MCC golf adds four players

(MERIDIAN) – The Meridian Community College golf program added four players to team on Tuesday afternoon during Summer Orientation events on campus.

Tyler Rainer and Matthew Stevens of West Lauderdale High School joined Mark Drube of Covington, LA and Tanner Sparks of Belmont, MS in signing their national letters of intent to join MCC head golf coach Sean Covich and his program beginning in the 2008-09 academic year.

“I am extremely pleased to have these players join the Meridian tradition,” Covich said. “I fully expect them to excel in their academics and athletics. They are also great young men and will be great additions to our program.”

Both Rainer and Stevens played high school golf for Coach Jody Hurst at West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville.

“It’s always a pleasure to sign local players,” said Covich.

“We have two returning Meridian boys, with Clay Bounds and John Everett, and now adding two more local players truly makes this a Meridian team.”

Drube comes to MCC by way of Covington High School in Louisiana. He is the protégée of the Money Hill Golf Academy in Abita Springs, LA. He qualified for the Louisiana High School State Championships and has also shined on the junior tour circuits in his home state.

“Mark is a hard worker who is dedicated to being an outstanding person, student and golfer,” said Covich.

“I look forward to having him on the team as he is a young man of character and leadership.”

Sparks is the cousin of former MCC golfer, Curt Sparks, and his brother, Tyler Sparks, is a current Southern Miss golfer.

He helped guide Belmont to back-to-back MHSAA 2A State Championships in golf. He was named second team All State and first team All County two years in a row. As a junior, he was named the Most Valuable Golfer for Belmont High School after winning the Five County District Tournament shooting even par, 72.

In 2007, he played in eight junior tour events across the Southeast, placing in the top-15 in six of those events. At the Callaway Golf/PGA Junior Series event at Old Waverly, he placed 8th out of 64 golfers shooting rounds of 79-77. Later that summer he placed 25th at the Future Tour Championship in Greenville, MS shooting rounds of 76-76.

In 2006, he placed 5th at the Mississippi Big "I" Junior Classic shooing rounds of 74-74 at the MSU Golf Course in Starkville, MS. He qualified for the Mississippi Golf Association’s State Match Play Championship and was the 5th seed after a qualifying score of even-par 72.

“Tanner comes from a golfing family,” said Covich. “His two cousins both played college golf and his brother is playing for USM now. He is starting to find his swing and certainly is capable of being in our top five by the end of next season.”