Men's Golf Signs Three to NLIs

Three high school seniors signed National Letters of Intent today to attend the University of North Carolina and play men's golf for the Tar Heels beginning in the 2019-20 season.

UNC announced the signings of Austin Greaser of Vandalia, Ohio; George McNeely of Carmel, Calif.; and Kenan Poole of Raleigh.

"Coach Clark and I are thrilled about adding these young men to our program from California, Ohio and one of the best players in our home state," says head coach Andrew DiBitetto.

Greaser attends Vandalia Butler High School, where he is the top-ranked player in Ohio. He is also the 10th-ranked senior in the country in the Rolex Rankings and the 22nd-ranked player overall.

"Austin's recruiting process was unlike any other I've experienced, starting with the first phone conversation where it seemed like he was meant to be a Tar Heel," says DiBitetto. "Austin has incredible swagger and we think he will continue to develop into one of the best players in the country."

A 2018 AJGA Rolex honorable mention Junior All-America, Greaser won the AJGA Strategic Communications/Justin Thomas Junior Championship, the AJGA Preview at La Purisima and a Golfweek Junior Tour event at Heatherwoode Golf Club in 2018 and the 2017 Golfweek Junior Tour tournament at Vanderbilt. He has four top-10 finishes in AJGA events this year, including the aforementioned wins, plus a fourth-place showing at the Memorial Junior and ninth at the Wyndham Invitational. He was 12th at the 2018 Junior PGA Boys Championships at Valhalla and also won the Optimist Junior World Championship in 2016.

"I chose Carolina because it's a great school and I liked the vision Coach DiBitetto and Coach (Matt) Clark have for the program," says Greaser. "We have some great players on the team already and we're bringing in more of those caliber players the next few years. I'm excited to be a part of this program because the desire to bring a national championship to UNC is second to none. I can't wait to get down there and get started."

McNeely attends Carmel High School. Ranked No. 76 among high school seniors, he's a 10-time winner on the Northern California Golf Association Junior Tour and has three victories on the Future Collegians World Tour. He advanced to match play at the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur and is a FCWT first-team All-America.

"George won us over on a trip to California last January," says DiBitetto. "We love how committed he is to improving and love that he has competed against and is already having success in amateur events against collegiate players, which aren't reflected in the junior golf rankings."

McNeely was captain and Most Valuable Player at Carmel for four years and earned a spot on the academic honor roll in each of his four seasons as well.

"UNC was always at the top of my list, but what separated them from other schools were the coaches, its academics and the players already in the program," says McNeely. "Coach DiBitetto and Clark are amazing; you can't find two better coaches around. Throughout the entire recruiting process, they were completely straight with me and never tried to play any games with me. When I talked to the other players they shared the same enthusiasm about Carolina as the coaches did. UNC is one of the best all-around universities in the world and I am privileged to be a part of the team. I get excited when I think about walking onto campus next fall. UNC is truly the place for me as I believe this program is destined for greatness."

Poole attends the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, where he was a teammate of current Tar Heel Ryan Gerard. Among high school seniors, he is ranked No. 1 in the state by Golfweek, No. 2 in the state by Junior Golf Scoreboard and No. 48 in the nation by Golfweek.

"Kenan has continued to grow as a player," says DiBitetto. "He's played great in 2018, especially in the summer, when he dominated at the Dogwood Championship. He has already displayed how resilient he is and how much determination he has."

In 2018, Poole won the Jimmy Anderson Boys Invitational, had a six-stroke win in the 2018 CGA Dogwood State Junior Boys Championship, finished third in the AJGA Amino Vital Junior Championship and advanced to match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Baltusrol. He finished in 18th place in stroke play at the U.S. Junior Am. He also won the TGF UNC Tar Heel State Junior Championship in 2017.

Poole earned all-conference honors five straight years (2014-18), helped lead Ravenscroft to the 2017 state title and was a two-time all-state and all-metro selection. He also excelled academically, as a member of the National Honor Society, Head of School Honor Roll and the 2018 AJGA TransAmerica Scholastic Honor Roll.

"Ever since I was little, I've been the biggest UNC fan and was convinced I would attend the school," says Poole. "As time passed, my love for the school remained, however I soon realized how difficult of a school it was to get into. As I began to find success in my golf career and I received the phone call from Coach DiBitetto, there was honestly nothing that could stop me from accepting. I cannot wait to play for Coach DiBitetto, Coach Clark and the rest of the team and be a part of the University's rich tradition."

"These young men are going to be great ambassadors for the Carolina Family," says DiBitetto. "They are very talented on the course, great students, and most importantly, are all high-character individuals with amazing families who support them as they chase their dreams. Austin, George and Kenan are passionate about helping our program bring trophies to Chapel Hill. Coach Clark and I look forward to doing everything we can to help them accomplish their goals on and off the course."

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