Morgan Turnipseed is the ideal person to help the Mississippi University for Women’s cross country programs grow.
You only needed to watch Turnipseed talk to two student-athletes who tried out for the women’s team earlier Tuesday to tell the school’s new coach is a people person with an infectious personality who can’t help get you excited about being part of building something special.
After speaking with the two student-athletes for nearly 15 minutes in the lobby of Pohl Gymnasium, Turnipseed was all smiles as she proclaimed her women’s roster had just grown from four to six.
“Running is such a gift,” Turnipseed said later when asked how she has tried to get the women’s program going. “It isn’t a sport you have to have done for many, many years to build up to your excellence. I think running is so much heart and determination, and that is something that is born in you, and something you can really work for.”
Turnipseed’s women’s team will begin that work at 7 p.m. Friday when it participates in the Mississippi College Twilight Two Mile. The distance will be shorter than the 3.1 miles (5,000 meters) or 3.7 miles (6,000 meters) run by women’s squads. The Owls will compete at that distance in the Mississippi College Season Opener at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, at Choctaw Trails in Clinton. The meet is one of five scheduled for the women’s team’s inaugural season.
In 2018, The W will start a men’s cross country team. Turnipseed will be the coach for that group, too, and she said she already has started spreading the word and recruiting student-athletes for that squad. She said it will take determination and heart for men interested in being one of the first Owls to run for The W.
Turnipseed said she started recruiting for both programs July 1, the day she was hired. The school announced her hiring July 11. Turnipseed said the faculty and administration at The W have been exceptionally helpful in her efforts to increase awareness and to find student-athletes interested in competing.
“Through prayer, I just stuck fighting hard those few who I knew were supposed to be on the team this year,” Turnipseed said.
Turnipseed used her conversations to gauge the excitement of her prospective student-athletes. She encouraged them to be a part of a new program and to be instrumental in the return of sports to the Columbus campus.
Turnipseed, who is from Waynesboro and attended Wayne Academy, was a cross country runner and a hurdler at Mississippi College in Clinton. She served as track and field coach at Heritage Academy last school year. Turnipseed is a teacher at Heritage Academy.
According to a Mississippi College press release, Turnipseed earned the nickname “Little Deer Foot” for her determination and speed while a member of the school’s cross country team. She followed in the footsteps of her great grandfather, Lomer “Deer Foot” Cliburn, who was a standout athlete at Mississippi College.
Turnipseed, who was a member of the school’s cheerleading team from 2010-14, was named 2014 Mississippi College Female Athlete of the Year, an American Southwest Conference (ASC) All-Academic Team Member, and a member of the Mississippi College Hall of Fame.
Turnipseed also was a graduate assistant coach for the university’s track and field team.
Turnipseed said the women’s team will train on campus.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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