Softball Honoring Alex Wilcox with #428WallSitChallenge

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – With fans and student-athletes across the country stuck at home during the current global health crisis, Mississippi State's softball program is turning to social media to honor the late Alex Wilcox.

On April 28, the Bulldogs are again challenging their supporters to participate in the 4:28 Wall Sit Challenge. MSU first launched the initiative in October 2018, following Wilcox's passing in June of that year. All 13 SEC softball programs participated along with additional MSU athletic teams.

More than 230 collegiate softball programs participated in 2018 along with 42 high school, club and professional teams. The challenge spread to 42 states and Japan and included notable participants such as ESPN's Holly Rowe and U.S. National Team pitcher Keilani Ricketts.

Fans are asked to post videos of themselves holding a wall sit for four minutes and 28 seconds in memory of Wilcox and share the clip with the hashtags #NoOneFightsAlone and #428WallSitChallenge. They should also tag three friends that they would like to challenge.

"The 4:28 Wall Sit Challenge is a way for us to continue to honor Alex Wilcox beyond her battle with ovarian cancer," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "The wall sit was one of the many examples of Alex's determination and her willingness to persevere, no matter what obstacles she faced. We decided a yearly reminder of Alex's tenacity on April 28th, would be another positive way to honor her memory and the person and player that she embodied on and off the field."

Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. During her freshman season, Wilcox continued to practice while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

At one practice, State's outfielders were doing wall sits as a conditioning drill while assistant coach Tyler Bratton told them the story of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier. When Bratton completed his story, his stopwatch showed that the team, including Wilcox fresh off of treatment that morning, had held out for 4:28.

MSU immortalized Wilcox on Sept. 15, 2018 when the university retired her No. 8 jersey, making her the first female student-athlete in Mississippi State history to receive the honor. The MSU softball team has continued to honor her legacy by wearing teal uniforms to raise awareness of ovarian cancer for all midweek competitions.

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Softball Honoring Alex Wilcox with #428WallSitChallenge

Players Mentioned

Alex Wilcox

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