MOC Meet the Coaches night on Monday
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 21, 2012 12:08 AM
MOUNT OLIVE -- An award-winning event that drew raves within its community and on the national scene, the second installment of the "Meet the Coaches Night BBQ" is slated for Monday evening at Mount Olive College.
Last year's barbecue won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II Community Engagement Award of Excellence among Conference Carolinas schools, and finished among 20 finalists for the national award.
A delicious meal with the all the trimmings kicks off the evening's festivities at 5:30 p.m. outside Kornegay Arena. Trojan fans will have the opportunity to eat with coaches and players from the 22 sports sponsored by the school.
The 2012-13 editions of the MOC men's and women's basketball teams will be unveiled during the annual Green-White scrimmages following dinner.
Admission is free for Trojan Club members and those who join the Trojan Club at the barbecue, which is sponsored by Southern Bank. The fee is $10 for non-Trojan members.
"It's an opportunity for people in the community and county to come out and meet our coaches informally, get to know them a little bit and talk about their seasons," said Bill Clingan, executive director of the Trojan Club.
Mount Olive College is undoubtedly coming off its best athletic year since joining the Division II ranks in the mid-1990s. The Trojans swept the 2012 Joby Hawn Cup competition, recording the highest rating of performance in men's and women's sports, and overall athletic excellence during the 2011-12 sports season.
The Trojans emerged just the second team to sweep the Cups in the same season. Queens University of Charlotte accomplished the feat in 2010-11, the first year the conference offered Cups in men's and women's sports, and overall.
"Our goal each year is to be the top program in our conference and win the Hawn Cup," Trojans athletics director Jeff Eisen said last spring. "We have been close the past several years, but it is a special achievement to actually win the Cup. The great thing about winning is that every team contributes to this honor.
"We had a great, all-around year and I'm very proud of our coaches and student-athletes."
Coaches from MOC spoke with the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs last week, and invited them to attend a game at the college. Not only did they field questions about their respective sports, they also talked about how they encouraged their teams to give back to the community.
Clingan said that every Trojan athletics team will participate in the "Cures for the Colors" campaign, organized by Dr. James N. Atkins, M.D., at Southeastern Oncology in Goldsboro. Each team will pick a color and conduct fund-raisers that will financially assist cancer patients and their families.
"The money stays right here in Wayne County," Clingan said.