Source: MSU Media Relations

9/28/05
Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State University head track and field coach Al Schmidt has announced the hiring of Kurt Thomas as assistant coach. The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.

"Kurt is bringing Southeastern Conference and national championship titles from Tennessee," said Schmidt. "With Steve Dudley tutoring him and his prior experience, he’s a great addition to our staff."

Thomas’ primary responsibilities include coaching hurdles, horizontal jumps and women’s sprints. He spent the 2005 season as a graduate assistant on the MSU staff, working with hurdles, jumps and men’s sprints.

Prior to coming to Starkville, Thomas was a student assistant with the University of Tennessee men’s program. Under Vince Anderson, he aided in the training and development of athletes, as well as meet and administration management. He was also a part of two SEC championship teams and two NCAA national championship squads.

Thomas tutored numerous all-Americans and Southeastern Conference champions in all events and worked with professional athletes, including world champion and Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin.

Thomas also assisted with the UT Championship Track and Field Camp for three summers. He instructed athletes from ages 8-18 in areas of correct warm-up procedures, as well as instruction in sprints and sprint starts, long jump, basic track and field techniques and proper nutrition.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Thomas coached the Knoxville (Tenn.) Track Club. His primary area of interest was among 7-18 year olds competing in sprints, hurdles and relays. One of his athletes qualified for the Amateur Athletic Union national trials in the boys’ 100-meter dash.

As an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico, Thomas scored at the Western Athletic Conference indoor meet in the 60-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay. He also participated in the WAC outdoor meet in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay.

"I realize how difficult the SEC is," Thomas said. "I am really excited and looking forward to the challenge. I couldn’t have asked for a better head coach and supporting staff to have around me. My goals for my athletes are to score at SECs and qualify for regionals. If we can improve and do that, nationals will take care of themselves."

As a high school athlete, Thomas was an all-State performer in the 4x100-, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays at Hobbs (N.M.) High School. He was a three time all-District selection in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, 4x100-, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays and District champion in all three relay events.

Thomas received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Tennessee in 2004, and is currently pursing a master’s degree in kinesiology from Mississippi State. He has two USATF Level II certifications, the first in sprint, hurdles and relays and the second in combined events.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/25/05
Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. ­ MSU men's tennis true freshman Eric Lim notched a straight-set victory in the first round of Division II consolation play Saturday at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships. Lim advanced to Sunday's round of 16 in that draw with the win. Lim will meet Tim Walter of the College of Charleston Sunday morning.

Other Bulldogs still active in the tournament are true freshman Ryan Farlow and sophomore Josh Irey. Farlow received a bye in the first round of Division II consolation and will join Lim in the round of 16 of that field Sunday. Irey gained a bye in Division III consolation and will play in the semis of that draw Sunday.

In Division II main draw action Saturday, MSU senior Florent Girod opened the day with a solid 6-2, 6-4 victory over Sabastian Serrano of East Tennessee State. Girod then dropped a tough three-set decision to Prediag Burmazovic of South Carolina-Upstate 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/24/05
Men's Golf
WEST POINT, Miss. - Ole Miss fired an 11-under par 277 to claim the Cameron Trophy over Mississippi State in the inaugural Magnolia Cup at Old Waverly Golf Club on Friday. The Cameron Trophy is the college competition of the Cup format. The Magnolia Cup Trophy went to the Maroon and White alumni. The 18-hole event boasted alumni from each school playing along side the student-athletes of both institutions. MState alums won with a round of 230.

The Magnolia Cup serves as a fundraising event to support both MSU and Ole Miss golf programs. The golf outing at the par-72 Old Waverly GC course raised in the neighborhood of around $20,000 for the programs.

State fell two strokes back of its in-state rival, registering a nine-under par 279. The Bulldogs were led by sophomore Michael Knight, who posted low-round round honors with a seven-under par 65. The Calgary, Alberta, Canada native had seven birdies on his scorecard. His round of 65 is the lowest round shot by a Bulldog linkster since Ben Smith fired the identical score in the 2000 Gator Invitational.

"I hit the ball really well today and just tried to play shot-by-shot," said Knight. "It was fun to play with guys that have been through some of the same experiences at MSU."

Freshman Matt Fast made his collegiate debut, firing a two-under par 70. Fellow rookie Carlos Sainz, Jr. also carded a 70. Noah Goldman played in his first collegiate event on Friday, finishing with a 74. Sophomore Greg Huxman and redshirt freshman Logan Young rounded out the MSU line up with rounds of 74 and 75 respectively.

"We played pretty well today. We had three scores under par," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "Ole Miss just played a few shots better than we did. The good thing is we did not beat ourselves."

Jamie Howarth led the Red and Blue to the collegiate victory with a round of 67. Kyle Ellis followed up with a 69, while Derek Abel and Callum Macaulay finished up the scoring for the Rebels with a 70 and 71.

In attendance at Old Waverly GC was retired Chairman and CEO of Sara Lee Corporation John H. Bryan Jr. Bryan greeted the players as they were coming off the 18th green, as well as presented the trophies to the winning teams.

"It was a good start to this new tradition of the Magnolia Cup," added Homan. "Next year we hope to make it bigger and better."

The Bulldogs return to tournament competition on Oct. 3-4 in Memphis, Tenn. to take part in the Memphis Intercollegiate, hosted by the Tigers of the University of Memphis.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. ­ Mississippi State dropped all five of its matches in the first day of competition at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships Friday. Three Bulldogs lost their first-round singles matches while two MSU pairs fell in doubles competition.

MSU freshmen Eric Lim and Ryan Farlow fell in their Division II singles matches. Lim dropped a 6-2, 7-5 decision to Furman's Robert Ladyman while Farlow fell 6-3, 6-1 to Christopher Brown of Duke. In Division III singles, Tennessee Tech's Juan Carlos Gomez took out MSU sophomore Josh Irey 6-3, 6-0.

In Division II doubles action, the duo of Lim and Irey was defeated 8-6 by Adam Adler and Kazuya Otani of South Carolina while State's team of Farlow and Florent Girod was beaten 8-3 by Southeast Louisiana's Julien Lousao and Oliver Nussbaum.

