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Coach Guthrie selected to speak at Georgia Athletic Coaches’ Association Clinic in June!

MARION, AL- Marion Military Institute Head Softball Coach, Joe Guthrie has been selected to speak at the annual Georgia Athletic Coaches’ Association Summer Softball Clinic in Marietta, Georgia on June 23^rd. Coach Guthrie’s presentation is entitled, “Hitting From A to Z”. The event will be held at the Marriot Conference Center in Marietta. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to share my thoughts on a subject I love very much. I really want to thank Tonya Sebring in Georgia for inviting me to participate,” said Guthrie. The event will run June 23^rd and June 24^th and will also feature Kennesaw State’s Scott Whitlock, Shorter College’s Al Thomas, along with several distinguished high school coaches.

 MMI WRESTLERS FINISH 5th AT NCWA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Marion Military Institute finished 5th this past weekend at the NCWA National Tournament held in Lakeland, Florida.   Out of the 75 schools represented at the national tournament, Marion was able to climb into the top 5 for the second straight year. Marion qualified 13 wrestlers for the tournament, the highest total in the history of the MMI wrestling program.  

Individual Wrestlers Earning Awards:

Cee-Jay Hamilton (125 lb) – NATIONAL CHAMPION (2-time NCWA National Champion;2-time NCWA All-American)

Ben Canning (133 lb) – National Runner-Up (lost 4-0 in finals); NCWA All-American

Derrick Lucas (157 lb) – 7^th place; NCWA All-American

Wallace State into the semis
Article - Times Daily - Florence, Alabama
By Bryan App, Staff Writer

MUSCLE SHOALS (3/05) - To coach Marcus Thomas, it's as simple as one, two, three.

His team was gypped.

It happened less than three minutes into the second half of Marion Military Institutes's 95-85 second-round loss to No. 1 Wallace State-Hanceville in the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament Tuesday. That's when the Tigers' second-leading scorer Maurice Bolden picked up what should have been his third foul. Instead, the official scorer tagged Bolden with his fourth, forcing Thomas to sit the standout for all but the closing minutes of the second half before Bolden fouled out with 53 seconds remaining.

"That changed the entire atmosphere of the game," Thomas said. "The scoreboard was messed up, and the refs didn't catch it. I caught it, but I was catching a lot of things they weren't. Wallace State played a solid game, but we played better."

Bolden sat the final 3:05 of the first half after being whistled for his second foul, but the scoreboard showed that he had three. He finished with eight points in 22-plus minutes.

Even without one of their top scorers, the Tigers kept it close. Jermaine Mallet knocked down a 3-pointer with 13:56 remaining, cutting MMI's deficit to 52-49. But fueled by Chris Goodwin's hot hand, Wallace State surged ahead. Goodwin sank consecutive treys to give the Lions a 65-54 lead with 10:21 to play, and he seemed to answer every MMI run, sinking five 3-pointers in the second half.

"We don't win that game if he doesn't show up to play," Wallace State coach Allen Sharpe said. "We can't give up 80 points a game and expect to remain in this tournament much longer."

Wallace State (31-0) came into the game with the nation's third-best team defense. Gary Redus scored 20 to pace MMI (21-12). Eric Allen added 16 points, and Mallett had 16.

Goodwin and Brandon Moore finished with 21 points apiece to lead five Lions scorers in double-digits, while Cory Cooperwood added 14.

Wallace State will face Chattahoochee Valley in the semifinals today at 8 p.m. at Northwest-Shoals.

"I'd rather it not be that close," Goodwin said. "(MMI) said they were going to give us all we could handle, and they did. We've got to play better defense."

