MCC Women’s Soccer Players Ink

(MERIDIAN) – Three Meridian Community College women’s soccer players made it official this week as they signed with four year programs.

MCC head soccer coach, Alex George, and assistant coach, Mike Smith, announced that sophomores Teri Brown, Katie McCain and Anastasia Vogel all signed with four year university teams.

Brown and Vogel will be attending William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS.

Brown, a goalkeeper from Bristol, England, was an All Region 23 player. She started for two years at MCC, shattering the goalkeeping records with giving up only 44 goals, compiling 264 saves, and 12 shutouts.

Vogel, a striker from Pontotoc, MS, was a MHSAA All Star at Pontotoc High School where she also played for the Chicago Fire Juniors of Mississippi Club team out of Jackson, MS. After arriving on MCC’s campus in 2009, she started at striker for two years at MCC, compiling 35 goals and 8 assist. Vogel leaves MCC as the third All Time leading goal scorer in Lady Eagle history. Vogel was also named NJCAA National Player of the Week in September and was named All Region 23 team her Freshman year.

McCain will be attending Belhaven University in Jackson, MS.

McCain is from Brandon, MS where she played for Brandon High School and was a MHSAA All Star. She also played on the Chicago Fire Juniors of Mississippi Club team along with Vogel. McCain started at defender both of her years at MCC.

Brown, McCain and Vogel helped lead the Lady Eagles to a 2009 Region 23 Championship and a 2010 Runner Up finish.

Meridian takes two out of three from Delgado

MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College Eagles couldn't have written the script any better on Friday afternoon at Scaggs Field. Ben Kingsley belted three home runs and MCC got two solid pitching performances to earn a much needed doubleheader sweep of Delgado Community College (8-3, 8-3) in local JUCO baseball Friday afternoon. Meridian entered its three game series with Delgado at 2-4 in the Miss-Lou Conference and the two victories have brought some life back into the Eagles.

Kingsley has hit six home runs in his last four games and leads the team with 17 home runs for the season. Kingsley came into the doubleheader against Delgado tied for the lead at 14 home runs in the nation, but has taken the lead with three long shots on Friday.

"Any time you can sweep a conference doubleheader and against such a good team is such a plus," said MCC head coach Chris Curry. "I thought that our starting pitchers today did a great job of answering the bell in such key starts today. We have some guys on our team that are starting to understand their role and we did a lot of things right in every part of both games."

Game 1
MCC 8
Delgado 3

The Eagles scored five runs in the fourth inning and held off a late Delgado rally to take the Game One victory over the Dolphins. MCC took a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning and the Eagles exploded for five runs to push its lead to 8-0. Dustin James got the fourth inning started with a single and Garrett Pitts followed with a double to put a pair of runners on base for MCC.

Kinglsey connected on his first home run of the day with a three-run shot to right field and give MCC a 6-0 lead over the Dolphins. The Eagles continued to use the long ball and scored two more runs to extend its lead to 8-0 over Delgado. Wade Wass reached base on an error by the Dolphins and Hunter Trawick blasted his sixth home run of the season that scored two runs and give MCC an 8-0 lead.

Delgado was able to rally late in the top of the sixth inning for three runs and cut the MCC lead to 8-3. Alex Prestenbach drove in two runs in the sixth inning for Delgado on a single and the third run of the inning scored on a wild pitch to bring the Dolphins to within five runs. MCC was able to hold off Delgado and secure the Game One victory by a final score of 8-3.

Brandon Hallford (3-1) pitched five innings for the Eagles and picked up the pitching victory and Brent Bonvillian (7-2) took the loss on the mound in Game One for Delgado. MCC had nine hits in Game One and was led at the plate by Kingsley and James with two hits apiece. Delgado (33-13, 4-7) ended Game One with eight hits and was led by Chad Fortenberry and Scott Fabre with two hits apiece.

Game 2
MCC 8
Delgado 3

Meridian completed the sweep of the Dolphins with another five-run victory in Game Two of the doubleheader. Meridian picked up right where it left off from Game One and scored in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead over Delgado. Kingsley gave MCC the quick 1-0 lead on a solo home run over the wall in left field to give him his second home run of the day.

The Eagles extended its lead with three more runs in the third inning and move the score to 4-0. Kingsley belted his final homer of the day that drove in all three runs n the third inning and give MCC a four-run edge over Delgado.

