Mississippi Christian University

The Mississippi College baseball team continued its unbeaten streak during midweek contests as it run-ruled No. 3 Southern Arkansas, 16-3, in the seven-inning contest. The win improved MC to 5-10 on the season while the Muleriders fall to 10-4. Three Choctaw posted multiple-hit performances in the contest as Alex McWhorter, Jordan Rollins and Rhett Birdsong tallied two hits each. Rollins led the team with four RBI in the contest followed by Caleb Reese with three. Bridley Thomas and McWhorter rounded out the multi-RBI efforts with a pair. Seven hurlers took the bump on the day with each drawing an inning of work. Kade Linn (2-0) logged the victory as he held SAU to a scoreless and hitless frame on just 10 pitches. He also added a strikeout. The unit held the nationally-ranked Muleriders to four hits through seven innings. SAU took an early lead in the game with two runs in its first trip to the plate. MC answered with a run in the bottom of the second to cut the lead in and half and then plastered five runs on the board in the bottom of the third and never looked back. Rollins headlined the inning with one of his two home runs in the contest - a three-run shot. The Blue and Gold posted crooked numbers in four of the six innings at the plate and scored in six. After the Muleriders plated their final run of the game in the fourth, MC added 10 unanswered runs over the course of the next three frames. Reese added a three-run home run in the fourth and Rollins belted his second of the day - this time a solo homer - to start a three-run inning in the fifth. Bridley Thomas capped the scoring in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Birdsong. MC manufactured the four runs in the sixth inning as Birdsong, Cody Crifasi and Thomas each pushed runs across the dish. Hayden Hable (2-1) was saddled with the loss on the bump. The SAU starter allowed four runs on one hit with three walks and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work. Mississippi College continues its run of ranked opponents as its hosts the University of Tampa in a three-game series, beginning on Friday, March 3. First pitch is at 3 p.m.

The Gulf South Conference announced its Softball Players of the Week for the 2023 season with Camryn Bailey, from Helena, Ala., being recognized as the GSC Freshman of the Week. This week's awards were for games played between February 1-5. Bailey had a solid collegiate debut in the circle for the Lady Choctaws, going 4-0 with five appearances and three starts. As a result, the rookie registered two shutouts, five strikeouts, allowed one earned run and 13 hits while posting a 0.30 ERA. The Freshman help lead the Lady Choctaws to wins over Harding (4-3, 11 innings), #6 Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-0), Southeastern Oklahoma State (8-0), and Drury (4-2). MC returns to action for the Charger Chillout on Friday with a double-header versus Carson-Newman (12 p.m.) and #20 Lincoln Memorial (5 p.m.) The Lady Choctaws once again will participate in a five game weekend series in Huntsville, Ala. hosted by UAH.

Mississippi College Track and Field received four Gulf South Conference (GSC) Athlete of the Week honors, the most GSC Weekly honors out of any other GSC school for the fourth consecutive week. This also marks the first time this season that any GSC school has received four Track and Field honors in a single week. Kelechi Christian has been lighting the track on fire, and the GSC has taken notice as she was rewarded with her second consecutive GSC Women's Track Athlete of the Week honors. Her most recent performance at the South Carolina Invitational consisted of two school records in the 200-meter and 400-meter dash, sprinting to provisional standard marks of 24.44 and 56.87, respectively. The Lagos, Nigeria native is now ranked No. 11 in the Women's 200-meter dash and No. 33 in NCAA Division II in the Women's 400-meter dash, and now holds every school record from the 60-meter dash to the 400-meter dash. The men's team swept the GSC Athlete of the Week honors with Ben Woolhouse receiving the Men's Field Athlete of the Week, Niklas Klei winning the Men's Track Athlete of the Week, and Cooper Parmer being named the Men's Freshman of the Week. At the Pitt State Invitational, Ben Woolhouse, from Tupelo, Miss., won the Men's Pole Vault over a stacked field in a provisional standard mark of 4.78 meters, just 0.02 meters off of his win and school record of 4.80 meters at the Samford Open. This was the Mississippi College junior's second win and provisional standard mark in a row, and continues to lead the GSC in the event. At that same meet, Cooper Parmer, from Pontotoc, Miss., finished third in section 3 of the Men's 1 mile run in a lifetime best of 4:21.25, earning a top-ten finish overall, and is now the No. 5 Mississippi College freshman performer in the event. The freshman phenom then came back to win section two of the Men's 3,000-meter run in a mark of 8:47.48. Lastly, At the Pitt State Invitational, Niklas Klei, from Kirchlengern, Germany, became the first athlete in NCAA Division II this season to break 47 seconds in the Men's 400-meter dash. He won the competition in a lifetime best and school record of 46.92 seconds, and is ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II. According to TFRRS records, Klei is the first-ever GSC athlete to break 47 seconds in the indoor 400-meter dash. Mississippi College Track and Field has consistently been a top-performing program in the GSC, consistently bringing home multiple Athlete of the Week honors each week. They will now set their sights on the 2023 Gulf South Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama , on February 14th and 15th, where they are poised for a strong showing.

