04/29/01
Track and Field - The Mississippi State track teams concluded the final tune-up for the SEC Outdoor Championships with a trio of top-10 finishes Saturday at the 2001 Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.

Junior Camille Harper played a role in both Lady Bulldog top-10 showings Saturday. The Clinton, Miss., native took sixth in the 100 meters with an 11.73 clocking before helping Collette Gibbs, Andréa Ingleton and LeKisha Barnaby-Pope take seventh in the 4x200-meter relay with a 1:36.50 mark.

Senior Vance Clarke saw the only action for the MSU men Saturday, as he took eighth place in the triple jump "championship" flight with a 50-10 mark.

The MSU track teams take a week off before heading to Columbia, S.C., for the May 10-13 SEC Outdoor Championships.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/28/01
Track and Field - Mississippi State junior Camille Harper advanced to the finals of the 100-meter dash, and the Lady Bulldogs' 4x200-meter relay team qualified for the Championship of the Americas Friday at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.

Harper clocked a time of 11.66 to finish second in her heat, and her clocking at the prestigious meet ended up qualifying her for Saturday afternoon's championship heat.

The Clinton, Miss., native also joined seniors Collette Gibbs and Andréa Ingleton, and sophomore LeKisha Barnaby-Pope to help advance the women's 800-meter relay team to Saturday's Championship of the Americas race. The quartet ran a school-record 1:35.24 to take third in the prelims and advance to finals action.

Senior Elisha Williams placed third in the long jump. Windy conditions limited the nation's top jumper to a 19-7 leap, but the Milton, Fla., native held on to finish third and claim her 13th straight top-three finish.

The senior duo of Stacey Salmon and Trish Curtis performed well in the throws for head coach Al Schmidt's Lady Bulldogs. Curtis and Salmon took 13th-place (164-0) and 14th-place (163-8) honors, respectively, in the hammer throw, while Salmon added a 13th-place showing in the shot put with a 43-1 1/2 mark.

The MSU men's 4x100-meter relay contingent took fourth place in Friday's prelims with a 41.12 clocking, and junior Dion Crabbe claimed a seventh-place finish in the long jump with a 23-8 leap.

The State contingents close out the last tune-up before the May 10-13 SEC Championships with Saturday's final day of competition at the Penn Relays.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/26/01
Track and Field - The Mississippi State track team has signed one of the premier sprinters in the country, Glenn McFadden, to a letter of intent, MSU head coach Al Schmidt announced Wednesday.

The New Haven, Conn., native and James E. Hillhouse High School product currently ranks second in the nation in the 200-meter dash with a 21.05 clocking.

McFadden finished the 2001 indoor campaign with the second-fastest timing in the nation according to Track and Field News, and he topped the nation in the 200 meters during the 2000 indoor season with a 21.40 mark.

McFadden currently stands No. 1 in Connecticut in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and he also runs on Hillhouse's 400- and 1600-meter relay contingents that rank tops in the state. McFadden holds the second-best long jump mark in the state this season.

"We are ecstatic to have Glenn coming to Mississippi State," Schmidt said. "He is a great sprinter and an excellent young man. The addition of Glenn with Pierre (Browne) will make for a great tandem in the sprints."

The multi-time Connecticut state champion and high school all-American won the boys' 55-meter dash (6.51) and the 300-meter dash (34.90) to lead Hillhouse to seventh place team honors at the 2001 state indoor boys open championship.

He won the 55 meters at the Class M championship at Yale University with a 6.48 clocking to help Hillhouse to a fifth-place finish. At the Class M meet he also won the 300-meter dash in a class-record 34.51.

At the 1999-2000 open championship meet, McFadden won the 300 meters in 34.82, and he placed third in the 55-meter dash in 6.37 to pace his team to 10th place honors.

That same year at the Class M Championship meet on the Yale campus, the multi-time state record holder ran 6.51 and 36.28 to claim the 55- and 300-meter dash titles, respectively.

As a sophomore McFadden claimed indoor all-America accolades in the 200 meters, and he took outdoor class titles in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay. His freshman year he won the Class M titles in the 100 and 200 meters, while taking runner-up in the 100m and fourth in the 200m at the state open meet.

McFadden is the son of Mattie McFadden and Glen Smith.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/23/01
Women's Golf - The Mississippi State women's golf team finished 11th at the Southeastern Conference Championships held over the weekend in Gainesville, Fla. The Lady Bulldogs posted a 941 at the par-72 University of Florida Golf Course.

Sophomore Anna Knutsson led the Lady Bulldogs, shooting a 221 to finish tied for 12th. Knutsson posted rounds of 77, 71 and 73 over the weekend. Senior Lina Thoren carded 73 on Sunday to improve her score to 227, finishing tied for 24th.

Senior Renata Almeida shot a 250 and finished 55th for State. Freshman Ashley Moffett shot an 86 on Sunday after disqualifying on Saturday, while junior Anna Gertsson disqualified during Sunday's play after posting rounds of 79 and 78 during the two previous days.

Georgia took home the SEC title with a score of 872, while South Carolina's Kristy McPherson posted three consecutive rounds under-par for a nine-under-par score of 207 to take home the individual crown.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, University of Florida Golf Course, Par: 72 5,821 Yards

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Georgia 290-290-292=872 +8
2. Louisiana State 287-289-301=877 +13
3. Auburn 294-300-293=887 +23
South Carolina 295-290-302=887 +23
5. Florida 290-303-298=891 +27
6. Tennessee 302-293-302=897 +33
7. Alabama 302-296-307=905 +41
8. Vanderbilt 301-299-308=908 +44
9. Mississippi 314-308-315=937 +73
10. Kentucky 323-304-313=940 +76
11. Mississippi State 317-307-317=941 +77
12. Arkansas 315-321-307=943 +79

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The Bulldogs' final-round mark stands as the highest score for head coach Greg Martin's squad on the weekend, and it dropped State into the 11th position with a 910 total. Georgia led all three rounds and clinched the team title with an 841 score. UGA's Bryant Odom carded a 3-under par 207 to win the individual title.

State sophomore Codie Mudd took 28th place with a 221 mark after firing a 74 in Sunday's final round. Freshman Andrew Saft also shot a 74 Sunday to end the tournament with a 227 mark that tied him for 42nd place.

Redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn shot his second 78 of the tournament Sunday to finish tied for 49th position (232). Junior Jason McKenzie, fresh off a second-round 70 Saturday, struggled to an 83 for the final round that dropped him into a tie for 54th place with a 234.

Senior captain Scott Shelton concluded his final SEC Championship with an 83 that placed him in a tie for 57th place at 238.

State takes the remainder of April off before returning to the links May 10-11 at the Atlanta Intercollegiate in Atlanta, Ga.

2001 SEC CHAMPIONSHIP, Final Round Results; April 22, 2001

TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia 275-284-282=841
2. Florida 285-286-286=857
3. Auburn 291-283-287=861
4. Alabama 294-286-289=869
5. Mississippi 290-292-296=878
6. Tennessee 289-292-298=879
7. South Carolina 292-294-294=880
8. LSU 295-295-297=887
9. Vanderbilt 301-297-293=891
10. Arkansas 305-301-303=909
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE 304-297-309=910
12. Kentucky 295-310-317=922

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/22/01
Track and Field - Pierre Browne won the 200 meters and Elisha Williams the long jump to lead the Mississippi State track and field teams at the Michael Johnson/Southwestern Bell Classic in Waco, Texas, Saturday.

Browne won the 200 meters with a 20.57 clocking that provisionally qualifies him for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and ranks him among the nation's top five performers. The Toronto, Ontario, native placed himself in contention to earn a spot in the 100m at the national meet with a 10.17 mark at the Texas Relays a few weeks ago that also ranks in the top five in the country.

Williams continued her long jump dominance this season, winning her specialty event for the seventh time this year. The Milton, Fla., native landed a 21-4 jump that won the Baylor-hosted event and placed her in the top three for the 12th time this year.

"We came into the weekend to qualify athletes for the NCAAs," MSU head coach Al Schmidt said. "Pierre ran well in the 200 meters, and Elisha continues to be solid for us. We looked really strong today, and we hope to keep it up heading into Penn Relays next week."

Mississippi State's 4x100-meter relay quartet of LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, Collette Gibbs, Karen Lee and Camille Harper shattered the previous school-record 45.13 mark set in 1999 with a 44.92 clocking Saturday that met provisional standards for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Gibbs, Lee and Harper ran on the team that set the previous mark in 1999.

CeCe Brown had a career-best showing in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday, as she took second place in 1:02.16. Junior Camille Harper continued to run well in the sprints, as she took third place in the 100 meters in 11.58.

In men's action, junior Dion Crabbe had one of his top performances of the spring in Waco Saturday. Crabbe clocked a 21.10 mark in the 200m to finish fourth, and he also took fourth place in the long jump with a 24-3 1/2 mark.

Sophomore Daniel Hunter took sixth place in the long jump at Baylor Saturday, leaping a career-best 23-1 1/4 effort. Hunter also tossed the javelin 162-3 to claim 11th place. Fellow second-year harrier Chris Boldt notched eighth-place honors in the 1500 meters with a 4:00.56 mark.

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs return home for a few days before traveling to Philadelphia, Pa., to compete in the prestigious Penn Relays Apr. 26-28.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Sophomore Anna Knutsson shot a career-low 71 on Saturday to improve her score to 148, good for a tie in 15th place. Knutssons previous low for a round was 72, achieved twice during last falls tournament play.

Senior Lina Thoren is tied for 32nd with a score of 154, while junior Anna Gertsson is tied for 45th with a mark of 157. Senior Renata Almeida is tied for 54th after carding an 80 on Saturday, improving her score to 165. Freshman Ashley Moffett was disqualified for round two action but will resume play on Sunday.

Louisiana State leads the championships with an even-par score of 576, while South Carolinas Kristy McPherson leads the individual competition with a seven-under par score of 137.

Final round of play resumes Sunday, with MSU scheduled to tee off at 8:00 a.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The Bulldogs bettered their opening-round 304 by seven shots to end two rounds of the championship at 601. Georgia extended its lead to 12 shots with a 284 mark Saturday.

"I thought we played much better today than what we scored," Martin said. "Jason (McKenzie) played really well today, and I thought the course was more difficult today than yesterday."

Sophomore Codie Mudd continues to lead State in his second SEC tournament appearance. Mudd dropped to a 74 Saturday after opening the tournament with a 73, but the Louisville, Ky., native remained just one shot out of the top 20 with a 7-over 147.

McKenzie made the biggest jump for MSU Saturday, as he followed up an opening-round 81 with a 70 Saturday that jumped him into a tie for 42nd place.

Freshman Andrew Saft carded a 77 to conclude two rounds of play at 13-over 153 that places him in 47th place. Redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn improved two strokes from Friday with a second-round 76 that ties him for 48th place (154).

Senior Scott Shelton rounded out the MSU starting five in 53rd place. Shelton struggled for the second straight round, carding a 78 Saturday that places him at 155 heading into Sunday's final round.

"We improved our scoring today," Martin said. "Now we are heading into Sunday looking to play even better and finish strong."

The Bulldogs conclude play at the SEC Championship with Sunday's final round.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/21/01
Men's Tennis - In a match that was much, much closer than the score indicated, Mississippi State¹s 22nd-ranked men's tennis team was eliminated from the 2001 Southeastern Conference Men's Tennis Championship Friday, falling 4-0 to second-ranked and top-seeded Georgia.

With the loss, State fell to 12-10 overall. Georgia improved to 19-1.

Georgia gained the opening doubles point with 8-4 and 8-6 wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions, respectively. MSU salvaged the No. 1 spot, where Marco Baron and Chris McDonald, ranked 28th nationally, continued their solid play, upsetting UGA's third-ranked duo of Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott 8-6.

UGA went up 2-0 when sixth-ranked Bo Hodge downed 62nd-ranked Bulldog Rene-Charles Combette 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 2 singles position and gained a 3-0 advantage with a 6-4, 6-4 win from 44th-ranked Brandon Wagner over State's Mathieu Soto at the No. 5 spot.

Georgia would clinch the match when Nicolas Boeker held off MSU's Max Fomine in a three-set affair at No. 6 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

All other matches on court were suspended at that point, with State holding the edge in all three. Baron, ranked third nationally in singles, was up 7-5, 5-4 on Georgia's fourth-ranked Matias Boeker at the No. 1 spot. Junior David Ruiz held a 7-6(3), 5-5 lead on Parrott, ranked 50th, at No. 3. And State's Jerome Le Belicard was serving for his match with 35th-ranked Lesley Joseph at the No. 4 position, up 7-6(4), 6-5.