Meridian added three more runs in the next two innings and carried a 7-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning. Delgado was able to score its first runs of Game Two in the sixth inning and trim the MCC lead to 7-2. Daniel Brockhoeft belted a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give Delgado a sense of hope and cut the lead to five runs.

MCC scored its final run of the game on an error in the bottom of the sixth and Delgado scored its final run of the game in the seventh inning on a home run by Matt Smith to make the final score 8-3 in favor of Meridian in Game Two.

The Eagles collected 12 hits as a team in Game Two and was led by Kingsley, James, and Darren Farmer with two hits apiece. Delgado ended Game Two with five hits and was led by Brockhoeft with two hits in the game.

Michael Manley (6-2) picked up the pitching win in Game Two for MCC by tossing five shutout innings and Nate Fury (2-2) took the loss on the mound in Game Two for Delgado.

Game 3
MCC 6
Delgado 11

The MCC Eagles entered its final home game of the 2011 season looking to earn a sweep of Delgado Community College, but the Eagles would be denied on Saturday at Scaggs Field. Delgado scored four runs in the sixth and eighth inning to avoid the sweep by Meridian to take an 11-6 victory over the Eagles in Miss-Lou Conference action.

Delgado (34-13, 5-7) closed out its portion of the Miss-Lou Conference schedule and the Dolphins will host the 2011 Region 23 Tournament in New Orleans on May 13-14. Meridian is still alive for the regular season championship in the Miss-Lou Conference, but the Eagles will need a sweep of Baton Rouge on the road next weekend. The Bears currently sits at the top of the standings in the Miss-Lou Conference with a 6-3 record. All three teams in the Miss-Lou Conference will advance to the Region 23 Tournament at Delgado in three weeks no matter the result of the final series between Meridian and Baton Rouge next weekend.

"We just made too many mistakes that hurt us late in the game," said Meridian Community College head coach Chris Curry. "We have hurt ourselves numerous times this season with mistakes and we allowed them to happen again today. We still have a lot of big games ahead of us and postseason baseball is just around the corner."

Meridian (31-18, 4-5) started the game off with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead over the Dolphins. Brian Donohoe led the bottom of the first inning off with a solo home run and Ben Kingsley followed with a solo shot. Kingsley ended the week with seven home runs in five games and increased his total to 18 home runs which leads the nation in JUCO baseball.

The Eagles added one more run in the frame on an RBI-ground out by Darren Farmer to give MCC a three-run lead after an inning of play. Delgado answered with a run of its own in the top of the second inning to cut the Meridian lead. Alex Prestenbach provided the spark for the Dolphins with a solo home run over the wall in left field which was his second of the series to brin Delgado to within two runs.

Meridian answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push its lead to three runs once again at 4-1. Farmer led off the fourth inning on a walk and Nolan Thomas followed with a single, but the Dolphins made a throwing error in the process that scored Farmer..

The Dolphins battled back to answer the run of the Eagles with a run in the top of the fifth inning. James Davis smashed a solo home run for the Dolphins over the wall in left field to inch Delgado closer to within a pair of runs. The Dolphins took its first lead in the top of the sixth inning with four runs and grab the 6-4 lead over the Eagles.

Daniel Brockhoeft had an RBI single in the sixth inning, but the big blow came on a three-run home run by Angelo Bruno that gave Delgado the 6-4 lead over Meridian. The game continued until heavy rain entered the area in the top of the eighth inning and play was postponed for close to an hour. The game resumed and Delgado put the game away for good with four more runs in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 10-4. Three runs scored in the inning on a pair of errors by Meridian and a third run scored on a wild pitch.

MCC tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of runs to cut into the lead. Thomas drove in one run on a double and Dustin James added an RBI double in the two-run eighth inning for the Eagles. Delgado added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth inning and rolled to the 11-6 win over MCC.

Meridian ended the game with 11 hits and was led at the plate by Donohoe with three hits and the one home run by Kingsley. Delgado had 10 hits and was led by Bruno with three hits, to go along with three RBI.

MCC tennis teams sweep Region 23 tournament titles

from school reports
The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — Meridian Community College men’s team claimed their fifth consecutive Region 23 title today and the women’s team claimed their fourth consecutive Region 23 title.

What could have been a dismal day for the Meridian men turned into a celebration. Itawamba’s men were favored going into the tournament as they came into the Region tournament as the MACJC State Champs. Meridian lost their last outing to Itawamba March 22, 6-3. Meridian’s women were the favored team as they were undefeated in regular season play in the region.

