The Meridian Community College tennis program closed out the fall season with the highest ITA ranking the men’s program has garnered as a D-I program. 

In the national Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings released on Nov. 16, MCC’s men were ranked No. 11 in the nation. MCC’s men closed out the spring 2016 season after the NJCAA national tournament ranked No. 17. MCC’s Jason Pimenta, who won the Southern JUCO Oracle/ITA Regional Championships in both singles and doubles, ended the fall season ranked No. 12 in the nation. He and doubles partner, Breno Goncalves, another returning sophomore, finished the fall ranked No. 7 in the nation as a doubles team.  

Breno also finished with a national single’s ranking at No. 46. These two are joined by five other returning sophomores, who have contributed much to the program’s success last season and this fall: Noah James, Meridian; John Taylor Champion, East Webster; Nathan Hollis, Lafayette County; Will Irvin, Starkville High; and Alex Vaughn, Oxford. Irvin and Pimenta won All-Region honors last season. Oxford High School’s duo of Will Swindoll and Callen Shinall have made huge contributions to the program in their first semester, being ranked No. 23 as a doubles team. Swindoll has played the No. 3 singles position most of the season and has been very successful. Callen, returning from shoulder surgery his senior season, has played well early in the season with this type of injury. He has played the No. 4 spot most of the season at singles and the No. 2 doubles. 

MCC’s women finished the fall season ranked No. 18 in the ITA D-I end-of-season rankings. The girls have struggled this season with injuries but have played well under the circumstances. They finished this fall as the highest-ranked team in the MACJC/Region 23 with a win over a competitive Gulf Coast team Nov. 11.  This match was played with two returning sophomores out of the single’s lineup: Jordyn Hull and Hayden Hill. 

An East Webster graduate, Hayden, who played very well at regional ITA’s, is injured and has been out since the first of November. Freshmen Micah Gray, French Camp; Rachel Sollie, West Lauderdale; and Katherine Mitchell, Brandon, stepped up in the final match to help pull out a 5-4 decision. 

Sophomore teammates who were a part of the Region 23/MACJC championship team in the spring 2016 season are Shelby Zachry, Madison Central; Jordyn Hull, West Lauderdale; Kyra Holway, Alabama; and Taylor Miller, Texas. Both teams will return to action Feb. 3 with matches against Belhaven and Feb. 4 with University of West Alabama.