Meridian Community College EAGLE

Meridian Community College golf standout Easton Key signed his letter of intent on Monday afternoon to continue his golf career with Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AK. Key led the Eagles during the 2011 fall season to three tournament championships and a number one team ranking.

“We are very excited for him (Key) to get this opportunity to play at the next level,” said MCC head coach Clinton Hales. “He has performed so well in his time here at MCC and he was one of the biggest reasons for our success during the fall season. He is a very special player and we know he will have the same success at the next level of his golf career that he had at MCC.”

Key is the seventh ranked junior college player in the nation on GolfStat.com’s Top 100 NJCAA Player Watch List. Over his two-year career at Meridian, Key has been named to nine all-tournament teams and recorded three sub-70 rounds with a best of 65 at the 2010 Wallace State Invitational. He currently holds the team’s best average at 73 strokes per round and is a team captain.

He has led Meridian, ranked as the No. 1 NJCAA team in the nation by GolfStat.com and the NJCAA, to three tournament victories and two runner-up finishes, this fall.

“Easton is one of the top junior college players in the country,” said Arkansas State coach Steve Johnson. “He’s proven to be a very consistent player, being able to shoot sub-par rounds on a variety of courses. We are definitely looking forward to adding his tournament experience to what will be a relatively young roster next year.”

Key was named to three All-Tournament Teams during the 2011 fall season and led the team with a scoring average of 71.4, and tied an MCC record with a 65 during the second round of the Wallace State Fall Invitational. Key has been named to six career All-Tournament Teams and has helped MCC to a 166-24-1 record during his carrer.

Key attended Lamar School in Meridian, helping lead the Raiders to five consecutive state championships. He was a two-time all-state selection, carried the lowest average on the team and won the Raider Award as a senior. He also lettered in cross country for the Raiders.

The Meridian Community College golf team ended the 2011 fall season with a second place finish Tuesday in the Central Alabama Community College Fall Invitational. MCC finished the tournament with a 5-over par 581 team score which was 19 strokes back of Central Alabama which captured the tournament championship. The Eagles ended a very successful fall season with three tournament wins, two second place finishes, and a pair of number rankings under the direction of first year head coach Clinton Hales.

“We are very pleased with our overall fall season,” said Hales. “We are of course very disappointed in the way we finished the fall part of the season, but we played some very good teams this week. We give a lot of credit to Central Alabama and the way they played on their home course.”

Sophomore Easton Key led the Eagles in the two-day event with a 5-under 139 score to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team for the CACC Fall Invitational. The former Lamar standout earned All-Tournament Team honors on three different occasions during the fall season for the Eagles.

Freshman T.J. Morgan fired a 1-under 143 to finish tied for fourth place in the tournament for Meridian.

MCC Golf Ranked Number One

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team has built a very impressive early season list of accomplishments and the Eagles added one more to that list Monday morning. MCC was named as the top golf team in the country according to the newly released NJCAA Division I golf poll. The Eagles were named the number one team last week according to the latest Golfstat.com poll and this marks the first time in school history that the MCC golf team has been ranked number one in two different major golf polls.

“We are very honored to be named the number one team, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said first year MCC head coach Clinton Hales. “I still see plenty of areas that we need some improvement and we have a long road ahead of us with the big part of our schedule coming up in the spring.”

MCC started the fall season with a tournament win in the Wallace State Invitational and followed that victory with a second place finish behind Central Alabama in the Jim Redgate Invitational. The Eagles bounced back with two more tournament wins in the month of October which included a victory at the District Preview in Coco Beach, FL and a victory at the MGCCC Holiday Inn Invitational in Gulfport, MS.

The three wins for MCC this fall is the best among all teams in the country and the Eagles return to action October 31-November 1 taking part in the Central Alabama Invitational in Alexander City, AL.

MCC Golf Wins Third Tournament of 2011 Fall Season

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team continued its winning ways on Tuesday with its third tournament championship of the season by securing the top spot in the MGCCC Holiday Inn Invitational at Windance Country Club in Gulfport, MS. The Eagles shot a final round score of 296 and finished the tournament with a team score of 580 which was two shots ahead of Darton College for the championship.

“I was very proud of the way we finished,” said MCC head coach Clinton Hales. “We had a very tough start to the final round, but we hit some big shots down the stretch that really sealed the victory for us.”

