Eagles Break School Record, Claim Northeast Invitational
CORINTH, Miss. – The Meridian Community College men's golf team delivered a statement performance Tuesday, winning the Northeast Invitational at Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club with a school-record score and handing Mississippi Gulf Coast its first MACCC tournament loss since 2022.
The two-day event, held Sept. 22-23, featured plenty of drama. After round one, the Eagles sat in second place at 5-under-par as a team, trailing Jones College, who opened with 8-under. Sophomore Ayers Mathis paced MCC with a 5-under round to place second individually, while sophomore Jace Duckworth was tied for fifth at 4-under.
The final round brought fireworks as Mississippi Gulf Coast stormed back into contention with an 18-under team score on day two, giving them a 20-under total for the tournament and the lead. But the Eagles rose to the challenge, steadily closing the gap before surging ahead down the stretch. MCC finished 21-under-par as a team, edging Gulf Coast by a single stroke to claim the championship.
The 21-under team total set a new school record for Meridian, capping an unforgettable performance. Mathis was crowned tournament medalist after carding 11-under for the tournament, including a 6-under final round. Duckworth joined him on the All-Tournament Team with a fourth-place finish at 8-under, while sophomore Dax Reaux also cracked the top 10, tying for seventh at 4-under.
Head Coach Lance Strickland could not have been more proud of his team.
"This was a huge win for our program," Strickland said. "To beat a team like Gulf Coast and set a school record in the process says a lot about the work our guys have put in. I'm proud of every one of them."
The victory marks a milestone start to the fall season for Meridian. The Eagles will next host the Jim Redgate Invitational (MACCC Event #3) on Oct. 6-7 at Briarwood Country Club in Meridian.
