Two young athletes who hail from St. Simons Island and graduated from Frederica Academy are celebrating some impressive summer accomplishments this year:
During the 94th playing of the Georgia State Championship, Dru Love battled through five playoff holes to beat out two other players with an 8-under-par 272 (66-67-69-60). He played against several good friends and his PGA Tour veteran father, Davis Love III, acted as his caddy and mentor. Once the 72nd hole was played, three players were tied at 8-under-par 272. In addition to Love, Greyson Sigg of Augusta (69-69-67-67) and Sean Elliott of Sandy Springs (74-69-65-64) shared the top spot on the summary sheet. These three would replay 18 as the first playoff hole, and they would remain tied over the next four extra holes. The five-hole playoff was settled when Love made a birdie to clinch the Championship.
Love was a five time state champion at Frederica Academy, capturing his first title in 8th grade. He is currently a rising junior at the University of Alabama, where he also is a member of the perennial power golf team. This victory came at the first GSGA competition Love has played in. Not a bad debut! Congratulations, Dru!
It’s estimated that approximately 25.4 million viewers tuned in to see Morgan Brian play as the youngest member of the United States Women’s National Team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. It was the most-viewed U.S. soccer game ever. Sports Illustrated took the unprecedented action of giving each one of the 23 members of the World Cup-winning squad and coach Jill Ellis their own cover, posing with the trophy. The U.S. Women’s National Team was able to do the first of its kind SI cover shoot as a team in New York where there was a ticker-tape parade in their honor.
Although this was the third World Cup win for the USWNT, this 22 year-old former Lady Knight was singled out by many media sources for making significant contributions to the team’s play in the games leading up to the final. The poise and skill that she demonstrated in the world arena as such a young player made the nation take notice and was a true source of pride for this community.
At the University of Virginia, Morgan was known as the best attacking midfielder in the game and was a back-to-back winner of the Hermann Trophy, as college soccer’s best player. She took the Cavaliers to the national championships and was also named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the World before she was the number 1 draft choice of the Houston Dash. She was recently received the 2015 Mary Garber Award, given annually to the ACC’s top female athlete. During her time at Frederica Academy, Morgan led the Lady Knights to four state championships, was named the 2011 Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year (first time a soccer player has been recognized) and 2011 National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She also captained the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Soccer Team and was its career scoring leader. Let us add our congratulations to those expressed by the rest of the nation when we say, “Way to go, Morgan! We are SO proud!”
