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(03/16/11 3:12pm)
Climbing the standings on the final day of play at the Barefoot at the Beach Inviational, the Mercer women’s golf team made the most of their recent visit to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina en route to an 11th-place finish in the 15-team field. Jumping Appalachian State and Marshall during the third round, the Bears (+86) would trail a competitive mid-major field in the tournament won by East Carolina (+27).
Hoping to repeat their championship performance in South Carolina as they did to win their second tournament title of the year at the Coastal Georgia Invitational, the team struggled in the first two rounds, posting 315 and 326 on the opening two days of the tournament.
The individual tournament title was taken by ECU’s Fanny Wolte (1st, 69-75-70) with a blistering -2 for the tournament while Mercer’s top two finishers, Lacey Fears (T-32nd, 77-84-73) and Mary Alice Murphy (T-32nd, 79-77-78), returning from an injury, would finish in the middle of the field. After resting for the past few tournaments, Kimberly Graff (T-47th, 80-79-78) continues to work on her game for the A-Sun Championship while teammates Keri Lynn Carson (T-64th, 79-86-82) and Aurelie Wiriath (T-77th, 90-88-80) rounded out Mercer’s entries.
Notably, the Bears would finish behind A-Sun rivals East Tennessee State (3rd, +39), Kennesaw State (4th, +52) and Campbell (T-7th, +66).
Mercer’s next tournament and final tuneup before the A-Sun Championship will be at the Plantation Inn Golf Course at Crystal River, Fla., in the University of Cincinnati Spring Invitational on March 25-27.
(03/16/11 2:59pm)
Wrestling in a national championship is a tough undertaking. Hosting a national championship is exponentially harder––just ask Mercer head wrestling coach Kevin Andres. A very tired but elated Andres was glad to see Mercer and the city of Macon successfully host the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s championship tournament over March 10-12 at the University Center as 77 teams from all over the nation wrestled in the men’s and women’s brackets.
“The tournament went phenomenally and we had hundreds of compliments on facility,” Andres said after the tournament ended last Saturday. “Everyone wants to come back next year and do this again in the University Center,” he added.
Coordinating the logistics and running the tournament added responsibility for Andres, but despite his hosting efforts he was able to coach his men’s team to an 11th-place finish and his women’s team to a 2nd-place finish overall.
Teams from all across the United States dotted the UC arena where six mats contained the ongoing matches during the three-day event. Wrestling programs from California, Texas and the Northeast traveled for a chance at glory in this year’s edition of the NCWA Championships. Twice as large as the NCAA, the NCWA encompasses many of the Division I and Division II colleges and universities with competitive wrestling programs but without NCAA athletic status.
With such tough competition during the tournament, Andres couldn’t have been more pleased with his team’s effort.
“The team did very well and actually wrestled very close to the expectations we had set going into the weekend,” Andres said.
On the men’s side, Charlie Farr (7th – 285 lb.) and Derek Wojcik (7th – 174 lb.) were both named Freshman All-Americans with their impressive performances in the tournament and on the women’s side, Kalia Burnette won the 148 lb. category to become Mercer wrestling’s first women’s national champion by defeating Sarah McCurdy of Southern Virginia in a one-minute pin.
Altogether, the women’s side would have three other NCWA All-Americans including Christina Le (2nd – 159 lb.), Felicia Fowler (3rd – 148 lb.) and Mary Rosher (3rd – 176 lb.).
California Baptist (156.5) would top the men’s overall standings with Grand Valley State (121) and 2009 champion Central Florida (99.5) rounding out the top three teams in the Division I standings. Northwest Missouri State (45) would easily take the Division II men’s title while Yakima Valley CC (123.5) would run away with the women’s title, besting Mercer (45) by nearly 80 points.
Mercer’s 11th-place finish comes on the heels of their 3rd-place conference finish at the SEC Championship held at Palm Coast, Fla.
(03/16/11 2:58pm)
The culmination of four and a half months of college basketball is finally here. Tourney time gives us the ability to finally pull out the pen and pencil, run off a few copies of the NCAA tournament bracket on the printers at our work (or dorm room) and compare matchups on the more complex statistics of the sport: RPI, SOS (strength of schedule) and their overall record.
I’m just glad that I no longer have to hear about what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks in his newest version of “Bracketology 101” or who the “last four in and first four out” are. Predictions and talking sports heads can wear on the average college basketball fan after a while. But now that tournament time is near, that means it’s time for us to be the experts of our own bracket. Seeking to conquer the office or dorm hall pool, here are my predictions in a wild tournament. May they help you in your decision-making. One final word of advice: don’t get too serious. Sometimes the brackets picked on the merits of a team’s mascot turn out better than anything the experts could have ever predicted. After all, it’s college basketball.
East
This fourth of the bracket should provide fans with a few interesting matchups late in the tournament including the likes of Ohio State (1), Kentucky (4), Syracuse (3) and North Carolina (2). I like the Buckeyes to advance to the final four as they’ll get the easiest matchups in the first two games before facing Kentucky (most likely) in the Sweet Sixteen. Looking for an upset? Georgia could possibly get by Washington in their opening-round matchup to take on UNC in the second round, a team that was pummeled in the ACC Championship by Duke.
West
Perhaps this is my favorite part of the bracket this year due to the mixture of big name schools and lesser-known teams matching up. Of course Duke (1), UConn (3) and Texas (4) lead the odds in this bracket, but I have the Aztecs of San Diego State advancing to the Final Four. Sure a Mountain West team hasn’t been seeded this high (#2 seed) in years, but they’re 32-2 and the best story in college basketball this year. It will be hard to see the Aztecs fall before at least the Elite Eight this March. An upset from this end looks unlikely, but I do like the 4-13 matchup when Texas faces a pesky Oakland squad in the opening round. The Golden Grizzlies are fresh out of their title run in the Summit League and could give the Longhorns all they want to handle.
Southwest
Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Kansas (1) looks to advance in a section of the bracket that may contain the most upsets this year. Vanderbilt (5) versus Richmond (12) is gaining momentum as the first-round upset favorite, but another matchup to keep an eye on is Louisville (4) and Morehead State (13). Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried is another feel-good story of 2011 as he leads his team against a Cardinal squad with a nearly identical record.