At the end of the first day of play Meridian led the pack by one point with seven, Itawamba had six, Hinds three and Jones two. In number one men’s singles, ICC’s Ethan Wilkerson won the flight with wins over Mikhail Percherkin (Hinds) 6-0, 6-2 in the finals and Sam Thorold (Jones) 6-3, 6-1 in the semis. Meridian’s Matic Leskovar lost the first round to Pecherkin 7-5, 6-3. At the number two flight Meridian’s top-seeded Simon Bardell defeated Nick Williams (Jones) 6-1, 6-2 and ICC’s Jeremy Falls 6-3, 6-1 in the semis. Hinds number two Nikita Lisov lost to Williams (Jones) in the semis 6-3, 6-3. At the number 3 flight MCC’s top-seeded Andres Yepez defeated Jones’ Cade Sherman in three hard -fought sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, and in the semis he defeated Donnel Myles (Hinds) 6-2, 6-1. Sherman advanced to the finals with a win over ICC’s Wesley Raines 6-2, 6-4. ICC’s Alex Thomas won the four flight with wins over MCC’s Zach Marroy 7-6(5), 7-5 and Hinds’ Jeremy Robinson 6-2, 6-1. Marroy advanced to the finals with a big win over Jones’ Armand Deniakos 7-6(4), 6-4. ICC also took the five flight with a win by Luke Wilson over MCC’s Will Huntington. Wilson advanced to the finals with a win over Jones’ Josh Agee and Huntington defeated Hnds’ Morgan Brashire in the semis. At six, MCC’s Trey Webb came through big time with a win over ICC’s Jeff Hamm 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Going into the doubles’ action MCC led ICC by one point, so it was still any team’s title. At the number one flight Hinds’ Nikita Lisov and Mikhail Pecherkin helped MCC out when they won the flight with a win over the top-seeded ICC team of Ethan Wilkerson/Leon Prudencio 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. MCC’s 3 doubles Huntington/Webb lost to ICC’s Thomas/Wilson just minutes before MCC’s 2 doubles team Marroy/Yepez won a three- setter over Jones’ Williams/Deniakos to clinch the Region title for Meridian. Meridian finished the tournament with 11 points, ICC 10 points, and Jones and Hinds tied with 3 points each. Meridian’s men will now advance to the National Tournament to be held in Plano, TX May 15-20.

In women’s action Meridian had a clean sweep taking all nine courts. They did not lose a set the entire two-day tournament. Claiming the number one singles for MCC was Monica Rekkedal, at two Savannah Zachry, at three Indi Mire, at four Kaley Allen, at five Shelley Munn, and at six Cecilly Monsour. Winning the number one flight doubles for Meridian was the team of Savannah Zachry/Indi Mire. Shelley Munn, a former West Lauderdale player, and partner Monica Rekkedal won the two flight, and Kaley Allen and Cecilly Monsour took the win at three doubles for Meridian. The women certainly had to fight hard on several courts to claim All Region honors. At the number five singles ICC’s Mandy Collins pushed Shelley Munn to a 15-13 tie break for the first set. Shelley then won the second 7-5. The number one (Rekkedal) and two singles (Zachry) and the number one doubles (Mire/Zachry) came into the tournament seeded second as they had not faced Hinds during the regular season. Meridian finished the day with a perfect score of 18 points, Hinds 5, and ICC 4. Meridian’s women now advance to the National Tournament to be held in Tucson, AZ May 7-12.

According to Coach McPhail who is in her eleventh year as men’s and women’s tennis coach, “this has been an interesting year for Meridian tennis. The men’s team is one that I am the most proud of as six of the seven players are freshman. I have told them all season that we had to grow up mentally if we were going to keep the title in Meridian. I have a great group of guys and girls who have excelled all year on the courts and in the classroom as a whole. They have come together as a team, and I am extremely pleased with the determination and hard work I saw this week.

"The women had to overcome adversity as well early in the season when we lost our number three player at Christmas due to a should injury which resulted in surgery. As a coach, I had to completely rework my doubles who had played together in the fall. Doubles is like a marriage, “Players have to learn what the other one is doing to be a team,” so the girls had their work cut out for them. They have been a great group of ladies for two years as four of these ladies are sophomores.”

