Megan Carter
Inducted 2024
Megan Carter was an amazing two-sport athlete who excelled at both golf and soccer for the Ware County Gators from 2012 – 2015, lettering in both sports for the Gators all four years. Megan loved both sports, often participating in one and then traveling to get back to participate in the other. Megan was a gifted athlete in both sports, but golf was her passion and where she made her most significant impact for the Gators. Megan wasn’t just good as a golfer; she was one of the best in Gator History.
Megan had a desire to be the best from an early age, a desire that she credits her dad, Ray Carter, for cultivating in her. Megan said, “He instilled in me by example the most important lesson in golf and one that I have carried with me through life: how to have grit… the ability to stay committed and work hard in the face of challenges, setbacks, and failures, believing that success will come.” Her accomplishments speak to her ability to do just that.
Megan’s many accomplishments started as a freshman and continued throughout her career. Throughout her high school years, she was recognized as one of the best golfers in the state and was awarded the prestigious honor of being named to the Women’s Golf All-Region team (4 years) and Georgia 5A Women’s Golf All-State team (4 years). Megan continued to develop her skills on the course and it showed during her senior year as she accomplished not only her dream but her entire team’s dream. In 2015, Megan Carter and her teammates showed that “grit” that her dad had instilled in her and won the Georgia 5A Women’s Golf State Team Championship. The leader, of course, was Megan Carter, who also won the Georgia 5A Women’s Golf Individual State Championship after shooting a 2 under par 70. This feat was a new Ware County Women’s Golf record and also led the team to the First Ware County Women’s State Championship of any sport in 50+ years.
During Megan’s busy high school career, she also managed to qualify and play in two USGA televised tournaments. In 2013, she played in the USGA Junior Girls in Fort Payne, Indiana, and won the GA PGA Junior Tour Championship. In 2015, she also made it to the quarterfinals of the USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball tournament.
Megan was recognized for her accomplishments and received a full athletic scholarship to play at Boston University on the NCAA Division I Women’s golf team from 2015 to 2019. She was selected First Team All-Patriot League in 2017 and Second Team All-Patriot League in 2016 and 2018. In 2017, she won her first collegiate tournament at the Yale Intercollegiate tournament, and her team won the Patriot League Championship in 2019. She is recognized as the only golfer in Boston University school history to qualify and compete in every tournament in all 4 years. Megan was one of only four athletes nominated and selected to attend the Naval Academy Leadership Conference in January 2016 in Annapolis, Maryland.
When asked about her most memorable experience in her fabulous career, Megan took us back to the day the 5A State Championship hung in the balance. “As the tournament kicked off, the first nine holes were solid, making the turn at even par. Starting the back 9 on 10, I drained a 35-foot putt to save par. That was the adrenaline and confidence I needed to secure two birdies in the next three holes. Since I was the last group in the tournament, there was a crowd on the 18th green. The excitement and nerves were difficult to manage, but I stuck to my process. As soon as I tapped in my par putt, my Dad was on the green giving me a big hug. With one glance at the girls, I knew we had done it by the smiles on their faces. Bailey Buie, Kylee Wheeler, and Sutton Rollins had all come through “big,” and we won by ten shots. There certainly is no better feeling than bringing home a State Championship trophy to Ware County High School, knowing that the countless hours of practice and sacrifice was worth it and that we earned it”.
Megan wishes to thank her parents, Ray and Paige Carter, and brother Ryan Carter for their years of unwavering support and love.
Congratulations on an outstanding career and earning your spot in the Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.