All of William Carey University Sports Headed To National Championship

Hattiesburg, Miss.- the fall athletic season at William Carey has been very busy, and very rewarding. Every single fall sport will be represented at the NAIA National Championships in the upcoming days.

For more than a decade, Carey soccer has been a mainstay in the NAIA Top 25 polls. Both men and women consistently vie for championships on a yearly basis. This year is no different, with both teams hosting the NAIA Opening Round at Danny Owens Field. The women's cross country and women's volleyball teams are also both headed to the NAIA National Championships after impressive regular seasons.

Coach Danny Owens' women's soccer team is currently ranked #3 in the latest NAIA poll on the heels of another SSAC Championship. The defending NAIA Runner-up's are looking to make another run at a national championship and duplicate the feeling of hoisting the red banner again for the first time since 2018. Led by leading scorer, Christina Salmon, the Crusaders are 18-1-1 on the season and will play the winner of Mid-America Christian (Ok) and Xavier (La) on Saturday, November 23rd at 1:00. The winner of that game will advance to the final site in Pensacola, Florida for a shot at the title.

Men's Soccer is also hosting the NAIA Opening Round on the campus of William Carey. The Crusaders finished 3rd in a tough SSAC that features three teams ranked in the NAIA Top 15. Ranked 12th in the nation, Carey has a record of 13-3-2 behind Kolby Godbolt's team-leading eleven goals. Coach Barry Farrell's team will have to beat Georgia Gwinnett to reach the final site to compete for an NAIA championship in Wichita, Kansas. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd at 4:00 at Danny Owens Field.

The Lady Crusader Cross Country team is headed to the NAIA National Championship in Columbia, Missouri after winning the SSAC Championship in Oakville, Alabama. Blanca Conesa paved the way as she's done all season, winning the individual championship and earning the title "SSAC Runner of the Year."  This is the first SSAC Championship for the Lady Crusaders since 2018. The NAIA National Championship race is set to take off at 11:30 on Friday, November 22nd. The men's cross-country team placed third at the SSAC Championship, but Nathan Sury finished in the top five earning him the opportunity to compete unattached at the NAIA National Championship.

In what may be considered the biggest surprise of the fall season, the Lady Crusader Volleyball team has punched its ticket to the NAIA National Championship. Picked to finish fifth in the SSAC pre-season poll, Carey shocked the league finishing third in the regular season before cruising through the SSAC Tournament all the way to the championship. The Crusaders came up just short in the finals, but the runner-up finish was good enough to grab the second automatic berth for the SSAC into the NAIA tournament. Led by freshman Suelen Lima's 465 kills, the Lady Crusaders boast a record of 28-9 heading into the NAIA Opening Round. Carey has a tall task ahead as they travel to third ranked Jamestown (ND) for a shot at advancing to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa. That game is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:00.

As busy as the upcoming weekend will be, you can keep up with all of the action online. Games will be broadcast and updated from our website at careyathletics.com. For more information, call the office for external relations at 601-318-6657.