<p style="text-align: left;"><em>Photo above: Bluffton American Legion Post 205 extends its thanks the Bluffton Fire Department and the many local merchants for contributing to the success of the 11th Annual Legion Golf Tournament. With their contributions the legion was able to raise monies to help many community charitable causes. Shown here is Erich Schmid of the American Legion and the Honor Guard of the Bluffton Fire Department.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>GOLF</b></span></p>
<b>Legends at Parris Island </b><b>earn international award </b>

The Legends Golf Course at Parris Island earned the Golf Environment Organization's certification recently, becoming the first military golf course to do so worldwide.

Certified facilities are recognized for their commitment to the protection of nature, efficient use of resources and providing positive community value.

The Golf Environment Organization is an international nonprofit dedicated to maximizing the use of clean energy, improving wildlife, air and water quality and pollution control throughout the golf industry.

"We are proud to collaborate with community initiatives that benefit (not only) our facility but also the Lowcountry destination that is known for golf and prioritizing care of the natural environment," said Andy Hinson, the course's director.

The course is also part of a wider sustainability in golf initiative in the Hilton Head Island area, joining 14 other local golf clubs working together on a collective sustainability in golf initiative.

<b>United Way’s golf tourney deemed success</b>

<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/united-way-golf.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-30242"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30242" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/united-way-golf.jpg" alt="united-way-golf" width="5184" height="3456" /></a>

United Way of the Lowcountry recently held its 16th Annual Golf Invitational presented by Dividend Assets Capital LLC at Secession Golf Club.

Proceeds from the tournament help further the mission of United Way of the Lowcountry by supporting partner agency grants, early grade reading initiative called Read Indeed and much more. Golfers from all over participated in the annual event. Kinghorn Insurance won the tournament and got to fire off the cannon.

Sponsors included Dividend Assets Capital LLC, Hargray, Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Secession Golf Club.

<b>Clemson finishes 10th </b><b>at Nike Golf Collegiate</b>

Carson Young and Bluffton native Bryson Nimmer both had top 25 finishes to lead Clemson to a 10th place final standing at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational at famed Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The 15-team event included 12 of the top 25 teams in the nation, including seven of the top 10.

Clemson finished with an 869 team score on the par 70 course, just three shots more than No. 1-ranked Texas.

Vanderbilt won the tournament with a one under par team score of 839, one shot ahead of the University of Florida. Clemson had team scores of 286-292 and 291 over the three days and 54 holes.

Nimmer had the best score of the final day for the Tigers with a two over par 72. Young had a 73 in the final round.  Both players finished in a tie for 21st with scores of 214, four over par.

Freshman Doc Redman and junior Josh Fickes, a Beaufort native, had final round scores of 73. Redman finished 40th in the field of 75 players with a 220 score, while Fickes finished 52nd with a 224 score.  Freshman William Nottingham had a final round 77 to finish with a 225 score.

Larry Penley’s sixth-ranked Tigers will now have three weeks off before competing in the U.S. Collegiate in Alpharetta, Georgia October 21-23.

<b>Sophia Burnett wins </b><b>Lady Patriot Invitational</b>

Bluffton High School girls' golfer Sophia Burnett shot a 2-under part 70 to win the Lady Patriot Invitational at Wescott Plantation on Oct. 3.

The event's medalist, Burnett fared well throughout the tournament, which featured numerous high school girls' golf squads. In all, 16 different girls' high school golf teams competed in the tournament.

Camila Burnett turned in Bluffton's second-best score, firing an 81 for the Bobcats.

Following Camila Burnett, Kayla McIntyre shot an 86 for  Bluffton during the tournament. As a team, Bluffton placed seventh with a team score of 339.

The Bluffton girls' golf team is closing in on postseason competition.

<b>Hilton Head Island </b><b>wins Region 8-4A title</b>

Hilton Head Island beat Beaufort High to win the Region 8-4A girls' golf championship at Lady's Island Country Club on Sept.14.

