Lewis & Clark Community College

L&C Announces the Return of the Riverbend Children’s Chorus

Godfrey, Ill. – Lewis and Clark Community College’s Preparatory Music Division proudly announces the revival of the Riverbend Children's Chorus.

The chorus is open to all students in grades one through eight. Previous choral experience is not necessary.

Directing the chorus this year will be Chris Eubank. Eubank, a native of New Mexico, is an instructor of choral music education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and an adjunct voice professor at Lewis and Clark. He has had many years of choral experience with all ages of choirs and in states throughout the South, Southwest and Midwest. He is an active clinician and adjudicator, as well as conducting and performing in musicals and operas. Two choirs under his direction have sung at Carnegie Hall and one of his choirs was invited to sing with the Czech National Symphony in Prague.

Assisting Eubank will be Barbara McHugh from Godfrey. McHugh is currently the vocal music director at Parker Road Elementary School in Florissant, Mo. where her students have consistently participated in area honor choirs, as well as American Choral Directors Association National and Division honor choirs. She was one of the original directors of the Riverbend Children’s Chorus and has also served as an associate director of the St. Louis Children's Choir. She is also an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark, where she teaches piano and elementary music methods courses.

The two directors bring a combined total of more than 50 years of teaching excellence and directing experience to this group.

The chorus will meet each Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Ringhausen Music Building on the Lewis and Clark Godfrey campus. The first rehearsal and informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Tuition is only $65 for the semester. To register your son or daughter for choir or for more information, please call the Preparatory Music Coordinator Susan Parton Stanard at (618) 468-4732.

Meredith Heater joins Lewis and Clark as New Head Volleyball Coach for 2010-11 Season

GODFREY - The path from Belleville to Godfrey is a welcome one for Meredith Heater.

The former Southwestern Illinois College (BAC) volleyball coach is the new one at Lewis and Clark Community College and eager to tackle her various duties.

Heater replaces Ronda Roberts, who will concentrate her duties on guiding the LCCC softball program.

"I think there's great potential here," Heater, 27, said of LCCC. "A lot of kids in the area don't realize what is here. Once they get on campus, I think they will like it."

Heater, an Orlando, Fla., native and 2004 Greenville College graduate, seems to like it. She joined the LCCC coaching staff this month after spending the past two years at Southwestern Illinois.

"I was coaching volleyball part-time at SWIC and I was looking for a full-time job," said Heater, a Troy resident.

She will do more than coach volleyball for the Trailblazers. Heater is set to coach both the men's and women's tennis teams this spring and she may assist with sports information responsibilities. So she will be wearing several caps.

"I'll be busy," she said.

Futures players battle heat

GODFREY — Daniel Quinn wiped the sweat and sunscreen from his brow, took a deep breath, and headed onto the sun-soaked tennis court while remarking the heat was starting to wear on him, but he still had more to give.

At high noon on one of the hottest days of summer yet, Quinn made his stand. The former Lewis and Clark Community College (2005) and McKendree (2006-07) tennis player from Melbourne, Australia held firm against the heat and worthy opponent Zac Tsai-defeating him 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Quinn is one of 64 athletes who will play in today’s second qualifying round hoping to earn a spot in the 32-player main draw of Lewis and Clark’s 13th Annual USTA Men’s Futures $10K Tennis Tournament. Play begins today starting at 9 a.m. at the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex at Lewis and Clark and also at the Alton High School tennis courts.

Also still in the running are six University of Illinois teammates and one alumnus. Illini men’s tennis coach Brad Dancer said the USTA tournament at LCCC is one he and the team look forward to attending each year. For the last three years, Dancer’s Illini players have made a big showing at the tournament.

“The men and I are glad to be back again this year. We are feeling good and looking forward to the competition,” Dancer said. “There are always Illini fans here to support us and we appreciate that.”

Illini sophomore Bruno Abdelnour, 19, of Aleppo, Syria, said he is hopeful about his place in the tournament after he defeated Dartmouth’s Alexander Centenari yesterday 6-2, 6-1.

