Mississippi Christian University

A smattering of superlative individual performances in shooting competitions from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Las Vegas, Nevada, and improved overall team scores highlight the Mississippi College archery team's spring season. The squad gained valuable experience in tournaments on the road and in Mississippi, competed against top collegiate and amateur performers in open divisions, and shared team-bonding experiences while traveling. Several of his archers took home individual awards. The spring season kicked off Jan. 15 with the 2022 Mississippi Indoor Classic at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Archery Center in Jackson. Despite competing in an open division against archers with a wide range of abilities, MC's Emilia Miceli took first place and Anna Carraway captured second place in the Women's Bowhunter Division.

Mississippi College's Tytavia Hardy was named United States Track and Field, Cross Country Coaches Association Women's National Athlete of the Week, as announced by the association on Tuesday, Feb. 22. This is the first time in program history an athlete from Mississippi College has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. The Pensacola, Fla., native assisted the Choctaws to a runner-up finish at the Gulf South Conference Indoor Championships as she scored 36 points over the two days in Birmingham, Ala. She topped the podium twice at the Birmingham Crossplex as she won the 60-meter hurdles in a meet-record time of 8.60. She added a second gold medal to his ledger as she bounded 11.90 meters (39'0.5") in the triple jump on her fifth attempt of the competition. The junior also earned a pair of silver medals to her two-day total in the high jump (1.63m/5'4.25") and long jump (5.54m/18'2.25"). Hardy's efforts landed her the GSC Top Field Performer and Most Outstanding Overall Performer of the Meet. Her record-setting performance in the 60H is also the seventh-best time in NCAA Division II this year. Hardy and Mississippi College turn their attention to the NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships, Friday, March 11 through Saturday, March 12. The two-day Championships are set for Pittsburg, Kan.

Mississippi College's Jackson Breedlove was named the Gulf South Conference Baseball Freshman of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The Decatur, Ala., redshirt freshman becomes the first Choctaw to garner GSC's honor since Jaron Harris received the award on April 13, 2021. Breedlove hit .462 in his three starts this week. He tied for tops on the team with six hits, drove in a pair and scored three times. His batting average ranked third on the team. He was also perfect in the field with a 1.000 clip at shortstop.

The Mississippi College softball program clinched this weekend's GSC opening series on Sunday, defeating West Alabama by a final score of 11-3. MC got things started early in the first inning with a Jenna Ergle solo home run to left field, her fourth of the season and second of the weekend, to put the Choctaws up top 1-0. Three more runs in the second inning with the help of a two runs scored on an Alexis Laughlin fielder's choice put MC up 3-0 before an RBI single by Brooke Fagan helped add another run across the plate, putting MC ahead 4-0 after two innings. West Alabama got a run back in the third inning, yet the Choctaws put together an eight run fourth inning with the help of three hits, as MC distanced themselves to an 11-1 lead at the end of four innings. The Tigers added runs in the fourth and fifth inning, but Avery Sanders went on to shutdown UWA, picking up the win on the afternoon as MC went on to win by a final of 11-3. Sanders improved to 4-3 overall on the season in the circle, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up just three runs on seven hits, while striking out seven batters. MC had nine hits on the afternoon and were led by Jordan Lafosse with three hits and two runs scored. Lafosse finished with one run batted in on the afternoon. Fagan finished 3-of-4 at the plate with two runs batted in and one run scored. Jenna Ergle had one hit, the solo home run back in the first inning. She also had two runs scored in the win. MC improved to 7-5 overall on the season and 2-1 in GSC play after clinching the series. The Choctaws return to the field this Wednesday versus Spring Hill College to open the 2022 home slate. MC and SHC will go head to head for in a double header nonconference matchup with first pitch in game one set for 1 p.m. at the MC Softball Complex.

Mississippi College's Men's Track and Field team roster has been announced. At the South Carolina Invitational, the indoor track and field team set eight school records and three event titles against a field that featured 16 Division I programs, and have continued to set records perform well at each event.

The Mississippi College Choctaws opened the 2022 season with two huge wins at the Gulf Shores Invitational, winning game one over Saint Leo University by a final score of 4-2 and game two over #5 North Georgia by a final of 17-6. Mississippi College improved to 2-0 to begin the season with Saturday's wins. MC returns to action tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. versus Nova Southeastern and again at 11:15 a.m. versus Columbus State. Game One | Mississippi College 4 | Saint Leo 2 Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning to St. Leo, MC's Alexis Laughlin got things started off early with a lead off hit by pitch. The next at bat, Brooke Fagan drove in the Choctaws first run of the night, scoring Laughlin to put the Choctaws on the board at 1-1 with St. Leo. With Fagan standing at second after an RBI double, Jenna Ergle made it back to back RBI's for the Choctaws, this time with a moonshot homerun to give MC the 3-1 lead. St. Leo trimmed the Choctaws lead down to 3-2 with a top of the sixth inning run yet MC answered in the bottom half of the sixth with a McCall Lee RBI to score Jordan Lafosse as MC retook a two-run, 4-2, lead over St. Leo. Avery Barnett closed out the seventh inning, giving her the complete game win in the circle as MC went on to take the win 4-2. Barnett (1-0) had a stellar outing, finishing with the complete game, while only surrendering two runs, one earned, on five hits. She struggled struck out four total batters on the afternoon in a total of 29 batters faced. As a team, MC collected six total hits for six different individuals. Jenna Ergle finished 1-for-3 at the plate with a two-run home that shifted the momentum in the direction of MC. Brooke Fagan went 1-for-3 at the plate with aa double, RBI, and one run scored. Rayne Minor, Lafosse, AnneMarie Peavy, and Carlon Brabham each tallied one hit in the win.

