EMCC golfers qualify for Gulf District Championship; Ligabue tabbed All-MACCC Second Team
The East Mississippi Community College men’s golf team qualified for the upcoming NJCAA Gulf District Championship with a sixth-place finish at this week’s MACCC Championship. Both rounds of the 36-hole event were played Monday at Tunica National Golf Club in advance of the heavier forecasted rain throughout the state. After narrowly missing last year’s district tournament by a single
TUNICA – The East Mississippi Community College men's golf team qualified for the upcoming NJCAA Gulf District Championship with a sixth-place finish at this week's MACCC Championship. Both rounds of the 36-hole event were played Monday at Tunica National Golf Club in advance of the heavier forecasted rain throughout the state.
After narrowly missing last year's district tournament by a single stroke in a playoff with Jones College, this year's EMCC squad posted consistent rounds of 313 and 314 to finish with a two-round total of 627 in Tunica.
The 2024 NJCAA Gulf District Championship will be played on April 22-24 at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Philadelphia.
Set to make the program's first district appearance since hosting the 2018 tournament at Lion Hills in Columbus, head coach Ashton Maddaloni's 2023-24 EMCC Lions squad was led individually in Tunica by sophomore Carter Martin (Canton, MS/Canton Academy), who fired a pair of 4-over-par 76s to tie Copiah-Lincoln's Lander Guibert for 17th place.
"The guys have been putting in the work, especially the last several weeks with very productive and beneficial practice sessions," Maddaloni said. "They are fired up about continuing to put in the work these next two weeks and are excited to give it a run at the district tournament. I am very proud of them."
In conjunction with Monday's MACCC Men's Golf Championship, EMCC freshman Lorenzo Ligabue was tabbed All-MACCC Second Team for his season-long excellence on the links. The Italy native compiled a team-best 76.71 stroke average through 14 rounds of conference competition during the 2023-24 golf season. After finishing tied for 20th with rounds of 79 and 75 earlier this week, Ligabue completed the MACCC season having finished 21st or better during all seven conference tournaments with only one round in the 80s.
With all five EMCC golfers placing 35th or better this week, Norway's Haavard Haakensen was the Lions' No. 3 scorer after tying for 28th place with scores of 79 and 81.
Rounding out East Mississippi's scorecard at the MACCC Championship were freshman Trace Carpenter (Kosciusko, MS/Winona Christian School) and sophomore Daniel Martin (Parrish, AL/Oakman HS), who finished in a tie for 34th place at 162 with respective rounds of 79-83 and 80-82.
Top-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (286-271—557) claimed the school's 15th conference title by 33 shots over runner-up East Central (300-290—590). Jones College (306-298—604), Meridian (305-302—607), Northeast Mississippi (306-311—617), and EMCC rounded out the top six teams who will advance to compete in the upcoming NJCAA Division II Gulf District Championship.
Individually, Gulf Coast's Jackson Wise (71-66—137) held off teammates Peyton Russell (67-71—138) and Will Burnham (73-67—140) to claim the Tommy Snell Award as the championship medalist.