05/24/02
Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Mississippi State's doubles duo of Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette suffered one service break in each set in their first-round match of the NCAA Doubles Championship Thursday, as the Bulldog pair dropped a 6-4, 6-4 decision to 15th-ranked Lester Cook and Ryan Newport of host Texas A&M.

The loss officially marked the end of the 2001-02 MSU men's tennis season, which saw the Bulldogs, guided by first-year head coach Sylvain Guichard, return to the NCAA Championship as a team for the 12th year in a row. State is one of only nine teams in the country which can claim that distinction.

State's year was also highlighted by Ambert's play in singles, which saw him go 37-11 in singles and become MSU's 17th men's tennis all-American. He was also named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Player to Watch.

"While we certainly thought we could have achieved more, we felt we had some good things happen this season," Guichard said. "We are excited about taking those things and building for next year."

MSU will return all but one player, senior David Ruiz, from this year's squad in 2002-03.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Davis ran his best 55-meter hurdles indoors in 7.38 at Wallace State, where he made the finals in the NJCAA Championships. He had his best run outdoors at Wallace State in the 110m hurdles in 14.7. He lists his best time in the 200m at 21.66.

In high school, Davis was a three-time regional champion in the 110m hurdles at D.M. Therrell High School in Atlanta. His best time was 13.70 in the 110 hurdles and ran a 48.7 in the 400-meter hurdles while at Therrell.

Davis is the third Lion to sign with the Bulldogs, joining fellow hurdler Garland Martin and sprinter Jamel Ashley.

"We're happy about this trio of guys from Wallace State that have signed," said head coach Al Schmidt. "As good as our sprint group has been this year, I believe that our hurdlers will be just as good next year."

Courtney Davis is the son of Barbara Harkness.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/22/02
Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Mississippi State's men's tennis contingent in the 2002 NCAA Individual Championships will begin play Wednesday as the 64-player NCAA Singles Championship gets underway at Texas A&M University. Competing for MSU in singles will be sophomore Romain Ambert, who is making his second career appearance in the field. Ambert and partner René-Charles Combette, a late entry into the 32-team doubles draw, will begin competition Thursday.

Ranked eighth nationally and seeded seventh in the singles draw, Ambert will open competition at 1 p.m. CT Wednesday, taking on 49th-ranked Ryan Haviland of Stanford. The two players have never met.

As a top 16 seed in the tournament, Ambert earns all-America status for the season and becomes MSU's 17th men's tennis all-American. His No. 7 seeding also marks the fifth time in the last six years a Bulldog has been seeded in the top eight of the NCAA Singles Championship, joining Thomas Dupré and Marco Baron who each earned the distinction twice in that period. The Toulouse, France, native has logged a very impressive 37-10 overall record in singles this season. Also a first-team, all-Southeastern Conference selection for the second year in a row, he started the 2002 dual match season a perfect 19-0 (10-0 singles, 9-0 doubles).

Ambert and Combette, ranked 30th nationally, were a late entry into the NCA Doubles Championship field after a handful of other duos withdrew from the tournament. The Bulldog tandem, which has logged a 21-9 overall record this season, will meet the 15th-ranked team of Lester Cook and Ryan Newport of host Texas A&M Thursday afternoon. The two pairs have never met.

With the addition of Ambert and Combette in doubles, it marks the 12th time in the last 13 years that State has placed at least one singles player and one doubles team in the main draw of the NCAA Championships. Combette will be making his first career appearance in the NCAA Individual Championships.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ MSU head track & field coach Al Schmidt announced the signing of Tallahassee, Fla., cross country and distance standout Zita Magloire.

Magloire is a two-time all-state selection in cross country and at one point last season held the Florida state record in the three-mile cross country race. The Tallahassee Democrat named her the All-Big Bend cross country athlete of the year after her senior season as well as just named as All-Big Bend track athlete of the year.

Her best finish individually at the state cross country meet was fourth as a junior, where she helped her team to a third-place finish. Magloire was selected as the area's Wendy's High School Heisman female athlete of the year.

Her accomplishments in track include four individual state titles, three in the 800 meters. Her best-reported time in the 800m is 2:16, while she has been clocked at 5:04 in the 1600m.

"Zita is a tremendous pickup," said head coach Al Schmidt. "She could have an impact right away here at Mississippi State."

