Millsaps College is one of the few institutions of higher learning in Mississippi where the phrase "student-athlete" has real meaning. Our athletes compete among 18 teams at the Division III level of the NCAA. For men, there's football, soccer, track & field, tennis, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf and swimming; women can participate in volleyball, tennis, cross country, basketball, track & field, soccer, golf, softball and swimming. Our teams of scholar athletes are not just competitive; they win championships.
The Millsaps Majors compete in Division III of the NCAA and the Southern Athletic Association, a new conference with many of the top liberal art schools in the nation, known for their academic as well as their athletics programs. The Majors were a former member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference beginning in 1992, where they brought home 20 SCAC Championships. They also brought home two CAC Championships in 1990 and 1991, the name of the SCAC beforehand.
Millsaps has won 22 SCAC/CAC Championships:
Men's
Baseball (8): 1990. 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2003, 2005, 2006
Football (6): 1991, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Men's Basketball (4): 1994-95, 1995-96, 2000-01, 2007-08
Men's Golf (2): 1992, 1993
Women's
Softball (1): 2003
Women's Basketball (1): 1995-96
The Majors have also won the following SAA championships:
Men's
Baseball: 2013
Football: 2012, 2013
Men's Soccer: 2013
Women's
Softball: 2013
Women's Basketball: 2013, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2020-21
Women's Tennis: 2021
Millsaps College made the move on July 1, 2012 to the Southern Athletic Association with former SCAC members; the Birmingham-Southern Panthers, the Centre Colonels, the Hendrix Warriors, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels, the Rhodes Lynx, and the University of the South: Sewanee Tigers. They also welcome in former NAIA, now Division III school; the Berry Vikings.
The Majors continue their excellence on the field as the men's programs have seen tremendous accomplishments in the last ten years. The baseball team became the first team in the athletics program's history to be ranked the number one team in the nation in early April of 2010. They also reached the College World Series for the first time in school history in 2013.
The men's basketball program finished number six in the nation in 2007-08 after they finished a school record, 28-4, including a SCAC Championship, hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, and a trip to the Elite Eight.
The football program set an unprecedented four straight SCAC titles, including a 10-0 regular season in 2008, which included hosting the first two rounds of the playoffs at Harper Davis Field and a ranking of number three in the country. Quarterback Juan Joseph went on to win the Conerly Trophy, a trophy given to the best collegiate player at any division in Mississippi, becoming the first Division III player ever to win it and defeating Michael Oher and Peria Jerry of the University of Mississippi.
The women's programs also continue their great success in athletics. This past season, the Millsaps Volleyball Team accomplished a 22-13 record and tied for their best finish ever at the SCAC Tournament as fourth overall at the tournament.
Two years earlier, the Majors women's basketball team was 1-24 and sitting at the bottom of the conference. The program completed a tremendous turnaround by going 12-13 in 2010-11, and then sent shockwaves through the SCAC in 2011-12 as they finished 22-6 on the season, including a school record 15-game winning streak. It was the second highest win total in school history, and their first 20-win season since 1995-96. Head Coach Chuck Winkelman, in his second season, was named the South Region Coach of the Year while Shante Morton was a Second Team All-Region selection. The women's basketball team continued that success in the 2012-13 season, winning the SAA regular season and hosting the conference tournament.
Speaking of turnarounds, First Year Head Coach Jason Box had a turnaround of his own as he took the women's tennis team from a 1-17 season a year ago to an 18-5 year, including a seven-game winning streak and their best finish ever at the SCAC Tournament. In 2014, Box coached Deena Li Kam Wa to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the first time a Major has reached the NCAAs since 1989.
Many other programs continue to rise and impress as Millsaps' athletics program strives to be one of the toughest programs in the south - and in the nation.
As an NCAA Division III member, Millsaps does not offer athletic scholarships but annually does award finances in academic scholarships and need-based financial aid.