Girod, the top seed in the Division II singles draw, will play his first match in that field on Saturday after receiving a first-round bye. The other three Bulldogs will continue play Saturday in their respective singles consolation brackets.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/23/05
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Selected members of the Mississippi State men's tennis squad will travel to Athens, Ga., this weekend (Sept. 23-26) to compete in the 38th Southern Intercollegiate Championships. The four-day event, hosted by The University of Georgia, features 137 players from 25 schools around the Southeast.

Four Bulldogs will make the trip to compete in singles and doubles competition. The Division II singles draw showcases three players from State. MSU senior Florent Girod is notched as the top seed in the field and will receive a first-round bye and will begin play on Saturday. Freshmen Eric Lim and Ryan Farlow, also in the Division II bracket, will begin Friday morning. In Division III singles, MSU sophomore Josh Irey will play his first-round match on Friday morning.

Two doubles teams will compete in the Division II doubles draw for MSU. The Bulldog tandem of Farlow and Girod will compete as the third seed while Irey and Lim will pair to play together.

Play will begin Friday morning at 8 a.m. with first round doubles competition and will be followed by first round singles matches.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State’s men’s golf team will battle in-state rival Ole Miss in the inaugural Magnolia Cup on Friday, Sept. 23 at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss. The battle for the cup will be one round and the first group will tee off at 10 a.m. The purpose of this first-time event is to support both golf programs at MSU and Ole Miss.

"It’s a great opportunity for our alumni to be apart of a competitive atmosphere, alongside the players," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "We hope this will turn into an annual event."

The Bulldogs and Rebels will play a six-man line up, counting the four low scores for the team score.

The Magnolia Cup marks the third time that MSU and UM have met in dual action and the first time since 1976. The Maroon and White hold a 2-1 record against the Red and Blue.

The last time the Bulldog linksters competed on one of their home courses was in 2004 when they took on the Memphis Tigers in a 36-hole dual match. MState and Ole Miss are coming off an appearance at the Tennessee Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn. MSU was led by true freshman Carlos Sainz, Jr., who placed 12th in his collegiate debut. The Rebels were paced by Derek Abel in the 54-hole event.

Old Waverly GC is a par-72, 7,000 yard championship style set up. The course played host to the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open and will be the home of the 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur.

"We are looking forward to hosting the event," said Old Waverly Golf Pro Chris Jester. "The course is in outstanding shape, it will give the college guys a true test."

Scores of the collegiate competition will be posted on www.MStateAthletics.com after nine holes of play, followed by the final scores at the end of the day.

Fans are encouraged to come out and support collegiate golf at its finest on one of Mississippi’s premier golf courses. Admission is free.

Format:

College Competition - The low four scores will count for each team. The team with the lowest total will win the competition. The winning school will be awarded the Magnolia Cup trophy.

Overall Competition - This competition will involve all golfers. The four low scores from MSU and Ole Miss will count. The 18 golfers made up of MSU supporters and the 18 Ole Miss supporters will play a three-man shamble format. Each university will have six teams playing the shamble format using 50 percent of their handicap. One low-ball per hole per team will count for the team’s total score. The low four teams per university will count. The total score for each university will be tabulated by the following: The total score of the four low college players + the low four shamble teams from each university = total university score. The low total score will win "The Cameron Trophy." This trophy will show the total team score for each team. The trophy will remain at the host’s club until the next year’s event.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/20/05
Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For her efforts in helping the Bulldogs secure their first victory of the 2005 campaign, Mississippi State rookie midfielder Marlyce Stein (Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth HS) has been named SEC Freshman of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office in Birmingham, Ala.

Stein made her second and third career starts over the weekend and produced goals in both outings, tallying her first collegiate score in MSU’s 2-1 loss at Memphis on Friday evening, while adding the gamewinner in the Maroon and White’s Sunday afternoon victory over Charlotte in Starkville. In the triumph over the 49ers - State’s first victory of the campaign - Stein took a team-best four shots, three of which came on goal.

"Marlyce played very well in both games this weekend," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "She seems to get better every day in our training sessions and she is starting to relax in game situations now. She scored two very good goals this weekend and created a lot of chances for herself."

Through seven games, the Georgian has accumulated nine shots, five of which have come on goal. She currently ranks second on the MSU squad behind senior Betty Ann Casey who has turned in three goals and an assist in 2005.

Stein and the rest of her Mississippi State (1-3-3) teammates will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs open up SEC play against Tennessee and Georgia. MState will first visit Knoxville, Tenn., to battle the defending conference champion Lady Vols (2-4-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. EST, before heading to Athens, Ga., for a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon contest with the Red and Black Bulldogs (6-1-1).

Both games can be followed via a live stats link at the official Internet home for the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Mississippi State women's golf team shot a 295 on Monday to move into fourth place after two rounds at the Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate. The score posted by MSU was the second lowest of the day, next to overall leader Augusta State's round of 293.

All five State golfers had better rounds on day two than they did in the first round and moved up in the standings. Junior Amanda Mathis led the Bulldogs on day two, shooting an even par 72 and moved into a tie for 10th place. Toronto, Ontario native Ashleigh Korzack fired a 74 in the second round and moved into tie for 12th. Redshirt Freshman Marli Mikulecky also shot a 74 on Monday to move up to a tie for 34th. Senior Stephanie Godare carded a 75 and stands in a tie for 15th after two rounds. Julia Huh rounded out the scoring for MSU, shooting a 75 and is currently in a tie for 34th.

"I was extremely proud of the team performance today," said head coach Christi Sanders. "After a tough day yesterday, it was nice to see all five girls pick up their play and have a good round."

After shooting a 293 on day two, Augusta State extended its overall lead to 12 strokes over second place Alabama. In the individual competition, Augusta State's Garrett Phillips shot a 68 in the second round and leads by five strokes.

The third and final round of the Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate will be played Tuesday at the Ol' Colony Golf Club. Play will begin Tuesday morning with a shotgun start format.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/19/05
Women's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Mississippi State women's golf team shot a 313 on Sunday at the Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate, to finish the first round in a tie for seventh place. The lady Bulldogs are currently tied with Jacksonville State and Memphis and stand only five strokes out of fifth place and nine shots out of third.

Seniors Ashleigh Korzack and Stephanie Godare both shot a 77 and find themselves in a tie for 18th. Junior Amanda Mathis is one stroke back and is in a tie for 30th. Pasadena, Md. native Julia Huh stands in a tie for 51st after a round of 81. Redshirt sophomore Marli Mikulecky saw her first action as a lady Bulldog, shooting an 82 and stands in a tie for 60th.

