8/31/00
Volleyball - Mississippi State raises the curtain on its 26th season of volleyball this weekend in scenic Colorado Springs, Colo., competing in the two-day Air Force Invitational Volleyball Tournament at the United States Air Force Academy.

Coach Brenda Bowlin's fourth MSU volleyball edition makes its seasonal debut with Sunday matches against Lehigh and Jacksonville (Ala.) State University before concluding its first-ever trip to Colorado Monday in a Labor Day match with tourney host Air Force.

"We're eager to get the new season started," said Bowlin, who returns three starters and four other letter-winners from last year's 11-16 edition. "Our veterans and newcomers have worked hard and have enjoyed a productive preseason practice the past three weeks. We're all anxious to see how we'll respond to competition on the road."

The Bulldogs are led by a pair of battle-tested seniors from Texas, outside hitter Christine Owen from Katy, Texas and middle blocker Brianne Smedley of Arlington, named team co-captains for the 2000 campaign. Owen, who in 1997 set the Mississippi State single season mark with 513 kills, needs just 214 more to establish the school career mark for kills. Smedley, who paced the Bulldogs with a .271 hitting percentage last year, enters her final season nearing career top 10 status in both block assists and solo blocks.

"Chris and Bri are a big part of our plans this fall, both on the court and off," added Bowlin. "With so many new players on our team this year, we're counting on the leadership of our co-captains to help the team jell."

This year's collection of newcomers includes six high school standouts, the second-largest freshman class in the program's 26-year history.

Mississippi State launches its 13-match home schedule Sept. 6, entertaining Belmont in a 6 p.m. match at the Newell-Grissom Building. State then continues September tournament play hosting Louisiana-Monroe, Centenary and Tennessee Tech Sept. 8-9 in the MSU-Ramada Inn Classic in Humphrey Coliseum.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

8/18/00 - Sophomore Jessica Kauffman's goal in the 72nd minute (71:47) of play put her team up for good as the Mississippi State soccer team completed its first full-scale scrimmage Wednesday afternoon with a 2-1 victory by the Gray team.

Sophomore goalkeeper Stephanie Lyon racked up four saves in the Gray goal to provide all the defense that the designated home team would need.Senior midfielder Annemarie Pimentel recorded a match-high four shots for the Gray with a quartet of her teammates providing a pair of shots each. Freshmen Elke D'Hollander (Gray) and Becca Edwards (Maroon) provided the only other match scores.

"I thought it went very well," said head coach Neil McGuire of the team's first scrimmage since reporting on August 9. "At this stage of the preseason, we are very happy with the progress. There were a lot of positive signs today that will allow us to build."

D'Hollander got the match scoring started in the 16th minute when she took an assist from fellow freshman Leslie Nickles and hit a shot into the lower right corner of the goal to give Gray an early one-goal lead. Maroon struck in the 29th minute when Edwards collected the ball in traffic and connected on a shot from 22 yards away.

The Bulldogs will continue two-a-day practices through Sunday before beginning fall classes on August 21. Mississippi State will open its 2000 regular season against Samford at home on August 26 at 4 p.m.

Soccer - Despite a brand new coaching staff, along with a plethora of upscaled personnel, the Mississippi State soccer team was picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference's Western Division in a preseason poll released Thursday afternoon by the conference office.

Florida, the 1999 SEC champion, was selected by the conference head coaches to claim SEC East, as well as the overall crown, for the sixth-straight season. Mississippi edged out Arkansas by a lone point to claim the conference's Western Division for the second-straight season.

Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division, though each coach was not allowed to vote for his or her own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.

The Bulldogs, who will head into the 2000 campaign with 14 newcomers, tallied 20 points to finish behind third place Alabama, fourth place Auburn and fifth place Louisiana State. MSU finished fifth in the SEC West last season.

"The players and coaching staff accept this challenge," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire of the projected finish.

State will continue two-a-day practices until fall classes begin on Monday. The Bulldogs will open their 2000 regular season at home on August 26 against Samford. Game time is set for 4 p.m at the MSU Soccer Field.

Dudley, 28, will coordinate recruiting for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, while also assisting Schmidt with the distance contingents.