MMI WRESTLERS TAKE 2^ND AT SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

MMI ADVANCES TO ACCC STATE TOURNAMENT

MARION (3/4) - MMI’s men’s basketball team qualified for the ACCC State Tournament after defeating Bevill State CC – Sumiton last Saturday evening 91-81 in a qualifying play-in game. Marion started strong, shooting a high percentage from behind the arc and was able to take a 42-28 lead into halftime. However, Bevill’s head coach Al Blanton had the bears from Jasper come out of the locker room for the second half inspired and looking for the upset. They were able to make a 20 to 4 run and take a 2-point lead midway through the second half. Marion switched tactics by adding some full-court pressure which seemed to make the difference in the game, switching the momentum back to the home team. Eric Allen, the ACCC’s leading scorer, stepped up his play with back-to-back steals that turned into easy  lay-ups and got the tigers back playing inspired ball. A couple more steals from Marion helped the tigers rebuild a 5-point lead late in the game. Bevill’s last chance was to put Marion on the free throw line but freshmen guards Roman Tubner and Gary Redus II both connected from the line, along with 6’10 freshman forward Maurice Bolden. Marion was led by Eric Allen’s 28 points. He also collected 8 rebounds and 6 steals. Maurice Bolden led the tigers with 10 rebounds on the night while scoring 24 points.  

Men's Basketball to Host ACCC Play-In Game March 1st

Marion, AL (3/01) - The men's basketball team will host Bevill State CC - Sumiton for the right to play in the upcoming Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Tournament.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm in the William R. Ireland Athletic Center.  Last night the tigers earned the right to host the play-in game by upsetting the #3 ranked buccaneers from Shelton State CC with a 98-97 overtime victory.  That win gave MMI and Snead State CC a tie for 5th place, with Marion winning the tiebreaker.  Snead State will host Bevill State CC - Fayette. MMI and Bevill split the regular season series with each team winning on their home floor. 

Marion Wrestlers Easily Defeat Darton and Auburn

Marion (2/18) – In their last regular season match, the MMI wrestling team earned two wins against Auburn University and Darton College, both by shutout. In the first match of the day Darton defeated Auburn 39-21. The tigers of MMI faced Darton in the second match and sought revenge against the Cavaliers after losing a close battle with them earlier in the year. Marion seemed to dominate each match and walked away with the lopsided 56-0 win. Cee-Jay Hamilton (125 lb) started the match out with an impressive 11-1 victory and set the stage for what was to come. Earning pins for Marion were Jude Hubbard (133 lb), Derrick Miller (174 lb), and Kyler Kirkwood (184 lb). The closest match of the day was in the 149 lb weight class where MMI’s Michael Lampkin scored late in regulation to tie Darton’s Terry Wilson. Lampkin was able to score quickly in the overtime period and secure the 7-5 victory. Also recording wins for MMI were Ben Canning at 141 lbs (16-0), Derrick Lucas at 157 lbs (11-4), and Ian Wrenn at 165 lbs. (18-6). Jacob Pomeroy, Jay Brenowitz, and Shane Raymond all earned victories from forfeit.

Men's Basketball Improves to 15-9

Marion (2/14) - MMI's men's basketball team improved to 15-9 overall with a home win against 3rd ranked Snead State CC Tuesday night.  The win was Marion's second in a row against North Region teams and keeps the tigers in the hunt for post-season play.  The tigers spotted the Parsons a two-point lead to start the game but went on a 9-point run and really were never threatened again.  Midway through the first half the tigers had built an 11-point lead and took a 42-30 lead into half time.  Eric Allen, the ACCC scoring leader, came off the bench to lead Marion's offense. He finished with 33 points on five-of-eight from behind the arc and five rebounds.     

"That was probably the second most complete game for 20 minutes that we played all season," head coach Marcus Thomas said.  "I thought the guys did a great job of executing in the first half."                                                                                                                   

Both teams started the second half slow but the momentum shifted to the home squad when the tigers went on an 18-6 run to take a 60-38 advantage.  Snead was able to get back within nine points late in the game, but MMI was able to hold off the late rally and post the 91-82 victory.  James Bolden collected 7 rebounds for the tigers, along with 7 points in an impressive defensive stint.  Gary Redus dished out 8 assists  while scoring 8 and collecting 2 rebounds.  Maurice Bolden finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds while Jermaine Mallett had 10 points and 6 rebounds, K.T. Hardy had 4 points and 2 assists, and Willie McGinnis scored 3 points.

 Head Women's Tennis Coach Signs a "Taylor-Made" Recruit

Marion, Ala. (2/02)— Marion Military Institute head women's tennis coach Chuck Wright announced that he has signed his first recruit since being named head coach in July 2007.  Taylor Miller, a senior at Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, Florida, will be starting her Tiger career in the fall of 2008.  "I'm excited to welcome Taylor to our program," said Wright.  "She will have an immediate and tremendous impact on our fledgling program."

