No. 4 MGCCC finishes third at state

No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast couldn't grab its third straight MACJC Championship on Monday, finishing third at Wolf Hill Golf Club in Wesson.

Co-No. 4 Meridian won the event at even-par 576, led by medalist Isaiah Jackson who won a playoff with Copiah-Lincoln's Cole Arseneault for medalist honors.

"Hat's off to Meridian," Gulf Coast coach Tommy Snell said. "They played well. They deserved to win. We'll just have to regroup and see if we can play better at district."

No. 6 Co-Lin was second at 5-over. Gulf Coast was another 13 shots back.

MGCCC's Jackson Wedgeworth (Fr., West Jones/Soso) shot even-par Monday, finishing seventh at 2-over and four behind the winner.

"For his first state championship, I think he really played well," Snell said. "He didn't get much out of his round, but 74-72 is respectable finish in his first big tournament."

Logan Leary (Fr., Gonzales/Dutchtown, La.) and Jonathon Newman (So., North Pike/Summit) finished 5-over to tie for 10^th.

"Logan stumbled at the end, but he was right there most of the day," Snell said. "I'm proud of the freshmen and the way they played. The sophomores will be OK. They'll be OK. They'll realize they have to go back to work."

Gulf Coast will host the NJCAA District D Championship at Grand Bear Golf Course in Saucier. The event takes place April 24-25, and will include the top five finishers from the state tournament.

The top three teams from that tournament advance to the NJCAA Championship in Mesa, Ariz., on May 23-26. 

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.