01/29/00 - Mississippi State's 14th-ranked men's tennis team got the 2000 dual match season off to a solid start Friday, blanking in-state rival Southern Miss 7-0 in the season opener for both teams for its 23rd-straight win over the Golden Eagles.

The match was held indoors at State's McCarthy Gymnasium, recently renovated into a two-court indoor facility for the MSU tennis program, marking the first State varsity athletic event held in the facility in 25 years.

The Bulldogs swept doubles play for the opening point of the day, posting 8-5, 8-4, and 8-1 wins. In singles, State was just as strong, notching six straight-set victories and allowing USM only 22 total games in those six contests.

Leading the way was all-American Marco Baron. The seventh-ranked junior was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Golden Eagle Miikka Kangas at the No. 1 position. At No. 2, State's lone senior, 92nd-ranked Jeremy Bayon, ousted USM's Mathias Werren 6-1, 6-1.

MSU continued cruising in the next two matches on court as sophomore David Ruiz and true freshmen Jerome Le Belicard were both winners. Ruiz, playing the No. 3 spot, downed David Jansson 6-0, 7-5 while Le Belicard, ranked 80th nationally, bested Daniel Homedes at No. 4 6-3, 6-1.

In the final two matches of the day, freshmen Bulldogs Rene-Charles Combette and Charles Sevigny completed the Bulldog shutout. Playing the No. 5 position, Combette was a 6-1, 6-1 victor over Nicolas Carteret. Sevigny, ranked 83rd in the country in singles, triumphed 6-3, 6-2 over Golden Eagle Uwe Gneiting.

"This was a very good start to the season," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "Our guys were really focused today. Now we have to turn our attention to a very good UAB team."

State will host 43rd-ranked UAB Sunday. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

MATCH NOTES: State won its 10th-straight season opener Friday as well as its 14th-consecutive opener at home.

#14 MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, SOUTHERN MISS 0

DOUBLES--#8 Marco Baron/Charles Sevigny (MSU) def. Daniel Homedes/Miikka Kangas (USM) 8-5; Jerome Le Belicard/David Ruiz (MSU) def. David Terol/Mathias Werren (USM) 8-4; Jeremy Bayon/Rene'-Charles Combette (MSU) def. Nicolas Carteret/David Jansson (USM) 8-1.
SINGLES--#7 Baron (MSU) def. Kangas (USM) 6-1, 6-3; #92 Bayon (MSU) def. Werren (USM) 6-1, 6-1; Ruiz (MSU) def. Jansson (USM) 6-0, 7-5; #80 Le Belicard (MSU) def. Homedes (USM) 6-3, 6-1; Combette (MSU) def. Carteret (USM) 6-1, 6-1; #83 Sevigny (MSU) def. Uwe Gneiting (USM) 6-3, 6-2.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Reprinted by permission of the MSU sports media relations department

0128/00 - Mississippi State's 14th-ranked men's tennis team will open the 2000 dual match season this weekend, hosting a pair of matches on the MSU campus.

The Bulldogs will open the season by entertaining in-state rival Southern Miss Friday at 2 p.m. Due to the impending winter storm across the Southeast, the USM match has been slated for play in State's new indoor facility, McCarthy Gymnasium. MSU's old basketball facility was recently renovated into a two-court tennis complex.

"We are looking forward to starting the season," 12th-year head coach Andy Jacksaid. "We are looking to continue th emomentum we built at the end of last season in returning to the NCAA round of 16.

"We are also pleased to be able to be playing at all. At this time a year ago we would not have been able to get a match in in this situation. But our administration was supportive in creating an indoor facility which would be beneficial under weather conditions such as the one we are currently facing."

State will also welcome 43rd-ranked UAB on Sunday at 1 p.m. A decision on the playing site of that match will be made later this weekend.

MSU, coming off a ninth-consecutive NCAA round of 16 showing in 1999, is led by junior all-American Marco Baron, ranked seventh nationally in singles, and senior Jeremy Bayon, ranked 92nd. Two Bulldog true freshmen--Jerome Le Belicard and Charles Sevigny--are also among the nation's top 100. Baron and Sevigny are eighth in the country in doubles.