Miller has been a stalwart singles and doubles player for Coach John Danise's Sebastian River High School squad, having played #1 singles for two years and #1 doubles for three years.  According to Coach Denise, "Besides her obvious tennis skills, I think Taylor is going to be a great player.  She is not afraid of accepting responsibility.  When needed, she is there to take charge."

"With her outstanding tennis and people skills, Miller is 'Taylor-made' for our school and our tennis program, " said Wright. "She is, quite simply, an extraordinary first recruit."

Marion, AL (1/15) -The Marion Military Institute wrestling team traveled to the University of Northern Iowa for the NWCA/Cliff Kleen National Duals Tournament this past weekend for the first time in school history.  With over 80 schools in attendance, brackets were set up for all categories represented: NCAAI, II, III, NAIA, NJCAA, and NCWA (MMI competes in the NCWA).  The first round of the tournament saw the #4 ranked tigers against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  The tigers easily advanced to the second round after a lop-sided 51-9 victory.  The second round wasn’t as easy as Marion faced the #1 ranked GrandValleyStateUniversity from Michigan.  With only two individual wrestlers earning victories the tigers fell 42-10 sending them into the consolation bracket against the University of Central Florida.  UCF lost their second round match with NewmanUniversity 22-17. 

The match between Marion and UCF saw a see-saw battle throughout with the tigers trailing early.  MMI trailed UCF 13 to 9 before Derrick Miller (174 WT CLASS) won his match in overtime.  The tigers proceeded to lose the next weight class. Tyler Barberi (197 WT CLASS) defeated Danny Fernandez, a wrestler he lost to first semester.   Marion still trailed before Jay Brenowitz (235 WT CLASS) came through and won his match by the score of 18 to 17.  The final match of the meet, the heavyweight class, was going to determine which team took third and which finished in fourth place.  MMI’s Shane Raymond was familiar with his opponent, Jesse Pinson, who defeated him first semester.  Halfway through the match with Raymond behind in points, he gets behind Pinson and does a side roll, lands on top and pins his opponent.  That win, with 4:39 on the clock secured 3^rd place for MMI and a 24-17 victory.

Marion will travel to Lebanon, TN next to compete in the CumberlandUniversity tournament.

 MMI EXPLODES IN SECOND HALF TO DEFEAT WALLACE CC - SELMA

MARION (12/13) --The MMI men’s basketball team saw a see-saw battle throughout the first half in last night’s action at the IrelandAthleticCenter on Marion’s campus.  Turnovers and missed shots by the Tigers along with a 15-point scoring half by Patriot’s freshman center Justin Williams allowed the Selma team to take a 38-36 lead into half time.

Coming out of the locker room, head coach Marcus Thomas had his squad fired up and ready to compete.  Freshman swingman Gary Redus II tied the game from the first play of scrimmage and from that point on the tigers never relinquished the lead. The trio of Redus, Eric Allen and Maurice Bolden helped Marion build a double-digit lead and take the air out of Wallace CC early in the second half.  The Patriot’s coaching staff called a time-out with 14 minutes still on the clock trying to slow down Marion’s momentum, but with the crowd behind the home team, the lead grew from a 12 point lead to a 25 point lead in just a 3-minute span.  Behind the 3-point shooting of Willie McGinnis, Eric Allen and Maurice Bolden and easy lay-ups off steals by Stetson Johnson and Roman Tubner the tigers were able to build the lead to 30 late in the game. With the final score 102-73, MMI improved their record to 11-2. 

Eric Allen led MMI with 22 points, hitting 4 for 6 from behind the 3-point line.  Maurice Bolden added 21, Gary Redus and Willie McGinnis each collected 12, and Jermaine Mallett had 10.  Roman Tubner scored nine, Stetson Johnson five, Tyrell Hardy and Langston Williams each had four, and Richard Harper finished with two points.

