McBee’s Hanna McLeod Named “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month McBee — Hanna McLeod is a senior and tennis player at McBee High, where she has been team captain and this year she made it to state for her singles play. She started playing tennis in the eighth grade and the last two years her team made the playoffs, including winning the regional title in her junior year. In the classroom, she carries a 5.294 GPA and after high school, she does look to continue playing tennis but as a club sport at the college level. Her focus to earn degree in Public Health from the University of South Carolina.  For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, McLeod has been chosen the “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors and guidance counselors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The ”NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. McLeod started taking classes as a dual enrolled high school student her sophomore year. So far, she’s completed eight classes including US History, Algebra, English Composition, Computer technology, and Public Speaking. “Taking online courses through NETC has acclimatized me to the college level workload and it’s giving me a good idea of how much work I’ll have to do at college,” said McLeod. She continued, about it being a “good experience with NETC, the professors are nice and they respond to my questions via email.” She went on to explain that she is “trying to take many of the required classes that aren’t core classes for my degree and that should help tremendously so I can get ahead in my studies.” When asked about managing her time to balance two school loads, sports, and life, McLeod said, I utilize every opportunity to get my NETC work done and use my study hall wisely, then I can finish other work after practice, games, and once home.” When asked about a favorite memory from her playing time on the tennis court, McLeod reflected about a player from Darlington High School, they were closely ranked and played each other many times. “In our very last match, we were playing close each set, and it went to tie break. I won.”

McBee’s Alex Bergman Named “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month  McBee — Alex Bergman is a junior and two-sport athlete at McBee High, where he was a designated hitter during the Baseball playoffs leading up to McBee earning the SCHSL Class A State Championship trophy, plus he is plays on the Basketball team.. Bergman, who is a Pitcher and plays first base, readily admits baseball is his favorite sport and started playing the game when he was first able to join t-ball teams . Last season, his held a .308 batting average. He also enjoys basketball which he started playing it in the seventh grade. In the classroom he carries a 5.080 GPA and he has a strong desire to play baseball at the next level if presented the opportunity. His two favorite schools for continuing his education after next year are University of South Carolina and Duke. For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Bergman has been chosen the “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors and guidance counselors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The ”NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Bergman started taking classes as a dual enrolled high school student his freshman year. He completed several courses offered by the NETC so far. Courses he’s taken include English 101, Public Speaking, US History, Macro Economics and two Biology classes. He says he plans to continue taking NETC classes this year and again during his senior year. “Taking online courses through NETC has really helped me get used to the difference in workload at the high school level and college level. This is really preparing me for that next step up,” said Bergman. He continued saying. it’s been a good experience with NETC. “It’s different than in-person classes with a teach leading the lecture, but it works better for me as I learn best by reading information or watching videos.” Bergman said, “I’m pretty sure I’ve mapped it out right and taking these NETC courses should significantly reduce my college class load.” He says he’s still undecided about a college major but after college he plans to attend law school. He credits the NETC classes for helping him be better prepared and honed his time management skills. “School work is the priority, I try to do as much as I can during the school day, then after practice and when I get home, I’ll finish whatever is not done.” When asked about a favorite memory from his play either on the diamond or the court, Bergman says, “it has to be our 2025 State Championship run and in the final game, I’d been the DH all series, we have the lead, and at this point I’m in the dugout watching the other team’s batters as we get down to the final out for the game. The batter hits a strong ground ball to our third baseman who fields it and then makes the throw to first base for the final out, thus giving us the State Title.”