Magloire has helped Lawton Chiles High School and head coach Scott Gowan to a third-place team finish at state this past season and a fourth-place finish as a junior. The first female athlete to sign a scholarship from Chiles, she was voted by the senior class as their athlete of the year.

A two-year member of the National Honor Society, Magloire will graduate Wednesday from Chiles with a cumulative 4.1 GPA.

Zita Magloire is the daughter of Harriet Paul and Gerard Magloire.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/19/02
Track and Field
ATLANTA, Ga. ­ The Georgia Tech Invitational, the final meet before the NCAA Championships, proved fruitful for one athlete on Mississippi State's track teams during the weekend.

On Friday, Lady Bulldog freshman Tiffany McWilliams broke her school record in the 1500-meter run with a 4:20.13 mark at the Georgia Tech Invitational. That mark betters her previous top time this season by over 2.5 seconds and all but locked her into a spot at the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La.

Senior all-American Camille Harper ended her career outdoors on Saturday, ranking 20th in the 100-meter dash preliminaries with a time of 11.85. Harper leaves MSU with the school's 100-meter record, set last year. McWilliams also failed to post a qualifying time in the 800 meters, placing 18th with a time of 2:10.17.

The men's team, currently ranked fourth in the country, had a disappointing day. Junior Kelvin Harris took fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.32), but did not improve his time in the event, leaving him out of the NCAAs.

Senior Dion Crabbe finished 13th in the 100m dash prelims with a time of 10.64. Crabbe now hopes that his mark of 10.28 will qualify him in the 100-meter dash.

Freshman LaChristopher Lewis finished 21st in the 400-meter dash competition (47.89). The Coldwater, Miss., native now waits to see if he advances to the NCAAs in his first season in Starkville.

Another freshman, Glenn McFadden, won the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.96, which was not an improvement over his time at the SEC Championships.

Next up for head coach Al Schmidt's teams will be the NCAA Championships, hosted by Louisiana State University May 29 through June 1.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/16/02
Track and Field
Look for MSU to announce more outstanding female track athletes, including All-Americans Jennifer McPherson from Idaho, a state champion in middle distance several times, Zita Maglorie from Florida and Nicola Wilson from New Jersey. Zita was also a middle distance state champion several times over. Nicola is top ten in the nation in the shot put Indoors. With these additions, this MSU track and field recruiting class will be as good as last year's. And you see how that class has helped move MSU's men's track team into the top 10 in the nation this year.

Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State men's tennis standout Romain Ambert has been named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Player To Watch for Region III for the second season in a row, as was announced by the ITA this week. By winning on the regional level, Ambert becomes one of nine candidates for the ITA National Player to Watch award, which will be presented next week during ceremonies at the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas.

The ITA Player To Watch award annually goes to a player who has had an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level during the rest of his or her career. The award's criteria also includes a player's sportsmanship and character.

Ambert, a native of Toulouse, France, is currently ranked eighth nationally in singles and 30th in doubles, and will compete in the 64-player NCAA Singles Championship beginning next Wednesday, May 22, at Texas A&M. The MSU sophomore is 37-10 overall this year in singles and 23-10 in doubles, helping lead MSU back to the NCAA Team Championship for the 12th year in a row.

A first-team, all-Southeastern Conference selection for the second year in a row, Ambert started the 2002 dual match season a perfect 19-0 (10-0 singles, 9-0 doubles). Later in the season, he was named SEC Player of the Week for his performance in State's big road wins at Vanderbilt and Kentucky at the end of March. He played the No. 1 position in the Bulldog lineup the entire season and was an impressive 18-4 in singles and 14-6 in doubles at that position.

"Romain has had another outstanding year and is certainly deserving of this award," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "There is no question he is a player that has a brilliant career ahead of him, which is amazing to think about considering what he has already accomplished."

During his still youthful MSU career, Ambert has already notched over 100 total victories (106), with outstanding career marks of 64-21 (75.3%) in singles and 42-22 (65.6%) in doubles.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/13/02
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State's 13th-ranked men's track team finished ninth in the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Starkville, Miss.

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs combined for three second-place finishes on the final day of competition at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track. The Bulldogs also added two NCAA automatic qualifiers and one new provisional qualifier for the men.

As a team, the men finished ninth in the team competition with 35 points, the most points scored by a MSU men's team since 1989, when the Bulldogs finished fifth with 50 points. The Lady Bulldogs amassed their most points since the 1995 SEC Championships, where they finished 10th.

