czech Republic.
"The Czech people, we're super negative about everything," she said. "If you mess up, people say you messed up. I felt a wave of positive energy when I came here and it was difficult to get used to.
"It kind of helped me a lot of realize I'm a good player. I believe in myself a bit more than I used to."
She would not be at ODU, or on the cusp of a pro career, were it not for her father.
"I'm here thanks to him," she said. "He devoted all his time to helping me play golf since I was a kid.
"My youngest brother is seven years older than me, so my dad focused on me. We would play every day. Every day after school he would pick me up and go to the golf course where we would play and practice.
"Of course, the financial support from him has been unbelievable. Thanks to him being successful in business, that allowed him to help me."
Because the NCAA granted all athletes an extra year of eligibility after the pandemic, Melichova could return next season, but has instead decided to go home. She wants a master's degree but given that she plans to remain in the Czech Republic, she thinks it's best she work on that degree in Prague.
She has plans to play professionally first.
"I'm going to try and see how it goes," she said.
She will finish this season as an amateur and then try to earn her credentials to play on the Ladies European Tour.
"I will miss Old Dominion so much," she said. "It's one of the best experiences I've ever had.
"In Czech, I was so focused on school and golf that I didn't have time for my friends. Here, I had my teammates. I enjoyed being able to focus on school and golf and still spend time with my friends.
"I do hope to come back. Perhaps I'll come back to play on the LPGA Tour."
But first, she has some golf left to play, and one final goal.
"I like the course where we're going to be playing," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it.
"It would be so amazing if I was able to go to the NCAA finals."
Minium: ODU's Jana Melichova Will Cap an Amazing Career in NCAA Women's Golf Tournament