Augusta State leads the team competition after shooting a 297 on the par-72, 6,033 yard Ol' Colony Golf course. Middle Tennessee State's Taryn Durham stands at 3-under par and leads the individual competition by two strokes.

Round two of the three day tournament will begin Monday morning.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/18/05
Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - The Lady Bulldog netters will look for three titles on Sunday at the 2005 Ole Miss Fall Classic. Mississippi State will be assured of bringing home the Silver Draw in singles as true freshmen Elna de Villiers and Tatiana Feit will go head-to-head in the final match at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.

Feit advanced to the finals with her win over Sarah Sabin of Ole Miss. The Neuilly Sur Seine, France won in three sets 6-3, 0-6, 6-2. Feit won her morning quarterfinal match over Louisiana-Monroe’s Elodie Burlet 6-2, 6-0. De Villiers swept by Southern Mississippi’s Chelsea Bond 6-2, 6-4 in her semifinal match.

"They (Feit and de Villiers) have showed a lot of character this weekend," said MSU head coach Tracy Lane. "Tatiana fought back in her semifinal match."

State sophomore Renee Joseph moved in to the finals of the White Draw. The Rock Hill, S.C. product was victorious over Samford’s Whitney Warren 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinal round. She put away Arkansas’s Rachel Wilhelm 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals. Joseph will face Audrey Bordeleau for the White Draw title.

"Renee (Joseph) has played some solid tennis this weekend," said Lane. "She has a lot of confidence going into her match tomorrow with Bordeleau."

The third and final title up for grabs for the Lady Bulldogs will be the Blue Draw Doubles title. The team of Polina Kokoulina and de Villiers defeated the tandem of Anna Belle Bares of Troy and Sarah Sabin of Ole Miss 8-2 to reach the title match. They will face the Rebel duo of Carlin Cochran and Ksenia Tokarieva for the title.

MSU’s lone senior, No. 89 Anastasia Kugakolova was defeated in the quarterfinal round of the Red Draw. South Alabama’s Maria Zivcicova notched a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

"This tournament has given us a lot to look at, as far as what we need to work on for the next tournament," added Lane.

Competition will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State women's golf team will head to Tuscaloosa, Ala. Sept. 18-20, to compete in the third annual Alabama/Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate. The 54-hole event will be held at the par 72, 7,041 yard Ol' Colony Golf Course.

"The team is ready and excited about starting the season this weekend," said head coach Christi Sanders. "They have worked hard in their preparations for the event. Since we are only an hour and a half away, we hope to bring some spectators to the competition and have a good showing."

The lineup for MSU features four veterans from last year's squad along with one newcomer. All-SEC junior Amanda Mathis, seniors Stephanie Godare and Ashleigh Korzack and sophomore Julia Huh join redshirt freshman Marli Mikulecky to compete in this fall's first event.

The field of 16 teams includes host Alabama, UAB, Augusta State, Belmont, Birmingham Southern, East Carolina, Jacksonville State, Memphis, Miami, Middle Tennessee State, Murray State, UNC-Wilmington, Ole Miss, Samford and Troy.

Last season, State finished second as a team, shooting a 605 for the tournament. Beth Irwin finished second while Amanda Mathis finished tied for fourth. Tulane won the team title a year ago and Alabama's Megan George took the individual crown.

MSU tees off in the first round Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The lady bulldogs will be paired with Alabama and Ole Miss in the first round.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/17/05
Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ­ Three Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals in singles on the first day of action at the Crimson Tide Invitational on Friday. Phillippe Frayssinoux, Ivan Bjelica and Jose-Carlos Pinto all won two matches a piece to advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday. The first two rounds of singles were slowed by rain showers on Friday, which pushed play back several hours at the University of Alabama Tennis Courts.

In the Division A draw, Frayssinoux breezed through his first match, winning 6-2, 6-4 and punched his ticket to the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-2 win over William and Mary's Alex Cojanu in the round of 16. Bjelica also advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 1-0(2) victory in the first round and a 6-7(6), 6-4, 1-0(7) comeback victory over 125th-ranked Jarrett Chirico of Virginia.

In the B draw, the top-seeded Pinto only lost six games en route to winning his first two matches and advancing to the quarterfinals. After opening the day with a 6-2, 6-1 win, Pinto followed up with another dominating victory by the same score over Samford's Hank Grant.

In other B division action, MSU junior Arnaud Roussel and freshman Eric Lim both split a pair of matches. After defeating sixth-seeded Chad Tsuda of Colorado 6-4, 7-5 in the first round, Roussel fell 6-3, 6-3 to Hampton's Alin Zorila-Ditoiu in his round of 16 match. Lim, making his Bulldog debut, was also victorious in his first match of the day, winning 6-4, 1-6, 1-0(5) affair. He then fell victim to fourth-seeded Peter Bjork of Colorado in the round of 16.

Bulldogs Pierre Mouillon (A Division), Florent Girod (B Division), Ryan Farlow (B Division) and Josh Irey (C Division) dropped their first two matches and will compete in their respective consolation brackets on Saturday.

Doubles play was pushed back to late Friday evening due to the rain showers. Farlow and Frayssinoux were playing in first round action, along with the Bulldog tandem Bjelica and Lim. Two Bulldog doubles teams - Girod/Pinto and Irey/Mouillon - received byes and will begin play in the second round on Saturday.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. - All six Lady Bulldog netters entered in singles at the 2005 Ole Miss Fall Classic won their opening-round matches on Friday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Two MSU doubles teams posted two consecutive victories on the opening day as well.

Anastasia Kugakolova, ranked No. 89 in the country and seeded second, moved on in Red Draw after posting a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Samford’s Sarah McKey. The St. Petersburg, Russia native will face South Alabama’s Maria Zivcicova in her Saturday match. In the Blue Draw, State’s Polina Kokoulina defeated Babette Lombardo of Jacksonville State, 6-1, 6-1.

In White Draw action, MSU’s top-seeded Renee Joseph notched a 6-2, 6-1 win over Ali Blackett of Southern Miss. Daniela Juskova got by Louisiana-Monroe’s Daliny Sithimorada 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Freshmen Elna de Villiers and Tatiana Feit both were victorious in Silver Draw competition. De Villiers defeated USA’s Marion Lehmann 7-5, 6-2. Feit topped Arkansas’s Lindsay Brown 7-5, 6-2.

