Three Whitefield Athletes from Smyrna Sign to Play Collegiate Sports

Eight Whitefield Academy seniors signed to play collegiate sports at NCAA schools across the country. These students will be playing at Berry College, Carnegie Mellon University, Carson-Newman College, Boston College, The Citadel, Georgia Southwestern State University, Texas A&M University and the University of Georgia.

Kyle Childree is a Smyrna resident and son of Edward and Debbie Childree. He has committed to play tennis with Boston College. Childree has been the number one singles player for Whitefield for all four years of high school. He is the captain of the varsity boys tennis team and during his playing career has been ranked in the top 10 players of the state.

Ty Hampel signed to play golf with Berry College in Rome, Ga. Hampel. A Smyrna resident, he is the son of Terry and Susan Hampel, and a captain of Whitefield’s varsity boys golf team. He is also a member of the All-County Honorable Mention team. In addition, Hampel is president of the National Honor Society at Whitefield.

Anders Olsson, Smyrna resident and son of Fredrik and Wendy Olsson, has signed to play golf with Georgia Southwestern State University. Olsson was the low medalist in the 2011 region tournament and a member of the All-County team. He is a captain of Whitefield’s varsity boys golf team.

Mableton resident Jay Fields has signed to play football with Carson-Newman College. He is son of Whitefield’s head football coach, Jimmy Fields, and his wife, Shannon. During his high school career, Fields has been named “Player of the Week,” by the Cobb County Touchdown Club on three occasions. As a junior, he was selected to the All-Region Honorable Mention team for Region 5A, and received coaches’ awards for dedication and leadership. During his senior year, Fields was selected to the All-Region GHSA 5A First Team and led the WolfPack with 109 tackles. He completed 26 receptions for 289 yards and 10 rushes for 38 yards. He made 21 tackles in one game, a Whitefield record.

has signed to play basketball with the University of Georgia. Son of Kenneth Gaines and Marlyn Smith-Gaines of Atlanta, he was named the Region 9A Player of the Year and is a member of the Atlanta Tip-Off Club Top 30 First Team. He is also a member of the Georgia All-Star Team. Gaines averages 24.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game; he shoots 58.8% from the field and 75.7% from the free throw line. 

Matt McGill, a resident of Marietta, will be playing tennis for The Citadel. He has played the number two singles spot for Whitefield for the last three years and is ranked in the top 20 of the state. McGill also helped lead the Whitefield varsity boys tennis team to a region championship in 2011. 

Carson Quiros, daughter of Paul and Stacy Quiros from the Buckhead area, signed with Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. A resident of Atlanta, Quiros is captain of the varsity girls soccer team and leading Whitefield scorer. She was also named to the All-Region team her sophomore year.

Cameron Thornton, son of David and Jini Thornton of Atlanta, has signed as a track and field athlete with Texas A&M. He represented the USA at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships held in Lille, France. After a brilliant first-place victory (Division A) in the 2011 GHSA cross-country championship, Cameron made the 2011 Cobb County All-County Boys Cross-Country team, was selected as the 2011 Marietta Daily Journal Cross-Country Runner of the Year, and was named 2011 Marietta Daily Journal Male Athlete of the Year (for all high school divisions, from single A to AAAAA schools). Thornton was also invited by the Atlanta Track Club to its All-Metro Team. In addition,  Thornton’s accolades include a state title for the 800-meter in 2010, a photo-finish second place spot for the 800 in the 2011 state championships, a state title for the 1600-meter in 2010 and 2011, and two state titles (2010, 2011) as the anchor for the 4x400 relay.

-Courtesy of Whitefield Academy