MCC Softball splits with Hinds

The Meridian Community College softball team played host to in-state rivals, Hinds Community College on Wednesday afternoon.

MCC won game one 7-3 over Hinds, then dropped game two by a score of 8-4.

With the split, MCC is now 11-30 on the season and will face Pensacola Junior College on Tuesday at 1 pm in Pensacola, Fl.

Palmer to be inducted into Juco Sports Hall of Fame

Corky Palmer, the coach who led Meridian Community College’s baseball program into national prominence, will be inducted Tuesday night into the Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at the Jackson-Hilton beginning at 7 p.m.

Each of Mississippi’s public community colleges select an inductee per year, and Palmer has been chosen as Meridian’s honoree for 2011. Palmer coached the MCC Eagles from 1987-96, compiling a record of 409-160, winning over 70 percent of his games. He is one of only two coaches in baseball history to lead both a junior college and a NCAA Division I team to their respective college world series. He accomplished the latter part of that distinction while head coach of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

“Coach Palmer is a legend in the annals of Mississippi college baseball,” said Dr. Scott Elliott, MCC president. “We are very excited about his induction into the Hall of Fame. He brought great honor to MCC as our baseball coach. His impressive record speaks for itself.”

Palmer will be joining in the Hall the following previous inductees from MCC: Lou Weddington Hart (golf); Cliff Lee, Jason Smith, Billy Harold Smith, and Paul Phillips (baseball); Jim Redgate (golf and basketball); and Ronald Murray (basketball).

At MCC, Palmer coached the Eagles to three trips to the Division I World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado, including a national runner-up finish in 1996. Palmer’s MCC Eagles captured five conference titles and four regional championships during his tenure. He was named Region 23 Coach of the Year on four occasions and NJCAA National Coach of the Year twice.

After departing MCC, Palmer became head coach at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where he compiled a 458-281 record and led the Golden Eagles to eight NCAA Regionals, including seven in a row in his final seasons before retiring. His 2009 USM squad earned the university’s first-ever trip to the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, by sweeping the University of Florida Gators in the NCAA super Regionals at Gainesville, FL.

Prior to entering the college coaching ranks, Palmer amassed a high school coaching record of 102-52. His 32-year career coaching mark at all levels stands at 969-493. A prolific high school and college player himself, Palmer was a three-year starter at catcher for USM under the legendary Pete Taylor and captained the Golden Eagles his senior year. Palmer is a member of the M-Club and Alumni Association Hall of Fames at USM as well as the 2011 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee class.

MCC tennis wins Region 23... again

The Meridian Community College Eagles and Lady Eagles captured the Region 23 titles on Tuesday at Northeast Park in Meridian. MCC was the host and once again took home the honors as both the men’s and women’s teams advance to their national championship tournaments in May.

The men have now won five consecutive Region 23 titles and eight out of the last ten (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011).

The women have now won four in a row and eight out of the last nine (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011).

MCC has eight moving on...

Eight Meridian Community College athletes signed at the next level. Four MCC baseball players and four golfers signed on Wednesday in a ceremony held on campus in front of family, friends and media.

For baseball, three local players, Darren Farmer and Dustin McWilliams from West Lauderdale and Kenny Roberts from Meridian High, along with Chase Jordan from Citronelle (AL) High School have committed to play at the next level.

Farmer, a sophomore from Bailey, signed with Grambling University. Farmer batted .346 for the Eagles with 4 homeruns and 14 doubles.

McWilliams, a sophomore from Collinsville, signed with the University of Mississippi, McWilliams was the Eagles best pitcher and had a 4.60 era.

Roberts, a sophomore from Meridian, signed wit the University of Alabama. Roberts batted .436 for the Eagles, with 11 homeruns, 18 doubles and 11 stolen bases.

Jordan, a sophomore from Citronelle, AL, signed with the University of South Alabama. Jordan was a standout pitcher holding opponents to just a .164 batting average.

The MCC golf team, who recently qualified for their third consecutive NJCAA DI National Championship appearance, had four sophomore golfers sign with NCAA schools on Wednesday.

Brandt Garon, Clemens Dvorak, Oscar Mariscal, and Adam Monsen all inked with four-year schools.

Garon, a Baton Rouge La. Native, signed a national letter of intent with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

During his two seasons, Garon has won six events and became the program’s first individual NJCAA Division I national champion as he lead the Eagles to a national runner up finish in 2010.

