One national championship. Of all the success Mississippi State has had in every sport, only one team has won a national championship and that is the MSU Disc Golf Club.

The team won won the national title in 2009 and this year’s team could possibly also win a national title. Although they are in mid-season, they continue to improve and are sitting at a comfortable fourth ranking in the nation after finishing 12th last season.

After their last tournament, the Mid-South Collegiate Open, the “A team,” are the best four players, finished first in the tournament out of many schools. Team president James Bracken finished in second place overall individually. He said he feels very confident with the rest of the season.

“We don’t have many weaknesses, as our B team could beat some schools’ A teams,” Bracken said. “We want to win a national title and we want to get back to competing for it. We are close, but we are not back to how good we can be until we win the national championship.”

As the team looks toward the end of their season and to nationals, they are all eyeing the national championship. Not only does Morgan Weems look forward to competing in the tournament, he said he’s  also excited about to spending time with his friends on thei trip. 

“There is nothing better than hanging out with everyone and playing the best sport in the world,” Weems said. “We don’t have much pressure; we are just ready to have some fun. That is all that the game and the club is about. We just have to stay focused on our job.” 

Caleb Sanders, a senior, also elaborated the importance of being close with the team. 

“Last year, we weren’t that close,” Sanders said. “We would show up to practices and just play. This season is different. I like how close we are and how big of a family we are. We hang out all the time and all go out to eat at least once or twice a week.”

As he hopes to keep having fun with the team, Weems also has a personal achievement he wishes to fulfill. He was in the running for the All Star team in nationals last season, which is presented to the top 20 players. He said his personal goal for the season is to be named one of the All Stars. 

“I am probably our number one player, but these guys are stepping up everywhere and competing toe to toe with me,” Weems said. “I have a legitimate shot at being an All-Star this season.”

With every person on the team having the same goal, the team is extremely solid throughout. With their A team, B team and C team all performing at the best of their ability right now, there are not many weaknesses involved. 

Sanders said, “We are all pretty good skill wise.”. “We are back on the way to the top. We performed very well at the Mid-South Open and we pretty much set a standard on how we will play and how we can play.”

Weems seemed to have a lot of praise for the team as well. 

“We don’t have many weaknesses, but the one we do have is inexperience,” Weems said. “We have a lot of first or second year players, but they are improving day by day and they have a lot of natural talent to them. I cannot wait to see what they can do next year.”

Since the season is winding down and there are not many tournaments left, Bracken said he is extremely happy with  the said he is extremly depth the team has. With three full teams of four players and three substitutes, said he  looks forward to traveling to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 20-21 to take on Alabama in the tournament they are hosting. After that is nationals, where he really hopes to finish off his career with a bang. 

“We want that national title,” Bracken said. “Augusta and Ferris State are going to be our biggest competition at nationals, but we feel like we can beat them if we keep playing at the level we have been.”

Although winning a national championship is the main goal for the club, they also want to increase awareness of the sport across Starkville. There are currently 15 members on the team, which is the most there has ever been. 

The team is losing three seniors at the end of the season, but are encouraging as many people as they can to come out and join. There are no fees required to join. 

Interested students should  contact James Bracken through Facebook on the Mississippi State Disc Golf Group.