MCC Tennis News

Meridian Community College men’s tennis team opened the 2010 season this weekend with an 8-1 loss to NCAA Division I, University of Memphis.

The only win of the day was at number one singles.

MCC’s Lucio Cangiano defeated Charlie Ramsey 7-6, 3-6, 12-10.

At no. 2 singles Gabriel Nicotra lost to Michael Janz 6-0, 6-1.

At no. 3 singles, Andres Cepede lost in straight sets to Michael Hayes 6-2, 6-3.

At no. 4 singles Jeremy Purdum lost to John Taylor 6-1, 7-5.

At no. 5 singles Wade Henderson lost to Michale Gaerthoeffner 6-0, 6-0.

Kyle Dew, at no. six singles, lost to Jordan Smith 6-2, 6-0.

UM won all three doubles matches.

Cangiano/Cepede lost to Smith/Henry 8-3; Nicotra/Purdum lost to Ramsey and Helfin 8-4, and Henderson/Landry lost to Taylor/Hayes 8-1.

They are currently 0-1 on the season.

In other action this week, MCC men and women defeated Faulkner State 9-0.

Meridian’s Anna Vavrik/Aline Ferreira won 8-0; Savannah Zachry/Jessica Halterman won 8-0 and Munn/Brown won 8-0. In single’s action Zachry defeated Steigerwald 6-0, 6-0; Halterman defeated Drew Copeland 6-0, 6-0; MCC’s Indi Mire defeated Victoria Wilson 6-0, 6-1; Kaley Allen defeated Alex Sanchez 6-0, 6-1; At no. 5 Sumner Brown defeated Brenda Gatts 6-0, 6-0 and Shelley Munn defeated Matchett 6-1, 6-0.

In men’s action MCC’s no. 1 team Cangiano/Cepede won 8-1.

The no. 2 doubles Purdum/Nicotra won 8-0 as did the MCC no. 3 doubles Landry/Henderson.

In singles action Cangiano won 6-1, 6-1, Nicotra won 6-0, 6-0; Cepede won 6-0, 6-0, Purdum won 6-0, 6-0.

Henderson won his match 6-0, 6-0. Landry won 6-0, 6-0. Justin Giles won his match, too.

Meridian men will return to action March 2 at Marion, AL against Marion Military Institute

NJCAA Region 23 Tournament Announced

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles, fresh off their Miss-Lou Tournament championship, now prepare for the 2010 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament set to be played Monday – Thursday on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton, MS.

The tournament will get underway Monday at noon as Jones County will face East Mississippi. The 2 p.m. game will feature Baton Rouge versus Northwest Mississippi. At 6 p.m. Copiah-Lincoln will take on Southwest Mississippi. The night-cap will feature the MCC Lady Eagles versus Itawamba at 8 p.m.

The tournament will continue on Wednesday as the semi-final games will be played at noon and 2 p.m.

The championship game is set for Thursday at 6 p.m.

MCC baseball splits with NW Florida

Game I
Meridian 7
Northwest Florida 8

Game II
Meridian 12
Northwest Flordia 9


After the Eagles scored twice in the seventh to force extra innings in Saturday's nightcap, former Meridian High star Kenny Roberts made sure MCC salvaged a split.

Northwest Florida, which scored in each of the first four innings to grab a 7-5 lead, scored twice in the top of the eighth to regain the lead at Scaggs Field. Kenny Sanders, though, led off the home half with a home run and then with two outs, Roberts hit a walk-off grand slam to end it. Roberts had six RBIs on four hits, while Sanders went 4-4. Jonathan Pace scored three runs on three hits, Ben Kingsley had two hits, Darren Farmer scored twice and Avi Ahlzadeh drove in three and scored twice.

Former West Lauderdale standout Dustin McWilliams earned the win after relieving Payton Gardner heading into the eighth.

In the first game, Meridian led 5-0 heading into the fifth before Northwest exploded for seven runs in the sixth after plating one in the fifth. Allen Williams, Meridian's starter, had a two-hitter through five innings.

Corey Dickerson led Meridian's attack with two hits including a double, two RBIs and a run. Pace had an RBI and double on two hits.

Meridian (10-5) plays Texarkana on Wednesday.

MCC golf heads to Rock Creek

The Meridian Community College Eagle golf team returns to competition on Monday, March 1 in the Faulkner State Invitational in Fairhope, AL. The 36-hole event will continue thru Tuesday at the Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, Ala., which plays to a par 72 at over 6,900 yards.

The Eagles are coming off a runner-up finish at the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals last week in Montgomery, Ala.

MCC head coach Sean Covich will start freshman Brandt Garon in the No. 1 spot. Garon earned his third all tournament team honor last week at Wynlakes with rounds of 74-72. He leads the team in both tournament scoring average and rounds under par. Freshman Clemens Dvorak will play in the No.2 spot. Returning NJCAA All American, Garrett Westbrook, will play in the No. 3 spot and Cory Williamson of Collins, Mississippi will play in the No. 4 spot. Freshman Adam Monsen will round out the Eagles lineup in the No.5 spot.

Tee times begin both days at 9:00 AM. Nine teams are set to compete in the event: host Faulkner State, Wallace State-Hanceville, Central Alabama, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Spring Hill, Brevard, University of Mobile, Faulkner University and MCC. First place and second place teams will be awarded along with individual medalist honors and five all tournament team awards.

MCC tennis looks to remain on top in 2010

The Meridian Community College tennis teams are set to begin their spring 2010 tennis season on February 25 when the MCC men travel to Fulton, MS to take on the University of Memphis. Both men’s and women’s teams will host Faulkner State at Northeast Tennis Center on Friday, February 26 with play set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

Both the Eagles and Lady Eagles are the reigning Region 23 champions.

The MCC men are returning seven sophomores from last year’s nationally -ranked team. The Eagles finished the season last year ranked number twelve.

Playing number one singles for Meridian will be Lucio Cangiano from Santos, Brazil.

“Lucio had a great freshman year and has played well in the fall,” said MCC tennis coach, Wanda McPhail.

Cangiano won the Southern Region ITA Championships in the fall and he and doubles partner Andres Cepede were the doubles finalist.

These two along with fellow teammates Gabriel Nicotra and Jeremy Purdum qualified to play in the National Small College Championships held in Mobile, AL in October 2009.

Cangiano will get a push from teammate and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Nicotra as well as Andres Cepede from Asunción, Paraguay.

Meridian will also expect big play from Jeremy Purdum, former Laurel High School standout and Wade Henderson from Pillow Academy who will compete for the number four and five spot.

Rounding out the lineup will be former Meridian High School player Kyle Dew and Brandyn Landry from Donaldsville, Louisiana.

The only freshman is Justin Giles who will have a hard time beating these sophomores out of a position, according to McPhail.

The Lady Eagles return one sophomore from last year’s team, which finished in the top ten at the national tennis tournament held in Tucson, Arizona. The crop of incoming freshman are all good players from great high school programs.

“ I expect us to be as good as we were last year, “ said McPhail.

“If the freshman step up and play as well as they are capable of playing.”

“Anna Vavrik is hands down the number one singles player on the team,“ according to McPhail.

“I have to get her to practice with the guys a couple of days a week to prepare her for the season, she could possibly vie for the National Championship if she conditions and works hard.”

As a freshman she was named to the ITA All-American team and is currently ranked number seven in the nation at the JUCO level.

Aline Ferreira, a sophomore transfer from Hinds Community College, will also play a big role in MCC’s success this spring.

“She is a solid player with beautiful ground strokes,” said McPhail.

Freshman Savannah Zachry, former Madison High School standout, will play the three position.

Jessica Halterman of East Webster will push her for this position.

Rounding out the lineup is another former East Webster player Kaley Allen, a Louisiana native, Indi Mire, Sumner Brown former Lamar High School player who has transferred in after Christmas, and West Lauderdale players Shelley Munn and Ashley Massey.

Anna Vavrik and partner Savannah Zachry won the girls’ doubles and Anna won the singles division at the Southern Region ITA Championships qualifying both players for the National Small College Championships that were held in October at Mobile, AL.

