Like all aspects of life, college athletics has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in scholarship levels, recruiting rules and academics at every level. Despite these challenges, graduates of the Congaree Global Golf Initiative have continued to thrive in the classroom and on the course.
Seventeen students from the high school class of 2021 will begin their collegiate golf careers this season with student-athletes signing on to compete at schools all across the country. Two graduates will be attending the College of Charleston, giving CGGI a presence on both the school’s men’s and women’s teams. The pipeline from Ridgeland to Boca Raton, FL is continuing with Kaleb Palm becoming the third CGGI graduate to attend Florida Atlantic University. Several students also signed on to compete at Big 12 Conference schools, with Calum Scott joining Texas Tech University and Olivia McCrystal joining the University of Cincinnati, which will become part of the conference in the next few years.
The full list of collegiate golfers from the class of 2021 is below.
Additionally, a number of CGGI graduates have received academic scholarships to attend some of America’s top universities. Harrison Hutchings has enrolled at the University of Michigan, which was recently ranked the No. 3 public school by U.S. News & World Report. Hutchings, who attended CGGI in 2018, also received the prestigious Chick Evans Scholarship. Ben Nganga, who attended CGGI virtually in 2020, earned a scholarship to attend Indiana University, which is also ranked among the top public colleges in the country.
Because of the challenges posed by COVID-19, a number of international students are continuing to have discussions with college coaches with the aim of enrolling in 2022.
Congratulations to all of these students for their outstanding accomplishments. The full list of CGGI graduates, as well as their college destinations, is available at https://congareefoundation.org/congaree-global-golf-initiative-directory/.
