4/14/08

NEMCC GOLF HEADED BACK TO DIVISION-II IN 2008-09

BOONEVILLE, Miss.--Northeast Mississippi Community College athletic director Ricky Ford has announced that NEMCC’s golf and tennis teams will be going back to Division II and Division I competition respectively in 2008-09, meaning athletes competing in both sports will be on athletic scholarships.

After two years in Division III competition (non-scholarship) Northeast’s golf team under 2007 Region XXIII Coach of the Year Craig Lauderdale will move back to Division II during the 2008-09 fall, and spring semesters. Northeast’s tennis team under the direction of Coach Ricky Smither will begin offering scholarships and competing in Division I competition next year. All of NEMCC’s athletic teams compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

“First of all our kids deserve this,” said Ford. “Our golf teams the last two years, if you go strictly by score, would have consistently finished at or near the top of all our tournaments among the D-II teams. Craig (Lauderdale) has done an outstanding job going undefeated in D-III, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the team can accomplish next year with scholarship athletes.”

“Our tennis program was back on the court last year after not fielding a team in ’05 and ’06. We’ve had two successful seasons, last year and this year, getting the program back on its feet, and we are already offering scholarships to players, men and women, for the 2009 season.”

###