T.J. Morgan had the lowest round on the final day for Meridian with a 72, while Dylan Brown finished the final round with a 74. Brown and Jake Sterling each had crucial birdie putts for Meridian in the final two holes to seal the championship for the Eagles. Sterling ended his final round of play with a 76 and finished in second place overall to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team. Brown finished one stroke back of Sterling and earned a third place finish in the field which was good enough to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.

The second-ranked Meridian Community College Eagles will close out the 2011 fall season October 31-November 1 as the Eagles will take part in the Central Alabama Community College Fall Invitational in Alexander City, AL.

MCC Golf Leads MGCCC Tournament After Round One

From School Reports

After firing an opening round of 4-under par (284), the Meridian Community College golf team finds itself at the top of the leaderboard once again, as the Eagles look to win for the third time to the start of the 2011-2012 season. The Eagles lead five-time national champion Central Alabama Community College and three-time national champion Darton College by five and six shots, respectively in the 2011 MGCCC Holiday Inn Invitational. MCC was led on day 1 by Sophomore Jake Stirling. The Melbourne, Australia native had five birdies en route to a 4-under par round of 68. Stirling's round was the low round of the tournament during day one, as he'll carry a 1 shot lead into the second round over Central Alabama's Alex Mahlik, who shot 69. Freshman Dylan Brown also shot under par for the Eagles, carding a 1-under par 71. Meridian native and former Lamar School standout, Easton Key, shot even par, 72, while fellow sophomore, Alex Grannon shot a 73. Rounding out the scoring for MCC was Freshman T.J. Morgan, who had a 75.

"We played a solid round of golf today, and I was pleased with that. We didn't try to force too much, which is good because this golf course can make you pay if you do. We will have to play another really good round tomorrow in order to win because Central Alabama is playing good, as is Darton. They both have a lot of experienced players, who are playing well right now" said head coach, Clinton Hales.

MCC will be looking to win for the third time this year after having the lead going into the final round. "We've played well under the pressure of holding the lead so far this season and we hope to be able to do it again on Tuesday" noted Hales.

Final round play begins at 9:20am Tuesday from Windance Country Club in Gulfport, MS.

MCC Golf Set For MGCCC Invitational

From School Reports

The second-ranked ranked Meridian Community College golf team will look to continue its impressive early season success as it travels to Gulfport, MS to play in the Holiday Inn Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at Windance Country Club. The Eagles will be looking for their 3rd victory in their first 4 tournaments as they look to improve upon last year's second place finish at this event. The Eagles won their first tournament of the 2011-2012 season, the Wallace State Fall Invitational, by an impressive 14 shots and also won the NJCAA District IV Preview by a whopping 23 shots.

"I'm proud of the way the guys handled the pressure of playing in our District Preview after traveling such a long way. We'll have to be on top of our games again this week as the field is one of the strongest we'll face all year. Great teams like Darton College and Central Alabama will be there this week, so we'll have to be at our best if we want to beat them. They're two of the better teams in the nation".

Freshman Dylan Brown leads the way for the Eagles with a 70.8 scoring average, which helped him secure his first individual medalist honor at the District Preview. Sophomores Alex Grannon, Easton Key, and Jake Stirling are all averaging under 73 strokes per round, and as a team MCC is averaging 282.8 strokes per round (team total is the top 4 out of 5 scores).

Play begins Monday, October 17, with the 36 holes scheduled, followed by 3rd round action on Tuesday, October 18

MCC Golf Wins NJCAA District IV Preview Tournament

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team won its second tournament of the fall season and won in convincing fashion. The Eagles shot a final round of 285 and took home first place over Central Alabama by 23 strokes to capture the NJCAA District IV Preview Tournament Championship at Rockledge Country Club in Coca Beach, FL. The Eagles are currently ranked fifth in the nation and recorded its best performance of the fall season over the past two days.

“We played great over the course of two days and we played great as a team,” said first year MCC head coach Clinton Hales. “We got off to a slow start early on Monday, but put together some great scores over the last couple of rounds. I am extremely proud of the way we played and represented Meridian Community College.”

Jake Streling scored the best final round on the MCC squad with a score of 66 and Alex Grannon ended his final round with a score of 71. Dylan Brown ended his final round with a 73 and Easton Key fired a final round score of 75. T.J. Morgan wrapped up the top final rounds for the Eagles with a score of 77 on Tuesday.

