The culmination of a longtime dream came true for student-athletes across the country on Wednesday, the first day high school seniors in sports other than football could sign letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level next school year.
More than two dozen high school athletes from the Lowco area signed on Wednesday, including a whopping 13 Hilton Head Prep students. Here’s a look at the signing day highlights from around the area. If we missed anyone, please let us know via email at LowcoSports@gmail.com.
HILTON HEAD HIGH
Reagan Marchant | Softball | South Carolina
After a monster junior season at Hilton Head High, Marchant is ready for the challenge of a demanding SEC journey. The corner infielder posted an eye-popping .619 batting average this past spring with nine homers, five doubles, and 19 RBIs. She began playing the sport at the age of 6 and moved to the Lowco from Pennsylvania during her freshman year of high school. A terrific contact hitter with some impressive power at the plate, Marchant will bring her unbeatable work ethic and proven leadership qualities to Columbia.
Katie Lyons | Swimming | St. Bonaventure
She’s worked 13 years in the pool for this moment, and now Lyons is officially a Division I swimmer. The Seahawk star will head north to upstate New York and St. Bonaventure University to compete in the Atlantic 10. A breaststroke specialist at the start of her competitive career, Lyons has grown her versatility in the pool, placing third in the 200 individual medley at the 2021 SCHSL 4A state championship meet while helping her runner-up 200 freestyle relay team break a school record.
Amanda Magnin | Soccer | Southern Wesleyan
Magnin found the perfect fit at Southern Wesleyan, and the Seahawk goalie should contribute immediately at a budding Division II program in upstate South Carolina. A stellar goalkeeper for Kit Seelbach’s squad, Magnin’s outstanding play between the pipes helped lead her Seahawks on a magical postseason run all the way to the 2021 Class 4A Lower State final. She plans to embark on the pre-med track as she begins her college journey with the Warriors next fall.
Jaylen Sneed | Football | Notre Dame
He may not have signed Wednesday, but Sneed earned a big honor of his own at the ceremony. The outstanding Hilton Head High quarterback and linebacker received his jersey for the 2021 Under Armour All-America Game, which will be played on Jan. 7 in Orlando. Sneed completed his high school career on Friday in the Seahawks’ playoff loss to Aiken, and he will put pen to paper this December to officially join the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. A finalist for South Carolina’s Mr. Football Award, Sneed will also participate in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl on Dec. 11 in Myrtle Beach.
HILTON HEAD PREP
Avery Brothers | Tennis | Palm Beach Atlantic
A product of Van Der Meer Academy who has enjoyed great success on the USTA circuit, Brothers also was a star for the Dolphins’ tennis team and a key contributor to the basketball program. Brothers was part of two state championship tennis teams and a three-time all-region selection. She will join a Sailfish squad in search for some new talent after a difficult 2021 campaign in the Sunshine State Conference, which is one of the premier NCAA Division II leagues in the nation. With three seniors on the roster this year, the opportunity will be there for Brothers to contribute right away.
Sterling Burd | Swimming | South Carolina
Burd made her verbal commitment to swim for the Gamecocks this summer before transferring from Hilton Head Christian Academy to HHP for her senior campaign. A standout on the club circuit with H2A, Burd is strongest in the butterfly and the freestyle, and she should be able to contribute at South Carolina in both strokes. Burd claimed SCISA 3A state titles in the 200 and 500 free, winning the latter by 32 seconds, and she is even stronger at longer distances and should immediately become one of the Gamecocks’ top freestylers.
Camila Burnett | Golf | Furman
Burnett has been one of the mainstays during Hilton Head Prep’s three-year run atop SCISA 3A, earning All-State honors all three years as the Dolphins dominated the competition. Now she rejoins her sister, Sophia, a sophomore at Furman, as well as fellow Lowco product Savannah Hylton, a freshman for the Paladins. Camila Burnett was the individual champion at the 2020 SCISA 3A meet and finished third this season, and her track record on a competitive South Carolina junior circuit will have her prepared to make a splash in Greenville.