Garon was named to the All America, All Region and All Freshmen teams by the Golf Coaches Association of America. In addition the National Junior College Athletic Association named him a First Team All America selection.

Following his national medalist title, the GCAA announced that Garon was the recipient of the prestigious Arnold Palmer Award as the best junior college golfer in the nation.

Dvorak, a Vienna Austria native, singed with Georgia State University.

During his two seasons he has been named MCC’s Scholar Athlete of the Year and had been named to four all tournament teams.

Monsen, a San Antonio, TX native, signed to play with the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Monsen is a two time tournament champion and has been named to four all tournament teams.

Mariscal, from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, signed with St. Thomas University in Miami, FL.

Mariscal was an all tournament team member at the 2010 Mississippi College Fall Inv.

Eagles shoot 7-under par to claim runners-up at Districts, Advance to 3rd consecutive National Championship

(ALEX CITY, AL) - Meridian Community College shot 7 under par to claim runner-up at the NJCAA District IV Championship at Willow Point Golf Club in Alexander City, AL.

The second place finish secured MCC their third consecutive national championship appearance, this year being played at Odessa Country Club in Odessa, TX on May 17-20.

Darton College out of Georgia won by six shots over MCC, the Cavaliers shot 851, MCC had 857 while host Central Alabama came in third with 861. Brevard came in fourth with 868, Cape Fear had 875 to finish fifth while Wallace State was sixth with 895, Faulkner State came in seventh with 899, Tri-County was eighth with 908, USC-Lancaster was ninth with 911, while Wake Tech rounded out the top ten with 914. Spartanburg Methodist was eleventh with 917 while Harford was twelfth with 1028.

"Our goal was to shoot even par or lower for the event and qualify for nationals," said fifth year MCC head coach Sean Covich.

"We played great, had a chance to win and finished second in the best district in junior college golf, very proud of all the guys."

Individually, MCC sophomore Brandt Garon won his fourth tournament of the year, and sixth of his Eagle career with an 9 under par performance. Garon, who has now won back-to-back tournaments, shot 73-66-68 to win by two shots. Along with District IV Medalist honors, Garon was also named to the NJCAA District IV All Tournament Team and All Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Eagle freshman Jake Stirling was also named to the NJCAA District IV All Tournament Team and All Region by the GCAA. Stirling finished tied for third after rounds of 71-65-74, to finish 6 under par.

Sophomore Clemens Dvorak played steady for the 54 hole event with rounds of 73-73-73, to finish 3 over par and placed 14th.

Freshman Easton Key shot 76-76-71 to finish in a tie for 21st with 7 over par.

Sophomore Adam Monsen shot 76-74-78 to finish 10 over par and in 39th place.

MCC coach Sean Covich was named NJCAA District IV Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The Eagles have won five tournaments this season with three runner-up finishes.

The Eagles will host their MCC Alumni & Friends Scramble at NAS-Ponta Creek Golf Course on Friday, April 29 before heading to the NJCAA Division I National Championship.

MCC golf starts postseason on Monday

Willow Point Golf & Country Club

The Meridian Community College golf team, currently ranked No. 3 in the country, will begin postseason play this week at the NJCAA District IV Championship.

The 54-hole event is being played on Monday and Tuesday at Willow Point Golf & Country Club in Alexander City, AL, and is being hosted by Central Alabama Community College. The Willow Point course measures a very long 7,465 yards and plays to a par 72.

12 teams from seven states are participating, with the top six advancing to Odessa, TX for the NJCAA Division I National Championship in May.

MCC moved up to Division I from Division II in the 2009 season and has finished third (2009) and second (2010) in their only two District IV appearances.

“We have improved every season since moving up to the highest level of NJCAA golf,” said head coach Sean Covich.

“This one will be a challenge. We are playing the No. 1 team (Central Alabama) on their home course for the District Championship, also we need to play solid to secure our spot in the national championship.”

The top three teams in the country are in District IV, they include No.1 Central Alabama, No. 2 Brevard (FL) College and No. 3 MCC. Wallace State (AL) Community College is also in the top ten, at No. 6.

“This is the hardest District to advance from, but if you can win in this league you can win a national championship.”

Defending NJCAA national champion, Brandt Garon, will start in the No. 1 spot for MCC. Garon won his fifth tournament last week as the sophomore defeated 102 players at the Arkansas State Red Wolf Intercollegiate, a NCAA Division I event. The Baton Rouge native shot 9-under par, 66-69 to win by two shots.