Leading Hilton Head Island to the title-clinching victory, Emma Hayward shot an 84.

Directly behind Hayward for Hilton Head Island, Madeline Prince fired an 89.

Another Hilton Head High golfer, Morgan Caramello, contributed a 99 in the winning effort.

The Seahawks won convincingly. As a team, Hilton Head Island shot a 380, finishing 30 strokes ahead of the Beaufort High girls' golf team, a longtime rival.

Following Hurricane Matthew, neither girls' high school golf squad had much time to prepare for the regional event.

Ashley Taylor paced Beaufort High with a 92. Finishing second behind Taylor for the Eagles, Izzy Stone added a 95.

High school golf teams from throughout the area and around the state are taking to courses for postseason competition in hope of claiming championships.

The Class 4A Lower State Girls' Golf Tournament was scheduled for Hartsville Country Club. Following Hurricane Matthew, the tournament was moved to Hartsville Country Club from Port Royal's Barony Golf Course.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>SAILING</b></span></p>
<b>Sailing regatta to be </b><b>held Oct. 29 </b>

The Dataw Island Yacht Club is hosting the Dataw Island Cup sailing regatta on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The 22-mile long race will start at about 11:30 a.m. on the Coosaw River near the Brickyards, proceed down the Coosaw River to St. Helena Sound, then head up the Morgan River to finish at the Dataw Island Marina.

The regatta is open to mono hull sailboats that are at least 18-feet LOA. The US Sailing PHRF rating system will be used to determine boat handicaps. Boats will be divided into two groups based on PHRF ratings with the one boat from either group with the fastest corrected time being the overall winner of the Data Cup.

Registration is $35 per boat and forms are available at www.Datawyachtclub.com.

There will also be a welcoming party and Skippers Meeting at the Gazebo (next to Dataw Marine) on Dataw Island at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>COLLEGE FOOTBALL</b></span></p>
<b>Pinckney majoring in justice studies</b>

Whale Branch Early College High School graduate Nyles Pinckney is majoring in justice studies at Clemson University. Pinckney enrolled in Clemson University in January and is a member of the undefeated Tiger football team.

A standout defensive lineman, Pinckney rated as high as the No. 79 prospect in the nation in high school by Tom Lemming. He rated as the No. 196 prospect in the nation and the No. 2 overall prospect in South Carolina by Rivals. Pinckney rated No. 261 in the nation and No. 4 player in South Carolina by ESPN.

He had an outstanding senior season with 72 tackles, 20 tackles for losses, four sacks, six caused fumbles, three recovered fumbles, two blocked punts and two defensive touchdowns in 2015. Pinckney posted 98 tackles, 27 tackles for losses, nine sacks, blocked three field goals, 10 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries as a junior. The productive Pinckney had 91 tackles, 16 tackles for losses and seven sacks as a sophomore.

Pinckney narrowed his college choice to Clemson and South Carolina.

The Beaufort native played for Jerry Hatcher at Whale Branch High School. Pinckney was recruited by Clemson's Tony Elliott and Dan Brooks.
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>MEN'S COLLEGE </b><b>CROSS COUNTRY</b></p>
<b>Shaughnessy in first season </b><b>with Clemson CC program</b>

Hilton Head Island High School graduate Danny Shaughnessy is in his first season with the Clemson University cross country program. Shaughnessy is majoring in mechanical engineering.

As a prep runner, Shaughnessy helped the Hilton Head Island High School Cross Country program to win the 2014 and 2015 AAA state titles and the 2016 AAA track championship. He was the 2015 AAA state champion in the 800 meters. Shaughnessy holds the Hilton Head Island High School record in the 800.

An All-State competitor in the 1600 and 4x800 relay, Shaugnessy was coached by Max Mayo and Bill Wrightson in high school.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL</b></span></p>
<b>Beaufort Academy </b><b>drops home game </b>

Beaufort Academy dropped a home game to Coastal Christian Prep in its latest outing. Visiting Coastal Christian Prep pulled away to beat the Eagles 52-43 on  Oct. 14, winning a shootout in a high school football matchup.