"I was so happy with our guys' effort tonight," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "They laid it on the line from top to bottom against a great, great team. They knew this would be a difficult match to win, but also knew they could win it if they fought hard enough. They did all the way to the end and nearly pulled off a huge upset.

"Our players are realizing with each match that we have the potential to beat anyone in the country on any given day and we feel like we are gaining momentum every time out. We are looking forward to the NCAAs."

MSU, which secured its 14th-straight winning season with its win over 24th-ranked Arkansas Thursday, now awaits its postseason situation, to be announced May 3. The Bulldogs are expected to be named to the 64-team NCAA Team Championship, which begins with regional play May 11-13, that day. MSU is one of only nine teams nationally to have made the NCAA draw in each of the last 10 years.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

"Obviously, I¹m disappointed with the loss, but we played solid tennis this weekend," head coach Tracy Lane said. "I¹m proud of the way our girls represented themselves and the university."

The Lady Bulldogs fell behind early, as they dropped the doubles point for the sixth time in their last seven matches. After the teams split decisions at No.'s 1 and 3, Tennessee clinched the opening point with an 8-6 win by Brooke Cordell and Agnes Wiski over senior Linda Matttsson and freshman Yumi Ueda at No. 3. MSU showed significant improvement since the last meeting between the two teams, when Tennessee swept the Lady Bulldogs in doubles by scores of 8-0, 8-1, and 8-2.

The Lady Vols expanded their lead with Crystal Cleveland's 6-4, 6-0 win over Ueda at No. 5. It was Cleveland's 16th win in her last 17 matches. Moments later Alison Ojeda, ranked 29th nationally, defeated junior Carole Soubis 6-4, 6-1 to move the score to 3-0.

Tennessee clinched the match with Agnes Wiski's 6-2, 6-4 victory over Anca Vasiloaica at No. 3. With the win, Wiski extended her winning streak to six matches.

Seniors Claudia Oliveira, Amelie Detriviere and Mattsson all had opportunities to win their matches when Tennessee clinched the match. Oliveira was down a set, but was on serve in the second when play was suspended. Detriviere was in a first set tiebreak, and Mattsson was about to clinch her match, up a set and 4-0 in the second.

"We fought so hard today," Lane said. "We're extremely disappointed, but the disappointment shows that we believe we can win these matches. Hopefully these two matches this weekend will help prepare us for the NCAA Tournament and the next few weeks."

The Lady Bulldogs will now wait until the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on May 3, to see where they will be sent. The Lady Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons, advancing to the round-of-32 each year.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Senior Lina Thoren leads MSU, shooting a 76 on the par-72 University of Florida Golf Course. Thoren is tied for 25th in the individual competition.

Sophomore Anna Knutsson is one-stroke behind Thoren after carding a 77, tying her for 31st. Junior Anna Gertsson sits in a tie for 44th after posting an opening round score of 79. Senior Renata Almeida shot an 85 and is tied for 54th, while freshman Ashley Moffett rounds out the MSU lineup, carding an 86 to tie for 57th.

Louisiana State leads the championships with a one-under par score of 287, while South Carolinas Kristy McPherson posted a five-under par score of 67 to lead the individual competition.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

State shot a 304 for the opening 18 holes at the Sea Island Golf Club to lead Arkansas by one shot. Georgia fired a 5-under par 275 to take the clubhouse lead over Florida and Tennessee.

Codie Mudd led MSU with a 3-over 73 that placed the State sophomore in a tie for 22nd place.

Freshman Andrew Saft finished Friday's opening round with the second-best score on the squad. Saft, playing in his second career tournament, carded a 76 to stand tied for 37th place heading into Saturday's second round.

Senior captain Scott Shelton carded a 77 to tie with eight other golfers in 40th place, and redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn fired a 78 to end the opening round tied for 49th place.

Junior Jason McKenzie rounded out the starting five for head coach Greg Martin's squad with an 81 that placed him in a tie for 57th place.

State resumes action with Saturday's second round before closing the tournament with final-round play Sunday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/20/01
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 22nd-ranked men's tennis team opened play in the 2001 Southeastern Conference Men's Tennis Championship in solid fashion Thursday night with a 4-0 blanking of #24 Arkansas.

With the win, State improved to 12-9 overall and assured itself of a 14th-consecutive winning season. Arkansas, which fell to 15-9, remained winless (0-11) against MSU since it joined the SEC in 1992 and is now 4-14 against the Bulldogs in the overall series.

MSU, seeded eighth in the tournament, now moves into Friday's quarterfinals to face top-seeded and second-ranked Georgia. That match will begin at 7 p.m. ET. MSU fell to UGA 5-2 earlier this season in Starkville.

State gained the opening point of Thursday's match with Arkansas in close doubles action. UA took an 8-5 win over 28th-ranked Bulldogs Marco Baron and Chris McDonald at the No. 1 position. But MSU won the bottom two spots with Rene-Charles Combette and Mathieu Soto winning 8-6 at No. 3 and Luiz Carvalho and Jerome Le Belicard pulling out a 9-8(8) tiebreaker at No. 2.

In singles, MSU took five of the six first sets played to get into position for the team win.

The true freshman Carvalho gave State a 2-0 advantage, downing Razorback Oggie Kolev 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot to break a five-match losing skid.

State went up 3-0 when Baron, who was named 2001 SEC Player of the Year on Wednesday, ousted Arkansas' second-ranked Oskar Johansson 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1. It was the 16th win in 17 outings for the third-ranked Bulldog senior.

Clinching the match for the Bulldogs was junior David Ruiz, who bested Razorback Magnus Kullenberg 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 4 position.

Two of the remaining three matches on court were in third sets, and MSU was up a set and in a second-set tiebreak in the other, when play was suspended after Ruiz clinched the win.

"The guys really played well tonight," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "After we won a close doubles point, we went into singles with a lot of confidence and that showed in the scores. I was very happy with our performance in the match. Now we have to immediately turn our focus to a very tough challenge against Georgia."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

"This was, without a doubt, a great effort," head coach Tracy Lane said. "We knew coming in that LSU would be a real tough opponent."

With the win, the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second consecutive season, and the third time ever. MSU will take on second-seeded and fifth-ranked Tennessee in an 11 a.m. match on Friday.

Mississippi State jumped ahead early when senior Linda Mattsson and freshman Yumi Ueda clinched a hard-fought doubles point with an 8-5 victory over LSU's Tami Botts and Lauren Haddix at No. 3. It was only the second time in six matches that the Lady Bulldogs won the opening point.

MSU quickly expanded on the early lead as Mattsson continued a phenomenal senior season with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Amy McIlhaney at No. 6. It was Mattsson's 20th win on the season, and her 11th win in her last 13 matches.

Shortly after Mattsson's win, senior Anca Vasiloaica put the Lady Bulldogs up 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Lauren Haddix at No. 4. Vasiloaica trailed 4-0 in the first set before rattling off six-straight games to win the set.

LSU answered with Tami Botts' 6-2, 6-2 win over Ueda to cut State's lead to 3-1. But the Lady Bulldogs had taken control of the match with five, first-set wins.

Senior Claudia Oliveira provided the finishing touches for the Lady Bulldogs. Oliveira's 20th win of the season clinched the match, as she defeated Fernanda Tsucamoto 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.

MSU junior Carole Soubis, playing at No. 1 for just the fifth time this season, took the first set from LSU's eighth-ranked Bruna Colosio. Colosio answered by claiming the second set, and the match was suspended on-serve in the third set.

Senior Amelie Detriviere's match with LSU¹s Rocio Fantilli was suspended with Detriviere up a set at the No. 2 position.

"I can truly say that this was the level of consistency that we've needed to pull an upset of this level off," Lane said. "This victory says a lot about character of our team. I¹m really proud of the way we played today."

With the victory on Thursday, Mississippi State earned a split in the season series with the Lady Tigers. LSU won the first meeting, a 4-3 decision in Starkville on February 24.

THURSDAY'S OTHER TOURNAMENT MATCHES:
#6 Kentucky 4, #11 Arkansas 1
#9 Alabama 4, #8 Mississippi 1
#5 South Carolina 4, #12 Auburn 1

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/18/01
- Mississippi State continues to exhibit its strong academic showing in the SEC by having 26 members of its men's golf and tennis teams and women's golf and tennis teams make the SEC All-Academic teams. Details to follow.

Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's men's tennis team, ranked 22nd nationally in the latest WingspanBank.com national rankings (released Wednesday), will open play in the 2001 Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship Thursday against 24th-ranked Arkansas. The tournament is being hosted by the University of Kentucky at UK's Boone Tennis Complex.

MSU and Arkansas will square off at 7 p.m. ET Thursday evening. The Bulldogs, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, are 11-9 overall and 5-6 in the SEC. Arkansas, the ninth seed, is 15-8, 4-7. MSU is 13-4 against the Hogs in recorded history and 10-0 versus UA since it joined the league in 1992. State took a tight 4-3 decision from Arkansas on March 31 in Starkville.

The Razorbacks are led by senior Oskar Johansson, who is the nation's No. 2-ranked singles player. State is sparked by senior Marco Baron, who climbed to No. 3 in the country in singles in Wednesday's new rankings.

"Arkansas will be a very difficult test for us in the first round," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "We were able to beat them in Starkville, but it was not easy. It certainly will not be any easier on a neutral court. But our guys are ready to play."

The winner of Thursday's match will draw the tournament's top seed, second-ranked Georgia, on Friday. That match will also begin at 7 p.m. ET.

To be eligible for the SEC honor roll, a student-athlete must (1) have a 3.0 grade point average for either the past year or for his career, (2) be a sophomore or higher in terms of academic classification, and (3) have 24 semester or 36 quarter hours toward a degree. The 2001 SEC Honor Roll is based on grades from the 1999-2000 academic calendar.

Bulldogs named to this year's team are Marco Baron, Jeremy Bayon, Rene-Charles Combette, Jerome Le Belicard, David Ruiz, Charles Sevigny and Mathieu Soto. Baron, Bayon, Ruiz and Soto were repeat selections to the squad.

Baron, a senior from Nantes, France, native, earned his third selection to the team with a perfect 4.00 GPA in general business. Bayon, a senior last year, earned his fourth selection with a 3.40 grade point, also in general business.

Ruiz and Soto were both second-time choices to the academic squad. Ruiz, of Colmar, France, holds a spotless 4.00 GPA in banking and finance. Soto, a senior from Paris, has a 3.46 in international business.

Combette, Le Belicard and Sevigny were all first-time honorees on the league's academic team.

A native of Corsica, France, Combette boasts a 3.63 grade point in general business. Le Belicard, from Nice, France, has notched a 3.20 GPA in marketing. Sevigny had a 3.37 in political science.

"Our academic success has truly been something to be proud of over the last few years," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "It is one thing for us to have a successful team on the court. But when we have a great team that is made up of excellent student-athletes it speaks even more for our program."

With Wednesday's honors, MSU has had at least one selection to the Academic all-SEC team in 13 of the last 14 seasons and at least four honorees on the squad in each of the last five seasons.

Marco Baron - Senior, Nantes, France, 4.00 gpa, General Business Admin.
Jeremy Bayon - Senior, Saint Etienne, France, 3.40 gpa, General Business Admin.
Rene-Charles Combette - Sophomore, Corsica, France, 3.63 gpa, General Business Admin.
Jerome Le Belicard - Sophomore, Nice, France, 3.20 gpa, Marketing.
David Ruiz - Junior, Colmar, France, 4.00 gpa, Banking and Finance.
Charles Sevigny - Sophomore, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Canada, 3.37 gpa, Political Science.
Mathieu Soto - Senior, Paris, France, 3.46 gpa, International Business.

Classes listed denote players' academic standing, not classes of eligibility.

Baron, a native of Nantes, France, was named all-SEC for the third time during his stellar MSU career, also his third selection as a member of the first team. The senior is the second Bulldog ever to earn the SEC Player of the Year laurel, joining three-time, all-American Thomas Dupre', who won the award in 1997.

Ranked third nationally in singles in the latest WingspanBank.com national rankings (released Wednesday), Baron is 18-4 overall this year, 15-2 in dual matches, and 9-1 in the SEC. The two-time, all-American had a 14-match winning streak that spanned two months from February to April. That skein included wins over the nation's top-two-ranked players and Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Player of the Month honors for March. He has also been named the SEC Player of the Week twice this year, the only men's tennis athlete in the league to garner that award on two occasions this year.

Ambert, a native of Toulouse, France, becomes the first true freshman in MSU tennis history to garner first-team, all-SEC laurels. Prior to suffering a broken ankle in State's match with Georgia on March 23, Ambert had compiled a 26-9 overall record. He was 10-4 in dual matches, 4-1 in the SEC, with all but one of his contests being played at the No. 2 position. He is ranked 18th in Wednesday's national singles poll.