Southeast
Do I have Jimmer-fever? Yes, I like BYU and their multitalented guard that leads the country in scoring. He’ll be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft. I have a hard time seeing BYU advance, though, past the Sweet Sixteen when they could take on Florida (2) and then possibly Pittsburgh (1) before getting out of their respective quarter. Instead, I’m predicting a big run by Kansas State (5). They’re very talented, and despite an early exit in the Big XII tournament to Colorado they can play with anyone in the country. Don’t overlook the other team from Kansas this year.
May your brackets succeed and if you lose more than half of your opening round games, don’t worry. There’s always the Women’s NCAA bracket, or the NIT bracket, or the CBI bracket, for that matter.
(03/16/11 2:57pm)
In a breakthrough year, head men’s golf coach Andrew Tredway scored his first tournament title at the Frito Lay/AT&T Intercollegiate in Choctaw, Miss., before spring break. Riding the success of Mercer junior Josh Cone, the Bears lifted their first trophy of the season as they outplayed the field and bested Bethune-Cookman by 15 strokes for the victory.
Josh Cone shot a second-round 69 after an opening-round 75 to win the individual title while teammates John Gregory Joseph (T-2nd, 71-75) and Hans Reimers (T-2nd, 73-73) would round out the top three finishers in the two-day tournament. Matt Kocolowski (T-16th, 76-78) and Stefan Labuschagne (T-38th, 81-78) would round out Mercer’s lineup on a milestone day for the Bears.
“We got off to a shaky start and I’m so proud of how the guys battled back at the end,” Tredway said on MercerBears.com following the tournament. “I’m so proud of Cone today. That’s a big win for him and should be a confidence-builder for the future. He’s really starting to come into his own as a player,” he added.
Facing a tougher field at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville, Mercer scored an 11th-place finish in the 15-team tournament against some tough opponents. Arkansas (+2) would win the tournament title while Mercer (+34) would only finish 32 strokes back and within reach of the top 10 on the final day. Matt Kocolowski (T-21st, 77-74-71) would be the top finisher for the Bears as teammates John Gregory Joseph (T-28th, 73-74-76), Hans Reimers (T-37th, 70-77-78) and James Beale (T-54th, 76-78-76) would put forth their best efforts. Coming off of his first individual tournament title at Mercer, Josh Cone would struggle for a tie in 63rd, carding a 75-78-79.
“Eleventh doesn’t look great on paper, but it really puts us on a path to get one of the at-large bids at the end of the year,” Tredway said following the tournament. “That’s our goal and we just need to keep working at that.”
Continuing their competition against top-flight opponents, Tredway’s crew traveled to Bandon Dunes, Ore., for another nationally recognized tournament against some of the best schools in the West, ultimately settling for 11th in the 16-team event. Washington (#27) would take the tournament title as Florida (#4) would surprisingly finish third in the very competitive event. Considering the distance traveled and the competition, the scores were respectable with Matt Kocolowski (T-35th, 77-75-77) recording the low total for the Bears’ five-man roster. Playing as an individual, Mookie DeMoss (T-16th, 69-80-74) had a wild ride in Oregon after compiling four birdies during his first round before a bogey-filled second round. His third round +2 would be the low score for Mercer during the final day of action.
With only two tournaments remaining before the Atlantic Sun Championship Mercer ranks #95 in the nation, according to GolfStat.com, after posting relatively competitive scores against the best NCAA competition in the country during the past two tournaments.
(03/03/11 6:05pm)
Wrestling in the Southeastern Conference championships in Palm Coast, Florida, the Mercer wrestling team walked away with a 3rd place finish and plenty of momentum before they host the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) championships in Macon next week, March 10-12 at the University Center.
Led by head coach Kevin Andres, the orange and black grapplers built plenty of confidence going into their final tournament of the season with nine off their roster advancing to the NWCA finals next week and with ten wrestlers placing in the top-8 within their respective weight classes.
“Realistically, we wanted to go into the SEC championship and qualify as many possible,” said Andres. “I was overwhelmed by how the team did and we had a phenomenal effort in the conference tournament. We’re peaking at the right time for nationals,” he added.
Facing 15 other teams, Mercer went into the conference tournament with plenty of enthusiasm and youth. In fact, eight of the nine wrestlers that will move onto the NCWA championships are freshman as well as Mercer’s lone conference champion, Charlie Farr.
It was a strong showing from the Bears (108.5 points) over the weekend as they would only finish behind eventual champion Central Florida (164.5) and Marion Military Institute (160.5) in third place. Fourth place University of Florida (64.5) was well out of reach as were the Bulldogs of Georgia (63.0) in their fifth place result.
The tournament started well for the Bears as Nick Wright (125lb) took down two opponents before a pin at the 4:30 mark to finish second to Alexander Chiricosta (UCF) bringing Wright’s record to 22-9 for the season. Wesley Adams (133lb, 17-17) would follow up the effort with a fourth place finish in his weight class while teammate Arturo Holmes II (141lb, 10-2) would fight through the consolation bracket after a loss to Brandon Westermann (Marion Military Institute) to finish in 3rd with a 9-2 decision over Michael Giorgio (MMI).
Cinnegar White (149lb, 16-15) would fall in the consolation bracket after fighting through two rounds in a loaded weight class to take a 6th place result while Hunter Allen (157lb, 19-15) would also finish 6th in his respective weight class. Mercer’s lineup would also include solid results from Ronald Henderson (165lb – 5th), Derek Wojcik (174lbs – 2nd), Michael Myers (184lb – 5th), Ben Mercier (197lb – 8th), as well as Charlie Farr’s (285lb – 1st) rout of the heavyweight class.
Farr, one of Andres’ top freshman wrestlers, improved his overall record to 29-6 on the year and is one of Mercer’s best bets to advance in the NCWA tournament in Macon. Andres feels good about his team’s chances in the national tournament next week, but is equally as excited to see college wrestling come to the Macon area.
“The fact that we’re bringing college wrestling to the area is huge,” said Andres. “Macon is starving for something like this and fans will definitely see some of the best collegiate wrestling action in the United States next weekend,” he added.
(03/02/11 6:10pm)
Battling the two of the top teams in the conference, Mercer’s men’s basketball team held their own against a pair of tough conference opponents from Nashville, Belmont and Lipscomb, to close out the 2010-11 regular season. Going 1-1 in their final two games at home, the Bears solidified their 5th seed in the Atlantic Sun postseason tournament in Macon.
