CLINTON, Miss. --- The 2016-17 Mississippi College athletics season was full of extraordinary moments both on and off the fields of play.
In June of 2016, the NCAA informed MC that they had completed the transition process and would be full members of Division II and the Gulf South Conference, earning the right play for conference and national championships.
With that as the backdrop, the Office of Athletic Communications put together a committee to vote on and compose a list of the "Top 10 Choctaw Moments" on the court, field and track.
While there were many moments this past year that had the Mississippi College alumni, students and fans proud of their Choctaws and Lady Choctaws, here's the list of the absolute best.
The Mississippi College men's soccer team wasted no time in making their presence felt as members of the Gulf South Conference during the 2016 season.
In the Choctaws first full season of competition in the GSC, the navy and gold compiled a record of 10-4-2 overall, and a mark of 7-1-1 against conference opponents that earned them the honor of Gulf South Conference Regular Season Champions.
The Choctaws regular season championship run was trademarked by several key victories down the stretch, highlighted by an eight-match win streak that spanned from Sept. 18 through Oct. 16. During that month-long span, the Choctaws shutout in-state rival Delta State with a 5-0 victory at home, captured dramatic overtimes wins while hosting West Florida and Spring Hill, knocked off defending GSC champion West Alabama 1-0 on the road, and bested Alabama Huntsville 1-0 on the road as the result of a 90
th-minute goal.
That eight-match win streak propelled MC to first place in the Gulf South Conference, as the Choctaws rode a tidal wave of momentum that they created all the way to a GSC Regular Season Championship.
The Choctaws officially clinched first place in the conference and the rights to host the 2016 Gulf South Conference Tournament on Sunday, October 23 with a 0-0 draw at Shorter.
"To be able to compete in your first season back and win the regular season championship is a great accomplishment and proof that we have a great group of guys that have put in the work to be successful," head Coach
Kevin Johns said. "I'm really proud of the seniors who were here when we finished our last season in Division III as regular season champs in our conference. To be GSC regular season champs in Division II is quite an accomplishment for those guys."
Four Choctaws were honored as result of their efforts during the 2016 season.
Jorge Delgado,
Jacob Farthing,
Humberto Pelaez and
Ben Roberts were all named to the GSC All-Conference First Team.
Pelaez, who was named the GSC Defender of the Week a record five times in the 2016 season, was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year. The junior goalkeeper led the conference in goal against average (0.87), save percentage (0.83) and shutouts (6).
Johns was named the Gulf South Conference Coach of the year, as a result of leading the Choctaws to their first ever Gulf South Conference Regular Season title.
2016-17 Top Choctaw Moments
For any comments, opinions or thoughts on the list, get the conversation going on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages by searching ChoctawSports.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or
nichols@mc.edu.
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