“I played well,” Abdelnour said. “Of course heat like this can always be a factor, but I felt good about how I played and am looking forward to the next round of qualifying.”

Abdelnour continues qualifying today along with Illini teammates Abe Souza, of St. Louis; Johnny Hamui, of Florida; Brian Alden, of Barrington, Ill.; Stephen Hoh, of Australia; Dennis Nevolo of Gurnee, Ill., and alumnus Ruben Gonzales of the Philippines.

The tournament will continue throughout next week with main draw play commencing after the 9 a.m. dedication of the Robert Simpson Stadium Court Tuesday. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, August 1. For more information on the tournament, call 468-3200.

LCCC splits pair with Spoon River

Spoon River 2-4, LCCC 1-6 - Visiting Spoon River split a pair with Lewis and Clark, winning a sloppy first game that saw nine combined errors. LCCC (6-8) got strong performances from Beth Pickerille at the plate and on the mound, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and throwing six innings while allowing four runs and scattering seven hits.

Honors pour in for Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams

GODFREY - Three LCCC women, as well as one men's team player, have been named to their respective NJCAA All-Region 24 teams.

Kaylee Neuztling was named the Region 24 Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and teammates Kelly Muesenfechter and Katya Hessel were also named to the first team. Hessel was the No. 3 vote-getter from the region coaches.

Futures tourney trims field from 64 to 32

GODFREY - The field of players still fighting to make it into the main draw of the USTA Men's Futures Tournament narrowed from 64 to 32 Saturday during the second day of qualifying rounds at the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex at Lewis and Clark Community College and the Alton High School courts.

Former Lewis and Clark and McKendree player Daniel Quinn battled in a three-hour match against Joe Bates, former Wake Forest player and current volunteer men's tennis coach at Wisconsin. Quinn, who had several fans from Alton and Godfrey cheering him on, lost to Bates 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Today, Bates will face No. 5 seed and University of Tennessee sophomore Tennys Sandgren not before 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, one court over Illini fans were rooting for St. Louis native Abe Souza as he and Evan King of Michigan also battled for three hours with Souza losing 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

Although Souza, Stephen Hoh, Brian Alden and Connor Roth are out of the running, Illini teammates Dennis Nevolo (No. 14 seed), Bruno Abdelnour, Johnny Hamui and alumnus Ruben Gonzales (No. 6 seed) will play qualifying rounds today.

Terrell Celestine, 16, of Atlanta, Ga., is another player who is glad to make it to round three. He defeated Notre Dame sophomore Daniel Stahl 6-0, 6-3, and today will face Bumpei Sato (No. 3 seed) of Japan not before 10 a.m.

"I felt good today. I got into the rhythm of the game and I was serving well," Celestine said. "I just focus on one game at a time. If I do that, play my best and continue to improve the wins will come."

This is the first year on the USTA Men's Futures Pro Circuit for Celestine. He just turned 16 in April and recently moved up from the USTA Juniors to try his hand at the professional circuit.

Celestine, who was the USTA's No. 1-ranked 14-year-old in 2009, said he and his brothers Terence, 17, and Deo-Ray Brown, 22, have been working hard and learning a lot on this tour. Terence and Deo-Ray both lost in the first qualifying rounds Friday and now are cheering Terrell as he works his way to the main draw.

Start time for the tournament today is 9 a.m. at LCCC. The tournament, which is free and open to the public, will continue throughout the week with main draw action starting Tuesday. The championship will be held next Sunday.

Women's Basketball Players Named to MWAC All-Academic Team

GODFREY, Ill. – Sixteen athletes from Lewis and Clark Community College recently were named to the 2009-2010 Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) All-Academic Team.

“On behalf of the athletic department and the College, I would like to congratulate the student athletes who were voted to the MWAC All-Academic Team,” said Athletic Director Deon Thomas. “This award is a testament to these students’ hard work and determination both in the classroom and in playing their sport.”

