The conclusion of the NCAA outdoor track and field championships last week in Eugene, Oregon, marked the end of the 2023-24 season for Mississippi State athletics. With fall sports still more than two months away, The Dispatch is taking time this week to look back on the year that was, presenting individual and team awards for the 2023-24 Bulldogs.
Want to evaluate our picks or submit your own? Email us at [email protected].
Team of the Year: Soccer
MSU enjoyed unquestionably its best season in program history last fall, finishing 12-6-5 with a 5-3-2 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Led by goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, the Bulldogs had one of the conference’s stingiest defenses, conceding just 16 goals in 23 matches.
After starting just 1-2-1 in the SEC, MSU went five straight matches without allowing a goal, a stretch that included road wins over Florida, Kentucky and Alabama as well as a home victory over rival Ole Miss, giving the Bulldogs the Magnolia Cup for the fourth straight year. Offensively, transfers Aitana Martinez-Montoya and Ilana Izquierdo made immediate impacts, and Maggie Wadsworth and Hannah Johnson were also among MSU’s leading scorers.
Thanks to a shutout from Anderson and an extra-time goal by Wadsworth, the Bulldogs defeated Providence 1-0 at home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, then made a second-half comeback to beat Brown 2-1 in the second round to advance to their first Sweet 16 in program history.
The road ended there with a 1-0 loss to No. 2 seed Stanford, but nearly the entire team is back for another run in 2024.
Honorable mentions: Women’s Golf (won first SEC Tournament title in program history), Men’s Tennis (finished 19-8 (9-3 SEC) and won an NCAA regional at home before losing in the round of 16)
Male Athlete of the Year: Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson, linebacker, football
The Bulldogs finished just 5-7 with only one SEC win in 2023, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009. MSU’s defense, though, turned into a strength late in the season, and Watson was the unit’s anchor. He led the conference in tackles (137) and sacks (14) with a number of monster games along the way.
Watson grabbed the second interception of his career in Week 2 against Arizona, and in MSU’s lone conference win at Arkansas, he tallied 14 tackles and two sacks for a combined 19 yards lost. He closed the season with 21 tackles each against Southern Miss and Ole Miss, also forcing a fumble against the Golden Eagles. The Associated Press named him the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
After playing in the Senior Bowl in early February and attending the NFL Scouting Combine, Watson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Honorable mentions: Dakota Jordan, outfielder, baseball (.354/.459/.671 triple slash, 20 HR, 72 RBI), Petar Jovanovic, tennis (15-10 dual singles record, 15-6 dual doubles record, First-Team All-SEC)
Female Athlete of the Year: Julia Lopez Ramirez, golf
Could it be anyone but the two-time reigning SEC individual champion and golfer of the year who is currently the third-ranked amateur in the world?
Lopez Ramirez enjoyed a phenomenal junior year, with four top-three finishes at collegiate events including wins in both the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and the SEC Championship, helping MSU win its first conference title in program history. The Spaniard also won the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship last summer and played at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.
The Bulldogs advanced through the NCAA regionals thanks in large part to Lopez Ramirez’s third-place finish, and she was eighth at the NCAA Championships last month in Carlsbad, California. She was named a first-team all-American for the second year in a row, becoming just the third MSU golfer to do so.
Honorable mentions: Madisyn Kennedy, infielder, softball (.792 SLG, 17 HR, 56 RBI), Maddy Anderson, GK, soccer (0.818 save percentage, 0.69 GAA, 10 shutouts)
Male Freshman of the Year: Josh Hubbard, guard, basketball
Probably the easiest of our selections, Hubbard, the all-time leading scorer in Mississippi high school boys’ basketball, turned into MSU’s top scorer almost immediately. After scoring 22 points in his home debut, he broke out with 29 to lead the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind win over Northwestern. But the 35.5 percent 3-point shooter was at his best in SEC play.
Hubbard was held to five points in a win over Ole Miss in late February, but that led into a stretch of six consecutive games with at least 23 points, including a season-high 34 against Kentucky. He may stand just 5 feet, 10 inches, but Hubbard gets way up in the air in his shooting motion and frequently draws fouls on 3-point attempts.
Despite not becoming a starter until Jan. 27, Hubbard still averaged 17.1 points per game, giving MSU an outside threat it sorely missed the year before. He also was awarded the Bailey Howell Trophy, presented annually to the best men’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi.
Honorable mention: Jordan Ware, sprinter, track and field (Two-time SEC outdoor runner of the week, second in program history in 200 meters)
Female Freshman of the Year: Ella Wesolowski, catcher, softball
When your head coach compares you to Mia Davidson, you’re doing something right. Wesolowski became MSU’s primary catcher early in the season, handling a deep pitching staff with a variety of skill sets. Her .318 batting average was second on the team and she nearly always put the ball in play, striking out just eight times in 129 at-bats.
Highlights included a three-hit game in an early-season home win over Louisiana, one of the first signs that the Bulldogs were a much-improved team in 2024. Wesolowski hit a grand slam to help MSU win a series at Arkansas, then went 6-for-12 during a home series against powerhouse Florida the following weekend.
Honorable mentions: Avery Weed, golf (SEC All-Freshman Team selection), Mary Neal, defensive specialist, volleyball (second on team in digs, tied for third in aces)
Game of the Year: Women’s Basketball upset win over LSU
Head coach Sam Purcell called on Bulldogs fans at SEC media days to sell out at least one game at Humphrey Coliseum, and on Jan. 29 with the defending national champion Tigers in town, Purcell got his wish — and then some.
MSU trailed by five points at halftime but rode a 28-point third quarter to a 77-73 win behind 24 points from Jerkaila Jordan, who grew up in Louisiana. Darrione Rogers added 19 points as the Bulldogs finished 9-for-17 from 3-point range, including 4-for-6 in that magical third quarter. That was enough to overcome a 20-point, 18-rebound performance from LSU star Angel Reese as the Tigers finished just 3-for-14 from behind the arc.
Purcell’s team won its next three games after that statement victory, but MSU lost five straight down the stretch, falling short of a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Honorable mentions: Softball vs. Florida, Mar. 28 (Bulldogs scored seven runs in sixth inning for 13-12 win), soccer vs. Brown, Nov. 17 (MSU rallied from a goal down for a 2-1 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament)
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