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Giles-Harris, Kim Named PNC Achievers Duke Student-Athletes of the Year
8/3/2021 9:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Golf, Athletics
DURHAM – Duke men's lacrosse senior JT Giles-Harris and women's golf junior Gina Kim have been named Duke's PNC Achievers Student-Athletes of the Year.
Giles-Harris and Kim excelled in their respective sports, as well as in the classroom, for the Blue Devils during the 2020-21 season as both the men's lacrosse and women's golf programs advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
"PNC Achievers bring their best to competition, the classroom and the community," said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas. "Gina and JT exemplify these qualities, excelling during a year that was characterized by so many challenges. We congratulate these PNC Achievers on all they have accomplished and look forward to following their journeys and continued impact."
A four-year starter as a close defenseman for the Blue Devils, Giles-Harris capped his illustrious career in 2021 by garnering the William C. Schmeisser Award as the nation's top defenseman. He became the third Blue Devil to garner the award and the first since 2008.
Earning USILA All-America first team recognition for the second time, Giles-Harris was the anchor to Duke's defense with 18 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls. He garnered his second career All-ACC award in 2021 and ranked second among non-faceoff specialists with 34 ground balls. He picked up at least one ground ball in 15 of the 17 games and often drew the opponents' toughest matchups.
Giles-Harris was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after he recorded two ground balls, one caused turnover and a crucial assist in an overtime win at Virginia. He was instrumental in holding the Cavaliers scoreless for the final 14:24 of the game.
A starter in 80 of 81 games, Giles-Harris finished his career with 147 ground balls and broke the Duke career mark for caused turnovers with 89. He notched three caused turnovers in the NCAA quarterfinal win over Loyola to tie Luke Duprey's record 88 and then one more to break the mark in the NCAA semifinal versus Maryland. He was drafted third overall by Chrome LC in the Premier Lacrosse League 2021 College Draft.
One of the hottest golfers in the nation to conclude the season, Kim placed in the top 11 of her final four stroke play events, including a tied-for-fifth finish at the NCAA Championship with rounds of 74, 67, 72 and 73 for a 2-under, 286. She became the fourth Blue Devil to notch back-to-back top-10 placements in the championship in their first two appearances, joining Celine Boutier, Amanda Blumenherst and Jennie Lee. Kim turned in a tied-for-10th finish in 2019 as a rookie.
With her top-5 finish, Kim helped lead Duke to the No. 2 seed in match play and collected a victory over the No. 20 ranked golfer in the world amateur rankings, Olivia Mehaffey, to push the Blue Devils into the semifinals of match play for the fourth time in five appearances.
Kim earned All-America recognition for the third time and All-ACC recognition for the second time in her career, while also claiming the ACC Individual Championship with rounds of 68, 69 and 69 for a 10-under-par, 206. She became the second ACC golfer to register three straight rounds in the 60s at the ACC Championship, and the 10-under-par ledger matched Duke's lowest 54-hole score at the ACC Championship. Kim helped Duke earn the No. 1 seed in match play and went on to clinch both matches against Virginia and Florida State to guide the Blue Devils to their 22nd title in school history.
With 11 rounds of even or under par on the year and a career-best 72.11 stroke average, Kim led Duke in both categories. Her five rounds in the 60s also led the Blue Devils. She collected a sixth-place finish at the Valspar Augusta Invitational with rounds of 68, 70 and 70 for an 8-under-par, 208. Kim, the 2021 ACC Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, turned in a 2-1 record at the Cavalier Match Play to help lead Duke to the team title and also collected a tied-for-10th finish at the NCAA Columbus Regional.
PNC Achievers is a student honors platform that is active at nearly 20 schools and universities across PNC Bank's service area. Honorees are selected locally by designated panels at each respective school, using a consistent set of criteria: academic achievement, community service and student leadership.
PNC Bank
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
#GoDuke
Giles-Harris and Kim excelled in their respective sports, as well as in the classroom, for the Blue Devils during the 2020-21 season as both the men's lacrosse and women's golf programs advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
"PNC Achievers bring their best to competition, the classroom and the community," said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas. "Gina and JT exemplify these qualities, excelling during a year that was characterized by so many challenges. We congratulate these PNC Achievers on all they have accomplished and look forward to following their journeys and continued impact."
A four-year starter as a close defenseman for the Blue Devils, Giles-Harris capped his illustrious career in 2021 by garnering the William C. Schmeisser Award as the nation's top defenseman. He became the third Blue Devil to garner the award and the first since 2008.
Earning USILA All-America first team recognition for the second time, Giles-Harris was the anchor to Duke's defense with 18 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls. He garnered his second career All-ACC award in 2021 and ranked second among non-faceoff specialists with 34 ground balls. He picked up at least one ground ball in 15 of the 17 games and often drew the opponents' toughest matchups.
Giles-Harris was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after he recorded two ground balls, one caused turnover and a crucial assist in an overtime win at Virginia. He was instrumental in holding the Cavaliers scoreless for the final 14:24 of the game.
A starter in 80 of 81 games, Giles-Harris finished his career with 147 ground balls and broke the Duke career mark for caused turnovers with 89. He notched three caused turnovers in the NCAA quarterfinal win over Loyola to tie Luke Duprey's record 88 and then one more to break the mark in the NCAA semifinal versus Maryland. He was drafted third overall by Chrome LC in the Premier Lacrosse League 2021 College Draft.
One of the hottest golfers in the nation to conclude the season, Kim placed in the top 11 of her final four stroke play events, including a tied-for-fifth finish at the NCAA Championship with rounds of 74, 67, 72 and 73 for a 2-under, 286. She became the fourth Blue Devil to notch back-to-back top-10 placements in the championship in their first two appearances, joining Celine Boutier, Amanda Blumenherst and Jennie Lee. Kim turned in a tied-for-10th finish in 2019 as a rookie.
With her top-5 finish, Kim helped lead Duke to the No. 2 seed in match play and collected a victory over the No. 20 ranked golfer in the world amateur rankings, Olivia Mehaffey, to push the Blue Devils into the semifinals of match play for the fourth time in five appearances.
Kim earned All-America recognition for the third time and All-ACC recognition for the second time in her career, while also claiming the ACC Individual Championship with rounds of 68, 69 and 69 for a 10-under-par, 206. She became the second ACC golfer to register three straight rounds in the 60s at the ACC Championship, and the 10-under-par ledger matched Duke's lowest 54-hole score at the ACC Championship. Kim helped Duke earn the No. 1 seed in match play and went on to clinch both matches against Virginia and Florida State to guide the Blue Devils to their 22nd title in school history.
With 11 rounds of even or under par on the year and a career-best 72.11 stroke average, Kim led Duke in both categories. Her five rounds in the 60s also led the Blue Devils. She collected a sixth-place finish at the Valspar Augusta Invitational with rounds of 68, 70 and 70 for an 8-under-par, 208. Kim, the 2021 ACC Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, turned in a 2-1 record at the Cavalier Match Play to help lead Duke to the team title and also collected a tied-for-10th finish at the NCAA Columbus Regional.
PNC Achievers is a student honors platform that is active at nearly 20 schools and universities across PNC Bank's service area. Honorees are selected locally by designated panels at each respective school, using a consistent set of criteria: academic achievement, community service and student leadership.
PNC Bank
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
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