Good morning! It’s official—the Battle for the Golden Egg is back this Thanksgiving and once again it will happen in prime time. Plan accordingly.

What else did we toss into the Brew today?

⛳️ Swinging Like Sorenstam
🏆 Ford Clegg earns NCAA Elite 90 Award
🐶 And much, much more!

🎥 HAIL STATE PLUS

In this episode of All-Access, we follow Zoe Brito-Babapulle who moved halfway around the world from Australia for a chance to compete in track and field at MSU. Competing in the NCAA East Preliminaries, she attempts to punch her ticket to the championship in the 800 meter race.

Hear from her about her journey thus far during her time at State, and from head coach Chris Woods on her drive to become better, and how he thinks she can perform at her peak.

With HailState+ you get to watch wherever you want to watch. Web, mobile, and (later this year) all major OTT streaming apps like AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Android. We got it all.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Racing Ahead. One more Bulldog punched her ticket to Austin, Texas, the site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and her name is Asia Poe. She earned her spot in the long jump after tying her personal best with a jump of 6.25 meters. Winning her flight was just the cherry on top.

Another Bulldog in Kamaya Debose-Epps put on one heck of a performance in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races as she qualified for both quarterfinals matchups on Saturday. In the 100 meter, she races a season best time of 11.25 seconds and in the 200m, she put up a time of 23.00. MSU will charge on later today for Day Three of the NCAA Regionals and more chances to qualify for the outdoor championships.

🔼 Starting Off Strong. With the men’s golf team set to tee it up for the start of their NCAA Championships today, one member was given an award that stands out among the rest. Ford Clegg earned the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award, which is awarded to the individual with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the finals site in each NCAA-sponsored sport.

It’s a fitting honor for the graduate student who has also been the only Division I men’s golfer in the nation to earn Academic All-American honors in each of the last two years. The Dawgs continue to get it done in all phases of the game.

🔼 Swinging Like Sorenstam. The ANNIKA Award is widely considered the highest honor in women’s golf, and our very own Julia Lopez Ramirez was just named one of three finalists for the 2023 award. The SEC Player of the Year showcased remarkable talent and dedication throughout the season, shown by her 70.31 scoring average, the lowest in MSU history, and three individual titles this season including one at NCAA Regionals.

The award, named after legendary women’s golfer Annika Sorenstam, honors the the top female DI golfer based on performance, scoring average, and strength of schedule. Lopez Ramirez certainly has the resume and accolades to bring home her first ANNIKA Award.

🔼 USA Invite. The season will continue for Diamond Dawg Dakota Jordan after earning an invitation from USA Baseball to attend training camp for a shot at the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team’s 26-man roster. Premier non-draft eligible college players from across the country will tryout for a chance at a spot on the team to compete against Chinese Taipei and Japan later this summer.

Jordan, an All-SEC Freshman selection, batted .307 in the regular season and accumulated 47 hits, including 10 home runs. If he does indeed earn a spot, he will become the 14th Bulldog, and first since 2021, to make the roster for USA Baseball’s Collegiate Team.

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Division Clincher. As we mentioned at the top, 2023’s Egg Bowl will take place on Thanksgiving on primetime TV. There have been tons of amazing moments in our battles against Ole Miss, but one previous matchup had serious implications.

Our question today — do you know which year’s Egg Bowl gave State its first SEC Western Division title?

Think you know the answer? Scroll on down to the bottom to find out.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Bulldog Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 1998!

Needing just one win against the rival Rebs, MSU had to finish the job in the last game of the season to secure a win for the school’s first ever SEC West title. The Dawgs kept the stress out of it, earning a 28-6 victory and a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game.

Read more about some of the best Bulldog Thanksgiving memories of the last 25 years here.

Have a great weekend, y'all.