UMO Prepares for 50th Pickle Classic and Homecoming Weekend
UMO Prepares for 50th Pickle Classic and Homecoming Weekend
MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive (UMO) will welcome alumni, students, and community members to its annual Pickle Classic/Homecoming Weekend on November 20-21. The weekend will mark 50 years of Pickle Classic traditions at the University.
Pickle Classic basketball will be at its best on Friday and Saturday evening with the men’s games each night at 5 PM and 7:30 PM in Kornegay Arena. The women’s teams will start competition at 1 PM on Saturday. This year’s lineup of teams includes the University of Mount Olive Trojans, the Barton College Bulldogs, the UNC Pembroke Braves, and the Virginia State University Trojans. Pickle Classic tickets are $15 in advance for the entire weekend or $10 at the door for each night. Tickets for the women’s game only are $6.
“The Pickle Classic is one of the longest running college basketball tournaments in the nation,” said Vice President of Athletics Jeff Eisen. “The success of this tournament is due to the great basketball tradition at the University, as well as outstanding community support, particularly from Mount Olive Pickle Company and the Kiwanis Club. We are looking forward to celebrating the Pickle Classic’s 50th anniversary with one of the best tournaments ever.”
On Saturday, November 21, the Alumni Association will hold its board meeting at 8:30 AM in the Hennessee Room of the Holmes and Lois Murphy Center. The Trojan Trot 5K will begin at 9 AM in front of the Kornegay Arena parking lot. At 3 PM a two-time individual conference champion, two members of NCAA Tournament teams, and two families that have been long-time supporters of Trojan athletics will be inducted in the University of Mount Olive Athletics Hall of Fame. This year marks the 10th Hall of Fame Class and brings the total number of individual inductees up to 37. At 5:30 PM there will be a dinner honoring past Pickle Classic participants and royalty. To conclude the weekend, there will be fireworks on Kemp Commons at the close of Saturday’s final Pickle Classic game.
“This is a monumental time for our Pickle Classic and Homecoming Weekend as we celebrate the past 50 years,” said Director of Alumni Relations Hope Fields. “There have been so many people along the way that have participated in this event in some way. For years, this weekend has been a time for both students and alumni to really have fun supporting our athletics! We invite all alumni to come back and enjoy Pickle Classic and Homecoming again!”
For more information regarding Homecoming Weekend, please contact Hope Fields at HFields@umo.edu or visit www.umoalumni.com/2015homecoming. For information about Pickle Classic, contact Tina Parks in Athletics at tparks@umo.edu.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit old.umo.edu.