In Doubles, MState will be well represented in semifinal action. The tandem of Kokoulina and Elna de Villiers and the duo of Daniela Juskova and Martina Banikova advanced to the semifinals of the Blue Draw. Kugakolova and Joseph MSU’s Tatiana Feit was paired with USA’s Marion Lehmann, the twosome fell in the quarterfinals.

Friday marked the first collegiate action for Banikova, Feit, Juskova and de Villiers.

Tournament action will continue Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. on the Ole Miss campus.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Following a week off, the Mississippi State University cross country teams travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Crimson Classic on Saturday, Sept. 17. The men's 8K race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT at the Harry Pritchett Golf Course. The women's race will follow at 9:45 a.m.

Two weeks ago at the Belmont Opener, the men's squad tackled a tough 5K course. Junior Travis McKay was the top collegiate finisher (third overall), coming across in 15:04.08. For his efforts, he was named SEC Athlete of the Week on Sept. 6. Four other Bulldogs finished in the top 10 to give State its first team title since 1995.

"We look forwarding to competing at Alabama," head coach Steve Dudley said. "We have several athletes hurt, but hopefully some of other athletes will step up and get the job done."

For women's head coach Al Schmidt, the Crimson Classic is a chance to see where his team ranks among conference competitors.

"Ole Miss and Alabama are fine groups to be going up against," said Schmidt. "Alabama is a good team. We just need to keep running the way we have been. We need to perform well. We're going to have to preserve without Jennifer (McPherson)."

At the Belmont Opener, the Lady Bulldogs were led by freshman Michelle Corrigan. Corrigan completed the 4K course in 14:32.16. Senior Zita Magloire posted the fourth top 10 finish of her career, placing ninth in 14:40.95. As a team, State finished third behind conference rivals Vanderbilt and 22nd-ranked Tennessee.

A year ago, the Crimson Classic was cancelled due to the inclement weather from Hurricane Ivan.

Following this weekend's race, both squads have the week off before returning to action on Sept. 30 at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - With a few weeks of practice already under its belt, the Mississippi State softball team will get their first Fall tests this weekend when the Bulldogs welcome Central Alabama CC, Mississippi Valley State and West Alabama to for a quartet of exhibition contests at the MSU Softball Field.

The Bulldogs will kick off Fall competition with a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Central Alabama and will close out the weekend on Sunday with a 1 p.m. tilt against Mississippi Valley State and a 3 p.m. contest against West Alabama. Admission to all four games is free.

"We’ve got a great group coming back and pretty much all of our pitching is returning and almost all of our position players," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "I feel really strong going into this year because we are going to be little bit more experienced and we have some outstanding athletes coming in as freshmen and I see them contributing quite a bit."

Central Alabama turned in one of the top three batting averages in the Alabama Community College Conference last season, tallying a .337 team clip with 53 home runs, 265 RBI and a .519 squad slugging percentage en route to a 39-10 season record. Among the returnees for the Trojans is catcher Jessica Martin who tallied a .470 batting average with 7 home runs and 41 RBI.

Mississippi Valley State advanced to their second-straight NCAA Regional appearance with a doubleheader sweep of Southern in the SWAC Tournament title game. The Delta Devilettes finished the 2005 campaign with a 34-28 clip after tallying a .297 team average with 12 home runs and 264 RBI. Candy Shumpert, a .339 hitter last season, is MVSU’s top returnee.

West Alabama is fresh off a 17-35 season that saw the Tigers turn in a .269 team batting clip. UWA will be led by six returning position starters, including shortstop Shannon Goggins who led the team with a .338 batting average that went along with 16 home runs and 38 RBI.

Mississippi State will return 13 letterwinners and six position starters off of last year’s club that advanced to NCAA Regional play for the fourth consecutive season and for the fifth time in six years. The club turned in its seventh 35-win season in eight years and advanced to “Championship Sunday” in NCAA Regional play for the first time in school history.

Highlighting the returning letterwinners is also four returning pitchers including junior righthanders Kelli Miller and Stephanie Comeaux who combined to record 24 games last season.

"Kelli and Stephanie matured a lot last year from their freshman year and we look for them to carry a lot of the load again," Miller said. "Ragan (Blake) threw really well this summer and has that freshman year under her belt now. I see her really stepping up and contributing a lot more this year, particularly from a standpoint of starting more ballgames for us and stepping up and becoming more dominant on the mound."

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/16/05
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State’s women’s tennis team kicks off the 2005 fall season this weekend, Sept. 16-18 at the Ole Miss Fall Classic in Oxford, Miss. The 10-team event will start Friday morning and run thru Sunday at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center on the Ole Miss campus.

The field includes players from Arkansas, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Monroe, Ole Miss, Samford, Southern Mississippi, South Alabama, Troy and Tennessee Tech.

MSU’s Anastasia Kugakolova, who is ranked 89th in the country is the second seed overall in singles and will play in the Red Draw. Sophomore Renee Joseph is the top seed in the White Draw. Freshman Daniela Juskova will also compete in the White Draw as the No. 3 seed. Sophomore Polina Kokoulina is seeded fifth in the Blue Draw. Elna de VIlliers and Tatiana Feit will compete in the Silver Draw.

In doubles, the duo of Kugakolova and Joseph is the No. 2 seed in the event. They teamed up together last fall, finishing with a record of 5-2. MState’s team of Juskova and Martina Banikova will play in the Blue Draw.

After this weekend’s competition, the Lady Bulldogs will trek to Tuscaloosa, Ala on Oct.7-9 to compete in the Roberta Alison Fall Classic.

Source: MSU Media Relations

All nine MSU players will make the trip to compete in singles and doubles competition. Three Bulldogs, two who are seeded, will compete in the Division A singles bracket of the tournament. Sophomore Phillippe Frayssinoux, ranked 84th nationally, is seeded third in the A bracket while fellow Bulldog and 121st-ranked Pierre Mouillon is seeded seventh. MSU junior Ivan Bjelica will also compete in Division A.

In Division B, Bulldog Jose Carlos-Pinto is the top seed. Bulldogs Florent Girod, Ryan Farlow, Eric Lim and Arnaud Roussel will also compete in B singles. Josh Irey will compete in Division C bracket to round out the Bulldogs lineup in singles play.

