Dec. 2, 2008

Jackson State returned to the top of the conference's golf rankings as they captured both divisions during the 2008 SWAC Golf Championships held in April.Day one of the event saw the JSU Lady Tigers claim the top four spots and five of the top eight positions as it amassed a 47-stroke lead. JSU's Shasta Averyhardt leads the field with a one-over 73 (37-36) on the day. Lady Tigers' Merielle LeBlanc (39-38) and Jennifer Sells (37-40) were tied for second place with a 77 while Nikeya Peay (38-40) was a stroke behind with a 78. On day two, Jackson State captured their 11th women's SWAC golf title as they finished the tournament shooting a 616 (305-311). Averyhardt earned her fourth straight SWAC medalist honor shooting a 149 (73-76) for the tournament. Jennifer Sells was named SWAC Women's Freshman of the Year with a final score of 154 (77-77). On the men's side, Jackson State held a slim three-stroke lead after day one over Grambling State (309) and a nine-stroke lead over third-place Alabama State (312). JSU's Albert Kilgore was tied for the lead with Grambling State's Jonathan Coleman and Alabama State's Devin Crenshaw as each shot a 74 on the day. Jackson State's Brett Benson shot a 76 as he was tied with two others for fourth place. Alabama State's Todd Hutcheson, Reggie Newton of Jackson State and Texas Southern's Shane Phillips each registered a 77 on the day. On day two, Jackson State increased its lead to 21 strokes over second-place Texas Southern and 26 strokes over third-place Alabama State. Kilgore - who shot a 73 on day two - slipped to second place, one stroke behind the leader. Teammate Brett Benson's day-two score of 72 moved him into third place with a two-day total of 148. Day three saw the Tigers hold off Texas Southern by eight strokes to win the 2008 men's title. Leading by 21 strokes entering the final round of play, Jackson State saw its lead shrink as Texas Southern shot a team score of 301 - the lowest team score of the tournament. However, Jackson State found a way to keep itself in front and registered a score of 314 for the day. Kilgore received top medalist honors with a three-day total of 222 (74-73-75). Benson was third - three strokes behind (79-73-71-225).