Mississippi College

The Mississippi College volleyball team picked up its second win of the weekend as it beat Lee (Tenn.) University in four sets on Saturday, Oct. 30 inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. MC improved to 7-12 on the season and 5-6 in the Gulf South Conference. Lexi Richards led the way offensively for the Choctaws as she posted 16 kills in the four-setter. Lydia Paulette joined Richards in double figures as she tallied 12 kills on the day. Lexie Lauredine guided the offensive effort with 30 dimes in the match as Ingrid Savola chimed in 10 assists. Defensively, Missy Beber paced a quartet of double-digit dig gathers with 14. Laurendine and Kendall Platt added 12 apiece while Erin Davis added 10. Richards, the Bentonville, Ark., native led the charge on the frontline with four total blocks. Leading 2-1 in the match, Mississippi College claimed its third straight win in the series with a 25-20 victory in the fourth. The Choctaws opened with seven consecutive points and reached as much as a 12-4 advantage. The Lady Flames chipped away at the margin and pulled within 14-12 behind back-to-back kills from Emma Flowers. MC responded and pushed the lead back to 20-17 before once again seeing a charge from LU. The Navy and Gold closed the door with three consecutive kills as Paulette and Sloane FitzHenry helped slam the door.

The Mississippi College Choctaws football season came to a close Saturday afternoon defeating West Alabama by a final score of 28-24. In the first quarter, Marcus Williams it things started off early for MC, with a 24-yard rushing touchdown to put MC up 7-0 with 8-minutes left in the first quarter. Williams later punched in another 15-yard score to even the score up at 14-14 in the second quarter. Quarterback DeAnte Smith-Moore put MC on top with a 1-yard rushing touchdown as MC led 21-14 with minutes until halftime. West Alabama added a field goal right before the break, as MC and West Alabama went to the locker room with the Choctaws leading 21-17. West Alabama took the lead with four minutes remaining in the game 24-21 yet MC matches down the field with a 51-yard touchdown reception from DeAnte Smith-Moore to Jacob Stephen's with two minutes to retake the lead 28-24. The Mississippi College defense held strong, as MC went on to win by a final score of 28-24 to end to season for the Choctaws in the winning Column. MC had two 100-yard rushers, with Smith-Moore leading the way with 117 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. Williams had 111 yards on 11 carries and a total of two touchdown runs. Stephen's led MC with 51 yards receiving including the go ahead touchdown that sealed the game for the Choctaws. Defensively, Jonathan Jones and Jaylan Woods each tallied 10 tackles a piece to lead the Choctaws defense. With the win, MC improved to 4-6 overall to cap of the 2021 season.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off Spring Hill 3-1 on Friday afternoon (Oct. 29). MC improved to 9-4-1 overall (6-2-1 GSC) with the win which marked their 6th straight victory. Spring Hill fell to 9-6 overall (4-5 GSC). Things started out quickly for MC as Filippo Bellu scored in just the 2nd minute. Guilherme Santos fired off a shot which was saved, but the rebound fell to Bellu who slotted it home to give MC the early lead. The goal marks Bellu's 9th of the season which leads the team. Antoine Recizac then doubled MC's lead in the 17th minute as he scored to put MC up 2-0. Bellu and Pedro Cortes picked up assists on the play. They mark Cortes' 3rd of the season and Bellu's 1st. That 2-0 lead for MC would hold until halftime. Spring Hill picked up the pressure to start the 2nd half and got a goal in the 54th minute to cut MC's lead to 2-1. Joao Amaral scored the goal for the Badgers. Spring Hill kept the pressure up, but MC was able to withstand the pressure which included several big saves from Choctaw goalkeeper Alejandro Chavarria. Joshua Davies put the dagger home in the 85th minute to make it 3-1 as he scored on assists from Gonzalo Carrasco and Antoine Recizac on a ball that came off a corner that was played to Davies who put it home for his 3rd goal of the season (all in the last 2 matches). The assists are Recizac's 4th of the season (which is now tied for the team lead) and Carrasco's 3rd of the season. The Choctaws would hold on to win by that 3-1 margin to pick up their 6th straight win. Overall, MC outshot Spring Hill 20-7 and held a 10-4 edge in shots on goal. Recizac led MC with 5 shots and also led the team in shots on goal with 4. Cortes also added 4 shots. Chavarria had 3 saves in goal.