The Bulldogs are 22-0, all-time against Southern Miss. Friday's match will mark the eighth-straight meeting between the teams in Starkville.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/26/00 - Mississippi State University Director of Athletics Larry Templeton announced Thursday the hiring of Neil McGuire as head women's soccer coach pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.

McGuire comes to Mississippi State from Arizona State University where he served as an assistant coach during the past year, helping to lead the Sundevils to a 13-6 record and a 5-4 mark in the Pacific 10 Conference.

"We are pleased to have Neil McGuire joining the Bulldog staff," Templeton said. "With the February signing date rapidly approaching, we are very anxious for him to come aboard and assist us toward developing a soccer program that can compete for an SEC Championship."

McGuire was hired to the Arizona State athletic department in the fall of 1998. While in Phoenix, he was ASU's head goalkeeper coach and oversaw the team's compliance and academics. McGuire also handled practice organization and oversaw the Sundevils' recruiting efforts. Prior to his stint at Arizona State, McGuire served as an assistant coach for one season at Iowa State University. He also serves as one of Arizona's and Iowa's Olympic Development coaches and has also served as a Region IV ODP staff coach.

McGuire, whose overall collegiate head coaching record stands at 30-13-2, previously served as head coach for both the men's and women's programs at Iowa Central Community College from 1996-1997. Under his tutelage, the women's team finished 9-3-1 and included the nation's leading scorer. Iowa Central's men's team took its regional championship on its way to a 15-4-1 mark and a No. 14 national ranking.

McGuire received an associate's degree in physical education from Telford College in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1992 then earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Augusta State University in 1996. While at Augusta State, McGuire played four years of soccer, earning Team MVP honors four consecutive seasons and also received a nomination for All-America consideration.

His other playing experience includes stints with the Des Moines Menace Professional Soccer Club and the Falkirk Professional Football Club in Falkirk, Scotland. He is currently a member of the Arizona Sahauros professional soccer club.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/24/00 - Mississippi State's contingent at the 2000 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships was eliminated from competition Sunday.

In State's only singles action of the day, top-seeded Bulldog Marco Baron, ranked seventh nationally, was upset by Mississippi's eighth-seeded and 43rd-ranked Alexander Hartman in a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) quarterfinal-round decision.

In Bulldog doubles action Sunday, State's top-seeded and eighth-ranked tandem of Baron and Charles Sevigny went 1-1, downing Vanderbilt's duo of Brad Hambrick and Andrew Nisker 8-4 before being upset by Alabama's Francisco Rodriguez and Maxim Belski 8-6 Sunday evening in the quarters.

In other MSU doubles play, State's tandems of Chris McDonald and Jerome Le Belicard and Jeremy Bayon and Rene'-Charles Combette both fell in their round of 16 contests. McDonald and Le Belicard, playing together for the first time ever, dropped a heartbreaking 9-8(7) decision to Georgia's tandem of Leslie Joseph and Brandon Wagner. Bayon and Combette were downed 8-4 by UGA's seventh-seeded and 45th-ranked pair of Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott.

The Bulldog squad, ranked 14th nationally, now turns its attention to the 2000 dual match campaign. State will open the season this Friday, January 28, hosting in-state rival Southern Miss at 2 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs will also entertain UAB Sunday at 1 p.m.

MSU RESULTS FROM THE SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tuscaloosa, Ala. -- 1/23/00

SINGLES:
Quarterfinals--#43 Alexander Hartman (UM) def. #7 Marco Baron (MSU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

DOUBLES:
Round of 16--#8 Baron/Charles Sevigny (MSU) def. Brad Hambrick/Andrew Nisker (Vanderbilt) 8-4; #45 Matias Boeker/Travis Parrott (UGA) def. Jeremy Bayon/Rene'-Charles Combette (MSU) 8-5; Leslie Joseph/Brandon Wagner (Georgia) def. Chris McDonald/Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) 9-8(7).
Quarterfinals--Francisco Rodriguez/Maxim Belski (UA) def. #8 Baron/Sevigny (MSU) 8-6.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Source: MSU sports media relations department. Reprinted with permission.

