East Mississippi's Steven Eilders set to tee off at NJCAA Division II Golf Championship at Goose Pond Colony

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College will be represented in the NJCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship for the fifth time in the last seven years.  EMCC sophomore Steven Eilders begins competition Tuesday in this week's four-day (May 19-22) national tournament being held at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro, Ala.

Eilders, a Ridgeland native, qualified for this year's NJCAA Championship by finishing fourth (78-73—151) at last month's NJCAA Region 23 Championship played at Laurel Country Club.  Having played his way onto the MACJC's 2015 All-State Second Team for his season-long efforts, Eilders also tied for fifth (72-72—144) at this year's EMCC-hosted MACJC State Golf Championship held at Lion Hills in Columbus.

With his team-leading season stroke average of 75.35 for first-year head coach Benji Williams' EMCC Lions, Eilders has placed 23^rd or better individually during all eight spring tournaments.  With three straight top-five finishes heading into this week's national event, Eilders closed out the regular season with a fourth-place tie (70-75—145) at Briarwood in Meridian.

Eilders becomes the ninth golfer in school history to represent East Mississippi Community College in the NJCAA Championship.  Last season at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind., current EMCC sophomore Hunter Harmon tied for 80^th place with a four-day composite total of 322 (83-77-76-86).  Two years ago at Goose Pond Colony, former Lion standout Miles Respess became East Mississippi's first NJCAA All-American in golf by recording the highest national tournament finish (T-17^th) and lowest tournament round (68) in school history.  Respess, who went on to play collegiately at Delta State University, garnered second-team NJCAA All-America honors by making the 2013 all-tournament team at nationals as an EMCC sophomore.

Previously under the guidance of former EMCC golf coach Dale Peay, Weston Wallace and Zack Bailey participated in the 2011 NJCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship at Goose Pond Colony.  In 2009 at Goose Pond, EMCC's Hal Larkin tied for 53^rd place at the national tournament.

Prior East Mississippi golf participants to compete in the NJCAA Championship were Gary Sheppard (2004 in Arizona), Matt King (2001 in Texas) and Drew McBrayer (1999 in North Carolina).

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will again represent the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) at this week's national tournament as eight-time reigning NJCAA Region 23 team champions.  Along with the MGCCC team and EMCC's Eilders, the MACJC will also be represented at nationals by individual qualifiers Jacob Ross of Copiah-Lincoln, Northeast Mississippi's Alex Tull as well as the Meridian Community College tandem of Connor Cavin and Austin Terrell.      

Scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, this week's NJCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship will be contested on the 7,101-yard, par-72 Goose Pond layout.  Sitting on the banks of the Tennessee River, the George Cobb-designed course has received a four-star rating from Golf Digest.

Following practice rounds on Sunday and Monday, the participating teams and individual entrants will be treated to a tournament-opening banquet Monday evening.  Daily golf results will be available online throughout the week at http://www.mccaa.org/f/16/3/Golf/2015_Golf_Nationals.php.