Belmont 75, Mercer 64
The hottest team in all of mid-major college basketball stunned a large crowd in the University Center, handling the Bears in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Mercer led early, with a seven point halftime lead, but a surging Bruins’ offense opened leads as large as 24 points in the second half, dooming Mercer’s upset bid for the night.
Brian Mills (15 points, eight rebounds) would lead the scoring for Mercer on a night where they sank 42.6% of their shots from the field. Teammate Justin Cecil chipped in 11 points while role player Jake Gollon would add nine points in limited action. Belmont’s team-centered approach would see 11 different players score during the course of the game, led by Kerron Johnson’s 12 points.
“(Belmont) Coach Byrd did a good job tonight,” said Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman following the game on MercerBears.com. “We took away a few things, but we didn’t take away enough. We also didn’t get to the free throw line as much in the second half and that was a big issue for us,” he added.
“I thought we kind of lost our energy for a spell and they just kept coming at us,” said Hoffman.
Mercer 68, Lipscomb 67
The Bears won a last-second thriller in a game that ultimately didn’t matter in terms of seeding, knocking off the visiting Bison when point guard Josh Slater’s shot didn’t fall through the hoop. With Mercer’s seniors being honored at halftime, the Bears came out to a vocal crowd with a full student section and nearly full arena.
As expected, both teams made runs throughout the game with six ties and ten lead changes throughout the course of the contest. Neither team was able to mount much of a lead during the contest, but it was a key three-pointer by Jake Gollon that gave the Bears a four point cushion with only 22 seconds remaining. A Lipscomb bucket from Josh Slater cut the lead to one point and then a pair of missed free-throws from Mark Hall gave LU a chance to win the game at the final buzzer.
Driving the length of the court, Slater’s last chance shot bounced twice around the rim before falling short to bring the crowd to their feet in the final regular season game of the season.
Brian Mills would lead Mercer’s offensive charge with 20 points while freshman Bud Thomas would add 10 points. The Bison’s Josh Slater (23 points) and Adnan Hodzic (17 points) were a dangerous pair on the night, but fell just short in their late rally.
Mercer and Lipscomb will take on each other in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament on Thursday night at 9pm.
(02/23/11 10:15pm)
[caption id="attachment_1406" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff)Mercer “fan-hood” observed at a recent game. Athletic events simply need more of what’s pictured above."]
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No, this isn’t an opinion about Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, but it does borrow from its ideas of defining greatness. Perhaps the biggest take-away from the famous 1949 play is understanding the misconceptions of ourselves and how we should define greatness. Nevertheless, we’re talking about the “sixth man” on the basketball court: the crowd.
What defines a great crowd? Is it the attendance number or maybe the noise level? Could it be the thrill of sitting next to your buddies and yelling until your larynx goes limp or could it be just waving your hands in the air when the wave comes to your side of the arena? It’s a question worth considering as Mercer looks to redefine and rebrand athletics after the announcement of football taking centerstage beginning in September of 2013.
I’ve considered the title for this column for some time. Attendance is way up by all accounts to our men’s basketball games, the biggest money sport at Mercer, yet our student section wanes in support of the team. A small yet energetic group of rowdy fans known as “Hoffman’s Hooligans” command the first two rows of the section for most games, yet many times they seemed to be outnumbered by the apathetic un-enthusiasm of the crowd that hangs in the air like a thick fog after a hard rain.
Sports Illustrated recently released a study on the myths and proven reasons behind why home teams seem to win more often than visiting teams in nearly all sports. In summary, it boils down to the fact that the officials, not the crowd, are the largest influencers in the outcome of a game. The study also went on to reflect that psychology behind this phenomenon in that officials conform their calls to the social pressure created by the home crowd (i.e. using crowd noise to help them resolve uncertainties in making a call).
The point is that the home crowd can have an enormous effect, albeit in small ways, on the outcome of a game. That leads us to the question of introspection: why does our student body seem so lackadaisical in supporting even our biggest sports?
As of print time, the men’s team averages 2,086 people over the course of the 13 home games they played this season. Undoubtedly, that’s almost a 100 percent increase from four years ago and about a 40 percent increase from two seasons ago. However, more and more of the spectators are Maconites, not students.
It doesn’t seem to be a matter of wins and losses. The men’s basketball team seems to be matching last year’s record at this point in the season. We did lose popular players and a polarizing one in James Florence — fans either loved the way he played or couldn’t wait to get rid of him. It’s not a matter of promotions either, as Bass Pro Shops, Chick-fil-A, and a handful of other businesses have sponsored games this season.
I believe it’s the message that we hear from those who wish to be great (like Willy, the salesman in Death of a Salesman) but are unfortunately looking through life with jaded lenses. To put it bluntly, cheering a team on is not cool at Mercer. Supporting something other than yourself is not cool at Mercer. Those living under King David’s reign chastised him for dancing. We chastise others with our thoughts and eyes when we cheer exuberantly at games.
There are two people that go to Mercer: givers and takers. Unfortunately, there are simply too many “takers” in the stands on any given night. They’re the ones who ask, “What can I get from the game?” and, “What’s in it for me?” They’re the ones who come to the game to look cool in their designer jeans and Patagonia jackets, hoping to impress. Mercer shouldn’t have to offer incentives and free T-shirts to encourage you to come to an event. In addition, what an embarrassment to the men’s and women’s soccer programs and volleyball programs when QuadWorks required students to attend at least three of six events in the fall to get a priority homecoming ticket. Students showed up to sign in, only to leave after five minutes. That’s embarrassing and if you’re a taker — shame on you!
No, we cannot be involved in all campus activities, but for the ones we are involved in, shouldn’t we take them and leave them better than we found them? Why is Duke such an imposing place to play? Students took it upon themselves to paint up and jump up and down for 40 minutes in order to pysch out other teams.
Hoffman, the men’s basketball team, and the rest of the athletic teams are doing what they can to put the best product on the field/court. Yes, winning sells tickets and goes a long way, but many Mercerians need to wake up and smell the coffee — life is not just about “Being the Bear,” adding as many activities and positions to the bottom of your e-mail signature as possible and looking out for #1 all the time. It’s not about being apathetic and lukewarm in the 1,426 things that you do around campus.