With the loss, Beaufort Academy slipped to 2-5. The Eagles are 1-2 in the region.

Coastal Christian Prep evened its record to 3-3 with the win. Productive Coastal Christian Prep boasts a 1-0 region record.

The Eagles, who are under the direction of head coach Scott Richards, were scheduled to visit Andrew Jackson Academy on Oct. 7.

Beaufort Academy has additional regular season games remaining versus Charleston Collegiate and Ridge Christian Academy.

Hurricane Matthew halted high school football programs from taking to the field for regular season games earlier in the month and the week of Oct. 9.

The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) approved a second extension of the regular season. Now, playoffs would begin Nov. 18 with the state championship games set for Dec. 17 and 18 in Columbia.

Both Beaufort Academy and Thomas Heyward were able to play football games on Friday, Oct. 14.

Several area high school football teams are scheduled to return to the gridiron for regular season games on Friday, Oct. 21.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>HIGH SCHOOL </b><b>SWIMMING</b></span></p>
<b>Hilton Head Christian </b><b>runner-up in SCISA</b>

The Hilton Head Christian Academy girls' swim team finished runner-up in the SCISA State Swim Championship at the Augusta Aquatic Center on Sept.15.

Hilton Head Christian Academy, a team which features only five members, amassed 141.5 points in the state meet, finishing only 1.5 points behind Spartanburg Day, a squad with 14 swimmers.

All five Hilton Head Christian Academy swimmers excelled during the state meet. Senior captain Ashley Weaver helped to lead Hilton Head Christian Academy throughout the state event. Weaver, Audrey Robinson (junior), Grace Hilton (freshman) and Sterling Burd (seventh grader) claimed gold medals in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

Hilton placed first in the 100-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard backstroke. Weaver finished second in the 200-yard individual medley and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke for the Eagles. Burd and Robinson both placed third and fourth in individual events: the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle, and 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle.

Another Hilton Head Christian Academy seventh-grader, Nika Cummings, finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle.

The Hilton Head Christian Academy boys' team finished 11th overall. Senior Charles Michael, sophomore Theo Sanders, freshman Jacob Weaver and eighth-grader Guy Annunziata paced the Hilton Head Christian Academy boys' team. Michael, Sanders, Weaver and Annunziata notched fourth- and sixth-place finishes in medley and freestyle relays.

Michael finished second in the 100-yard butterfly and fifth in the 200-yard individual medley.

Sanders placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke and sixth in the 200-yard freestyle.

Annunziata posted a seventh-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and placed ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Freshman Ricky Weathers and eighth-grade Camdyn Masse also contributed for the Hilton Head Christian boys' team in the state event.

<b>May River boys' swim </b><b>team finishes third in state </b>

The May River boys' swim team, in its first year of competition, finished third in the Class 3A State Swim Meet at the Sol Blatt Natatorium on Sept. 15.

May River placed behind runner-up Academic Magnet and champion Bishop England.

Pacing May River in the state meet, standout Erek Nelson set a state record of 50.47 in the 100 backstroke. In addition to his record-setting individual effort, Nelson aided teammates Clayton Boyles, Camron Reid and Samuel Villalobos win the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:38:79.

Along with Nelson's first-place individual performance, Reid won the 100 butterfly in a time of 52.00. Boyles also notched a first-place finish, winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.52.

Nelson placed second in the 200 individual medley, completing the event in a time of 1:58.83.

Villalobos, Boyles, Reid and Nelson teamed up to finished second with a time of 3:22.46 in the 400 freestyle relay.

The May River girls' swim team placed fourth behind third-place Christ Church, runner-up Bishop England and champion Academic Magnet.

Pacing the May River girls' team, Kaitlyn Pangilinan finished first with a time of 5:12.14 in the 500 freestyle.

