2021FallWarrior

Paschal Named Head Men’s Soccer Coach

long hours spent as an assis- tant coach prepared me to run a successful program. Kenneth [Thompson] has been a great example of a head coach in this league, and I’m grateful to have such a solid foundation for the program. I look forward to taking a step forward and building on top of it. “I look to recruit players that will create a culture of hard work, responsibility, and pride, not only for our program but for the college as a whole and for

Ethan Paschal, a Poplarville native, was named as the new head men’s soccer coach in the spring. He replaced long-time coach Kenneth Thompson, who retired. Paschal is no stranger to the game, nor the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference , as he has served as an assistant coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston for the previous four years. The Poplarville High School graduate played two seasons with the MGCCC Bulldogs before graduating from Winston- Salem State University in North Carolina in 2017 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Paschal has also been heavily involved in camps and club soccer for many years, particularly the South Mississippi Soccer Club. “This opportunity means everything to me, everything I’ve done has been working towards this,” said Paschal. “The

PASCHAL

family. I want to provide players an opportunity to compete at a high level and move on to four-year schools, not only to play but to excel and to leave with a degree.”

• ECCC’s Only 2-Sport All-American Inducted into State Sports Hall of Fame

lege’s prestigious Student Hall of Fame. Chaney then attended the Univer- sity of Southern Mississippi where she was a standout member of the Lady Eagle basketball team, receiving Most Valuable Player honors following the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons and the Female Student of the Year and Lady Eagle Award in 2006-07. She was also a member of the 2007 and 2008 Lady Eagle softball teams. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sports administration from USM in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2012, Chaney was named head softball coach at ECCC in Decatur after four years as an assistant. Over the next six seasons, she led the Lady War- riors to a 233-80 record, including a second-place finish in the 2015 NJCAA Division II Softball National Champion- ship Tournament in Clinton. All six of her ECCC teams qualified for postsea- son play. Chaney was inducted into the East Central Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. She currently is a sales representative for BSN Sports.

Kristin Chaney, the only two-sport All-American in the history of East Central Community College athlet- ics, was inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in April at the Hinds Community College Muse Center in Pearl. A graduate of Newton County High School in Decatur, Chaney led the 2005 ECCC softball team to a then school-record 24 wins, the Missis- sippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges Central Division Title, and a third-place finish in the MACJC/ National Junior College Athletic As- sociation Region 23 Tournament. She was named NJCAA First-Team All- American, All-Region 23, First-Team All-State, and All-Central Division. She was an NJCAA Academic All-American and finished second in balloting for the 2005 NJCAA Female Athlete of the Year. As a freshman, she was selected Second Team All-American, All-Region 23, and All-Central Division. Chaney was also a standout player for the Lady Warrior basketball team, earning Second Team All-American and MACJC All-Star honors as a sophomore and All-Region 23 and First Team All- State both seasons. The 2003-04 Lady

Warriors remain the most successful women’s basketball team in ECCC his- tory, finishing with a 31-4 record, State and Region 23 championships, and a No. 8 ranking in the final NJCAA poll. She is a 2005 honor graduate of ECCC and was selected for the col- ECCC President Dr. Brent Gregory congratulates Kristin Chaney on her induction into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

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