College Corner: Vanderbilt’s Celia-Belle Mohr, MTSU’s Dean Hayes, Lipscomb Basketball

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Vanderbilt Tennis Standout Celia-Belle Mohr Earns Berth In NCAA Championship

Celia-Belle Mohr. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Sophomore Celia-Belle Mohr will represent Vanderbilt women’s tennis at the NCAA Singles Championships for the first time in her career.

The Montargis, France, native is a First Team All-SEC honoree and has amassed 28 singles victories overall this season, including 10 over nationally ranked opponents. Additionally, she has won seven of her last 10 matches, even recording a win over the No. 2 player in the country.

Throughout the season, Mohr maintained her position as a top singles player, currently sitting at No. 30 in the nation. The No. 29 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team fell to No. 10 Ohio State University 4-2 this weekend, ending their NCAA tournament run.

The championships are scheduled for May 22-27 at the USTA National Campus.

 

 

 

MTSU’s Legend Dean Hayes Named To The OVC Hall Of Fame

Legendary Middle Tennessee Track & Field Head Coach Dean Hayes will be inducted posthumously into the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Hall of Fame on Friday, June 2 in Nashville. Hayes will be inducted with former UT Martin Men’s Golf Head Coach Jerry Carpenter and former SIUE Women’s Softball Head Coach and Administrator Sandy Montgomery.

Hayes, who passed away in January 2022, was revered locally, regionally, nationally and internationally as he promoted track & field around the globe.  He took over as Head Coach at Middle Tennessee in 1965 and turned the program into a juggernaut, serving as Head Coach for 56 years.

During his tenure in the OVC, he led MTSU to 29 OVC titles, more than any other OVC member in conference history. Hayes coached Blue Raider athletes to 374 individual or relay championships, had 28 individuals earn All-American status a total of 53 times and led MTSU to 15 NCAA Top 25 finishes. Additionally, he had athletes earn six individual National Championships. He was named OVC Coach of the Year 15 times, including 10 in a row from 1977-1986. He was also named USTFCCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year in 1981 and served as President of the association in 1982 and 1983.

Hayes saw nine of his OVC-era athletes compete in the Olympics and had numerous athletes compete in the Goodwill Games, the World University Games, the World Cup, the World Championship, the Pan-Am Games and the African Championships.

He was also credited with integrating MTSU Athletics, with Jerry Singleton becoming the first African American Varsity Scholarship Athlete at the school in 1965. He is already a member of the USTFCCA Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Illinois Sports of Hall of Fame, the MTSU Blue Raider Hall of Fame, the Lake Forest College (his alma mater) Hall of Fame and the Naperville High School Hall of Fame. Hayes is also the namesake of  the outdoor track stadium at MTSU.

The induction will take place at the Hilton Franklin Cool Springs during the annual OVC Honors Brunch.

 

 

 

Lipscomb Men’s Basketball Adds To Coaching Staff

Photo: Courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics

Lipscomb University men’s basketball Head Coach Lennie Acuff has announced the addition of Vince Martin as Assistant Coach and Will Acuff as Director of Operations.

Martin comes to Lipscomb after a stint as an assistant coach at ETSU. This past season at ETSU, the Bucs secured 12 victories with seven wins at home. Before ETSU, Martin spent three seasons at fellow ASUN institution, Jacksonville University. While with the Dolphins during the 2021-22 season, Jacksonville garnered their largest number of wins since the 1985-1986 and 1970-1971 seasons. In addition, Jacksonville was a perfect 15-0 at home. Martin worked with the guards and forwards, and developed multiple players who have earned all-league honors, including Kevion Nolan, Dontarius James and Destin Barnes.

“We are extremely fortunate to add Coach Vince Martin to our coaching staff. He has experienced success in the ASUN as both a player and highly respected assistant coach,” says Acuff.  “He is a proven recruiter throughout the southeast and has earned the reputation as an elite player development coach. As we went through the hiring process, it became obvious that Vince would be a tremendous fit at Lipscomb University and would add significant value to our basketball program. His character, integrity and ability to get things done allow us to continue to improve. I look forward to working with and learning from him on a daily basis.”

Prior to his time at Jacksonville, Martin was the Head Coach at Bishop Snyder High School in Florida for three years. While at Bishop Snyder, Martin developed some of the top talent in the state of Florida, including Corey Walker Jr., former five-star and University of Tennessee signee. Martin also worked with the Atlanta-based Game Elite AAU program where he coached multiple top prospects in the nation, including former four-star athletes Walker Kessler and Ernest Ross.

Will Acuff returns to Lipscomb after serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach with the Bisons during the 2021-2022 season, during which he assisted in all aspects of the basketball program with an emphasis in player development and day to day operations. In Acuff’s season with the Bisons, Lipscomb notched 14 wins and advanced to the Quarterfinals of the ASUN Championship.

After his season with Lipscomb, he served as the Head Coach at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, where his 2022-2023 boys team doubled their win total from the previous season.

Steven Boero
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