According to Coach McPhail the Eagles and Lady Eagles are anxious to begin play.

“The weather has certainly put a damper on our practices and play so far this spring.,” said McPhail.

Earlier matches for MCC were cancelled due to snow and ice.

Bobcats utilize Eagles’ errors in sweep

By Dennis Watson/Special to The Star The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — In a game where two teams used contrasting styles to put runs on the board, the Jones County Junior College Bobcats capitalized on a few untimely errors to take the first game of a doubleheader from Meridian Community College 8-7 Wednesday at Scaggs Field. The Bobcats completed the sweep with an 11-3 decision in the nightcap.

"We played as poorly as we could play today, it’s my job to get them prepared and I obviously failed," Meridian coach Chris Rose said.

"They came to beat MCC and we brought nothing to the table."

The scoring got started in the first when Chris Lofton reached base on an error — the first of six in the game for the Eagles — and Zachary Robertson followed with a single and Lofton scored on a throwing error. Nick Ray continued the scoring when he singled in Robertson to make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors after the top of the first.

MCC struck back in the bottom half of the frame when Corey Dickerson led off the inning with a double in the right-center field gap. Then former West Lauderdale standout Darren Farmer connected and sent a shot towering over the center field wall to knot the game at 2.

Then in the top of the second inning, MCC starting pitcher Scott Lord allowed a couple of hits. He settled down, however, and collected his fourth strikeout to end the Bobcat threat.

MCC got back on the board in their half of the third when Farmer struck again, this time sending a bomb over the left field wall. Farmer’s second two-run home run put the Eagles up 4-2, but this game was far from over.

Jones scratched another run in the top of the fourth when Lofton singled and scored Graham Odom to bring the Bobcats within one run. MCC would not go silent in the bottom half as Rob McWhirter led off the inning with a single and then Michael LeGrange blasted a home run to left, making the score 6-3 in favor of the home team.

MCC was not quite done in the fourth, Dickerson decided to join the long ball party when he notched his fifth home run of the campaign.

With the score 7-3, Jones capitalized on an error and Dorian Hamilton singled in the fourth run of the game for the Bobcats. Then Brock Landry delivered a clutch two-run double to score Hamilton and Ray who reached on the sixth and final error.

Down 7-6, Jones sent relief pitcher Ryan Waters to the mound, and Waters was certainly up to the task. The righty provided a huge lift when he struck out the side in both the fifth and sixth innings. Jones then played small ball and beat out two fielders choices to take the lead 8-7 off seven unearned runs, and it was Waters who came in and closed the door and the Eagles’ attempts of a comeback.

"Some guys had very good days at the plate but our team defense was horrible and Jones took advantage — we gave them Game 1 and they took it," Rose added.

Waters collected the win going 3 innings, striking out seven, and giving up just two hits. Chase Jordan took the loss for the Eagles (8-3).

Dickerson, the future Mississippi State Bulldog, went 3-4 with 2 RBIs and was a triple away from the cycle. Farmer finished with a big day going 2-4 with those 2 home runs and 4 RBIs.

The second game was much like the first, as MCC struck early but couldn't hang on against the Bobcats. The Eagles scored three in the first before JCJC responded with six in the second. The Bobcats tacked on three more in the fourth and two in the seventh.

"They did everything better than us in the second game — Pitching. Hitting. Defense. Intensity," Rose said. "We scored three in the first and they score six in the second and we gave them four of the six."

Farmer again led MCC's offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Dickerson doubled and Jonathan Pace had two hits.

Dalton Kulas started for Meridian, lasting 3 1/3 innings in his first start of the year. Daniel Allen and Steven Taylor relieved as the Eagles fell to 8-4.

MCC hosts Northwest Florida College on Friday.

Allen gets 200th win at MCC

-IN TEN YEARS AT THE HELM, ALLEN AVERAGES 20 WINS PER SEASON

(MERIDIAN) - Wednesday night's Miss-Lou Tournament Championship game was not only a big win for the Meridian Community College women's basketball team, it was also a milestone for their coach.

Lady Eagle head basketball coach, Hilary Allen, has averaged 20 wins over the past decade for MCC.

Allen, who came to Meridian in 2000, had a combined record of 55-8 during his first two campaigns with the Lady Eagles. He set a school record for most wins in a season with 29 victories in '01-'02.

The next two years were a struggle as MCC entered into the MACJC Conference and recruiting restrictions were placed on MCC. The '02-'03 and '03-'04 seasons produced a 25-25 record for the Lady Eagles.

Things rebounded over the next three years for MCC. The Lady Eagles won 17 games each season starting in '04-'05 as Allen began his streak of advancing to the Region 23 Tournament in 2004 and currently has a six year consecutive streak, which is the longest current streak for any women's basketball team in Region 23.

The Lady Eagles have advanced to the Region 23 Tournament in 8 out of the past 10 years under Allen. In '06-'07 the Lady Eagles finished that season in the championship game of the Region 23 Tournament. The MCC women missed out on advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament and finished in the runner-up position. The '07-'08 season saw a new streak begin, as the Lady Eagles won 23 games that year starting a string of consecutive seasons with 20 or more victories. With 20-plus wins this season, that streak is three consecutive seasons.

That '07-'08 season also started another streak as the Lady Eagles have now won a championship title in each of the last three seasons. The Lady Eagles captured the South Division of the MACJC championship in '08 in route to a runner-up finish in the MACJC Tournament. The Lady Eagles have now captured the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament Championship for the past two years.

In '08-'09, the Lady Eagles won 22 games and the Miss-Lou Conference regular season championship title. The current team defeated this year's Miss-Lou regular season champs, Baton Rouge Community College, 83-66 Wednesday to capture the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament title.

MCC's women are now 24-6 on the year. Coach Allen will be looking for his 201st victory Monday when he leads the Lady Eagles into the Region 23 Tournament in Clinton, MS.

Meridian women use 3-point prowess to capture crown

By Robby Atkinson/Special to The Star The Meridian Star

The Meridian Community College Eagles may have experienced one of its brightest moments of the 2009-2010 season, but the ride is far from over.

The Eagles connected on nine 3-pointers as a team and got a team-high 25 points from sophomore Sharda'e Johnson as MCC wrapped up the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament championship with an 83-66 victory against Baton Rouge on Wednesday at the Graham Gymnasium.

Both teams had already clinched a berth in next week's Region 23 Tournament at Mississippi College in Clinton, but MCC head coach Hilary Allen is happy to have an enormous amount of momentum heading the next round of postseason play.

"It is, of course, a great win against a great basketball team," said Allen. "Our team played so hard on both ends of the court and this is such a great victory heading into a very difficult tournament next week."

The Eagles captured the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament title after finishing second in the regular season behind Baton Rouge to make the victory on Wednesday night a little sweeter. The two teams have played four times this season and the Eagles have won the last two meetings heading into the Region 23 Tournament next week.

"We knew we had to play a superb basketball game tonight," added Allen. "We shot the play well from the perimeter and made some clutch plays defensively down the stretch."

MCC opened a quick 8-0 lead to open the basketball game thanks to great shooting from Johnson, who earned the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. Johnson drained a long 3-pointer and hit another bucket to spark MCC in the opening minutes.

"That was such a statement early and we really needed to come out with some energy and we did that," said Allen. "She had such a great tournament and I am so proud of how hard she worked in both games this week."

MCC continued to hold a double-digit lead throughout most of the first half and extend its lead to 20 points with 11:25 left in the first half. Sophomore Tiara Logan, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, drained two 3-point buckets in the scoring run for MCC to make the score 30-10. Baton Rouge would not go away quietly as the Bear bench helped trim the MCC lead to 37-20 with 6:32 left in the first half. Sedreka Plummer had six points and Teagra Clifton chipped in with four points to bring Baton Rouge to within striking distance.

MCC was able to hold off two more Baton Rouge scoring runs and take a 50-33 lead into the halftime break. The Bears were their own worst enemy in the first half as Baton Rouge committed 14 turnovers.

