This month, Stroll Windward spotlights Kallyn Black, a recent graduate from Rivers Academy in Alpharetta. Kallyn is the daughter of Bobby and Laree Black, and she excels both in and out of the classroom, but her athleticism is what truly sets her apart. Kallyn is currently ranked as the #1 female golfer in the state of Georgia and has been ranked as low as #14 nationally in the class of 2026 by AJGA Rolex rankings. Kallyn will attend Auburn University in the fall on a full golf scholarship.

 

Outside of her athletic accomplishments, Kallyn is an exceptional student. Her favorite subject has always been math, as she loves thinking logically and knowing that there is always a concrete answer to any problem. Her diligence in the classroom led her to become both an AP scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. Kallyn will be graduating with a 4.2 GPA, and she will begin at Auburn in the fall with 30 completed college credit hours.

Kallyn attended Lake Oconee Academy until 2023, when she transferred to Rivers Academy to further her golf development. Despite finishing school outside Georgia’s Lake Country, she credits much of her growth to her longtime swing coach, Taylor Crosby at The Kingdom at Reynolds Lake Oconee. She also credits the Rivers Academy golf program and its coaches, Charlie Anderson and Doug Fix, longtime leaders of multiple high school national championship teams, along with her short game instructor at ACC, Shawn Koch, for their continued support and development of her game.

Kallyn’s journey to where she is today was hard-earned, full of grueling work and countless successes (both big and small) that helped shape the outline of her future on and off the course. While at LOA, Kallyn earned the title of Individual Regional and State Medalist, and she was also named the 2023 Georgia High School Female Golfer of the Year. After transferring to Rivers Academy, Kallyn won the 2025 PGA High School National Team Championship held at Pinehurst, and earned PGA High School National Champion Individual Co-medalist honors at -9 under par. Outside of school, her National and Junior Golf victories included the AJGA Owensboro Championship (-12) and the AJGA Vaughn Taylor Invitational (-8), as well as top 10 finishes in the AJGA Ping Invitational and the AJGA Annika Invitational. She also competed in the USGA Girl’s Championship and the USGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship. Kallyn is very proud of her individual achievements, but she is especially proud of her place on the Rivers Academy team. “I love individual competition, but there’s nothing like winning with your team,” Kallyn continues. “Golf can often feel like an individual sport, but golf at Rivers Academy in particular showed me how powerful it is when everyone is playing for something bigger than themselves.”

Prior to her decision to attend Auburn, Kallyn was recruited by multiple SEC and ACC schools. She chose Auburn because of the excellent coaching staff, the elite practice facilities, and their renowned championship program. Also, it goes without saying that Auburn’s men’s and women’s golf teams are both currently ranked in the top 5 nationally and regularly compete for NCAA Championships. Kallyn adds, “I wanted to be somewhere that would challenge me every single day. Auburn felt like home, but it also felt like a place that would push me to become the best version of myself — on and off the course.” Kallyn’s older brother, Rylan, also attends Auburn, and he too played golf on the collegiate level (at Kennesaw State) prior to transferring.

As she starts her collegiate adventure at Auburn this fall, Kallyn plans to major in Marketing with a minor in Fashion Design. After college, she intends to continue golfing competitively and also wants to create her own women’s golf clothing line. It is certain that Kallyn will continue to excel, as she enters Auburn with championship experience, a national-level competition background, and an unbelievably strong work ethic. “I want to make an immediate impact in college,” concludes Kallyn. “I want to help my team win championships and continue developing every part of my game. More than anything, I just want to keep getting better.”