Bluffton's boys' and girls' teams each placed sixth. Abby Hess won the girls' 100 breaststroke in 1:00.24.

Hilton Head Island finished third behind runner-up Eastside and champion South Aiken.

Leading Hilton Head Island, Meaghan Lyons finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 200 intermediate medley. Lyons aided Hilton Head Island in finishing third in the 200 intermediate medley. Another swimmer, Victoria Hill, placed third in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle.

Kevin Geist led May River to a fourth-place finish behind third-place Myrtle Beach, runner-up Aiken  and champion Eastside. Geist won the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.20 and placed second in the 200 freestyle. He finished the 200 freestyle in 1:47.40.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>COLLEGE SWIMMING</b></span></p>
<b>Faciszewski places second </b><b>in season-opening meet </b>

The  Air Force men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened the 2016-17 season at the annual Colorado Intermountain Shootout, hosted by Colorado Mesa University, in Grand Junction, Colo.

The men’s team posted a 3-0 record with wins over Utah (257.00-120.00), Brigham Young (241.00-149.00) and Colorado Mesa (301.00-92.00). The women’s team posted a 2-2 record on the day with wins over Utah (237.00-142.00) and Colorado Mesa (275.00-118.00) and losses to Brigham Young (208.50-184.50) and Liberty University (277.00-115.00).

The men’s team opened the meet by taking the top three spots in the 200 medley relay as the team of Joey Gebhart, Zach Knoche, Steffen Mount and Jordan Dahle posted a time of 1:30.16. In the 200 free, Dahle was third with a time of 1:40.43. Andrew Faciszewski was second in 400 IM (4:06.19) while Garrett Glaudini was third (4:07.630). In the 100 breast stroke, Zach Knoche won with a time of 56.00 while Kevin Fanter was second (56.62). Kristopher Tillery was second in the 100 back (50.98).  Faciszewski was third in the 1650 free (16:05.31). In the 100 IM, Fanter won the event and set a pool record with a time of 51.17 while Jordan Dahle was second at 52.38. In the 50 fly, Steffen Mount won (22.26) and Dahle was third (23.23). Mount was second in the 50 free with a time of 20.60. Faciszewski was second in the 500 free 4:35.05. Mount won both the 100 fly (50.80) and the 100 free (45.32). Kevin Pollard was second in the 100 fly (51.12) while Michael Hannigan was third in the 100 free (45.54). In the 200 IM, Fanter was third with a time of 1:53.67. Freshman Zach Nelson won his first collegiate event in the 200  breast stroke (2:05.72) while Fanter was second (2:05.92).  Fanter also won the 50 breast stroke (26.10) and Andrew Weiss was third (27.38).  In the 200 free relay, the team of Joey Gebhart, Michael Hannigan, Lars Knutson and Steffen Mount was second with 1:22.26.In the 400 free relay, Blake Lawrie, Michael Hannigan, Lars Knutson and Steffen Mount won with time  of 2:59.80.

On the women’s side, senior team captain Genevieve Miller won the 1650 free (17:03.67), the 500 free (4:59.70) and the 200 free (1:52.22). The 200 medley relay team of Autumn Wolfgramm, Shayle Finnesand, Brianna Mount and Lydia Knutson placed second with a time of 1:46.59. The 400 free relay team of Genevieve Miller , Lydia Knutson, Tianna Jorgenson and Jinan Andrews was second with a time of 3:32.17. Knutson was second in the 50 free (23.76). The 200 free relay team of Tianna Jorgenson, Brianna Mount, Jinan Andrews, Lydia Knutson was second (1:36.56).

In women’s diving, freshman Kayla Wofford won the three-meter with 229.80 points. In one meter, Isabella Farrell was second 225.40 while freshman Rebecca Hetrick was third 213.55.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are both off until the weekend of Oct. 21-22, when the teams will split with some swimmers going to the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif, and some staying home for dual meet with Colorado Mines.