The Mississippi College baseball team erupted for its first win of the 2023 campaign as it blasted Miles College, 23-3, at Historic Rickwood Field on Tuesday, Feb. 7. It is the fifth straight win in the series by MC (1-3) and the ninth all-time against the Golden Bears (2-3). The run total is the most since the 2015 edition plated 25 runs against Tougaloo College on Feb. 7, 2015. It is the most under a Jeremy Haworth-coached program as the previous mark was 21 runs against McKendree on Feb.19, 2018. The Blue and Gold posted crooked numbers in four of the contest's seven innings with a pair six-run frames in third and fourth and two five-run innings in the sixth and to start the game in the first. Four Choctaw recorded multiple-hit efforts led by Beau Bates with three. The Caledonia, Miss., native logged a pair of singles and one of five, extra-bases hits with a double in the sixth. Jordan Rollins joined Bates with a double, Bryce LaRocca and JT Vance each added a triple and Alex McWhorter became the third different Choctaw with a home run this season as he belted a three-run bomb in the first inning. Five MC players notched multi-RBI efforts paced by LaRocca with four runs driven in. McWhorter and Bates joined with three RBI as Rhett Birdsong and Bridley Thomas each pasted two to round out the multi-RBI producers. MC totaled 15 hits for the first time since April 10, 2022 at Delta State. It is the first time with 20-plus runs since Mar. 29, 2021 at Union (Tenn.) University. Austin Huggins (1-0) logged the win on the bump as he allowed three runs - one earned - on three hits with four walks and a strikeout in four innings in the start. Ervin Simmons fanned five and held Miles hitless through two innings of relief. The Golden Bears scratched across two runs in the second to clip the margin to 5-2 through the first two innings. They added their final in the third frame after MC added its first six-run frame in the top half of the inning. LaRocca headlined the frame with a bases-clearing triple that extended the margin to 10-2. A Caleb Reese RBI-single concluded the scoring in the inning. The Choctaw continued to pour it on from there as posted 12 unanswered runs to close the contest. Hagen Gingras paced the Purple and Gold at the plate as he drove in two runs and had one of its three hits on the day. Conner Whitfield (0-1) took the loss on the mound with 2.1 innings of action as he surrendered nine runs on five hits with five walks.

Through a much anticipated and thrilling event, all looked to be done on the night late in the game, but the Choctaws took advantage of opportunities with great defense and quick scoring to take a 64-62 victory over the Lee Flames. In the first half, MC jumped out to a 4-0 start after baskets from Galen Smith, but the Flames rallied back for a 9-4 lead at the 15:51 mark. The Choctaws got hot in the next few minutes with big shots from Miles Miller to cut the lead to 16-12 with 11:57 remaining in the half. MC charged back to end the half on a 19-18 run and a 31-30 lead behind 12 points from Miller. Through the first seven minutes of the second half, the momentum completely changed as Lee found some fire of their own for a 48-37 lead with 12:47 remaining. The two teams battled back and forth until the end where the Choctaws claimed an exciting, star studded two-point victory. The Choctaws were led in scoring by Galen Smith with 17 points, Tradavis Thompson with 10 points, Bee McCrary with 13 points and Justin Reid who gave MC the lead with under 30 seconds finished with 10 points. Miller and McCrary each helped aid in producing a team-high in assists with four on the night, while Miller and Smith each added five rebounds in the win. Asa team, MC shot 24-of-46 from the field, while also collecting 22 points in the paint and 15 points off of the bench. MC improves to 13-12 overall and 9-12 in GSC play. T

