Felix Hayes hit a three-pointer on the final shot of the ballgame Thursday night to give Martin Methodist a last-second, 78-76 victory in the Curry Christian Life Center versus arch rival Bethel University.
The buzzer beater saw fans storm the court as the RedHawks knocked off their rivals at the buzzer. The triple pushed Hayes to a game-high 22 points in the win.
Three other RedHawks finished with 12 points each in the win.
In the ladies contest, the RedHawks never could get over the hump in a 73-61 loss to #15 Bethel University.
Ex-Giles County players Erin Freeman and Taylor McNairy posted 14 and 8 points each in the loss, which snapped a three-game win streak.
Both Martin Methodist squads return to action this Saturday when they host another SSAC doubleheader versus Blue Mountain College.
Tipoff in Saturday’s contests comes at 2 and 4 p.m. inside the Curry Christian Life Center.
Martin Methodist Executive Director of Athletics Jeff Bain has officially announced the addition of Men and Women’s Swimming as the newest varsity intercollegiate sports and the hiring of Drew Peterson as the program’s inaugural head coach.
The addition of the two programs will have the RedHawks set to join the Mid-South Conference in 2020-2021 academic year. The RedHawks will be one of 11 Men’s Swimming programs and 12 Women’s Swimming programs in the MSC.
The RedHawks will begin competition in the fall of 2020. The RedHawks already have a home facility in the Grissom Natatorium, which is attached to the Robert E. Curry Christian Life Center.
The Martin Methodist Women’s Bowling team notched a victory in a Tier 1 event as the RedHawks won the 2019 Las Vegas Collegiate Shootout last week at the Orleans Bowling Center.
In qualifying, the RedHawks finished second to powerhouse Wichita State. The RedHawks bowled a cumulative score of 8,629.
In their first semifinal match, the RedHawks posted a four-game total of 753 to finish runner-up in their pool and advanced to the title match.
In the championship round, the RedHawks bowled some of their best scores of the season as they posted scores of 208, 190, 201 and 205 for a comprehensive score of 804. The RedHawks bested Newman Kansas by 50 total pins to claim the event win, the first Tier 1 victory for the Women’s Bowling program.
Martin Methodist now breaks for the holiday season before they return to action in mid-January.
The RedHawks will play two events in January, beginning with the Kegel/ISBPA Midwest Collegiate Classic in Addision, Illinois January 18th & 19th.
One final honor for the Martin Methodist Volleyball team as senior Hayley Brisendine was recognized as an NAIA All-American.
Brisendine, a senior from Pelham, Alabama, earned the honor after a sensational season for the RedHawks. The senior was named the Southern States Athletic Conference’s Libero of the Year, and ranked in the top five nationally in two defensive categories.
The selection is the first All-American nod for the RedHawks since former great LaKenya Wrightsill achieved the honor in 2007.
The # 5 Martin Methodist Women’s Soccer team saw its 2019 season come to a close Monday in the Round of 16 in the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship in a 5-3 loss to # 12 seed Marian at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
Freshman forward Yuki Watari had two goals for the RedHawks, while sophomore midfielder Sue Yamasaki had the other.
The RedHawks finished the season 16-5-1 and were runner-ups in the SSAC regular-season and conference tournaments. The national tournament marked the 16th all-time appearance for the RedHawks.
The #5 nationally-ranked Martin Methodist Women’s Soccer team begins its quest for a third national title today (Monday) at the NAIA national tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The RedHawks will meet # 12 seed Marian University in their Round of 16 matchup. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
If the RedHawks win, they’ll advance to the national tournament quarterfinals, which begin Wednesday.
The Ohio Valley Conference handed out some hardware this week. Included in the awards was former Giles County quarterback John Bachus III, playing at UT Martin, Bachus III was named the Freshman of the Year.
The Martin Methodist Women’s Soccer and Voilleyball teams are headed to the final sites of their national tournaments, which begin next week.
The RedHawk Women’s Soccer team will face Marian University in their Round of 16 match. The RedHawks and Knights will meet in a rematch of a game at the Round of 16 from two years ago. Kickoff in this year’s meeting is set for Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The RedHawk Volleyball team heads to its first-ever trip to the national tournament’s final site after a 3-1 win versus Milligan College last Saturday. The tournament begins with three matches of pool play against three squads ranked in the NAIA Top 25. Tuesday, the RedHawks meet # 2 nationally-ranked Northwestern College at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday will see the RedHawks square off versus Corban University in an 8 p.m. showdown. Thursday’s matchup sees the RedHawks meet #18 Lawrence Tech University at 8 p.m.
For the first time in school history, all three Martin Methodist fall sports teams are headed to a national tournament.
The RedHawk Men’s Soccer team will head to Fayette, Missouri for an Opening Round matchup versus The University of Houston at Victoria. The match will be played on the campus of regional host Central Methodist University. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Friday.
The conference champion RedHawk Volleyball team heads to East Tennessee for an Opening Round matchup at Milligan College. The contest is set for Noon on Saturday, with the winner advancing to Sioux City, Iowa and the national tournament next month.
Finally, the RedHawk Women’s Soccer Team will host their Opening Round regional, as visiting Taylor University and Columbia (Mo.) College come to town. Columbia and Taylor will play at 1 p.m. Friday, with the winner taking on the RedHawks at 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner of Saturday’s contest advances to the final site of the national tournament, held in Orange Beach, Alabama, next month.
After winning the regular-season and conference tournament titles, the Martin Methodist Volleyball team will travel to Milligan Saturday in the 2019 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship Opening Round.
The RedHawks (26-8) qualified for their first-ever national tournament since the NAIA changed the formatting in 2008. The Buffaloes (24-11) qualified for their third national tournament and their second-straight appearance thanks to a runner-up finish in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
The RedHawks and Buffaloes have met once before, with the RedHawks winning 3-0 back in 2017 at the Lindsey Wilson Classic.
The winner of Saturday’s match will advance to the 2019 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship presented by Delta Hotels, which begins in Sioux City, Iowa December 3rd through 7th.