Wednesday's release marks the 12th-consecutive season that State has had at least one student-athlete selected to the all-SEC men's tennis squad.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The Lady Bulldogs enter the tournament winners of two of their last three matches, including an important 5-2 decision over then-No. 32 Arkansas.

Head coach Tracy Lane's squad is led by four seniors, Amelie Detriviere, Linda Mattsson, Claudia Oliveira and Anca Vasiloaica. Detriviere, who has played predominately at the No.'s 1 and 2 positions, is currently ranked 84th nationally. Mattsson has won 12 of her last 15 matches, including seven wins in the conference.

Oliveira leads the team with eight SEC wins, the most by a Lady Bulldog since Zelda Kuhn recroded nine in 1989. Oliveira closed the season on a four match winning streak, tying her with Mattsson for the team lead with 19 wins. Vasiloaica has battled back from injuries to win two of her last three matches, and finish the season with 12 wins.

LSU enters the match after dropping two of its last three matches. The Lady Tigers are led by eighth-ranked Bruna Colosio, who has posted a remarkable 23-3 record on the campaign. Colosio went 10-0 in SEC play but the Lady Tigers struggled as a team, winning just 10 of 52 conference matches at the other positions.

The two teams have met once this season, with LSU posting a hard-fought 4-3 win. In the first match, LSU got a third-set tiebreak win from Colosio over Detriviere to clinch the match.

The tournament will begin with sixth-seeded Kentucky and 11th-seeded Arkansas facing off in an 8 a.m. match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Following the MSU-LSU contest, play will continue with eighth-seed Alabama taking on ninth-seeded Mississippi. First-round action will conclude with fifth-seeded South Carolina meeting 12th seed Auburn.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must: 1) have a 3.0 grade point average for either the past year or for their career; 2) be a sphomore or higher in academic classification; and 3) have 24 semester hours countable toward their degree. The 2001 SEC Women's Tennis Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 1999-2000 academic calender.

Lady Bulldogs Amelie Detriviere, Linda Mattsson, Claudia Oliveira, Carole Soubis, and Anca Vasiloaica were joined on the list by former Lady Netters Ivana Belancic, Andrea Lord, and Eimear Sloan.

Seven of the eight Lady Bulldogs named on the list are repeat honorees. Belancic, Detriviere, Mattsson, Sloan, and Vasiloaica have been named to the honor roll three consecutive times, and Oliveira and Lord made the list last season.

Belancic, a native of Subotica, Yugoslovia, is a fifth-year senior majoring in international business. She has compiled a 3.39 GPA during her career in Starkville.

Seniors Detriviere, Mattsson, and Vasiloaica are all third-time honorees. Detriviere, of Bressiure, France, has a 3.87 GPA in general business administration. Bromma, Sweden, native Mattsson has a team-high 3.90 cumulative in international business. Vasiloaica, of Sibiu, Romania, has posted a 3.60 in general business.

Oliveira, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, made the list for the second time in her two years. She has a 3.36 GPA in general business. Soubis, a native of Moulins, France, is a first-time honoree with a 3.68 in marketing. This is the junior's first-year to be eligible for the honor.

Former Lady Bulldogs Lord and Sloan each made the team for their academic achievements during the last year. Lord finished her MSU career with a 3.39 GPA in psychology, and Sloan, from Dublin, Ireland, graduated with a 3.48 in general business.

During head coach Tracy Lane's five years at Mississippi State, the Lady Bulldogs have averaged nearly six honorees per season. MSU's 28 members on the list betters Vanderbilt's 27 for the most in the league. Auburn's 24 is third in that time. This season, Auburn and Vanderbilt each had seven honorees, one behind MSU.

"I'm very thrilled that eight of our players were honored this year," Lane said. "I think it says a lot about our dicipline that this is the third year in a row that we have led the league. This shows that our team performs hard in the classroom as well as on the courts."

MSU SELECTIONS TO THE 2001 SEC WOMEN'S TENNIS HONOR ROLL:
Ivana Belancic - Sr. (5th-yr) Subotica, Yugoslovia 3.39 International Business.
Amelie Detriviere - Sr. Bressiure, France 3.87 General Business.
Andrea Lord - So. (2000) Nashville, Tenn. 3.39 Psychology.
Linda Mattsson - Sr. Bromma, Sweden 3.90 International Business.
Claudia Oliveira - Sr. Sao Paulo, Brazil 3.36 General Business.
Eimear Sloan - Sr. (2000) Dublin, Ireland 3.48 General Business.
Carole Soubis - Jr. Moulins, France 3.68 Marketing.
Anca Vasiloaica - Sr. Sibiu, Romania 3.60 General Business.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The six Bulldogs linksters rank second among the conference's 12 institutions. Alabama and Mississippi tied for the most with seven each.

The six MSU golfers named to the 2001 honor roll better the previous mark of five, which was set back-to-back in 1997 and 1998.

"This is a great accomplishment for our program," MSU head coach Greg Martin said. "This honor is something to be proud of because it represents academic accomplishment."

Selections to the SEC Academic Honor Roll are based on the 1999-2000 academic calendar. Athletes must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the previous year or their career, be a sophomore or higher in academic classification, and have 24 semester hours countable toward a degree to be eligible for the yearly honor.

Former Bulldog Michael Trailov leads the way with his school-best fifth nomination. Trailov, who competed on last season's NCAA Championship team, accumulated a 3.68 cumulative GPA in banking and finance.

Ben Smith, Alex Rocha and John Mueller all earned their second selections to the honor roll. Smith led the team at the NCAAs last season with a 41st-place finish (288). The London, England, native tallied a 3.50 GPA for the 1999-2000 academic calendar in interdisciplinary studies.

Alex Rocha ended his State career last season as one of the most decorated golfers in school history. Rocha earned all-America accolades twice, while garnering seven school records. During his career, the Sao Paulo, Brazil, native claimed the lowest career scoring average and won five titles during his four-year stint. Rocha earned a selection to this year's honor roll with a 3.06 GPA he accumulated last year in general business information. Rocha also notched a spot on the 1998 SEC Academic Honor Roll.

John Mueller finished the 2000 season with a 75.84 scoring average, and the Arlington, Va., native claimed his second selection to the honor roll with a 3.21 grade-point average.

Current redshirt freshmen T.J. Washburn and Tim Cureton earned their first selections to the list. Washburn, who is averaging a 78.35 in nine events this season, accumulated a 3.17 GPA in banking and finance. Cureton saw his first collegiate action this spring, averaging a 78.67 through four tournaments. Cureton earned a 3.25 GPA in economics as a true freshman last season.

Head coach Greg Martin's MSU linksters compete Friday through Sunday at the 2001 SEC Championship in Sea Island, Ga.

MSU's SELECTIONS TO THE 2001 SEC MEN'S GOLF ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL:
Tim Cureton - Economics 3.25.
John Mueller - Business Information Systems 3.21.
T.J. Washburn - Banking & Finance 3.17.
Alex Rocha - Business Information 3.06.
Ben Smith - Interdisciplinary Studies 3.50.
Michael Trailov - Banking & Finance 3.68.

MSU golfers Lina Thoren and Anna Gertsson are joined on the list by former Lady Bulldogs Christina Clausen, Pia Josefsson and Kelli McClarren.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must: 1) have a 3.0 grade point average for either the past year or for their career; 2) be a sophomore or higher in academic classification; and 3) have 24 semester hours countable toward a degree. The 2001 SEC Womens Golf Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 1999-00 academic calendar.

Thoren, a senior from Malmo, Sweden, had a 3.37 GPA while majoring in microbiology. This marks the third consecutive year Thoren has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Gertsson, from Angelholm, Sweden, is a junior majoring in fitness management. She had a 3.59 GPA during the 1999-00 academic year. This is Gertssons second consecutive year to make the list.

Clausen, a native of Skelleftea, Sweden, had a 3.53 GPA during the 1999-00 academic year while majoring in international business.

Josefsson, of Knivsta, Sweden, graduated from Mississippi State in May of 2000 with a 3.72 cumulative GPA in communications. Josefsson was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll all four years of her MSU career.

McClarren, from Corpus Christi, Texas, is a first-time honoree with a 3.07 GPA while majoring in professional golf management. McClarren plans to graduate from Mississippi State this May.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/18/01
Women's Tennis - Final preparations are being made for the 2001 Southeastern Conference Women's Tennis Tournament Championship, which Mississippi State will host this weekend, April 19-22, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.

First-round play will begin Thursday at 8 a.m., with four matches to be played back-to-back on the opening day. The same schedule will be followed for quarterfinal action on Friday. Saturday's semifinals will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the championship match slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.

MSU's Lady Bulldogs, ranked 38th nationally and seeded 10th, will open play in Thursday's second match, set to begin at approximately 11 a.m. State will meet 27th-ranked LSU, the tournament's No. 7 seed, in that contest.

Tickets to the 2001 SEC Women's Tennis Championship are $15 for the weekend or $5 per day. For children 12 and under, the rate is $10 for the weekend or $3 per day. Tickets may be obtained at the tournament site or by contacting the MSU Athletic Ticket Office at 662-325-2600.

Prior to the official start of the tournament, there is one piece of business that still must be completed. A make-up match between fourth-ranked Vanderbilt (20-2, 9-1 SEC) and sixth-ranked Florida (18-1, 10-0 SEC) will be played at the Pitts Tennis Centre at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The UF-VU match holds both SEC title and seeding implications. If Florida wins, the Lady Gators will be the top seed in this weekend's tournament and will win the 2001 SEC crown outright. If Vanderbilt wins, the Lady Commodores will earn the No. 1 seed and create a three-way tie for the league title between themselves, Florida and fifth-ranked Tennessee (21-2, 10-1 SEC). There will be no admission charged to the UF-VU contest.

2001 SEC WOMEN'S TENNIS TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUPS

Day #1 (First Round) -- Thursday, April 19, 2001
*Match #1 -- #6 Kentucky vs. #11 Arkansas, 8 a.m.
*Match #2 -- #7 LSU vs. #10 Mississippi State, not before 11 a.m.
*Match #3 -- #8 Alabama vs. #9 Mississippi, not before 2 p.m.
*Match #4 -- #5 South Carolina vs. #12 Auburn, not before 5 p.m.

Day #2 (Quarterfinals) -- Friday, April 20, 2001
*Match #5 -- #3 seed (Florida or Vanderbilt) vs. Match #1 winner, 8 a.m.
*Match #6 -- #2 Tennessee vs. Match #2 winner, not before 11 a.m.
*Match #7 -- #1 seed (Florida or Vanderbilt) vs. Match #3 winner, not before 2 p.m.
*Match #8 -- #4 Georgia vs. Match #4 winner, not before 5 p.m.

Day #3 (Semifinals) -- Saturday, April 21, 2001
*Match #9 -- Match #5 winner vs. Match #6 winner, 11 a.m.
*Match #10 -- Match #7 winner vs. Match #8 winner, not before 2 p.m.

Day #4 (Championship) -- Sunday, April 22, 2001
*Match #11 -- Match #9 winner vs. Match #10 winner, 1 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/17/01
Track and Field - Mississippi State has signed Meridian Community College track and field standout Dale Moorhouse to a letter of intent, head coach Al Schmidt announced Monday.

Moorhouse, who was named to the dean's list his freshman season, won the regional championship for MCC head coach Ley Fletcher in the 400-meter hurdles last season, and he has advanced to the NJCAA National Championship Meet twice during his tenure at Meridian CC.

The Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, native finished fourth at the MSU-hosted Bulldog Invitational, taking fourth place in 56.43.

Before making the move to Mississippi, Moorhouse served as track captain for Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg. During his prep stint, Moorhouse won the state championship in the 400m hurdles, and he also served as team captain for the college's field hockey contingent.

"Dale will be a great addition to our team," Schmidt said. "We feel that he will be a really good 400-meter hurdler for us."

Moorhouse is the son of Ivan and Dianne Moorhouse.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/16/01
Women's Tennis - Mississippi State's 37th-ranked women's tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to third-ranked Florida on Senior Day here on Sunday. With the loss, the Lady Bulldogs fall to 7-11 on the season, 3-8 in Southeastern Conference play. Florida moved to 18-1 with the win, and 10-0 in the SEC.

With threatening weather in the Starkville area, the teams opted to play singles first to try to get the match completed without moving indoors. MSU was awarded the first point of the match, as Florida's 22nd-ranked Jessica Lehnhoff was unable to play due to injury.

Florida responded quickly to MSU's early lead, as Lady Gator Julia Scaringe, ranked 90th nationally, defeated senior Anca Vasiloaica 6-0, 6-1 to even the score. Florida would get another point as 62nd-ranked Lindsay Dawaf defeated 81st-ranked senior Amelie Detriviere to give the Lady Gators the lead. At No. 5, Annika Bengtsson would give Florida its third point of the day with a 6-3, 6-2 win over senior Linda Mattsson.