The Mississippi College Track and Field carried their momentum to the Pittsburg State Invitational held in Pittsburg, Kansas, adding three school records and recording 14 top-five finishes in a top-tier meet that featured several hundred competitors. Kelechi Christian re-broke her own 60-meter school record that she set one week prior at the Samford Open, sprinting to a mark of 7.60 seconds. With that performance, Christian is now ranked No. 1 in the Gulf South Conference and No. 23 in NCAA Division II. Niklas Klei made history in the Men's 400-meter dash, becoming the first Choctaw to go under 47 seconds in the 400-meter distance. Klei is also the first in NCAA Division II to accomplish this feat, which in turn ranks him as the No. 1 400-meter runner in NCAA Division II. The cherry on top, in the last event for the Choctaws, the Men's 4x400-meter relay of Gabe Hodson, Will Grames, Connor Stewart, and Klei broke the Mississippi College Men's Indoor Track and Field 4x400-meter relay record, running 3:14.71. They now lead the Gulf South Conference, and are ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II. In total, it was another successful outing for the Choctaws, and the Mississippi College Track and Field team has now broken 22 school records during the 2023 Indoor Track and Field season. Assistant Track and Field Coach Amy Withrow *commenting on the experience gained at the highly competitive Pittsburg State Invitational "This meet was super competitive. Our athletes deserved to be there and proved that multiple times. I was proud to see our runners, jumpers, and throwers show up and represent MC the correct way. Very excited for the future." Post-meet Field statistics -Ben Woolhouse won the Men's Pole Vault with a mark of 7.78 meters, just 0.02 meters off his school record that he set one week prior at the Samford Open. -In the Women's Weight Throw, Essence Tornabene threw 16.82 meters, garnering a top-five finish. -Lady Choctaws Haley Hall and Adrianna Burage placed inside the top 10 in the Women's High Jump. Hall, a freshman, hit a lifetime best of 1.57 meters, while Burage recorded a mark of 1.54 meters. -Tytavia Hardy placed inside the top five in the Women's Triple Jump, jumping a season's best of 11.42 meters. -In the Men's Triple Jump, Timothy Young placed sixth overall in a season's best of 14.17 meters. Post-meet Track statistics -In the Women's 1 mile, Jazmin Hernandez and Lauren Wallace made history. For the first time ever, two Lady Choctaws broke five minutes in the mile in the same race. Hernandez placed third in 4:58.72, while Wallace was fourth in 4:59.88. The pair then doubled back to record top 10 finishes in the Women's 800-meter run; Hernandez fifth in 2:17.16, and Wallace ninth in 2:18.54. -Hollis Johnson recorded a top-five finish in the Men's 1 mile, running 4:16.80 to finish fourth overall. Mississippi College freshman Cooper Parmer also snuck into the top 10, running a lifetime best of 4:21.25. Parmer also doubled back to win section two of the Men's 3,000-meter run in 8:47.48. -Shemar Patten, the 60-meter hurdles school record holder, finished fourth overall in his specialty event. Patten put down a mark of 8.12 seconds, just 0.03 seconds off his school record he set one week prior at the Samford Open. -Hilary Udechukwu snagged a top 10 finish in the Women's 400-meter dash, recording an indoor lifetime best of 57.86 seconds to finish tenth overall. -After setting a school record in the Women's 60-meter dash, Kelechi Christian won the fast section of the Women's 200-meter dash in 24.66 seconds, good enough for a third-place overall finish. -The Lady Choctaws placed three athletes inside the top 10 in the Women's 3,000-meter run; Emily Berry, the school record holder, earned a fifth-place finish in 10:18.80. Norma Gutierrez and Ava Dickerson both recorded lifetime bests; Guiterrez seventh in 10:25.19, and Dickerson eighth in 10:25.74.

Mississippi College opened up the 2023 softball season in the win column with two huge victories to begin the weekend. MC went toe to toe with Harding in game one, winning by a final score of 4-3 in 11 innings. In game two, the Lady Choctaws dominated #6 ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville by a final of 10-0. Mississippi College totaled four hits in game one, with Alexis Lauglin, Brooke Fagan, McCall Lee and Jordan LaFosse each tallying a hit. Lee had a team best two runs batted in with Fagan and Lafosse adding one RBI a piece. Camryn Bailey picked up the win, going 5.0 innings pitched, striking out two opposing hitters, as she improved to 1-0 after the win. In game two, MC scored three runs in the third, four in the fourth and three more runs in the seventh, on their way to defeating #6 Texas A&M-Kingsville 10-0. The Lady Choctaws had 12 hits and held Kingsville with just two hits on the night. MC had four batters with double-digit hits with Laughlin, Jordan Moore, Lafosse, and Rigney each tallying two hits. Laughlin and Moore paced the Lady Choctaws with two and three runs batted in a piece on the night.

