March 12, 2022 – Joplin, MO –
Building a championship-caliber program is one that usually takes some time to achieve, and Pensacola Christian College has learned that first-hand. The Coach Sellars era started back in 2011, when Coach Jared Sellars was offered the opportunity to coach the women’s basketball program as well as teach. Throughout his tenure, the PCC Eagles have won 6 Conference Championships, made 8-straight NCCAA National Tournament appearances, and now…… won an NCCAA National Championship. It was a journey that has taken time and patience as it even looked like history was going to repeat itself when the Lady Eagles lost to Bob Jones University in the conference championship 74-83. The year before PCC upset BJU in the conference championship to win the automatic bid to the national tournament to later lose to Champion Christian College in the semi-finals 69-84. In the 2019-2020 season, PCC once again lost to BJU in the conference championship, but still earned an at-large bid to the national tournament. As things looked bright with a quarterfinal win over Emmaus Bible College 76-70, the tournament was shut down with rest of sports due to the outbreak and surge of COVID-19 in the U.S. It seemed there was always something in the way that prevented the Lady Eagles from finally getting “the banner”.
Championships aren’t uncommon at the Christian College located in the Florida Panhandle. The men’s soccer team won national titles in both 2017 & 2019. The women’s basketball team also had their collection of banners from conference championships, but there is always something different in saying “national champs”. If there was a year to win it, this was the year. With seniors Sandy McElhaney and Lauren Alvarez, Coach Sellars had the talent and veteran experience to lead the Lady Eagles to a title. The Lady Eagles would start the season with a loss to the Eagles of Faulkner University. It was not the ideal way to start a season, but it isn’t as much about how you start as it is how you finish. Throughout the entire rest of the season, the Lady Eagles would only face two more losses on their record, losing to NAIA member Cumberland University and then later to Bob Jones University in the NCCAA DII South Region Championship. The loss to Bob Jones University was most likely the fuel to the fire that propelled the Lady Eagles throughout the National Tournament. The rivalry between the Bruins and Eagles runs deep and to lose to your rival in a championship game can be very deflating. Due to their high national poll rating, PCC received an at-large bid to the “big dance”. It was a chance at redemption and a chance to get their first national championship.
In the opening round of the tournament, the Lady Eagles had a dominant performance against Trinity Bible College beating the lions 81-31. In the semi-finals, the Lady Eagles would face up against Ozark Christian College. The Lady Eagles must have gotten comfortable after dismantling Trinity Bible because they came out in the first half missing shots and allowing OCC to take the lead at the half 30-28. You can only imagine the talk at halftime by Coach Sellars, but whatever he said worked. The Lady Eagles would start off hot in the second half, outscoring the Lady Ambassadors 29-17. PCC would roll with the momentum to an 89-72 victory. The Lady Eagles would advance to the national championship to meet up against the 5-time national tournament champions Arlington Baptist University. The storyline was written. It was the team who had 5 championships against the team that didn’t even win their conference championship. The storyline didn’t matter to the Lady Eagles as they had unfinished business. The Lady Eagles ended the first quarter winning 23-13. That wasn’t enough for Coach Sellars and the Lady Eagles would lock down the paint and hold ABU to only 4 points in the second quarter. Leading the Lady Eagles to their eventual victory would be Lauran Alvarez (23 pts & 17 reb) and Leah Phelps (18 pts & 7-8 at the line). When the final buzzer went off, it was an overflow of emotions. It was a buildup of years of work and building a championship-caliber roster. It was the moment that made everything worth it. Coach Sellars has finally notched his first national championship and it most likely won’t be his last. PCC will spend the next couple of months celebrating this monumental victory and then back to the recruiting scene. Coach Sellars has a repeat on his mind and replacing his seniors will be a tall task. For updates on the Lady Eagles, go to www.PCCEagles.com.