Senior Dion Crabbe took second in the 200-meter dash, finishing the race in 20.30, the third-fastest time in school history. Junior Pierre Browne finished fourth with a 20.41 mark, ranking fourth on MSU's all-time list. Both times automatically qualify them for the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La.

Browne also took second in the 100-meter dash with his time of 10.19. Crabbe finished fourth in the 100-meter dash with his time of 10.33. Neither man improved his marks for the NCAA Championships.

On the women's side, freshman Tiffany McWilliams led the Lady Bulldogs for the weekend, placing second in the 1600 meters and sixth in the 800 meters. Her time of 4:22.69 in the 1600m sets a new school record in the event and improves her time in the event before the NCAAs. Freshman Megan Hodge also earned points with a 7th place finish in the 10000 meters. She also participated in the 3000 meters steeplechase, finishing in 10th place.

The Bulldogs also added another provisional qualifier in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Glenn McFadden, a high school all-American last year, ran the 200m in 20.84 and placed seventh. The Bulldogs' other representative in the 200 meters, sophomore Marquis Davis, competed after suffering from dehydration on Saturday, finished eighth (21.11).

Other scorers for the Bulldogs in the day included two freshmen. LaChristopher Lewis took seventh in the 400-meter dash (46.72), while J.D. Erickson finished eighth in the discus with a personal-best mark of 163-2. Erickson also scored in the shot put earlier in the meet.

Tennessee won the men's team title with 147 points, the school's second straight outdoor title. South Carolina's women won the team competition with 148 points. It is the Gamecocks second SEC outdoor track title ever.

Next up for the teams is the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta, Ga., May 16-18.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

State, which ended the year at 11-12 overall, was making its 12th consecutive NCAA Team Championship appearance. Auburn, which improved to 19-7, advanced to next week's round of 16 which will be held May 18-21 in College Station, Texas. The Bulldogs missed the round of 16 for only the second time in their 12 NCAA appearances.

The Tigers gained the opening point of the day with wins at the top two doubles positions after State had won 8-5 at No. 3. After AU's 27th-ranked duo of Andrew Colombo and Mark Kovacs held off a rally charge from Bulldogs Max Fomine and Aymeric Henou 8-6 at No. 2, 13th-ranked Tigers Rameez Junaid and Tiago Ruffoni won the last three games of the set at No. 1 to down 30th-ranked Bulldogs Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette 8-5.

Dropping the doubles seemed to make a big difference in the match for both sides, as Auburn would win the first three singles matches complete to post the team victory.

AU went up 2-0 when the senior Kovacs posted a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of State's Luiz Carvalho at the No. 4 singles position. The Tigers gained a 3-0 advantage with a 6-3, 6-4 victory from Colombo, ranked 60th nationally, over Combette, ranked 94th, at the No. 2 spot.

The clinching point would come at the No. 1 position, where Junaid, ranked 21st, upset MSU's eighth-ranked Ambert 6-1, 7-5. It was only the fourth dual match singles loss for the MSU sophomore all season (18-4).

In the matches that remained when play was suspended, State was down a set at the No. 3 position, but held one-set leads at the bottom two spots in the lineup.

"Auburn just outplayed us today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "I think we lost some confidence after we lost the doubles because that point could have gone either way. That, combined with Auburn just playing a solid match, were the differences today. Certainly, we are disappointed that our season ended, but we reached the second round of the NCAA Championship and that's something that a lot of teams would like to be able to say.

"I hate this was the last match for our senior, David Ruiz, who has had some great moments for us, including winning for us yesterday and being in position again today after coming back from back surgery just a few weeks ago. He will be missed in the future. The positive thing is that we will have everyone else back from this team and that is very encouraging as we begin to think about next year."

Though MSU's team season ended Sunday, State's tennis program is not completely done with competition this year. Ambert, now 37-10 overall in singles this season, will compete in the 64-player NCAA Singles Championship (May 22-27) following the NCAA Team Championship at Texas A&M.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/12/02
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Freshman LaChristopher Lewis joined MSU's list of NCAA qualifiers in the 400-meter dash preliminaries on the third day of the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The Bulldogs sprint crew also added two of its elder members to the 100-meter dash finals on Sunday.