Mississippi College picked up their second win in a row on Thursday night defeating Christian Brothers by a final score of 65-53 in Gulf South Conference play. The first half of action remained in a tight locked matchup with 16 total lead changes in the first 20 minutes. The Choctaws largest lead in the first half over the Bucs was a three-point advantage, with CBU claiming a two point lead over MC. Both teams maintained a one possession advantage over the other throughout the half, as CBU took a one-point lead, 27-26, into the half. In the second half, MC took the largest lead of the night for any team on a Galen Smith layup, giving the Choctaws a 38-33 lead with 15:05 on the clock. Smith once again gave MC more momentum with 9:41 left in the contest on a layup that gave the Blue and Gold the first double-digit lead of the night, 52-42. MC reached its largest lead on the night with under two minutes to go, taking a 65-51 advantage. The Choctaws went on to win by a final score of 65-53, claiming their second win in a row. The Choctaws were led by two double-digit scorers, with Galen Smith leading the way with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Smith also had a team best seven rebounds and two solo blocked shots. Bee McCrary had 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and two assists. Justin Reid and Tradavis Thompson each had nine points scoring in the win with Reid tallying three rebounds .Mississippi College was 27-of-53 on the night from the floor with 32 points in the paint and 22 points off of the bench. Both teams exchanged leads 19 total times in the game with MC maintaining the lead for 27:31.

The Mississippi College indoor track and field program received three Gulf South Conference Athlete of the Week Awards thanks to their outstanding recent performances at the 2023 University of Alabama in Birmingham Vulcan Invite and 2023 Emory University Crossplex Showdown. Women's weight throw and shot put school record holder Essence Tornabene garnered the GSC Women's Field Athlete of the Week. Tornabene won the women's weight throw at the UAB Vulcan Invite in a school record and provisional mark of 17.83 meters. She beat out multiple GSC athletes, and currently leads the GSC from her performance. Lastly, she is ranked No. 17 in NCAA Division II in the women's weight throw. Essence also threw 11.40 meters in the women's shot put to finish ninth overall and third in GSC competition. Up next, women's 3,000-meter school record holder Emily Berry earned the GSC Women's Runner of the Week. Berry won the women's 3,000 meter run at the UAB Vulcan Invite in a school record time of 10:09.84, and was the top GSC athlete in the event. One day later, the distance star won the women's 5,000 meter run at the Emory Crossplex Showdown in a time of 18:16.69, again the top GSC athlete. She currently leads the GSC in both the women's 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run because of her weekend performance. Lastly, men's mile school record holder Hunter Kurz received the GSC Men's Runner of the Week. At the UAB Vulcan Invite, Kurz won the men's 3000-meter run in a provisional mark of 8:12.01. He finished as the top GSC competitor and currently leads the GSC in the event. One day later, the Philpot, Ky., native won the men's mile at the Emory Crossplex Showdown in a provisional mark of 4:07.93. He was again the top GSC competitor and also leads the GSC in that event. Lastly, Kurz tripled back to win the men's 800-meter run in a time of 1:54.34, finishing as the top GSC competitor. With that performance, Kurz is currently No. 3 in the Men's 800m in the conference

Mississippi College pulled off the thrilling victory on Monday night at home versus Tougaloo, defeating the Bulldogs by a final score of 70-67 in non-conference play. The two teams battled it out on the hardwood for the entire 40 minute meeting, exchanging leads with each other a total of 15 times over the course of the contest. In the first half of play, the Bulldogs got out to their largest lead with 6:07 to go until the break with a five-point advantage after a jump shot by Trajan Fielder. The bucket gave the Bulldogs the 25-20 lead. Over the next two minutes, Galen Smith and Tradavis Thompson led MC on a 4-0 stretch, pulling MC back within one-point at 25-24. The Bulldogs took the slight four point lead, 36-32, into the locker room at the the intermission. Three minutes into the second half, MC grabbed a two-point lead on three-point basket made by Blayton Williams, as the Choctaws led 39-37. The second half was a battle back and forth between the two teams, exchanging leads a total of 13 times in the 17 final minutes of regulation, including eight lead changes midway through the final half. With 46-seconds left in play, MC reached their largest lead of the night on a Justin Reid layup, giving the Choctaws the 66-62 advantage. Reid sealed off the final points in the final seconds of the game, knocking down a pair of free throws, as MC went on to win the thriller by a final of 70-67. MC finished with two double-digit scorers on the night with Tradavis Thompson leading the way with 23 points scored, while Galen Smith totaled 20 points. Thompson was 10-of-21 shooting from the floor in 40 minutes of action. The junior point guard also led MC with seven (7) rebounds. Smith finished 9-of-11 from the field with a second best six (6) rebounds. Miles Miller had a team best six (6) assists to go along with seven points and two steals. Justin Reid tallied nearly 30 minutes of action, capping the night off with eight (8) points scored in the win. As a team, MC finished 30-of-57 shooting and produced 46 total points in the paint. The Choctaws and Bulldogs exchanged leads 15 times on the night, with neither team getting higher than a five point lead in the contest. Mississippi College improved to 9-7 overall on the season with the win.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team ended a four-game slide as it scored a season-high 80 points in an 80-63 victory over Christian Brothers University. MC (4-12, 3-10 Gulf South Conference) snapped a six-game skid in the series. CBU falls to 7-9 and 5-8 in the conference. The previous high was 67 points at Shorter University on Dec. 16. The last time the program scored 80-plus points in a game came against the Hawks last season on Jan. 22, 2022. Kyiah Julian led the Choctaw with a career-high 27 points. The point total bests her previous best of 21 set earlier this season against UAH on Dec. 11. The Greenwood, Ark., native knocked down seven 3-pointers and narrowed the gap on moving into third all-time. The junior also paced the squad with eight rebounds. MC shot 42.0 percent from the field, including a 47.6 clip from behind the arc - its third most of the season. It also grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds as it topped its previous best of 44 at Auburn Montgomery on Dec. 4. After holding a one-point advantage following the first minutes of action, the Blue and Gold outscored the Lady Bucs 25-13 in the second period to take a 38-25 lead in at the intermission. MC maintained its 20-point lead through the third quarter and grabbed its largest lead of the game, 26 points, on a jumper from Julian with 8:22 left to play. The Blue and Gold held the advantage for 26-plus minutes as the contest stood deadlocked four times. Yaya Coleman paced the Red and Black with 20 points and missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Jeremia Montgomery added 17 points. CBU shot 36.7 percent from the floor, but struggled from behind the 3-point line as the Choctaw defense held them to just 4-for-20. They pulled down 34 boards.