Baton Rouge made one final run at the Eagles with 9:30 left in the game to cut the score to 62-55. Plummer led the way again for the Bears with several baskets off the bench and G.G. Williams also came off the bench with a couple of baskets to cut into the MCC lead. The Eagles would put the game away with a spectacular 13-0 run to push the score to 75-55 with 5:36 left in the game.

Johnson drained two more 3-pointers and the Eagles turned up the pressure on defense to cause four key turnovers that led to the run on offense. Baton Rouge would never get closer as MCC went on to capture the tournament title with the 83-66 win.

Logan ended the game with 12 points for MCC and Amber Fields had a huge night for the Eagles with 19 points. Clifton ended the night with 20 points in the loss for Baton Rouge and Williams had 23 points off the bench in the loss for the Bears.

Clifton was also named to the Miss-Lou Conference All-Tournament Team along with teammate Tierra Etienne. Allen was named Miss-Lou Conference Coach of the Year with the victory and also earned his 200th coaching win as head coach at MCC.

Clifton was also named as the All-Conference Player of the Year and Ladarica Campbell earned first team All-Conference for MCC along with teammate Tiara Logan. Johnson was named to the Miss-Lou Honorable Mention Team and Campbell was named Miss-Lou Newcomer of the Year for MCC.

MCC tennis looks to remain on top in 2010

The Meridian Community College tennis teams are set to begin their spring 2010 tennis season on February 25 when the MCC men travel to Fulton, MS to take on the University of Memphis. Both men’s and women’s teams will host Faulkner State at Northeast Tennis Center on Friday, February 26 with play set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

Both the Eagles and Lady Eagles are the reigning Region 23 champions.

The MCC men are returning seven sophomores from last year’s nationally -ranked team. The Eagles finished the season last year ranked number twelve.

Playing number one singles for Meridian will be Lucio Cangiano from Santos, Brazil.

“Lucio had a great freshman year and has played well in the fall,” said MCC tennis coach, Wanda McPhail.

Cangiano won the Southern Region ITA Championships in the fall and he and doubles partner Andres Cepede were the doubles finalist.

These two along with fellow teammates Gabriel Nicotra and Jeremy Purdum qualified to play in the National Small College Championships held in Mobile, AL in October 2009.

Cangiano will get a push from teammate and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Nicotra as well as Andres Cepede from Asunción, Paraguay.

Meridian will also expect big play from Jeremy Purdum, former Laurel High School standout and Wade Henderson from Pillow Academy who will compete for the number four and five spot.

Rounding out the lineup will be former Meridian High School player Kyle Dew and Brandyn Landry from Donaldsville, Louisiana.

The only freshman is Justin Giles who will have a hard time beating these sophomores out of a position, according to McPhail.

The Lady Eagles return one sophomore from last year’s team, which finished in the top ten at the national tennis tournament held in Tucson, Arizona. The crop of incoming freshman are all good players from great high school programs.

“ I expect us to be as good as we were last year, “ said McPhail.

“If the freshman step up and play as well as they are capable of playing.”

“Anna Vavrik is hands down the number one singles player on the team,“ according to McPhail.

“I have to get her to practice with the guys a couple of days a week to prepare her for the season, she could possibly vie for the National Championship if she conditions and works hard.”

As a freshman she was named to the ITA All-American team and is currently ranked number seven in the nation at the JUCO level.

Aline Ferreira, a sophomore transfer from Hinds Community College, will also play a big role in MCC’s success this spring.

“She is a solid player with beautiful ground strokes,” said McPhail.

Freshman Savannah Zachry, former Madison High School standout, will play the three position.

Jessica Halterman of East Webster will push her for this position.

Rounding out the lineup is another former East Webster player Kaley Allen, a Louisiana native, Indi Mire, Sumner Brown former Lamar High School player who has transferred in after Christmas, and West Lauderdale players Shelley Munn and Ashley Massey.

Anna Vavrik and partner Savannah Zachry won the girls’ doubles and Anna won the singles division at the Southern Region ITA Championships qualifying both players for the National Small College Championships that were held in October at Mobile, AL.

According to Coach McPhail the Eagles and Lady Eagles are anxious to begin play.

“The weather has certainly put a damper on our practices and play so far this spring.,” said McPhail.

Earlier matches for MCC were cancelled due to snow and ice.

Lady Eagles Capture Miss-Lou Championship

(MERIDIAN)- The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles defeated Baton Rouge Community College 83-66 Wednesday night in the championship game of the 2010 Miss-Lou Conference Tournaments.

MCC sophomore, Sharda’e Johnson was named the MVP of the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament after she led MCC in scoring with 28 points Wednesday.

MCC jumped out to an 18 – 6 lead to start the game.

Freshman Amber Fields also had 19 for MCC. Sophomore Tiara Logan was named to the All-Tournament team and scored 12 points, while dishing out 5 assists.

Sophomore LaDarica Campbell pulled in 11 rebounds for MCC.

GG Williams led Baton Rouge with 20 points.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Monday, March 1st in the Region 23 Tournament.



MERIDIAN C C
LADY EAGLES - 83

BATON ROUGE
LADY BEARS - 66

MERIDIAN (24 – 6)

BATON ROUGE (18 – 7)

MERIDIAN

LaQUITA BURROUGH 11, TIARA LOGAN 12, SHARDA’E JOHNSON 28, LaDARICA CAMPBELL 6, BIANCA POWELL 9, AMBER FIELDS 19, PORSHA WILSON 0, TAY ODNEAL 0, MATIKA STERLING 0

BATON ROUGE

CLIFTON 20, ETIENNE 7, ST. CYR 0, WILLIAMS 23, CHARLES 0, PLUMMER 14, BROWN 0, SPEARS 0

Halftime: Meridian 50 Baton Rouge 33

MCC women roll into conference championship

By Dennis Watson/Special to The Star The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN —Second-seeded Meridian came out firing on all cylinders in the semifinal round of the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament at Graham Gymnasium.

The Eagles began the game on a 16-2 run against Delgado and led wire-to-wire to secure the victory 66-49, setting the table for a showdown against Baton Rouge for the conference tournament championship at 6 p.m. today.

The MCC women (22-6) rained 3-pointers from everywhere on the court in the first half. Shardae Johnson, Lakita Burroughs, and Tiara Logan all connected from long distance in the opening minutes of the contest.

“We are not really a 3-point shooting team,” said head coach Hillary Allen. “But we sure will take them when we can get them.”

MCC’s ability to knock down open jumpers early took a lot of pressure off of low post star LaDerrica Campbell.

“Campbell is our All-Conference player,” said Allen. “The outside shooting allowed her to establish a presence inside and forced Delgado not to double team her.”

Campbell scored on back-to-back possessions with turn around jump shots to extend MCC’s lead to 15.

Delgado did not go down without a fight as they trimmed the Eagle lead to as few as five and entered halftime trailing 38-27. Dolphin Jamie Ellis knocked down a couple of 3-pointers of her own to help her team climb back into the game.

But in the end it was too much MCC, as Johnson and Logan continued their hot shooting from the first half. The Eagles finished the game with nine triples. To go along with great shooting, MCC played tremendous defense forcing 23 turnovers.

“Overall we showed great hustle, and I am real pleased with my teams’ effort,” said Allen.

Johnson finished with 13 points, Campbell had 12 of her own. Ellis and Ashley Baumgartner paced Delgado with 13 points apiece.

The Eagles return to action this evening at 6 p.m. to face the top-seeded Baton Rouge Bears, who had no trouble beating Southern University of Shreveport.

The matchup will be for the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament Championship, but both teams have already clinched themselves berths in the Region 23 Tournament.



Eagles fall against Miss-Lou No. 1 Jags

MERIDIAN — The first time Meridian Community College and Southern University-Shreveport squared off, Jaguar big man Brian Stafford proved to be unstoppable.

Tuesday was no different, as Stafford and the top-seeded Jaguars defeated the Eagles 65-55 in the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament at Graham Gymnasium.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. A timeout called by Southern, proved to be a well-timed decision, as the Jaguars came out after the break and went on a 16-5 run behind outstanding play from Stafford. Southern wouldn’t trail again.