01/23/00 - Mississippi State's top-seeded Marco Baron has advanced to the quarterfinal round of the SEC Men's Indoor Championships after two solid victories in Saturday's second day of competition. The tournament is being played at the University of Alabama's Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.

Baron, ranked seventh nationally, opened the day by downing Georgia's Adam Seri 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. The junior all-American followed that triumph with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Auburn's Georges Matijasevic in the round of 16.

With those victories, Baron is into Sunday's quarterfinals, where he will meet Mississippi's eighth-seeded and 43rd-ranked Alexander Hartman at 9 a.m. CT. Should he survive that contest, Baron would meet the winner of the match between Vanderbilt's 47th-ranked Andrew Nisker, a 9-16 seed, and Mississippi's Anders Stenman in the semifinals Sunday afternoon.

In doubles play which began Saturday, MSU had only one team--Jeremy Bayon and Rene'-Charles Combette--in action. The Bulldog duo downed LSU's tandem of Jon Grey Pou and Ed Rubin 8-4 in the first round and will face Georgia's seventh-seeded and 45th-ranked pair of Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott Sunday afternoon.

State's tandem of Jerome Le Belicard and David Ruiz defaulted their first-round doubles match Saturday due to Ruiz's back spasms which he was suffering from on Friday. Le Belicard was then paired with sophomore Chris McDonald and that team received a first-round walkover when LSU's team of Tom Hand and Ed Rubin defaulted due to an injury to Hand.

Baron and partner Charles Sevigny, the No. 1 seed in the doubles draw and the nation's eighth-ranked team, received a first-round bye. All three MSU duos are now in the round of 16 of the event. That round and the quarterfinals will be held Sunday.

MSU RESULTS FROM THE SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tuscaloosa, Ala. -- 1/22/00

SINGLES:
Second Round--#7 Marco Baron (MSU) def. Adam Seri (UGA) 6-4, 6-3.
Round of 16--#7 Baron (MSU) def. Georges Matijasevic (AU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

DOUBLES:
First Round--Jeremy Bayon/Rene'-Charles Combette (MSU) def. Jon Grey Pou/Ed Rubin (LSU) 8-4; Chris McDonald/Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) def. Tom Hand/ Ed Rubin (LSU) by default.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Source: MSU sports media relations department. Reprinted with permission.

01/23/00 - Neither of Coach Al Schmidt's Mississippi State men's or women's track and field squads could hold onto their second-place positions from Friday evening, as the Bulldogs finished in third place and the Lady Bulldogs fourth place at the SEC 4-way meet in Lexington, Ky., Saturday.

For the second consecutive week, senior jumper Rod Newton won the high jump at the Kentucky-hosted meet with a jump of 7-1. This also marks two consecutive outings that the Crossett, Ark., native has met the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Junior Vance Clarke, from Basseterre, St. Kitts, placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 48-3 ½.

Freshman Pierre Browne, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, enjoyed continuing success in his second collegiate meet, finishing second in the 60 meters (6.82) and the 200 meters (21.39).

"It was a tough competition against some good teams. The guys had a good day," Schmidt said. "Pierre Browne ran well, beating several all-Americans in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes. He lost only to the national runner-up in the 60-meters (UT’s Leonard Scott)."

On the women's side, junior Elisha Williams, a Milton, Fla., native, took second place in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 after a finishing second in the long jump Friday night.

The 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Janice Zawaski, LaToya Stephens, Ann-Marie Anderson, and Andrea Ingleton finished second in a school third-best time of 3:48.31, while Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, native sophomore Christine Zawaski finished second in the 3,000-meter run in a time of 10:30.35.

"It wasn't a great day on the women's side. We've been hit with the flu all week and our sprints weren't healthy enough to really compete," Schmidt said. "We had to score a lot of points, and we hung in with Alabama and Kentucky all day."

Sophomore Viktor Mara claimed personal records in the shot put (46-9 ½) and the weight throw (46-11), while junior Trish Curtis posted a personal record in the shot put with a 43-7 ¾ toss. Senior Pat Barr tied her school fourth-best high jump with a 5-2 ¼ leap.

Coach Schmidt's squads take a week off before returning to competition on Feb. 5, at the Houston Indoor Invitational in the Lone Star State.

Source: MSU sports media relations department. Reprinted with permission.