The Mississippi College indoor track and field teams combined for four school records as they competed at the University of South Alabama Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., at the Birmingham Crossplex on Sunday, Feb. 6. Ezra McCaw and Kelechi Christian each set the school record in the 60-meter dash. McCaw clocked the 7.78 time in her heat of the event and Christian matched the mark in the following heat during her MC debut. Jazmin Hernandez added to the school-record performances as she posted a time of 2:14.23 to finish fourth in the women's 400 meters. She added a second, fourth-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14.23. The men's 4x400 relay to notched a school record time of 3:15.08 to finish second. Will Grames clocked a time of 49.7 in his leg followed by Gabe Hodson's 48.7 and Fabio Palmieri's 47.5 Wes Gibbs ran the anchor leg with a time of 48.9. Hunter Kurz grabbed the only event win on the day for the Choctaws in the 5,000 meters. He clocked a PR and NCAA provisional time of 14:22.71 while Cole Benoit finished eighth in the event with a time of 14:56.19. Camilla Chambers started the day for the Choctaws with a PR in the women's 5K as she finished second with a time of 18:49.03. Josie Whipp turned in a time of 19:04.01 to finish eighth in the event. Gabe Poulin and Christian Balcer bested South Alabama Invite record times in the men's 3,000. Poulin clocked a NCAA provisional time of 8:20.97 to finish fourth. Balcer ran an 8:27.72 (11th place). The previous USA record was 8:28.87. Balcer and Gibbs each recorded top five finishes in the men's 800 meters. Gibbs posted a time of 1:53.65 to finish third in the event. Balcer turned in a time of 1:54.23 to finish fifth. Palmieri finished fifth in the men's 200 with a time of 21.68. Tytavia Hardy added a bronze finish to the women's ledger as she recorded a time of 8.73 in the women's 60-meter hurdles. She added a fourth-place finish in the women's triple jump with a distance of 12.08 meters.

The Mississippi College women's and men's tennis programs opened the 2021 season Saturday afternoon with the women taking the 7-0 sweep over Blue Mountain College while the men came up shy 4-3. WOMEN'S MC 7 | BMC 0 The Lady Choctaws (1-0) jumped out to a quick lead with a one point lead in doubles play, sweeping BMC wins in each of the three doubles matches, led by a 6-0 sweep from Maria Rodriquez and Emma Roberts at #3. MC would then push the lead out to 3-0 with singles wins at #6 with Maria Rodriquez (6-0, 6-2) and #4 with Anna Didkovska (6-4, 6-0). Anna Valiaeva (6-3, 6-4), Emma Roberts (6-3, 6-3), Fernanda Cota (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) and Paulina Cota (7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (tiebreaker) each closed out the 7-0 sweep to help lift the Choctaws to an opening day win over Blue Mountain College. MEN'S BMC 4 | MC 3 On the men's side, MC took a 1-0 lead, pulling two victories out of the three doubles matches, led by Hsiang Yi Wang/Shane Samyn (6-2) and Joe Jarvis/Walker Ellis (6-2) In singles play, MC (0-1) jumped out to a 3-2 lead with wins at #1 with Brady McDaniel (6-2, 6-3) and #2 with Joe Jarvis (6-7, 6-3, 6-4). BMC went on to win at #6 and #5 to take the win in singles play, 4-2, and ultimately winning the match 4-3 on the day.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team ran its win streak to four games as it garnered its third straight victory over in-state and Gulf South Conference foe, Delta State University, to the tune of 59-50 on Saturday, Feb. 5. MC improved to 12-8, 7-6 in the conference. The Lady Statesmen fell to 9-9, 7-6 in the league. It's the first time in program history the Choctaws have won three consecutive in the series over its northwestern neighbors. Kayla Bradley recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Choctaws. She becomes the fifth player to accomplish the feat on the campaign. NeNe Williams joined Bradley in double figures with 10 points. "It's always a great day when we beat Delta State and you can really tell that we are continuing to mature and gel as a team," said head coach Greg Long. "I thought we started off really slow, but we were able to pick the tempo up in the second half and that bothered them. Our crowd was great and we are so appreciative of the continued support." The Navy and Gold shot 36.8 percent from the floor, hit 65.0 percent of its shots from the charity stripe and collected 40 rebounds in the win. MC jumped out to a 12-4 lead after the first 10 minutes of action, but only held a two-point advantage at the intermission as the Green and White outscored them 13-7 in the second period, including holding a 17-16 lead with 33 ticks left in the half. Jay Levy gave MC the lead back at the half as drained a 3-pointer with six seconds left. The Choctaws pushed its lead out in the opening minutes of the third quarter as it rode a 19-4 run en route to gaining a 46-32 lead going into the fourth. The Navy and Gold held its double-digit advantage until the 4:30 mark of the final period, when T'Kyra Hicks knocked down a pair of free throws. The Lady Statesmen pulled to within six at the four-minute mark, but Amelia Bell scored on a layup and Bradley drained a pair of free throws to push the lead back to double figures and never look back. Zyaire Ewing led the Lady Statesmen with 17 points and 11 rebounds. DSU shot 32.0 percent from the field and posted a clip of 75.0 from the free-throw line on the night. The Green and White struggled from behind the arc as it connected on just 2-of-11.

Mississippi College's Tytavia Hardy defends her Gulf South Conference Field Athlete of the Week Presented by TicketSmarter accolade as announced by the conference office on Wednesday, Feb. 9. The Pensacola, Fla., native claimed the award last week with two of the top times in the country after her performances in the 60-meter hurdles and the triple jump at the University of South Carolina Invitational. She ran the 60-meter hurdles in a school record time of 8.66 seconds. Her 60-meter hurdle time currently ranks 10th in Div. II. Her triple jump distance of 12.07-meters earned her fifth in the invite section and 12th among national leaders. Hardy followed up last week's performance with a leap of 12.08 meters in the triple during the University of South Alabama Invitational. The distance not only marked a season-best for the junior, but also qualified as a NCAA Division II provisional mark and currently stands 12th in the nation. Along with her fourth-place finish in the triple, she added a third-place finish on the track during the Invite as she clocked a time of 8.73 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Mississippi College women's tennis program opened the 2021 season Saturday afternoon taking the 7-0 sweep over Blue Mountain College. Looking forward to a great season, they have announced their roster for the 2021-22 school year.

