CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College athletics communications department is proud to announce the Women's Soccer All-Decade Team on Tuesday (July 14).
Over the next two weeks, each of the school's 17 NCAA-sponsored sports will be represented, and the teams will be comprised of student-athletes that competed in the second decade of the 20th century.
The teams were selected by the athletics communications department with assistance from the coaching staffs of each sport. A student-athlete had to have competed in two seasons during the decade, and they were selected to the teams based on national, regional and conference honors, as well as, personal achievements and effects on the program, as a whole. For those student-athletes that competed in just one season, they were recognized on the Honorable Mention list.
The Choctaws and Lady Choctaws went through quite the transition from Division III and the American Southwest Conference to Division II and the Gulf South Conference. Both divisions and conferences are well-represented, and it was a pleasure to go back through the last 10 years of MC Athletics. We hope you enjoy going back down memory lane, and please do not be upset with David or Kyle as this was quite the difficult undertaking.
GOALKEEPER
Gabby Kayser (2016-19) --- Gabby was an All-GSC honoree in 2019 (First Team) and 2018 (Second Team), also earning All-Region honors in her junior and senior seasons. Over her four-year career, she posted a 0.76 goals against average and 31 goalkeeper wins, which ranks 3rd in school history.
FORWARD
Macey Lee (2011-14) --- Macey was a two-sport star at MC, earning All-Conference honors in soccer and softball. She is MC's all-time leader in total points (137) and is tied with Jennifer Benson (2003-06) for the school record with 58 goals scored in a career. Her 25 goals scored in 2013 is also a school record.
Sayit Mejia Bello (2014-15) --- Sayit was an NCCAA All-American in 2015 and earned NCCAA All-Region honors in both of her seasons as a Lady Choctaw. She also ranks in the top 10 in school history in points, goals and assists per game. She joined the coaching staff and was part of the United Soccer Coaches South Region Staff of the Year in 2018.
Lauren Smith (2015-18) --- Lauren was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and was a GSC All-Academic Team honoree in 2016 and 2018. She led the Lady Choctaws in scoring in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and ranks in the top 10 in school history in goals per game, points per game and game-winning goals.
MIDFIELD
Melanie Benner (2011-14) --- Melanie was a three-time honoree on the All-ASC Teams, including two First Team spots to go along with an NCCAA All-Mideast Region selection. She is also the school's all-time leader with 31 career assists, and her 13 assists in 2013 is still a single-season record.
Samantha Carson (2015-18) --- Sam earned United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honors to go along with All-GSC Second Team recognition in 2018. She scored eight goals with six assists in her career and helped lead MC to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018.
Katie Taylor (2016-19) --- Katie was a First Team All-American and a CoSIDA Academic All-American in her senior season, also garnering United Soccer Coaches South Region Player of the Year and GSC Offensive Player of the Year honors. She also won the GSC Commissioner's Trophy in 2019, an honor bestowed upon the top female student-athlete in the league each year.
DEFENDER
Gaylynn Cooper (2015-18) --- Gaylynn was a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-South Region selection, also earning First Team All-GSC honors in her senior season of 2018. She scored seven goals with three assists playing up front in her freshman season, and transitioned to the back line over her final three years, leading MC to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Meghan Dodge (2012-15) --- Meghan was an NCCAA All-Mideast Region selection in 2014 and earned Second Team All-ASC honors in 2013. She notched eight assists from the back line in her senior season and helped lead MC to the NCCAA National Championship Game in 2015.
Caitlin Hayes (2014-17) --- Caitlin was the First All-American in program history, earning the honors in 2017 to go along with All-South Region First Team laurels in 2016 and 2017. She was also a First Team All-GSC selection in 2016 and 2017 and helped lead the Lady Choctaws to GSC Championship match appearances those years and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017.
Liza Wise (2016-19) --- Liza was the GSC Defensive Player of the Year in her senior season of 2019, also earning All-Region and All-GSC honors in 2018 and 2019. Over her final three seasons, the Lady Choctaws advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and won the GSC regular season championship in 2017 and 2019.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lauren Kate Carter (2016-19),
Jess Davenport (2015-19),
Erin Hederman (2019-Present),
Scarlett Hodges (2017-19),
Kaitlyn Kiss (2011-14),
Madison Leonard (2013-16),
Andrea McDonald (2015-18),
Emily McNair (2017-Present),
Lesly Melo (2008-11),
Megan Whitten (2009-12)
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and began competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 18 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's and Women's 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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