The Fort Mill High School athletic department had its final signing group of the year with 15 student athletes making their choice for college known.
The 15 athletes represented nine different sports and included volleyball, baseball, cheerleading, equestrian, swimming, soccer, golf, cross country, and dance. Volleyball and swimming had three athletes each to sign, while cheerleading and soccer had two athletes to sign.
“I know you all will represent Fort Mill High School well,” said Fort Mill High principal Zach Beam.
For volleyball, Tori Boling signed with Emory and Henry University in Virginia. She played for three years at the school and is an All-Region selection. She had 229 kills, 183 digs and 33 saves in her senior season.
Gabi Garabedian will be heading to Newberry College to continue her volleyball career. He has been on the varsity squad the past two and a half seasons and is a two-time team captain. This past season, she had 32 aces, 194 digs and 289 assists.
Nyla Snipes will be playing volleyball for Francis Marion University. She has been on the varsity team for three seasons. She has played seven years of club volleyball.
There were one female swimmer and two male swimmers sign for Fort Mill. Olivia Corbi signed to swim at UNC-Wilmington. A three-time All-State swimmer, Corbi helped to guide Fort Mill girls swim team to back-to-back state championships. She is a former 5A state swimmer of the year and won seven state championships – three individual titles and four relay titles.
Jack Dollyhigh will be going to the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York to swim and is a three-time All-State swimmer. He helped to guide Fort Mill to a state swim championship for the boys this past season and is a state champion as part of the 400-yard free relay.
Cade Wolf will be going to Berry College in Georgia to swim. He was a member of the 2023 state championship boys swim team for Fort Mill. He is an All-Region swimmer and three-time state qualifier.
Fort Mill head swim coach Cindy Van Buskirk said she was both proud and impressed.
“I am impressed with where they are going,” she said. “I am proud of where they chose to go. I think they each are going to teams where they are going to be successful.”
Both soccer players were recently part of the Fort Mill boys’ soccer state championship team that won the 5A title about two weeks ago. Preston Shivel will be heading to Ferrum College in Virginia. He is a three-time All-Region player and three-year captain for the Jackets team.
Braden Gritz will be heading to the College of Charleston to play soccer. He will be playing in the Clash of the Carolinas All-Star game and has led Fort Mill in most goals scored over the past three seasons. He is a two-time All-State selection. This past season he scored 11 goals and assisted on five others.
“I am so excited for them,” said Fort Mill head soccer coach Mark Seren. “It is a big loss for us on both sides (of the ball). I am happy for us to see them go to the next level.”
Two cheerleaders are heading to the ACC and SEC respectively. Jackson Chamberlain will be heading to Clemson to cheer. He has been a competitive dancer for the past decade and competed as a team member at Center Stage Dance Academy.
Caitlyn Nijoka will be heading to the University of Kentucky to cheer. She is a four-year varsity cheerleader for Fort Mill and helped them to place in the top 10 in the state for three of the past four seasons. She is a five-time National Cheerleading Association champion and has been an All-Star cheerleader for 14 years.
Rayce Buskirk was the lone baseball player to sign as he will be heading to Coker University. Buskirk played varsity baseball for two seasons and will be playing in the North-South All-Star game. He pitched 44 innings this year in 15 appearances and had a 5-1 record. He struck out 46 batters and finished the season with a 2.06 ERA.
Izzy Miserendino will be running cross-country at USC-Upstate. She helped to lead Fort Mill to five region and county titles and helped to lead Fort Mill to a state championship in 2023. She has also received multiple All-Region awards while running for the Jackets.
David Harrigan will be heading to Spartanburg Methodist College to play golf. He was a two-time varsity letter winner for Fort Mill and a former All-Region player. He also competed in the S.C. Junior Golfers Association over the past four years.
Ava Wade will be heading to Clemson to be a part of their dance team. She has danced competitively for the past six years at Miller Street Dance Academy. She has placed in the top three in four consecutive years while competing for state titles in North Carolina. She will be a part of the Clemson Rally Cat Dance Team in college.
Ella Collins will be going to the College of Charleston and participate in equestrian competitions for the Cougars. She has ridden since she was 8-years-old and has qualified for national competitions while in high school. She has won championships and ribbons in the Tryon International Equestrian Center and the World Equestrian Center in Florida.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
