January 07, 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

• In the doubles competition held on Jan. 2 at the Myrtle Beach Sports Center, the Eagles team of Luke Bryant and Josh Quinn won the doubles championship.
• In a separate division, Bryant and Quinn competed with teammates Gavin Hamann and Jaxson Remmick to win the team championship.

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University's cornhole team achieved the pinnacle of the sport during its inaugural season by winning two coveted national titles.

Coming off a successful fall tournament schedule during the team's first year, the Eagles headed to the American Cornhole League National Competition feeling confident, said Coach Dusty Thompson.

In the doubles competition held on Jan. 2 at the Myrtle Beach Sports Center, the Eagles team of Luke Bryant and Josh Quinn won the doubles championship. It was a Winthrop finals as they defeated the Eagle team of Colson Clary and Jacob Harrison.

"I'm not surprised we won in doubles," Thompson said of his teams. "We went hard to recruit these players and know what they are capable of."

In a separate division, Bryant and Quinn competed with teammates Gavin Hamann and Jaxson Remmick to win the team championship.

Then in the singles competition on Jan. 3, Bryant won second place and Quinn took third place.

Both Bryant, who competed in high school wrestling and football, and Quinn put in the work to practice, said their coach. "It really showed off," added Thompson, who is a former cornhole pro player. "They knew what was needed to compete."

More than 40 college teams from around the country were at the event which was streamed on ESPN 2 and on the American Cornhole League website. The purse prize hasn't been announced yet but winners can use it toward their scholarships.

The cornhole team competed in tournaments in Oklahoma and Michigan in order to qualify for the national competition.

Thompson turned heads this summer when he recruited the team's first two players, Hamann and Remmick, two Denver, Colorado, area players who were All American Cornhole League high school national champions. National media picked up news about their scholarships, which are tied to their academics, not athletics, as a first in the country.

Creating a cornhole team made sense to Chuck Rey, Winthrop's athletic director. Rock Hill is the home of the American Cornhole League headquarters, and the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center routinely hosts regional, national or world championship events. It is now considered the Eagles home arena.

Rey said he is extremely proud of this program. "From the national recognition garnered last summer to clinching a national championship is truly remarkable," he said. "Equally impressive is the all-freshmen class achieving over a 3.0 GPA this past semester.

"Head Coach Dusty Thompson has poured his heart and soul into building a program the right way, the 'Winthrop Way,' emphasizing academics, a strong family atmosphere and a championship culture. We are grateful that this program is already embodying traditions that make Winthrop University so special."

The cornhole team members, their hometowns and majors are:

Gavin Hamann, Littleton, Colorado, business administration, entrepreneurship; Jaxson Remmick, Littleton, Colorado, sport management; Luke Bryant, Staunton, Virginia, physical education; Josh Quinn, Culpeper, Virginia, sport management; Sal Sandoval, Chowcilla, California, physical education; Eddie Wenker, Melrose, Minnesota, data science; Jacob Hernandez, Deming, New Mexico, exercise science; Colson Clary, King George, Virginia, exercise science; Zack Stickney, Swanzey, New Hampshire, business administration, marketing; Jacob Harrison, Winder, Georgia, business administration, entrepreneurship; Luke Herbert, Ogden, Utah, sport management; and Dallin Logan, Timnath, Colorado, sport management.

For more information, contact Thompson at [email protected].