Madison Cordisco | Tennis | Elon
A native of Allison Park, Pennsylvania, Cordisco earned five-star recruit status from the Tennis Recruiting Network while training at Smith Stearns Tennis Academy. She joins a strong Elon program that went 17-5 last spring and reached the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals and returns seven players. Cordisco will benefit from the strong intrasquad competition trying to crack an excellent Phoenix lineup and have a chance to contribute to a mid-major program on the rise.
Jeffrey Etterbeek | Tennis | U.S. Naval Academy
A native of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Etterbeek trains at Smith Stearns Academy and was rated as a five-star recruit by the Tennis Recruiting Network. He will be a terrific addition to a Midshipmen program that has won three straight Patriot League titles. With seven seniors on this year’s team, Navy will need some newcomers to step up, so Etterbeek will get a chance to compete for playing time right away.
Ella Faessler | Tennis | College of Charleston
An outstanding junior player and four-star recruit according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, Faessler is a Smith Stearns Academy product who will stay in-state and play for the Cougars. Legendary coach Angelo Anastopoulo’s team is looking to bounce back from an 11-13 campaign last spring, its first losing season since 1999-2000. Faessler will join fellow Hilton Head Islander Belle Kuhnert and former Beaufort High standout McKenzie Daniel on what figures to be a young roster next year.
Akari Matsuno | Tennis | Notre Dame
A native of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Matsuno parlayed her training at Smith Stearns Academy into a five-star ranking from the Tennis Recruiting Network and an opportunity to continue her career for a Notre Dame program looking to bounce back from a rare losing season. Ranked the No. 22 recruit in the nation according to Tennis RPI, Matsuno climbed as high as No. 9 in the rankings this year and is one of two blue chip recruits to sign with the Fighting Irish.
McKenna Schaefbauer | Tennis | South Carolina
A five-star recruit out of Normal, Illinois, Schaefbauer is a Van Der Meer Tennis Academy product who was ranked as the No. 33 recruit in the country in this year’s class. Schaefbauer enjoyed great success on the national tournament circuit and earned the opportunity to stay close to her tennis home and join a Gamecocks squad that has enjoyed unprecedented success under coach Kevin Epley, who has compiled a 148-78 record since 2012, including three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.
Kathryn Schaefer | Golf | Mississippi College
Schaefer was an important piece of the Dolphins lineup that claimed a third consecutive SCISA 3A state title with a dominant performance last month, carding rounds of 82 and 83 to place 15th in the individual standings. Schaefer will have a chance to make an immediate impact on a fledgling Choctaws program that is entering its second season and competes in the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference.
Savie Seebald | Tennis | Villanova
In addition to her excellent play on the junior circuit, the Smith Stearns product earned four-star recruit status from the Tennis Recruiting Network, but she also was a standout for the Dolphins’ powerhouse team that has been a perennial state title contender in SCISA 3A. Seebald is one of three signees who will look to step in next year and buoy a Wildcats program that will lose five of its 12 players to graduation.
Sanjana Tallamraju | Tennis | Toledo
A native of Munster, Indiana, Tallamraju honed her game while training at Smith Stearns Academy and is a prized recruit for the Rockets. A four-star recruit who is ranked the No. 73 senior in the country, Tallamraju is the highest-ranked recruit in program history at Toledo, where she will join her sister, Shalini, a sophomore. Rockets coach Tracy Mauntler expects the younger Tallamraju sibling to immediately become an impact player in her new setting and strengthen a mid-major program on the rise.
Yidong (William) Wang | Golf | Savannah College of Art and Design
After four years of training at the Junior Players Golf Academy, Wang has earned the opportunity to compete for a strong NAIA program at Savannah College of Art and Design. The Bees compete in the Sun Conference, one of the top NAIA golf conferences in the country, and are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation. With four of the Bees’ 10 players set to graduate in 2022, Wang will have a chance to make a run at a spot in the lineup right away.
Olivia Wilkie | Golf | Richmond
The elder Wilkie sister has been a key contributor to back-to-back SCISA 3A state championship teams at Hilton Head Prep, and she tied for fourth in the individual standings at this year’s state meet. A native of Canada, Wilkie joins a Spiders team that placed third in the Patriot League last spring and qualified for the NCAA Division I regionals.
MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL
Bennett Roemer | Baseball | Newberry
A steady presence at second base and a tough out in the Sharks’ lineup, Roemer emerged as a reliable right-handed arm as a junior. Roemer pitched 30 innings for May River a season ago, picking up four wins and a save while racking up 44 strikeouts and a 3.50 ERA. His fastball hit 87 mph at a Perfect Game event and he has tiptoed toward 90 for the Sharks, so if he can continue to develop his secondary pitches as a senior at May River, he will eventually be a factor for a strong NCAA Division II program that hasn’t had a losing season since 2012.
James Layman | Baseball | Wofford
Layman committed to the Terriers early on and never wavered after an outstanding junior campaign as the Sharks’ leadoff man and shortstop. One of the Lowco’s best hitters, Layman batted .413 with a .511 OBP, seven doubles, and 13 RBIs. Wofford is coming off its fourth consecutive winning season and seventh in the last eight years under longtime coach Todd Interdonato. The Terriers have a number of underclassmen on the infield, so Layman will be able to develop at his own pace and prepare to step into a key role for a solid mid-major program when the time comes.
Andrew Dromsky | Lacrosse | Wingate
A standout midfielder and attacker for the Sharks, Dromsky had an excellent junior campaign, collecting 14 goals and 12 assists over 16 games. At 6-3 and 185 pounds, he has the potential to fill out his lanky frame even more and become a force in the midfield for the NCAA Division II power Bulldogs. Wingate fell short of a fourth straight South Atlantic Conference title in 2021, but they finished the season ranked fifth in NCAA D2, so Dromsky will have an opportunity to be a part of a winning program for four years after completing his May River career.
Kylie Bowes | Golf | Marshall
After a terrific career at May River that culminated with a second consecutive Class 4A team title this fall, Bowes officially became a member of the Thundering Herd on Wednesday. Bowes earned back-to-back All-State honors as a junior and senior, tying for fourth in the state meet in 2020 before notching a runner-up finish this year. Bowes will be a strong addition to Marshall’s program as it prepares to make the move to the Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2023.
BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL
Nate Hoyt | Baseball | East Tennessee State
An outfielder with a strong arm and plus speed, it’s easy to see why the Buccaneers were high on Hoyt to help strengthen a program that is coming off a rare losing season. Prep Baseball Report has Hoyt clocked running a 6.8-second 60-yard dash, which makes him a dynamic baserunner and a potential defensive whiz in center field. He struggled at the plate a bit as a junior for the Bobcats but has another season to hone his skills as a hitter before arriving at ETSU.
THOMAS HEYWARD ACADEMY
Walker Taylor | Baseball | Francis Marion
After beginning his career at May River, where he was a fixture in the lineup and at first base during the Sharks’ run to the Class 4A district championship game, Taylor transferred to Thomas Heyward for his senior campaign, creating a terrific family memory. The same coach who signed his father out of THA 25 years ago — longtime Francis Marion coach Art Inabinet — inked the younger Taylor on Wednesday. After playing his final high school season for the Rebels, Taylor will be reunited with former May River teammate Jack Hegan for the NCAA Division II Patriots.
SMITH STEARNS TENNIS ACADEMY
Aidan Lee | Tennis | Colgate
A three-star recruit according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, the Daufuskie Island resident Lee joins a Colgate program coming off a run to the Patriot League semifinals a year ago. The Smith Stearns product will join a young roster that will graduate just three seniors off this year’s squad.
David Saye | Tennis | Michigan State
The No. 29 recruit in the class of 2022 according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, the Smith Stearns superstar out of Charlotte is the cornerstone of the Spartans’ recruiting class. Saye is a five-star recruit, giving Michigan State at least one five-star signee in four straight classes as the Spartans try to elevate their status in the Big Ten.
Mia Thomann | Tennis | Williams College
A four-star recruit from Chicago, Thomann honed her skills at Smith Stearns Academy and earned an opportunity at Division III power Williams. The Ephs have won an NCAA record 10 national titles since 2001, including six straight from 2008-13, though none since 2017. Thomann will join a strong roster than includes just two seniors this season in hopes of reviving the dynasty.
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