MOC Plans Events to Welcome Alumni Home
MOUNT OLIVE – University of Mount Olive will host its 48thannual Pickle Classic Homecoming weekend November 21-23, 2013. As usual, the weekend will be packed full of fun events for current students, alumni, and the wider community.
The festivities will begin on Thursday, November 21, with the University of Mount Olive Concert Choir performing at 7:30 PM at the Mount Olive Assembly Hall, located at 205 Wooten Street.
The 17th annual Alumni Golf Tournament will take place at Southern Wayne Country Club on Friday, November 22, at noon. The tournament is a four man, captain’s choice event. Hope Fields, director of Alumni Relations, said, “The ‘steaks’ will be high for this year’s event.” She went on to explain that anyone scoring a hole in one will receive a free steak dinner for two, once a week for an entire year, courtesy of Ribeye’s of Mount Olive. A $50 gift card will be awarded to the closest to the pin challenge. Following the tournament, there will be a pizza dinner and raffle drawing.
The Pickle Classic basketball games are scheduled to start on Friday, November 22, at 5 PM between Barton College and Virginia State. The University of Mount Olive Trojans will take on Saint Augustine College at 7:30 PM. Following the games, guests will be invited to stroll over to the new Deacon’s Café in Raper Hall for Starbucks coffee and music by alumni David Hines ‘79 and Ryan Fields ’08.
Also scheduled for Friday, the College will honor the five-year anniversary of the 2008 National Baseball Championship with a dinner at 6 PM in the Hennessee Room of the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center.
On Saturday, November 23, the University of Mount Olive Alumni Board will meet at 9 AM in the Hennessee Room. Also at 9 AM will be the first ever Trojan Trot. This is a family friendly 5k competitive walk/run. The cost for the event is $25 for competitive runners, $15 for the fun run, and $10 for MOC students to do either run. At 10 AM on the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center stage, there will be a planning meeting for the 25th and 50th Year Alumni Reunions scheduled for spring 2014. “This is open to anyone who is interested in helping with the planning process for either event,” said Fields.
Saturday’s basketball schedule begins with the Trojan women facing off against Elizabeth City State at 12 noon in Kornegay Arena. A designated fan zone is set for 4 to 7 PM. “This is an opportunity to have some fun before heading in to support the Trojans,” said Fields. “Activities will include face painting and tattoos, corn hole, funnel cakes, and alumni entertainment.” At 5 PM Barton will face Saint Augustine. At 5:30 PM there will be an Alumni Pre-Game Chili Cook-off. The final game of the Pickle Classic will begin at 7:30 PM between University of Mount Olive and Virginia State.
Tickets for the Pickle Classic Tournament are $15 in advance if purchased by November 13. On game night, tickets will be $10 at the door for the men’s games, and $6 for the women’s games.
Also on Saturday, November 23, there will be an Alumni softball game with where the current softball team playing against MOC Alumni. The game begins at 1PM on the Nancy Chapman Cassel Softball field. The Athletics Hall of Fame inductions will be held at 3PM. This year’s inductees will be Mike Neill ’99, Scott McKee ’00, and Tangela Grant-Faulkner ’98. The pioneer award will be given to the 1965-66 Men’s Basketball Team.
For more information on Homecoming Pickle Classic Weekend, contact Hope Fields at hfields@moc.edu.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.