Joey Harvey is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at [email protected].The time has come where we separate the big dawgs from the small, and we enter the second round of the “Top Dawg” contest. Remember, this is our quest to determine who is the most popular athlete based on on-the-field performance and off-the-field notoriety.
The first round of play saw two big upsets, sending No. 1 seed Jamont Gordon and No. 3 seed Charles Rhodes packing.
Marneshia Richard and Ivan Bjelica also lost their first-round contests.
Vote early, vote often and vote a lot. Just vote. And remember, there’s no guarantee that your favorite athlete will win if you don’t vote.
No. 4 Derek Pegues
Football
Junior
Batesville, Miss.
Defensive Back
Pegues dominated the vote in his first-round matchup against No. 5 seed tennis star Ivan Bjelica and now moves on to face Kriegel, who wiped away the No. 1 seed with no problem. Pegues and MSU’s defense has had a strong season so far, having had an interception returned for a touchdown in each of the team’s four wins. Pegues himself is owner of one of those “pick-sixes.”
Pegues is one of the most recognizable names and faces on the Bulldog roster, and he certainly has what it takes to be one of the Top Dawgs on campus, but his fans must show how much they appreciate him if he plans to make it to the next round.
No. 8 Eva Kriegel
Volleyball
Senior
Jaszbereny, Hungary
Setter
Just as Pegues had little trouble putting away his first-round opponent, so did Kriegel.
The Hungarian setter easily did away with No. 1 seed Jamont Gordon in the very first “Top Dawg” match, beginning the tournament with quite a shock.
Kriegel is averaging just over nine assists per game and is continuing to steer the Bulldog ship as the leader of the team. She is one of five seniors on the roster, so it’s up to her to get the ship back on the course of success.