Area digest

Umpires meetingset for Thursday

The SEMO Area Umpires Association will have a meeting 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the meeting room at River Eagle Distributing.

The meeting is open to all high school baseball and softball umpires and anyone interested in attending.

For information, call Paul Friga at (573) 270-0476.

Bess earns teachingaward from governor

Three Rivers Community College men's basketball coach Gene Bess has been awarded the 2007 Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Bess was honored earlier this month in Jefferson City at a ceremony presided by Lt. Governor Peter Kinder.

Bess is in his 37th season as athletic director and men's basketball coach at Three Rivers. He holds the national record for the most wins by a coach on any collegiate level, accumulating more than 1,000 wins. He had coached the Raiders to two NJCAA championships -- in 1979 and 1992. He has been the NJCAA national coach of the year twice and regional coach of the year 17 times. He is a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, National Junior College Hall of Fame and the Poplar Bluff Hall of Fame.

Bess is an Oak Ridge native and Southeast Missouri State graduate who coached high school basketball at Oran before taking the post at Three Rivers.

"I'm delighted with the selection of coach Bess as this year's recipient of the Governor's Award for Teaching Excellence," Three Rivers president Dr. John Cooper said. "Coach Bess was selected from the many exceptional instructors at TRCC. He epitomizes what TRCC faculty do -- provide the highest level of instruction, and he is an exceptional role model for Three Rivers' students."

The award is given each year to a TRCC faculty member who is nominated and chosen by the instructor's peers on the Three Rivers faculty.

Cape Girardeau youthsplace in powerlifting

Anna Bailey and Brianna Egbuka of Cape Girardeau set state records and placed in the Missouri State Powerlifting Championships earlier this month.

Bailey was named the top female teenage lifter. The 16-year-old, competing in the 165-pound division, had a squat press of 264 pounds, a bench of 192 and a deadlift of 275 for total of 733 pounds.

Egbuka, 18, had a squat press of 242, a bench of 148 and a deadlift of 259 for 650 total pounds.

McGee competing innational circuit finals

Matt McGee of Cape Girardeau will compete today through Saturday in the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, in the tie-down roping competition.

The event is open to champions from each of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association's 12 circuits. McGee was a champion for the Great Lakes circuit last year.

Central volleyballteams defeat Chaffee

The Central seventh- and eighth-grade volleyball teams recorded road victories over Chaffee on Monday night.

The seventh-grade team improved to 3-2 with a 25-12, 25-7 victory.

The eighth grade won 25-9, 25-17 to improve to 6-3.

-- From staff reports