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The Choctaw baseball team came within one pitch of victory in the American Southwest Conference Championship game held May 4th at MC’s Frierson Field. The Choctaws fell 8-5 to the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots, who advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament. The top of the ninth saw the Choctaws just one out away from the championship, but with their backs against the wall, the batting Patriots were able to pull out the victory. The Choctaws finished the season with a 30-16 record and claimed a share of the ASC East Division title, and Choctaw head coach Brian Owens was named Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. According to MC sports information director Chris Brooks, hosting the ASC championship game will have longterm benefits for Choctaw baseball. “Several potential recruits came to the game to see what MC baseball is all about,” Brooks says. “That type of exposure can only elevate the caliber of players we’re able to attract to our program. The support from our own students and from the Clinton area was also tremendous. The more we’re able to host events like this, the greater involvement we’ll see from the community.” While he’s happy with the Choctaws’ performance on the field and honored to have been named Coach of the Year for the second year running, Coach Brian Owens will remember this season for another reason. “We had four players won to the Lord this year,” Owens says. “That is by far the accomplishment of which I’m most proud.”
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On the Right Track
April 25 saw Al Winsley on fire at the 2009 American Southwest Conference Track and Field Championships held at Parkman Track in Clinton. The senior All-American high jumper claimed the High Points award and was named Field Athlete of the Meet. In early April, Winsley helped the MC track team capture the men’s title in the Twilight Invitational on the Clinton campus. Winsley made the best jump in NCAA Division III with a jump of 7’ 1.25”. Next up for Winsley is the USA Track and Field Championships in June. A pulled hamstring ended his 2008 Olympic dreams, but Winsley is determined to represent the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London, England. “In 2008, I watched the Olympics on TV and kept saying, ‘That could’ve been me,’” Winsley says. “Hopefully in 2012, that will be me.”
Here’s the Kicker
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America named Lady Choctaw Carrie Kirk to its All-South Region Third Team. The honor was one of many for Kirk, who was also selected for the All-ASC First Team for the third consecutive season, as well as making the Academic All-ASC team. Kirk was also named the team’s Defensive Most Valuable Player and won the Choctaw Pride Award, which is presented to the player who best represents the team. “Carrie is a great player, maybe one of the best we’ve had in the history of the team, but I’d say she is an even better person,” says Lady Choctaw soccer coach Darryl Longabaugh. “She has a big heart for people and for the Lord. She spends her summers on mission trips and as a camp counselor, and when it comes to soccer, she’s a leader on and off the field. Carrie Kirk is a great young lady, one of the finest I’ve ever coached.”