Morningside takes aim at NAIA tourney opening round match-ups

Morningside College continues its 2020-21 seasons Saturday, March 13, at the pod championships of the opening round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' championships.

Head coach Jamie Sale's women's program, sporting a 26-2 record and 20-game win streak, is making its 19^th successive national tournament appearance. They face the Wichita, Ks., Bracket B semifinal winner between the Saint Xavier University of Illinois and Crowley Ridge College of Arkansas. Head coach Jim Sykes' men's program, entering the championships at 20-5, is in the fourth straight year's national tournament field. They meet up with either Thomas More University of Kentucky or Union College of Kentucky in the Crestview Hills, Ky., Bracket B finale.

Game times are 1 p.m. Central Standard Time for the women at Friends University of Kansas' Garvey Center and 4 p.m. CST for the men at Thomas More University's Connor Convocation Center. Live audio, statistics, and video with video requiring a fee at links across www.msidemustangs.com, the Internet home of Morningside College athletics.

· The women, entering the national tournament as the 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, both of which were firsts since the 2015-16 campaign, are led by the trio of senior guard Sierra Mitchell (SR/Pleasant Hill, Iowa) (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) and junior forwards Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) and Taylor Rodenburgh (JR/Hawarden, Iowa) (Hawarden, Iowa). Mitchell continues to track towards the rarified air of 2,000 career points, needing only 25 more to become the fourth player in program history to do so. During the late stages of the regular season, the national leader in total (110) and per game (3.929) made treys, became just the second person in conference history to hit 400-or-more career three-point baskets, and is the program's all-time category leader (413). Peppers, who celebrated the Maroon's three-game run through the GPAC tourney by becoming a member of the 1,000-point club, joins Mitchell among the national top 20 in scoring (Mitchell – No. 4 – 497/Peppers – No. 20 – 413). Rodenburgh has been one of the conferences, region, and nation's top "super subs," compiling 10.5 points and better than 5.5 rebounds per contest in 22 games played and just one start. Like Mitchell (No. 37 – 41.5), she is part of the country's best 50 in field goal percentage (No. 46 – 40.7).

· Mside's men, the four-time defending GPAC champions, have four student-athletes averaging double figures in scoring. Senior center Trey Brown (SR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) has had a 2020-21 to remember, registering 17 double-doubles as part of a season double-double average of 16.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest. He's among the school's top 20 in career scoring (1,224 points). Senior guard Zach Imig (SR/Gretna, NE ) (Gretna, Neb.) has a similar stature for all-time points (1,468 – No. 9) and is right behind his long-time friend in per-game scoring (12.2) and rebounding (7.3) while leading the way with 124 assists. Two underclassmen also find themselves averaging double-figure points per outing, as sophomore guard Will Pottebaum (SO/LeMars, IA) (LeMars, Iowa) (11.6) and freshman guard Aidan Vanderloo (FR/Sioux City, IA) (Sioux City, Iowa) (10.1) add to a strong quartet.

· With wins, Mside's men and women advance to the NAIA Final 16 set for March 18-23.