Mississippi College recently kicked off their season at the Gulf Shores Invitational. Looking forward to a great season, they have announced their roster for the upcoming season.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team snatched the University of West Georgia's dream of a come-from-behind win as MC (10-8, 5-6 Gulf South Conference) hit key 3-pointers to win 78-70 in The Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 29. UWG falls to 6-9 and 3-7 in the conference. The victory gives Mississippi College its first win in program history in the "City of Dreams" and its second straight win in the series. Four Choctaws scored in double figures led by Kyiah Julian with 15 points. The Greenwood, Ark., native was 3-for-5 from behind the arc and knocked down 4-of-5 from the charity stripe to assist in her scoring output in the game. Alana Canady added a double-double - her first as a Choctaw - as she tied for second on the team in points with 14 and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. It's the second double-double of her career as she scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down 10 boards during her time at the University of Central Arkansas. Ally Alford joined Canady with 14 points in the contest while Tamarah Sykes poured in a career-high 12 points. Sykes missed her third double-double of the season as she added eight rebounds, which tied Amelia Bell for second on the team. The Navy and Gold shot 36.4 percent from the 3-point line in the contest, a 40.6 clip from the field in the game and finished with 70.0 percent from the free-throw line, including 8-for-10 during the final 10 minutes. MC outrebounded the Wolves 47-33 on the glass. "This was probably our biggest team win in my two seasons at Mississippi College," said head coach Greg Long. "These ladies showed a lot of maturity tonight in a tough place to play. We got big-time minutes from multiple people and out depth helped us out. Now we have to turn our attention toward a tough squad on Monday." The Choctaws, which much of the contest, clung a 51-48 after the first 30 minutes of action, but witnessed the Red and Blue erase the margin and grab its first lead since the 2:17 mark of the opening quarter as Jaylin Austin knocked down the backend of a pair of free throws. The Wolves expanded their advantage to as many as four points in the period, but Sykes converted on an old-fashion, 3-point play to give the Choctaws a 66-65 lead and the visitors from the Magnolia State never looked back. MC closed out the final period on a 15-6 run. The win completes a season sweep and the second in the month of the Wolves.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. --- The Mississippi College women's basketball team extended its win streak to three games as it holds off Auburn University at Montgomery, 50-47, on Monday, Jan. 31. MC improved to 11-8 and 6-6 in Gulf South Conference action. The Warhawks fall to 6-10 and 1-9 in the league. The Navy and Gold held a 44-30 advantage after the first three quarters, but knocked down key free throws to ice the contest as AUM outscored the Choctaws 17-6 in the final period. "A win is a win and I'm glad we got out of there tonight with this one," said head coach Greg Long. "We once again had big-time plays when we needed them tonight. It was a total team effort and we are continue to show how deep we are this year." Ally Alford and Tamarah Sykes paced the scoring efforts for the Choctaws, who gain a 3-2 advantage in the series. Alford led the team with 13 points. It's her 11th consecutive game in double figures and 13th on the campaign. Sykes notched her team-best, third double-double of the season. The Aberdeen, Miss., native scored 11 points and added a team and career-high 12 rebounds coming off the bench. Amelia Bell a season-high five blocks in the contest as she led the defensive unit. MC recorded nine blocked shots in the game. MC shot 27.6 percent from the field in the game and connected on 65.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Choctaws recorded 49 rebounds in the outing. The Choctaws grabbed their largest lead of the game, 46-30, early in the final period on a driving layup from Kayla Bradley. AUM clipped the double-digit deficit to single digits midway through the quarter on a DeMaurea Moore layup. The Warhawks pulled within one point on a Allasha Dudley bucket, but Alford and Bradley each knocked down a free throw during the final seven ticks to hold off the charge. Catlin Carter led AUM with 15 points while Tamia Willingham pulled down seven boards. The Orange and Black hit 31.7 percent from the floor, but struggled from behind the arc with a 12.5 clip. They connected on 77.8 percent from the stripe and totaled 39 rebounds. The Choctaws held a slim, three-point advantage after the first 10 minutes of play, but increased their margin as they outscored AUM 34-23 over the next two quarters to gain the double figure lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Mississippi College indoor track and field programs recorded a strong weekend at the University of South Carolina Invitational on Friday, January 28th and Saturday, January 29th. The Choctaws combined for eight school records and three event titles against a field that featured 16 Division I programs. Al Ferrill and Jazmin Hernandez each made history in their performances. Ferrill finished second in the men's shot put as he broke his school record with a throw of 16.06 meters. He became the first Choctaw in program history to break 16 meters indoors. Hernandez breaks her school record in the mile. The Georgetown, Texas, native posted a time of 4:53.75 as she finished fourth in the event. She becomes the first Choctaw to break the five-minute mark in program history. MC also picked up a sweep in the distance medley relays with both the men's and women's teams picking up the titles and also setting school-records. The men's team consisting of Cole Benoit, Gabe Hodson, Jake Russell, and Hunter Kurz picked up the title with a time of 9:47.93. Their time also marked the third fastest time in Division II this season. The women's relay time won the title and set the school-record with a time of 11:55.71. The women's relay team consisted of Kathy Hammond, Ereyonna Gore, Emma Langley, and Hernandez. Their time marked the fourth fastest time in Division II this year. Cole Benoit added a school record time of 8:07.67 in the men's 3,000 meters. The time nabbed him the fourth-fastest time in Division II this season along with a fifth-place finish in the event. Fabio Palmieri joined the school-record breakers as he finished second in the men's 400 meters. Palmieri clocked a 48.05. Also, in the sprints, Shemar Patten posted a school-record time of 8.15 in the men's 60 hurdles to qualify for the finals. He finished eighth in the finals with a time of 8.21. Palmieri picked up his 2nd school-record of the weekend in the invite section of the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.52, which was good for 5th in the event. It also set an indoor PR. Tytavia Hardy set a school record in the women's 60 hurdles qualifying round with a time of 8.66, which grabbed her second place. She clocked an 8.84 in the preliminaries to finish 12th, but not advance to the event finals. Hardy continued to impress on Saturday as she picked up a top five finish in the women's Triple Jump with a distance of 12.07 meters. Christian Balcer and Gabe Poulin also put in strong showings in the men's 5K on Saturday as the pair finished in the top two spots with Balcer picking up the event title with a time of 14:33.37. This was also a PR for Balcer. Poulin finished second with a time of 14:34.68 A pair of Choctaws finished in the top five of the mile. Hunter Kurz led the duo with a second-place finish as he clocked a time of 4:07.72. Balcer turned in a time of 4:10.96 as he finished fifth in the event. Ferrill also picked up another top five finish on Saturday as he finished fourth with a distance of 16.58 meters. Wesley Gibbs picked up a top five finish in the men's 800 meter as he ran a 1:53.28 to finish fourth. Kathy Hammond finished seventh in the women's 3,000 with a personal-record time of 10:14.22. Brock Kelly posted a PR time of 8:31.86 in the men's 3K to finish 10th. Emma Langley picked up a tenth place finish in the women's 800 meter on Saturday as she had a time of 2:16.69. Leslie Baxter also picked up a PR as she finished 18th in the event with a time of 2:19.71. Ezra McCaw finished 16th in the women's 200 meter dash on Saturday with a time of 25.49. Gore also finished 16th in the women's 400 meter with a time of 59.10.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team started the new year with a 73-51 win in Gulf South Conference play against the University of West Georgia. MC improved to 8-5 on the season and 5-3 in conference action. The Wolves fall to 6-7 and 3-5 in the league. The victory snapped a five-game slide to UWG in the series and gave MC its first win since Jan. 9, 2017. Ally Alford posted a team-high 23 points as she hit 5-of-9 from behind the arc and 8-for-15 from the floor. The Batesville, Miss., native also tied for tops on the team with seven rebounds, which matched a season-high. It's the fifth time this season Alford has led the team in scoring - the most by any Choctaw - and her fourth with 20-plus. The 23 points is her second highest total this season behind her high of 27 points set on Dec. 18 against Union. Alana Canady joined Alford in double figures scoring along with seven boards as she chimed in 14. Amelia Bell added 12 points while Taylor Ben also grabbed seven boards. The Choctaws shot 50 percent from the floor, including a 52.9 clip from the 3-point line. The Navy and Gold pulled down 38 rebounds. "So happy for the win and it was really important that we started the semester well," said head coach Greg Long. "I had some concerns with such a long lay off and you could tell it affected us, but I was pleased with how the team responded. They play hard and that made things happen for us tonight and it really showed." Zaria Bankston paced the Red and Blue with 11 points while Jaylin Austin had seven rebounds. The Wolves shot 31.6 percent from the field, but struggled from behind the arc at 20 percent. They managed 33 boards in the contest. MC led the for all, but 1:33 of the contest as the two teams exchanged leads through the first four minutes of action. Kyiah Julian knocked down a 3-pointer at the 6:08 mark to give the Navy and Gold a 12-10 lead and it never looked back. The Choctaws reached a double-digit advantage at the 1:50 mark of the opening quarter. MC saw its lead expand to 34-21 at the half. The Choctaws grabbed its first 20-point lead at the 3:43 mark of the third as Canady scored in the paint off an assist from Dezirae King. The home team grabbed its largest lead of the game, 62-33, on a fast break layup from Julian off a UWG turnover.

