Panola College
December 8, 2016 - Ana Oliveira, a sophomore Panola College outside hitter from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been named a 1st Team All-American selection by both the NJCAA and the AVCA. In addition to these two latest honors, Oliveira earned Most Valuable Player of the Lee College Invitational earlier this season and then was voted Player of the Year for Region XIV-North along with 1st Team All-Conference last month.
Oliveira played an integral role in the success of the 2016 Fillies Volleyball season: 35-4 overall record, #1 national ranking for three straight weeks, and a 7th Place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament. She led the team in kills and was an all-around threat prior to a knee injury she suffered in October that sidelined her for six matches and limited her to back row only in the regional and national tournaments.
Even in an extremely balanced offense that saw six Panola hitters named All-Conference this season, Oliveira tallied double-digit kills in 15 of the 25 matches played prior to her injury, 9 or more digs in 13 of those matches, and was leading the team with a .338 hitting clip. She also hit .300 or better in 16 matches, including .436 during a 20-kill performance against Navarro, an impressive feat for an outside hitter. Making her presence known in all areas of the game, Oliveira also finished with 57 total blocks and a team-leading 33 aces on the year to go along with 307 total digs.
As a freshman, Oliveira led the team with 41 service aces, finished second on the team in kills with 829, and finished third in digs with 374. She posted double-digit kills 12 times, including a season high of 21 on .415 hitting against Seward County. Her performance last season earned her a spot on the 2015 Region XIV All-Tournament Team to go along with 2nd Team All-Conference recognition.
With this achievement, Oliveira joins elite company of Fillies Volleyball student-athletes named to All-American teams during their Panola College tenure, becoming just the fifth player to earn the program's sixth accolade. She joins Josie Santos (2010-2012) as only the second player in program history to earn 1st Team honors and also the only Panola players to be recognized as All-American by both the NJCAA and the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association).
Fillies Volleyball All-Americans
Ana Oliveira- 1st Team NJCAA & AVCA (2016)
Kennedi Coleman- 2nd Team (2014)
Nausheen Merchant- Honorable Mention (2012)
Josie Santos- 1st Team NJCAA & AVCA (2011); 2nd Team (2010)
Courtnee Davis- 2nd Team (2010)
December 5, 2016 - The Panola Fillies found themselves down early, and could not find a way back to seal the deal. The Gators of San Jacinto came would come in and give the Fillies their first conference loss, winning 65-66.
The game would have 4 ties and 8 lead changes throughout the 4 grueling quarters. San Jacinto took the first half with the biggest lead heading into the locker room 32-41.
The Fillies would not give up so easily on their home floor. They reached within 5 as Sophomore Charlynn Perry hit a huge 3 pointer. After a couple of trips to the line by the gators they would go back up 10, but a big steal and 2 point conversion from Freshman Stefany Lourenco would come right at the buzzer of chapter 3, to bring the fillies within 8.
In chapter 4, the Fillies fought back and would tie the game up at 56 with a two point bucket from Freshman Ekaterina Karchevskaya. The lead would go back up 2 as San Jacinto scored a quick drive layup, but the Fillies tied once again at 58. The game would once again be tied at 60, and finally the fillies had a chance to take the lead when Freshman Nailah Blount got to the free throw line and put the fillies up 1 at 61-60. Another lead change would occur to put San Jacinto back up top by 1, but a basket by would put the Fillies up once again at 63-62 with 1:30 left in the game. A few fouls on Panola let the Gators take free shots at the line putting them up 63-64, then up again 63-66. Karchevskaya would hit a nice lay up to bring the Fillies within 1, but it was too late as time expired in the Gators favor.
Free throws would be the game changer for both teams as the Gators would go to the line a total of 14 times to Panola's 7. Gators shot 16 of 26, and the Fillies were 7-14.
With the loss the Fillies are now 2-1 in conference and 8-2 overall. This concludes the Home games of the 2016 year as the Fillies finish off the year before break on the road facing Blinn and Coastal Bend.
December 5, 2016 - Carthage, Texas – The Panola College men’s basketball team lost their first conference game here Saturday afternoon to San Jacinto College, 72-60. After the loss, Panola drops their record to 8-4 and 1-1 in conference play. “I thought we played a tremendous defensive game.” Said head coach Grant McMillan. “We just didn’t get any timely shots to go down, or really a rhythm at all offensively.” He added.