Freshman Jake Stirling looks to bounce back this week after a rough showing in Arkansas. The Melbourne, Australia native will start in the No. 2 spot. He has posted 13 rounds of even par or better this season and is tied with Garon for lowest stroke average on the team (72.6).

Sophomore team captain, Clemens Dvorak, will anchor the line-up in the No. 3 spot. Dvorak was recently named MCC’s Male Athlete of the Year, an award based on academic and athlete performance.

Freshman Easton Key, a former Lamar High School standout from Meridian will play in the No. 4 spot. Key shot an opening round 3-under par (69) last week in the ASU Red Wolf Intercollegiate. He shot the lowest round in school history, a 65 (-7) in the fall semester at the Wallace State Fall Invitational.

Rounding out the MCC line-up is sophomore Adam Monsen in the No. 5 spot. Monsen had another under-par preference last week, shooting 4-under (70-70) at the ASU Red Wolf Intercollegiate. He is a two-time medalist for MCC, winning the 2010 Faulkner State Invitational and the 2011 Mississippi-Louisiana College Invitational.

“This, right now, is our best line-up,” said Sean Covich.

“The key to postseason success is not only having talent but getting all five guys peaking at the right time, and I feel like we are.”

MCC will play 36-holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday.

Meridian’s Garon claims Red Wolf Intercollegiate tourney

JONESBORO, Ark. — Meridian Community College sophomore Brandt Garon added another trophy to his all-american career with a two-shot victory at the Arkansas State University Red Wolf Intercollegiate.

Garon bested 102 golfers from 18 teams with rounds of 66-69 to shoot 9-under-par at Ridge Pointe Country Club.

The win was Garon's third of the season and fifth of his MCC career.

Cameron Carrico from Murray State University, Will Hogan from Missouri State University and Austen Moix from the University of Central Arkansas tied for second, two shots behind Garon at 7-under.

“Besides winning the national championship, which Brandt did last season, this is the biggest individual win by an Eagle,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“Brandt won a NCAA Division I event against all these four-year schools and he plays for a Mississippi junior college, very proud day for him and MCC.”

University of Arkansas-Little Rock won the team championship by one stroke over the University of Central Arkansas. Jacksonville State University was third, Missouri State University came in fourth, while host Arkansas State University and the University of Louisiana-Monroe tied for fifth. MCC tied Murray State University for seventh place.

“Just to be invited to play in this NCAA event was special, then to have the first round lead was great,” added Covich.
“Really proud to finish seventh and have these guys showcase their talents in front of all these four-year coaches.”

Individually for MCC, along with Garon’s 9-under, Adam Monsen shot 4-under and tied for eighth, former Lamar standout Easton Key shot 69-77 and tied for 30th, Alex Grannon shot 76-78 to tie for 81st, while Jake Stirling shot 81-78 to tie for 93rd.

MCC returns to action next week when they travel to Willow Point Country Club in Alex City, Ala., for the NJCAA District IV Championship.

MCC returns to action in the prestigious Red Wolf Intercollegiate

(MERIDIAN) - Fresh off their thrilling victory at the Lou Hart Invitational, the Meridian Community College golf team returns to action this Monday and Tuesday at the Arkansas State University Red Wolf Intercollegiate in Jonesboro, AR.

18 teams are participating in the 54-hole event being contested at Ridge Point Country Club. 17 of the 18 teams, including host Arkansas State, are NCAA Division I teams. MCC is the only junior college team invited to this event.

"This is the second year in a row that we've been invited and I think that says a lot about our program and our players," said fifth year head coach Sean Covich.

"It is a great opportunity not only to compete against NCAA teams but also for our players to be recruited for the next level."

Following last year’s ASU Red Wolf Intercollegiate, then-MCC sophomore Cory Williamson signed with Arkansas State. Currently, Williamson is a starter for the Red Wolves.

This week the Eagles will start freshman, Jake Stirling, in the No. 1. The Melbourne, Australia native is ranked as the third best junior college golfer in the country, according to GolfStat.com. He leads the team with a 72.0 scoring average and has posted 13 rounds of even-par or better this season.

Defending NJCAA national champion, Brandt Garon, will play in the No. 2 spot. The sophomore from Baton Rouge has won four events during his Eagle career, including two this season. He has committed to play for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette next season.

Freshman Alex Grannon, from Kiln, MS, returns to the Eagle line-up this week in the No. 3 spot.