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photography Editor  Bennettsville — Sumner McLaurin is a senior who plays volleyball and soccer at Marlboro Academy . McLaurin said she started playing volleyball in the seventh grade, which is her favorite sport, and she also began playing soccer in the 9 th grade. Being a two-sport student athlete, McLaurin said,” My favorite part is being on a team with friends.” After high school, she plans to focus on education, and she will pursue a degree in health sciences. Her first choice for college is Clemson and possibly playing at the club sport level. Taking two classes from two schools, plus sports, she had this to say about making it work; “It helps me with planning my study time, and practice time,” she said. “Taking online courses from the “NETC” helped me to develop my time management skills.” McLaurin’s has done well managing academics and athletics in her life and she currently carries a 5.220 GPA. For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, McLaurin has been chosen the “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The “NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Currently, McLaurin is enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. She started taking classes in her junior year. She has already completed many basic requirements for her freshman year of college like Spanish and English. She says she took Music Appreciation first to get an idea about the online learning experience. When asked about how the “NETC” experience helped prepare her for the next step in her education, she said, “Taking NETC classes helped my communications skills with my professors, and introduced me to the stricter schedule of college and to complete the work on time. “The class experience with NETC was good and I have really good professors,” said McLaurin. “They helped me learn how to prepare my assignments, follow the discussion boards, and improve my ability to communicate at the college level. By taking these NETC online classes I will be well ahead towards my major in college.” With all the demands for her time, between academics, sports, plus family and friends, McLaurin said, “Setting priorities is a must; school first, Marlboro Academy classes, practice, NETC classes are next, then making time for family and friends. It helps that a lot of my friends are on the volleyball team.” Nearly have way through her senior year, McLaurin was asked to reflect on a memorable moment she had experienced in sports. “At senior night, we played Lee Academy, and the game was about the great teamwork and friends on the team. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and sportsmanship of team play this season.”

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photography Editor Bennettsville — Beckham Jacobs is a senior four-sport athlete at Marlboro Academy, where he earned all-region honors and All State honors this past baseball season. He just finished competing at the SCISA State Cross Country meet and he also played on the boys Volleyball team. He is looking forward to the start of basketball season, and in the Spring, he will participate in baseball. As a student athlete, he ran on the Marlboro Academy Cross Country team this year, played on the inaugural boys’ volleyball team, and looks forward to the basketball season. In the Spring, baseball will close out his high school athletic career. When asked about a favorite sport, Jacobs said, “Baseball is my favorite since I starting played T-Ball when I was big enough to swing a bat,” he said. Last season he earned All Region and All State honors playing baseball. “This was our first year having a boys volleyball team and that was fun also.” In terms of the opportunity to play baseball at the next level, Jacobs replied, “If the opportunity arises that would be great.” In the classroom, he carries a 4.5 GPA, and he plans to major in Electrical Engineering at the University of South Carolina.  For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Jacobs has been chosen the “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The” NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Jacobs is currently enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. He started taking classes after a conversation with his sister who took advantage of the NETC program when she was in high school. “She recommended I can take classes now, for dual credit, because I’ll have to take them at some point,” said Jacobs. He plans to continue taking dual credit classes next semester, and has already completed English 101 and 102, plus a Personal Finance class and Public Speaking. When asked about managing his time to be successful academically and in sports, Jacobs had this to say; “Time management can be hectic, but you just have to plan ahead and stick to you your schedule,” he said. “With so many time commitments between school, sports, and having a social life, time management is very important. “It may look a little hectic, but plan ahead and take it as it comes,” said Jacobs. “This way, you can stay ahead.” He went on to say this about the classes he’s taken, “Hopefully, this will knock out a few freshman classes, and the Public Speaking is really helping me with my ability to communicate. “Taking online courses through the “NETC” I feel like I am being prepared for what my actual experiences could be once I get to college,” said Jacobs. “I am really enjoying the two online courses I am involved with right now, and I plan on taking two more online courses from the “NETC” next semester.” Getting back to sports, when asked about a favorite memory, Jacobs noted that even with baseball as his favorite sport, the standout memory is this year’s Cross Country meet, partly because he last ran Cross Country in the sixth grade and did not have any expectations for this season. He noted, “In the state championship, I wasn’t expecting this, but I posted a personal best for the three-mile with a 16th place time of 20.50 time. That was special for me to do that at State.”

Chesterfield Senior Kathryn Johnson is the NETC Female Student Athlete of the Month for August..

Chesterfield Junior OL, Marquan Blount is the August NETC Male Student Athlete of the Month.

