GDW fellowships with 2024/25 athletic program at Wallace State:
GDW Analysis:
HANCEVILLE: Fellowship and pizza was well in hand Wednesday from Wallace State Community College.
The annual "Meet the Lions" took place under a shaded area near the schools' Student Center.
This was an opportunity tor the teams that are part of the Wallace State athletic family to see each other together for the first time.
The fall semester began on August 19 with the teams mixing up time in the classroom and workouts by each program Wallace has involved in the ACCC.
Volleyball and cross country are under way with their schedule. The others are in workouts that are permitted for the fall.
Local athletes are involved in four sports at Wallace State for 2024/25.
In volleyball, freshmen Abby McDonald and Ava Calvarese of Fairview have been through 10 assignments before playing at Tom Drake Coliseum.
Women's basketball consists of sophomore Ella Collum from Cullman and newcomers, the Tetro twins, Heather and Bailey from 4A state champion Good Hope.
Lady Lions' cross country is represented by sophomores Iva Edge from St. Bernard and Kendall Harbison of Vinemont, Freshman runners are Reagan Parris of state champion Cold Springs and Bernada Tizapa of Cullman.
Three Lions are local cross country performers. They are sophomore Marcus Tejada of Cullman, freshmen Devon McGee of Fairview and Rees Sheffield of Cullman.
The total is 13 local athletes from half a dozen schools in Cullman County.
Updates:
New coaches at Wallace State for 2024/25 are the following:
Joseph Simmons - women's basketball
Tony Crider - cross country
Sallie Beth Burch - softball
Faron Key - men's basketball.
Construction work at James C. Bailey Stadium for baseball and Bobby McCracken Stadium for softball. The two facilities are getting field turf installed. The project is under way as Gameday Weekly saw it while visiting the WSCC campus Wednesday.
Tom Drake Coliseum has a new floor in being repainted. The lobby that is a track design for people to exercise, has been torn to its core and being redesigned.
Bleachers are to be changed with the completion of this project to be done by December, according to a source.
Wallace State VB will have the Alabama/Mississippi Crossover this weekend with matchups to be between Friday and Sunday.
Lions' baseball was seen working out last week at Bill Shelton Field on the campus of Cullman High School.
Wallace State was again a solid program in ACCC athletics last year with conference championships in men's basketball, volleyball, cross country, tennis and softball. Women's basketball, women's golf, men's golf earned runner up in conference postseason play.
GDW is aware this may be the last year for Paul Bailey in serving as the Wallace State athletic director, Bailey decided to stay on with the coaching changes in four sports to make sure things flow smoothly in a time of transition at the Hanceville based college.
Wallace State is well known across the ACCC and also has earned credibility from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Photo of Wallace State basketball player Ella Collum competing in a corn hole tournament Wednesday during "Meet the Lions" from Wallace State. Collum is a sophomore and is from Cullman.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.