Wallace CC was led by Justin Williams who led all scorers with 25 points.  Alfred Smith added 10 for the Patriots. Phillip Johnson scored nine, Chris Walker eight, Benjamin Burroughs five, Jeremy Russell and Michael Acoff four each, Deundre Hubbard and Billy Marcus Byrd each had three, and Sidney McNeary finished with two points.

Marion will travel to Muscle Shoals for their first Region match-up against Northwest Shoals CC Monday, December 17^th.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL DEFEATS FAULKNER STATE CC

MARION (12/7) -- The MMI men's basketball team was able to hold off the Faulkner State Sun Chiefs who staged a late rally but fell just short 84-81 last Friday night in ACCC action.   Playing before a rowdy home crowd at the William R. Ireland Athletic Center, the tigers built an 11 point lead at the half.  The Sun Chiefs rallied and took a one point lead late in the second half before Marion's Gary Redus solidified the win, going 7 for 7 from the free throw line. This improves Marion' record to 10-2 on the season.

Eric Allen led MMI in scoring with 17 points. Richard Harper and Gary Redus each added 15 points for the home team. Jermaine Mallett had 10, Maurice Bolden and Roman Tubner eight apiece, Tyrell Hardy scored four, Langston Williams, Thomas Orr and James Bolden each contributed with two, and Willie McGinnis had one point.

Faulkner, coached by MMI alum Jack Robertson, was paced by Terrance Mitchell's 16 points, while David Johnson added 12 and Cedric Freeman had 10 for the Sun Chiefs.  Tubner had three steals for the tigers who were led in rebounding by Maurice Bolden who finished with nine. Faulkner outrebounded MMI in the contest 46-29.

Marion returns to action Wednesday, December 12th when they host Wallace State CC - Selma in the Ireland Athletic Center.  A 7:00pm tip is scheduled. 

 OTHER NEWS

Woodstock’s Gabby Arcuri commits to play softball at Marion Military Institute!    

MARION (12/6) --  Gabby Arcuri, starting first baseman for Coach Tonya Sebring’s WoodstockHigh School softball team the past two seasons, has committed to play junior college softball at Marion Military Institute in Alabama.  With that move, Arcuri is making history.  Though the school has been in existence since 1842, this softball team will be MMI’s first.  Head coach Joe Guthrie on Gabby's commitment to his new program, “I want to immediately establish a championship program.  In order to accomplish this goal, it helps to have players who know how to win championships.  Gabby’s got excellent potential at the next level.  Her impact at MMI will be felt immediately.”  Arcuri was a starter on the 2006 AAAAA State Championship team at Woodstock.  She also played travel ball with the Rockdale Tomahawks last year.  Congratulations to Gabby Arcuri!

Faith Academy’s Lauren Lewis commits to play college softball at Marion Military Institute

MARION (12/6) --  ‘Being strong up the middle’ is a characteristic most softball coaches would agree all good teams possess.  Marion Military Institute’s softball team took a step closer to becoming such a team this week.  FaithAcademy’s Shortstop Lauren Lewis verbally committed to MMI, becoming another charter member of MMI’s first softball team.  “We were very fortunate to have a quality individual like Lauren.  Her self-discipline and our school’s structure are a perfect match”, said MMI Head Coach Joe Guthrie.  Lewis participated in the AISA Softball All-Star game last year and recently won a volleyballState Championship at FaithAcademy.   Congratulations to Lauren Lewis!

Faith Academy’s Meagan Ladner commits to play college softball at Marion Military Institute

 MARION, AL (12/5) --  Some things are just meant to be.  Marion Military Institute’s Head Softball Coach Joe Guthrie sure thinks so about FaithAcademy’s Meagan Ladner.  “I think from the first time I spoke with Meagan until the moment she committed we had a great feeling about her future at Marion.”  Last week, Ladner committed to play Softball at MMI.  “It’s extremely exciting to start a new program.  We want to win championships.  To accomplish that task, we are going after the best players we can find.  Meagan is a testament to that belief.  She’s a winner and will help our program immediately”, Guthrie said.  Ladner was a 2007 All-State selection by the Birmingham News and also participated in the AISA All-Star game last Spring.  She is coached at FaithAcademy by Woodie Head. Meagan also played for the prestigious West Florida Elite travel ball team run by Dennis Roesle.