Mississippi College's Ally Alford is the Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week Presented by TicketSmarter, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Jan. 11. It is the third award this season for Alford. The Batesville, Miss., native posted a team-high 23 points as she hit 5-of-9 from behind the arc and 8-for-15 from the floor in a 73-51 win over the University of West Georgia on Saturday, Jan. 8. She also tied for tops on the team with seven rebounds, which matched a season-high. It is the fifth time this season Alford has led the team in scoring - the most by any Choctaw - and her fourth game with 20-plus points. The 23 points is her second highest total this season behind her high of 27 points set on Dec. 18 against Union. Alford is the first Choctaw to garner this accolade in the GSC and she joins a list of three former MC players who have accomplished three, conference weekly awards in program history (Lacey Palomarez-Kennedy - 7, LaToya Hopson - 4, Jalessa Taylor - 4). The trio accomplished the feat during the program's time in Division III as members of the American Southwest Conference. She is one of three players in the conference to claim freshman of the week laurels during the 2021-22 season. She joins the University of West Florida's Zoe Piller (4) and Lee University's Anna Muhonen (1). Saturday's win marked the largest margin of victory in the series with West Georgia.

Mississippi College's Christian Balcer is the Gulf South Conference Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Week Presented by TicketSmarter, as announced by conference office on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The Hurley, Miss., native reset a meet record in the 5,000 meters as he claimed the event crown. Balcer posted a time of 14:55.16 to break Emory University's Jack Whetstone's 2019 time of 15:01.67. He has won each of his collegiate races this season as he claimed the 3,000 meters at the Birmingham Southern Indoor Icebreaker in December. Balcer becomes the second Choctaw to garner the conference's freshman of the week accolade this season as he joins Wesley Gibbs, who earned the honor on Dec. 8, 2021. Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 22 as it travels to Birmingham, Ala., for the Samford University Open at the Birmingham Crossplex.