The Mississippi College women's cross country team defended its Watson Collegiate Open title with a convincing win on Saturday, Oct. 9. Jazmin Hernandez won the individual title en route to helping MC score 32 points. The Choctaws placed three runners in the top three led by Hernandez's time of 22:18.7. The mark is a 6K-best for the Georgetown, Texas, native. Josie Whipp placed third as she clocked a 6K-best time of 22:30.5 Madeline Campbell finished just out of the top three as she recorded a time of 22:48.0 in fourth. Norma Gutierrez finished 12th in the 6K race as she totaled season-best time of 23:35.5 while Emily Berry was 14th with a 6K-best time of 23:43.5. Bre Bell garnered a time of 23:58.4 in 16th place. It stands as a 6K-best time for Bell. Lauren Wallace rounded out the top seven scorers for the Choctaws as she posted a time of 24:49.1 in 25th - a season-best time in a 6K race for the freshman. Fellow Gulf South Conference member, Union (Tenn.) University took second among the teams with 85 points while Division II Southern Arkansas University was third with 104 points. Andrea De La Rosa from Bethel University placed second in the individual portion with a time of 22:24.6. Mississippi College returns to action o Saturday, Oct. 23 as it hosts the Gulf South Conference Championship at Choctaw Trails. The women's 5K is set for a time of 9 a.m.

The Mississippi College women's soccer team knocked off the West Georgia Wolves 1-0 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 10) in Clinton. The Lady Choctaws improved to 8-3 (6-2 GSC) on the season while West Georgia fell to 5-4 (3-3 GSC). The win marked head coach Darryl Longabaugh's 300th win, and also marked the 300th win in program history. It was a fairly quiet first half with neither team overly testing the other team's goalkeeper. Things picked up quickly in the 2nd half though as Avery Hederman put MC in front in the 50th minute. Hederman took a corner for MC and played the ball short to Beatrice Currie. Currie played the ball back to Hederman who dribbled into the box and then scored to put MC up 1-0. The goal marked Hederman's 3rd of the season and 2nd in as many games. The Lady Choctaws dominated the opening stretch of the 2nd half even outside of Hederman's goal. MC registered 9 shots in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half including a shot from Makayla Hernandez that was barely tipped wide of the goal from West Georgia's keeper. That 1-0 scoreline would hold as MC picked up their 2nd straight victory and picked up the 300th win in Longabaugh's tenure at MC and in program history (both which date back to 1997) Overall, MC outshot West Georgia 17-4 and had a 7-4 edge in shots on goal. Emily McNair led the way for MC with 3 shots, while Currie had the most shots on goal with 2. Camila Cevallos made 4 saves in goal for MC as she picked up the clean sheet shutout victory. The Lady Choctaws won't be in action again until Friday, October 22nd when they travel to take on Christian Brothers. MC will then play at Union on that Sunday (Oct. 24). MC has an off weekend next weekend.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off Louisiana State University at Alexandria 3-1 on Monday afternoon (Oct. 11). MC improved to 6-4-1 (3-2-1 GSC) with the win. The game counted as an exhibition for LSU-A. MC controlled the early part of the match with several dangerous opportunities, including some from Pedro Cortes, but they couldn't breakthrough early on. MC goalkeeper Alejandro Chavarria also made a save early to keep the Generals off the board. Olaf Conforti got the scoring started for MC as he scored in the 33rd minute on a header off an assist from Soane Deminguet Folituu. The goal marked Conforti's first of the season and the first of his MC career. Deminguet Folituu doubled the Choctaws' lead just minutes later as he scored in the 35th minute after a nice buildup with assists from Gonzalo Carrasco and Filippo Bellu. The goal also marked Folituu's first of the season and the first of his career. That 2-0 MC lead would hold until the half. The Choctaws were again control in the early stages of the 2nd half, although they were unable to extend their lead. LSU-A got a goal back in the 77th minute as Joash Williams converted a penalty kick. MC was able to get the dagger goal though in the 84th minute as Tom Carles put home an assist from Guilherme Santos to make it a 3-1 game. The goal was also Carles' first of the season. MC would win by that 3-1 scoreline. Overall, MC had a commanding advantage in shots 25-2 and also had an 11-2 edge in shots on goal. Folituu led MC with 6 shots while Carles paced the team with 4 shots on goal. Chavarria also made a save in goal as he picked up the win. The Choctaws will next be in action on Friday, October 22nd when they travel to take on Christian Brothers. They will also play Union on the road that Sunday (Oct. 24). MC has an off weekend this upcoming weekend.