Brown led the way in the two-day event for the Eagles to earn medalist honors with a total score of 206 (7 under par). Grannon and Streling each fired a 208 (5 under par) to give MCC the top three spots on the leaderboard to end the tournament. MCC will return to action October 17-18 in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Holiday Inn Invitational at Windance Golf Course in Gulfport, MS.

MCC Golf Leads After Round One of District Preview

From School Reports

Freshman Dylan Brown led the Meridian Community College golf team to a 17 shot lead after 36 holes of the District IV Preview Tournament held in Cocoa Beach, Florida at Rockledge Country Club. Brown shot rounds of 68 and 65 to not only stake MCC to the lead in the team portion of the event, but to also grab hold of the individual leader post going into Tuesday's final round. As a team, MCC shot 4 under par, 280, during the first round and carded a 9 under par (275) on the second round for a 555 total. Central Alabama Community College is in second place, followed by the host school, Brevard Community College.

"We played real well today. I'm really proud of the way the guys kept it together. We started out the day pretty bad, but turned it around by the end of the first round and were fortunate to go pretty low in the second round. Hopefully, we can play just as good tomorrow" said head coach, Clinton Hales.

Sophomore Alex Grannon was also able to shoot back-to-back rounds in the sixty's as he shot 68-69. Jake Stirling had consistent play for the Eagles, notching even par rounds of 71, while fellow Sophomore and former Lamar School standout, Easton Key was one shot back with rounds of 73-70. Freshman T.J. Morgan rounded out the scoring for MCC with rounds of 82-72.
Round 2 begins Tuesday at 8:10am.

MCC Golf Finishes Second In Redgate Tournament

From School Reports

The final round of the 2011 Jim Redgate Invitational Tournament was postponed due to heavy rain at Briarwood Country Club on Tuesday. The results from the opening two rounds on Monday will count as the final results of the tournament which gives Central Alabama Community College the tournament championship. Meridian Community College finished in second place to close out the tournament and ended the annual tournament 10 strokes back of the champions from Central Alabama.

Central Alabama finished with a team score of 574 and Meridian ended the tournament with a 584, followed by the University of Mobile with a 594 team score. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ended the tournament in a tie for fourth place with the MCC B-Team with a final team score of 611. East Central Community College place fifth in the tournament with a team score of 651 and Georgia Military rounded out the field with a team score of 674.

J.M. O’Toole of Central Alabama took home medalist honors in the tournament after shooting a three under par and Alex Mahlik finished one shot back of his team mate at two under par. Easton Key of Meridian fired an even par for the tournament and concluded his tournament play three strokes back of the leader.

Meridian will return to action October 3-4 competing in the District Preview Tournament at Rockledge Country Club in Coco Beach, FL.

MCC Golf Trails After Round One Of Redgate Tournament

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team opened its home portion of its 2011 fall schedule on Monday by hosting the annual Jim Redgate Invitational Tournament at Briarwood Country Club. The Eagles will have a large hill to climb in the final round Tuesday after Central Alabama shot a team total of 574 which was 10 strokes ahead of host MCC.

“We played a decent pair of rounds today, but I really thought that we struggled after a rain delay during the opening round, said MCC head coach Clinton Hales. “We will need to play well Tuesday and keep playing consistent.”

MCC scored a team total of 584 and secured the second spot on the leader board, followed by the University of Mobile with a final score of 594 to close out day one of the tournament. Mississippi Gulf Coast concluded Monday with a team score of 611 and the Meridian Community College B-Team is tied with the Bulldogs at 611 after action on Monday. East Central Community College fired a 651 and Georgia Military wrapped up the opening day with total team score of 674.

J.M. O’Toole of Central Alabama leads the tournament after shooting a three under par and Alex Mahlik is one shot back of his team mate at two under par. Easton Key of Meridian fired an even par for the opening day and sits three strokes back of the leader going into the final round Tuesday. Jake Sterling of MCC concluded his day three strokes over par to pace the Eagles.

The final round of the Jim Redgate Invitational Tournament will begin at 8:30 Tuesday morning at Briarwood Country Club.

MCC Golf Set For Annual Redgate Tournament

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team will be looking to win back-to-back events to start the season as they play host to their annual Jim Redgate Invitational at Briarwood Country Club starting Monday and going through Tuesday.

