Photo contribution by Lexi Barry
Myers Park has a long history of creating athletes destined for greatness. Every year, a new crop of Mustang athletes graduate and head off to play at the next level of sports, and this year is no different. The Class of 2025 has six athletes, across five sports, headed to six different schools.
Lucy Curtis will be headed to The Ohio State University to play Division 1 Field Hockey for the Buckeyes. The three-year varsity goalkeeper was a captain on this year’s team, which went 12-5 overall and undefeated in conference play. Curtis also plays for the Charlotte Ambush Field Hockey Club. She officially signed to the Ohio State team last November.
Reid Heaton will also be moving to the next level of sports, as he committed last September to play Golf at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. “I’m excited to compete, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to play for a team that has such a good program, and try and do something special, win the first national championship in school history,” Heaton said. Last year, the Washington and Lee Men’s Golf program was one of the strongest in the nation, finishing the 2023-2024 season ranked 8th out of 297 teams, and Heaton will make an important addition to an already strong team.
Standout Volleyball star Lia Skufca will be headed to Princeton University to join forces with one of the strongest teams in the Ivy League conference. Skufca played with the Mustangs for all four seasons of her high school eligibility, ending with a career high school record of 64-33. She won two conference championships with the team, in her junior and senior years, and will look to continue her winning traditions at Princeton, who won their 20th Ivy League conference championship last year.
Cameron Bucci, a swimmer on the Myers Park Seastangs committed to swim at the University of Delaware this October. Bucci swam for Myers Park for all four years of his high school career, also swimming for the Aquatic Club of Mecklenburg (ATOM). Bucci has been one of Myers Park’s strongest swimmers and looks to continue his swimming career with a top-50 swimming program in the nation.
Elizabeth Rudisill will play golf at Vanderbilt next year. The standout player who led the Myers Park team is also currently ranked third#3 in the American Junior Golf Association girl’s rankings. Rudisill has already made the cut for an LPGA event, competing in the FM Championship last September in Boston. At Vanderbilt, she will look to develop what has already proved to be an outstanding career and continue to dominate on the course.
Emerson Sule with Women’s Lacrosse will head to Wingate University to continue her athletic career with the Bulldogs. Sule has been a standout with the team for three years so far and will be looking to finish her high school career strong with one final lacrosse season. With the Division II Bulldogs, she will look to help Wingate remain a strong perennial contender for the South Atlantic Conference Championships.
Finally, Thomas Price will play Golf at Berry College in Georgia next year with the Vikings. “[I’m excited] to make the lineup and be a part of the team,” Price said. When asked about his favorite memory of playing high school golf, he reflected on his teammates and coaches. “Just the traveling with the team and making relationships, it’s less the golf, more the relationships you make. My relationship with Coach Lockwood, which has been really good to have.” Berry was one of the strongest Division III men’s golf programs last year and ended the season ranking 20th nationally.
All of these outstanding Mustang athletes will look to continue their athletic careers at some of the strongest college sports programs in the nation. Their hard work and dedication throughout their high school sports careers has paid off, and they will all be valuable members of their respective teams.
Note: After the time of this writing, Jared Lockhart (Jackson State University), Elijah Barber (Catawba College), and MauriAngelo Skanes (Emory and Henry University) all committed to play football at thier respective schools. This article does not include athletes who signed after 2/4/2025. We would like to congratulate all our fantastic Mustang athletes on their accomplishments.