MCC Golf set to play at State/Regional Championship

WESSON, Miss. – The Meridian Community College golf team will close out its regular season slate this week by competing in the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII golf championships. The two-round event, which crowns both the state and region champion, will be held at the par-72, 6,745-yard Wolf Hollow Golf Course in Wesson, Miss., on Monday-Tuesday, April 16-17.

MCC will compete this week with the same lineup as the past three tournaments. Leading the charge is sophomore Justin Eaves, who is coming off career best consecutive rounds of 70-70-75-69-72. The Louisville, Miss., native currently leads the MACJC Player of the Year race with a 73 stroke average in eight conference rounds this year. The 2006 NJCAA All-American has carded a team best 9 rounds of even-par or better this season and is heading to Troy University in the fall to play golf.

Sophomore Dustin Petit will also be playing NCAA Div. I golf next season, at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Petit, who is the defending MACJC Player of the Year, is currently second in the points standings behind Eaves with a 74.2 stroke average.

Freshman Bryant Self, who is currently tied for a team high five All Tournament team honors, has cared three rounds of even-par or better in his first season. Rounding out the lineup for MCC will be freshmen Joshua Ivy and Jarrod Lemaster. Both Ivy and Lemaster have claimed overall medalist titles at two events this season.

The MCC golf team set a school record for most wins in a season this year under the direction of rookie head coach Sean Covich. The Eagles notched victory number seven last week at the JCJC Invitational. The Eagles look to add to that total as they defend their back-to-back MACJC/Region XXIII titles.

"This is our final event of the regular season with a chance to go to the national championship," said Covich.

"It’s what you play for all year long. We’ve had a great season thus far, but this one means a lot. Coach Lou Hart had a knack for winning this thing and we hope to carry on that tradition for her."

Last season, the Eagles, led by hall of fame coach Lou Hart, shot a state record 560 (276-284) en route to their fifth NJCAA Region XXIII title in six seasons. Petit was medalist with rounds of 66-69 and was named the 2006 Player of the Year. The Eagles went on the claim third in the 2006 NJCAA national championship.

Winner of this year’s NJCAA Region XXIII Championship will advance to play May 22-25 in the 2007 NJCAA Div II men’s golf championship at Goose Pond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, Ala.