Nathan Wilson and Chandler Lester can feel the excitement building.
After all, in a little more than two months Wilson, Lester, and former Caledonia High School standout Will Jones will help the Mississippi University for Women men’s soccer team make history when it plays host to Concordia College (Ala.) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at the Downtown Soccer Complex in Columbus. The match will be The W’s first ever men’s intercollegiate competition as the school welcomes sports back to the campus.
“All my friends excited for me and kind of jealous, I guess, because I am going to be part of the first team for The W,” said Wilson, a former standout at New Hope High School in Columbus. “I am looking forward to playing against some of them, too.”
The men’s soccer team will join the women’s volleyball, baseball, and softball teams in the inaugural class of sports’ return to The W. The men’s soccer team will open its season Sept. 1 at Huntingdon College. The team will play all of its home games at the Downtown Soccer Complex.
The volleyball team will play host to a six-team, two-day event at The W’s Pohl Gymnasium on Sept. 22- 23. The team will open its season Sept. 1 at Millsaps College. The baseball and softball teams will kick off their first seasons in February 2018.
Wilson, who committed to The W in February, said earlier this week he has started to work out and run more to get prepared for the season. Students will report to campus in mid-August, which doesn’t leave them much time to get into peak condition or to develop chemistry in a sport where it is crucial.
But Wilson and Lester, who played soccer with Jones at Caledonia High and at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, credited The W men’s soccer coach Tim Gould for bringing in a first class that features 25 players, including 16 from the state of Mississippi. Players also hail from Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Illinois, and California. Eight players will join the program with college soccer experience.
“He really did go out of his way to get as many people as he did, which is a good thing,” Wilson said. “It will be interesting to see how we play together.”
It also will be interesting to see how the student-athletes handle the rigors of academics and athletics. That shouldn’t be as much of a challenge for Jones (3.54) and Lester, who had 3.54 and 3.4 grade-point averages, respectively, and were two of 80 Northwest Mississippi C.C. student-athletes to earn places on the 2016-17 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-Academic Team. Other local honorees included: Michael Ledbetter (3.38), James Longmire (4.0), Aaron Meek (3.76), and Robert Mims (3.77).
Lester understands the Owls won’t have much time to get to know each other or to get comfortable before the season starts, but he feels confident the team should be able to be competitive.
“I think we will be pretty good,” Lester said. “I think we have a good mix of top players and players who are going to be freshmen coming out of high school. I think we will be able to build a team and have experienced players.
“We need to open up and see what each other can do and recognize that we need to play well together and have good chemistry so we can play well as quickly as possible.”
Lester said the fact that many of the players have spent years on soccer fields with new teammates should ease the transition period. He said the excitement surrounding the first season also should provide a boost for all of the players as they look to help the Owls make an impression.
“Everybody I have talked to is extremely excited about The W having sports,” said Lester, whose sister, Brooke, is a student at The W. he also said his girlfriend, Savannah Thomas, will be a member of The W’s volleyball team. “I think it will be good for the college, and I am extremely excited to be a part of it
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.