The Mississippi College's Lexie Laurendine became the program's all-time assists leader as the Choctaws completed a season sweep of the University of West Alabama on Tuesday, Oct. 5 with a straight-sets victory inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. Laurendine recorded a team-best 21 dimes and now holds school's record with 1,776. The junior also logged a team-best 10 kills and added five digs on the ledger. Laurendine surpasses former Choctaw Sydney Chandler (2014-17). Levi Lennard dished out 12 assists on the night. Erin Davis led the squad with 13 digs while Kendall Platt chimed in 11 with 10 coming from Missy Beber. Stevie Nesbit defended the frontline with a team-leading three blocks. After a 25-18 victory in the opening set, Mississippi College took charge of the match in the second set. The Navy and Gold jumped out to a 12-3 early and held the visiting Tigers to single digits until a MC miscue changed the score to 20-10. The Choctaws maintained the double-digit advantage down the stretch, despite the visitors trying to cut into the deficit. A Nesbit tip secured the set 25-16 and gave the Choctaws a 2-0 lead. The two teams battled through the early goings in the third set with West Alabama gaining the upperhand midway through the contest - holding as much as a four-point lead. MC rallied and tied the contest at 18-all and closed the match on a 10-1 run to clinch. Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 9 as it hosts Union (Tenn.) University. Fans coming through the door can grab donuts, while supplies last, courtesy of the volleyball team as the Choctaws host Digs and Donuts before first serve at 10 a.m.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 6) in mid-week non-conference action. The Choctaws improved to 5-4-1 (3-2-1 GSC) on the year, while Texas-Tyler fell to 4-3-1 (0-0 LSC). It was a slow start to the match as neither team truly threatened the other team's goalkeeper and the match went into the half scoreless. The beginning of the 2nd half was much of the same even though there was a moment of controversy as a UT-Tyler goal was stopped after contact in the box. The Choctaws finally broke through in the 71st minute when Noah Wagnerstepped in front of a pass along the Patriots backline, after Pedro Corteshad clipped the ball forward, and then put a shot past the UT-Tyler keeper to put MC up 1-0. The goal marked Wagner's 7th of the season. Antoine Recizac then doubled the MC lead just minutes later as he put a fierce strike on his first touch in the back of the net off an assist from Santi Diosa in the 74th minute. Recizac's goal was his 2nd of the season. Filippo Bellu then added a brace in the next several minutes as he first scored in the 78th minute off a assist from Guilherme Santos on a nice ball into the box by Santos. Bellu got his 2nd goal of the match again just minutes later in the 81st minute as he scored on an assist from Noah Wagner as a through ball from Wagner got through and the ball ended up in the net as a sliding mass of bodies all converged together. The goals marked Bellu's 6th and 7th of the season respectively which now tie Wagner for the most on the team. Overall, MC outshot Texas-Tyler 15-5 and held a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal. Bellu led the way for MC in shots with 5. Alejandro Chavarria also made a save in goal as he played 86 minutes in net for the Choctaws without conceeding a goal. The Choctaws will be back in action on Monday afternoon (Oct. 11) as they travel to take on LSU-Alexandria on the road in another non-conference tilt. MC will be back in GSC play on Friday, October 22nd against Christian Brothers.

Mississippi College quarterback, DeAnte' Smith-Moore was named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week Monday morning after his stellar performance this past weekend versus North Greenville. Smith-Moore led the Choctaws to a 42-21 defeat over the Crusaders as MC produced over 409 yards on the ground including five rushing touchdowns. The quarterback himself finished with 110 rushing yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns. Smith-Moore also added 98 yards through the air on 3-of-5 passing attempts, including a 23 yard touchdown pass to running back Marcus Williams, to help guide MC to 2-2 overall and 1-1 on the season in GSC play. On the season, Smith-Moore has amassed 195 yards on the ground with a team high five touchdown runs while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He has also completed a team best 7-of-16 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Mississippi College returns home this weekend, Oct. 9, for a 2 p.m. GSC kickoff versus West Georgia at 2 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

The Mississippi College Dance team has hit the ground running this season having already performed at multiple events including two Choctaw Football home games. Tryouts were held over the summer and they completed boot camp training in August. The team is sponsored by Dr. Hope Tipton.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Alexis Dunn of Mississippi College has been named the 2020 Gulf South Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Champion Scholar-Athlete. This is the first year that the league office has given out the Champion Scholar-Athlete Award. Normally, the award would be handed out at the site of each GSC Championship, but this is unable to occur due to the cancellation of the conference's spring competition this year.