The Mississippi College women's indoor track and field team returned to action as it took the top team spot at the Emory University Crossplex Showdown on Sunday, Jan. 16. The Choctaws notched five individual event titles. MC defeated a field that included four Division II programs, including fellow Gulf South Conference members, the University of Montevallo and Shorter University. The Navy and Gold garnered victories in a pair of distance events to start the day. Jazmin Hernandez brought home the 5,000-meters title with a time of 18:02.27. Kathy Hammond won the mile as she clocked a time of 5:16.89. She added a second-place finish to her ledger as she joined Ereyonna Gore, Leslie Baxter and Emily Berry in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:37.71. Baxter and Norma Gutierrez added running event crowns to the Choctaws' list. Baxter added an event crown in the 800 meters as she clocked a 2:21.30 while Gutierrez took the top spot in the 3,000 meters with a time of 11:06.69. Tytavia Hardy posted the only event win in the field as she won the triple jump with a leap of 11.56 meters. Hardy also finished second in the 60 hurdles with a time of 9:01. Kiara Vance tallied a two third-place finishes as she posted a distance of 11.47 meters in the shot put and a throw 14.16 meters in the weight throw. Sakari Faulkner finished fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 12.85 meters while Victoria Myles recorded a throw of 12.446 meters. Vance wasn't the only Choctaw with a bronze-medal finish. Ryleigh Borbash posted a leap of 1.47 meters in the high jump. Shelby Dean finished third in the 3,000 meters with a time of 11:11.47 and Madeline Campbell clocked a time of 18:48.10 in the 5,000 meters. Ezra McCaw added a third-place finish in the sprints with a time of 25.76 in the 200 meters. Mississippi College is back in action on Sunday, Jan. 23 as it returns to the Birmingham Crossplex for the KMS Invitational.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team posted four players in double figures as it garnered its first Gulf South Conference victory of the season downing the University of Alabama in Huntsville, 83-44, on Saturday, Dec. 4. Taylor Ben led the Choctaws (5-3, 1-1 GSC) with 17 points. Ally Alford added 16 points followed by Kyiah Julian with 11 points and 10 coming from Amelia Bell, who also paced the squad on the glass with nine rebounds. It's the second time this season Ben has led the team in scoring. Bell notched her fifth game as the leader on the glass, it's the most by any Choctaw this season. MC shot 45.9 percent from the field, including going 7-for-16 from behind the arc, and posted a clip of 69.0 from the charity stripe. The Navy and Gold grabbed 38 rebounds. Mississippi College gained its sixth win in the series and its second in the last three meetings. "It was one heck of a team performance tonight," said head coach Greg Long. "They were focused and exciting to watch. Now we just have to keep improving. You can tell we are maturing as a team to play like that tonight after a difficult setback on Thursday. We thank our fans for coming out and supporting tonight." Majah Bullock led UAH with 10 points while Sloan Mann pulled down six boards. The Chargers shot 31.8 percent from the floor, but struggled from behind the 3-point arc shooting 14.3 percent. The Blue and White connected on 75 percent from the free-throw line and managed 25 boards. The Choctaws, which led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter, totaled 25 points in the second stanza to take a 40-19 lead at the break. The second-quarter, point total marked the second-highest in a quarter this season. MC posted 28 points in the opening quarter against Southeastern Baptist on Nov. 30. MC duplicated the scoring output from the second in the third quarter and held the Chargers to single-digits for the second, consecutive period (eight in the second, nine in the third). The Choctaws grabbed their largest lead of the game with 5:10 left to play as they generated a 40-point advantage on a put-back from Ben.

The Mississippi College men's indoor track and field team returned to action on Sunday, Jan. 16 as it won the Emory University Crossplex Showdown at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Choctaws, which garnered 152 points, had seven event titles as it defeated a field that included four Division II programs, including fellow Gulf South Conference members the University of Montevallo and Shorter University. Christian Balcer reset a meet record in the 5,000 meters as he claimed the event crown. Balcer posted a time of 14:55.16 to break Emory's Jack Whetstone's 2019 time of 15:01.67. Gabe Poulin and Hunter Kurz posted marks that surpassed the previous meet time. Poulin finished second with a time of 15:40.74 while Kurz was third with a 15:01.38. Al Ferrill recorded a pair of event wins - the most by any Choctaw on the day. Ferrill posted a distance of 16.28 meters in the weight throw and added a throw of 14.93 in the shot put. Christopher Garcia-Cloud finished fifth in the weight throw with a distance of 12.61 meters and was sixth in the shot with a 12.23. Ben Woolhouse joined Ferrill with a win in the field events as he posted a leap of 4.40 meters took take the top spot in the pole vault. Shemar Patten took the 60 hurdles as he posted a time of 8.24. Patten also finished seventh in the 60-meter dash (6.91) and eighth in the 200 meters (22.62). Fabio Palmieri took second in the 200 meters with a time of 21.91 while Will Grames was sixth with a 22.47. Gabe Hodson posted the best time in the 800 meters with a 1:56.08. Hodson was joined by Jake Russell among the top three finishers in the race. Russell took second with a time of 1:56.24. Preston Speed finished in the top five as he clocked a 2:01.62 in fourth. Elijah Araya was ninth with a time of 2:03.97. Cole Benoit won the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:28.71. Like the 800 meters, the Choctaws placed three runners in the top five as Brock Kelly took silver with a time of 8:33.97 and Braedon Methvin in fourth with an 8:40.44. Chris Webber finished seventh with a time of 8:48.29. The 4x400 relay team of Grames, Russell, Wesley Gibbs and Hodson took the top spot. The quartet clocked a time of 3:19.72. Gibbs added a second-place finish in the 400 meters to his ledger as he posted a time of 50.00. Mississippi College is back in action on Sunday, Jan. 23 as it returns to the Birmingham Crossplex for the KMS Invitational.