That’s my challenge to the student body. It’s almost March and it’s put-up-or-shut-up time. If you want to waste oxygen in the UC Arena and sit in an orange fold-out only to appear mildly interested in the happenings on the court and wondering how you benefit from coming to the game, don’t come. For those who want to cheer and cheer loudly to be the sixth man for the team — true Mercerians — I’ll see you at the game!
(02/23/11 9:09pm)
A customer at Rodeo Beach shops for boots Monday at the company's new retail location in Mercer Village.
[nggtags gallery=rodeo,wordpress,...]
A new outdoor clothing and supply store opened in Mercer Village earlier this month, making it the latest addition to the neighborhood's burgeoning retail sector.
Rodeo Beach outfitters store officially opened for business Feb. 1 in the storefront previously occupied by The Bike Store.
Owned by local entrepreneurs Christyanne Gaspar and J.J. Hobbs, Rodeo Beach’s flagship location marks a first for the five-year-old online retailer based out of Tampa, Fla.
The store is located at 1305 Linden Avenue in the same building as Francar's Buffalo Wings and Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Gasper said the store is a part of the company's ‘click-to-brick’ program that aims at expanding the company's presence within the local community while supplementing its web-based retailing site, www.rodeobeach.com.
“This store will tailor to the needs of the local community, both Macon and Mercer, and will offer a huge selection of gear for everything from the beach to the Friday night party,” said Gaspar, a native of Macon who attended high school at nearby Mt. de Sales Academy. “It’s truly where the beach meets the west”.
As an outfitter store, Rodeo Beach carries an array of outdoor brands, from popular Hawaiian beach lines like Dakine, Sanuk, Scott, Ripcurl, Rainbow Sandals and Freestyle, to western brands such as Ariat boots, Tilley, and Barmah hats.
The store also offers eyewear and other outdoor accessories, ranging from Nixon watches to Sigg waterbottles and Pepper’s sunglasses.
The new store will still sell bicycles from established retailers such as Trek, Gary Fisher, Felt and Townie. It also will carry bicycle spare parts, accessories and cycling clothing.
“We still have bikes here and are happy to service them, but we wanted to change the focus of this location from biking to gear and accessories that students can use on an everyday basis,” Gaspar said.
Gaspar said the transition of the space from a complete bike shop to an outfitters store happened faster than he expected.
“We hope to be up to full speed by April, but I’m impressed with what we have on display so far,” Gaspar said.
Brown and black leather boots and straw and leather hats line the wall, and beachwear is scattered throughout the store.
“Being a part of this community is really what is important. We’re so excited to be a part of Macon, and Mercer has helped us out tremendously through this process,” Gaspar said.
Lately, Gaspar has been busy helping customers in the already popular store.
“Once we get established here in Macon, we hope to put out smaller retail spots near other colleges to meet the needs of those communities, but right now, we’re completely focused on this market,” Gaspar said.
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the store will take place in Mercer Village on Thursday, March 17.
To contact writer J. Andrew Lockwood, email sports@mercercluster.com.
(02/23/11 9:07pm)
(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) Joe Winker (far right) receives a tip of the cap from his teammates after a three homerun game against Liberty this past weekend.
The defending Atlantic Sun Champions looked stellar in their opening series of the 2011 campaign, taking three of four in a series against the highly touted Liberty Flames of Lynchburg, Virginia. Friday night’s season opener was a come-from-behind thriller for the Bears as they opened the series with a 6-4 win followed by a pair of clobberings, 7-2 and 17-5, during the doubleheader slated for Saturday. Sunday afternoon’s game turned into a pitcher’s duel with Mercer ultimately falling 5-4.
It was the type of start head coach Craig Gibson could have hoped for against a team that went 42-19 in 2010. Perhaps one of their biggest non-conference series of the spring, Mercer will now continue to tune-up against regional competition before the Atlantic Sun schedule starts March 4 in Nashville when the Bears take on Belmont in Rose Park for a three game series.
Mercer 6, Liberty 4
The Bears pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win a sell-out opening night after a rocky start in the first inning. Starter Matt McCall was shelled for three runs to open the game, but Mercer’s pitching staff kept the Flames relatively quiet for the remainder of the contest as reliever David Teasley would pick up the win with his two innings of work.
A pair of freshman, Derrick Workman and DJ Johnson, would help Mercer launch a comeback in the fourth inning with an RBI doubles to score three runs. Catcher Jason Butts would later knock in leadoff hitter Billy Burns to tie the game at 4-4.
Late in the eighth frame, Thomas Carroll would come up big for the Bears with his first hit of the season, driving in Jacob Tanis followed by another RBI-groundout from Butts. Teasley would finish off Liberty with three straight strikeouts in a thriller.
Mercer 7, Liberty 2
Saturday afternoon’s first game started off with a bang for the Bears, five runs in the first two innings courtesy of a pair of homeruns from shortstop Evan Boyd and first basemen John Moreland. Brandon Love would last for five strong innings, holding Liberty to only two runs on five hits as Mercer finished off Liberty in a quick contest.
Tempers would erupt from the Flames dugout in a heavily disputed balk called on Mercer’s pitcher, resulting in an ejection of Liberty’s third base coach. Nevertheless, the spark of anger couldn’t fuel the Flames’ fire as Mercer would race out to their second win of the year.
Mercer 17, Liberty 5
Fans sitting on the right field wall may have mistaken the game for a homerun derby as Mercer clubbed eight home runs in a laugher. Senior DH Joe Winker (5-6, 3 HR, 5 RBI) had a career day from the plate and joined in the long-ball hitting shenanigans with teammates Derrick Workman (4-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Billy Burns (3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Jacob Tanis (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI), and Travis Benn (1-6, 1 HR, 1 RBI).
Brandon Barker, a freshman, pitched well into the fifth inning, while Teasley (2-0) and a host of other pitchers maintained Mercer’s dominant grip on the contest.
Liberty 5, Mercer 4
In perhaps the closest battle of the series, Mercer simply couldn’t muster the offensive firepower that they had displayed on Saturday. Starting pitcher Keegan Minza settled down after a 2-0 first inning lead for Mercer courtesy of RBIs from Evan Boyd and Thomas Carroll. The Flames would mount a comeback in the fourth inning, scoring three innings off of Justice French before eventually knocking him out of the game in the fifth after a line drive grazed his hand.