Mississippi College went on the road Thursday evening and defeated Valdosta State in Gulf South Conference play by a final score of 72-56. In the first half of play, the Blazers jumped out to a lead midway through, eventually leading the Choctaws by seven points, 31-24, with four minutes left until the half. However, the MC offense picked up momentum, going on an 11-2 run down the stretch in the final minutes of the half, allowing the Blue and Gold to take a 35-33 lead heading into the break. The Choctaws continued to play solid offense in the second half, jumping out to a ten point lead, 45-35, just four minutes into the start of the final half. Trey Bates III gave MC it's largest lead of the night with four minutes left in the game, putting the Choctaws ahead 70-48 over the Blazers. MC went on to win the contest over Valdosta by a final score of 72-56, improving to 11-8 and 7-8 in conference play. The Choctaws had three scorers with double-digit points on the night with Galen Smith finishing with a team high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Smith also had a team best 10 rebounds on the night, finishing with a double-double on the night, along with four assists. Miles Miller had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also led MC with seven assists and had five rebounds in the game. Justin Reid had 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while also bringing down five rebounds. Blayton Williams and Trey Bates III each tallied nine points in the Choctaws win over the Blazers. As a team, MC finished 26-of-50 from the field while also tallying 28 points in the paint.

The Mississippi College Track and Field team made a major statement at the South Carolina Invitational, adding four school records and achieving 16 provisional standard marks. The performance was yet another testament to the talented roster of athletes and dedicated coaching staff at Mississippi College. With 26 school records broken this season, the Mississippi College Track and Field team is rapidly making a name for itself both in the Gulf South Conference and nationally. At the South Carolina Invitational, several athletes stood out with remarkable performances, including Kelechi Christian who broke the school records in the Women's 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash with a provisional time of 24.44 seconds and 56.87 seconds, and Hunter Kurz, who won the Men's 3000-meter run in a lifetime best and provisional standard of 8:07.9. History was made in the relays as well. In the Men's Distance Medley Relay, Christian Balcer, Fabio Palmieri, Cole Benoit, and Kurz put on a show to win in a provisional standard and school record of 9:44.6, skyrocketing to No. 2 in NCAA Division II. Soon after, the Men's 4x400-meter relay squad of Gabe Hodson, Will Grames, Niklas Klei, and Connor Stewart broke the school record in a provisional standard of 3:13.5, now ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II. After yet another successful weekend, the Choctaws will now set their eyes on performing to the best of their abilities at the 2023 Gulf South Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, to be held February 14-15 in Birmingham, Alabama. Post-meet field statistics In the Men's Long jump, Niklas Klei leaped to a lifetime best of 7.26 meters, hitting the provisional standard and now ranked No. 1 in the Gulf South Conference. Al Ferrill, the school record holder in the Men's Shot Put and Weight Throw, posted top 10 finishes in the invite section at the South Carolina Invitational. The Tickfaw, La. native threw 15.48 meters in the Shot Put and 17.23 meters in the Weight Throw. In the Women's Weight Throw, Essence Tornabene posted a top-five finish in the invite section with a throw of 16.93 meters. Ben Woolhouse earned a top-ten finish in the invite section of the Men's Pole Vault, soaring to a mark of 4.67 meters. Post-meet running statistics Kelechi Christian added two more school records to her 2023 Indoor Track and Field season resume, breaking the 200-meter