The Eagles are coming off an impressive victory to start the season at the Wallace State Invitational in Cullman, Alabama. In their first outing, MCC shot 26 under par as a team for the 54 hole event and won the tournament by 14 shots over their district rival, Brevard Community College. In addition, three of the five Eagle golfers made the All-Tournament Team. “I was pleased with the way we played to start the year, but we’ve definitely got some areas that we need to improve and I hope to see that this week, “ said Clinton Hales, first year head coach for MCC “Hopefully, that victory will give us some confidence going into the rest of the season.”

MCC will send out Freshman Dylan Brown in the number one spot. The Queensland, Australia native finished atop for the Eagles in Cullman, shooting rounds of 69-70-70,which finished second place overall. Finishing one shot behind Brown was teammate and Meridian native, Easton Key, who fired impressive rounds of 67-66 to finish the tournament after opening with a 77. Sophomore Jake Stirling will start in the 3 spot for MCC.

His rounds of 66-71-74 were good enough for fourth place overall at the first event. Sophomore Alex Grannon and Freshman Leighton Greer will round out the Eagle’s top five.
The Eagles will be paired with in-state rival, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, as well as district rival, Central Alabama Community College. East Central CC, Georgia Military College, and the University of Mobile will round out the field for this year’s event. Play will start at 7:30am on Monday with 36 holes, followed by 18 holes on Tuesday.

MCC Golf Wins 2011 Wallace State Fall Invitational

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team started off its 2011 fall season with another tournament victory as the Eagles secured the 2011 Wallace State Fall Invitational in Cullman, AL on Tuesday afternoon. The tournament victory marked the second straight win for the Eagles at the Wallace State Fall Invitational.

“I was very proud of our consistent play today,” said first year head coach Clinton Hales. “It feels great to get our fall season off to a great start and to win this tournament two straight years says a lot with all of the quality teams that we a part of this event.”

Meridian concluded its final round with a team score of 278 (10 under par) and a two-round score of 838 (-26 under par). The Eagles were led by several freshman making their collegiate debuts and a pair of returning sophomores that led MCC to an appearance in the national tournament in the spring of 2010. Freshman Dylan Brown finished in second place overall in the tournament with a two-day score of 209 and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Brown shot a final round score of 70 and ended the tournament five strokes behind William Anderson of Brevard Community College who took home medalist honors with a total two-day score of 204. Sophomore Easton Key finished the tournament in third place with total score of 210 which earned the Meridian native a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Key shot a final round of 66 on Tuesday which was the low round of the final day of action for the Eagles.

Sophomore Jake Sterling finished fourth overall in the tournament with a total score of 211 and shot a final round of 74 and was also named a member of the All-Tournament Team. Brevard Community College finished in second place behind the Eagles with a team score of 852 which was 14 strokes behind MCC. The victory on Tuesday for the Eagles also marked the first victory for first year head coach Clinton Hales.

MCC will continue its 2011 fall golf season September 26-27 as the Eagles will host the 2011 Jim Redgate Invitational at Briarwood Country Club.

MCC Golf Ready For New Season

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College golf team will open its 2011-2012 campaign at the Wallace State Fall Invitational September 12 – 13. The Eagles will be looking to defend their tournament title of a year ago, which saw MCC take home the team champion honors on way to a 14 under par total. The match will be held at Cullman Golf Course in Cullman, Alabama, and will mark the debut of new head coach, Clinton Hales. “We’re looking forward to going back to a familiar golf course that we’ve had a lot of success on in the past. Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue our good play on that course,” said Hales.

The Eagles will be led by returning Sophomore, Jake Stirling, who earned All-American honors as a Freshman. Stirling finished the 2010-2011 season with a strong 72.6 stroke average, which was second on the team. “We will count heavily on our sophomore class this fall, as they’re familiar with the courses we play and they understand what it takes to play competitive golf on this level. This week we’ll be playing against one of the strongest fields in junior college golf, so we’ll have to be prepared,” noted Hales.

To round out their lineup, the Eagles will also send out sophomores Alex Grannon and Meridian native Easton Key, to go along with Freshman Dylan Brown and Drew Boston, who will be making their debut for the green and white.

MCC Golf Gears Up For Fall Season

From School Reports

First year head coach, Clinton Hales, and his 2011-2012 Eagle golf team will wrap up preseason preparations next week with their bi-annual Eagle Cup and a road scrimmage at Old Waverly Golf Club against Southeastern Conference power, Mississippi State University.