On three consecutive possessions, the Southern big man used a repertoire of skilled moves with his back to the basket and converted them into points. MCC answered as Rashad Robinson connected twice from downtown and the Eagles cut into the Jaguar lead and got to within three points.

The teams entered halftime with Southern leading 28-23. Then the visitors turned up the defensive intensity in the second half creating 21 turnovers, most of them leading to easy buckets on the other end. As the teams’ traded blows back and forth, it seemed as the Jaguars were going to run away with the game. But at the 7:45 mark, Emmanuel Donald who delivered an emphatic dunk, evading the Southern shot-blocker, and getting the MCC crowd back into the contest.

The dunk cut the Southern lead to ten, but the Eagles would not get any closer as Rodney Hill nailed key free throws to seal the game and propel the Jaguars into the championship tonight against Delgado.

Stafford and Hill were the game high scorers with 18 points apiece. Donald had 14 for MCC, and Robinson finished with 12 points in the losing effort.

Lady Eagles advance to title game

(MERIDIAN) – The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles defeated Delgado Community College 66-49 in the Miss-Lou Conference Tournament Semi-final game Tuesday night at the Graham Gymnasium.

MCC sophomore, Sharda’e Johnson, led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 13 points, while LaDarica Campbell added 12 points for MCC.

Tiara Logan also had 10 points and 7 assists for MCC.

Jamey Ellis led Delgado with 13 points.

With the win, the Lady Eagles improve to 23-6 on the year and advance to play for the Miss-Lou Conference title tonight Baton Rouge Community College at 6:00 pm.

Eagles claim runner-up at Wynlakes Wynter Nationals

(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) - Meridian Community College golf team posted the second lowest score in the field for the second consecutive day to claim runner-up in the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals played in Montgomery, Ala.

The Eagles shot 295 on the final day to finish second in the 13 team field. "We played a lot better today," said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

"Proud of the guys, to come back post a better score and hold on to second was a solid way to start the spring."

Host Huntingdon College won the event with a 584, MCC came in second with a 598, LaGrange College came in thrid with a 609, Birmingham Southern College came in fourth with a 610 and the University of Montevallo rounded out the top five with a 619.

Leading the way for MCC was freshman Brandt Garon with rounds of 74-72 to finish tied for third and was named to the All Tournament Team. Freshman Clemens Dvorak placed in the top ten with a tie for seventh after rounds of 75-74. Freshman Adam Monsen also finished in the top ten with a ninth place finish shooting 76-74. Sophomores Garrett Westbrook and Cory Williamson each shot 154. Westbrook shot 78-76, Williamson had 79-75.

Chase Blaich defeated former MCC golfer, Clay Bounds now who plays for birmingham-Southern, in a play off for medalist.

Blaich and Bounds finished at +1 for the 36-hole event.

MCC 303-295=598 (2nd place)
B.Garon 146 (74-72) All Tournament Team
C.Dvorak 149 (75-74)
A.Monsen 150 (76-74)
G.Westbrook 154 (78-76)
C.Williams 154 (79-75)

Team results:
Huntingdon 584
MCC 598
LaGrange 609
Birmingham Southern 610
Univ of Montevallo 619
Faulkner Univ 623
Abraham Baldwin 647
Alabama State Univ 649
Andrew College 661
Faulkmer Univ JV 672
Millsaps 695
Sewanee 697
Martin Methodist 708

Eagles in second palce at Wynlakes Wynter Nationals

(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) The Meridian Community College golf team fired a 303 team score in the first round of the 2010 Wynlakes Wynter Nationals hosted by Huntingdon College in Montgomery on Monday.

MCC is currently in second place out of 13 teams, the Eagles are 13 strokes behind leader Huntingdon College, the host Hawks fired a 290 on their home track.

MCC was led by freshman Brandt Garon with a round of 74 (+2). Garon is in a tie for sixth place individually.

Freshman Clemens Dvorak is in the top ten (tied for ninth) after an opening round of 75 (+3).

Rounding out the Eagles scoring was Adam Monsen 76 (+4), Garrett Westbrook 78 (+6) and Cory Williamson 79 (+7).

“Traditionally in the spring season, especially early in February and March, you see above average scoring simply due to weather conditions and course conditions,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“Today was a great example of that, we shoot 303 our highest score of the year yet we’re still in second palce in a great tournament.”

Huntingdon leads with a 290, MCC in second with a 303, Faulkner University is in third with a 305, University of Montevallo is in fourth with a 306 and Birmingham-Southern College rounds out the top five with a 310.

Mack Duck of Huntingdon leads all individuals with a -2-under 70.

Final round of the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals tees off Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

MCC Softball splits season opener with Hinds

(MERIDIAN, Miss.) - The Meridian Community College softball team opened its 2010 season with a split with Hinds Community College at home.

Game 1 saw Hinds defeat MCC 12-2. Hinds scored 11 unearned runs as the Lady Eagles committed 8 errors.

“It is unfortunate that it happened but that’s the nature of the game when you start 7 newcomers and at least 4 are learning a new position,” said head coach Robert Eakins.

“Add to the fact that they were playing at home made them even more nervous.”

This was shown with 9 strikeouts in the game by the Lady Eagles, 7 coming in their first at bat.

“After everyone first at bat we started to settle down and play competitively but by then we had dug too huge to come out from,” added Eakins.

Whitnee Jenkins, Kasey Kelsay, Iyeshia Thomas, Chentrice Horne, and Victoria Moore all collected singles in the contest. Andrea Fulton took the loss on the mound for MCC.

Game 2 was an entirely different contest as it saw the Lady Eagles commit only 2 errors in the contest and collect 5 timely hits.

In the bottom of the second scored first to take a 2-0 lead in the contest. It opened with Alyssa Daniels (who went the distance to pick up the win on the mound) receiving a walk. After Chentrice Horne received a 1 out walk and Briana Gosselin reaching on a fielder choice to load the bases, Victoria Moore delivered a single to center to score Daniels and Horne. Kasey Kelsay hit into an inning ending double play.

After Hinds responded with a run in the top of the 3rd, Meridian answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning.

AIyeshia Thomas lead off with a walk, one out later Whitnee Jenkins launched a triple to right to score Thomas and later scored on a wild pitch.

In the 5th Nakkia Moore reached on a 2 out single. Taquitta Collier, running for Moore, stole 2nd and scored on Jenkins single to left.

Meridian added another insurance run in the bottom of the 6th when Ciera Keller running for Amanda Bordelon, who singled earlier, scored on part of a delayed steal by Victoria Moore.

“It was great to gain a split after the way we played in game one but I am proud of their efforts,” said Eakins.

“We have several players playing out of position, 1 we switched last week. We are young and inexperienced, so it is going to be growing pains. We are probably 3 players away from being a solid ball club at this level. However, they did not make excuses for their mistakes and accepted responsibility. With that attitude I think it can be a fun year.”

The Lady Eagles now prepare to host their annual MCC/Rush Classic at Northeast Park this weekend.

MCC golf set for spring season

Eagles enter Spring ranked in Division I national top-10

(MERIDIAN, Miss.) - The Meridian Community College golf team will begin its spring schedule on Monday at the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals in Montgomery, Ala. played at Wynlakes Country Club.

The Eagles will enter the spring season as the No. 6 ranked team in the country according to GolfStat.com, meanwhile the NJCAA.com poll has them as the No. 9 ranked team in junior college golf.

"Either way we're a consensus top ten team at the Division I level which says a lot considering this is just our second year since moving up from Division II," said fourth year head coach Sean Covich.

MCC blistered the competition in the fall to climb from being unranked to one of the top ten teams in the country. The Eagles served notice in their first fall event shooting a school record 13-under par (275) in the final round of the Wallace State Invitational.

MCC also captured three team tournament titles during the fall, including a 16-shot victory in their last event over the defending NJCAA national champions (John A. Logan College).

This week's event will consist of 36 holes over two days with 18 holes being played Monday and Tuesday. First-round action is set to get underway at 9:30 a.m. (CST).

The 14-team field has host-school Huntingdon College, Alabama State University, Birmingham-Southern College, Martin Methodist College, Andrew College, Talladega College, LaGrange College, Montevallo University, Faulkner University, Sewanee University, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Millsaps College, and Meridian Community College.