The Hamilton, Ala., native coached 19 junior college all-Americans and three national champions at Bevill State Community College. Dudley helped coach the 2000 men's team to a seventh-place national indoor finish and an eighth-place showing at the national outdoor meet.

The Lady Bears earned Academic Team of the Year honors in 1999, while the men's team finished second in the selection. During his time at Bevill State, 12 of his athletes garnered academic all-America accolades.

Dudley played a key role in helping rebuild the cross country program at Bevill. Both the men and women captured the Region 22 title in 1999, with the men's squad finishing seventh nationally. The Bears also won the Region 22 title in 1998 before going on to secure a third-place national finish.

"Steve (Dudley) is a former Bulldog. Mississippi State is the place he's always wanted to be, and we are excited about him being here," Schmidt said. "He helped build one of the top junior college programs in the nation at Bevill."

Dudley lettered as a distance runner for State from 1991-1993 and in 1995. He currently ranks fifth in school history in the indoor 3000 and 5000-meter runs and the outdoor 10,000 meters.

As a four-year cross country standout with the Bulldogs, Dudley consistently ranked among MSU's top-three runners each season. He led all State runners in 10 of 14 meets over the 1992 and 1993 seasons combined.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

8/14/00 - Mississippi State's Pierre Browne will more than likely be packing his bags for the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, after winning the 200 meters at the Canada Dry Track and Field Championships Sunday afternoon in Victoria, British Columbia.

The Toronto native took top honors at Centennial Stadium on the campus of the University of Victoria in 20.70. Browne entered the race with the top 200 meters time in Canada this year, a 20.49 clocking claimed at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Saturday the co-SEC Freshman of the Year finished third in the 100 meters with a 10.25 mark. The third-place showing should earn him a spot on Canada's 4x100-meter relay team that will compete next month in Sydney.

Lady Bulldog senior Andrea Ingleton finished sixth in the 400 meters in a time of 54.22 late Friday night at Centennial Stadium on the campus of the University of Victoria.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

8/11/00 - Mississippi State sprinters Pierre Browne and Andrea Ingleton will try to earn spots on Canada's national team as they compete at this weekend's Canada Dry Track and Field Championships.

The event, which runs Aug. 11-13 at Centennial Stadium in Victoria, British Columbia, will narrow down the squad that will represent Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Browne, last year's co-SEC Freshman of the Year, will attempt to earn a spot in both the 100 and 200 meters. The Toronto, Ontario, native is the third-fastest Canadian in the 100 meters this year, ranking behind former Olympic champion Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin, the 19th-ranked male track athlete in the world. Browne's best 100 meter time was a 10.24 mark he claimed in a fourth-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

An NCAA Championships competitor in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Browne will also vie for a spot in Syndey's 200-meter dash event. The Bulldog rookie standout holds the top 200 meters time in his home country this season, a 20.49 clocking posted in a third-place finish at the SEC Outdoors.

On the women's side, MSU senior-to-be Andrea Ingleton will compete for a spot on the team in the 400 meters. The Mississauga, Ontario, native earned the right to compete this weekend after finishing fourth in the 400m at the SEC Outdoors in a personal-best 53.62.

Ingleton begins 400 meter competition late Friday night. Browne starts his quest for the Olympics with the 100 meters on Saturday, followed by the beginning of 200-meter action on Sunday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

8/06/00 - A season-opening Labor Day weekend tournament in Colorado and a 13-match home schedule that includes two televised matches highlight Mississippi State University's 27-match volleyball schedule for the 2000 fall season.

The Bulldogs travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 3-4 to open their 26th season of volleyball at the Air Force Academy Volleyball Tournament. State returns to Starkville to host Belmont Sept. 6 and the Mississippi State-Ramada Inn Invitational Sept. 8-9.

Mississippi State's 13-match home schedule includes weekend battles with SEC foes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana State and Mississippi along with midweek non-conference matches against Belmont, Middle Tennessee State and Samford as well as MSU Invitational entrants Centenary, Louisiana-Monroe and Tennessee Tech.

For the third consecutive season MSU will host a regionally-televised FOX Sports Net SEC-TV volleyball match, entertaining Eastern Division foe Georgia Oct. 1 at the Newell-Grissom Building. The Oct. 8 Mississippi State-Alabama match will be televised by Alabama-based College Sports Southeast.

