Sharieff Inducted Into USC College Hall of Fame

Bermudian Khari Sharieff was recently  inducted into the University of South Carolina Upstate [USC] Athletics Hall of Fame.

Mr Sharieff – now a manager at HSBC Bank – was a standout soccer star for the school in the late 1990s, who said his “illustrious career on the pitch was one of the greatest careers of any athlete to ever don the Green, White and Black in any sport.”

USC said that “Sharrieff etched his name into USC Upstate soccer lore,” and said that as a freshman in 1997, Mr Sharieff shattered the school’s single-season scoring record, netting 29 goals in just 24 games, with 10 of them being game winners.

The College’s full writeup is below:

A native of Devonshire, Bermuda, Sharrieff etched his name into USC Upstate soccer lore. A forward on the men’s soccer team, he was part of the Rifles’ golden era as a Division II member on the soccer scene. As part of a strike-force that also featured former Rifle greats such as 2006 Hall-of-Fame inductee Henrik Ronnevig and two-time All-Peach Belt performer Tuomas Tahavanainen, Sharieff helped the Rifles field the best offensive eras in program history.

As a freshman in 1997, Sharieff garnered the first of consecutive All-America citations by the Division II National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), as he shattered the school’s single-season scoring record, netting 29 goals in just 24 games to earn second team All-America honors. Sharieff bested the previous record of 21 goals in a single campaign held by Majid Ahamuarajii in 1984. Sharieff was also recognized by finishing third nationally in goals scored and sixth nationally in points per match (2.91).

The freshman had uncanny poise under pressure, as 10 of his 29 goals for the Rifles were match-winners. In a game against Lander during his freshman season, Sharieff recorded one of the best individual performances in program history, as he played a part in all six goals scored by the Rifles’ in the 6-1 win over the Senators. He scored three goals and notched three assists to total a single-game school record with nine points. That performance was one of many that would initially put Sharieff on the national map in his rookie season for the Rifles, eventually leading to Peach Belt Player of the Year recognition, becoming only one of eight players to ever in school history to date to claim the noteworthy honor.

In addition to garnering All-America accolades in his inaugural campaign, Sharieff was also named to the Umbro Division II All-South team and was a First-Team All-Peach Belt selection. He helped the Rifles to a 20-4 record, an unblemished 7-0-0 league mark en route to a Peach Belt Conference crown, an NCAA Division II quarterfinal appearance and an NCAA Division II final season ranking of No. 8 in the country.

His single-season record of 29 goals were significant in helping the Rifles establish a new program mark for goals in a season, as the Rifles found the back of the net an astounding 102 times during the 1997 campaign. His 64 points in a single-season set a new school milestone that would stand for another six seasons, until be broken by Gary Lynch’s 68 points in 2004.

As a sophomore in 1998, Sharieff was again named a First-Team NSCAA Division II All-American after scoring 15 goals and adding seven assists (37 points), helping the Spartans to Division II national runner-up finish and an NCAA Division II final ranking of No. 2 in the nation and a second-straight Peach Belt Conference title. Sharieff was also once again selected as an Umbro Division II First Team All-South member, while also being named First-Team All Peach Belt Conference for the second-straight season.

After sitting out his junior season as the result of a season-ending injury in the opening match, Sharieff returned for his senior campaign in 2000, garnering First-Team All-Peach Belt Conference honors for the third time in his career, as he tallied 16 goals and contributed five assists to finish the campaign with a total of 37 points for the season. He helped the Rifles to a 23-1 final season record.

Sharrieff’s illustrious career on the pitch was one of the greatest careers of any athlete to ever don the Green, White and Black in any sport, transcending both the Division I and II eras of Upstate’s athletic participation. He finished his career with a school-record 60 goals and his 138-career points rank fourth all-time on the program’s career ledger. During his three seasons, Sharrieff helped the Rifles to unprecedented success, as USCS posted an amazing 56-10-1 record during his three seasons, which also included an 18-3 Peach Belt mark and a national title game appearance.

Upon completing his bachelor’s degree at USCS, Sharrieff completed his master’s degree at Schiller International University. He currently resides back in his hometown of Devonshire, Bermuda, where he works as a Bus and Process Device Manager for HSBC Bank of Bermuda. He has been happily married to his wife Oneina for five years and the couple has two children, Myeisha and Khari.

#AwardWinners #BermudaFootball

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