The Coldwater, Miss., native Lewis ranked seventh in the preliminaries of the 400m with his personal-best time of 46.20. He runs the list of Bulldog provisional qualifiers to five for the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La., at the end of the month.

Senior Dion Crabbe and junior Pierre Browne also advanced to the finals of the 100-meter dash on Sunday afternoon. Crabbe took the automatic spot in the finals, finishing second in the first heat with a personal-best time of 10.28. His teammate Browne also took an automatic spot, winning the second heat with a mark of 10.29.

The Bulldogs also posted their first team points of the meet with freshman J.D. Erickson's seventh-place finish in the shot put (52-2). The Lady Bulldogs posted their only points of the meet on Friday evening when freshman Meggan Hodge took seventh in the 10,000 meters.

Lady Bulldog freshman Tiffany McWilliams also qualified for the finals in the 1500 meters, ranking second in the prelims with her time of 4:27.24.

Freshman Crystal Averitt took 10th in the women's discus competition, shattering her school-record mark with a throw of 151-6.

The 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships conclude on Sunday with 4x400-meter relay. The women's javelin throw begins the action on Sunday, which starts at 11 a.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

With Saturday's win, the Bulldogs improved to 11-11 overall this season. The Sun Belt Conference champion Jaguars ended their campaign at 15-9 while suffering their first loss in seven matches. The victory also improved State's record in their opening match of the NCAA Team Championship to 10-2 in its 12 appearances. That mark includes seven seasons where MSU opened play in the national championship in the round of 16.

The Bulldogs earned the opening point of the day against South Alabama with tough victories at the No. 1 and 2 doubles positions. Winning first was MSU's duo of Luiz Carvalho and Jerome Le Belicard, who won 8-5 at the No. 2 position over Jaguars Evan Fowler and Clinton Jacobs. After being down 4-1 early, USA would claim an 8-6 victory at the No. 3 spot. But the 30th-ranked MSU duo of Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette won the last three games of their match at No. 1 to down USA's team of Christian Thall and Kosta Zinchanka 8-4.

In singles, things were tight early as the teams split the six first sets played. But MSU would ride the three matches it had secured leads in to the team win.

South Alabama actually claimed the first singles match completed, which would ultimately be its only point of the day. That came at the No. 2 position, where Thall played a solid match to down State's 94th-ranked Combette 6-1, 6-4.

State reclaimed the lead at 2-1 when Ambert, ranked eighth nationally, held off USA's Zinchanka, ranked 55th, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 1. Ambert overcame a 5-4 (and one service break) deficit in the second set for the win, which was the sophomore's fifth in a row and his 18th in 21 singles dual matches this season. It was also his 37th victory of the year (now 37-9), making him only the third Bulldog in the modern era to notch 37 or more wins in a single year.

The Bulldogs would go up 3-1 in the contest when senior David Ruiz posted a hard-fought 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Jaguar Zlatko Stupavsky at the No. 5 spot. It was only the second match Ruiz had played since undergoing surgery in March to repair a back problem he had suffered with most of the season.

MSU would then get the clinching point at No. 6, where true freshman Aymeric Henou, playing in his first NCAA match ever, held a 6-4, 4-2 lead on USA's Fowler when the Jaguar sophomore retired due to injury.

In the two suspended matches, USA's Heinrich Heyl was up 2-1, on-serve in the third set with MSU's Le Belicard at No. 3. At No. 4, State's Carvalho was down a set and had just begun a tiebreaker for the second set with Jacobs when play was halted.

"It feels very good to get this first one," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "South Alabama is a very dangerous team to have to play in the first round because they are as talented as we are. Our guys did a very good job of staying in their matches and fighting when things were tight to close out the win.

"Now we have a very tough challenge in Auburn tomorrow. Obviously, they have had a great season or they wouldn't be hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Championship. I said going into the season they were one of the teams to beat in the SEC and they proved that by reaching the finals of the SEC Tournament. We just have to go out there and put the ball in the court and fight. If we do those things, we will give ourselves a good chance to win."

Auburn (18-7) was a 4-2 winner over 68th-ranked East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon in their first-round match. In their only meeting of the season, AU downed State 5-2 in Starkville, but two of the Tigers' singles wins came in three-set affairs. The series between the teams in tied 15-15 in recorded history. MSU has won 10 of the last 12 clashes between the teams, but AU has taken the last two.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Senior Anna Gertsson led the team with a score of 222 and tied for 27th place. Gertsson posted two consecutive rounds of 75 before finishing the tournament with an even-par 72 on Saturday.