In doubles, Pinto and Girod will compete in Division A as the No. 2 seed, warranting a first-round bye for the nation's 37th-ranked doubles team. Also competing in the A bracket are the teams of Farlow/Frayssinoux and Bjelica/Lim. Rounding out the doubles lineup for the tournament will be Irey and Mouillon. The pair will compete in the B bracket and will receive a first-round bye.

Play on the campus of the University of Alabama will get under way Friday morning with singles, while doubles play will begin Friday afternoon.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Fresh off a 1-0-1 showing at the Sun City Invitational in El Paso, Texas, this past weekend, the Mississippi State soccer team will wrap up a four-game road trip on Friday evening when the Maroon and White travels to Memphis, Tenn., for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Tigers at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

Still searching for its first win of the 2005 campaign, the Bulldogs (0-2-3) will head to the Bluff City with a two-game series winning streak after defeating the Tigers (4-2-0) in each of the past two seasons. State has enjoyed an intense week of practice after battling Sacramento State to a scoreless draw in the final game of the Sun City Invitational on Sunday. Memphis, which dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Ole Miss at home on Tuesday evening, will play its third contest in six days when it faces the Maroon and White on Friday.

"I think we have had a very productive week of practice this week," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "The girls are responding very well and, overall, we have looked a lot better offensively."

Having posted three shutouts already this season behind the phenomenal netminding skills of sophomore goalkeeper Isabel Briones, the Tigers had their three-game winning streak snapped with the result against the Rebels. Memphis’ unforgiving back line has surrendered just 9.2 shots per game through six outings with Briones reaping the benefits, turning in a paltry 1.00 GAA and 22 saves.

A very stout offensive team, Memphis has been paced by a pair of six-goal scorers in freshman Kylie Hayes (2 assists) and junior Shoko Mikami (1 assist). Both Hayes and Mikami tallied goals in Tuesday’s contest against Ole Miss.

"Memphis is a team with a lot of international players and they are gifted technically," Macdonald said. "They are always a very well-organized team, so we’ll have to be prepared for a battle when we go up to their place. We need to be aware of the fact that we are going to need to stay switched on for the full 90 minutes against a squad of their capabilities."

Although young, State has held its own defensively in the early parts of the season, highlighted particularly by the play of senior goalkeeper Emily Meyers. The Bay St. Louis native currently ranks fifth nationally in saves per game (9.6) and her SEC-best 48 saves is double the amount of Arkansas goalkeeper Carrie Dillsaver who currently ranks second in the league. Offensively, State has gotten both of its goals this season from the right foot of senior Betty Ann Casey who also averages a team-best 3.4 shots per game.

State played in its 20th overtime game since the beginning of the 2001 season on Sunday afternoon in El Paso and, in that same span, is averaging one extra-time game for every four outings. The Bulldogs are 8-3-9 in those matchups.

Following Friday evening’s game in Memphis, State will return home on Sunday to break up an eight-game road swing with a 1 p.m. contest against Charlotte (3-3-0). Admission to all 2005 MSU Soccer home games is free.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/14/05
Men's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Mississippi State’s men’s golf team moved up one notch on the final day of the Tennessee Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday. State fired a final-round 291 to finish tied for 11th with College of Charleston to open the 2005 fall season.

Leading the way for the Maroon and White for the second consecutive day was freshman Carlos Sainz, Jr. The Elgin, Ill. native posted a second-straight one-under par 70 to finish in a five-way tie for 12th in his first collegiate event.

Memphis, Tenn. native Logan Young carded a 72 on the par-71 Holston Hills Country Club Course. He finished the two-day event tied for 59th. Sophomore Michael Knight tallied a 74 to finish 44th on the leaderboard. Senior Jared Jimenez closed out the MState scoring with a 75. Junior Josh Oller recorded a 76 during the final 18 holes.

Tennessee captured the team title for the second consecutive year. The Volunteers closed out the tournament with a final round score of 272. UT finished at 34 under-par, 32 shots ahead of runner-up Alabama. Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Florida closed out the top-five team slots.

UT’s Lloyd Campbell and Philip Pettitt shared the individual title. Both competitors finished at 12-under par.

The Bulldogs return home to host the Magnolia Cup on Friday, Sept. 23 at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss. State will take on the Rebels of Ole Miss in a dual-match setting. The battle for the Magnolia Cup will be one round of 18 holes that is slated to begin at 10 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/13/05
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State senior outside hitter Rachel Cooper has earned a place in the MSU volleyball record books.

Following a sterling performance in leading the unbeaten Bulldogs to a second consecutive September tournament title last weekend, the Roscoe, Ill., product has been selected as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. It marks the first time a Mississippi State volleyball player has earned the league's player of the week honor.

The league also announced Monday that LSU senior middle blocker Ivana Kuzmic is the SEC Defensive Player of the Week and Alabama outside hitter Sarah Snider is the SEC Freshman of the Week.

Cooper piled up 57 kills and hit at a .309 clip as MSU bested Indiana State (3-2), Virginia (3-0) and tourney host Dayton (3-2) to capture the Marriott Flyer Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. Cooper, named tourney MVP, ripped a career-high 24 kills in the win over Indiana State and hit at a season-best .515 against Virginia. With her weekend showing Cooper has climbed to sixth place among MSU's all-time career kills leaders (1,139 kills) and fourth in career attacks (3,386).

State, 7-0 and off to its best start since the 2000 campaign, returns to action on the home court Friday and Saturday, entertaining Louisiana-Lafayette, Tennessee-Martin and Arkansas-Little Rock in the 2005 MSU/Microtel Classic at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Jared Jimenez and Carlos Sainz Jr. paced the Bulldogs in the morning session, posting one-over par rounds of 72. Sophomore Michael Knight registered a 73 to open the event, while Josh Oller and Logan Young carded a 74 and 75 respectively.

In the second round, Sainz carded a one-under 70 to close out the opening day of competition. He heads into Tuesday’s final round nine strokes off the pace. Oller rebound from his morning round to register an even-par score of 71. Knight recorded back-to-back 73’s on the day, while Young finished up the MState scoring with a 76.

Host-Tennessee took advantage of playing one of its home courses. The Volunteers shattered the tournament record for an individual round in the opener, firing a 16-under-par 268. UT followed that round with a six-under-par second round. The Orange and White are the club house leaders with an 18-stroke advantage of the University of Alabama. Georgia Southern, Missouri and Virginia round out the top five squads.

UT’s Lloyd Campbell leads the individual race at nine-under par with rounds of 66 and 67.