MSU tried to rally as Carole Soubis took 11th-ranked Whitney Laiho into a first-set tiebreak at No. 1. Laiho would hold off Soubis challenge and take the first set 7-6(2) before running away with the match with a 7-6(2), 6-1 victory to clinch the match for the Lady Gators.

Senior Claudia Oliveira would get MSU's final point of the day with a hard-fought 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-6(3) win over Stephanie Hazlett at No. 3. It was Oliveira's 19th win on the season, tying her with Mattsson for the team lead.

"I'm proud of the way our girls battled against a quality opponent today," head coach Tracy Lane said. ³Claudia played extremely well today, and her win was a great way to end the regular season and head into tournament play."

The Lady Bulldogs will return to action on Thursday with an 11 a.m. match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Their opponent has not yet been determined.

MSU will host the SEC Tournament Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 22. State will play the 11 a.m. match as long as it remains in the tournament.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/15/01
Track and Field - The Mississippi State track and field squads ended the home season on a positive note Saturday, winning both the men's and women's titles at the Jace Lacoste Invitational in Starkville, Miss.

Both squads dominated the meet, as the Bulldogs won with 122 points, and the Lady Bulldogs tallied 143 points to claim the team's ninth-straight home win.

"We had the team step up today with Elisha (Williams) and Pierre (Browne) resting," MSU head coach Al Schmidt said. "I thought both our men and women came together as a group to get the wins. We are very pleased with the effort."

The State contingents compiled 15 wins to claim double team wins to close out the 2001 home season. Junior Camille Harper led the way with a win in the 100 meters and a second-place showing in the 200 meters. The Clinton, Miss., native won in the 100m for the third time at home in as many meets with an 11.70 mark. She finished second behind teammate Collette Gibbs in the 200 meters with a 24.19 timing.

Joey Hansen won the 3000-meter steeplechase at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track Saturday. Hansen provisionally qualified for her first NCAA Outdoor Championships meet with an 11:06.49 clocking in the event.

Lady Bulldog senior Stacey Salmon opened the meet with a win in the hammer throw. Her 165-0 winning mark ranks as the second-best hammer mark in school history. The women's 400-meter relay contingent of LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, Collette Gibbs, Karen Lee and Camille Harper won with a school fourth-best 45.43 mark.

Sophomore Ronni Watjus claimed a win in the 3000 meters as she ran a personal- and season-best 10:30.13 mark. Redshirt sophomore Christine Zawaski took the 800 meters title with a 2:19.49 mark, and fellow second-year harrier LeKisha Barnaby-Pope clocked a 14.51 mark to take first in the 100-meter hurdles.

In limited action Saturday, the senior Williams won the javelin throw with a 120-2 toss, and CeCe Brown ran a 1:03.39 mark to earn first-place points in the 400-meter hurdles.

The MSU men were paced by five winners in Saturday's home finale.

Junior Viktor Mara claimed his second home hammer throw win in as many meets, winning with a 166-7 toss that bettered his school third-best mark he recorded at the Bulldog Invitational.

With sophomore Pierre Browne using the day to rest, junior Dion Crabbe took up the slack in the 100 meters and won with a 10.47 mark.

Fellow senior Ian Robertson won the triple jump with a 49-7 1/4 mark, while teammate Vance Clarke finished immediately behind with a 48-2 3/4 throw that ranked second.

Sophomore Kevin Pittman won his second home pole vault event of the season with a 15-5 clearance, and fellow second-year jumper Daniel Hunter took first in the high jump with a 5-10 mark.

State returns to action next weekend, as the squads travel to Waco, Texas, to take part in the Baylor-hosted Michael Johnson Invitational.

MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 122; 2. McNeese State, 87; 3. Louisiana Tech, 80.

MSU MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash - 1. Dion Crabbe, 10.47; 13. Ian Robertson, 11.18.
200-Meter Dash - 4. Daniel Hunter, 22.06.
400-Meter Dash - 6. Draper Mauldin, 1:02.71.
800-Meter Run - 6. Danny Ledford, 1:56.75; 7. James Kimbrough, 1:58.25.
1500-Meter Run - 8. Chris Boldt, 4:01.45; 12. Draper Mauldin, 4:17.22.
3000-Meter Run - 5. Chris Boldt, 8:49.48; 10. Tommy Barksdale, 9:05.94.
110-Meter Hurdles - 5. Daniel Hunter, 15.48.
400-Meter Hurdles - 5. Brad Rowland, 56.86.
4x100-Meter Relay - 2. Mississippi State, 40.66.
High Jump - 1. Daniel Hunter, 5-10.
Pole Vault - 1. Kevin Pittman, 15-5; 5. Zack Brumfield, 11-11 3/4.
Long Jump -- 2. Shamone Johnson, 23-2 1/2; 5. Dion Crabbe, 22-3; 6. Lewis Seals, 21-2 1/2.
Triple Jump -- 1. Ian Robertson, 49-7 1/4; 2. Vance Clarke, 48-2 3/4.
Shot Put - 4. Tim Huddleston, 50-6; 6. Viktor Mara, 46-6 3/4.
Hammer Throw - 1. Viktor Mara, 166-7; 2. Matt Caton, 144-6; 3. Tim Huddleston, 126-10.
Discus Throw - 4. Clay Garner, 145-7; 6. Matt Caton, 131-2.
Javelin - 2. Clay Garner, 182-4; 7. Matt Caton, 133-5.

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 143; 2. McNeese State, 90; 3. Louisiana Tech, 80.

MSU WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash - 1. Camille Harper, 11.70; 4. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 12.21; 9. Karen Lee, 12.67.
200-Meter Dash - 1. Collette Gibbs, 24.19; 2. Camille Harper, 24.49; 5. Elisha Williams, 26.08; 6. Kia James, 26.16; 7. Karen Lee, 26.46.
400-Meter Dash - 3. Ann-Marie Anderson, 56.85; 4. Andrea Ingleton, 57.21; 6. Kia James, 59.97.
800-Meter Run - 1. Christine Zawaski, 2:19.49; 3. Janice Zawaski, 2:25.98.
1500-Meter Run - 2. LeeAnn Ripstra, 4:37.80; 3. Christine Zawaski, 4:43.27.
3000-Meter Run - 1. Ronni Watjus, 10:30.13; 2. LeeAnn Ripstra, 10:55.48.
3000-Meter Steeplechase - 1. Joey Hansen, 11:06.49.
100-Meter Hurdles - 1. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 14.51.
400-Meter Hurdles -- 1. CeCe Brown, 1:03.39; 2. Nicole Dunn, 1:08.70.
4x100-Meter Relay - 1. Mississippi State, 45.43.
4x400-Meter Relay -- 2. Mississippi State, 3:59.63.
High Jump - 2. Renata Hendrix, 5-4; 3. Nicole Dunn, 5-0.
Long Jump - 7. Andrea' Buie, 17-9 1/2.
Triple Jump -- 8. Andrea' Buie, 35-4.
Shot Put - 2. Stacey Salmon, 45-5; 7. Trish Curtis, 39-8 1/2.
Hammer Throw - 1. Stacey Salmon, 165-0; 2. Trish Curtis, 154-1.
Discus Throw - 3. Trish Curtis, 131-8; 8. Stacey Salmon, 111-5.
Javelin - 1. Elisha Williams, 120-2; 4. Trish Curtis, 106-5.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Recruiting tidbit:
While MSU's track and field recruiting effort this year appears to be one of the best in school history, it now appears it could get even better. According to a rumor that I recently heard, MSU is doing very, very well, recruiting-wise, with one of the premier - maybe even the best - high school sprinters in the nation. I'm not sure what his name is but, supposedly, he runs the 200 meters. Anybody out there have any idea who this sprinter is?

With the loss, State fell to 11-9 overall, 5-6 in the Southeastern Conference. UM improved to 16-6, 7-4. It was the seventh-straight win for UM over MSU.

The match, which was moved indoors after doubles due to rain, lasted nearly eight hours and came down to the No. 6 position. It was there that Rebel Patrick Chucri won a nail biting 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-5 decision over Bulldog Max Fomine. Fomine, who had battled back from losing the first set to win a second-set tiebreak, was broken by Chucri in the last game of the third set, the only service break by either player in the final two sets. It was a tough loss for the true freshman Bulldog, who played virtually flawless tennis during the match.

"Certainly, I am disappointed for Max that he lost that match," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "But that was one of the best tennis matches I have ever watched. He played outstanding tennis the entire way and handled the pressure so well as a first-year player. I am very proud of his effort."

State gained the opening point of the team match much, much earlier in the day with wins at the No. 1 and 3 doubles positions. Bulldogs Marco Baron and Chris McDonald upset Rebels James Shortall and Kristofer Stalhberg 8-4 at No. 1. At the No. 3 spot, MSU's duo of Rene-Charles Combette and Mathieu Soto broke Rebel Paul Ciorascu's serve in the last game of their match to win 8-6 over Ciorascu and partner Martin Selin.

Once indoors for singles, the Rebels took the first two matches off the court to gain a 2-1 advantage. Tying the match at 1-1 was Shortall. Ranked 44th nationally, he downed Combette, ranked 64th, 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 3 position. UM's Stahlberg, ranked 32nd, followed soon after with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Bulldog Luiz Carvalho at No. 2.

State knotted the score again at 2-2 when Baron, ranked seventh nationally, won a thriller against Hartman, ranked 10th, at the No. 1 spot. After Hartman had saved two match points at 4-5 down in the third, the senior all-American Bulldog took a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(3) decision to improve to 15-2 in dual matches this season.

MSU went up 3-2 when junior David Ruiz pulled an incredible comeback at No. 4. Down 5-1 in the first set, Ruiz rallied to win his match 7-5, 6-2 over Rebel Martin Selin.

Mississippi tied the match for the third time at 3-3 when Ciorascu outlasted MSU's Soto 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 at the No. 5 position, setting up the final match of the day at No. 6.

"It was very tough to lose this match at the end, but our guys should be very proud of their the way they played today," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "As you can see by the scores, this was a quality tennis match and we played very well."

State now turns its attention to the 2001 SEC Tournament Championship, to be held next weekend (April 19-22) in Lexington, Ky. MSU's seeding in the event will be determined after all other SEC matches have been completed on Sunday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/14/01
Track and Field - The Mississippi State track and field teams close out the 2001 home season Saturday, hosting a trio of Louisiana-based schools in the Jace Lacoste Invitational.

Admission to watch the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs take on McNeese State, Nicholls State and Louisiana Tech is free to the public. The season finale at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track gets underway with field events at 10 a.m., and running events are slated to start at noon.

Head coach Al Schmidt's MSU squads enter Saturday's meet fresh off an outstanding showing at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, last weekend.

MSU senior Elisha Williams paced MSU by winning the long jump with a 21-7 1/4 leap that secured her a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships and set a new Texas Relays' record.

The Milton, Fla., native enters this weekend's meet looking to sweep the long jump competition at home this season and extend the Lady Bulldogs' win streak on the MSU campus to nine-straight events.

Junior Camille Harper aims for her second win in three home meets in the 100m this weekend after breaking the 13-year old school record in the event with an 11.38 clocking that advanced her to the finals of the Texas Relays last weekend. Harper will attempt a 200 meters sweep Saturday, as she won the event in the Lady Dogs' prior two home events, the SEC Quadrangular and the Bulldog Invitational.

Sophomore Pierre Browne will vie for wins in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes this weekend. The Toronto, Ontario, native won the 100m at the MSU-hosted SEC Quadrangular and Bulldog Invitational meets with a pair of 10.25 marks. He also won both meets' 200-meter dash events with 20.88 marks.

Browne heads into this weekend's meet looking to improve a solid outing at the Texas Relays a week ago. Browne won the 100m in Austin with a 10.19 clocking after taking second in the preliminaries with a school second-best 10.17 mark.

The Jace Lacoste Invitational is named in memory of former MSU decathlete Jace Lacoste, who was killed in a 1995 automobile accident. Lacoste, a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, still holds the indoor school record in the pentathlon with 3,552 points.

Hammer throw competition kicks off the meet at 10 a.m., and the home season concludes with 1600-meter relay action at 4 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/13/01
Women's Tennis - Mississippi State's women's tennis team opens a season-ending two-match homestand Friday as 32nd-ranked Arkansas comes to town for a 2:30 p.m. contest at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Lady Bulldogs, who are ranked a season-high 37th in this week's WingspanBank.com National Rankings, sport a 6-10 overall record, 2-7 in Southeastern Conference play. Arkansas will enter the match with a 9-9 overall mark, 2-7 in the SEC.

