Seven LTP athletes sign letters of intent

What’s a student-athlete to do?

 

Matt Moloney, one of the top golfers in the country, moved to Charleston from the Washington D.C. area in time for his junior year of high school.

 

He proceeded to help Bishop England High School win the Class AA state golf championship last May, while playing in many of the top tournaments in the country, including the 75th US Junior Amateur Championship, which was held last summer on Daniel Island.

 

But there was a conflict for Moloney the student – and Moloney the golfer. Because of his golf schedule, he’d miss two to three days of classes a week, and then return to BE where he would have to take two to three tests.

 

“It was really tough with my golf schedule,” Moloney said. “Bishop England was gracious enough to let me miss school as long as I kept my grades up. It was a tough schedule.”

 

Turns out Moloney was one-and-done at BE. He was scheduled to play in about a dozen tournaments his senior year – and he didn’t want his academics to suffer. 

 

He enrolled in the LTP Scholars program, which fits his busy schedule.

 

LTP Academy and LTP Scholars are both Daniel Island-based programs. LTP Academy is an elite training program for tennis players who want to compete in college or professionally; LTP Scholars is an academic program designed to prepare academy participants for top-tier universities. 

 

The majority of those enrolled in LTP Scholars are also tennis players with LTP Academy, but LTP Scholars enrolls a select few athletes who play other sports, such as Moloney.

 

The program offers 20 hours of academic time on-site, either in the morning or afternoon session with access to math, English, history and science tutors, on site, from Monday to Friday.

 

The program even offers community service, volunteer programs and school-wide events to develop well-rounded students.

 

Moloney was one of seven student-athletes who are part of either LTP Academy or LTP Scholars who recently signed National Letters of Intent or formalized their commitment to continue their careers at NCAA Division I or Division III programs.

 

The student-athletes who signed included six tennis players and Moloney, the golfer who signed with Georgia. The others included:

 

Lindsey Bergelin: Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, for NCAA Division III tennis.

 

Natasha Kavarana: Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., for NCAA Division I tennis.

 

Josh Lively: Sewanee: University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee., for NCAA Division III tennis.

 

Carter Pate: Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for NCAA Division I tennis.

 

Saige Severance: Boston College for NCAA Division I tennis.

 

Jake Smith: College of Charleston for NCAA Division I tennis.

 

“One of the things I like about the program is that they stress being 100%  there, to be focused in the classroom so I can be 100% focused when it comes time to be on the golf course,” Moloney said.

 

 “We have teachers who are there to help.” Moloney added. “Sometimes, what you are learning doesn’t make sense right away, and the teachers can help answer your questions.”

 

The recent signing-day ceremony was a testament to both the LTP Academy and LTP Scholars.

 

“It’s taken tremendous dedication to bring these scholar-athletes to this significant moment in their lives,” said Jean Bartlett, executive director of LTP Scholars. “We’re proud of these scholar-athletes and wish them success in their collegiate pursuits both athletically and academically.”