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.
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Throughout MC's transition process from Division III to Division II, the thought was that it may take some time to compete for Gulf South Conference and national championships, but it took the MC softball program just one season to win a title.
The Gulf South Conference softball tournament, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, got off to a strange start as the first day of play was canceled due to weather, forcing a single-elimination format for the eight-team field.
MC opened things against new rival Lee University, and the Flames got off to a fast start with a leadoff home run. They would then jump out to a 2-0 advantage and held the lead through three innings.
An
Alexia Harmon RBI single scored
Makenzie Nieto, while
Shelby Miller's sacrifice fly scored
Brister Curry to tie the game at two through four frames.
Kristen Qualls gave MC the lead for good in the fifth inning with a two-out solo home run to right-center field, and the Lady Choctaws would advance to the semi-finals with a 4-2 victory.
On Sunday, needing to win two games for the school's first-ever GSC championship in softball, MC fell behind against West Florida as the Argonauts scored one in the second and two in the third for a 3-0 advantage through three innings.
MC broke out in the fourth inning with six runs, highlighted by a two-run single from
Haley Thompson that would give MC the lead for good.
They would go on to win the semi-final contest against UWF, 8-5, and advance to the championship against the hosts UAH on Sunday afternoon.
It was all MC from the very start of the contest as the Lady Choctaws put up five runs in the first inning, aided by a two-run double from senior
Megan Everett.
After a four-run third inning gave the Lady Choctaws a 9-2 lead, they would put the game away with a nine-run sixth inning, highlighted by a three-run double from senior
Lauren Mulligan and a two-run home run by senior
Tylan Buckley.
The Lady Choctaws would go on to claim the GSC championship with the 18-5 victory over the Chargers, and Qualls was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player. She was joined by Everett, Thompson,
Adrianna Morgan and
Carly Crawford on the All-Tournament Team.
With the victory, MC earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II Tournament, earning the #4 seed in the South Regional 1 in Pensacola, Fla.
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2016-17 Top Choctaw Moments
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For any comments, opinions or thoughts on the list, get the conversation going on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages by searching ChoctawSports.
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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.
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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.
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For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or
nichols@mc.edu.
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