Meridian Community College - Athletics

Athletics

MCC's athletic teams are called the "Eagles." "Victor the Eagle" is the official mascot and can be seen at various athletic events.

In its strong athletic history, MCC has won five NJCAA National Championships.

Current NBA player, Ronald "Flip" Murray (Chicago Bulls) attended MCC and played basketball for the Eagles in 1997/98-1998/99.

Two former MCC Track and Field athletes have gone on to compete in the Summer Olympics. Coby Miller competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and Miguel Pate who competed in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Several MLB players have started their careers with MCC, including Cliff Lee, pitcher for the Texas Rangers.

Former Major League Soccer star Damani Ralph played soccer for MCC. He scored 59 goals in 45 games for the Eagles and was named MVP for the 2000 NJCAA tournament, which MCC also won. He then went on to play for University of Connecticut before being drafted by the Chicago Fire.

The MCC Golf program is the only Division I NJCAA program in Region XXIII. Twenty MCC golfers have signed scholarships with various four-year schools in the past decade, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State University, Troy University, Middle Tennessee State University, Southern Miss, and the University of New Orleans. Former MCC golf coach, Lou Hart was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on July 27, 2007. Former MCC golf coach Sean Covich, who played under the direction of Coach Hart from 1998–2000, was named the NJCAA Region XXIII Golf Coach of the Year and Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges Golf Coach of the Year in 2007 after leading the Eagles to a school record nine tournament titles, including the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII championships. The 2007 squad finished third in the NJCAA division II men's golf championship. In 2009 Covich then became the only coach in NJCAA Region XXIII history to lead a team to both a top ten NJCAA national finish at Division I and at Division II as he led the Eagles to a sixth place finish in the school's first-ever NJCAA Division I National Championship. Covich led MCC to a NJCAA Division I national championship runner-up finish in 2010, and also led freshman Brandt Garon to the school's first individual national championship. Garon won the Golf Coaches Association (GCAA) Arnold Palmer Award in 2010 and then the GCAA's Jack Nicklaus Award in 2011 as the national player of the year.

Jamario Moon, current professional basketball player of Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA, played for Meridian "Eagles" for one season (1999/2000; his only season of college basketball), and averaged 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds pre game.

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