Down 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Jacob Tanis would offer a moonshot to the fans in the outfield to tie the score 4-4, but the lead would be short-lived. David Teasley, relieving in his third game of the weekend, would overthrow the first basemen in an attempted pickoff, allowing a runner from third to score. Flame relievers Garrett Baker and Josh Richardson were stealth in their 3.2 innings of work at the end, allowing only two hits to give Liberty their first win of 2011.
(02/23/11 8:29pm)
[caption id="attachment_1459" align="aligncenter" width="368" caption="(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) The Bears celebrate a goal against VMI in their home opener against the Keydets a week ago."]
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It’s finally here to stay at Mercer as the lacrosse team competed in their first three regular season games during their 2011 inaugural campaign under head coach Jason Childs. After a convincing 16-2 win over Georgia Tech’s club team, the Bears seemed to be a little intimidated at Ohio State as they handily lost 20-2 before falling in their home opener to VMI 15-9 and on the road at Bellarmine 20-6.
Despite the losses though, the team received a standing room only crowd as fans tailgated and watched the first official NCAA Division I lacrosse game take place at Bear Field last week.
Ohio State 20, Mercer 2
Chalk up the loss to early-season jitters and an overpowering opponent. OSU jumped out to a quick start, piling up goals to reach a 6-0 first quarter lead before Mercer sunk their first two goals of the game via Cole Branch and Brett Eisenmann. Trailing 17-2 after three periods, the Bears staved off more Buckeye goals but it was an all-around tough day for MU goalie Justin Bateman who surrendered 17 goals but came up with seven saves. OSU would outshoot the Bears 43-20 and would win 22 of 24 faceoffs.
“We got a lesson today in what happens when you are not 100% ready to play when it’s time to drop the ball,” said head coach Jason Childs afterwards on MercerBears.com. “I thought we came out very tentative and worried too much about what OSU was going to do and not enough about what we needed to do,” he added.
VMI 15, Mercer 9
It was a loss, but the game still held important significance for the men in orange and black. It was the first recorded D-I lax game in the state and in front of 478 fans, Mercer looked pretty good in the early going. With nine freshman in the starting lineup, Mercer’s defense looked much improved after the loss at Ohio State, holding VMI to only one first quarter goal. At halftime, the Bears only trailed 4-2.
The third quarter would prove to settle the match however as the Keydets forced eight goals to run the score to 12-5 to start the fourth period and push the game out of reach. Bateman netted 11 saves, but gave up 14 goals as the Mercer offense came alive too late in the game. Nine different players would score for Mercer and Branch and Eisenmann would each record their second goals of the season.
Bellarmine 20, Mercer 6
The Knights exploded in the second quarter for ten unanswered goals to take a 12-1 lead to halftime in another rout of the newly minted Mercer lax team. Alex Baird would score the Bears’ first hat trick with three goals in the game, becoming Mercer’s first multi-goal scorer.
Bateman and Dillon Volk would split time in the net, with Bateman ringing up 13 saves while allowing 12 goals. Once again, the Bears were outmatched statistically as they were outshot (50-36) and grabbed fewer faceoffs (10-30), but once again fought valiantly in Louisville during their third loss of the season.
After returning home for a match against Jacksonville, Mercer will travel to Detroit Mercy, Yale, Dartmouth, Sacred Heart, and Duke before returning home for a two game home stand against Carthage and Air Force.
(02/23/11 3:14pm)
(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) Mercer's Justin Cecil attempts to dunk between two Florida Gulf Coast defenders in a recent home win against the Eagles.
The bad news Bears that were vying for the eighth and final spot a month ago are on the hottest streak in the Atlantic Sun, winning seven of their last ten games and nine of their last twelve. After devastating midseason injuries to guard Jeff Smith and forward Brandon Moore, the Bears have shown resilience under head coach Bob Hoffman in their ascension in the conference standings. It’s a winning streak they hope to carry through to the Atlantic Sun tournament, hosted once again in Macon at the University Center March 2-5.
Mercer 72, Stetson 62 OT
The beginning looked bleak as Mercer’s oldest rivals pulled out a 21-10 lead midway through the first half. However, Brian Mills carried the team after a slow start to tie the Hatters 25-25 at halftime. Both teams tried to mount significant leads in the second half, but to no avail. With the Hatters leading by one point with 28 seconds left, freshman Bud Thomas had a chance to win the game but missed one of two free throws and then another two free throws to take the game to overtime.
In overtime, Jake Gollon contributed seven points and six rebounds in Mercer’s rout of the Hatters in the five extra minutes to push Mercer towards another Atlantic Sun victory. Mark Hall carried Mercer through the night though with 23 points off of a 4-for-9 performance from the perimeter. Mills would finish with 21 points and eight rebounds while Gollon would chip in 14 points.
“Mark Hall was awesome tonight,” said head coach Bob Hoffman on MercerBears.com. “He got every loose ball and the ones he didn’t Jake Gollon got. It was a huge win and it was a great team win with our guys staying focused,” he added.
Mercer 74, FGCU 61
The Bears throttled out to a quick start, building a 20-point first-half lead on the Eagles, only to fight off a late comeback during the second half. Florida Gulf Coast would tie the game at the 7:04 mark in the second half, but timely baskets from Brian Mills would prove beneficial to the Bears as the Douglasville senior amassed a team-high 22 points on the night.
Free throws were critical and the Bears cashed in from the charity stripe, knocking down 21-for-29 in the second half to seal the game. Justin Cecil scored 14 points as teammates Mark Hall (12 points) and Bud Thomas (10 points) also had hot hands on offense.
Mercer 57, Kenn. State 55
In the biggest rivalry of recent years, it came down to one shot. With 9.5 seconds remaining, Bud Thomas inbounded to Langston Hall who then passed it back to Thomas on the right side of the court. A streaking Brian Mills caught the ensuing bounce pass to deposit it for the go-ahead score in an intense and physical game with the A-Sun neighbors from Atlanta. KSU’s Markeith Cummings (30 points) would miss a desperation three-pointer, allowing Mercer to punch another postseason ticket to the A-Sun tournament.
“Coach kept telling us to ‘believe, believe in each other,’” Mills said after the game. “We’ve made it this far with each other. We called the play and Bud (Thomas) made an unbelievable pass and it worked,” he added.