MCC will be led by freshman Brandt Garon. The Baton Rouge native is currently the No. 1 ranked player in Region 23 and the No. 4 ranked player in the nation according to GolfStat.com. Garon won his first college event with an 11-under performance at the Wallace State Invitational in Cullman, AL back in September. Garon led the team with a 71.1 scoring average during the fall.

Sophomore Cory Williamson will also look to anchor the Eagle line-up this spring. The Collins, MS native rides a wave of momentum coming off his first collegiate medalist title at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational played at Windance Country Club in October. Williamson bested 97 golfers as he shot 70-72 (-2) to win. Williamson averaged a 73.1 scoring average during the fall.

Sophomore team captain and returning NJCAA All-American, Garrett Westbrook will add experience to the line-up. The Baton Rouge native played steady for MCC during the fall as he averaged 73.3 and was named to the All Tournament team at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

Also in the lineup this week will be freshman Clemens Dvorak of Vienna, Austria. Dvorak posted a steady average of 73.3 and was named to the All Tournament team at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

Making his first start for MCC will be freshman Adam Monsen of San Antonio, TX. Monsen had his best performance in the final fall event, posting rounds of 74-73 to place in a tie for 8th at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

"This is a new lineup for us but a strong one," said Covich.

"We're using the spring regular season to find out who will be the final five that represent us in post season play."

The first round of the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals will be played on Monday, Feb. 22, followed by final round action on Tuesday.

2010 Spring Golf Schedule
Feb. 22-23
Wynlakes Wynter Nationals
Montgomery, AL
Wynlakes CC

March 1-2
Faulkner State Invitational
Fairhope, AL
Rock Creek

March 11-12
Battle on the Pond (MCC v John A Logan)
Scottsboro, AL
Goose Pond GC

March 18-20
Spring Fling College Classic
Scottsboro, AL
Goose Pond GC

April 5-6
2nd Annual Lou Hart Invitational
Meridian, MS
Northwood CC

April 12-13
Arkansas State Univ. Red Wolves Classic
Jonesboro, AR
Ridgepointe CC

April 19-20
NJCAA District IV Championship
Greenville, AL
RTJ Cambrian Ridge

May 14
MCC Alumni & Friends Scramble
Meridian, MS
NAS Ponta Creek

May 18-21
NJCAA Division I National Championship
Huntsville, AL
RTJ Hampton Cove

Lady Eagles improve to 20-5

Lady Eagles 60
Southern-Shreveport 46

(CLINTON, Miss.) –Meridian Community College freshman, Amber Fields came off the bench to lead the Lady Eagles to their 20th victory of the season Saturday night against Southern-Shreveport 60-46.

The win makes the third year in a row that the Lady Eagles have won 20 or more games.

Fields scored 13 points and pulled 8 rebounds for MCC while Brittany Bohannon scored 10 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double for the Lady Eagles.

Marcedis Govan led Southern Shreveport with 14 points.

The Lady Eagles return to action tonight at 6:00 pm against in-state rival, Jones County at home in the Graham Gymnasium.

Eagles 73
Southern-Shreveport 77

Meridian Community College Eagles fell to Southern-Shreveport in a close game, 77-73 Saturday on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton, MS.

Leading the way for MCC were Tory Johnson and Rashad Robinson each with 29 points.

Sunday Rush Recap

(MERIDIAN) - The talk of the 2010 Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field has been the unusually cold weather, but that conversation quickly turned into talk of the hot MCC offense on Sunday. The Eagles pounded out 26 total hits and scored 25 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Wabash Valley (10-5) and Southeastern Illinois (15-1) in day two of the tournament.

The Eagles also got two solid pitching performances from former Enterprise standout Blake Hennington and freshman Peyton Gardner. The Eagles also smashed seven homeruns in the doubleheader sweep on Sunday.

“We really played well today and got some solid pitching from our two starters,” said MCC head coach Chris Rose. “We ran the bases well and everyone in the lineup hit the baseball well in both games. We played some good defense behind our pitchers and did a lot of things very well as a team today.”

Freshman Peyton Gardner tossed five hitless innings for the Eagles and sophomore Corey Dickerson belted a pair of homeruns to lead the Eagles to a game one win over Southeastern Illinois. Gardner allowed no earned runs, one walk, and collected eight strikeouts in the no-hitter performance for the Eagles.

The Falcons took a quick lead to open the game thanks to poor fielding from the Eagles. Tommy Branham led the game off by reaching on a throwing error by MCC third baseman Jonathan Pace and later scored on another error by the MCC infield to give Southeast Illinois a 1-0 lead. The lead would not last long for the visitors as the Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead over the Falcons.

Dickerson led the inning off with a long solo home run over the wall in right field on the first pitch of the at bat to tie the score at 1-1. Jonathan Pace followed the homer by reaching on a hit by pitch and Ben Kingsley reached base on a single to put a pair of runners aboard for MCC. Rob McWhirter delivered a two run single for the Eagles to extend the lead to 3-1. MCC pushed another run across later in the inning thanks to an RBI single from Avi Ahlzadeh to make the score 4-1 in favor of MCC.

The Eagles continued to pour the offense on the Falcons by scoring four more runs in the second inning to make the score 8-1. Former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts led the inning off with a solo homerun and Dickerson belted another solo shot to push the MCC lead to 5-1. Alan Williams collected an RBI single in the inning and Kingsley added a double in the second inning for the Eagles. MCC put the game away for good with a five run third inning to make the score 13-1. Hunter Trawick had an RBI single in the inning and Graham Spencer smashed a grand slam in the five run frame for the Eagles. MCC clawed for two more runs in the fourth inning to cruise to the 15-1 victory. Kenny Sanders collected an RBI single in the final inning for the MCC offense.
Blake Hennington led the way in game two for MCC by pitching 5 2/3 innings and tallying 11 strikeouts in the five run win. The Eagles trailed Wabash Valley 2-0 after the top of the first inning due to a long home run for the Warriors.

Tyler Oliver put the visitors on the scoreboard first with a two run homerun over the wall in left field to put Wabash Valley up 2-0. MCC responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the first to take the lead 3-2 over the Warriors. Dickerson belted another solo homerun to lead off the first inning and two more runs scored on a couple of Wabash errors to make the score 3-2.

MCC extended its lead to 7-2 in the second inning with another long homerun. Spencer and Roberts led the inning off by reaching on walks for the Eagles, and Pace scored the first run of the frame on an RBI single to make the score 4-2. MCC smashed another home run to go up 7-2 off the bat of Ben Kinglsey who ended Sunday by going 5-for-7 at the plate for MCC.
The Eagles continued mounting the offense with two more runs in the third inning to push the score to 9-2. Spencer led the inning off with a single and came around to score on another home run as Roberts belted the two run homer to give the Eagles a seven run cushion.

Wabash would score one run in each of the next three innings, but it wasn’t enough as MCC would roll to the five run victory.

Saturday Rush Recap

(MERIDIAN) Meridian Community College opened up Rush Invitational Tournament play up Saturday night with two wins behind strong offensesive outbursts.

In game one the MCC used a five-run third inning to put away Wabash Community College 12-6 as multiple Eagles produced at the plate.

Corey Dickerson connected for three singles, while former West Lauderdale standout Darren Farmer had a single and a double. Ben Kinsley struck for two doubles, while Michael LeGrange, former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts and Hunter Trawick went deep for Meridian. LeGrange's homer drove in three runs.

Johnathan Thompson got the win improving his record to 2-0 on the year. He went 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight batters.

Meridian got things going early in game two as the Eagles struck for seven runs in the first two innings to rip through Southeastern Illinois for its fourth win of the season.

Rob McWhirter ripped a two-run homerun in the first inning to set the tone for MCC (4-2).

Ben Kingsley went for a single and a triple, while Jamey Cutts, Hunter Trawick and Jonathan Pace contributed two base knocks apiece. Kenny Roberts got in on the action with a double.

