Mission University has had a long history of great athletic programs. In the 1970s and 80s, Mission U brought home numerous national titles in basketball and volleyball. Mission U’s athletic legacy was felt through the 90s and 2000s as a special part of who Mission U was. In recent years Mission U’s athletic programs had fallen short of its past victories with little success.
Given the athletic history at the college, the Mission U administration knew the positive impact that athletics could have on the college. Desiring to see its athletic programs come back to life, Mission U hired Darin Meinders as the new Athletic Director of the college in February of 2019.
In the spring of 2019 Meinders got to work by reviving the Men’s Basketball program. Ending the 2019-20 season with a winning record of 17-9, Meinders knew that the team had the potential to be champions. In 2020-21, Meinders began to build other athletic programs such as women’s basketball, cross-country, and golf.. all while cultivating a winning spirit among his men’s basketball team. Despite the many challenges of the 2020-21 school year, the Men’s Basketball Team ended the season with another winning record of 21-4. The momentum from this season helped prepare the team for the ACCA (Association of Christian College Athletics) National Tournament held at Ozark Chrisitan College in Joplin, Mo. March 3-5, 2021.
As the second seed in the tournament, Mission U moved through the tournament bracket winning against Dallas Christian 112-108 and Arlington Baptist University 104-74. This led the team to the final game of the tournament against the University of Los Angeles College of Divinity (ULA) held on Friday, March 5th, at 8:30p.
In 2020, Mission U was defeated by ULA in the 2019-20 ACCA tournament. Given this defeat, the team knew what they were up against, but Meinders and his assistant coach Kelly Anderson knew that their team was ready to take on the challenge. With a tight scoring game all the way through the second half, Mission U pulled ahead in the last 3 minutes of the game, clinching the ACCA National Title by defeating ULA 68-60.
In addition to this great victory, Mission U’s Women’s Basketball Team placed 3rd in the ACCA National Tournament after defeating Dallas Christian 81-50. This was a great accomplishment, as 2020-21 was the first year to bring back women’s basketball under the direction of Coach Casey Fowler. The team is primarily composed of first year freshmen, along with two juniors, and ended their first season with an impressive winning record of 16-12.
During the ACCA National Tournament, these students were honored:
MVP: Trey Minton
1st Team All American: Josie Sullivan, Trey Minton, D’Shawn Coleman
2nd Team All American: Kaitlyn King, Tre Flowers
Honorable Mention All American: Katlynn Ellison, Dawson Meinders
Mission University is proud of both of our basketball teams and is excited about Mission U athletics in the coming years.
