Columbia International University mourns loss of beloved student-athlete
Columbia International University is mourning the loss of student and athlete John-Hunter James after he was involved in a traffic accident in Georgia on March 6.
2021 Samford Invite – January 23, 2021/ Columbia International University
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— Columbia International University is mourning the loss of student and athlete John-Hunter James after he was involved in a traffic accident in Georgia on March 6. Three other CIU students in the car with him received non-life threatening injuries, say officials.
The Irmo native was a graduate of Dutch Fork High School and was the only CIU athlete in men’s track field program history to win an NAIA National Championship. He was a senior business major.
CIU Athletics Director Darren Richie says James was “everything you could ever want in a CIU student-athlete…Before each meet he would pray with both his teammates and competitors. His life was full of evidence of his love for Jesus Christ. It is extremely rare to find an athlete of John-Hunter’s caliber who is also a great student and an even better individual. His legacy at CIU will last a very long time, and I am just happy we got to call John-Hunter one of our own.”
The pole vaulter won both the 2020 and 2021 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Men’s Pole Vault National Championship.
CIU is offering counseling to students, faculty and staff, and is asking the community to pray for the James family.
If you would like to help his family during this difficult time, visit his GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/
