PR2016 Mar 24

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Media and Communication, 205.391.2959

mediacom@sheltonstate.edu

SHELTON STATE’S LADY BUCS PLACE THIRD

IN DIVISION I NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Following their Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) State Championship, Shelton State’s Women’s Basketball team traveled to Lubbock, Texas, to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament. The Lady Bucs finished third in the nation, defeating New Mexico Junior College in the final game of their season.

Playing teams from across the country, the Lady Bucs took advantage of opportunities to prove their top level ranking. By advancing to the final four, they achieved the highest finish for any Division I team in the state of Alabama.

Madonna Thompson, now in her eighteenth year as Shelton State’s head coach, led a team of students with local and regional ties. “I am proud of this team and their success,” Thompson said, “and I am also proud that most of our kids are local.” Thompson, 2016 ACCC Coach of the Year, does not recruit nationally or internationally for Shelton State. “When starting lineups were announced for other schools, we heard names of places from all over the world. When our starting lineup was called, we heard the hometowns we all know. We represented our community’s college. I was really proud of that.”

Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Chris Sanford, echoes Thompson’s pride. “Other teams we’ve coached certainly had chemistry, but this group played for each other and worked hard. We may not have reached our ultimate goal of a national championship, but we proved our talent and ranking.”

The Lady Bucs had eight sophomores on this year’s roster. Kailey Echols, a second-year player from Ragland, Alabama, returned to Tuscaloosa with some bruises, though none on her spirit. “I’d do anything for these girls,” Echols said. With her basketball career drawing to a close as she transfers to Jacksonville State University, she will remember the importance of what she’s learned from Coach Thompson and her time at Shelton State. “It’s all about possibilities and no regrets.”

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