In the thriller, it was a tale of two halves, of which Mercer controlled the first. However, the Bears hung on late despite a 54.5 percent shooting percentage from the Owls in the second half to win their ninth conference game of the season.
Mercer 78, North Florida 75
Moving quickly up the standings, the Bears’ trip to Jacksonville was anything but easy. With both teams pulling out small leads in the first half and a tie at the break, Brian Mills had another legendary game with a career-high 34 points to lead Mercer to a win. With their backcourt in foul trouble (Thomas, Hall and Chris Smith would all eventually foul out), the big men shouldered the work as Jake Gollon and Justin Cecil provided excellent defense and offensive opportunities in the paint. Once again free throws were crucial as Gollon (2-2) and Mills (12-14) would hit shots down the stretch to give Mercer a cushion at the end.
Jacksonville 74, Mercer 68
A pesky Dolphins team avenged their early season lose in the University Center with a big win at the Veterans Memorial Arena to snap Mercer’s five-game winning streak. The Bears never led on the night and despite Langston Hall’s 22 points, Mercer simply didn’t have the firepower to stay in the game although they shot 48.9 percent from the field for the game. Turnovers were the key stat of the night as MU committed 20, their highest total since a Dec. 4 loss to Lipscomb (21).
Despite the loss, Mercer returns home for their final two games of the regular season as they’ll face Belmont and Lipscomb, two tough opponents, at home before the beginning of the Atlantic Sun tournament March 2-5.
(02/21/11 3:32am)
It’s not quite time yet for the Atlantic Sun tournament, but head coach Gary Guyer’s squad seems to be peaking at the right time. After a fifth place finish at the Jacksonville University Classic at Hidden Hills Country Club, the Bears pulled off their second tournament win of the season at the Coast Georgia Invitational in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Trailing rival A-Sun schools Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast by only a few strokes at the end of two rounds, Mercer would settle in 5th with a team score of 642 (315-327) during the competitive Florida tournament eventually won by Daytona State College.
Freshman Lacey Fears (15th, 79-80) would take the low score for the Bears while teammates Aurelie Wiriath (T16th, 75-85), Alicia Poole (19th, 81-80) and Kimberly Graff (T-20th, 80-82) would stay in range during the final round. Sophomore Kaitlin Marrin (30th, 86-87) would round out the five on MU’s scorecard as they successfully stayed ahead of USC Upstate and South Dakota.
“We played okay at the JU classic, but it was not up to our standards," Guyer said. "But the lesson we learned is that the way we putt is the way we score. I think our team always has to keep in mind that our short game is the most important thing. Everyone on the team had moments of brilliance. Aurelie had a solid opening round and was three off the lead. Tee to green, Kimmy played exceptional. We just couldn't get the ball in the hole, and that is what golf is about."
Aurelie Wiriath’s opening round at the JU Classic hinted at things to come as she would take her first collegiate individual tournament title with a playoff win over Shorter’s Greta Lange the next weekend. Lange, who lost to Lacey Fears in a playoff hole at Macon’s Eat-A-Peach Collegiate has committed to Wake Forest for the 2011-12 golf season.
“It was such a thrill to win my first collegiate golf tournament following a playoff,” Wiriath commented after the two-day tournament was complete.
After shooting an 80 on the opening day, Wiriath stayed consistent over the course of 18 holes to card a 75, combined with the mishaps of Greta Lange (2nd, 72-83) to force a playoff hole at the end. Ultimately, Wiriath would par the hole while Lange would bogey.
“Competing in Coastal Georgia’s inaugural tournament was exciting for us,” said Guyer. “We love Sea Island and have made some great friends there. We could have played better the first day and ended up digging ourselves into a hole. Six shots was a pretty big lead for Shorter and they have one of the top players in the country leading their team. Our girls felt confident that we could catch them, but it would take everyone coming together. Our player’s goal was to beat the other team’s players in their group,” he added.
The Belle Bears saw top individual finishes from Lacey Fears (T-6th, 78-84), Kaitlin Marrin (T-9th, 81-83) and Alicia Poole (T-11th, 80-85) followed by Keri Lynn Carson (32nd, 93-93).
As they enjoy their second team tournament title of the 2010-11 golf season, Mercer preps for a competitive 15 team field at the Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (hosted by the College of Charleston) on March 6-7 in their “run for the A-Sun.”
(02/09/11 11:30pm)
[caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="384" caption="The Hawaiian Ironman, the top of my bucket list (photo courtesy of thefuntimesguide.com)"]
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There are events and games for which we all wish we had a ticket. If you’re a sports fan of any kind, you most likely have a “sporting bucket list” of major events or matchups you want to attend during your lifetime. Sure, ESPN will always give you a recap on the next morning of SportsCenter, but unless you’re there in the stands, on the sidelines or across the tape, you just don’t know what it’s really about.
My bucket list is probably a bit different than that of the average American sports fan. I tend to gravitate to endurance sports, especially those held in harsh conditions around the globe, but I can also appreciate the skill needed to sink the winning putt at the Masters or the timing necessary to pull off a game-winning three pointer. It’s a hodgepodge of events that I want to see before I die or before my bank account runs dry.
1. The Hawaiian Ironman
It’s the world’s toughest Ironman triathlon, a race for the best endurance athletes in the world. After a grueling 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run, the contestants finish a race that many describe as “life changing.” Last year’s winner Chris McCormack (a two-time winner) won with a time of 8:10.37, leading the 1,849 contestants who entered. Just to watch the elation of the finishers would well be worth the trip to Kona.
2. The Super Bowl
The world’s largest sporting event in terms of television audience, media presence and hoopla is a must on my bucket list. Forget the fact that the cheapest ticket I could find three days before the big game went for $2,185 and was so high in Cowboy Stadium that you would not only get a nose bleed, but suffer from altitude sickness. I just want to go to see what the frenzy is about. Even if it features two teams that I could care less about, the importance of the game makes it a can’t miss.
3. The Masters
There’s just something so attractive about a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Augusta National. The perfect greens, the chirping birds, the scenic view and the best golfers in the world create an even more incredible combination than Arnold Palmer’s sweet tea and lemonade. The story lines generated during the opening rounds and the always nail-biting finishes make this a big ticket in the spring.