Sophomore Adam Monsen will start in the No. 4 for MCC. The San Antonio, TX native has won two tournaments during his time at MCC. He is scheduled to sign with the University of Louisiana-Monroe later this month.

Meridian native Easton Key will round out the Eagle line-up in the No. 5 spot. The freshman standout from Lamar has been battling kidney stones this past week, but made a dramatic putt to clinch the Lou Hart Invitational for MCC on Tuesday.

“Easton showed a lot of heart this week,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“He fought though the pain to help us win at Northwood and he didn’t complain when he had to qualify this week. He stepped up and did what he had to do.”

“This tournament will be huge for the three freshmen (Grannon, Key, and Stirling). They can get their names out there and impress some of these NCAA DI coaches this week.”

This will be MCC's last regular season event before beginning NJCAA post-season action at the District IV championship April 18-19. The NJCAA Division I National Championship is slated for May 17-20 in Odessa, TX. The Eagles were runners-up in last season’s District IV and National championships.

MCC captures Lou Hart Invitational in sudden death playoff

from staff reports
The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — Midway through his round on Tuesday, Meridian Community College freshman Easton Key was doubled over in pain suffering from kidney stones.

A few hours later his teammates shouted "Stones" — the new nickname they gave him for playing through the pain — after he sank a clutch 15-foot par putt in a sudden death team playoff on No. 1 at Northwood Country Club.

His putt — along with Freshman Jake Stirling's birdie and two other pars from teammates Brandt Garon and Adam Monsen in the playoff — helped the Eagles beat No. 1 ranked Central Alabama to win the Lou Hart Invitational.

In the sudden death playoff format, all 10 players from both teams played No. 1 at the same time. Key's dramatic par putt was followed by Stirling's 10-foot birdie putt. Stirling was the only player to make birdie in the sudden death playoff as MCC topped CACC by one stroke.

"This was a special win for us … it was the first time we've won the Lou Hart,” said MCC Coach Sean Covich. “The playoff was unbelievable, very dramatic. To beat the No. 1 ranked team in that fashion was a memory these guys will always have. I'm still not sure how we won, they (CACC) had 4 putts at birdie and we only had 2 but yet we won. It was crazy. Northwood was in great shape with the new greens it is a great challenge. We look forward to carrying this momentum into final two events."

MCC was three shots ahead of Central heading into Tuesday’s final round of the 54-hole event. A birdie by Central’s Paul Harris on the final hole helped send the match into a playoff as both teams were tied at 895. MCC shot a 300 on Tuesday — Stirling, 72; Clemens Dvorak, 75; Brandt Garon, 76; and Key and Monsen, 77.

Minutes after Stirling birdied No. 1 in the team playoff, he walked back up the fairway to play No. 1 again in a playoff for medalist. But Wallace State Community College’s Blaise Wilson birdied to win the playoff.

Eagles lead Lou Hart Invitational

(MERIDIAN) –Meridian Community College shot consecutive sub-300 rounds to open up the 3rd Annual Lou Hart Invitational and take a three shot lead over No. 1 ranked Central Alabama.

The Eagles posted a 297 in round one then shot a 298 in round two.

MCC was led by freshman Jake Stirling who shot 74-73 and is in a tie for seventh place. Sophomore Clemens Dvorak shot 73-75 and is in a tie for ninth place. Sophomore Brandt Garon is also in a tie for ninth after rounds of 74-74. Freshman Easton Key is in a tie for 29th with 76-79, while Adam Monsen, a sophomore, is in a tie for 32nd with rounds of 80-76.

Keith Beaudin of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is in first place, individually with 73-70.

MCC leads the event with 595. Central Alabama is in second with 598, ABAC is in third with 605. Wallace State is in a tie for fourth after a 606, as is Faulkner State. Indian Hills is in sixth with a 614, Darton is in seventh with a 617, Andrew is in eight with a 619, the University of New Orleans is in ninth with a 624, and Georgia Military rounds out the field in tenth with a 687.

Final round begins at 8:30 am off of #1 and #10 tees.

First and second place teams will be awarded following play, along with the all tournament team and the medalist.

Eagles collapse, swept in Miss-Lou opener

from staff reports

MERIDIAN — After getting shut out by rival Delgado in its Miss-Lou Conference opener on the road Saturday, Meridian Community College looked well on the way to revenge in Game 2. However, the Eagles collapsed after building a nine-run lead and fell 17-11 to get swept following the 5-0 loss in Game 1.