After a back and fourth start, San Jac went on an offensive outburst to give them an 11 point lead midway through the first half. Panola came back to tie the ball game at 29 before San Jac went on an 8-3 run to take the halftime lead, 37-32. San Jacinto maintained their lead most of the second half. With 3:00 minutes remaining, Panola found themselves down 66-60 but failed to convert the rest of the game.
Panola was led by Chan Williams-Bey who scored 14 points off the bench. Devyn Wilson also came off the bench and netted 12 points. Eric McGill and Tope Arikawe scored 11 and 10 points, respectfully. Marlon Taylor chased down eight rebounds. As a team, Panola was ice cold from the field shooting 36 percent from the field.
Panola will finish out the first semester when they head to Beeville to take on Coastal Bend next Saturday, December 10th. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM.
December 1, 2016 - On November 30, Panola College celebrated 125 years of combined service throughout the careers of many long-term employees at its annual Christmas buffet. Ronnie Morton had 10 years of service. Employees with 15 years of service are Ray McGrede, Joslyn Sullen, and Glendell Chadwick, a member of the Panola College Board of Trustees. Cheri Lambert has served 20 years. Both Donna Yates and Evelyn Sharp, also a member of the Panola College Board of Trustees, have 25 years of service. Dr. Greg Powell, President of Panola College, presented each with a token of the College’s appreciation.
15 Years – Not pictured Glendell Chadwick
25 Years – Not pictured Donna Yates
December 1, 2016 - The Panola College men’s basketball team defeated Blinn College here Wednesday Night, 65-63. With the victory, Panola raises their record to 8-3 and 1-0 in Region 14 play. “That was one of the coolest atmospheres I’ve ever coached in.” Head Coach Grant McMillan stated. “Majority of the ball game we executed our game plan but some costly turnovers kept Blinn hanging around.” He added.
The Ponies found themselves down to start the ball game 2-0 but a Tyonte Robertson three pointer gave them a 3-2 lead. The Ponies never lost the lead the rest of the way. Panola led by as much as nine points in the first half and led at the break 38-32. In the second half, Panola increased their lead to 57-43 with 7:54 remaining in the game. Blinn clawed their way back and had a chance to tie the ball game with just under 12 seconds remaining before a monstrous block by Marlon Taylor prevented the comeback.
Leading the way for the Ponies was Tope Arikawe who netted 12 points and chased down 10 rebounds. Marlon Taylor scored in double figures with 12 and Tyonte Robertson and Eric McGill both scored 10 points, respectively. KJ Byers came off the bench and chased down five rebounds and recorded four blocks. For the game, Panola shot 41 percent from the field and gathered 37 rebounds.
Panola continues league play this upcoming Saturday, December 3rd when they host San Jacinto College. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM in Arthur Johnson Gymnasium on the campus of Panola College.
December1, 2016 - The Panola Fillies added another conference win to their resume Wednesday night as they beat Angelina College 97-85. The Fillies came out on all cylinders in the first quarter starting the game on a big run 31-14. Freshman Waynecka Wynn hit a big 3-pointer at the end of the first to really stir the pot for the Fillies to continue their hot streak. Everything seemed to be falling for the Fillies as they went on to close the half up 22 points, 57-35.
But Angelina wouldn't give up so easily, as they came out in the second half ready to climb their way out of the hole. With some full court pressure and hot shooting from behind the arch, Angelina cut the lead down to 13, still down 73-60. They outscored Panola 16-25 in the third.
With some key fast breaks and ball control, Panola was able to keep the lead and take the win on the night. Five Fillies reached double figures: Sophomore Charlynn Perry (17), Freshman Patience Okpe (17), Sophomore Genesis Rivera (15), Freshman Wanyenecka Wynn (13), and Freshman Nailah Blount (12). Nailah would be perfect from the field hitting 5-5.
As a team the Fillies had one of their best shooting nights going 53.8% from the field and 35% from behind the 3-point line. With the Win the Fillies are now 2-0 in conference and 8-1 over all.
The Fillies continue conference play this Saturday, December 3rd against San Jacinto Community College in their home venue, A.J. Gymnasium.
November 30, 2016 - The ETMC Carthage Auxiliary awarded $300 scholarships to four Panola College nursing students recently. Recipients include Lauren Boggs Garcia of Shreveport, Holly Royer of Timpson, Megan Tillman of Beckville, and Kimberly Kirkland of Bivins, TX.