Scott Lord pitched a complete game allowing one earned run and striking out seven. Lord improves to 1-1 on the season.
Saturday Rush Recap

MCC golf adds to 2010 recruiting class

Alexander Grannon (center, sitting) signs to play for MCC and head coach Sean Covich (center, standing)

MERIDIAN, Miss. – The Meridian Community College golf program started the 2010 recruiting season with the signing of standout golfer Alexander Grannon on Tuesday, according to MCC golf coach Sean Covich.

Grannon, a senior at Hancock High School (Kiln, MS) won the MHSAA 5A District Championship with a 3-under par, 69 at Diamonhead County Club in 2009.

Grannon also won the 2009 Mississippi Big “I” Qualifier with rounds of 69-73 played at Oxford Country Club this summer to advance to the Big “I” National Championship played in Oklahoma. In 2008, he won the Gulf Coast Sunkist Open and placed third at the Mississippi Boy’s Junior Amateur played in Starkville with rounds of 75-70-72.

“I’m very excited to sign one of the top junior golfers in the state of Mississippi,” said MCC coach Sean Covich.

“Alex is an outstanding player on the course, he is very mature and he will be a leader for us in the classroom. We are not only signing a great athlete we are also signing a great student.”

Grannon's talents haven't been limited to the state of Mississippi and the United States.

He has also competed in Denmark and in 2007 won the Nykedit Junior Team Tournament, the Smorum Club Championship, the Match Play Junior Cup and the Danish National Championship.

And in addition to competing in Denmark, he recently played on the Future Collegians World Tour placing fourth in the Grand Cypress Open played in Orlando, FL.

"We are very glad Alex has chosen MCC and he will certain add to the tradition already established here," Covich said.

"With Alex being our first signee this recruiting class is already off to a great start."

The Eagles are currently ranked #6 in NJCAA Div. I by GolfStat.com. The MCC golf program is the only NJCAA Division I program in Region 23 (Mississippi, Louisiana) and the Eagles will start their spring season Feb 22-23 in Montgomery, AL at the Wynlakes Wynter Nationals.

Four Meridian soccer players move up to next level

(MERIDIAN)- Following three consecutive championship seasons the Meridian Community College women’s soccer program is certainly on the rise. Making that even more evident is the fact that four Lady Eagle sophomores all signed to play at the next level.

MCC sophomores: Catie Lyles, Christina Murray, Jantzen Oliver, and Mary Beth Weber are all moving on to four year university soccer programs.

Lyles, a midfielder, played her high school soccer at West Jones High School and is from Laurel, MS. She will be moving on to Montevallo University in Alabama, a member of the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II.

Lyles was named one of the sophomore team captains at MCC. She scored 8 career goals for the Lady Eagles, which included a six her sophomore year. She also added 14 assist during her two seasons at MCC, including nine her sophomore season. She also is tied for the record for most assist in a single game (3).

Murray, also a midfielder, played her high school soccer at Excellcior High School in Kingston Jamaica. She will be going on to Troy University in Alabama, a member of the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I.

Murray was named one of the sophomore team captains at MCC. She led the Lady eagles each of the past two seasons in goals, with 17 her freshman season and 22 her sophomore season. She leaves MCC with 39 career goals which tied McKenzie Butler of 2006- 2007 with the most in MCC history. She also holds the record for most goals in a single game with five.

Murray leaves MCC with 18 career assist, which includes 10 her sophomore season.

Murray was also named NJCAA National Player of the Week in September.

Weber, a striker, played her high school soccer at Laurel High School in Laurel, MS. She will be going on to Belhaven University in Mississippi, a member of NAIA.

Weber scored nine career goals with five her freshman season and four her sophomore season.

Oliver , a defender, will also be going to Belhaven University along with Weber.

Oliver played for Pascagoula High School and scored four career goals for MCC. She also leaves Meridian with five career assist.

All four of these ladies were apart of building a winning tradition at MCC, as they captured the program’s first ever Region 23 Championship in 2008 and then defended their title successfully this season for back to back Region titles in ’08 and ’09. The Lady Eagles also claimed NJCAA District E Runners-up in 2008 and 2009.

MCC soccer adds Newton Co. goal-keeper

Meridian Community College head men’s soccer coach, Alex George, announced the signing of current senior Andrew Smith of Newton County High School. Smith was a goalkeeper for Newton County and will play soccer starting next fall for he Eagles.

Baseball wins over Shelton State

(MERIDIAN) – The Meridian Community College baseball team started off the home portion of their 2010 schedule in style with a one-run, 7-6, victory over Shelton State Community College on a chilly Monday afternoon at Scaggs Field.

The game was tied up 6-6 in the ninth but after a passed ball, Kenny Sanders scored a run to give MCC their second win on the season and improve to 2-2.

Dustin McWilliams was the winning pitcher and at the plate, Ben Kingsley added a homerun for MCC.

The Eagles will play again this weekend when they host the Rush Tournament on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Scaggs Field.

Rush Tournament
Day Time Teams
Fri. 12:00 pm MCC vs. Southeastern Illinois
Fri. 3:00 pm MCC vs. Wabash
Sat. 11:00 am MCC vs. Southeastern Illinois
Sat. 3:00 pm MCC vs. Wabash
Sun. 12:00 pm MCC vs. Wabash
Sun. 3:00 pm MCC vs. Southeastern Illinois

Lady Eagles back on a roll

(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles are back to their winning ways after defeating Wallace State-Hanceville 89-67 on Monday night. MCC’s women have now won three consecutive games.

The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 19 point lead at halftime over Wallace State-Hanceville and built that lead up to 32 early in the second half.

“We played great team defense and distributed the ball extremely well on offense,” said MCC head coach, Hilary Allen after the victory.

Sophomore LaDarica Campbell had a game-high 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to notch another double-double.

Sophomore Tiara Logan added 15 points on four three-pointers. Sophomore Brittany Bohannon added 14 points, while freshman Tay Odneal added 10 points for MCC.

Morgan Duncan, from Hanceville, scored 14 points.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Saturday at 5:00 pm at Mississippi College, a neutral site game against Miss-Lou Conference opponent Southern-Shreveport.

This week in MCC Sports...

(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College baseball team will open up the home portion of their 2010 schedule against Shelton State today at 2 pm. The Eagles, ranked #19 in the NJCAA pre-season poll, are 1-2 after participating in the First Pitch Baseball Classic hosted by Florida Gulf Coast back on Jan 29-31.

Meanwhile the MCC women’s basketball team is in the final month of regular season play and is set to host Wallace State Hanceville tonight at 6 pm in the Graham Gymnasium. The Lady Eagles dominated Delgado for Homecoming on Saturday 81-44, and MCC improved to 18-5 on the season.

Here is a look at this week in MCC sports…

This Week in MCC Sports:
Day Time Event Location
Mon. 2:00 pm MCC baseball vs. Shelton State Scaggs Field
Mon. 6:00 pm MCC women’s basketball vs. Wallace St-Hanceville Graham Gymnasium
Fri. 12:00 pm MCC baseball vs. Southeastern Illinois Scaggs Field
Fri. 3:00 pm MCC baseball vs. Wabash Scaggs Field
Sat. 11:00 am MCC baseball vs. Southeastern Illinois Scaggs Field
Sat. 3:00 pm MCC vs. Wabash Scaggs Field
Sat. 5:00 pm MCC women’s basketball vs. Southern-Shreveport Clinton, MS (Miss. College)
Sat. 7:00 pm MCC men’s basketball vs. Southern-Shreveport Clinton, MS (Miss. College)
Sun. 12:00 pm MCC baseball vs. Wabash Scaggs Field
Sun. 3:00 pm MCC baseball vs. Southeastern Illinois Scaggs Field

MCC women roll past Delgado on Homecoming Saturday

Meridian 81
Delgado women 44


MERIDIAN —     The Meridian Community College women's basketball team shut down Delgado on Saturday, holding the Dolphins to just 16 points in an 81-44 rout.

    MCC (18-5) led 41-28 at the half, as former Kemper County standout Brittany Bohannon led the way with 14 points. LaQuita Burrough added 12 for MCC and Amber Fields scored 10.


Delgado men    81
Meridian    75

    Rashad Robinson's 17 points was not enough as visiting Delgado held off the Eagles on Saturday.