The Mississippi College Choctaws completed the comeback win against UAH Saturday evening inside A.E. Wood Coliseum, winning by a final score of 73-70. It was the first conference win of head coach Randy Bolden's tenure at Mississippi College as the Choctaws improved to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in GSC play. In the first half of play, UAH jumped out to a 15-4 lead just five minutes into the start of the game, taking control of the half as they would go into the break leading by 11-points, 43-32. Behind the shooting of Miles Miller, the Choctaws second half was a different story. Trailing 60-49 with 10 minutes left in regulation, Mississippi College utilized a 17-10 run to pull with four-points with 2:45 left on the clock. Under a minute to play, trailing 70-68, Miller knocked down the go ahead three-point shot to give MC a 71-70 advantage, giving the Choctaws their first lead of the game with 45-seconds remaining. The Choctaws knocked down a pair of free throws down the stretch as the defense closed out the contest to preserve the comeback victory, 73-70. MC had two players with 20+ points scored in the contest, with Miles Miller leading the way with 26 points scored on a career night shooting. Miller was clutch down the stretch, finishing 8-of-13 from three-point territory. Tradavis Thompson had an outstanding game with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He also added three steals on the night and was 3-of-8 from three-point land. Mississippi College led for a total of 45-seconds in the game, but was enough to secure the win. The Choctaws defense held the Chargers scoreless over the final 2:45 in the game as the offense utilized a 7-0 run over that stretch to take the lead and capture the win. Mississippi College returns to action on Tuesday night at A.E. Wood Coliseum where they will take on Talladega beginning at 7 p.m. in Clinton, Miss.

Three members of the Mississippi College women's soccer team were selected to the D2CCA All-South Region teams on Tuesday (Nov. 23). Junior Midfielder Avery Hederman and Junior Defender Emma Young are 1st team All-Region selections while Senior Forward Beatrice Currie is a 2nd team selection. This is the first All-Region selection for all 3 players. Emma Young (Lafayette, La.) adds to what has been a banner year for the Junior defender. She was recently named GSC Defensive Player of the Year and was also.a 1st team All-GSC selection. This season Young started all 18 matches for the Lady Choctaws as she led a MC backline that conceded just 14 goals on the year and pitched 8 clean sheet shutouts. She also added 2 assists on the season while leading MC in minutes played. She played the entire match on 15 occasions this season (with the 3 in which she didn't all coming in MC blowout wins). Avery Hederman (Jackson, Miss) also picks up a 1st team All-South Region honor to pair with her 1st team All-GSC selection this season. Hederman scored 6 goals on the year and added 4 assists. She was 2nd on the team in goals scored and tied for 2nd on the team in assists. Her 16 points was also good for 3rd on the team. She started every match on the season for MC and was 3rd on the team in minutes played. Hederman also played the full match in 12 matches this season. Beatrice Currie (Nova Scotia, Canada) earned a 2nd team All-Region honor. Currie was also a 1st team All-GSC selection this season. Currie led the Lady Choctaws in goals scored with 9 (tied for 4th most in the GSC). She also added 3 assists on the year (tied for 5th on the team). Her 21 points also led the team (also tied for 4th most in the conference). Currie played in every match this season and also added the game-winning goal in 2 contests. She also had 3 multi-goal performances on the season. The D2CCA (Division II Conference Commissioners Association) All-South Region teams pick the best players from the South Region which consists of the Gulf South Conference along with the Sunshine State Conference. The teams were voted on by the region's Sports Information Directors. The first team honorees from the All-Region team will now advance to the national All-American ballot with those teams set to be announced on December 7th.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team had two players earn D2CCA All-South Region honors on Tuesday (Nov. 23). Senior Defender Aurele Chemin was a 1st team All-Region selection while Junior Forward Filippo Bellu was a 2nd team All-Region selection. This marks the first career All-Region selection for each player. Aurele Chemin (Paris, France) picks up another honor to add to his stellar season. Chemin was recently named GSC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was a 1st team All-GSC selection this year. This season Chemin started 16 matches for MC and was 2nd on the team in minutes played as he helped lead an MC defensive unit that was statistically the best in the Gulf South Conference (a league low 13 goals allowed on the season and also a league low 6 goals allowed in conference play). Chemin also added 2 goals and 2 assists on the year while also scoring a game-winning goal. Chemin played the full match in 13 matches this season. Filippo Bellu (Venice, Italy) adds a 2nd team All-Region selection to go with his 2nd team All-GSC selection this season. Bellu led the Choctaws in goals scored with 10 (5th in the conference) and he also added 2 assists on the year. His 22 points on the season also led the team (tied for 5th most in the conference). Bellu also scored the game-winning goal in 3 matches this year (tied for 4th in the GSC). Bellu played in all 17 matches for MC this season and was 5th on the team in minutes played. Bellu also registered 2 multi-goal matches on the season. The D2CCA (Division II Conference Commissioners Association) All-South Region teams pick the best players from the South Region which consists of the Gulf South Conference along with the Sunshine State Conference. The teams were voted on by the region's Sports Information Directors.