The ETMC Carthage Auxiliary comprises volunteers from the community who provide support services for staff and patients at the hospital. The Auxiliary members also coordinate fundraising activities to support nursing scholarships for Panola College students. Two of the most popular fundraisers are the jewelry and accessories sales held twice each year.
“We all appreciate the Auxiliary volunteers for the hard work they do to support our students in nursing at Panola College,” said Dr. Barbara Cordell, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Many students over the past two decades have benefited from the generosity of the ETMC Auxiliary scholarships.”
Find out more about Panola College Health Sciences programs on the College website at http://www.panola.edu/programs/health-sciences/.
Nacogdoches 29, 2016 - Panola College Criminal Justice students toured two State Jail Prison Facilities in Henderson on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Professor Mark Dickerson organized the tour as part of the Introduction to Criminal Justice class, CRIJ 1301.
Participating in the field trip were John Buchanan, Lukas Davie, Marissa Garcia, Candice Hamilton, Benjamin Hancock, Tanya Hulett, Tameal Jones, Zachary Kiper, Alex Lavender, Bryan Lopez, Timothy Magness, Dustin Ramsey, Yesenia Risinger, Carl Schulker, George Valdez, Nancy Vang, Lyndsey Wagner, Kellie Wheeler, Shariyah Williams, Stelladra Woods, Lori Cramer, Afrikina Dotson, Kelsey Francis, Kristen Honeycutt, Emily McIntosh, Latravia Willis.
Dickerson said the field trip gives his students a behind-the-scenes look at prison life from an administrative, employee and inmate perspective.
"One of the reasons I plan this field trip is to show students another portion of criminal justice they may have never considered as a career opportunity," he said. "With each tour, I see former students that have taken the tour and decided employment in corrections is not as scary or bad as they thought. I have several former Panola College Criminal Justice students now employed at the facilities."
Both jail facilities are managed by private corporations. The Bradshaw State Jail is owned by the State of Texas but managed by Core Civic. The East Texas Treatment Facility is owned and managed by Management Training Corporation. Bradshaw is a holding facility where people serve time for state jail offenses. The Treatment Facility provides treatment for behavioral and addictive issues.
“The facilities illustrate the privatization of corrections not only here in Texas, but also in the U.S. as a whole,” Dickerson said.
November 29, 2016 - Amy Pass, a Panola College student from Carthage, was awarded the first annual massage therapy scholarship by Massage Envy of Longview. Pass will complete the one-year massage therapy program in February 2017.
The Massage Therapy program provides 500 hours of instruction by licensed massage therapy instructors as required by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Classes are offered in the evening and on alternate Saturdays beginning in early March and running through the next February. The current class of massage therapy students will graduate and be ready to take their licensure exam by the end of February.
Hailey Miller, LMT-I, the massage therapy instructor, not only teaches the students but also networks with employers to help students find jobs. Miller’s relationship with Massage Envy helped secure the scholarship for Pass.
“I’m so proud of all our students and this scholarship really highlights Amy’s accomplishment,” says Miller.
For more information on Panola College Massage Therapy Program, contact the Workforce and Continuing Education Department at Panola College, 1109 West Panola, Carthage, TX 75633, phone: 903-693-2067, or go online to http://www.panola.edu/wkfc-cont-ed/massagetherapy.html.
The scholarship is part of the commitment that Massage Envy of Longview has made to support the education of local students and the growth of the local workforce in East Texas. Massage Envy Franchises employ over 25,000 massage therapists and estheticians across 1100 locations in the United States, making it the largest massage employer in the country. The company makes massage and skin care services accessible to a network of 1.65 million members nationwide because Massage Envy believes that massage therapy and skin care should be part of everyone’s total body care routine – not just a luxury, according to Brittany Craig, manager.
Massage Envy of Longview is located at 3088 N. Eastman Road Ste. 100, in the Target Shopping Center, phone: 903-663-2600.
November 28, 2016 - Panola College’s 2016 fall commencement will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2016 in the Arthur Johnson Gymnasium on the Carthage Campus. Due to the growing enrollment and graduation rates at Panola College, the College will divide its graduating class into two ceremonies for the first time. The first ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. followed by the second ceremony at 7:30 p.m..
“Hosting two ceremonies will allow Panola College to accommodate more guests which in the past has been an issue due to the increasing number of graduates,” says Jeremy Dorman, Director of Admissions and Registrar at Panola College. “We are also looking forward to holding commencement on campus this year after having the event at the Carthage Civic Center for the past several ceremonies due to campus renovations.”
Pages