Sophomore Baylee Freudenberg has been named Gulf South Conference Softball Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday (March 10). Freudenberg (League City, Texas) hit .538 (7-of-13) with four home runs, two doubles and seven RBI as the Lady Choctaws went 5-0 on the week, including a three-game road sweep of Shorter. For the week, Baylee posted a .647 on-base percentage with a 1.615 slugging percentage, reaching base on 11-of-17 plate appearances over five games.

CLINTON, Miss. --- Juniors Moriah Hurst and Rakeem Wilson have been named Mississippi College Merit Health Athletes of the Week, it was announced on Monday (Feb. 24).

The Mississippi College track and field teams had a busy Saturday as the Choctaws opened the 2020 outdoor season at the Millsaps Leap Day Relays while three members competed the FasTrak Last Chance Qualifier in Houston, Texas, to improve their marks for the Indoor National Championships.

MADISON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College golf team finished 2nd with a team score of 863 (-1) at the MC Spring Invitational held at Lake Caroline Golf Club. The Choctaws jumped on spot in the standings following the final round, shooting a 288 (E) to pass Christian Brothers, who finished 3rd with a score of 864 (E).

CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team rolled to a doubleheader sweep of Ouachita Baptist on Tuesday afternoon at the MC Softball Complex. The Lady Choctaws (12-7) opened the day with a 7-0 victory and went on to take down the Tigers (2-16) in the nightcap, 4-1.

Seniors Aneta Golawska and Zack Ingram have been named Mississippi College Merit Health Athletes of the Week, it was announced on Monday (Feb. 10). Golawska (Gdansk, Poland) went 2-0 in singles action and 1-0 in doubles action to open the 2020 season against Xavier (LA) and Loyola (LA). Ingram (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) tossed 6.0 innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned run, in an 11-1 win over Young Harris College on Sunday.

The Mississippi College women's basketball team snapped a two-game slide on Saturday, Jan. 4 as it topped Shorter University, 78-70, inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. MC improved to 6-6 on the season and 3-3 in Gulf South Conference play. SU fell to 0-10 and 0-5 in the league. Three Lady Choctaws scored in double figures led by Zariah Matthews with 21 points. Coco Hobson notched her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Shanell Kitchens added 17 points while Mikeba Jones joined Hobson in double figures on the glass with a career-high 10. MC shot 40 percent from the floor, including 5-for-15 from behind the arc, and connected on 81 percent from the free throw line.

Mississippi College's Chauncey Callier was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Feb. 18, for his efforts this weekend against the University of West Alabama. Callier led the Choctaws at the plate in the GSC-opening weekend sweep of the Tigers. The Mobile, Ala., senior hit .545 over the three games, including four extra-base hits. He connected on a pair of home runs in the second game of the series that cemented the Choctaws series-clinching victory. His four home runs this season sit atop the leaders in the conference.

Seniors Chauncey Callier and Zariah Matthews have been named Mississippi College Merit Health Athletes of the Week, it was announced on Monday (Feb. 17). Callier leads the GSC in home runs with four and third in the league in slugging percentage with an .821. Matthews leads the Gulf South Conference in steals per game (3.0), third in assists per game (4.7) and 11th in scoring (14.9).

Sophomore Hannah Creel has been named the Gulf South Conference Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday (Feb. 11). Creel (McComb, Miss.) tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits and one unearned run, in an 8-1 win over #2 Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.

Mississippi College's Marina Rizk and Tytavia Hardy claimed conference championships as the men's and women's indoor track and field teams had a successful debut in the Inaugural Gulf South Conference Championships at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Mississippi College's indoor track and field team grabbed some hardware at the Inaugural Gulf South Conference Championships with 17 total medals, including five championships while Daviciea McCartney and Tytavia Hardy each picked up special recognition from the championships. The Choctaws and Lady Choctaws each finished fourth in the team standings. Hardy was named the Most Outstanding Women's Overall and Field Performer while McCartney was recognized as the Most Outstanding Men's Freshman Performer.

Kitchens (Jackson, Miss.) recorded a pair of career-highs as the Lady Choctaws went 1-1 during the week. Kitchens posted a career-best with 22 points to lead MC to its first ever win over Union University and added a career-high and GSC-best nine steals. The nine swipes rank sixth in NCAA Division II this season. The Ridgeland, Miss., sophomore played all 45 minutes in the victory against the conference's previously, top ranked team. Kitchens started the week with a roster-best 18 points against Christian Brothers and added three steals and three assists in the contest. McManus (Trussville, Ala.) recorded one of the three event titles for the Mississippi College indoor track and field at the Samford Invitational over the weekend. McManus recorded a personal best in the men's long jump with a distance of 22'10 to take home the crown. His leap ranks third in the NCAA Division II South Region.