and 400-meter school records. With those marks, Christian is currently ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II in the 200-meter dash and No. 32 in NCAA Division II in the 400-meter dash, and leads the Gulf South Conference in the 60, 200, and 400-meter dash. The Lagos, Nigeria native also added a 7.68 in the Women's 60-meter dash. Lastly, she now holds every Mississippi College Women's Indoor Track and Field record from the 60-meter dash to the 400-meter dash, including the 4x400-meter relay. Mississippi College freshman Alana Green also added marks of 7.70 and 25.42 in the 60 and 200-meter dash. After pacing the Men's 1-mile run, Hunter Kurz doubled back to win the Men's 3,000-meter run in a lifetime best and provisional standard mark of 8:07.9, his fourth win of the 2023 Indoor Track and Field season. Fellow Choctaw Brock Kelly also achieved his first-ever provisional standard of his career, running a strong 8:14.7 for third place overall. After their performances at the South Carolina Invitational, Jazmin Hernandez and Lauren Wallace are now the fastest performers in both the 800-meter run and 1-mile run in Mississippi College Women's Indoor Track and Field history. In the Women's 1-mile, Hernandez posted a provisional standard and season best of 4:55.0, while Wallace paced to a lifetime best and provisional standard of 4:57.3. With those performances, the pair are now ranked No. 2 and No. 4 in the Gulf South Conference, as well as No. 35 and 48 in NCAA Division II, respectively. They continued to impress on day two of the competition, setting lifetime bests in the 800-meter run; Hernandez lowered her school record to 2:13.6, and Wallace, also under the old school record, ran a lifetime best of 2:13.9. Both Choctaw runners achieved the provisional standard, and are now ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Gulf South Conference, as well as No. 25 and 32 in NCAA Division II. In the Men's 1-mile run, Christian Balcer and Cole Benoit had an Incredible showing. Both runners set lifetime bests at 4:06.7 and 4:07.6, hitting the provisional standard and are now ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in the Gulf South Conference, as well as No. 22 and No. 31 in NCAA Division II. In the Men's 400-meter dash Connor Stewart & Gabe Hodson set lifetime bests at 49.10 and 49.14, respectively. Fabio Palmieri and Will Grames also season bests at 49.54 and 49.75. The quartet are now all ranked inside the top nine in the Gulf South Conference in the event. In the Men's 60-meter dash, Kevin Turner posted a provisional time of 6.82 seconds, his eighth out of nine performances achieving the provisional standard. In the Men's 60-meter hurdles, Shemar Patten sprinted to a provisional time of 8.22 seconds, his sixth time this season to achieve the provisional standard, and fifth time in a row.

The Mississippi College Track and Field Team returned from winter break with a bang, breaking five school records, as well as earning six wins in their first competition of 2023. In addition, five athletes achieved NCAA Division II provisional standards. The new school record holders are listed as follows: Essence Tornabene in the Women's Weight Throw, Al Ferrill in the Men's Weight Throw, Kelechi Christian in the Women's 200-meter dash, Emily Berry in the Women's 3000-meter run, and the Women's 4x400m relay of Christian, Ereyonna Gore, Alana Green, and Hillary Udechukwu.

With baseball season less than a month away, Mississippi College head coach Jeremy Haworth has finalized the 2023 slate. The Choctaw ledger is loaded with top 25 opponents, including outings against the top three programs in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Preseason Poll and four in the publication's top 25. "We are excited about this upcoming season," said Haworth. "We have a very strong non-conference schedule this year to go along with a demanding GSC schedule. We have some tough tests early that involve the defending national champions and historic, eight-time national champion."