The match is of utmost importance to both teams as they battle for seedings in the upcoming SEC Tournament and for bids to the NCAA Championship. Mississippi State has made the Field of 64 in each of the last two seasons, advancing to the Round of 32 both times.

The Lady Bulldogs are led by four strong seniors looking to close out their careers on a positive note. This year's graduating class consists of seniors Linda Mattsson, Amelie Detriviere, Claudia Oliveira and Anca Vasiloaica. The class has led MSU to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearances with wins in each. Mattsson, Vasiloaica and Detriviere, the three members of the class that have been in Starkville for all four years of eligibility, currently stand in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively on the school's all-time singles wins chart.

Mattsson leads the team with 66 career wins, one shy of Claire Pollard (1986-89) for fourth place on the school's all-time win list. Mattsson has had an exceptional senior season, leading the team with 18 wins while winning 10 of her last 11 matches.

Detriviere, who is anchoring the Lady Bulldogs at the No. 1 position for the second consecutive season, is ranked 81st nationally. The Bressuire, France native leads the Lady Bulldogs with 13 doubles wins on the year. She currently stands in seventh all-time with 60 career singles wins.

Vasiloaica, even with injuries holding her back this season, has provided the Lady Bulldogs one of the most memorable moments of the season. Her 12-10 win in a third-set tiebreaker sealed the Lady Bulldogs biggest win of the season to date, a 4-3 decision over now 25th-ranked Kentucky. Even battling through her injuries, Vasiloaica has posted the third most wins on the squad.

Oliveira has only been in Starkville for a little over one season, but will definitely leave her mark. Her 17 wins this season are just one behind Mattsson's team-leading 18. Oliveira had perhaps her best run as a Lady Bulldog last fall, as she rattled off six consecutive wins en route to claiming the Flight B title at the SEC Fall Coaches Classic. Oliveira seems to be returning to that fall form, as she has won five of her last seven matches.

"This is a big weekend for us for several reasons," head coach Tracy Lane said. "It is important to build momentum heading into the SEC Tournament that we're hosting and the NCAA Tournament. We have a wonderful group of seniors, so we want to go out and work hard to send them off with great memories of their last weekend at State."

Arkansas will come into the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre winners of its last two matches, and hoping to put themselves in position for an NCAA berth as well. The Lady Razorbacks are coming into form following a mid-season swoon that left them fighting to stay out of the SEC cellar. Hopes were high in Fayetteville as the Lady Backs got off to a 4-1 overall record, 1-0 in the SEC. What followed was disastrous, as they dropped nine of their next 12 matches, including all seven conference affairs. But coach Kevin Platt's squad has rebounded with wins over Rice and SEC doormat Auburn and bring a 2-7 conference record, identical to that of MSU, into the match.

The Lady Bulldogs will close out their regular season when they honor their Sunday against defending SEC Champions Florida in a 1 p.m. contest at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Following the regular season finale, MSU will host the SEC Tournament Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 22. State will play the 11 a.m. match as long as it remains in the tournament.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The duo are the third and fourth members of Bevill's national champion cross country team from last season, as State inked distance runners Tommy Barksdale and Danny Ledford during the fall period.

"Elmore and Jason are proven SEC quality athletes," Schmidt said. "We look forward to the great team success with them being a big part."

McConnell made the jump to Bevill from Jones Junior College, where he rated as the No. 1 800-meter runner in the state of Mississippi last season with a 1:54 mark. The Mobile, Ala., native was Jones' lone representative to advance to the national meet, finishing sixth in the 800m.

McConnell was the No. 7 runner on Bevill's team that captured the cross country junior college national title this past season along with Odom.

Odom earned three all-America accolades in the middle distance events as a junior college freshman. The Semms, Ala., native ran the 1600 meters leg of Bevill's distance medley relay team that placed third nationally.

The academic all-American also helped Bevill State's 4x800-meter relay team to third place nationally, and he took eighth in the 1500-meter run.

Odom finished second in state of Alabama in the 1600 meters while competing for Mary C. Montgomery High School. During that time he also took fourth in the 800 meters.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/12/01 Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 19th-ranked men's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision at 22nd-ranked Alabama Wednesday.

With the loss, MSU fell to 11-8 overall, 5-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide improved to 16-8, 4-6. The Alabama win broke a 10-match MSU win streak in the series.

State gained the opening point of the day, registering victories at the No. 1 and 3 doubles positions. Alabama would rally in singles, however, taking four of six first sets to put itself in position for the team win.

UA evened the match at 1-1 when Chris Gostek downed Bulldog Luiz Carvalho 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 2 position. The Tide gained a 2-1 advantage when Stephen Mitchell won 7-5, 6-2 over State's David Ruiz at No. 4.

Bulldog Max Fomine tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-5, 6-2 victory of his own at No. 6 over UA's Christian Brodersen.

The teams split the next two matches of the day. Alabama's Susheel Narla held off MSU's Jerome Le Belicard 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 3 spot, while Bulldog Mathieu Soto played focused tennis to win a three-set contest with Chris McRae at No. 5 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

That left MSU all-American Marco Baron, ranked seventh nationally, on the court with Alabama's 39th-ranked Maxim Belski to decide the team match. Baron, who was down 6-3, 5-2 and two service breaks in the second set, rallied to tie the second frame at 5-5. The players then traded breaks of serve to setup a grueling tiebreaker.

After Baron held eight set points, Belski won the tiebreaker 17-15 and the match 6-3, 7-6(15) on his fifth match point on a very close call of a Baron shot that appeared to catch the sideline. The loss broke Baron's 14-match win streak that dated back to Feb. 11 of this year.

"This was an extremely tough loss for us," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "We felt we had an excellent chance at winning this match, but I have to give Alabama credit for fighting back after losing the doubles.

"I felt for Marco that he lost his match the way he did. He had fought back so hard to get to the tiebreaker and give himself a chance to win the match for us. I was very proud of his effort. It is extremely difficult for a player to play the quality of tennis that Marco has been producing day-in and day-out. Today was just one of those days for him and he still had chance to win."

MSU will now close out the regular season this Saturday at #11 Mississippi in a 1 p.m. match in Oxford.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Hobyan starred for Jerry and Tammy Moynihan in track and field, and coach Lon Ludemann in cross country at Oconto Falls High School. Just beginning her senior year with the Panthers, Hobyan set Oconto Falls HS records in the mile run, two-mile run and 800-meter run.

Hobyan finished second in the 3200 meters at the Division II state meet her sophomore season, clocking a time of 11:24. She ran a school-record 11:22 in the two mile to finish fourth in the state last season.

Hobyan also helped the Oconto Falls' two-mile relay team to runner-up state honors in a school-record 9:44. She ran a 5:18 clocking in the mile to finish sixth at last year's state meet, and she ran a school-best 2:24 clocking in the 800 meters in Peshtigo, Wis.

Her junior season she ran on Oconto's 3200-meter relay team that claimed state runner-up honors, and she took fourth place in the 3200-meter run.

The three-year letter winner in track took fifth in the state in the 3200 m as a freshman, and she claimed sixth place in the 1600-meter run as a sophomore.

"Trina is a fabulous addition to our team," Schmidt said. "She has had a great deal of success both athletically and academically. She is a true student-athlete, and we look forward to her being a big piece of the puzzle here at Mississippi State."

Hobyan finished second at the Division II state cross country meet her junior year to lead OFHS to the team title. She also took seventh place at the state meet her sophomore year before finishing 12th this past fall. Hobyan earned MVP accolades in cross country her sophomore and senior seasons, and she served as the team captain this past season.

A four-year National Honor Society member, Hobyan lettered two years in basketball for Oconto Falls High.

Hobyan, the daughter of Lou and Kathryn Hobyan, joins a long list of Lady Bulldogs from the state of Wisconsin that includes current MSU distance harrier and Mauston, Wis., native Joey Hansen.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/11/01
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 17th-ranked men's tennis team will play the first of two Southeastern Conference road matches to close out its 2001 regular season Tuesday, travelling to 22nd-ranked Alabama. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at UA's Varsity Courts.

State is 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the SEC entering the contest. Alabama is 15-7 overall, 3-6 in the league. MSU owns a 21-17 lead in the series and has won the last 10 matches in a row between the teams. The Bulldogs claimed two matches from the Crimson Tide within one week last year in Starkville, during the regular season and in the first round of the SEC Championship.

MSU is led by senior Marco Baron, who will be looking to extend his 14-match win streak against Alabama. The two-time, all-American, ranked seventh nationally, has won all 14 matches during his streak in straight sets and 11 of the victories have come over nationally-ranked foes. He was named the SEC's Player of the Week Tuesday for the second time this season.

The Crimson Tide is paced by Maxim Belski, who is currently ranked 39th in the country in singles.

"Alabama is a very dangerous team," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "They have upset Ole Miss this year and lost 4-3 to Tennessee. We will have our hands full in this match."

Following Wednesday's action, MSU will close out the regular season this Saturday at #11 Mississippi in a 1 p.m. match in Oxford.

Baron, a senior, went 5-0 last week in all matches he played during three MSU contests. Four of the wins came over nationally-ranked opponents.

The Nantes, France, native was 3-0 in doubles with partner Chris McDonald, including upsets of the nation's 40th- and 13th-ranked duos to end the week. After sitting out singles at Kentucky last Tuesday with tendinitis in his wrist, Baron played through that injury over the weekend and defeated Florida's 41st-ranked Jeremy Wurtzman and Tennessee's 46th-ranked Mark Parsons, both in straight sets.

The victory over Parsons was the 14th-consecutive singles triumph for Baron. During his streak, he has claimed all 14 matches in straight sets and 11 of them have come over nationally-ranked foes. He defeated the nation's top two players to end the month of March, when he went 7-0 and was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Player of the Month. Dating back to last season, he has claimed victory in 23 of his last 24 singles dual matches, all at the No. 1 position.

Baron is 17-3 overall this season in singles, 14-1 in dual matches, 8-0 in the SEC. He is also 14-6 in doubles (11-5 dual, 6-3 SEC). He is the second Bulldog ever to earn the SEC's weekly award since the league initiated it for the sport of tennis last season. Four-year star Jeremy Bayon earned the distinction during the week of March 21 last spring.

Baron and the Bulldogs (11-7, 5-4 SEC) will be back in action Wednesday at 22nd-ranked Alabama.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/09/01
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 17th-ranked men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to seventh-ranked Tennessee Sunday afternoon on the MSU campus.

With the loss, MSU fell to 11-7 overall, 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee improved to 14-4, 7-2 in the league. The Vols have won the last two matches in the series between the teams since losing seven-straight to the Bulldogs.

UT gained the opening point of the match with 8-4 and 8-3 victories at the No. 2 and 3 doubles positions, respectively. State salvaged the No. 1 spot, where Marco Baron and Chris McDonald, playing in their fourth match ever together, registered their second upset of a ranked opponent, downing 13th-ranked Volunteers Adam Carey and Mark Parsons 8-4.

In singles, Tennessee would take control early, winning five of the six first sets. The Vols would ride that momentum on to victory in all five of the matches in which it had gained the advantage.

UT went up 3-0 in the match when Paul Podbury downed Mathieu Soto 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 4 position and Simon Rea bested State's David Ruiz 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5. The Vols clinched the team win with a 6-1, 6-4 victory from Wade Orr over Bulldog Max Fomine at the No. 6 spot.

Tennessee gained the fifth point of the day from 38th-ranked Peter Handoyo, who won when State's Luiz Carvalho retired at No. 2, trailing 7-5, 2-1. UT went up 6-0 with a tight 7-6(2), 6-4 win from Carey, ranked 66th, at the No. 3 spot over Bulldog Jerome Le Belicard.

MSU's lone point of the day came in a quality matchup at the top position, where State's Baron, ranked seventh nationally, held off UT's 46th-ranked Parsons 7-5, 7-6(4). The victory was important individually for the senior all-American Bulldog, who registered his 14th-consecutive singles victory, with all 14 of his wins during the streak having come in straight sets. Parsons pushed that stat to the limit Sunday, holding three set points against Baron's serve at 6-5 in the second set before Baron came back to force and win the tiebreaker.

"Tennessee showed today that they are a top 10, and probably even top 5 team," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "We knew this would be a tough match and we simply have to put this behind us and focus on the rest of our season. We still have plenty left to play for."

The Bulldogs will close out their regular season with a pair of road matches in the coming week. State will be at #22 Alabama on Wednesday before travelling to #11 arch-rival Mississippi on Saturday. MSU will then be in Lexington, Ky., April 19-22 for the 2001 SEC Championship.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

MSU got out of the gate quickly as senior Amelie Detriviere and freshman Camila Sagae routed the Lady Raiders' team of Tanja Buchheim and Michaela Gridling, 8-0. But the Lady Bulldogs would eventually lose the doubles point after faltering at No.'s 1 and 3.

