What a year 2021-22 was for NCMC athletics. Team and individual success from all the programs represented North Central Missouri College both on a regional and national stage.
Women's basketball made their 4th trip to the NJCAA DII national tournament, posting a 6th place finish and securing the program's first national tournament victory. At seasons end, the Lady Pirates were 26-7 which marked the 2nd most wins in program history. The team held a top 20 national ranking for the entirety of the season. Nora Ford earned 1st Team All-American status for her outstanding season. She is only the second player in program history to achieve the feat. 1st Team All-Region went to Ford (MVP), Maci Moore, Kennadie Crow and Angel Wiggins. Head Coach Jenni Croy recorded her 250th career victory when NCMC defeated St. Louis CC on February 12th. She also received NJCAA Region XVI and Central Plains District Coach of the Year honors. "This team came in and did the work that it takes to be successful. They competed and challenged each other on the court and put in extra work each and every day. I am grateful to have a group of girls that represented NCMC so well both on and off the court. I am proud of all they achieved. It's great to see their hard work pay off," commented Croy.
Men's golf had Kyle Steel qualify for the NJCAA DII Men's Golf Championship and earn 1st Team All-Region honors for his T5th finish in the NJCAA District 16 Championship. He shot +3 in the 54-hole event plus won a four-hole playoff to secure the national tournament spot. He is the 5th NCMC men's golfer in program history to qualify for the event.
Men's basketball was ranked as high as #7 in the nation during their campaign which saw them defeat the reigning national champion and then top-ranked Des Moines Area CC. The Pirates hoisted the NJCAA Region XVI championship trophy for the 4th straight year before falling in the Central Plains District Championship against SAU Tech. Ketcham Community Center fans got to witness an undefeated regular season (13-0) for the team which, combined with the end of the 2020-21 season schedule, marked a school record 22 game home winning streak. NCMC's final record was 16-12, with all losses coming against opponents who held a NJCAA national ranking at some point in the 2021-22 season. Individual honors went to Isaiah Ervin and Kolten Griffin, each earning 1st Team All-Region. Region XVI Coach of the Year Jeremy Esry, who secured his 100th career win on November 5th, had these remarks about his team. "We had an up and down year overall but I was really proud of our guys for staying positive thru everything and believing in our plan from start to finish. Our schedule did not do us any favors, especially early, playing 10 ranked teams in November. With so many new pieces, it took us a while to gel and figure things out. I loved how we found our rhythm late and made a run, allowing us to achieve our 4th region title in a row. It was great group of guys to work with as they were focused and practiced hard every day. They also achieved some records with our home game win streak and beating the defending National Champs. Our 2021-2022 team helped continue to set the standard that we are striving for here at North Central Missouri College."
Softball posted a 33-18 overall record and a 3rd place showing in the NJCAA Region XVI tournament. The team put together a 15 game winning streak at one point in the year and won 27 of their final 30 games. Included in the hot stretch were 5 wins over the nationally ranked programs from Crowder College, Jefferson College and Three Rivers Community College. The season was the first for Head Coach Sara Van Dyke and was an excellent follow up to the program's 41 wins in 2020-21 under retired Steve Richman. Zoey Chrisman earned 1st Team All-Region as an infielder. 2nd Team nods went to Caragan Baker (IF), Chloe Buckallew (P), Sammi Bradshaw (P) and Madison Cowman (C). "I will be the first to admit that our season got off to a rocky start, but my mindset was to keep the faith. There was a lot of potential to be had with this group and everyone knew it. Everything finally came around once all the players started to gel and mesh. They proved they could compete with the best of them after taking down some tough region competitors," commented Van Dyke. "This was one tough group of girls. Not only is it hard to adjust to coming to college but it is not always the easiest to adjust to things under a new coach. However, all of these girls did really well with it and taught me a lot in my first year. I am very thankful that this is the group I got to start with."
Women's golf took home a NJCAA Region XVI title and had Taylor Hileman, Emily Long and Lexi Hutton earn 1st Team All-Region accolades for their showing in the NJCAA Central District Championship. Though the program didn't qualify any players for the NJCAA DII Women's Golf Championship, it was still a solid year for the program under 1st year Head Coach Nate Swann who earned Region XVI Coach of the Year honors.
NCMC Dance Wave had a wonderful 3rd season. Here are a few of Head Coach Carly Beebe's highlights from the year. "First of all, NCMC Dance competed for the very first time at the collegiate level in Columbia, MO. We humbly received First Place in both the Hip Hop and Pom categories. Both the dancers and the coach were able to experience dance at a competition atmosphere, and not only perform, but watch other schools' dance teams and see what their team brought with them to the competition. Second, we had a very successful Mini Dance Camp Fundraising Event. We had 65 dancers attend our camp as well as our halftime performance. We not only raised money to help with our seasonal expenses, but we had the opportunity to work with future dancing Pirates and give them the chance to perform with the college dancers. It was a wonderful experience for all! Third, we just simply had a wonderful team this season! The team worked so incredibly well with each other. They were encouraging not only during practices and performances, but academically and emotionally had each other's backs. They exceeded my expectations. Overall, I am proud of the team and the season that we had. I am looking forward to watching the program continue to grow and expand."
Pirates Baseball featured a pair of 1st Team All-Region performers in sophomore team leaders Noah Bodenhausen and Avery Rivero. Bodenhausen finished the year with a .314 batting average and team high 10 stolen bases. Rivero posted an ERA of 4.29 and a record of 1-1 with 3 saves. His career efforts at NCMC pushed him into a tie for most career saves with 6. The Pirates graduated 8 of 9 sophomore players and return a solid core of talent from their freshman class for the 2022-23 season.
Esports mixed it up on the virtual playing field in the games of Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty: Black Ops-Cold War and Madden 22. All records combined, NCMC went 11-7. Tristan Gibson (Rainbow Six Siege) and Rudy Mathews (Madden 22) have received scholarships to continue his gaming careers at Columbia College in the fall.
NCMC athletics was also well represented in the classroom and on campus with the following Student of the Month honorees: Arturo Brito, Baseball; Lindsey Batson, Softball; Guy Moran, Men's Basketball; Jasmine Taylor, Women's Basketball. Additionally, Moran (King) and Batson (Queen) were voted Homecoming Royalty in the 2021-22 school year.