The Mississippi College men's and women's track & field teams opened up the 2021-2022 indoor track & field season on Friday at the Birmingham Southern Panther Indoor Icebreaker at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Choctaws picked up four event titles including a meet record from Wesley Gibbs. Several Choctaws also set school records. Wesley Gibbs, a Freshman from The Colony, Texas, set the meet record in the men's 800m with a time of 1:52.37 in his first ever meet as a Choctaw. He picked up the event title, while also setting the school record. Jake Russell picked up a 5th place finish with a time of 1:55.58. Preston Speed also finished 8th with a time of 1:58.66. Christian Balcer added MC's other individual event title in the men's 3000m with a time of 8:34.18. In the 3K, he was followed closely behind by Hunter Kurz who finished 2nd with a time of 8:36.84. Gabe Poulin (5th) and Adam Gomez (7th) both also finished in the top 7 in the event. The Choctaws continued their recent success in the men's 4x400 relay as the group of Will Grames, Connor Stewart, Gabe Hodson, and Wesley Gibbs picked up the event title with a time of 3:21.10. MC also picked up the title in the men's distance medley relay with a time of 10:11.81. Hunter Kurz, Cole Benoit, Brock Kelly, and Christian Balcer were the 4 runners for the Choctaws. Tytavia Hardy also had a successful day as she picked up two top 10 finishes, plus broke her own school record in the 60m hurdles. Hardy set the school record in the prelims of the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.83. She then finished 10th in the event with a time of 9.11. She also finished 7th in the long jump with a distance of 5.29 meters. Ezra McCaw added a pair of school records. She handily set a school record in the 200m dash with a time of 25.02. She added to that a school record in the 60m dash with a time of 7.82 in the prelims. She would then finish 12th in the event with a time of 7.84 in the finals. Kiara Vance set a school record as well in the women's weight throw with a distance of 14.42m as she finished 7th. She was followed by Sakari Faulkner who finished 15th (12.24m) and Victoria Myles who finished 17th (12.08m). Fabio Palmeiri also picked up a pair of top 5 finishes in the men's 60m and 200m dashes. He finished 2nd in the 200m with a time of 22.00. He paired that with a 3rd place finish in the 60m with a time of 6.87. Robert Grames also finished 8th in the 200m with a time of 22.53. Emma Langley finished in 2nd place in the women's 800m with a time of 2:20.04. She was followed closely with Caroline Dooling who finished 11th with a time of 2:31.18. Al Ferrill picked up a 2nd place finish in the shot put with a throw of 14.77m. Christopher Garcia-Cloud finished 12th with a distance of 11.15m. Both men also picked up top 10 finishes in the weight throw. Ferrill finished 3rd with a throw of 14.90m. Garcia-Cloud finished 9th with a throw of 12.82m. Gabe Hodson also picked up a top 5 finish in the men's 400m as he finished 4th with a time of 49.97. Connor Stewart finished 14th with a time of 51.72. Four Choctaws finished in the top 10 of the 1 mile run, led by Cole Benoit who finished 3rd with a time of 4:20.68. Brock Kelly finished 5th with a time of 4:21.58, Braedon Methvin finished 9th with a time of 4:23.87, and Chris Webber finished 10th with a time of 4:25.01. On the women's side, three Choctaws finished in the top 10 in the mile. Leslie Baxter (5:28.46), Ava Dickerson (5:32.39), and Shelby Dean (5:39.27) all finished back to back to back 5th-7th respectively. In the 3K on the women's side, Jazmin Hernandez led the way in 3rd place with a time of 10:19.75. Madeline Campbell then finished 5th with a time of 10:36.05. She was followed closely by Kathy Hammond (who finished 6th with a time of 10:38.96) and Josie Whipp (who finished 7th with a time of 10:41.79). Zach McManus picked up a 3rd place finish in the men's long jump with a distance of 6.67m. He also paired that with another top 10 finish (7th) in the men's Triple Jump with a distance of 12.42m. Adrianna Burage finished 6th in the women's high jump with a jump of 1.55m. Ryleigh Borbash finished 16th with a height of 1.45m. Marina Rizk finished 14th in the pole vault with a height of 3.10m. The women's 4x400 relay team of Ereyonna Gore, Emma Langley, Jazmin Hernandez, and Leslie Baxter finished 11th with a time of 4:09.02 The Choctaws will now wait a while before returning to action in January at the Emory CrossPlex Invitational on Saturday January 15th.

Mississippi College's Lydia Paulette was named to the 2021 Gulf South Conference All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the conference championship on Sunday, Nov. 22. She represented the Choctaws on the all-tournament team. The freshman is first Mississippi College player on the all-tournament team since Liz Mullen in 1994. Paulette helped lead the offensive charge for Mississippi College as she paced the team with 36 kills over the course of three matches and posted the second-highest attack percentage on the club with a .307 clip. She amassed a career-high 18 kills to lead the Choctaws to their first-round win over Auburn University at Montgomery. It marked the first win the GSC Tournament since returning to Division II. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., product stepped on the defensive end as she recorded five blocks, which was fourth on the team, and notched seven digs. The Choctaws advanced to the GSC Semifinals for the first time in program history after wins over AUM and Shorter University. Mississippi College finished the season 10-16 and 6-9 in conference play.

The Mississippi College volleyball team wrapped up the eighth and final seed in the 2021 Gulf South Conference Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 13. MC went five sets for the second time this weekend and were outlasted as the University of Montevallo walked away with the five-set victory on Saturday, Nov. 13. MC moved to 8-15 on the season and 6-9 in Gulf South Conference action. UM improved to 18-13 and 9-7 in the league. MC, which went to five sets on Friday evening at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, grabbed a GSC Tournament berth for the second consecutive season. The Navy and Gold made the 2019 GSC Tournament as the eighth-seed. The last back-to-back trips to the GSC Tournament were during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Lydia Paulette paced a quartet of Choctaws with double figure kills. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native totaled a career-high 15 kills in the match. Kendall Platt added 13 kills followed by Sloane FitzHenry with 11. Stevie Nesbit chimed in 10 kills. Lexie Laurendine dished out 53 assists and added 11 digs. Missy Beber compiled 16 digs to lead the team on the day while Lexi Richards posted four total blocks on the defensive end. Nesbit and FitzHenry had three blocks apiece. After a see-saw opening set that saw the Falcons grab a 26-24 victory, the Choctaws knotted the match at a set each with a 25-20 win in the second set. UM opened the second with a 4-1 run, but the Navy and Gold rallied and tied the set at 11-all and then scored the next four points to take a 16-11 advantage. MC marched out to a 20-14 advantage before walking away with a five-point win to tie the contest. The Purple and Gold grabbed a 2-1 lead after winning the third set, 25-22. MC again tied the contest in the fourth to force the match the deciding set as the Choctaws won 25-21. Like the second set, UM grabbed an early lead, but again the Navy and Gold rallied and tied the contest at 16-all. MC pushed its lead out to 20-17. The Falcons pulled within a point on two different occasions, the last coming at 22-21. The Choctaws posted the final three points as Richards recorded a pair of kills with the final point coming off a tip from FitzHenry. Montevallo posted an early lead and grabbed a 6-2 cushion in the fifth set. MC went on a 4-1 run to pull within 7-6 behind kills from FitzHenry, Platt and Richards, but couldn't overcome the deficit as UM claimed a 15-9, match-clinching victory. Mississippi College opens GSC Tournament play on Friday, Nov. 19 as it takes on fifth-seeded Auburn University at Montgomery.

