Port City Daily follows the lives of local student-athletes after they graduate as a way to keep up to date on the great things they do on the field and in the classroom after their four years in high school.
The list of those going on to the next level continues to grow. After a dozen athletes announced college commitments last week, three more senior student-athletes from a pair of area schools held ceremonies on Monday to indicate their intentions for the future.
Joining those below were Jackson Tyler (New Hanover/Palm Beach Atlantic), Keegan Santos (New Hanover/Hofstra) and Hannah Pieper (South Brunswick/Belmont Abbey).
New Hanover High School
- Jackson Tyler, golf, Palm Beach Atlantic
Tyler burst onto the high school golf scene this past spring and propelled New Hanover to an appearance at the 2016 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 4A Championship at Pinehurst.
He was named Mideastern Conference Golfer of the Year and delivered a memorable performance to finish his junior campaign at the two-day NCHSAA Championship by carding a one-under-par 71 during the final round to climb up the leader board, finishing third among the 84 golfers in the field.
- Keegan Santos, lacrosse, Hofstra University
Santos is a two-sport standout for New Hanover as the senior prepares this week for the second round of the high school football playoffs. He has over 600 total yards this season and six touchdowns on the gridiron. Lacrosse Coach Keith Hatcher has ties to the campus in Hempstead, New York. Santos looks forward to getting to Long Island after the spring lacrosse season.
South Brunswick High School
- Hannah Pieper, tennis, Belmont Abbey
Hoggard High School
- Kendall Goldblum, lacrosse, American University
Goldblum scored 85 goals and tallied 41 assists for the Vikings as junior. Hoggard was among the final eight in the state last season.
American University is a member of the NCAA Division I Patriot League, located in Washington, D.C.
- Madelyn Schider, volleyball, Hillsdale College
Schider garnered national attention over the summer competing for USA Women’s Junior Continental Team during a nine-day trip to south Florida as part of the USA Volleyball High Performance Program.
Schider earned a scholarship package, including an art and athletic scholarship at NCAA Division II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
- J.P. Price, baseball, Appalachian State
- Robert Wilkerson, baseball, Coker College
Price and Wilkerson helped guide Hoggard to the best-of-three 4A East Regional in the spring of 2016. The righty/lefty combo posted a combined 12-1 record on the mound last season in 77.2 innings pitched. Wilkerson also hit .338, with six doubles 20 RBI and 20 run scores in right-field.
Appalachian State competes in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. Coker College is an NCAA Division II institution located in Hartsville, South Carolina.
Topsail High School
- Sam Hall, baseball, Clemson
- Josh Madole, baseball, UNC-Greensboro
- Payton Phelps, baseball, Presbyterian College
- William St. Ledger, baseball, Harding University
From left-to-right: William St. Ledger, Payton Phelps, Josh Madole, Sam Hall. Photo courtesy- Bonnie Emertz.
The quartet from Hampstead helped guide the Pirates to its second 3A State Championship series in three years and join more than a dozen ballplayers from the program to be recruited by college baseball programs over the same time period.
Hall was in Houston, Texas this fall after being selected to the 40-man roster for the USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials. He hit a team-high .370 last season, with a team-high in runs (26), RBIs (20) and doubles (11).
Phelps served as the Pirates No. 2 starter for the Pirates as a junior. Madole hit .305 last season, with eight doubles and 19 RBI. St. Ledger was primarily used as a relief pitcher, making 11 apperances.
- Hunter Bizzell, softball, UNC-Wilmington
- Victoria Elder, softball, Furman
- Hayley Grizzle, softball, Barton College
The Topsail softball team has been dominant over the past few seasons after making back-to-back appearances in the 3A East Regional best-of-three series. The trio of Bizzell, Elder and Grizzle is a big reason why.
The success of any ball team lies up the middle of the field. Bizzell’s presence at shortstop, Grizzle’s play in center field and Elder’s imposing figure in the circle helped the Pirates to a 46-13 record over the past two seasons.
Elder went 14-2 from the stripe with a 1.49 ERA as a junior. She recorded 172 strikeouts. Bizzell had a .967 fielding percentage and .435 batting average atop the order. Grizzle hit .394, with a team-high 34 runs batted in.
Ashley High School
- Ryleigh McIntyre, cross-country, Queens College of Charlotte
- Pearson Yopp, softball, East Carolina