Needing to win four of the six singles matches to salvage the match, State got off to a good start with straight-set wins by seniors Anca Vasiloaica and Claudia Oliveira to take a 2-1 advantage. Vasiloaica defeated Gridling 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 and Oliveira beat Buchheim 6-1, 6-1 to give the Lady Bulldogs the lead. The Lady Raiders would answer with Manon Kruse's 6-2, 6-3 upset of 81st-ranked Detriviere at No. 1.

With the match tied at 2-2, senior Linda Mattsson continued her remarkable final year with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Niger Kaur at No. 6. Mattsson now leads the team with 17 wins on the season, including 11 in dual-match action. With the 66th win of her career, Mattsson, now in fifth on the all-time chart, is only one win shy of Claire Pollard in fourth place.

The Lady Bulldogs would close out the victory with junior Carole Soubis' 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 clinching win over Carien Venter at No. 2. Soubis undid Venter's nine-match win streak in which the Lady Blazer had not dropped a single set. With the win, Soubis snapped a six-match skid of her own.

"We played well today in a match that we needed to win," head coach Tracy Lane said. "We came together after doubles and played well at every position."

MSU will close out its regular season with two matches at home next weekend. The Lady Bulldogs entertain 31st-ranked Arkansas at 2:30 next Friday before honoring their seniors in a 1 p.m. match with third-ranked Florida on Sunday.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Lady Bulldogs will host the 2001 Southeastern Conference Women's Tennis Tournament April 19-22, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

MSU ended the tournament with a 912 effort that propelled them out of 12th place and into 11th position two shots ahead of Memphis. Host Auburn shot a tournament-low 281 Sunday on the Saugahatchee Country Club course to win the team title by one shot over Georgia State.

State was led the duration of the event by junior Jason McKenzie. McKenzie fired a 75 Sunday to end the tournament tied for 28th place with a 221 effort.

Senior Scott Shelton answered Saturday's 74 with a round of 75 Sunday that moved him into a tie for 45th position.

Andrew Saft ended his first collegiate tournament tied for 52nd place (230), while sophomore Codie Mudd struggled to a 78 Sunday to take a share of 58th place with a 234. Redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn shot an 80 for the second straight day, finishing the event with a 239 that placed him 63rd in the tournament field.

The MSU golf team's next action comes when head coach Greg Martin's squad travels to Sea Island, Ga., to compete in the Apr. 20-22 SEC Championship at Ocean Forest Golf Club.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Junior Anna Gertsson shot an even-par score of 72 on Sunday at the University Club in Baton Rouge, La., giving her a team-leading score of 222 and a tie for eighth place in the individual competition. This marks the fifth time this year Gertsson has shot even-par or better in a round.

Senior Lina Thoren and sophomore Anna Knutsson finished not far behind Gertsson's pace. Thoren shot a 225 to finish tied for 17th, while Knutsson finished one stroke back with a 226, good for a tie in 20th. Senior Renata Almeida posted her lowest round of the year on Sunday, shooting a 79 to improve her score to 244. Almeida finished in 50th place. Freshman Ashley Moffett, competing in her first collegiate tournament, carded a 250 and finished in 56th. Freshman Catalina Olarte, playing as an individual, shot a 258 and finished tied for 59th.

Host Louisiana State won the team title with an even-par score of 864, while Georgia's Reilly Rankin took home the individual crown with a five-under-par mark of 211.

MSU's next tournament action will occur on April 20, at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Gainesville, Fla.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/08/01
Men's Golf - The Mississippi State men's golf team shot a 302 Saturday to stand in 12th place with a 609 score heading into Sunday's final round of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate in Opelika, Ala.

Head coach Greg Martin's State squad sits two shots behind Memphis and Vanderbilt, while Georgia State held on to the overall team lead with a 570. Georgia State has company in the top spot, however, as host Auburn carded a 285 Saturday to tie for the lead heading into Sunday's final 18 holes at Saugahatchee Country Club.

Junior Jason McKenzie dropped to 2-over par Saturday, as he shot a 74 to sit tied for 22nd place with a 146.

Senior captain Scott Shelton fought back from an opening-round 78 to fire a 74 Saturday and move into a tie for 46th place at 152.

Newcomer Andrew Saft carded a 77 to finish Saturday's round in 54th place (155), while sophomore Codie Mudd answered Friday's 79 with a 77 to land in a tie for 55th place at 156.

Redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn struggled to an 80 in the second round, as he enters the final 18 holes of play in 63rd place with a 159.

The Bulldogs conclude their final tune-up for the SEC Championships with Sunday's final round.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Browne ran a 10.19 mark that won the event and claimed the Myers Stadium record previously held by fellow Canadian and Browne's Olympic teammate, Bruny Surin.

Browne became the second MSU winner of the weekend and the fourth MSU winner at the Texas Relays in school history, joining Elisha Williams who won Friday's long jump with a meet-record and national-best 21-7 1/4 leap.

Junior Camille Harper finished sixth (11.44) in Saturday's 100 meters final to pace the 24th-ranked Lady Bulldogs in the final day of action at the University of Texas-hosted meet.

In other action from Saturday's competition, the Bulldogs' 4x200-meter relay team of Keston Nelson, Dion Crabbe, Kelvin Harris and Browne ran 1:24.82 to finish in sixth place.

Late Friday night the men's distance medley relay team claimed a 15th-place finish in 10:28.74, while the Lady Bulldogs' DMR team took 16th place with a 12:26.76 clocking.

Head coach Al Schmidt's squads return home to host McNeese State, Nicholls State and Louisiana Tech in the Jace Lacoste Invitational, the final home action of the 2001 season. Admission to the Apr. 14 meet on the MSU campus is free to the public.

2001 TEXAS RELAYS

MSU MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash -- 1. Pierre Browne, 10.19.
4x200-Meter Relay -- 6. Mississippi State, 1:24.82.
Distance Medley Relay -- 15. Mississippi State, 10:28.74.

MSU WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash -- 6. Camille Harper, 11.44.
Distance Medley Relay -- 16. Mississippi State, 12:26.76.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Senior Lina Thoren leads the Lady Bulldogs with a score of 148, placing her in a tie for seventh. Junior Anna Gertsson has posted two consecutive 75s for a score of 150, good for a tie in 13th. Sophomore Anna Knutsson is not far behind, posting a 151 and in a tie for 18th. Senior Renata Almeida shot an 80 on Saturday, improving her score to 165 and is tied for 50th. Freshmen Ashley Moffett and Catalina Olarte, who is playing as an individual, carded scores of 169 and 174 respectively.

Host Louisiana State leads the tournament with a score of 581. Louisiana States Katy Harris, Alabamas Sarah Johnston, and Auburns Courtney Swaim are tied for the lead in the individual competition with a one-under par score of 143.

Final round of action begins on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. with 18 holes to be played.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/07/01
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 17th-ranked men's tennis team downed #29 Florida 5-2 Friday afternoon on the MSU campus in a match between two teams battling plenty of adversity.

With the win, MSU improved to 11-6 overall, 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida fell to 9-12, 3-5 in the league.

Both teams were without two players in their lineups due to injury. State was missing 19th-ranked Romain Ambert and 64th-ranked Rene-Charles Combette, while Florida lost 25th-ranked Nathan Overholser after doubles play and did not have a No. 6 singles player available.

State gained the opening point of the match with 8-5 victories at the No. 1 and 2 doubles positions. Bulldogs Marco Baron and Chris McDonald, playing together for the third time ever, upset 40th-ranked Gators Overholser and Jeremy Wurtzman at No. 1.

In singles, State would gain a 2-0 lead in the match when the Gators defaulted the No. 6 position to MSU's Max Fomine. The default was a result of Overholser being pulled out of singles due to an injury that had forced him to miss eight matches in a row prior to Friday's outing. That, in addition to another injury at the bottom of the UF lineup, depleted the Gator roster.

MSU went up 3-0 when junior David Ruiz won for the fourth time in five contests, ousting UF's Trey Johnson 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot. The Gators trimmed the State advantage to 3-1 when Troy Hahn won 6-4, 6-2 over Bulldog Jerome Le Belicard at No. 3.

The Bulldogs would clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph from senior Mathieu Soto over Florida's Matt Behrmann at the No. 4 position. It was Soto's eighth win in his last 10 matches.

The teams would split the final two matches of the day.

Baron, MSU's two-time, all-American, returned to the singles lineup (after missing singles Tuesday night at Kentucky) to post his 13th-consecutive victory. Now ranked seventh nationally after being 13th the past few weeks, the senior won in straight sets once again, holding off UF's 41st-ranked Wurtzman 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1.

Florida gained the final point of the afternoon when 89th-ranked Olivier Levant won when MSU's Luiz Carvalho was forced to retire at 6-2, 2-6, 4-4. The true freshman began experiencing leg cramps leading 4-2 in the third set of that contest.

"This was a good win for our team and a tough loss for Florida," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "Both of our teams have been battling a lot of adversity lately. Our guys really stepped up today and played some focused tennis."

Jackson, in his 13th season of coaching MSU's men, became the winningest coach in Bulldog tennis history with State's win Friday. His 217th victory with the Bulldogs moved him past legendary State mentor Tom Sawyer for the most wins in school history. Sawyer tallied 216 wins from 1949-68.

The Bulldogs will close out their regular season home schedule Sunday, hosting #11 Tennessee in another very important SEC contest for MSU. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Jackson and State seniors Baron and Soto will be honored during the match.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

State sits seven shots out of 11th place, which is currently occupied by Memphis. Georgia State leads the tournament after carding a 282 total for the opening 18 holes at Saugahatchee Country Club. A pair of Alabama-based teams, Auburn and UAB, sit tied for second place three shots back.

After struggling most of the spring, junior Jason McKenzie opened the Auburn-hosted tournament with an even-par 72 to sit tied for 13th place heading into Saturday's second round.

Senior Scott Shelton struggled Friday to card a 78 over the opening 18 holes. Shelton, who has led MSU the last three tournaments, shot a 38 on the front nine before finishing with a 40 on the back nine to stand in a tie for 56th place with walk-on Andrew Saft.

Saft shot a pair of 39s to end his first collegiate golf round with a 78. He was followed by sophomore Codie Mudd, who continued his struggles Friday with a 79 that put him tied for 61st place.

Redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn also carded a 79 Friday to sit in 61st along with Mudd.

The Bulldogs continue the final tune-up for the April 19-21 SEC Championships with Saturday's second round.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Senior Lina Thoren is tied for the lead in the individual competition after posting a one-under par score of 71 at the par-72 University Club. This marks only the third time this year, and first time this spring, Thoren has broken par. It also places her tied for eighth in the school record book for lowest first round score by an individual.

Junior Anna Gertsson shot an opening round 75 to place her tied for 11th, while teammate Anna Knutsson, a sophomore, is one stroke behind her with a score of 76, tying her for 15th. Freshman Ashley Moffett is tied for 28th after posting a 79 in her first collegiate tournament. Senior Renata Almeida carded an 85 and is tied for 56th, while freshman Catalina Olarte, playing as an individual, posted an 88 and is in 59th.

Auburn leads the tournament with a score of 293, with host Louisiana State in second after carding a 295. Tying Thoren for the individual lead is Auburns Celeste Troche.

Second round action at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic resumes Saturday at 8:00 a.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Williams jumped a school-record 21-7 1/4 on her first attempt of the day that automatically qualified her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and broke the Texas Relays' record of 21-5 1/2 set by host Texas' Kim McGruder in 1997.

Pierre Browne and Camille Harper continued their solid running in the 100 meters Friday. Browne matched the school's second-best timing with a 10.17 clocking that gave him second in the prelims and advanced him to Saturday afternoon's final. The Toronto, Ontario, native's clocking stands a hundredth of a second shy of the automatic qualifying standard of 10.16.

Junior Camille Harper also advanced to Saturday's final, as she took fourth place with an 11.38 timing that bettered Falilatu Ogunkoya's 13-year old school record. Harper provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with an 11.43 clocking claimed at last weekend's Bulldog Invitational.

"We are very pleased with the efforts of Elisha, Pierre and Camille today," MSU head coach Al Schmidt said. "I thought Elisha went over 22 feet on one jump, but she just fouled."

"Pierre ran well and should assure himself of a spot in the NCAAs," Schmidt added. "Camille ran well also, but the race was just over the legal wind reading. Hopefully both of them will run faster in the finals tomorrow."

The Lady Bulldogs' 4x100-meter relay team clocked a 45.86 mark in Friday's prelims to take third place in the team's heat. The contingent missed advancing to Saturday's final by one place, as they quartet finished in 10th place.

