Softball Kicks Off Third Annual #428WallSitChallenge, Adds Virtual 8K

STARKVILLE – Once again, Mississippi State will honor the late Alex Wilcox with the 4:28 Wall Sit Challenge on April 28. This will be the third year of the initiative, and MSU is adding a virtual 8K this season. The challenge will be open for eight days until May 5.
  Registration and participation in the 8K is completely free. Fans may run or walk the distance at home, on a treadmill, in their local community or on campus. Fans are encouraged to complete an 8K distance, even breaking it up day-by-day over the course of a week, but their run should be finished by May 5.
 
All registrants will be sent a print-at-home race bib. A customized bib and t-shirt are available for purchase for $10 on MaroonMemories.com. To guarantee that their correct size is available, registrants are encouraged to purchase before midnight on Sunday, April 18.
 
Participants should share photos and videos from their run on social media by tagging @HailStateSB and using the hashtags #NoOneFightsAlone and #AW8K.
  MSU first launched the Wall Sit Challenge initiative in October 2018, following Wilcox's passing in June of that year.  More than 230 collegiate softball programs participated in 2018 along with 42 high school, club and professional teams, and the challenge spread to 42 states and Japan.
 
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.
 
In 2020, the challenge went completely virtual and saw participation from 39 different states and Canada. In a single day, Wall Sit Challenge posts generated more than 11,600 engagements and reached 4.1 million people.
  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."