The Eagle Cup is a “Ryder Cup” style format that matches freshmen versus sophomores. The sophomore squad has had the upper hand as of late, taking the previous three Eagle Cups. MCC will travel to West Point on August 30 for a scrimmage match against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at their home course. The Eagles will have the opportunity to be reunited with current MSU assistant coach, and former MCC head coach Sean Covich.

The Eagles will be led by a trio of returning sophomores: All-American Jake Stirling, Easton Key, and Alex Grannon. Newcomers Dylan Brown, TJ Morgan, Leighton Greer, Drew Boston, and Bryce Monroe will also be making the trip to play on one of the south’s best golf courses. “It’s really a unique opportunity that not many community colleges have to be able to play a Division 1 school from time to time. It really shows the strength and depth of our program and how much exposure our golfers have to showcase their game to coaches on the next level, “ said Hales.

This will be the fourth match over the last 2 years that MCC has been invited to play an SEC school. “We’re really excited at this opportunity and hope to get the season started on the right note, “ said Hales. The Eagles first regular season tournament will be September 12 – 13 at the Wallace State Fall Invitational at Cullman Golf Course, in Cullman, Alabama.

MCC's Garon named Jack Nicklaus Award winner for 2011

DUBLIN, Ohio – Brandt Garon of Meridian Community College has been named the 2011 Jack Nicklaus Award recipients as the GCAA Collegiate Players of the Year.

In 2011, Garon won four events - the Wallace State Fall Invitational, Preview at the Point, Arkansas State Red Wolf Intercollegiate and the NJCAA District IV Championship. He posted a team best 72.36 scoring average and had 16 rounds of even par or lower. Garon was named a PING First-Team All-America selection, as well as PING All-Region, for the second consecutive year. In addition to his four victories, Garon also had one runner-up finish and was named to an event’s all-tournament team eight times in 13 events.

Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. Mr. Nicklaus recognized Garon during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, just outside of Nicklaus’ hometown of Columbus.

MCC freshman claims national title, team finishes second

(For final results visit: http://www.golfstatresults.com//public/leaderboards/team/static/team_players_1943.html)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —Meridian Community College freshman standout Brandt Garon etched his name in MCC golf history Friday as he became the school’s first NJCAA national champion.

After Friday’s play was suspended due to rain, Garon, from Baton Rogue, La., was two shots ahead of the field of 120 golfers at 5-under-par (211) for the first three days (71-72-68). Meanwhile, the rainout at the 2010 NJCAA Division I National Championship left MCC just nine shots back of a team national title. The Eagles finished as the runners-up — the highest finish in Division I history for the school and tied for the best finish at second place (the 1998 team finished second in Division II).

The Eagles finished at 4-over 869 (289-291-289); McLennan Community College of Texas defended its national title by finishing at 5-under as a team for the three days, 860 (286-289-285).

"This was an incredible experience," said MCC head golf coach Sean Covich. "I wish we could have played (Friday) and seen if we could have won, but it was a great accomplishment for the team and for Brandt. We brought home a national champion to Meridian … and that's special."

Twenty-two teams from across the country competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Golf Division I National Championship played at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail- Hampton Cove.

Garon was named a Golf Coaches Association of America First Team All-American, a NJCAA First Team All-American and he was named to the National Championship All-Tournament Team. In addition, Garon was named to the GCAA’s All-Freshman Team as well as given the Arnold Palmer Award for being the NJCAA medalist.

“Everyone pulled their weight this week and this honor was as much a team honor as an individual honor for me,” Garon said Friday. “It would have been very tough to come back but we would have loved to have had a chance to play (Friday) and make a run. But we’re super excited. I can’t thank God enough; I can’t thank my family enough. It’s a great honor.”

Sophomore Garrett Westbrook finished at 2-over-par, 218 (72-73-73) and was named NJCAA All-American for the second time in his career. Westbrook finished in the top-15 at the national championship for the second consecutive year and was once again named to the National Championship All-Tournament Team after finishing in a tie for 14^th place.

Joining Garon and Westbrook on the All-Tournament Team was Eagle sophomore Cory Williamson, who shot 3-over-par, 219 (71-71-77). The Collins, Miss. native claimed his eleventh career top-20 finish as he tied for 16^th place.

Sophomore Nick Hawkes finished at 8-over, shooting 224 (77-75-72). The London, England native finished in a tie for 36^th place, while freshman Clemens Dvorak, of Vienna, Austria, finished with 10-over, shooting 226 (75-75-76) and claimed a tie for 45^th place.