State will close out the event on Tuesday, beginning at 8:06 CT.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/12/05
Men's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State men’s golf team will launch the 2005-06 tournament slate on Monday, Sept. 12 at the Tennessee Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn. The 54-hole event will be contested at Holston Hills Country Club, which plays to a par 72 and spans over 6,948 yards. The two-day event is being hosted by the University of Tennessee.

"Everyone is excited about getting started," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "We are playing well as a team going in to the tournament."

Homan’s line up for the opener includes two freshmen that will be making their debut in the Maroon and White. Freshman Carlos Sainz Jr. and redshirt freshman Logan Young will join junior Josh Oller, sophomore Michael Knight and senior Jared Jimenez on the State line up card.

"We have more depth on the team this year," said Homan. "With 10 guys on the team, I feel very comfortable playing any one them."

Jimenez and Oller are the seasoned veterans in this week’s line up. Jimenez, a native of Allen, Texas has played in seven events as a Bulldog. His best round came last fall at the University Club Intercollegiate, shooting an even-par 72. Oller competed in all 11 tournaments last season. He is coming off a 25th-place finish at the 2005 Southeastern Conference Championship. The Brandon, Miss. product finished third on team in scoring last year.

MState has played in the Tennessee Tournament of Champions 11 previous times. The Bulldogs were crowned team champions in the 1997 edition of the event. The squad finished the tournament with a three-round total of 852.

The 2005 tournament field includes seven teams that advanced to NCAA competition. The Finnish Junior Team will also compete in the 15-team field. Joining MSU will be Alabama, Arkansas, College of Charleston, Florida State, Georgia Southern, LSU, Mississippi, Missouri, North Florida, Tennessee, Tulane, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

The first two rounds will be contested on Monday and the final round will be played on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/10/05
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, MISS. - Four Mississippi State men's tennis players were a part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason national rankings released this week. Sophomores Phillip Frayssinoux and Pierre Mouillon are ranked 84th and 121st, respectively, in singles, while the doubles team of Jose-Carlos Pinto and Florent Girod is ranked 37th.

A native of Plaisir, France, Frayssinoux returns for his second season with the Bulldogs. In his debut at MSU last spring, Frayssinoux posted a 12-9 overall record and a 9-8 mark against Southeastern Conference competition.

Mouillon enters the 2005-06 season coming off of an impressive showing last spring. The Le Perreux, France, product finished last season with a 14-7 overall record and led the team with an SEC record of 9-2. Mouillon reeled off 10 consecutive vicotories last spring and upended three ranked players in dual matches.

Despite no prior history as a doubles team, Pinto and Girod have each had success playing doubles in their own regards. Last season, Pinto and former Bulldog Luiz Carvalho were ranked as high as 10th in the nation in doubles. In 2003-04, Girod and former all-American Romain Ambert reached 32nd in the national doubles rankings.

The Bulldogs will open their fall tournament schedule Sept. 16-18 at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State’s Anastasia Kugakolova has received preseason recognition by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association this week. The senior from St. Petersburg, Russia is ranked 89th in the ITA’s preseason rankings in singles competition.

Kugakolova finished her junior campaign with a 23-15 record at the No. 2 position for head coach Tracy Lane. The highlight of the 2005 season for Kugakolova came on March 25 at the A.J. Pitts Center against No. 4 Georgia. She defeated the nation’s 23rd-ranked player in Natalie Frazier.

The three-year, letter-winner and her teammates will begin the fall season in Oxford, Miss. at the Ole Miss Tournament on Sept. 16-18.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Soccer
EL PASO, Texas - Still seeking its first win of the 2005 campaign, the Mississippi State soccer team will pack up its show again this weekend when the Bulldogs continue a four-game road trip by heading to El Paso, Texas, for the three-team Sun City Invitational.

State (0-1-2) will open up its portion of round-robin tournament play on Saturday against host UTEP (6-0-0) in game two of the Sun City Invitational at noon CST. The Maroon and White will close out tournament play on Sunday against Sacramento State (2-3-0) in a noon tilt as well. The Miners defeated Sacramento State by a 1-0 margin in the opening game of the tournament on Friday afternoon.

Receiving votes in this week’s Soccer Buzz Central Region top 15 rankings, unbeaten and untied UTEP is off to their best start since 2002, including a 3-0 mark at University Field. Having outscored their opponents by a 4-1 average through five outings, the Miners have been paced by a pair of four-goal scorers in junior midfielder Melissa Abraham and sophomore Jami Tullius. Together, the duo has accounted for 38 percent of UTEP’s total offensive output.

Defensively, the Miners have been equally as strong, limiting their foes to less than one goal per game, while tallying 24 saves. Sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Popoff, who collected C-USA’s Defensive Player of the Week honors following a spectacular season-opening weekend, has amassed all five victories in the nets for UTEP, while turning in a 0.67 goals against average and 19 saves.

UTEP is an astonishing 23-3-0 at home since the beginning of the 2002 season and are 20-7-1 in home tournaments since the inception of the Miner soccer program in 1996. The game will mark a homecoming for MSU assistant Ja’net Esparza, an El Paso native and a four-year all-conference player with the Miners from 1996-99.

"They (UTEP) are a quality opponent who is well organized and very physical," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "We need to be both physically and mentally prepared for a very strong challenge from them. We have had a great week of practice, though, and I feel that we are ready to get our season back on track. We are starting to gel as a team and I think we are going to improve a great deal over the next few weeks heading into conference play."

Coming off a 3-15 finish last season, Sacramento State has already shown its improvements from the 2004 campaign. Despite a 14-5 shot disparity, including a 9-2 edge by Fresno State in the second half, the Hornets defeated their instate foes on Sunday afternoon to move within one victory of last season’s win total. Linda Sanchez, CSUS’s leading scorer from a year ago, has paced the Hornets so far this season as well, netting the lone goal against Fresno, while adding an assist in the Hornets’ season-opening 1-0 win at UC-Davis.

Rookie Jennifer Lawrence has been CSUS’s go-to person in the nets and, despite being victimized in a pair of 3-0 losses at UC-Riverside and Nevada, has turned in a 1.50 GAA and 28 saves in four starts. Having played in all 360 minutes for the Hornets this season, Lawrence has a pair of shutouts to her credit as well.

