MCC Track and Field Ranked No. 18 Nationally

Meridian, Miss. – The MCC men’s indoor track and field team is ranked No. 18 in the country in the first poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Wednesday.

MCC is led by Freshmen Cravorkian Carson, Eric Durham, Chris Lewis, Joshua Wilson and Devontre Young.  MCC is one of two Mississippi schools ranked in the Top 25 with Hinds CC ranked just behind MCC at No. 20.

The USTFCCCA poll included 49 teams in the rankings this week and will be released every Wednesday leading up to the NJCAA Indoor National Championships in March.

MCC will return to action Feb. 13-14 in Birmingham at the Samford Invitational.

MCC Tennis Inks First Men's Player To Signing Class

From School Reports

Will Irwin from Starkville High School is the first signee to the MCC men's team for the class of 2015-2016.  Will is a senior at Starkville High School.  He brings a lot of excitement and experience to the courts.  Will comes from a strong program with many state tournament appearances; he has played tournament tennis, so he will contribute much to the team. 

MCC Baseball Set For 2015 Season

From School Reports

The 2015 baseball season is just around the corner and the Meridian Community College baseball team is gearing up for an historic season. The Eagles are set to begin the new season February 7 at Scaggs Field against Alabama Southern Community College, but one big change is on the horizon for the program. MCC will now compete as a part of the MACJC for the first time since 2008 where the program enjoyed a great deal of success. The Eagles captured three MACJC State Championships (2005, 2006, 2008) during that span and the program is setting the bar high for 2015.

“We are excited to get this season underway,” said MCC head coach Dillon Sudduth. “We have as much depth on the mound as we have had around here in a while and that’s where games are won and lost. It’s always a process to get a team ready to compete and this team has bought in and done everything we have asked them to do, on and off the field. The boys have worked hard over the past year preparing and bring a real blue collar mentality to the field every day.”

MCC will be looking for that type of experience and depth on the mound in 2015 to lead the Eagles to success. MCC will return 10 pitchers for the season and with the addition of nine new faces on the staff, things look very promising on the mound for the Eagles.

Sophomore Goose Yates leads the way after having a superb 2015 season for the green and white. Yates was an All-Region performer for MCC and finished the season with a 5-3 record on the hill. Yates complied a 3.00 ERA and collected 45 strikeouts in 57 innings worked.

Yates returns to the team this season along with sophomores Jake Smith, Andrew Crook, Josh Curtis, Bryant Johnston, Jonathan Porter, Dustin Smith, Michael Druhan, Chandler Blakeney, and Baylor Obert.

Freshmen Austin Harrison, Josh Rich, Hunter Mullis, Colby Shaw, Kyle Bayles, Drew Smith, Ryan Lane, Cade Noble, and Jarred Scott add new faces to the staff. 

The new season will also bring plenty of changes at several positions on the field for MCC and one of those is at catcher. Sophomore Dalton Thomas will receive the bulk of the catching duties this spring for the Eagles. Thomas was an All-Region performer in 2014 for MCC and led the team in several offensive categories. Thomas played in the outfield and at first base a season ago for the Eagles. Jared Savell , Dalton Smith, and Austin Harrison round out the catching corps.

“You would be hard pressed to find a more well-rounded catcher than Thomas,” Sudduth said. “Not only from a skill level but also serving as an extension of the coaches.”

The MCC infield will be breaking in a pair of freshmen middle infielders. Freshmen Jaylon Keys, Matt Berler, Kyle Bayles, and Daniel Hill provide some strong options in the middle infield. They will be anchored by returning starting first baseman Scott Votaw  with Dustin Smith and Goose Yates manning the hot corner.

“This group takes pride in defending,” added Sudduth. “With the infield defense we have in place, our pitching staff should feel extremely confident pitching to contact.”

The outfield competition will be fierce as only sophomore right fielder Michael Druhan returns with experience. Andrew Crook is returning from injury to challenge for playing time in centerfield while Trace Hamby, Eason Weeks, Kyle Bayles, Daniel Hill, Baylor Obert, and Chance McDonald will all be battling for playing time.