Freshman Beth Irwin followed Gertsson with a score of 225, good for a tie in 45th. Freshman Natalie Booth shot a 234 and placed tied for 77th, while junior Anna Knutsson tied for 82nd with a score of 236. Freshman Janet Dyer rounded out the MSU lineup by carding a 245 and placing 100th.

Duke won the East Regional with a score of 859, while Duke's Leigh Anne Hardin edged Auburn's Celeste Troche for the individual title with a score of 210. The top eight teams from the regional advance to the NCAA Championships.

Mississippi State closes the door on a successful season that included seven top-10 finishes and a 36th national ranking by Golfstat.com. Gertsson concludes her MSU career littered among the school record books. A three-time all-SEC honoree and a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member, Gertsson leaves Mississippi State in the school's top-10 in lowest round, lowest score after 18 holes, lowest score after 36 holes, lowest scores after 54 holes, best single season stroke average, best career stroke average and most rounds played in a season.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/11/02
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Half of the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field 200 meter finals will be filled by Bulldogs on Sunday.

Senior Dion Crabbe, junior Pierre Browne, sophomore Marquis Davis and freshman Glenn McFadden all advanced to the finals of the 200-meter dash on Sunday evening.

The Lady Bulldogs also had one athlete advance to Sunday's finals. Freshman Tiffany McWilliams advanced in the 800-meters, running a season-best 2:08.72 to qualify ninth in the event.

Senior CeCe Brown just missed qualifying for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles, falling 39/100 of a second from the eighth-placed competitor. She still broke her school record with her time of 1:00.43.

Field events begin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. with the men's long jump at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Playing at the par-72 University Club, senior Anna Gertsson leads the Lady Bulldogs with a score of 150. Gertsson posted back-to-back rounds of 75 and is tied for 46th in the individual competition.

Freshman Beth Irwin is tied for 53rd with a score of 151, while freshman Natalie Booth posted a 153 through Saturday and is tied for 65th. Junior Anna Knutsson improved her score to 155 with a 76 on Saturday and is tied for 74th. Freshman Janet Dyer rounds out the MSU lineup with a score of 163, shooting a second round 78.

Duke leads the tournament with a score of 571, while Duke's Leigh Anne Hardin leads the individual competition with a score of 138.

Play concludes Sunday with the top eight teams advancing to the NCAA Championships.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Auburn, winners of the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championships, finished in first place, five shots in front of runner-up Florida. Georgia finished third.

Joe Deraney, Codie Mudd and Kellen Maurer each fired a final-round 76 on Friday to pace Mississippi State. Deraney dropped to 19th place after starting the day in a tie for ninth place. Mudd finished tied for 20th, while Maurer completed the event in 63rd place. Tim Satow finished in a tie for 52nd place while Craig Horrocks finished in 62nd place for the Bulldogs.

"It was a disappointing way for us to finish the season," MSU head coach Greg Martin said following Friday's round. "But we feel like we have a lot to work with for next season. We have everybody coming back and a lot of young players who will get better and make our team much stronger."

UAB's Graeme McDowell blistered the course, winning medallist honors after firing a 19-under total of 197, finishing nine shots in front of Augusta State's Scott Jamieson.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

MSU (10-11) and USA (15-8) will be meeting for the 13th time in the modern era. State is 7-5 in the previous 12 affairs, including a 6-1 decision earlier this year in Starkville. USA claimed a 4-3 decision at MSU in 2001. Prior to those two matchups, the teams had not faced each other since 1986. South Alabama has won its last six matches, including capturing the title of the Sun Belt Conference in its most recent competition.

"As I said last week when selections came out, South Alabama will be an extremely tough match for us in the first round," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard, who will be making his NCAA debut Saturday, said. "They have a talented team and will be difficult to beat on a neutral court. We will have to be very prepared for a team that has been playing great tennis at the end of the season."

The winner of Saturday's match will advance to Sunday's second round to face the winner of Saturday's other first-round contest between 13th-ranked host Auburn and 68th-ranked East Tennessee State. That second-round matchup is slated for a Noon start time.