01/22/00 - Second-place finishes by Mississippi State Lady Bulldog veterans Stacey Salmon and Elisha Williams helped the women’s squad into a tie for second place after the first evening of competition at the SEC 4-way meet at the University of Kentucky. The men’s team held second place by themselves with a solid team effort, including a fourth-place showing for sophomore Viktor Mara.

Williams’ long jump of 19-3 ¼ and Salmon’s 52-2 20-lb weight throw both earned Coach Al Schmidt’s squad 7 points each. Also scoring for the ladies were Andrea Buie, in the long jump (16-4 ½) and Trish Curtis in the 20-lb weight throw (46-0 ¾). Those combined efforts helped MSU into the three-way tie with Tennessee and Kentucky, while trailing front-running Alabama by one point.

On the men’s side, Mara set a personal record with a 46-11 toss en route to his fourth-place finish. The Bulldogs benefited from fourth-place finishes in the long jump and pole vault by freshman Shamone Johnson and sophomore Chris Moore, respectively. Also scoring his first collegiate points for the Bulldogs was freshman Iheanyi Obia with a 22-0 ¼ long jump effort.

Schmidt’s squads will continue action tomorrow in the final day of competition at the SEC 4-way meet.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/22/00 - Mississippi State's top-seeded Marco Baron won his first-round match at the SEC Men's Indoor Championships Friday to advance to Saturday's second day of competition. The tournament is being played at the University of Alabama's Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.

Baron, ranked seventh nationally, downed Kentucky's Raven Stephens 6-4, 6-3. He will meet Georgia's Adam Seri at 8 a.m. Saturday morning in the second round.

The rest of the news for State on Friday was somewhat disappointing, however, as Bulldogs Chris McDonald, Charles Sevigny, Rene'-Charles Combette, Jeremy Bayon and Jerome Le Belicard all fell in their first-round contests.

All of those losses were tight. McDonald and Bayon each lost three-set affairs, while Sevigny, Combette and Le Belicard all dropped close first sets before falling to their respective opponents.

State's David Ruiz and Mathieu Soto were also in the draw. Ruiz withdrew with back spasms late Friday afternoon, while Soto was playing his first-round contest late Friday evening against David Nelson of South Carolina.

In addition to two rounds of main draw singles, the first round of doubles action will also be held Saturday. MSU has four teams in the doubles draw, including the top-seeded and eighth-ranked team of Baron and Sevigny, who received a first-round bye. The day's competition begins at 8 a.m.

MSU RESULTS FROM THE SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tuscaloosa, Ala. -- 1/21/00

SINGLES:
First Round--#7 Marco Baron (MSU) def. Raven Stephens (UK) 6-4, 6-3; Daniel Kiernan (LSU) def. Chris McDonald (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2; Anders Stenman (UM) def. #83 Charles Sevigny (MSU) 7-6(7), 6-3; Andy Crews (UT) def. Rene'-Charles Combette (MSU) 7-5, 6-3; #71 Mark Kovacs (AU) def. #92 Jeremy Bayon (MSU); #99 Kristofer Stahlberg (UM) def. Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) 7-6(6), 6-3; #29 Matias Boeker (UGA) def. David Ruiz (MSU) by default; Mathieu Soto (MSU) vs. David Nelson (USC) late Friday.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Reprinted with permission of the MSU sports media relations department

01/20/00 (4:45 p.m.) - Mississippi State's 33rd-ranked women's tennis team will open its spring 2000 season here this weekend at the eighth-annual Georgia Indoor Invitational. This will be the final tune up for the Lady Bulldogs before beginning dual play next weekend.

Amelie Detriviere, ranked 60th nationally, will be the draw's third seed and will receive a bye in the first round. She will face the winner of the match between Mercedes del Valle of Boston College and Shan Liew of Brenau Friday afternoon in the round of 16.

Also seeded for the Lady Bulldogs is Ivana Belancic. Tied for 93rd nationally, Belancic will be the tournament's fifth seed and will also receive a first-round bye. She will face either Taylor Nance of Georgia Southern or Brooke Skeen of Kentucky in the round of 16.