Scoring two runs in the first inning, three more in the second and six in the third, MCC (23-14, 0-2) led 11-2 following three frames. However, Delgado rallied for eight in the fourth and six in the fifth as they pulled away. Daniel Allen took the loss for MCC in relief of Dalton Short.

Ben Kingsley led the MCC offensive attack with three hits — two doubles and a triple — while Wade Wass, Hunter Trawick and Garrett Pitts all added two hits. Wass had two RBIs and a double, while Trawick doubled and drove in one and Pitts also had an RBI.

In the opener, Delgado scored four runs in the fourth to knock off former West Lauderdale star Dustin McWilliams, who fell to 3-4. The sophomore left-hander gave up four runs in just 3 1-3 innings. Another former Knight Dustin James had two of MCC's five hits as Meridian High product Kenny Roberts saw his 22-game hit streak snapped.

The Eagles will look to salvage a game in the three-game set as Wes Stokes takes the mound for the nine-inning game at 2 p.m. today.

MCC golf set to host 3rd annual Lou Hart Invitational

(MERIDIAN) -The Meridian Community College golf team will be hosting the 3rd annual Lou Hart Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, April 4-5 at Northwood Country Club in Meridian.

Ten teams representing five states are set to participate in the event named in honor of former MCC golf coach and Hall of Fame member, Lou Hart.

“We started this event three years ago to honor all Coach Hart has done for this program,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“Annually, we have teams from all over the country participate and that’s a testament to Coach Hart and the program she built.”

“Teams also rave about the condition of Northwood and the beauty of the course, they love coming to play here.”

Teams scheduled to participle along with MCC include: Abraham Baldwin College, Andrew College, Central Alabama Community College, Darton College, Faulkner State Community College, Georgia Military College, Indian Hills Community College, University of New Orleans, and Wallace State Community College.

“We have another strong field of teams coming to Northwood,” said Covich.

“We have the top three teams in the national poll here this week and most of these sophomores have already signed to play NCAA DI golf.”

“We’re excited, it’s going to be a challenge but I invite everyone out to watch these future stars.”

Meridian is coming off a runner-up finish at the 10th annual Ron Marshall Spring Fling College Classic. So far on the season MCC has registered four wins and two runner-up finishes. Currently the Eagles are ranked No. 2 in the nation by GolfStat.com.

Freshman Jake Stirling, who is averaging under par for the Eagles this season, will start in the No. 1 spot for MCC. The Melbourne, Australia native has posted seven consecutive rounds of even-par or lower heading into this week’s event. He has been MCC’s low score at four tournaments this season, including one medalist title.

Sophomore team captain Clemens Dvorak will start in the No. 2 spot for MCC. Dvorak, who plans to sign with NCAA DI program Georgia State University in April, has posted eight rounds of even-par or lower this season.

Sophomore Brandt Garon, who has won four career tournaments for MCC, will start in the No. 3 spot. The defending NJCAA national champion has committed to play for NCAA DI program, University of Louisiana Lafayette.

Sophomore Adam Monsen and freshman Easton Key will round out the starting lineup in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots respectively. Monsen has already captured two tournaments during his career as an Eagle and is expected to sign with the University of Louisiana Monroe in April. Key, a former Lamar standout from Meridian, holds the record for lowest score in school history (65).

Freshman Alex Grannon, sophomore Bo Reed and sophomore Oscar Mariscal will play as individuals for MCC.

The 54-hole event will start on Monday at 8 a.m. with play scheduled for 36 holes. The final round will be played on Tuesday starting at 8 a.m. with an awards ceremony following the conclusion of play.

MCC Golf Team at L.O.V.E.'s Kitchen

The Meridian Community College golf team took a day off from preparations for their upcoming Lou Hart Invitational to serve lunch at L.O.V.E.’s Kitchen Friday afternoon. The volunteer work is one of many things the golf team is busy doing during their time of giving back to the community. Last week, MCC volunteered at Briarwood and Northwood to help the maintenance crews with their work, the golf team is also partnering up First Christian Church to help raise money for Relay For Life with a scramble golf tournament this weekend.

Pictured are from L-R: Jake Stirling, Adam Monsen, Easton Key, Clemens Dvorak, Bo Reed, Oscar Mariscal, Josh Ellis, and Brandt Garon.