In what stands as the best season in program history, the Mississippi College volleyball team added to its list of accolades as Caroline Chastang and Lexie Laurendine headline the All-Gulf South Conference list as a school-record four players are named All-GSC. Chastang became the first GSC Freshman of the Year in program history while Laurendine grabbed her third all-conference accolade of her career. Lydia Paulette and Kendall Platt join the duo to complete the all-conference list. A native of Bay Minette, Ala., Chastang, is the first player to grab a yearly award in the conference and she joins former head coach Rowanna Dozier as the only person in program history to grab a yearly accolade. The former Bayside Academy standout also grabbed Second Team, All-GSC laurels during her debut season. She was a five-time, GSC Freshman of the Week this season and stands as the conference leader in total kills. Laurendine, a Clinton, Miss., product, becomes the third Choctaw in the program to garner three all-conference laurels and just the second in the program's Division II history joining Dawn Edwards (1986-88). Holly Tupper (2011-13) picked up three all-conference nods during the teams' Division III, American Southwest Conference tenure. This marks the Clinton, Miss., native's first-ever, first team accolade after she was named preseason all-conference to open the season. The program leader in assists ranks fifth in the conference this season in the category and is fourth in hitting percentage and among the leaders in service aces. In her second season, Paulette joined Laurendine on the first team ledger. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native earned GSC All-Tournament Team last season for her performance and was tabbed preseason all-conference earlier this season. She ranks 8th in the GSC in service aces, ninth in total kills and 12th in hitting percentage. This marks the first all-conference accomplishment for Platt as she was named to the conference's second team. It comes in her final season following a preseason all-conference selection to open her final season. The program leader in kills, service aces, points and matches and sets played stands fifth in the GSC this season in service aces. The quartet helped the program to its third straight GSC Tournament and 13th all-time conference berth along with achieving the program record for wins.

The 2-seed Mississippi College women's soccer team won the Gulf South Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship with a 4-2 win over 5-seed Lee University on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 6th). The match was played in Huntsville, Alabama. MC will now receive an automatic birth into the 2022 NCAA Tournament South Regionals, which will begin next weekend. Eduarda Silva, Erin Hederman, Beatrice Currie, and Avery Hederman scored the goals for MC. MC improves to 15-3-2 (10-2-1 GSC) on the season, while Lee falls to 12-3-5 (8-2-5 GSC). MC will await their exact fate in the tournament in the NCAA selection show on Monday (Nov. 7th). This marks the program's first GSC tournament title. Lee took the lead early in the match on an own goal in the 21st minute. MC had chances, but could not find an equalizer in the remainder of the 1st half. In the 1st half, MC outshot Lee 6-3 and had a 2-0 advantage in shots on goal. Then came the MC onslaught in the 2nd half. Eduarda Silva got the equalizer in the 54th minute as she played the ball in from distance and it bounced off the back post and in.. The goal is Silva's 5th of the season. Erin Hederman then gave the Lady Choctaws the lead shortly after as she pulled from distance with a low shot that beat the keeper to give MC a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute. The goal is the 14th of the season for Erin Hederman. Beatrice Currie then doubled the lead shortly after in the 62nd minute. Erin Hederman shot from distance, but had her shot saved. Currie made a perfectly timed run however and slotted home the rebound to push the lead to 3-1. Currie now has 16 goals on the season. Avery Hederman would then help put the match away in the 62nd minute with a penalty kick. Margherita Giubilato drew the penalty as she drew a foul in the box. Avery Hederman then stepped up and slotted the PK home to push the lead to 4-1. Avery Hederman now has 6 goals on the season. Lee got a late goal back as they converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to trim the lead to the ultimately final margin of 4-2. Overall for the match, MC outshot Lee 17-10. The Lady Choctaws also had an 11-1 edge in shots on goal. Erin Hederman, Avery Hederman, Beatrice Currie, and Emma Young were named to the GSC all-tournament team. Erin Hederman was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The Mississippi College Men's Cross Country team finished runner-up at the 2022 Gulf South Conference Championships. They finished 19 points ahead of Alabama-Huntsville, the three-time defending champions, and were a mere three points behind Lee University, the No. 5 ranked men's Cross Country team in NCAA Division II. While Mississippi College did not come home with a team trophy, junior Jan Lukas Becker secured the individual title, Mississippi College's first since Eric Johnson in 1994. The German native covered Montevallo's eight-kilometer Cross Country course in 23:50.7, the fastest time that has been run on that course since 2019. Becker led five other Choctaws to All-GSC honors; Gabe Poulin finished fourth overall in 24:01.1, and Hunter Kurz was right behind in fifth, 24:02.2. These performances were good for First Team All-GSC. Christian Balcer came across the line in 15th, running 24:41.3. Brock Kelly was next in 17th, 24:49.2. Rounding out the Second Team All-GSC honors was Braedon Methvin, who finished 18th in 24:50.7. "Our men ran well. We set out to contend for the championship title and we were just shy of doing so.", expressed fifth-year senior Gabe Poulin on how he thought the Choctaws performed. "Regardless of the final score, I'm proud of our guys and I know we have more to give in the championship season. We are a young and growing team, and this is only the beginning." There were three total Choctaws to hit lifetime bests with their performances at the 2022 Gulf South Conference Championships: Braedon Methvin: 24:50.7 Preston Speed: 25:50.3 Hollis Johnson: 25:55.1 The Mississippi College Men's Cross Country team will now look to the 2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships in Lakeland, Fla., where they will try and qualify for the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the second consecutive year. They are currently ranked 11th in NCAA Division II.

