2013 proved to be another exciting year for The Master’s College Athletic Department.  Across the board, the student-athletes of TMC produced some of the most memorable moments in school history.

The Master’s College Sports Information staff recently gathered together and assembled the quintessential list of the top moments in Mustang Athletics for 2013.  Over the next ten days, we will highlight an exciting moment that defined TMC Athletics in 2013.

8. Women’s Cross Country Produces Best Season In Program History

In what added to the most successful season in program history, the Golden State Athletic Conference announced in November that The Master’s College women’s cross country team boasted a handful of athletes on both the All-GSAC team and the GSAC Scholar-Athlete list.

On the All-GSAC team, Karis Frankian, Katrina Graham, Rachel Ingoldsby, and Hannah Kellerman represented the Lady Mustangs. These honors come on the heels of the GSAC’s championship race where TMC produced a second-place team finish in 1 hour 30 minutes and 11.30 seconds.

Kellerman and Frankian led the Lady Mustangs by fighting side-by-side against Biola, and finished strong by placing third and fourth overall with times of 17 minutes and 32 seconds and 17:38 for the 5,000-meter course, respectively. Ingoldsby finished in sixth at 18:05.52, while Graham followed in eighth place at 18:17.95.

Off the course, Kellerman, Graham, Jessica Hawley, and Micayla Frankian excelled in the classroom earning GSAC Scholar-Athlete honors.  To qualify, an athlete must be a junior or senior academically and have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater.

On November 23, The Master’s College women’s cross country team finished 14th of 32 teams in the NAIA Cross Country National Championship race in Lawrence, Kansas.

The 14th-ranked Lady Mustangs tallied 366 points in the 5k race with a combined time of 1 hour 36 minutes 24.09 seconds.

9. Women’s Soccer Qualifies For NAIA National Tournament

Parlaying a record-breaking start with a strong GSAC showing, women’s soccer re-emerged on the national landscape with consistent Top 25 rankings throughout the season and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in school history.  The club, piloted by seventh-year head coach Curtis Lewis, sprinted to a 10-0 start, beat a couple of Top 25 squads, earned a No. 11 national ranking along the way, and finished 15-6 overall, tying for the second-most wins in program annals.

A 6-4, fourth-place conference finish, their lofty ranking, and a first-round GSAC Tournament win gained the Mustangs an at-large berth in the national tournament for the first time since 2010.  Although, they lost in the opening round, the Mustangs wound up as the nation’s 17th-ranked team in the NAIA’s postseason poll.

10. Golf On Par With Nation’s Best

Under the leadership of sixth-year head coach Jason Semeslberger, men’s golf maintained a consistent level of competition throughout the year and finished ninth in the NAIA Top 25.  For the second consecutive year, Thane Ringler earned NAIA All-American honors and was named to the 2012-13 NAIA Ping All-Region team along with teammate Michael Reitz.  Although the squad won the NAIA Cascade Collegiate Conference/Golden State Athletic Conference title in the spring, it declined to participate in the national tournament.