Posted: Apr 05, 2003
Induction Ceremony — April 5, 2003
MATT ARMSTRONG | Men’s Golf (1994-1995)
He wasn’t the first RLC golfer to qualify for the NJCAA Division II Championships . . . Four individual Warriors preceded him. But there is no doubt the team’s fortunes took a dramatic upswing with the arrival of the sophomore transfer from Florida Southern.
⭐ The Massac County H.S. grad was medalist in four of eight fall events, then helped Coach Dave Smith’s squad to its first of eight straight Region XXIV titles to qualify for the 1995 Finals.
⭐ His fast start enabled the national newcomers to lead after each of the first two rounds before settling for second behind defending champ Tyler (TX) Jr. College. RLC shot 308-291-312-295–1,206, nine strokes behind Tyler and 10 better than third-place Temple (TX).
⭐ First athlete in college history to rate First-Team All-America honors placed fourth individually, one shot out of third, thanks to his 76-68-78-73–295 over the par-72 Bryan Park Golf Course in Greensboro, NC.
⭐ Captured the 18-team Highland “36” Invitational opening weekend of fall campaign by six strokes (73-74–147) and followed with wins in 54-hole John Wood
Invite, Rock Valley Invite (72-71–143) and rain-shortened RLC Invite (76-37–113) after a delayed playoff. One of four All-Region XXIV performers (76-72–148, tied for ninth).
⭐ Played his last two seasons for University of Mississippi, then professionally on a limited basis.
JAYMIE COWELL | Softball (1995-97)
First-Team NJCAA All-America selection as a freshman after leading 46-21 Lady Warriors to-ever appearance in Women’s National Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament; Second-Team All-America pick as sophomore. Infielder/Outfielder from Brazil, IN, went 9-for-11 in three games at Nationals, with three home runs and two doubles. N Great Rivers Athletic Conference “MVP” and leading vote-getter on All-Region XXIV team as a freshman. Repeated All-GRAC and All-Region honors the following spring.
⭐ Set team records as a freshman for hits (95), doubles (24) and home runs (17). A year later, she added to hit mark (112) and doubles (31) and established records for runs scored (87) and bases on balls (39) while finishing second all-time to herself in home runs (12) and to Hall of Famer April Long in triples (13) and RBIs (68).
⭐ Career leader in hits (207), runs (155), doubles (55), home runs (29) and walks (63), second in triples (20) and RBIs (123). Batted .426 for teams that were 107-42-1. Slugging percentages were .875 and .801, respectively; on-base averages .473 and .529.
⭐ Chosen for NJCAA entry in 1996 Canada Cup International Tourney.
⭐ Before coming to RLC, she helped Northview High finish second in the state as a senior and played for ASA National Champs. Capped career at SIUC by being voted Second-Team All-Conference.
NJCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL RUNNER-UP MEN’S GOLF TEAM (1994-1995)
PICTURED (L-R): Coach Dave Smith; Region XXIV runner-up Scott Johnson (Alton Marquette), who qualified as an individual the previous year and was second individually at Rock Valley; Sophomore Bryan Drew (Benton), beaten in a playoff after tying for RLC Invite honors; First-Team NJCAA All-America honoree Matt Armstrong (Massac County), a sophomore transfer who was a four-time medalist in the fall, twice in the spring and and fourth overall in the NJCAA Championships; Jeremy May (Staunton), Brandon Auld (Nashville) and Assistant Coach Dale Brock. Auld was runner-up at the Highland “36” Invitational, while Drew and May were third at Lincoln and Rock Valley, respectively.
No Warrior team in any sport had ever advanced to the national finals until the 1994-95 golf squad did. Eight years later, at the time of their Hall of Fame induction, no other Rend Lake College representatives had ever led the NJCAA Division II Golf Championships as this group had the first two rounds and no other RLC contingent had been able to duplicate or beat their second-place finish despite seven more qualifying trips in a row, including five more Top Six showings.
⭐ Coach Dave Smith’s sixth team was his first to be ranked No. 1 in the country and his first Region XXIV winner . . . the first of eight (to date) to earn him “Coach of the Year” distinction and qualify for the D-II Finals.
⭐ RLC led by four after Day One and by two after 36 holes. But the composite Warrior scorecard of 308-291-312-295–1,206 was nine strokes behind defending champion Tyler (TX) Jr. College and 10 better than third-place Temple (TX).
⭐ The balanced Warriors won the 20-team Rock Valley Invitational in Rockford by 14 shots before returning home to claim its first RLC Invitational and then Region XXIV honors with four All-Region performers.
⭐ Support for Johnson (144) in the Region XXIV Tourney at Jackson County Country Club came from Auld, 8th at 147, and Armstrong and Drew, tied for ninth at 148.
⭐ A second-round 68 at Bryan Park Golf Course in Greensboro, NC, helped Armstrong to a four-day total of 295 in the NJCAA Championships, nine shots behind the winner but just one away from third. Freshmen Auld and May were 17th (305) and 20th (306), respectively. (May earned Second-Team All-America status the following spring – 11th overall – when RLC finished third.) Both Johnson and Drew had scores count three of the four rounds en route to a 308 and 315, respectively. Other contributors to the squad included Jerry Hale (Mt. Vernon) and Chris Hart (McLeansboro).