Following this weekend’s action in the Sun City, Mississippi State will return to action next weekend when the Bulldogs travel north for a Friday evening tilt at regional foe Memphis, before returning to Starkville on Sept. 18 for a home date with Charlotte.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/8/05
Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­­ Mississippi State University’s Travis McKay has been named the Southeastern Conference's Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday. The honor comes following McKay’s performance at the Belmont Opener on Sept. 2.

"Travis worked very hard this past summer, and he deserves this recognition," said men’s head coach Steve Dudley. "As the year goes on hopefully our team can have more of these honors."

McKay was the top collegiate finisher (third overall) in State’s season opener. The 6-2 junior finished the 5K course in 15:04.08. It is the first SEC Athlete of the Week honor for the Edmonton, Alberta-native.

Four other MSU runners also posted top 10 finishes to propel State to their first team title since 1995. McKay and the rest of the Bulldogs return to action on Sept. 17 at the Crimson Classic.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Off to its best start since the 2000 season, Mississippi State puts its unblemished early-season record on the line in Dayton, Ohio, this weekend when MSU competes in the Marriott Flyer Invitational. The Bulldogs open the two-day event Friday with a 4:30 p.m. match against Indiana State (0-7). Saturday State tests Virginia (1-2) at 1 p.m. and host Dayton (3-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday's match with Indiana State will be the second on record for MSU against the Sycamores, while State has not previously met either Virginia or Dayton on the volleyball court.

The Bulldogs lost just one game in three matches last weekend, downing first-time opponents Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-1), Georgetown (3-0) and host Virginia Tech (3-0) to claim the Hokie Fall Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.

"This is just another step for our program," said second-year head coach Tina Seals. "We know very well that we have a lot of work yet to be done, but it is good to see the team enjoy some early-season success and to see the team chemistry begin to grow."

Veteran outside hitters Rachel Cooper (47 kills, 36 digs) and Orshi Kriegel (41 kills, 31 digs) paced the Bulldogs in last weekend's tournament in Blacksburg, Va., and both were named to the all-tournament team. Kriegel was tabbed tournament MVP.

State averaged 16.30 digs per game on defense with four players notching 30 or more digs in three tournament matches. In addition to team leaders Cooper and Kriegel, sophomore libero Megan Lukasek had 34 digs and sophomore outside hitter/setter Eva Kriegel added 31. Eva Kriegel registered Mississippi State's third "triple-double" on record in MSU's 3-1 tourney-opening win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kriegel had 12 kills, 15 digs and 41 assists. Brianne Smedley (2000) and Carmen Easley (1994) are the former Bulldogs to have reached double figures in three stats categories in a match.

All 11 players on the MSU travel roster saw playing time in the tournament, including all five first-year Bulldogs - Jamie Cross, Cristina Jucan, Eva Kriegel, Nicole Palazzo and Lialah Putman.

State, currently second in the SEC in total (37) and per-game average (2.85) service aces, piled up 27 aces last weekend, a team-leading seven by senior setter Andrea Mead. The journey to Dayton's tournament will provide a homecoming of sorts for Mead, who hails from Washington Court House, Ohio, less than an hour's drive from Dayton.

MSU's 4-0 start is its best since opening the 2000 campaign with a school-record 11-0 run.

The Bulldogs' next home competition comes Sept. 16-17 when State entertains Arkansas-Little Rock, Louisiana-Lafayette and Tennessee-Martin in the MSU/Microtel Classic at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Media Relations

9/4/05
Soccer
ATLANTA - Nathalie Carter scored two goals, including a late score with just more than two minutes remaining, to help homestanding Georgia State extend their home unbeaten streak out to 19 games with a 2-1 victory over visiting Mississippi State Friday afternoon at the Panthersville Soccer Complex.

The win helped the Panthers (2-0-0) even up its series with the Maroon and White (0-1-2) after the Bulldogs edged ahead with a 2-1 victory over GSU in the 2004 regular season finale for both teams. MSU goalkeeper Emily Meyers matched a career high with 13 saves and Betty Ann Casey scored the first offensive goal for MState this season in the loss.

"I was very disappointed with the way we showed up to play this game today," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "I also believe we need to start taking advantage of the offensive chances we create for ourselves. Too many times, we get a good look on the goal and fail to take advantage of it. Give credit to Georgia State though, they did what they needed to do to get the victory."

Mississippi State created chances for itself early and often through the first 15 minutes of the opening period before Casey finally turned a string of passes from Sara Moore and Meghan Odom into a legitimate scoring chance. A lead pass would bring GSU netminder Alexa Pasquarelli charging off her line, but Casey tapped the ball past a pair of defenders and hit a shot far post to give MSU a 1-0 lead.

Having cooled off after capturing the lead, it would be Georgia State that would get much of the play for the remainder of the opening stanza, repeatedly testing Meyers before Carter punched her first goal past the Bay St. Louis native in the 21st tick to even things up. Casey nearly gave MSU its second lead of the game with 41 seconds left before intermission, but her 20-yard chipshot found the crossbar and careened out of danger.

MState came out of the halftime gates on a mission, taking seven of the half’s first 10 shots but, despite keeping the Panthers on their heels for much of the opening minutes, none of the shots would find the back of the net. Lauren Chavez nearly gave GSU its go-ahead goal with 13 minutes left, but shanked her point blank shot wide left to keep the score at the 1-1 lock.

Chavez and Candace Conzales strung together a pair of passes in the 87th minute to find Carter in MSU’s offensive third for the gamewinning scoring play. Carter nearly had her late chance denied when her shot found the hands of Meyers, but the deflection caught a piece of the crossbar and deflected into the net for the game’s final score.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday when the Bulldogs head to El Paso, Texas, to take part in the three-team Sun City Classic hosted by UTEP. State’s regularly scheduled game at South Alabama on Sunday afternoon has been cancelled due to continued rescue and relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. The game will not be made up.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Atlanta (Panthersville Soccer Complex)

Mississippi State 1 0 - 1
Georgia State 1 1 - 2

13:30 MSU Betty Ann Casey (Sara Moore, Meghan Odom)
20:24 GSU Nathalie Carter (Kay Harbrueger)
86:54 GSU Nathalie Carter (Lauren Chavez, Candace Conzales)

Shots: MSU 16 (Casey 4), GSU 23 (Carter 7). Shots On Goal: MSU 9 (Ammann 3), GSU 15 (Carter 7). Saves: MSU 13 (Meyers), GSU 8 (Pasquarelli). Corner Kicks: MSU 2, GSU 4. Fouls: MSU 7, GSU 10. Offsides: MSU 2, GSU 8. Cautions And Ejections: None. Att. * 103.