Seniors Christine Owen and Brianne Smedley head up a collection of seven returning letter-winners on the Bulldogs' 2000 squad. Owen is Mississippi State's first two-time All-SEC honoree while Smedley paced MSU's Silver Anniversary team last fall with a .271 hitting percentage and 93 total blocks.

Coach Brenda Bowlin's fourth MSU volleyball edition will also feature six promising high school standouts, the second-largest freshman class in school history.

2000 MISSISSIPPI STATE VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT (TIME)
Sept. 3 #-Lehigh (10 a.m.)
Sept. 3 #-Jacksonville State (5 p.m.)
Sept. 4 #-at Air Force (11 a.m.)
Sept. 6 Belmont (6:00 p.m.)
Sept. 8 $-Louisiana-Monroe (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 9 $-Centenary (10 a.m.)
Sept. 9 $-Tennessee Tech (4 p.m.)
Sept. 15 %-at Memphis (Noon)
Sept. 16 %-vs. Nicholls State (9 a.m.)
Sept. 16 %-vs. Syracuse (4:30 p.m.)
Sept. 19 at UAB (7:00 p.m.)
Sept. 22 at Kentucky (7:00 p.m.)
Sept. 24 at Tennessee (2:00 p.m.)
Sept. 27 Samford (7:00 p.m.)
Sept. 29 Florida (7:00 p.m.)

Oct. 1 Georgia-FOX TV (12:30 p.m.)
Oct. 4 at Southern Mississippi (7:00 p.m.)
Oct. 6 Auburn (7:00 p.m.)
Oct. 8 Alabama (2:00 p.m.)
Oct. 11 Middle Tennessee St. (6:00 p.m.)
Oct. 13 at Louisiana State (7:00 p.m.)
Oct. 15 at Arkansas (1:30 p.m.)
Oct. 20 at Winthrop (7:00 p.m.)
Oct. 22 at South Carolina (2:00 p.m.)
Oct. 27 Arkansas (7:00 p.m.)
Oct. 29 Louisiana State (2:00 p.m.)

Nov. 3 at Mississippi (7:00 p.m.)
Nov. 5 Mississippi (2:00 p.m.)
Nov. 10 at Alabama (7:00 p.m.)
Nov. 12 at Auburn (2:00 p.m.)
Nov. 17-19 SEC Volleyball Tourn. (Gainesville, Fla.)

NOTE: All match times local to match site; home matches shown in bold caps

#---Air Force Academy Tournament (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
$--- Mississippi State/Ramada Inn Invitational (Humphrey Coliseum)
%---Memphis Invitational (Memphis, Tenn.)

Reprinted with the premission of the MSU Athletic Department

8/02/00 - Two-time junior college all-American Jason McKenzie has signed to play golf at Mississippi State University, Bulldog head coach Nicky Goetze announced.

In eight events last spring at Wallace Community College, McKenzie put up five top-five finishes, while ending the season with a 73.9 scoring average. As a freshman for head coach Steve Otto, the Augusta, Ga., native claimed one individual victory and two top-five finishes.

Prior to his two-year stint in Dothan, Ala., McKenzie earned four letters under the guidance of Steve Crislip at Lakeside High School in Augusta, Ga. While at Lakeside, McKenzie claimed medalist honors at the 1997 State AAAA Championship held at Jekyll Island, Ga.

McKenzie has also competed in a number of American Junior Golf Association events, with his best showing coming in a 13th-place finish at the 1997 Georgia State Amateur. He shot the low score of the tournament, a second-round 65, after matching the course record 29 on the back nine.

McKenzie's most recent competition came at the 2000 Southern Amateur, where he finished in the top-40 with a four-day score of 294, including his first hole-in-one on the seventh hole of the Highlands Course at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

"Jason will be a comfortable fit for our team," Goetze said. "He already has a relationship with some of the guys from Georgia we have added to our team. He matured greatly at Wallace (Community College). I think with his seniority and willingness to learn and improve, he will be able to contribute to our club immediately."

McKenzie, the son of Donald and Becky McKenzie, plans to major in communication at MSU.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

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