John Clayton
The five student-athletes who signed to play college sports are: Maxie Riese (lacrosse/Erskine), Luke Fetchko (baseball/Guilford Tech), Elizabeth Standridge (softball/Laurel University), Kenny Rado (soccer/Erskine) and Abby Farr (volleyball/Jacksonville (Ala.) State.
John Clayton
Elizabeth Standridge signed to play softball at Laurel University.
John Clayton
Kenny Rado signed to play soccer at Erskine.
John Clayton
Abby Farr signed a grant-in-aid to play volleyball/ at Jacksonville (Ala.) State.
The group included Abby Farr (volleyball/Jacksonville (Ala.) State, Luke Fetchko (baseball/Guilford Tech), Maxie Riese (Lacrosse/Erskine), Kenny Rado (soccer/Erskine) and Liz Standridge (softball/Laurel University).
Abby Farr
Farr will be joining the Gamecocks – just not the ones usually referred to in this area.
She signed with Jacksonville State University in Alabama, joining the Gamecocks of the Ohio Valley Conference.
“I just really liked it; it’s not too far and not too close,” Farr said.
Farr, who played the libero position at Riverside, will fill the same role for the Gamecocks.
She said she plans to major in business at Jacksonville State.
Luke Fetchko
Fetchko is hoping his next two years at Guilford (N.C.) Technical College will serve as an audition for NCAA Division I programs.
“When you go to a two-year school, you get a lot more of an opportunity as opposed to just sitting and waiting until you’re a junior or senior,” said the Warriors outfielder and leadoff hitter.
Fetchko said several Division I programs showed interest in him, but none came through with scholarship offers, something a couple of good seasons at Guilford could change.
As a senior, Fetchko hit .328 with a .474 on-base percentage from the lead-\off spot. He also won the Warrior Cup, given to the team’s highest-rated offensive player as a sophomore and a senior.
Maxie Riese
Riese said joining the Riverside girls lacrosse team as a sophomore was one of the best decisions of her young life.
“I was going back and forth between schools, but I really wanted to play lacrosse in college,” Riese said. “I went and talked to (Erskine Head Coach Scott Gillerault), and he was super-cool. It just clicked when I went there.”
Riese, a defenseman, will be one of 13 incoming freshmen to join the Flying Fleet for next season.
She said she plans to study to become a physical therapist.
Kenny Rado
A visit to Erskine’s Due West campus and a practice with the Flying Fleet soccer team made Rado’s mind up for him.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play in college,” Rado said. “I liked all the players and the coach, and I decided that was the place I needed to be.”
Rado was an all-region performer for the Warriors as a sophomore and led the team in assists in each of his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
He expects to play at right fullback for Erskine and plans to major in business marketing or finance.
Liz Standridge
Standridge signed Tuesday with a program that has yet to play its first game.
Laurel University, a small Bible college in High Point, N.C., will play its inaugural softball season next academic year with Standridge as one of its cornerstones.
“I’m excited, I really am,” said Standridge. “I’m ready to bring my A-game and bring it to the team. I want to be good, and I want my team to be good.”
The opportunity to play softball while attending a Christian school and earning a degree in Christian counseling made Laurel an easy choice for Standridge.
“I met some of the girls on the team, and we just clicked automatically,” she said. “I felt like this was just a home for me.”
See Luke Fetchko and Maxie Riese signing pictures here.