Recipients of 2023-24 Endowed Scholarships Announced
COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina Athletics announced today the recipients of 23 endowed scholarships across seven sports and the cheer team. Recipients for endowed scholarships are selected each year by the team’s head coach or department head.
The 2023-24 recipients of endowed scholarships are:
Baseball
The Curtis H. and Lisa B. Dickerson Endowed Baseball Scholarship – Ethan Petry
The Ken Rosefield Family Endowed Scholarship – Gavin Casas
The Charles & Katherine Wilson Endowed Scholarship – Cole Messina
The Elizabeth A. Phibbs Endowed Baseball Scholarship – Eli Jones
The Mike Addy Family Endowed Scholarship – Talmadge LeCroy
The Jane and Randy Senn Endowed Scholarship – Matthew Becker
Men’s Basketball
The Mac Credille Men’s Basketball Manager Endowed Scholarship – Ben Siskind
Women’s Basketball
The Aleighsa Welch Endowed Scholarship – Te-Hina Paopao
The A’ja Wilson Endowed Scholarship – Kamilla Cardoso
Football
The Tommy Suggs Endowed Quarterback Scholarship – Luke Doty
The Wraellen and Larry Winn Endowed Scholarship – Josh Simon
The Ed Pitts Defensive Tackle Endowed Scholarship – Tonka Hemingway
The Mozingo Family Endowed Football Scholarship – Dakereon Joyner
The Jake Janus Walk-On Football Endowed Scholarship – King Ford
The Williams-Brice-Edwards Charitable Trust Endowed Scholarship – O’Donnell Fortune
The Marcus Lattimore Endowed Scholarship – Hunter Rogers
Bennett Barnhill Endowed Scholarship – Kai Kroger
Women’s Golf
The Kenneth T. Lytle Endowed Scholarship – Louise Rydqvist
Men’s Soccer
The John P. Salamone Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Adam Luckhurst
The Mark Berson Endowed Scholarship – Connor Bailey
Track & Field
The Schreiber Family Endowed Scholarship – Dillon McCarthy
Cheer
The Justin Edward Cannon Scholarship – Ella Froedge
The Jamey Elizabeth Collins Scholarship – Gabby Blankenship, Mackenzie Buffo, Anna Cochran, Jaelyn Davis, Gwen Grondin, Nicole Kelly, Cal Kraft, Kayla Manning, Hannah Martin
From the baseball team, Ethan Petry was a First Team All-American and a First Team All-SEC selection while breaking Carolina’s freshman home run and RBI record in 2023. Gavin Casas belted 19 home runs and drove in 56 runs while starting 61 games at first base his first season as a Gamecock. Cole Messina was a First Team All-SEC selection and an All-America honoree while hitting .307 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI. Eli Jones made 22 appearances on the mound and had four wins and a 3.95 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched. Talmadge LeCroy played 55 games for Carolina in 2023 and had 39 runs scored with 42 RBI while being named to the NCAA Columbia Regional All-Tournament Team. Matthew Becker made 18 appearances with 11 starts and had 71 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched with four wins.
Ben Siskind is a senior from Port Washington, N.Y. that is in his third season as a manager with the men’s basketball program. He’s a part of the team’s three-manager, travel crew, aiding in all logistical and equipment operations. Siskind is a sport and entertainment management major and aspires to work in basketball after graduating.
Women’s basketball senior transfer Te-Hina Paopao was a three-time All-Pac-12 performer at Oregon before joining the Gamecocks. She is among the SEC’s top 3-point shooters, hitting 58.8 percent from beyond the arc to rank 37th in the nation. She is third on the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game. Senior center Kamilla Cardoso is the Gamecocks’ leading scorer (15.7 ppg) and rebounder (11.7 rpg). She is 10th in the nation with 3.0 blocks per game, and her rebounding average ranks 20th.
For football, Luke Doty is the ultimate team player. He serves as the team’s No. 2 quarterback but has been used more at wide receiver this season where he’s caught 11 passes for 109 yards, including his first touchdown reception. Joshua Simon is a graduate transfer from Western Kentucky, playing in his first season with the Gamecocks. He has appeared in every game as a tight end and ranks fourth on the squad in pass receptions. Tonka Hemingway is a stalwart along the defensive line. The senior from Conway, S.C., leads the team in quarterback hurries and scored his first career touchdown as a running back in the win over Jacksonville State. Dakereon Joyner epitomizes what it is to be a Gamecock. The versatile performer began his career as a quarterback, moved to wide receiver and has spent his senior season at running back where he leads the team in rushing touchdowns. For every touchdown he scores, Joyner donates money to a non-profit organization or charity to inspire others and make a difference in people’s lives. King-Demenian Ford is a local product from Blythewood, S.C., who began his career as a walk-on, but has become one of the standout performers on South Carolina’s special teams. O’Donnell Fortune parlayed an impressive TaxSlayer Gator Bowl performance, which included a 100-yard “pick-six”, into a starting role in his junior campaign. The team’s top cover corner, Fortune leads the squad in interceptions this season and has four picks in his career. Hunter Rogers was a preseason All-SEC selection as a long snapper and was named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list as one of the nation’s top snappers. He scored his first career touchdown in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame. Senior Kai Kroeger has handled the punting duties since his arrival on campus. A 2022 All-American, Kroeger ranks second in school history in punting average and has also completed 7-of-8 career passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
Two-time golf All-American Louise Rydqvist is having her best season to date, leading the team with a 70.73 scoring average in four fall events and finishing in the top 20 in each of those tournaments. She earned a sponsor exemption into The ANNIKA on the LPGA Tour after picking up the win in the season-opening ANNIKA Intercollegiate in September. Rydqvist has 16 top-20 finishes in 24 career starts for the Gamecocks.
Each of the last two men’s soccer seasons, Adam Luckhurst has led the men’s soccer team in goals. This season he was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team. On the pitch Conner Bailey has played in 32 matches in his three seasons with the Gamecock, while in the classroom he holds a 3.95 GPA majoring in biological sciences.
Pole vaulter Dillon McCarthy captured two victories in the pole vault during the 2023 indoor track season, claiming gold at the Gamecock Opener and the Carolina Challenge. McCarthy really broke through during the outdoor season, making his way to the NCAA East Regional. The South Carolina senior placed fifth at the SEC Outdoor Championship when he cleared a new personal best height of 5.30m (17-4.5) for the fifth best outdoor mark in Gamecock history.
For more information on endowing a scholarship, please contact Wayne Hiott, Assoc. AD for Development, at 803-777-3271.