Congratulations to Women’s Basketball Players Yael Pelleg, of Rishon, Lezion (3.95 GPA) and Shayelle Dominguez of Shipman, Ill (3.56 GPA) who were recently named MWAC All-Academic Team along with 16 other student athletes from Lewis and Clark Community College.

Title at LCCC Gives Poole Back-to-Back Futures

GODFREY - For Robbye Poole, winning Lewis and Clark Community College's 13th annual USTA Men's Future's $10K tournament Sunday was "like a dream come true".

Poole, who also won last week's USTA Men's Futures Pro tournament in Joplin, Mo., must still have been in a "Show-me" state of mind. The Charlotte, N.C., resident defeated Texas A&M junior Austin Krajicek 6-3, 7-5 before a standing-room only crowd in the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex at the College.

"Austin and I have never played against each other and he is a very good player who had to play through a lot of games to get to the finals. I have to say that this is unbelievable for me. It is like a dream come true. Winning two tournaments back to back is great," said Poole, a 25-year-old tennis pro and former All-American at Ole Miss.

For Krajicek, the tournament was quite a grind. He worked his way up through the qualifiers defeating William Parker in round one and then University of Illinois teammates Johnny Hamui and Bruno Abdelnour in rounds three and four. Next, he got past Texas Longhorn Joshua Zavala and the No. 5 seed Alexander Domijan in the main draw.

Then on Saturday, Krajicek played two main draw matches-defeating No. 3 seed Blake Strode, of St. Louis, in the quarterfinal and the University of Tennessee's Rhyne Williams in the semifinal to earn his spot in the title match.

After losing the tournament to Poole, Krajicek addressed the crowd and said he enjoyed the tournament and hopes to be back next year with a little something extra.

"I'm glad to have been here. Working my way playing through the heat everyday was a battle, but it has been a wonderful week and next year I will just need to get that one more win," said Krajicek.

Both Poole and Krajicek are now heading to the next nearest USTA Men's Futures tournament which starts Decatur today.

Tennis’ Rising Stars to Shine at USTA Men’s Futures Tourney

Godfrey – Wimbledon may be over, but some of tennis’ rising stars will shine as Lewis and Clark Community College hosts the 13th annual United States Tennis Association’s Men’s Futures Pro Circuit Tennis Tournament July 22-Aug. 1 at the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex on the Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey campus.

The USTA Pro Circuit has served as a launching pad for some of tennis’ greatest players. Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport are among the game’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

The weeklong USTA Men’s Futures Tournament draws spectators from all over the metro area to the College’s campus. Spectators are provided with covered stadium seating, which keeps them comfortable and shaded from the heat.

Registration for the tournament will be held Thursday, July 22, from 4-6 p.m. in River Bend Arena at Lewis and Clark Community College. Players in the $10K Tournament will start qualifying play Friday, July 23, as they vie for a chance at making the final 128-player main draw. The main draw will begin Monday, July 26, at 9 a.m., and play will continue throughout the week— ending with the championship finals Sunday, Aug. 1.

As part of the tournament this year, the College will host a Tennis Carnival for children on Saturday, July 31 from 10 a.m. to noon. During the event, which is open to the public, youth from the Alton and Bethalto Boys and Girls Clubs will take part in a skills clinic with some of the tournament’s professionals and members of the Gateway Confluence Wheelchair Sports Foundation will be giving demonstrations.

For more information about the tournament or directions to campus, contact the College’s Public Relations Department at 618-468-3200.

L&C Golfer Wins Alton Tournament

Alton, Ill. – Congratulations to Shane Smith, sophomore member of the 2010 Golf team at Lewis and Clark, on winning the 57th Annual Gold Medal Golf Tournament at Rock Springs Park.

Smith, who earned All-American after his 21st-place finish this spring at the NJCAA Division II National Golf Tournament, also was the first L&C golfer to earn All-American status.

A graduate of Marquette Catholic High School, Smith plans to play golf at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington this fall.