Hardigree fits right in as Moss Farms assistant coach
Oct. 7—MOULTRIE — Parker Hardigree is back at Moss Farms as an assistant coach and head coach John Fox couldn't be more pleased.
Hardigree was a successful long-time Diving Tiger before he went on to a stellar career at Southern Methodist University.
After graduating this year from SMU with a degree in applied physiology and sport management, he returned to his old club with the blessings of its coach.
"We have been talking about this for a few years," Fox said. "He had taken some coaching classes and was coaching a little out there.
"The board is excited to have someone who knows what it is like to come up through our program and knows what it takes to be in our culture. He is very personable and the kids really relate to him."
As a junior diver, he was a nine-time Junior Nationals qualifier. Also, representing Colquitt County High School, he was a three-time High School All-American and a two-time Georgia High School Association Class 6A-7A state champion.
And he continued to excel when he got to Dallas.
He was an All-American on the 1-meter springboard in 2022 and qualified for NCAA Nationals in 2021 on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards and qualified in 2022 on 1-meter.
Hardigree qualified for Zone competition 2019-2022 on both spring boards and in 2020 on platform.
He was a four-time All-American Athletic Conference diver on all three boards and won conference championships on 1-meter four times and on 3-meter in 2019.
He was the AAC's co-Freshman of the Year and was the conference's Most Outstanding Diver in 2019.
And he was on the AAC All-Academic team on two occasions, was first-team CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2021 and earlier this year was named by the AAC as its Scholar-Athlete of the Year for diving.
He has fit right in with Fox and assistant Tom Gimm, who has been on the Fox's staff since 2019.
"He's still learning," Fox said of Hardigree. "But it's fun to watch him. He is a pivotal piece of our staff now. We couldn't do it without him."
Both Hardigree and former Moss Farms and SMU teammate Johanna Holloway finished at SMU this year, but there are still 12 former Diving Tigers competing collegiately.
They are Jodi Cobb, Kentucky; Kindal Culpepper, UNC-Asheville; Carter Davis, BYU; Timothy Fagan, Georgia; Isabella Grayson, Davidson; Hunter Kebler, Auburn; Mauri Leroux, Delaware; Nolan Lewis, Georgia; Maggie Merriman, Purdue; Carson Tyler, Indiana; Emily Ann Wolfson, Tennessee; and Abi White, James Madison.
Fox also announced that current Diving Tiger Ruth Anne McCranie has committed to Purdue.
