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11/20/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State placed 26 student-athletes on the 2003 Southeastern Conference Freshmen Academic Honor Roll, the league office announced Wednesday.

The 2003 SEC Freshmen Academic Honor Roll is based on grades for first-year student-athletes from the 2002-03 academic calendar.

The Bulldogs tied for the league high with four of its 26 honorees coming in the sport of football. Place-kicker Keith Andrews (Bastrop, La., 4.00 in biological sciences), defensive end Willie Evans (Waynesboro, Miss., 3.16 in general business administration), linebacker Kenny Kern (Clarksdale, Miss., 3.54 in banking and finance), and Brett Morgan (Vicksburg, Miss., 3.33 in general business administration) were State's honorees. Only Auburn and Tennessee matched State's four football honor roll members.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/19/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The playing surface at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field has been named the Collegiate Football Field of the Year for 2004, the Sports Turf Manager's Association announced recently. The award will be presented at the 2004 STMA National Conference in San Diego, Calif., in January.

The award is the highest form of recognition available for a sporting facility in the United States of America. It is awarded by the professionals in the sports turf industry.

The turf at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field was developed by Mississippi State University, and is marketed under the name Mississippi-Choice. It is also installed at Bank One Ball Park in Phoenix, Ariz., Edison Field in Anaheim, Calif., and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

The playing surface at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field is managed by MSU Athletic Field Supervisor Bart Prather and his staff.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/18/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State sophomore tailback Nick Turner (Atlanta, Ga.) was named the Southeastern Conference special teams player of the week for his performance in the Bulldogs' game this past Saturday at Tennessee.

Turner amassed a school-record 344 all-purpose yards against the Volunteers, a category which combines all returns, rushing and receiving yardage. The previous record was held by James Johnson, who accumulated 312 all-purpose yards against Alabama in 1998.

Turner rushed seven times for 41 yards, had four receptions for 37 yards, and returned four punts for 103 yards and seven kickoffs for 163 yards. He now has 1,460 all-purpose yards this season, fourth on the school's single-season list and just 87 yards short of the most in school history. His seven kickoff returns in the game tied the school record for the most in a game, set last year by teammate Fred Reid vs. Kentucky. His 103 punt return yards were the most in one game by a Bulldog since Kevin Prentiss had 152 punt return yards against Tennessee in the 1998 SEC Championship Game.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/15/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ More than 100 Mississippi State University student-athletes will make the Thanksgiving holiday a little more cheerful for 14 Starkville-area families.

For the fourth year, the MSU Student M-Club has initiated a food drive to bring canned items and other non-perishables to needy residents. M-Club members will gather at Hathorn Hall on the campus, Sunday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m., to begin delivering to local families. Helping Hands, a community assistance organization, and various area churches helped identify recipients.

"It has been great to see the spirit of support the Starkville community has shown for this project," Student M-Club president Samantha Schwenke said. "There are some families that really need the help, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time of the year to assist them in this way. I just want to thank everyone that has helped make this project a success."

The Student M-Club is comprised of athletes, trainers and managers from MSU's 16 varsity sports.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/13/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State senior punter Robert Wallis (Columbus, Miss.) was named to the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-District VI Football Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Wednesday.

Wallis, a 5-10, 180-pounder, leads the Bulldogs in punting through nine games of the 2003 season. He has punted in seven games, with five starting calls to his credit this year. Wallis has averaged 43.8 yards per punt, with a career-long, 56-yard boot this season.

During his career, Wallis has punted 49 times for a 43.4-yard average. He will earn his third Mississippi State letter when his senior season is complete.

Wallis graduated with a 4.00 grade point average in Geo Sciences and is currently enrolled in graduate school at MSU.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/04/03
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Jefferson Pilot Sports has selected the Mississippi State-Tennessee game, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, for telecast, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday. Game time for the broadcast is 12:30 p.m. ET.

The game will mark MSU's fifth televised contest of the '03 season, State's third JP telecast in the last four weeks.

In a related announcement, Mississippi State's men's basketball exhibition game that day against the Columbus (Ga.) River Dragons of the National Basketball Development League will tip off at 7 p.m. CT at Humphrey Coliseum. Columbus is coached by former MSU great Jeff Malone.

Source: MSU Media Relations