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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women’s Golf Lands Three Recruits on National Signing Day
11/10/2021 | Women's Golf
May Signs to Rebels Roster for Spring Season, Hardwick and Gal to Start in Fall
OXFORD, Miss. – Maddie May, Molly Hardwick and Nicole Gal have each signed their National Letters of Intent to join the Ole Miss women's golf team, head coach Kory Henkes announced Wednesday.
May will join the Rebels roster beginning in January of 2022 and will be eligible to compete for the 2022 spring season, while Hardwick and Gal will both join Ole Miss in the fall.
"We are extremely excited about our signing class for this year," head coach Kory Henkes said. "Maddie, Molly and Nicole are very talented players and we are lucky to have them join the Ole Miss family.
"They all bring a lot of passion for golf, along with a winning mindset. Their international, national and regional playing experience will be of great value to our current group of players. We look forward to them joining us on campus in the near future."
A native to Christchurch, New Zealand, May leaves behind an illustrious career at St Andrews College in Christchurch where she was captain of the varsity golf team for three years and a three-time Schools Regional Champion in 2019 and 2020.
Additionally, May saw herself captain the Canterbury Junior Girls Team for three years, where she earned the 2019 Canterbury Golf Order of Merit Women's Championship along with becoming the Canterbury Secondary Schools mixed champion in 2019.
May has also had experience on the national level in New Zealand, earning a pair of third place finishes at the 2019 and 2020 New Zealand U19 Championships. Since 2019, May has played on the New Zealand Golf Junior training squad.
A four-time all-state selection and the 2020 5-A state individual champion for Lexington High School in South Carolina, Hardwick brings numerous high school and junior accolades to the Rebels roster in 2022. Hardwick has appeared on the high school all-region team in four of her five years playing varsity golf for Lexington High, and has even earned a pair of Region Player of the Year honors in 2019 and 2020.
Hardwick, ranked No. 15 in the 2022 class by Golfweek Girls Junior Rankings, has helped lead Lexington High School to four State 5-A team championships, while earning team regional championships in all five years of her varsity career.
Outside of her high school play, Hardwick captured first at the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea and second place at the SCJGA Junior. Heritage advanced to match play at the 2021 USGA Girls and tied for 26th at the 2021 Girls Junior PGA Championship. She also was a finalist at the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship event at Augusta National Golf Club in 2014.
Nicole Gal, a native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, is set to come to Oxford with vast experience at the junior and amateur levels in Canada, with Gal being the 2021 National Junior Girls Champion, the 2021 Canadian Women's Amateur runner-up, and the 2020 Ontario Girls Junior runner-up.
A member of the Team Canada National Junior Squad, Gal ranks as the 38th overall recruit and No. 15 in the 2022 class by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Gal's success in golf goes back to even prior to her junior national team experience. In 2019, Gal captured the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club for the Girls' 14-15 age division.
For all Ole Miss women's golf latest news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf, on Instagram at OleMissWGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf. General athletic news can also be found at @OleMissSports on Twitter, Ole Miss Sports on Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
