It was a banner year for the Abilene Christian University
athletics programs, especially for women
’s sports. And, it could be said that Morgan Hill’s rich sports
tradition had a little something to do with it. Live Oak High grads
Chantiel (McDonnell) Wilson and Kristin Alvarado helped lead the
Wildcats softball program to its first appearance in the NCAA
Division II South Central Regional to
urnament this season, a precedent-setting accomplishment in a
season of outstanding feats for the Texas university. For the first
time in school history, all of Abilene Christian’s women’s
athletics programs qualified for NCAA postseason play.
It was a banner year for the Abilene Christian University athletics programs, especially for women’s sports. And, it could be said that Morgan Hill’s rich sports tradition had a little something to do with it.
Live Oak High grads Chantiel (McDonnell) Wilson and Kristin Alvarado helped lead the Wildcats softball program to its first appearance in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament this season, a precedent-setting accomplishment in a season of outstanding feats for the Texas university.
For the first time in school history, all of Abilene Christian’s women’s athletics programs qualified for NCAA postseason play.
With 1994 LO grad Wilson at head coach and 2001 grad Alvarado at second base, the Wildcat softball team held up its end of that sustained feat of excellence.
Wilson, who earned Lone Star Conference South Division Coach of the Year honors, and Alvarado, a three-time all-conference senior second baseman, led Abilene Christian softball to a 31-22 record.
Before the season, ACU was picked to finish fifth in the division race.
“I’m so proud of these girls and the way they worked all year,” Wilson said.
Wilson, in her second year as ACU head coach, was one of the top players in Wildcat history in the late 1990s, when she earned all-region honors two years in a row.
While at LO, Wilson was the Central Coast Section’s Junior of the Year.
She played for a season at West Valley, where she was named the NorCal Player of the Year, before moving on to ACU.
Daughter of current Acorn head softball coach Barry McDonnell, she returned to MH to serve as LO head coach in 2000 and 2001.
She joined the Wildcat softball coaching staff as an assistant in 2002.
Fellow alumnus Alvarado, who played for Wilson at LO, capped her final season at ACU by hitting .314 with three home runs and 20 RBIs.
Alvarado and two teammates were also named to the conference all-academic first team.
After graduating from LO, Alvarado played a year at San Jose City College before being recruited to play for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats set a single-season record for conference wins (13) and finished second in the Lone Star Conference South Division, two games behind defending Division II national champion Angelo State. ACU won a playoff game before bowing out
Where Are They Now is a new feature in the Morgan Hill Times’ sports section. Anyone with information about a Live Oak High alum or former Morgan Hill resident who went on to compete or coach should contact Sports Editor Jim Johnson at (408) 779-4106 (ext. 203) or by email at jj******@*************es.com