4. The Tour de France
Perhaps it’s been tainted by doping allegations and the departure of Lance Armstrong, but the tour is still one of the most dramatic events to witness over the course of the month. It could be the length that makes it so attractive, the act of finishing a 3,000+ mile race with top competition that draws me to the sport of cycling. Nonetheless, sipping a glass of vino on top of the Pyrenees while watching the best in the world give it their all would be quite the sight to see.
5. UNC vs. Duke (College basketball)
Mercer basketball turned me into a hoops fan for reasons undiscovered before my college years. The story lines during games, the crazy fans, the spectacles on the court and the occasional basket-brawl keep me watching. I have no allegiances to either North Carolina or Duke, but just to be surrounded by passionate fans of their caliber would make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium worthwhile.
6. The Daytona 500
In the words of Darryl Waltrip, “Boogity, boogity, boogity!” The smell of cheap beer, sunscreen and racing fuel is enough to draw me. While 43 cars enter, there are only a few fan favorites. Despite the race’s length, what could be more fun than cheering for your favorite driver next to a dude with a ‘3’ shaved into the side of his head, wearing jorts?
7. MLB Spring Training (Grapefruit League)
It’s the only time of hope for clubs like the Pittsburgh Pirates. Everyone’s happy and giddy for the season to begin. Temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night in Florida’s Grapefruit league and players are willing to talk and sign autographs for hours with fans. The games don’t count—the glorified warm-up practices (more or less) with official jerseys and caps—but for baseball purists, Spring Training is a pot of gold.
8. Wimbledon
The English love their tennis and Wimbledon is considered by many the greatest tournament in the world. So many winners have made a lasting impact on the sport at Wimbledon, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, the Williams sisters—the list goes on. Television doesn’t really do it justice. It’s just one of those things where you have to be there to experience it.
9. Heavyweight title bout
I never quite figured out the appeal of MMA (although I’d still like to attend), but boxing goes back longer than almost every other sport. It’s mano a mano, except with boxing gloves and slick-looking shorts. Insert a television broadcast by HBO and a ring announcer with a voice lower than a humpback whale and you have an experience. Where was I when Tyson-Holyfield II was going on in 1997?
10. Yankees vs. Red Sox
It’s THE rivalry in American sports, I’m just not sure why. Perhaps this country boy doesn’t understand the hate involved in the 102-year-old rivalry, but I’d sure like to sit behind a few Yankee and Sox fans during the next classic at Fenway or in the brand new Yankee stadium and try to. Nevertheless, it makes my top ten list.
Other events that were close, but didn’t crack my top ten:
FIFA World Cup, the NBA Finals, the Kentucky Derby, ICC Cricket World Cup, MMA fight, Rugby World Cup
(02/09/11 3:57pm)
[caption id="attachment_598" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="(photo courtesy of Andrew Tredway) Mercer's Mookie DeMoss got off to a good start at the JU Invitational, carding a 74 (+2) during the first round."]
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The road to the Atlantic Sun Championship began this past weekend as the Mercer men’s golf team traveled to Ponte Verda Beach, Fla. for the Jacksonville Invitational, played at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.
After moving up to as high as 6th on the team leader board, Mercer (904) would finish in 8th, two shots behind East Carolina and ten behind Wake Forest. Heavyweight Florida (858) would take the tournament cup by 25 strokes over 2nd place North Florida and UF’s Bank Vongvanij (-5, 69-69-73) would finish as the low medalist, taking the tournament’s individual title.
“We got off to a great start at TPC and really put ourselves in a great position with about 9 holes to play,” said head coach Andrew Tredway. “Unfortunately we ran into a few problems at the end, but I have to give our team a lot of credit for getting themselves there.”
Mercer’s five-man lineup saw the debut of Hans Reimers (+11, 72-72-81), who played exceptionally well during his opening two rounds to finish in a tie for 28th. Reimers had a chance to finish within the top 10 on the final day before four bogeys, a double and a triple bogey pushed his final round to +9. Nevertheless, the redshirt freshman from Oregon showed great ability during the opening stages. Stefan Labuschagne’s (+10, 78-76-72) third-round 72 helped solidify his position as the team’s low scorer as he would finish 24th in the event standings. Labuschagne would drain three birdies during his final 18 holes for his best round of the tournament.
“Stefan had a very good final round. There was some wind out there and he got off to a great start on one of the most difficult courses in the world. Seventy-two on the final day was a very good round of golf and we were happy for him,” said Tredway.
“Hans had a great start to his college career and we can’t say enough about the job he did for us,” the head coach added. “Seventy-two to 74 over the opening 36 holes was great playing and #17 got him during the final round. It happens to the very best players in the world, but he hit a great shot and that’s all you can really ask for—the wind just kind tricked us all.”
Teammates John Gregory Joseph (+12, 77-77-74) and Josh Cone (+12, 78-70-80) would finish in a tie for 32nd as Cone would shot the low round of the tournament during his second round -2. Mookie DeMoss (+16, 74-78-80) would round out the men’s lineup with a 45th place finish.
“We were in position to beat some premier programs, but we let it slip away with 10 or 11 holes to go,” said MU head coach Andrew Tredway following the tournament. “Overall, we saw some positive things out of some of the guys, but this shows us there is still plenty of work left to do and with our depth. We need to find the right mix of players for the next event,” he added on MercerBears.com.
Looking at the final standings, Mercer would finish behind A-Sun rival UNF (2nd) but topped other conference programs like ETSU (9th), Florida Gulf Coast (10th) and host Jacksonville (T-13th) in the 15-team tournament. As of the latest GolfWeek.com rankings from mid-November, Mercer was ranked #111 in the country and 6th best in the Atlantic Sun.
“This event had some of the best teams in the nation there, and it’s easy for people to look at eighth and not think too much of it,” Tredway added. “There were 10 top 100 teams in the field including, #1 and #21 in Florida and Wake Forest. These are teams that will be right in the thick of it come June at the NCAA Championship. I believe we are really close, and all we have to do is keep doing the things that our players did this week: put themselves in a position to be successful.”
Tredway’s team will travel next to Philadelphia, Miss. for the Frito Lay Intercollegiate at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club on Feb. 20 and 21.
(02/09/11 12:00pm)
[caption id="attachment_514" align="aligncenter" width="287" caption="(Alex Lockwood / Cluster Staff) Brian Mills aims to score against Campbell, a game in which his 20 points helped the Bears score a big win."]