State's netmen are making their 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Team Championship, one of only seven teams in the country (Florida, Georgia, MSU, Southern Cal, Stanford, Texas Christian and UCLA) that can claim that distinction. MSU has reached the NCAA "Sweet 16" 10 times in the last 11 years, including national semifinal appearances in 1994 and 1998.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/10/02
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Junior Dan Hunter ranks sixth after the first day of competition at the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Starkville, Miss.

The D'Iberville, Miss., native had his best showing in the 100-meter dash, where he placed second with a time of 11.02. Hunter also took fifth in the both the long jump (22-0) and shot put (40-6 ¼). He tied for eighth in the high jump (6-2 ¾). He took sixth in the 400 meters (50.48).

Action resumes Friday at 10:30 a.m. with the men's hammer competition. Tickets are still available by calling the MSU Ticket Office at 1-888-GO-DAWGS or (662) 325-2600.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Auburn, winners of the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championships, holds a four-shot advantage over North Florida after Thursday's play. Florida and Georgia are tied for third place, six shots back. State rebounded from an opening-round 301 to fire a 290 in the afternoon round, moving up from twelfth place to a tie for eighth place with host Georgia State.

Joe Deraney led Mississippi State, firing rounds of 70-73, to sit in a tie for ninth place after two rounds. Codie Mudd is currently tied for 13th after carding identical rounds of even-par 72. Tim Satow followed a 79 with an impressive 71 in the afternoon round to sit tied for 32nd place. Craig Horrocks finished the day tied for 58th and Kellen Maurer is currently tied for 64th place.

The final round of competition will conclude on Friday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Playing at the par-72 University Club, senior Anna Gertsson and freshman Beth Irwin are tied for 43rd to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Gertsson and Irwin each shot an opening round of 75.

Freshman Natalie Booth carded a 78 and is tied for 67th, while junior Anna Knutsson is one stroke behind Booth with a score of 79, placing her tied for 80th. Freshman Janet Dyer rounds out the participating Lady Bulldogs, as Dyer posted an 85 and is tied for 103rd.

Florida leads the tournament with a score of 286. Three golfers are tied atop the leaderboard in the individual competition with a score of 68, respectively.

Play resumes Saturday at 7:30 a.m. At the conclusion of the tournament, the top eight teams advance to the NCAA Championships.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/09/02
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's women's and 13th-ranked men's track teams host the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday, May 9 through Sunday, May 12.

Head coach Al Schmidt and staff are finishing up preparations for the country's premier conference track championships, set in Starkville for the first time in 10 years.

The Bulldogs, ranked 13th by Trackwire.com, are looking to top their best team finish since the last time they hosted, when they took seventh place in the meet.

The men's team will be led by a quartet of sprinters, led by veterans, senior Dion Crabbe and junior all-American Pierre Browne. The newcomers, sophomore Marquis Davis and freshman Glenn McFadden, will also look to make their mark in their first SEC Outdoor Championships.

The women will be led by senior all-American Camille Harper and freshman standout Tiffany McWilliams. Harper looks to finish her SEC career in fine fashion and challenge for one of the top spots in the 100 and 200 meters. McWilliams hopes to add a provisional qualifying mark in the 800m to her 4:23.00 1500m mark that qualified her for the NCAAs later this month.

Action begins Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track with the decathlon and heptathon competitions. Admission to Thursday's events are free. For ticket information for the rest of the weekend, contact the MSU Ticket Office at (662) 325-2600 or 1-888-GO-DAWGS.

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Head coach Al Schmidt's men's and women's track squads landed a combined 15 student-athletes on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, announced Wednesday by the conference office.

The Lady Bulldogs had 11 honorees this year, tied for fourth-most in the conference with LSU. The 13th-ranked men's team had four people named to the list.

Selections to the 2002 SEC Academic Honor Roll are based on the 2000-2001 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 towards a degree to be eligible for the yearly honor.

Three former Lady Bulldogs made the list for the fourth time. Ann-Marie Anderson had a 3.79 GPA in banking and finance, while Andrea Ingleton earned a 3.31 in accounting to make the list. Elisha Williams, MSU's record-holder in the long jump both indoors and outdoors, had a 3.09 GPA in chemical engineering.

Four MSU women, including three current Lady Bulldogs, garnered a spot. Collette Gibbs was the only former athlete in this group, landing on the list with a 3.27 GPA in fitness management. Senior CeCe Brown led the current competitors with her 3.48 GPA in biological sciences, while fellow senior Kristin Tallent had a 3.14 in communication. Junior Christine Zawaski earned a 3.29 GPA in forestry to make the list.