“It’s going to be interesting to see who separates themselves from this group. We have improved our overall athleticism through recruiting and development.”

The 2015 schedule for the Eagles will also provide for a challenge, but the Eagles will enjoy five home dates to open the season. MCC will also host the 2015 Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field with Jones County Junior College, Jefferson College, Wallace-Hanceville, and Bishop State taking part in the event. MCC will also play MACJC home doubleheaders at Scaggs Field against East Central, Pearl River, Mississippi Delta, Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Itawamba. The Eagles will open conference play March 7 on the road at Jones and will also play on the road at East Mississippi Community College March 31.

MCC Tennis Adds To Signing Class

From School Reports

Kyra Holway from Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, AL joins the list of young ladies to sign a National Letter of Intent to play tennis for Meridian Community College in 2015-2016.  Kyra is a three-sport standout for Deshler High School; she has played volleyball, basketball, and tennis for four years.  Not only is she an all-around athlete but also an outstanding student and leader.  She has won many tennis awards throughout her high school career and qualified for the state tournament several times.  Kyra is an outstanding addition to the class of 2015-2016.

MCC Basketball Splits Road Set At PRCC

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles were looking to rebound Monday night after a difficult home loss to Co-Lin last Thursday evening at home.

The Lady Eagles would need an overtime session to secure a 63-62 road victory over Pearl River Community College. MCC improved to 12-5 overall with the win and 5-2 in MACJC South Division action.

Miaya Crowder led the way in scoring for the Lady Eagles with 25 points, while Tytiana Hall followed with 18 points for the green and white.

The MCC men couldn't secure the road sweep and fell to the Wildcats in the late game by a final of 73-63. The Eagles dropped its record to 7-8 overall and 1-6 in MACJC South Division action.

Both teams will return to action Thursday night with a road doubleheader at East Central Community College. The women will take to the floor at 5:30 followed my the men at 7:30.  

MCC Track and Field Posts Top Finish

From School Reports 

MCC continued their hot start Saturday at the UAB Green and Gold Invite on the way to a third place finish as a team.

MCC posted five NJCAA National Championship qualifying marks. The team also posted 11 top 5 finishes during the meet.

"Anytime you can compete at that level and do well as a team is a good day," said Head Coach Chip Gayden. "We did well in the sprints and in the jumps. I was a little disappointed with our distance athletes, but I know they will bounce back."

The meet saw MCC once again put finalists in the 60 meters after Freshmen Cravorkian Carson and Chris Lewis both qualified for the finals posting times of 7.01 and 6.81 respectively.  In the finals, Carson posted a personal best of 6.85, while Lewis was disqualified after a false start. 

"We had a great day in the 60 meters. Justin Johnson barely missed the finals but hit the qualifying standard, while Cravorkian ran a PR in the finals. It's disappointing to false start with Chris, but he came out and executed real well in the prelims," said Gayden.

MCC also saw some great performances in the 200 meters and 400 meters. 

In the 200 meters Chris Lewis ran a personal best of 22.03 and improved upon his national qualifying mark from December. Freshman Terrance Johnson also qualified for the NJCAA National Championships in the event posting a personal best of 22.26. 

In the 400 meters Freshman Bryson Penton posted a personal best of 50.19. His mark barely missed the NJCAA qualifying standard of 50.00.

The 800 meters saw success for MCC as freshman Josh Austin after he won his heat and barely missing the national qualifying mark with a personal best 2:00.87.

In the field events, Freshman Josh Wilson posted a personal best of 6.95 meters in the long jump barely missing the NJCAA qualifying mark of 7.03. Freshman Devontre Young qualified for the NJCAA National Championships in the high jump with a jump of 2.00 meters. 

MCC saw their 4x400m relay team punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Championships and a third place finish after running a time of 3:21.76. 

MCC will take the next two weeks of before returning to the track on February 14 in Birmingham at the Samford Invitational.