Source: MSU Media Relations

ATLANTA - With, quite possibly, its most grueling stretch of the 2005 season on the immediate horizon, the Mississippi State soccer team will begin an initial four-game road trip on Friday afternoon when the Bulldogs travel to Atlanta to battle Georgia State at 3 p.m. CST.

With nine of the next 10 games of its 2005 schedule coming away from the comfy confines of the MSU Soccer Field, MState (0-0-2) will battle a Georgia State (1-0-0) squad that is much improved after suffering through a 2-1 heartbreaker to the Bulldogs in the 2005 regular season finale in Starkville.

State is coming off a pair of double overtime ties in its opening weekend, first batting to a scoreless deadlock against Iowa State on Friday evening, then getting a pair of goals from Samford, including one in their own goal, for a 1-1 tie on Sunday. Georgia State proved victorious in its season opener at Winthrop on Friday, defeating the Eagles 4-1 in Rock Hill, S.C.

"Obviously, the schedule does not get any easier for us," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "I thought we were very fortunate with last weekend’s results, especially after we didn’t take advantage of our offensive chances in either game. Both teams this weekend will present a very difficult task for us, especially on the road. We worked on some things this week in practice and, hopefully, our hard work will pay off this weekend."

Still looking for their first offensive goal of the season, Mississippi State has relied on the foot and athleticism of senior forward Betty Ann Casey in its first two outings. Casey has provided better than 33 percent of State’s shot total, including four in the season opener against the Cyclones. Reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week Emily Meyers has been the defensive stalwart for the Bulldogs so far this season, allowing just one goal in 220 minutes of play while tallying 14 saves.

For the Panthers, freshman Kari Quinn netted two of Georgia State’s four goals against Winthrop on Friday and looks to be the player to watch for GSU. However, the Panthers return 21 letterwinners and nine starters off of last season’s 7-7-5 club that finished second in the Atlantic Sun conference. GSU has since become a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Following Friday afternoon's contest in Atlanta, State will head to Mobile, Ala., for a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon date with South Alabama.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State head men’s golf coach Clay Homan announced Friday the addition of Carlos Sainz Jr. to the 2005-06 golf team. Sainz is a native of Elgin, Ill. and will join the nine-man squad.

His pre-MSU resume’ includes three top-20 finishes on the American Junior Golf Association Tour. He also participated on the International Junior Golf Tour slate and finished in the top-10 four times. Sainz took home top honors at the IJGT at Chechessee Creek last January in Okatie, S.C. He attended the International Junior Golf Academy located in Hilton Head, S.C. The academy preps junior golfers for collegiate and professional golf.

"Carlos is a very mature, hard working young man. Carlos was not very highly recruited and I have no idea why, because he has all the tools as well as being extremely motivated," said Clay Homan. "I forsee him being one of our leaders on and off the course from day one."

In 2002, he captured the Elgin City Championship. A graduate of Larkin High School, Sainz was team captain for three seasons on the LHS golf squad. He placed fifth in the 2003 Illinois High School Association State Tournament. On the academic side, he was named to the honor roll all four years at LHS.

Sainz is undecided on his major at State. He is the son of Rose Sainz.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­­ With the return of 13 letterwinners and the addition of eight newcomers, Mississippi State University is set to begin its 2005 cross country season on Friday, Sept. 2. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs travel to Nashville, Tenn. for the Belmont Opener. The meet is being held at Percy Warner Park.

Women’s head coach Al Schmidt enters his 18th season in Starkville and the 2005 season with high expectations. The Lady Bulldogs begin 2005 ranked eighth in the Southeastern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

Despite only returning six letterwinners from last season, Schmidt has added strength with newcomers Michelle Corrigan, Brittany Detzel, Abbey Graham, Abbey O’Connell and Nicole Rosetti. After sitting out last season, junior Sarah Milam returns to the team.

"We’re a young team," said Schmidt. "This meet is going to tell us a lot. We’re looking forward to it."

The experience of the 2005 Lady Bulldogs lies with seniors Jennifer McPherson and Zita Magloire. McPherson ­­ who sat out during the 2005 outdoor track season ­­ had a breakout season a year ago. She was MSU’s top finisher at the Notre Dame Invitational (5K), placing 35th in 17 minutes, 38 seconds. The following week at the Auburn Invitational (5K), McPherson finished fifth in 18:29.44. She also finished second at the MSU Short Course (3K) and was the Lady Bulldogs’ top competitor at the NCAA South Regional (6K).

Magloire won the 2004 MSU 3K Short Course title in 10:26.18 and was named SEC Athlete of the Week for her effort. She also posted two other top 10 finishes on the year. At the Memphis Twilight Classic (3 mi.), Magloire was MSU’s top finisher in fifth place (17:27.44). At the Auburn Invitational (5K), she took seventh in 18:39.00.

As a team, the Lady Bulldogs closed out the season with a seventh place finish at the SEC Championships and took 11th at the NCAA South regional meet.

On the men’s side, head coach Steve Dudley begins his third season at the helm of the Bulldog program. The Bulldogs are ranked ninth in the Preseason SEC Coaches Poll.

"We are looking forward to getting the season started," Dudley said. "The guys have worked very hard and logged many miles in preparation for the season. They are glad that they finally get to race."

Anchoring MSU are juniors Ryan Irwin, Travis McKay and Phillip Moore. Irwin won the MSU Short Course (6K) title a year ago. McKay was the Bulldogs’ top finisher on two occasions during the 2004 campaign ­­ at the Notre Dame Invitational (5 mi.) and Auburn Invitational (8K). He also posted two top 20 finishes. Moore’s best finish was at the MSU Short Course (5K), where he placed sixth (15:24.98). Matt Martin is the lone senior on the squad.

Sophomores John Brigham, Pad Judd and Robert Scribner look to be contributing factors throughout the year. With the additions of freshmen Zach Greene, Alex Kusters and Ty Williams, the Bulldogs look to have a young, but strong base to build on this season.

As a team a season ago, the Bulldogs finished ninth at the conference and regional meet.

Following Friday’s meet, State gets the week off before returning to action on Sept. 17 at the Crimson Classic.

Source: MSU Media Relations