Three ladies were found on the honor roll for the second straight year. Katie Longmire, the former distance runner, had a perfect 4.00 GPA in communication. Current Lady Bulldogs Ronni Watjus (3.82, animal and dairy science) and Martha Hudsonpillar (3.58, general business administration) both made the list for the second straight year.

Senior all-American Camille Harper made the list for the first time, with a 3.06 GPA in fitness management.

Four members of the country's 13th-ranked men's team made the list, with three making a repeat showing. Current bulldog Chris Boldt was honored for the second straight year, earning a 3.77 GPA in industrial engineering, while fellow junior Dan Hunter had a 3.25 GPA in political science.

Former bulldog Vance Clarke made a second appearance on the honor roll with a 3.24 GPA in general business administration.

Making his first appearance on the list is James Kimbrough. The Carthage, Miss., native had a 3.11 GPA in teaching and coaching to land on the list.

The teams will host the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 12 at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Women's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State women's golf team is set to participate in the NCAA East Regional, hosted by Louisiana State. Tournament play begins Thursday and runs through Saturday at the par-72 University Club in Baton Rouge, La. The Lady Bulldogs, currently ranked 36th nationally, are seeded 13th in the 21-team regional.

Head coach Christi Sanders takes a lineup consisting of senior Anna Gertsson, junior Anna Knutsson and three freshmen - Natalie Booth, Beth Irwin and Janet Dyer. Playing in the school's second-ever NCAA Regional, the Lady Bulldogs tee off Thursday at 11:50 a.m.

Participating teams are as follows (in order of seed): Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Furman, North Carolina, Louisiana State, Tulane, Mississippi State, Memphis, Texas A&M, Central Florida, Alabama, South Florida, North Carolina State, Yale and Jackson State.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/03/02
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team learned Thursday that it will compete in the first round of the 64-team 2002 NCAA Team Championship May 11 in Auburn, Ala. State's first-round NCAA site, which will be one of 16 nationally, will be hosted by Auburn University.

Thursday's selection marks the Bulldogs' 12th-consecutive appointment to the NCAA Team Championship field, one of only nine schools (Florida, Georgia, MSU, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, Southern Cal, Stanford, TCU and UCLA) in the nation to have earned that distinction. State has also reached the NCAA Championshipsí round of 16 or better in 10 of the last 11 seasons and was a national semifinalist in 1994 and 1998.

MSU (10-11), currently ranked 28th nationally, will meet a somewhat familiar foe in the first round in 37th-ranked South Alabama (15-8), next Saturday, May 11, at a time to be announced. If State wins that contest, the Bulldogs would advance to play the winner between 13th-ranked host Auburn (who is the country's No. 12 seed overall) and 68th-ranked East Tennessee State on Sunday, May 12. That match would be for a spot in the NCAA Team Championshipís round of 16, which will be held May 18-21 in College Station, Texas.

South Alabama has won its last six matches entering the NCAAs, including claiming the Sun Belt Conference title two weeks ago. The Bulldogs and Jaguars will be meeting for the 13th time in the modern era. State is 7-5 in the previous 12 affairs, including a 6-1 decision earlier this year in Starkville. USA claimed a 4-3 decision at MSU in 2001. Prior to those two matchups, the teams had not faced each other since 1986.

"We are very happy to be back in the NCAA field again this year," Sylvain Guichard, who is in his first season as State's head coach, said. "We have worked hard to gain our program's 12th-straight selection to the tournament, which was one of our goals this year.

"South Alabama will be a very tough opponent for us in the first round. They have a talented team and will be difficult to beat on a neutral court. We will have to prepare well for a team that has been playing great tennis at the end of the season."

Also released Thursday were the selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, to be played May 22-27 in College Station. Sophomore Bulldog Romain Ambert, currently ranked eighth nationally, was one of the four automatic selections to the 64-player singles field from the always-stout Southeast Region. A first-team, all-Southeastern Conference selection for the second year in a row, Ambert is 36-9 this season, only the fourth Bulldog in the modern era to register 36 or more singles victories in a single year.

The SEC's power is once again very evident in the national championship with all 12 of its teams earning bids to the 64-team field for the second year in a row. Eleven league players are in the 64-player singles field and five pairs are in the 32-team doubles draw.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department