The Mississippi College women's soccer team has been selected to the NCAA Division II women's soccer tournament as the #4 seed in the South Region. The 56 teams that made the tournament were announced during the NCAA Division II women's soccer selection show on Monday evening (Nov. 15). Here is the full bracket:https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-women/d2/2021 The Lady Choctaws will open up the NCAA Regionals against #5 seed Florida Tech. The dates for the 1st round are Thursday and Friday (Nov. 18th and Nov. 19th). The winner of the MC vs. Florida Tech match will face #1 seed Lee in the 2nd round. The dates for the 2nd round are Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 20th and Nov. 21st). More info is forthcoming on the exact time and dates of the matches. 6 teams qualify for the NCAA tournament out of the South Region. #2 seed Embry-Riddle, #3 seed West Florida, and #6 seed Valdosta State make up the other side of the bracket in the South Region. MC went 12-4-1 overall (10-3 GSC) in the regular season. The Lady Choctaws also went 11-3-1 against team's in the south region on the year. This is the 4th straight NCAA Regionals appearance for the MC women's soccer program.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team had 4 players honored in the Gulf South Conference Yearly Awards that were announced on Saturday (Nov. 4). Aurele Chemin was named GSC Co-Defender of the year and was a 1st team All-GSC selection. Filippo Bellu, Joshua Davies, and Noah Wagner were 2nd team All-GSC selections after a vote from GSC head coaches. Aurele Chemin (a Senior from Paris, France) helped lead a MC defensive unit that led the GSC in every major defensive category. The Choctaws conceded just 6 goals in conference play (0.55 goals per game) which both led the conference. MC also only allowed 13 goals overall on the season (tied for best in the conference). Chemin also contributed 2 goals and 2 assists on the season. Chemin has started 15 matches on the year and is 2nd on the team in minutes played. He played the full 90 minutes in 12 matches. Filippo Bellu (a Graduate Student from Noale, Venice, Italy) led the Choctaws in scoring in his debut season in Clinton as he scored 10 goals (4th most in the conference). He also added 2 assists on the year. His 22 points also leads the team and is top 5 in the conference this season. Bellu has played in every match this season and is 5th on the team in minutes played. Joshua Davies (a Sophomore from Southampton, England) was another key piece in the Choctaws stout defensive unit. He played alongside Chemin at Centerback as MC allowed just the 6 goals through 11 conference matches. Davies also scored 3 goals on the season. He started every match this season and was 3rd on the team in minutes played. He was also named GSC Defender of the Week on Oct. 25. This is the 2nd time Davies has been an All-GSC selection (also 2nd team selection in 2019). Noah Wagner (a Junior from Corpus Christi, Texas) also made a big splash in his first season at MC. He scored 7 goals on the year (2nd on the team and tied for 9th in the conference). He also added 2 assists on the year. His 16 points on the season is 2nd on the team and 9th best in the GSC. Wagner was also named GSC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28th.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team opened its 2021-22 home slate with a 76-58 win over Tougaloo College on Tuesday, Nov. 16 inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. MC improved to 2-1 on the season while the Bulldogs fell to 3-5 on the campaign. The win gave the Navy and Gold its 10th straight in the series and the eighth consecutive on its home floor against the in-state foes. "Great way to start off the year at home," said head coach Greg Long. "I told the team before the game not to worry about anything expect who is up at the end. Just go out there and play hard and that's what they did." Kyiah Julian paced a trio of Choctaws in double figures as she posted 16 points. KB Bradley added a season-high 15 points while Amelia Bell poured in 12 points, as she matched a season-high, and led the squad on the glass with seven rebounds, two off her season-high. MC shot 43.3 percent from the floor in the game, including a 41.7 clip from behind the arc, and converted on 27-of-35 from the charity stripe for 77.1 percent. Morgan Hunter led TC with 17 points while Geonna Marshall gathered a team-best six rebounds. The Bulldogs hit 36.2 percent from field, 42.9 percent from the 3-point line and knocked down just 62.5 percent from the free throw line. The Choctaws also outrebounded the Red and Blue 42-26. "We had some great individual performances tonight, but only because we played together and for each other and that is what we keep stressing," Long said. "Thanks to the fans who come out and support us, we loved the energy that you brought." For the second time this season, the Choctaws never trailed on the scoreboard. MC, which led by as many as 16 in the quarter, outscored Tougaloo 21-11 after the first 10 minutes of play as it led pillar to post in the contest. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to single digits early in the second and again with 3:18 left before half, but quickly fell behind as MC closed out the half on an 11-0 run. The homestand Choctaws maintained its double-digit lead through the remainder of the game. It reached its largest margin of the contest at the 3:39 mark of the final quarter as Taylor Ben converted on a fast break layup to place MC up 72-51, en route to the 18-point victory. Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 20 as it hosts Southeastern Baptist College. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.