NATCHEZ — Seventeen students at Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Natchez campus won 26 awards at Mississippi state competition recently.

The students are members of Delta Epsilon Chi, a nationwide business organization and they competed in a variety of categories at the state Delta conference in Hattiesburg.

“We are proud and excited for our students and our DEX sponsors,” said Teresa Harrison, dean of the Natchez campus.

“A tremendous amount of effort goes into preparing for this event and our students made a great showing in Hattiesburg.”

The student contingent was led by instructors Nancy Best of Natchez’s hospitality and tourism management technology program, and Melinda Laird of Natchez’s business and marketing management technology program, both of whom are advisors to the Natchez campus Delta chapter.

Laird was elected vice president of the Post Secondary Mississippi Association of Marketing Educators.

In addition, Co-Lin student Megan Edmonds of Natchez was elected vice president of the state Delta organization, and she placed first in the hospitality and tourism category and second in the design competition. In 2007, Edmonds also won a first- place award and represented Co-Lin in international competition.

The team of Oscar Porter, Shanice Kennedy and Willard Sims all of Natchez, won second place in the advertising campaign competition.

Taking fourth in chapter of the year scrapbook were Elaina Hunter and Jarnee Sullivan, both of Natchez. Also winning fourth in sports and entertainment marketing were Preston Carr of Natchez and Norvell Davis of Fayette. Sullivan and Jameelah Frank of Natchez both won fourth in business ethics team event.

The team of Hunter and Gwen Brown of Roxie won fourth in business to business, and Brown took third in design

Porter won second in human resources; Kennedy took second in Internet marketing, and Sims fourth in retail management.

Third-place honors were won by Chris Gann of Woodville, retail management; Chancey Watts of Vidalia, sales management meeting; Tamara Fitzgerald of Natchez, sales representative.

Gwen Ford of Natchez won fourth in entrepreneurship and sixth in marketing management; Carrie Hunt of Roxie took fifth in sales representative and sixth in restaurant and food service management; Krystle Turner of Woodville won fourth in marketing management.

The chapter also won the spirit award at the opening session of the conference.

Also attending from Co-Lin Natchez were Renada Newell of Natchez, Cassie Thompson of Vidalia, Melvin Demby of Natchez and Molly Bairnsfather of Vidalia.

Currently 14 winners from Co-Lin Natchez are preparing to represent the state of Mississippi during competitions at Delta Epsilon Chi’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, in April.