Matthews (Bogue Chitto, Miss.) posted two stellar scoring performances over the week as she led the Lady Choctaws with 21.5 points per game. Matthews started the week with a career-high and roster-best 22 points against the University of West Georgia on Thursday as she shot 81.8 percent from the floor, including a clip of 66.7 from behind the arc. She came within one point of equaling her career-best on on Saturday in the win against Shorter University as she totaled 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. The Bogue Chitto, Miss., senior shot 65.2 percent from the field in the two contests and was perfect from the free throw line. Matthews totaled seven rebounds, eight assists and seven steals for the week.

Mississippi College rookie Rayne Minor has been named the Gulf South Conference Softball Freshman of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday (Feb. 4). Minor (Denham Springs, La.) hit .563 and went 5-of-5 on stolen bases as the Lady Choctaw softball team opened the year with a pair of wins at the Gulf Coast Invitational in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Matthews provided a career-high and roster-best 22 points while Kitchens added a career-best 20 points in the contest.

Lady Choctaws Win Over Valdosta State The Mississippi College women's basketball team stunned Valdosta State University, 77-64, as MC snapped the Red and Black's five-game win streak. The Lady Choctaws improved their win streak to two straight - both coming against opponents from the Peach State. The win ended a four-game, losing streak in the series to the Lady Blazers and gave the Navy and Gold its first victory in Valdosta since Jan. 21, 2017.

For the first time since 2009, the Mississippi College volleyball team has made the conference postseason. The last postseason appearance came in the American Southwest Conference Tournament in Richardson, Texas. The berth marks the first trip to the Gulf South Conference Tournament since 1994. The clinch comes despite a straight-set setback at the University of West Georgia on Friday, Nov. 15. MC faces Valdosta State on Saturday, Nov. 16 to decide its seeding in the tournament. First serve in Valdosta is set for Noon central. Kendall Platt led the Choctaws with 12 kills and grabbed 14 digs at UWG. Lexie Laurendine finished second on the squad with nine kills followed by Jamie Boros with eight. Levi Lennard dished out a team-best 18 assists while Laurendine added 13. Julia Martin led the team with 17 digs while Kate Basschimed in five total blocks with three coming from Autumn Frost. The Choctaws recorded eight team blocks in the match. Game Score: Mississippi College 0 | West Georgia 3 Date: Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 Location: Carrollton, Ga. | The Coliseum Records: Choctaws 10-21, 5-10 GSC | Wolves 18-11, 12-3 GSC HOW IT HAPPENED - The Choctaws rallied from down 20-16 to knot the contest at 20-all on a Frost kill. The two teams tied again at 21-all before the Wolves took a 24-21 lead. MC fought off set-point for two points behind a kill from Boros and Laurendine, however, Tierra White closed the set with a kill to notch a 25-23. - MC battled back in the second set to tie the contest at 24-all after trailing 20-16. The two teams stood deadlocked three more times during the set, the last coming at 27-27, before an Anjelina Webb broke the tie with a kill and a Choctaw attack miscue sealed the set-in extra points at 29-27. - UWG jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the third, but MC cut the deficit to 20-17 on a block from Frost. UWG extended the lead to 23-19, but a Wolves' service error and a kill from Laurendine pulled the Navy and Gold to within 23-21. However, the Red and Blue finished off the set with the final two points. INSIDE THE BOX - The double-double marked a team-best 12th for Platt and the 19th of her career. - Platt has 17 kill performances this season, which is second on the team. - Bass moved to third in single-season total blocks with 105. She surpassed former Choctaw Katie Rowland's 2007 record of 103. - Frost moved to sixth in career total blocks with 185. She passed Jennifer Braswell (2005-06).

-- Mississippi College's Tytavia Hardy was named Gulf South Conference Field Athlete of the Week for her efforts at the Wendy's/Pittsburg State University Invitational, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Hardy had a busy meet competing in three events at the Wendy's/Pittsburg State Invitational. The Pensacola, Fla., native placed third in the women's triple jump with a distance of 39'1.75. The distance sits in the top 20 in the nation. She added a 10th place finish in the women's high jump as she recorded a leap of 5'4.25 and followed that with a jump of 17'1.5 in the long jump to claim 19th.