Sophomore LeKisha Barnaby-Pope established a new career best in the 100-meter hurdles prelims Friday, as she clocked a 13.80 mark to finish 23rd. Senior Stacey Salmon finished 15th in the shot put, as she landed a 44-4 toss.

Sophomore Joey Hansen finished 10th in the 3000-meter steeplechase Friday night, clocking an 11:47.74 mark.

In other men's action, junior Dion Crabbe took 17th place in the long jump with a 23-2 leap.

Mississippi State concludes action at the Texas Relays Saturday before returning home to host the Jace Lacoste Invitational Apr. 14 in the final home track action of the season.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

State fell behind early, dropping the all-important doubles point to begin the match. Tennessee, sporting the nation's 29th- and 36th-ranked double's combinations, swept all three matches to claim the point.

The Lady Vols quickly added to their advantage with a 6-0, 6-4 Crystal Cleveland win over freshman Yumi Ueda at the No. 5 position. Cleveland has now won 13 consecutive singles matches. Kim Gates would put another point on the board for the Lady Vols with a 6-0, 6-4 defeat of senior Amelie Detriviere at the No. 1 position. Detriviere is now ranked 81st nationally in the latest ITA/WingspanBank.com National Rankings, released Friday.

The Lady Bulldogs would get their first point of the day from a familiar source, senior Linda Mattsson. Mattsson ran off UT's Brooke Cordell with a 6-4, 6-3 win for her 10th win in her last 12 matches.

Tennessee added their final two points with wins at No.'s 2 and 4 before senior Claudia Oliveira claimed MSU's second point with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win over Agnes Wiski at No. 3. Oliveira now has 16 wins on the season, one behind Mattsson for the team lead.

The Lady Bulldogs will step away from conference action on Sunday with an 11 a.m. affair with Middle Tennessee. The match is of utmost importance to MSU, who will help its chances for a third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a victory in Murfreesboro.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/05/01 (11:00 a.m.)
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State men's tennis standout Marco Baron has been named Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Player of the Month in men's singles for the month of March, as released by the ITA Thursday.

Baron, a senior, went 7-0 in March, winning all seven matches in straight sets over ranked opponents, three over top 15 foes. He finished the month on a very strong note, defeating the nation's top two players in Georgia's second-ranked Bo Hodge and Arkansas' top-ranked Oskar Johansson in back-to-back contests, dropping only eight games total in the two matches.

But March has been only part of Baron's recent success on the court. The victory over Johansson was the 12th-consecutive singles triumph for the Nantes, France, native, a skein that dates back to Feb. 11. During his streak, he has claimed all 12 matches in straight sets and nine of them have come over ranked players. Dating back to last season, he has been victorious in 21 of his last 22 singles dual matches and all but one of his wins in that time have come in straight-set fashion.

The two-time, all-American is 15-3 overall this season, 12-1 in dual matches, 6-0 in the SEC. Currently ranked 13th nationally, he is expected to vault into the nation's top 5 when the new individual rankings are released Friday. He is the first Bulldog ever to earn the ITA's monthly award since it was initiated in the mid-1990s. His career singles record is 74-26 (74.0%).

Due to wrist pains, Baron sat out of singles play in State's match at Kentucky this past Tuesday night, but State hopes he will return to the lineup soon.

"Marco has clearly been playing the best tennis of his career and is very deserving of this award," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "He has obviously been a key to our success in team competition. We certainly hope that his wrist will get better so that he can continue his great play."

The 17th-ranked Bulldogs (10-6, 4-3 SEC) will be back in action this weekend, closing out their 2001 home season by hosting #29 Florida on Friday at 2 p.m., and #7 Tennessee Sunday at 1 p.m.

State, 10-6 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, will welcome 29th-ranked Florida (9-11, 3-4 SEC) Friday at 2 p.m., before hosting seventh-ranked Tennessee (12-4, 5-2 SEC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

State is 13-20 against Florida all-time, but 10-9 under head coach Andy Jackson. UF has been without the services of its top player, 21st-ranked Nathan Overholser, for a large part of the season, but still sports two ranked players in their lineup.

The Bulldogs hold an 11-21 mark against Tennessee. The Volunteers currently have five singles players and two doubles teams gracing the national rankings.

"This weekend we have two very tough matches on our hands," Jackson said. "Florida is always difficult to beat and has a good team with or without Nathan. And, obviously, Tennessee has one of the most-talented teams in the country this year."

Following this weekend's action, MSU will close out the regular season schedule with a pair of road matches. State will be at #22 Alabama next Wednesday, April 11, and at #11 Mississippi next Saturday, April 14.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/05/01
Track and Field - The Mississippi State track and field squads return to action this weekend, taking part in the prestigious Texas Relays Thursday through Saturday in Austin, Texas.

MSU kicks off the annual meet with 400-meter hurdles action and hammer throw competition, while the remainder of the MSU contingents take on the nation's best athletes beginning Friday.

The Lady Bulldogs head into this weekend's University of Texas-hosted event ranked No. 24 in the latest Trackwire national poll. Head coach Al Schmidt's squads dropped from the 21st position, but they remained in a tie with Alabama, Auburn, Idaho and Ohio State after garnering the first national ranking in Lady Bulldog history a week ago.

Senior Elisha Williams, who will be long jumping this week in Austin, remains on top of the conference in the long jump behind her strong 21-3 1/4 effort she recorded two weeks ago at the Alabama Relays.

Junior Camille Harper broke into the SEC standings in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Harper's NCAA provisional mark (11.43) she claimed at last weekend's Bulldog Invitational places her fourth in the conference. Her 23.78 clocking she posted at the Bulldog Invite ranks her third in the SEC.

The MSU men are well represented among the SEC's leaders this week as well. Pierre Browne sits No. 2 in the 100 meters with a 10.25 timing that provisionally qualifies him for the NCAA Championships. The sophomore from Toronto, Ontario, rates third in the 200 meters with a 20.88 clocking.

Seniors Ian Robertson and Vance Clarke posted solid jumps of 52-8 3/4 and 52-3 1/4, respectively, to rank in this week at No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/04/01
Men's Tennis - Battling physical ailments throughout the night, Mississippi State's 23rd-ranked men's tennis team dropped a hard-fought, 4-3 decision Tuesday evening at 42nd-ranked Kentucky.

With the loss, MSU fell to 10-6 overall, 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference. UK improved to 9-12, 3-5 in the league. The setback was only State's second to the Wildcats in the teams' last 10 meetings, but the second in a row in Lexington.

State gained the opening doubles point in the match. Bulldogs Marco Baron and Chris McDonald notched an 8-5 win at the No. 1 position over Wildcats Johan Grunditz and Reven Stephens. MSU's team of Luiz Carvalho and Jerome Le Belicard bested UK's duo of Edo Bawono and Karim Benmansour 8-4 at No. 2. The No. 3 position was suspended.

MSU caught a tough break after doubles play, however, when senior all-American Baron, ranked 13th nationally and winner of 12-straight matches, pulled out of singles due to an ailing wrist.

Kentucky would quickly even the match when freshman Matt Emery upset Bulldog Rene-Charles Combette, ranked 71st, 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 3 position. UK grabbed a 2-1 advantage in the contest when Grunditz downed State's Mathieu Soto 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4.

The Wildcats took a commanding 3-1 lead in the contest when Benmansour notched a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory over Le Belicard at the No. 2 position. MSU trimmed the lead back to 3-2 with a solid 6-3, 7-5 triumph from junior David Ruiz at No. 5 over Wildcat Gustav Pousette.

The remaining matches, on courts 1 and 6, both went to third sets, MSU winning the second set in each contest.

State would endure physical setbacks again at the No. 1 spot, where true freshman Luiz Carvalho dropped a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2 decision to UK's Bawono, ranked 49th in the country. Playing in his first match ever at the No. 1 position, Carvalho gained an early service break in the third set before muscle cramps in his legs began to invade. The rookie Bulldog was not able to overcome the pain of the cramps enough to compete at full strength, allowing the senior Bawono to go on for the win.

MSU would take the final match of the day at the No. 6 spot, where freshman Max Fomine pulled out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 victory over UK's Rahim Esmail.

"This was a tough loss to take," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "Our guys fought so hard after Marco had to drop out and we got down early in singles.

"Luiz and Max really did a good job of playing under pressure to take their second sets and give us a chance to win the match late. It was unfortunate that Luiz starting cramping when he did. He was playing a great match against a great player in Bawono."

The Bulldogs will now return to Starkville this weekend to close out their regular season home schedule, hosting #29 Florida this Friday, April 6, at 2 p.m. and #11 Tennessee this Sunday, April 8, at 1 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/02/01 (11:00 p.m.)
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's men's tennis team, ranked 23rd nationally, will continue competition Tuesday, travelling to 42nd-ranked Kentucky. Match time is set for 6 p.m. ET at UK's Hilary Boone Tennis Complex.

MSU will carry a 10-5 overall record into the match, 4-2 in the SEC, following a 4-3 win over #36 Arkansas on Saturday. Kentucky is 8-12, 2-5 in the SEC, after posting a 5-2 upset win over #15 Auburn Sunday to break a seven-match losing skid.

The teams have met on the tennis court 29 times in recorded history, with UK holding a slim 15-14 advantage over MSU, but 11-4 in Lexington. However, the Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Wildcats since 1993, the lone loss coming two years ago at UK.

"Kentucky will be another tough challenge for us, particularly on their home courts," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "They have played very well in their last two matches, barely losing 4-3 to (#12) Ole Miss Friday and beating Auburn soundly on Sunday. It will be a battle."

MSU is led by senior all-American Marco Baron, ranked 13th in the country in singles. The Nantes, France, native will be looking to extend his career-long, 12-match winning streak. He has claimed all 12 of the matches during the skein in straight sets and nine of them have come over nationally-ranked foes, including wins over the nation's top two players in the last two outings. Dating back to last season, he has been victorious in 21 of his last 22 singles dual matches.

Baron will likely meet UK senior Edo Bawono Tuesday. He is ranked 49th in the country.

Following Tuesday's match, the Bulldogs will return to Starkville this weekend to close out their regular season home schedule, hosting #29 Florida this Friday, April 6, at 2 p.m. and #11 Tennessee this Sunday, April 8, at 1 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/01/01 (9:30 p.m.)
Women's Golf - The Mississippi State women's golf team shot a 338 on Sunday to push their total score to 1002 at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic held in Athens, Ga. MSU finished 18th in the tournament.

Sophomore Anna Knutsson led the Lady Bulldogs, as she shot a 233 to finish tied for 23rd. Senior Lina Thoren finished second for MSU and tied for 43rd in the individual competition, carding a 241 over the weekend. Senior Renata Almeida and freshman Catalina Olarte posted weekend scores of 260 and 284 respectively.

Junior Anna Gertsson withdrew from the tournament in the second round due to illness. Gertsson shot an 80 on Friday, but was unable to perform in the second and third rounds of action.

Duke took home both the team and individual titles. The Blue Devils scored a 902, as Kalen Anderson posted a winning score of 221.

Mississippi State will conclude its regular season next weekend, April 6-8, at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA GOLF COURSE, Par: 72 6,104 Yards

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Duke University 291-303-308=902 +38
2. Georgia, U. of 304-301-308=913 +49
3. Auburn University 315-305-306=926 +62
4. Texas, Univ. of 302-304-322=928 +64
5. Wake Forest Univ. 314-303-315=932 +68
6. Alabama, U. of 310-306-320=936 +72
7. Vanderbilt Univ. 315-300-325=940 +76
8. Furman University 319-307-318=944 +80
9. Michigan State U. 315-312-319=946 +82
10. Nebraska, U. of 320-307-324=951 +87
Northwestern Univ. 320-308-323=951 +87
12. South Carolina, U of 321-320-320=961 +97
13. Mississippi, U. of 319-322-321=962 +98
14. North Carolina, U of 326-321-321=968 +104
15. Tulane University 323-324-331=978 +114
16. Arkansas, U. of 324-322-337=983 +119
17. Kentucky, U. of 331-325-337=993 +129
18. Mississippi St. U. 331-333-338=1002 +138

MSU FINAL RESULTS
t23. Anna Knutsson 78-75-80=233 +17
t43. Lina Thoren 85-76-80=241 +25
93. Renata Almeida 88-88-84=260 +44
95. Catalina Olarte 96-94-94=284 +68
WD. Anna Gertsson 80-WD-WD

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/01/01 (8:30 p.m.)
Women's Tennis - Mississippi State's 48th-ranked women's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to sixth-ranked Vanderbilt at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Sunday. With the loss, State's record falls to 5-9 overall, 2-6 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt moved its record to 17-2, 7-1 in the SEC.