Lake View’s Kaylynn Turner Named “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month Lake View — Kaylynn Turner is a senior who plays softball and volleyball at Lake View High School . Turner said she started playing volleyball in the seventh grade, but softball is her favorite sport, which she started playing in the 9 th grade. On the volleyball court, she played all around as a utility player and played left field in softball. Being a two-sport student athlete brought opportunities. Turner says this about team play, “My favorite part is being on a team with friends, forming new friendships, and the support from family.” In the classroom, she carries a 4.07 GPA, and she says that after high school she plans to major in Exercise Science with an end goal of a career in Occupational Therapy, or as an athletic trainer. While she has not ruled out continuing softball at the next level, if she gets that opportunity, her favorites teams are Coastal Carolina , USC , and Florence Darlington Tech .  For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, Turner has been chosen the “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits, in various subjects, that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The NETC is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2024-25 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Currently, Turner is enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. She already completed many basic requirements for her freshman year of college. She has focused on taking key classes for her major, like Medical Terminology, History, and Spanish. She added that she “already took care of many first-year classes and hopefully this puts me a semester ahead when I start college.”. When asked about what NETC did to help her, Turner said it “helped her develop important time management skills, especially while playing sports, attending high school, and taking college level classes online through the NETC. “Dual-enrollment classes really taught me the difference between in-person classes, versus online classes which prepared me for what’s I should experience in in college,” said Turner. When asked about the online class experience, Turner said the experience was a “confidence boost” that enhanced her time management skills. “The online classes were doable when I thought they weren’t,” she said. “Before taking online classes, I was more of a procrastinator, and I learned to be more on top of my work.” Turner recalled her favorite time playing softball “In the first game of the lower state playoffs this past season, I played a long ball off the fence and I was able to throw it back to the infield and we got the lead runner out.”

Lake View’s Kason Herlong Named “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month  Lake View — Kason Herlong is a senior two-sport athlete at Lake View High School , where he earned all-region honors in two seasons as the starting quarterback on the football team. He was recently named the Class A Baseball Player of the Year by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association and Herlong has signed a baseball scholarship to attend North Greenville College . He has also earned Class A all-state honors in baseball by the “The High School Sports Report” for the past three seasons. Herlong batted .418 with two home runs and 17 RBI’s this past season. On the mound he was 7-1 with 80 strike-outs in 50.1 innings of work. He had a .556 ERA also. Of the two sports, Herlong favors baseball. Baseball is a sport he has played since he was first enrolled in T-Ball. Herlong was also chosen to represent Lake View in the 2025 North-South all-star baseball game. He has a very bright future ahead of him in the sport of baseball. In the classroom he carries a 5.23 GPA. He has been taking dual credit online courses through the NETC since he started the ninth grade. Just a sample of his completed college course work includes College Algebra, Biology, English 1, English 2, Computing, and Economics. For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Herlong has been chosen the “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The ”NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2024-25 school year to students in the three counties they serve. With his high diploma earned, and numerous college level courses completed with NETC, Herlong should start college as a sophomore when he reports to campus at the end of the summer. He plans to major in Accounting in college. “Taking NETC online courses had a huge impact, including being better at prioritizing my time,” said Herlong. “How you do one thing, is how you do everything. And it helps keep me focused on meeting priorities and deadlines in both academics and athletics,” said Herlong. When asked about the impact on starting his collegiate career, he commented, “By taking these online classes now, I’ve got extra credits completed to put me one step ahead. I’ve been very blessed to have this opportunity.” Herlong said that while baseball is his favorite sport, he also enjoyed playing football. As a two-sport athlete in high school, and dual enrolled for online college classes through the NETC, he feels better prepared to meet the challenges ahead of him as a student athlete at North Greenville University. Herlong has a favorite memory from his baseball career. ”This season, we won against Latta for the Lower State Championship,” he said. “Last season, we got beat by Latta for the lower state championship. We came back this season and turned that around by beating them twice on their field. Those two wins advanced the team to play for a State Championship.”

Ben Milligan is a senior two-sport athlete at Marlboro Academy.