IRE Statistical Compilation 2019

Wooldridge of Collinsville, Caleb Collins of Clinton, Riley Hardy of Starkville, Joel Hill of Decatur, and Matthew Riley of Brandon. State Sports Hall of Fame Sam Rutigliano, who coached the NFL’s Cleveland Browns from 1978-84, was inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies April 23 in Pearl. Rutigliano played football and basketball at East Central in 1950 and went on to play football at the University of Tennessee and the University of Tulsa. He was selected to the ECCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also head coach at Liberty University for 11 years, becoming the winningest coach in school history, and served as an analyst for both NBC Sports and ESPN. Continuing Education Classes ECCC offered two one-day continuing education courses in Painting 101 and Homemade Soap Crafting during the month of April. Local artist Deborah Carter led a class in basic painting techniques and participants left with their own original piece of artwork. Pam Rigdon, a local crafter, demonstrated soap-making, including safety and recipe basics. National Pitcher of the Week East Central pitcher Thomas Boothe was named both the NJCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Week and the MACJC Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 1-7. The sophomore right-hander and product of Bayside Academy in Fairhope, Ala., pitched a nine-inning no-hitter and struck out 14 batters to power East Central to a 4-0 win over the Northeast Tigers April 6. Earlier in the week, he earned a save to help preserve ECCC’s 5-4 win over No. 7 ranked Jones College

MAY 2019 Electrical Utility Lineman Completers

The initial cohort of students who completed ECCC’s first 16-week course in Electrical Utility Lineman were honored during a ceremony held May 23 on campus. They were Issac Blalock of Decatur, Zachary Rowzee of Hickory, Jacob Clark of Newton, Tre’Jan Bogan of Union, Cole Morgan of Eupora, Zykeri Merrell of Philadelphia, and Drew Moore and Cole Harris, both of Morton. The next Electrical Utility Lineman class begins August 5, 2019. The non-credit program is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment in the field of utility power transmission and distribution construction, trouble- shooting, and repair. Warrior Golf Classic For the first time in its 18-year history, the Warrior Golf Classic was cancelled due to inclement weather. Despite the cancellation, more than $10,000 was raised to support the scholarship program of the East Central Community College Alumni Association. Coca-Cola Gold Scholar ECCC sophomore nursing major Rebekah Scitzs of Collinsville was named a 2019 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and received a $1,500 scholarship. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Top 20 National Tennis Finish What is believed to be the first ECCC tennis team to compete at a na- tional championship, the college’s men’s tennis team returned to De- catur after reaching its goal of a top 20 finish. The then No. 22 ranked East Central Warriors finished in 19th place at the 2019 NJCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship held May 13-17 at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz. East Central finished third among the MACJC teams in the national tournament. TVA Stem Scholarship

ECCC sophomore Joshua Warnsley of Decatur was awarded one of two $2,250 STEM scholarships from Tennessee Valley Au- thority and Phi Theta Kappa. The scholarship is awarded to PTK members in Mississippi who plan to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). The students were selected based on academic achievement, leadership, campus and community service, and faculty assessments. TVAwill also provide mentorship opportunities for the scholars. Warnsley will pur- sue an engineering degree at Mississippi State University. Men’s/Women’s Tennis Teams Ranked Both the ECCC men’s and women’s tennis teams were ranked in the final Oracle/ITANJCAA Top 25 poll of the spring season. The ECCC men were ranked No. 19 in the nation, while the ECCC Lady Warriors were ranked No. 24. East Central is one of only

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East Central Community College – Scott County