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Don’t look now, but the Mercer men’s basketball team is slowly moving up the conference standings. Earlier in January, they were in danger of dropping out of the top eight in the conference standings and thus missing the postseason General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championship hosted here in Macon. But with a string of current wins, Mercer continues to move forward in their quest for a conference championship.
Setbacks, though—specifically injuries—have plagued the Bears in recent days as senior guard Jeff Smith was lost for the season after a win against Jacksonville and senior power forward Brandon Moore went down to a season-ending injury in a loss to ETSU. The coming weeks will be telling of the Bears’ resiliency this spring as they enter the final month of regular season play.
Mercer 78, Kennesaw State 70
The Bears simply caught fire in the second half in order to run away from the Owls in a boisterous game in KSU’s Convocation Center. Brandon Moore’s career-high 22 points joined with Brian Mills’ 21 points were indicative of Mercer’s strong post game for the night as they also out-rebounded the Owls 36-29. Justin Cecil would do some damage from beyond the perimeter as well, netting 13 points off of a 3-for-5 shooting performance from the three-point line.
“At the end, we were the only ones left in the gym,” said head coach Bob Hoffman as a sizable crowd of Mercer supporters, cheerleaders and pep band traveled 100 miles north to the rivalry game. “Our guys fed off of that. Thanks to the cheerleaders and the pep band for taking their Tuesday night off to make the trip up here and help us get a victory,” he added.
Mercer 65, USC-Upstate 53
Heard of Bud Thomas? The freshman with the curly locks led Mercer’s second-half charge against a pesky Spartans team to the win in the Hodge Center as the Bears would win their second contest in a row. Thomas would score 11 points in the second half to help Mercer make up a 13-point difference from the first half en route to another important victory.
In a game in which they were sorely outrebounded, Mercer made up the difference by shooting close to 40 percent from the field for the game. Brandon Moore would collect another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Brian Mills would net 15 on the night. Bud Thomas would finish with 13 points and guard Langston Hall would finish with 10 points.
ETSU 82, Mercer 75
Misfortune would again rear its ugly head on the Bears as leading rebounder and second leading scorer Brandon Moore would exit the game three minutes into the game with a knee injury. Despite a Bears’ rally coming from Justin Cecil (23 points, 5-8 3pt FG), Mercer would fall just short of the second place Bucs.
Foul trouble late in the game would prohibit the Bears from making a last minute run, but a valiant effort from Mercer kept ETSU in check until the final buzzer. ETSU’s Mike Smith, a key player in last year’s championship run, led all scorers with 28 points.
Mercer 63, Campbell 45
A large crowd of 2,671 in the University Center saw Mercer dominate the Camels in a must-win game for the Bears. With the 18 point victory, Mercer moves up to 6th in the A-Sun standings and improved their overall record to 9-15 (6-7 ASun). Bud Thomas continued to impress the crowd as a guard in the starting lineup, registering his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brian Mills would lead all scorers with 20 points along with a 10 point effort from Mark Hall.
This was a huge game for this team for this season,” said Hoffman afterwards. “There’s a lot more to happen, but we played like this was our conference championship and we had to have it,” he added.
(01/31/11 10:30pm)
After ending the speculation and 70-year hiatus of football at Mercer last November, the next step in reinstating football in Macon was to hire a head coach. After a two-month search, Bobby Lamb was introduced as Mercer’s 19th head coach, first of the modern era, and will lead the team as they begin NCAA Division I non-scholarship football in September 2013.
Lamb is the coup Mercer was looking for and is a proven winner at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level with a 67-40 overall record in his nine years at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
“Bobby Lamb had the five items we were really looking for in a football coach,” said President William D. Underwood. “He’s got a proven track record at Furman, strong connections to Georgia high school football, he understands the challenges of being at a private university, he’s a man of great personal integrity and, most of all, he’s committed to the academic success of his student athletes,” Underwood added.
In a sport full of statistics, perhaps the most emphasized numbers at the press conference were those of Furman football’s NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) scores—97 percent in 2009-10. Since the NCAA instituted the Academic Progress Rate (APR) system which tracks eligibility and graduation, among other things, Furman has consistently produced the highest scores among the other schools in the Southern Conference.
Lamb’s demeanor and excitement on his first day on the job was impressively contagious. He’s a football man through and through, having spent the past 31 seasons in Furman as a quarterback (1982-85), assistant coach (1986-2001) and head coach (2002-10) after graduating from Commerce (Ga.) High School in 1982 as a state champion and three-year starter. He’s got the booming yet excited voice necessary for a head football coach. He’s simply the embodiment of what Mercer was looking for from the beginning.
“We’ve come a long way during this two-month search process,” said athletic director Jim Cole to kick off the press conference. “When former Baylor football coach Grant Teaff spoke in November at the re-instatement press conference, he told me that we needed two things: a great leader and a great quarterback. We have that great leader now. It’s up to him to find the quarterback,” Cole added jokingly.
With a newly minted head coach, Mercer will have about two and a half years to finish raising the support necessary to fund the program, build a stadium, recruit players and field a team for the fall of 2013.
“Bobby is the next step in painting the picture and formulating the vision of Mercer football,” added Cole. “We’ll be hitting the road soon to raise support and he’s our man.”
Lamb already has plans to quickly build the program from the foundation up.
“We’ve got to start building relationships in the Macon community,” said Lamb. “We’ve got to start recruiting young men who fit the Mercer bill and want to play championship caliber football, especially in such a talent-rich state like Georgia. We’ll put together a skeletal staff to aid in the recruiting process by July 1st and then go from there,” he added.
Effectively recruiting the South is one thing Lamb has learned during his 27 years of coaching at Furman. During his nine-year tenure as the Paladin’s head coach, Lamb took his team to the I-AA (now FCS) playoffs four times, winning the SoCon Championship in 2004.
He also knows how to win the big games that count, defeating North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and South Carolina as a player at Furman.
“God has provided this tremendous opportunity for me to assist in the reinstatement of football at Mercer and I look forward to leading Mercer football to the top,” Lamb added.
Mercer will play in the Pioneer Conference, one of three non-scholarship football leagues at the NCAA Division I level, with familiar schools Campbell and Jacksonville, as well as their current membership which includes Butler, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Marist, Morehead State, San Diego and Valparaiso.