    Brandon Pettaway added 15, while Emmanuel Donald pulled down 10 rebounds.

MCCbaseball home opener delayed

The Meridian Community baseball team had planned on opening up their home-slate Friday against Shelton State Community College at Scaggs Field, but Mother Nature had other plans.

Today’s home game vs. Shelton State has been postponed until Monday at 2:00 pm. The MCC/Shelton St. game scheduled for Sunday in Tuscaloosa, AL has been postponed until a later date.

MCC basketball set to host Homecoming 2010

The Meridian Community College basketball teams will play host to Miss-Lou Conference Delgado Community College on Saturday for Homecoming 2010.

The women’s game tips off at 2 p.m. while the men play at 4 p.m.

The MCC women defeated Delgado back on January 27th in New Orleans, 70-60.

The Lady Eagles currently are 17-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

MCC enters the game trying to avenge loss earlier in the season to Delgado.

The MCC men are 5-17 on the year.

Homecoming festivities will include the crowning of Homecoming Queen at halftime of the men’s ballgame.

Six lovely ladies are serving in this year’s homecoming court. They are Alyse Green, Paige Horn, Catherine Kennedy, Sera Beth Pinkard, Holly Comans and Taleisha Douglas. The crown bearer this year is Christopher Sasser, grandson of Debbie McWhorter and the flower girl is Megan McGraw, daughter of Leah McGraw.

Broadcast of the game can be found on Comcast Cable Channel 12.

MCC Alumni & Friends Scramble date set for 2010

MCC Alumni & Friends Scramble
Friday, May 14th, 2010
1 PM shotgun start
NAS-Ponta Creek Golf Course
4-person scramble
$300 team entry ($75 per person)
$100 hole sponsorship
Donations from non-playing friends would be greatly appreciated
Prizes: Free rounds of golf at TPC Sawgrass, Shell Landing, Old Waverly, and more.. Titleist golf balls.. Footjoy gloves.. “Official” MCC golf gear.. and much more
Entry includes: Golf, cart, range balls, chicken plate lunch, drinks, gift bag, and more
Contact: MCC golf coach, Sean Covich, 601-484-8663, scovich@meridaincc.edu

Freshmen snap Sophomore streak in Eagle Cup VIII

(MERIDIAN) - With the Sophomores riding a seven-time winning streak into the final day of Eagle Cup VIII, the 2-2 overall score didn’t seem like a tie, but just added some drama to the Sophomore dominated series versus the Freshmen. Confidence ran high for the Sophomores as five points where up for grabs at historic Northwood Country Club for the Singles Matches that would determine the Champion. That Sophomore confidence would quickly disappear on a cool, crisp winter afternoon as the young Freshmen, at one point led 4 of 5 matches at the turn.

Match #1 featured Brandt Garon of the freshman team against roommate and sophomore Cory Williamson. A tight match all the way around until it looked as though Garon was about to close it out on #16. Leading 2 UP with 3 to play, a win on #16 would close it out, Garon hit his approach shot to 10 feet while Williamson’s second dfound the hazard on the right side of the par-5. After a penalty stroke and a drop, Williamson was hitting his fourth shot from 20 yards inbetween the hazard and the cart path while Garon was eyeing a rather short birdie putt, looked as though the match was over, then Williamson, on an admittedly “thin” chip, hit the pin and sunk the shot for a miracle birdie- then Garon missed his putt as Williamson not only stole the hole he came back from the dead to make the match 1 UP for Garon with 2 to play. Garon would go on to win the match 1 UP and earn the Freshmen their first lead of the Eagle Cup 3-2.

Match #2 featured freshman Bo Reed against Easton Key, playing for the Sophomore team. Reed led most of the way as this match remained close also. On #17, with Reed 2UP, Key was forced to make a birdie or lose the match, he missed and all the sudden with Reeds 3&2 victory, the Freshmen were just one point away from their first Eagle Cup victory in school-history.

Match #5 ended before the final hole also as sophomore Tanner Sparks defeated freshman Oscar Mariscal 2&1. Sparks led pretty much the entire day and enjoyed a comfortable lead, although Mariscal did cut it to 1 on #10. With the Sparks victory, the Sophomores looked like they were about to battle back and with just two matches left on the course, the score was FRESH 4, SOPH 3.

The next two matches would decide the Eagle Cup.

Match #3 featured an international feel as Austrian Clemens Dvorak, a freshman, squared off against Englishman, Nick Hawkes, a sophomore. Back and forth early, Dvorak started to pull away on the back but Hawkes, in true British form, held on and the match went to the final hole with Dvorak 1 UP, a win out of the freshman and the Cup was theirs, a halve out of the Sophomores and they could capture the Cup still with a win in the final match. It wasn’t to be for the 8th time, as for the first time ever, the Freshmen team won thanks to Dvorak’s 1 UP victory over Hawkes.

Match #4 featured Garrett Westbrook of the sophomores and Adam Monsen of the freshmen team. Monsen mounted a surprising 3 UP lead early through 8 holes but Westbrook, the teams captain and returning NJCAA All American, rallied back on the back nine to win 1 UP and even though the Cup was already decided he showed true determination in earning the 4th pint for the Sophomores.

The final score ended up Freshmen 5 to Sophomores 4, as now, for the first time ever- “Freshmen” will be engraved on the Eagle Cup. Eagle Cup IX will be coming next Fall in 2010.


Day One
Four-Ball Match play-Northwood CC
Match 1- Nick Hawkes/Tanner Sparks defeated Bo Reed/Brandt Garon 2 UP
Match 2- Clemens Dvorak/Oscar Mariscal defeated Garret Westbrook/Cory Williamson 1UP

Day Two
Alternate Shot Match play-Briarwood CC
Match 1- Tanner Sparks/Cory Williamson defeated Adam Monsen/Brandt Garon 6&5
Match 2- Clemens Dvorak/Oscar Mariscal defeated Nick Hawkes/Garrett Westbrook 1UP

Day Three
Singles Match play-Northwood CC
Match 1- Brandt Garon (FR) defeated Cory Williamson (SO) 1UP
Match 2- Bo Reed (FR) defeated Easton Key (SO) 3&1
Match 3- Garrett Westbrook (SO) defeated Adam Monsen (FR) 1UP
Match 4- Clemens Dvorak (FR) defeated Nick Hawkes (SO) 1UP
Match 5- Tanner Sparks (SO) defeated Oscar Mariscal (FR) 2&1

Point Totals
(after Rd 2)
Sophomores 4
Freshmen 5

Captains:
• Sophomore Team- Garrett Westbrook
• Freshman Team- Clemens Dvorak
History:
Eagle Cup Date Winner
Eagle Cup I Fall 2006: Sophomores
Eagle Cup II Spring 2007: Sophomores
Eagle Cup III Fall 2007: Sophomores
Eagle Cup IV Spring 2008: Sophomores
Eagle Cup V Fall 2008: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VI Spring 2009: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VII Fall 2009: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VIII Spring 2010: Freshmen

Eagle Cup VIII

Day Two: All Square, again

Once again Day Two of Eagle Cup VIII had chilly weather but clear skies as the format featured alternate shot match play at beautiful Briarwood Country Club.

Heading into the day, both teams were looking to breakaway from the 1-1 tie after Four-ball matches on Monday.

The first match of the day featured Tanner Sparks and Cory Williamson against Adam Monsen and Brandt Garon.

Sparks/Williamson took control early and then closed out the match on the backside, winning decisively 6&5 which extended the sophomore team lead out to 2-1.

The second match of the day saw Clemens Dvorak and Oscar Mariscal team up for the freshman against Garrett Westbrook and Nick Hawkes of the sophomore team.

Once again, the freshman duo of Dvorak/Mariscal proved to be a scrappy team against the veterans as the match was ALL SQUARE after 17 holes. On the final hole the “International” freshman duo drained a clutch putt to win 1 UP. The point earned the freshman team a a much needed point to tie up Eagle Cup VIII 2-2.