The doubles point was highly contested as the Lady Bulldogs took 6-4 leads at both No. 2 and No. 3. Vanderbilt answered quickly though, as Jenny Miller and Lauren Rose defeated senior Linda Mattsson and freshman Yumi Ueda 8-6 at No. 3 to clinch the point. At No. 2, the Lady Bulldogs hottest team of senior Ameile Detriviere and freshman Camila Sagae pushed the nation's 19th-ranked duo of Sarah Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos to a tiebreaker before falling 9-8(9).

In singles action, Vandy quickly added to its lead as Kate Burson dispatched Ueda 6-1, 6-2 to make the score 2-0. State retaliated with Detriviere routing 21st-ranked Julie Ditty 6-3, 6-3 to cut the Commodores' lead to 2-1.

Vanderbilt established a 3-1 lead as Jenny Miller defeated senior Claudia Oliveira 6-2, 6-2. The Commodores then clinched the match with 73rd-ranked Aleke Tsoubanos' 6-4, 7-6(3) over senior Anca Vasiloaica at No. 5.

To close out the match, 38th-ranked Sarah Riske defeated junior Carole Soubis 6-2, 6-2, and Kelly Schmandt stopped Linda Mattsson 6-2, 6-3. Mattsson had a seven-match winning streak entering the match.

The Lady Bulldogs head to Tennessee for a pair of matches next weekend. State will take on the fourth-ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee on Friday in a 4 p.m. match before heading to Murfreesboro Sunday to take on Middle Tennessee.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

04/01/01
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 23rd-ranked men's tennis team overcame losing the doubles point Saturday to rally for a 4-3 victory over #36 Arkansas at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

With the win, MSU improved to 10-5 overall on the season and is now 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas fell to 11-7, 1-6 in the league. MSU now leads the series with the Razorbacks 13-4 and is 10-0 against UA since it joined the SEC in 1992.

Arkansas put the pressure on early in the match Saturday, taking victories at the No. 1 and 2 doubles positions for a 1-0 lead.

State tied the match at 1-1 when Marco Baron, ranked 13th nationally, extended his current win streak to 12 matches with an impressive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Arkansas' Oskar Johansson, currently the nation's No. 1 singles player, at the No. 1 position. The senior all-American Bulldog has won all 12 of the matches during his streak in straight sets, with nine have come over ranked foes, the last two over the country's top-two-ranked players.

MSU went up 2-1 with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph from freshman Luiz Carvalho at the No. 3 spot over UA's Oggie Kolev. Arkansas knotted the score at 2-2 when 63rd-ranked Henrik Tofft fought off 71st-ranked Bulldog Rene-Charles Combette 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2.

In the three matches that remained at the bottom three positions, State held a service break advantage in the third set on courts 5 and 6, but was down a set and a break at No. 4.

The Bulldogs would go ahead 3-2 when senior Mathieu Soto notched his 20th win of the year, downing Razorback Aleksey Bubis 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 at the No. 5 position. Arkansas tied things up again when Magnus Kullenberg won 7-5, 6-3 over MSU's Jerome Le Belicard at No. 4.

That left MSU junior David Ruiz on the court with Arkansas' Tiago Azevedo to decide the match. Ruiz got a service break early in the third set and held that break to post a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 comeback victory to clinch the team victory for the Bulldogs.

"This was a big win for our team," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "Arkansas is a very, very good team, one that could have easily beaten us today. Our guys really pulled together to get the big points when we needed them and I am very proud of them for this effort."

Jackson, now in his 13th year of coaching State's men, registered his 216th victory with the Bulldogs Saturday, tying him with legendary State mentor Tom Sawyer for the most wins in MSU history. Sawyer posted a 216-36 record from 1949-68.

State was without the services of true freshman Romain Ambert Saturday. Ranked 17th nationally in singles, Ambert turned his left ankle in MSU's match against Georgia last Sunday. It was determined later in the week that the ankle was broken. The rookie sensation, who is 26-9 overall this year, will likely miss the remainder of the 2001 season.

"Losing Romain is obviously a tough blow to our team," Jackson said. "But we have certainly faced adversity before and we will be able to handle it again. The rest of our team must step up and play well in his absence. They certainly did a good job of that today against a really good team."

The Bulldogs will continue action at No. 42 Kentucky on Tuesday night before returning to Starkville to close out their home regular season next weekend, hosting #29 Florida this Friday, April 6, and #11 Tennessee next Sunday, April 8.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

The Lady Bulldogs posted 214 points to finish ahead of Indiana State, who ended the meet with 191 points. On the men's side, 23rd-ranked Indiana State won with 228 points, while the Bulldogs finished with 164 points to take second place over Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee, who finished with 101 and 65 points, respectively.

Sophomore Pierre Browne and junior Camille Harper swept the 100- and 200-meter dashes for head coach Al Schmidt's State squads, while senior Elisha Williams posted wins in the long jump and javelin.

Browne matched his NCAA provisional 100 meters time (10.25) Saturday to claim his second home win in the 100 meters this season. Browne also recorded his second home 200m win in as many meets, taking first place Saturday in 20.88.

Harper provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100 meters, as she won with a school second-best 11.43 clocking. The Clinton, Miss., native ran a school third-best 23.78 200m mark to win the event for the second time in as many home meets this season.

Browne and Harper joined Williams to lead Mississippi State to 16 first-place finishes Saturday. Williams continued her long jump success, winning the long jump for the second time outdoors. The Milton, Fla., native leaped 20-10 to secure first place. Williams also threw a season-best 124-7 javelin mark to win the event.

"I thought our squads did a good job today against some quality competition," Schmidt said. "Camille and Pierre ran well today, and Elisha competed well again today. I thought we covered all the events well today on the women's side."

LeeAnn Ripstra added to the Lady Bulldogs' point total with a win in the 1500 meters (4:44.19), while sophomore Ronni Watjus ran a personal-best 18:13.18 in the 5000 meters to claim second.

LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, a sophomore, won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.96, and she also ran the lead leg for the 4x100-meter relay team that captured first place in 46.00. Senior Stacey Salmon recorded the second-best hammer throw in school history (165-2) to finish second, and she then won the shot put with a 44-6 3/4 toss. Andrea' Buie landed a personal-best 18-7 1/4 long jump to take fourth place in the winning effort for MSU.

The MSU men got off to an early start behind Viktor Mara in the hammer throw. Mara notched the third-best hammer throw in school history (162-7) to earn early first-place points for the Bulldogs.

Senior Ian Robertson won the triple jump for State with a 51-11 1/4 mark, and the 4x100-meter relay contingent took top honors with a 40.21 mark.

Sophomore Chris Boldt won the 1500 meters for MSU, as he clocked a personal-best 3:55.91 timing to win by nearly two seconds. Fellow second-year Bulldog Daniel Hunter continued to perform well in the javelin, winning with a 182-6 throw.

The MSU squads return to action next week as they travel to Austin, Texas, to compete in the prestigious Texas Relays April 4-7.

MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Indiana State, 228; 2. Mississippi State, 164; 3. Arkansas State, 101; 4. Middle Tennessee, 65.

MSU MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash - 1. Pierre Browne, 10.25; 4. Dion Crabbe, 10.61.
200-Meter Dash - 1. Pierre Browne, 20.88; 3. Dion Crabbe, 21.30.
400-Meter Dash - 1. Keston Nelson, 48.15.
110-Meter Hurdles - 5. Kelvin Harris, 14.78.
400-Meter Hurdles - 8. Brad Rowland, 58.98.
800-Meter Run - 13. Chris Boldt, 2:06.54.
4x100-Meter Relay - 1. Mississippi State, 40.21.
4x400-Meter Relay - 5. Mississippi State, 3:23.74.
1500-Meter Run - 1. Chris Boldt, 3:55.91; 7. Danny Ledford, 4:04.15.
3000-Meter Steeplechase - 7. Draper Mauldin, 11:09.68.
5000-Meter Run - 6. Tommy Barksdale, 16:16.37.
High Jump - 3. Daniel Hunter, 6-2.
Long Jump - 3. Shamone Johnson, 22-9; 6. Daniel Hunter, 21-11; 9. Ian Robertson, 21-1 1/4; 12. Dion Crabbe, 19-9 3/4.
Triple Jump - 1. Ian Robertson, 51-11 1/4; 4. Shamone Johnson, 44-11; 5. Lewis Seals, 43-9 1/4.
Pole Vault - 7. Kevin Pittman, 14-7 1/2; 13. Zack Brumfield, 11-8.
Shot Put - 3. Tim Huddleston, 49-2 1/2; 6. Viktor Mara, 44-8.
Hammer Throw - 1. Viktor Mara, 162-7; 3. Matt Caton, 150-9; 7. Tim Huddleston, 124-2.
Discus - 4. Clay Garner, 148-3; 9. Matt Caton, 134-5; 11. Viktor Mara, 116-6; 15. Daniel Hunter, 97-6.
Javelin - 1. Daniel Hunter, 182-6.

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Mississippi State, 214; 2. Indiana State, 191; 3. Arkansas State, 107; 4. Middle Tennessee, 40.

MSU WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Meter Dash - 1. Camille Harper, 11.43; 4. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 12.10; 7. Karen Lee, 12.23.
200-Meter Dash - 1. Camille Harper, 23.78; 3. Collette Gibbs, 24.21; 4. Andrea Ingleton, 24.57; 8. Kia James, 25.58.
400-Meter Dash - 2. Andrea Ingleton, 56.04; 3. Ann-Marie Anderson, 57.39; 4. Janice Zawaski, 59.29.
100-Meter Hurdles - 1. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 13.96; 9. CeCe Brown, 16.36.
400-Meter Hurdles - 2. CeCe Brown, 1:02.62; 5. Nicole Dunn, 1:06.42.
800-Meter Run - 2. Kristin Tallent, 2:17.81; 4. LeeAnn Ripstra, 2:24.61.
4x100-Meter Relay - 1. Mississippi State, 46.00.
4x400-Meter Relay - 2. Mississippi State "B", 3:54.42.
1500-Meter Run - 1. LeeAnn Ripstra, 4:44.19; 2. Christine Zawaski, 4:48.25.
3000-Meter Steeplechase - 2. Joey Hansen, 11:36.07.
5000-Meter Run - 2. Ronni Watjus, 18:13.18.
High Jump - 3. Elisha Williams, 5-4; 8. Renata Hendrix, 5-0.
Long Jump - 1. Elisha Williams, 20-10; 4. Andrea' Buie, 18-7 1/4.
Triple Jump - 2. Elisha Williams, 39-3 3/4; 3. Andrea' Buie, 36-11 1/2.
Shot Put - 1. Stacey Salmon, 44-6 3/4; 6. Trish Curtis, 40-0 1/2.
Hammer Throw - 3. Stacey Salmon, 165-2; 4. Trish Curtis, 156-6.
Discus - 2. Trish Curtis, 137-8; 6. Stacey Salmon, 121-2.
Javelin - 1. Elisha Williams, 124-7; 4. Trish Curtis, 103-11.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Sophomore Anna Knutsson continues to lead the Lady Bulldogs this weekend, shooting a second round score of 75 on the par-72 University of Georgia course. Knutsson posted a 78 on Friday for a two-round total of 153 and is now tied for 21st place in the individual competition.

Senior Lina Thoren is tied for 51st with a score of 161 after carding a 76 during the second day of play. Senior Renata Almeida and freshman Catalina Olarte have scores of 176 and 190 respectively to round out the MSU lineup.

Junior Anna Gertsson withdrew from the second round due to illness. Her status for Sunday's final round of action is questionable.

Duke leads the tournament with a score of 594. Texas's Randi Meadows leads the individual competition with a one-under-par score of 143.

The final round of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA GOLF COURSE, Par: 72 6,104 Yards

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Duke University 291-303=594 +18
2. Georgia, U. of 304-301=605 +29
3. Texas, Univ. of 302-304=606 +30
4. Vanderbilt Univ. 315-300=615 +39
5. Alabama, U. of 310-306=616 +40
6. Wake Forest Univ. 314-303=617 +41
7. Auburn University 315-305=620 +44
8. Furman University 319-307=626 +50
9. Nebraska, U. of 320-307=627 +51
Michigan State U. 315-312=627 +51
11. Northwestern Univ. 320-308=628 +52
12. Mississippi, U. of 319-322=641 +65
South Carolina, U of 321-320=641 +65
14. Arkansas, U. of 324-322=646 +70
15. Tulane University 323-324=647 +71
North Carolina, U of 326-321=647 +71
17. Kentucky, U. of 331-325=656 +80
18. Mississippi St. U. 331-333=664 +88

MSU RESULTS
t21. Anna Knutsson 78-75=153 +9
t51. Lina Thoren 85-76=161 +17
93. Renata Almeida 88-88=176 +32
95. Catalina Olarte 96-94=190 +46
WD. Anna Gertsson 80-WD

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

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