The Mississippi College women's cross-country team turned in a second-place finish at the Gulf South Conference Championship while six Choctaw earned all-conference accolades on Saturday, Nov. 5 on the campus of the University of Montevallo. Jazmin Hernandez paced the Navy and Gold as she brought home silver during the women's 5K race. The Georgetown, Texas, native posted a time of 17:54.70 to bring home First Team All-GSC honors. Lauren Wallace joined Hernandez on the conference first team as she finished eighth in the race with a time of 18:36.50. A quartet of Choctaw earned second team laurels led by Emily Berry in 12th with a time of 18:57.6. Norma Gutierrez finished one spot back with a time of 19:02.3. Bre Bell turned in a time of 19:08.3 to finish in 14th while Kathy Hammond finished 15th as she posted a time of 19:09.5. Freshman Haley Hall rounded out the top seven, scoring members for the Navy and Gold. She clocked a 19:20.20 to finish 22nd. Josie Whipp (19:39.7) and Ava Dickerson (19:43.9) turned in top 40 performances while Leslie Baxter (20:20.3) finished 44th. Lee University finished as the top team while the University of Alabama in Huntsville finished in third. Johanna Wistokat of Christian Brothers University was the top female performer while Lee's Aria Hawkins took bronze. Mississippi College turns its attention to the NCAA Division II South Regional in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off Louisiana Christian 4-3 in non-conference action on Monday evening (Oct. 17th). Felix Ewald scored two goals, while Noah Wagner and Nico Milot both added goals as well. The Choctaws improve to 9-2-2 on the season with the win.

Mississippi College took care of business on Saturday in exhibition play, defeating Millsaps by a final of 81-58 at A.E. Wood Coliseum. Mississippi College was led by Darrius Clark with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the contest. Clark also had seven rebounds in the game and one steal. The Choctaws outscored the Majors 46-33 in the first half of action, before taking complete control in the second half by outscoring the Majors 35-25 to win 83-58. MC was 8-of-19 from three point range in the victory, while also shooting 52.6 percent from the field. The Choctaw out rebounded the Majors 39-30 in the paint. Tradavis Thompson finished second on the afternoon with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Thompson led MC with four steals while putting together five assists and four rebounds in a team, best 33 minutes on the floor. Bee McCrary and Anthony Ratliff each posted 10 points in the win with Ratliff leading MC with nine total rebounds on the day.

Mississippi College's Lydia Paulette was named to the All-South Region Crossover Team on Monday, Oct. 17 for her efforts during the two-day event the Finley Center in Hoover, Ala.

Mississippi College women's soccer forward Beatrice Currie has been named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts this past week. MC picked up wins over Auburn-Montgomery (Tuesday, Oct. 11th), Christian Brothers (Friday, Oct. 14th), and Union (Sunday, Oct. 16th). MC outscored their opponents 13-1 in the three matches.

The Mississippi College women's soccer team is up to #20 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll as released on Tuesday, Oct. 18th. MC was previously ranked #25 in last week's rankings. The Lady Choctaws have now been ranked in the poll for six straight weeks this season.

The Mississippi College Cross Country team swept the Gulf South Conference Performer of the Week awards, as Gabe Poulin, Jazmin Hernandez, and Haley Hall won the weekly honors from their performances on Friday at the 2022 UAB Blazer Classic, held in Montevallo, Ala.

The Mississippi College Choctaws extended their win streak to three games on Saturday, defeating Valdosta State by a final score of 49-40 behind a new school record 598 rushing yards.

The Mississippi College volleyball team downed Nova Southeastern in four sets to close out the NCAA Division II South Region Crossover. The victory gave MC (18-4) its second-most wins in program history along with second ever in the Crossover.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off Union 2-0 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 16th) in their senior day match. Noah Wagner and Josh Davies scored the goals for MC. The Choctaws improve to 8-2-2 (5-2-2 GSC) on the year, while Union falls to 4-10-1 (1-8-1 GSC).

The Mississippi College women's soccer team beat Union 3-0 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 16th) on Senior Day. Eduarda Silva, Avery Hederman, and Erin Hederman scored the goals for MC. The Lady Choctaws improved to 12-2-1 (9-1-1 GSC) on the season, while Union falls to 4-10-1 (3-8-1 GSC).

For the third week in a row, Mississippi College had a player recognized by the conference, this time with running back Marcus Williams being named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week, after his performance on the field in Saturday's win over Valdosta State.