The final day of the three day Eagle Cup concludes Wednesday afternoon at Northwood Country Club. The final day will feature five different singles matches with a total of five points up for grabs. First team with 5 points wins the Cup, meaning that the Eagle Cup will once again feature an exciting finish. Sophomores are 7-0 All Time vs the Freshman in the seven previous Eagle Cups.

Day One
Four-Ball Match play-Northwood CC
Match 1- Nick Hawkes/Tanner Sparks defeated Bo Reed/Brandt Garon 2 UP
Match 2- Clemens Dvorak/Oscar Mariscal defeated Garret Westbrook/Cory Williamson 1UP

Day Two
Alternate Shot Match play-Briarwood CC
Match 1- Tanner Sparks/Cory Williamson defeated Adam Monsen/Brandt Garon 6&5
Match 2- Clemens Dvorak/Oscar Mariscal defeated Nick Hawkes/Garrett Westbrook 1UP


Point Totals
(after Rd 2)
Sophomores 2
Freshmen 2

Captains:
• Sophomore Team- Garrett Westbrook
• Freshman Team- Clemens Dvorak
History:
Eagle Cup Date Winner
Eagle Cup I Fall 2006: Sophomores
Eagle Cup II Spring 2007: Sophomores
Eagle Cup III Fall 2007: Sophomores
Eagle Cup IV Spring 2008: Sophomores
Eagle Cup V Fall 2008: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VI Spring 2009: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VII Fall 2009: Sophomores
Eagle Cup VIII Spring 2010: ????????????

St. Pete downs MCC on final day

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The Meridian Community College Eagles faced off against St. Petersburg College in one of three consolation games played on Sunday as part of The First Pitch Classic.

St. Pete bested Meridian 9-4.

The Eagles scored two runs in the top of the second and third innings only to see St. Pete answer in the bottom of the second with five runs and three runs in the bottom of the third. The Titans would add a run in the bottom of the sixth to secure a 9-4 victory over MCC.

Kenney Sanders went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, RBI, run scored, and a stolen base. Ben Kingsley went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Jordan pace went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Eagles return to action on Friday when they host Shelton State at 2:00 pm.

MCC downs Chipola for first win

By Robby Atkinson/Special to The Star The Meridian Star

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The Meridian Community College Eagles used a solid pitching performance from sophomore Jonathan Thompson and some timely hitting to take its first win of the 2010 season by a final score of 8-5 against Chipola Junior College at the First Pitch Classic at Gulf Coast.

Thompson pitched 7 1/3 innings and collected six strikeouts to earn his first as an MCC Eagle. Freshman Payton Gardener earned the save for the Eagles working the final 1 2/3 and tallying three strikeouts in relief.

"We had a great day on the mound," said MCC head coach Chris Rose. "We got a great start from Jonathan and we played some great defense behind him. It feels to good to get our first win of the season in such a tough field of teams in this tournament."

MCC will wrap up its play in the First Pitch Classic today at 2:30 p.m. against Florida Gulf Coast or St. Petersburg College.

MCC opened with a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to some great hitting from the top of the Eagle lineup. Sophomore Corey Dickerson delivered a two-run single to left field with two outs to give MCC the early 2-0 lead over the Indians. Chipola came right back with a pair of runs of its own in the bottom portion of the second thanks to a long home run.

Michael Revell hit a towering two-run home run over the fence in left to tie the game at 2-2 after two innings of play. Chipola took its only lead of the game in the fourth inning due to some great hitting with two outs. Jonathan Gilbert smacked a single to right field that scored Joey Rapp who reached on a walk to make the score 3-2 in favor of Chipola.

MCC rallied with a three run fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead over Chipola. The Eagles sent eight players to the plate in the inning and the frame was highlighted by a two-run double by Darren Farmer, a former West Lauderdale standout. MCC extended its lead in the sixth inning with the first home run of the season for the Eagles. Freshman shortstop Graham Spencer smashed a solo home run to left center field to give the Eagles a 6-3 lead.

The Indians chipped away at the MCC lead with a run in the seventh and eighth inning to make the score 6-5. The run in the seventh scored on an error by the Eagles and the fifth run of the game for Chipola scored on a solo home run by Rapp.

MCC tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth inning to put away the 8-5 victory. Kenny Sanders led the inning off with a single and Dickerson followed by reaching on an error by Chipola to put a pair of runners aboard for the Eagles. Both runs scored on a fielding error by the Indians that gave Meridian just enough breathing room for the win.

Sanders led the way for Eagles with two hits and Ben Kingsley added a single in the victory for MCC. The Eagles collected six hits in the game and Chipola earned seven hits in the loss.

MCC Eagles ready to soar into 2010 season

By Robby Atkinson / Special to The Star The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College Eagles have enjoyed many years of success on the baseball diamond by making seven appearances in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., and this season the goal is to make it number eight.

MCC enjoyed another banner season in 2009 by securing a Region 23 Championship in dramatic fashion over Delgado, but the Eagles fell short of its ultimate goal of winning a national championship. The Eagles are hoping that 2010 will be the year to take the final step, but the Eagles will need to fill some big shoes in a hurry.

"We lost a lot of great players from last season, but these young players coming into 2010 have some great talent," said MCC head coach Chris Rose. Rose is in his fourth season as the head coach for the Eagles and the goals never change at MCC.

"Our number one goal is to get to Grand Junction and win a national championship," said Rose. "Meridian has been an elite program for years and we have enjoyed a lot of success. We will face some tough challenges this season and we will look for some young guys to step up in a big way to fill some holes from some solid sophomores from last season."

MCC will return seven sophomores from 2009 and the most notable being center fielder Corey Dickerson. Dickerson led the Eagles in most offensive categories last season and will be in the lead off spot in the lineup for MCC.

"He is a great hitter and we are looking for big things from him again this season," said Rose. "He works extremely hard and looks to improve his game everyday."

Dickerson has already signed to play at Mississippi State next season. Jonathan Pace returns for his sophomore season for MCC and will see plenty of action in the infield for the Eagles. Pace will primarily start at third base for MCC replacing departed third baseman Tyler Vick, who led the team in home runs last season.

Another new face on the infield for MCC will be at shortstop with freshman Graham Spencer. Spencer will bring a solid glove to the position and replace Jordan King from last season, who signed to play at Ole Miss. Freshman Hunter Trawick has drawn the starts so far at first base for the Eagles replacing Taylor Scarbrough from last season. Former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts rounds out the infield and will draw starts at second base for MCC.

"I believe that we will be very solid defensively this season," added Rose. "We are young in the middle, but those guys are getting better every day."

MCC will have a small taste of local flavor behind the plate as Darren Farmer will see a lot of action at catcher. The former West Lauderdale standout brings a lot of experience at the catching position and was a part of a State Championship for the Knights last season. The Eagles are deep at the catching position with Chase Hesson and Avi Ahlzadeh, who will also see action.

MCC returns several outfielders from last season led by Kenny Sanders. Sanders cracked the starting lineup at the end of the 2009 season and will look to contribute in 2010. Michael LeGrange, Drew Crosby, Nick Helmstetter, and Alan Williams will see some action in the outfield for MCC this season as well.

The most important part of the success for the Eagles this season will lie with its pitching staff. MCC returns only two pitchers from last season and the Eagles will have lots of youth on the mound in 2010.

Former Enterprise standout and sophomore Blake Hennington will be in the starting rotation for MCC along with sophomore Jonathan Thompson. MCC will also look for contributions from Scott Lord, Dustin McWilliams of West Lauderdale, Payton Gardner, and several other to fill holes among the staff.

MCC kicked off the 2010 season on Friday with a 4-2 loss to Central Alabama in the First Pitch Classic in Panama, City Fla. The Eagles rebounded with an 8-5 against Chipola on Saturday before losing to St. Petersburg College 9-4 Sunday.

MCC opens its home schedule Friday against Shelton State at 2 p.m. The 2010 schedule will feature the annual Rush Tournament (Feb. 12-14) and key Miss-Lou Conference games with Delgado and Baton Rouge. The site of the Region 23 Tournament will be the winner of the regular season championship of the Miss-Lou Conference.

MCC enters the 2010 season nationally ranked 19th according to the NJCAA Divison I preseason poll.