One other MSU player will receive a first-round bye despite not being seeded. Anca Vasiloaica will face Georgia State's Jovana Krisikapa, who also will receive a first-round bye, in the round of 16.

Four Lady Bulldogs will see first-round action: Eimear Sloan, Andrea Lord, Linda Mattsson and newcomer Claudia Oliveira.

Sloan will face Stephanie Kovacic of Armstrong Atlantic State in the first round. The winner of that match will meet Christa Grey of Georgia in the round of 16. Lord will hook up with Rosa Perez of Brenau in the first round for the right to face 99th-ranked and sixth-seeded Kelly Baskin of Georgia.

Mattsson's first-round opponent will be Nina Jansen of Georgia State. That winner will move on to face Libby Fletcher of Brenau. Oliveira, a redshirt freshman from Sao Paulo, Brazil, will face Jill Buckley of Kentucky in the first round. The winner of that match will meet seventh-seeded Marjorie Ferrand of Brenau in the round of 16.

Doubles play will begin Saturday along with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds in the singles main draw and consolation draw.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/20/00 (4:35 p.m.) - After a strong showing at last week's Saluki Booster Club Invitational, the Mississippi State men's and women's track teams travel to Lexington, Ky., to compete in this weekend’s SEC Quadrangular.

Coach Al Schmidt's squads will go up against three SEC foes at the UK Nutter Field House, including host Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee. Competition begins for each of the four squads Friday evening, with the meet concluding Saturday.

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs enter this weekend with a solid season-opening performance behind them. Behind a pair of event wins by junior Elisha Williams, including a school-record indoor high jump mark (5-8 ½), the Lady Bulldogs took first place in the Southern Illinois-hosted event last weekend in Carbondale.

Five Bulldogs took top honors in their events a week ago, including double winner Pierre Browne (60m and 200m) and senior Rod Newton, who posted an NCAA provisional qualifying high jump of 7-1 1/2. The MSU men recorded a third-place finish in the eight-team field at SIU.

The UK-hosted meet will use an alternate scoring system that awards points to eight individuals. Another unique part of the scoring is that a maximum of only two individuals may score in an event for one team.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/17/00 - Behind two double victories by junior Elisha Williams and freshman Pierre Browne, the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs finished in first and third place respectively at the season opening Saluki Booster Club Invitational at Southern Illinois University.

The Al Schmidt’s Lady Bulldogs claimed top honors in the eight-team field with 134 points finishing 27 points ahead of host Southern Illinois. On the men’s side, Southern Illinois claimed the team victory with 137.50 points, while the Bulldogs ended the meet with 124.50 points.

"I’m very pleased with the win on the women’s side. It was a total team effort. We scored in every event we entered with the women," said Schmidt. "We’re happy with the individual wins on the men’s side as well, especially with a couple of our freshmen winning."

Seven members of the MSU track and field squad took first-place honors during Saturday’s meet, led by the performances of Williams and Browne.

Williams took first place in the high jump, claiming her fifth school record with a 5-8 ½ mark. She also grabbed first-place in the long jump with a measurement of 18-6 ½.

In his collegiate debut, Brown garnered his double first-place finishes with a time of 6.78 in the 60-meter dash and a time of 22.39 in the 200-meters.

The Bulldogs jumps contingent had a strong showing as well, with senior high jumper Rod Newton leaping an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 7-1 ½ that led all high jumpers and moved him into second place all time at MSU. En route to a victory in the triple jump, junior Ian Robertson set a personal record with a 50-11 ½ leap. Also finishing in first for the Bulldogs were senior Stanley Samuel in the 400-meter run (50.17)6 and freshman Kelvin Harris in his collegiate debut in the 60-meter hurdles (8.41).

On the women’s side, sophomore Christine Zawaski took first-place honors in the 3,000-meter run with a 10:17.14 timing. Multiple second and third-place finishes took place for the Lady Bulldogs, including sophomore Camille Harper, who registered a second place finish in the 60-meters (7.61) and a third-place showing in the 200 meters (25.55). After taking a season off, senior thrower Stacey Salmon finished as a runner-up in the 20-pound weight throw with a toss of 50-6 ¼.

Schmidt’s MSU squads return to action next Friday in the two-day SEC Quadrangular Meet hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

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