Graduation week is upon us and the Manhattan Christian College Athletic Department would like to take a moment to highlight some of our outstanding student-athletes. These young men and women put in many hours not only on the court or field but also in the classroom. As coaches, we equip our athletes with the tools to believe in themselves, push the limits of greatness and reach for the stars. We instill a hard work ethic, positive mindset and come Saturday May 8th everyone will get to see their accomplishment achieved as they each walk across the stage to receive their diploma.

Kennedy Wilson, a dual sport athlete in Volleyball & Basketball, will graduate with a bachelors from MCC in Bible Leadership as well as a bachelors from Kansas State University in Marketing. A true leader on the court, she would set the tone with her hard work and positive attitude. Wilson always encouraged others to be the best so that the team could be at their best.

Pearson Jack Hinderliter, captain for the Men’s Soccer team, majored in Bible Leadership and Children Ministry. Hinderliter is a type of player who has one speed, fast. He never seems to slow down and has a style of play that cannot be replicated. A servant leader with an incredible work ethic not only on the field but also in the community.

On the Women’s Soccer side, they graduate 5 players. Davinna Farney, who also joined the Women’s Basketball team, majored in Bible and Leadership with an emphasis in Intercultural Studies and Youth Ministry. Farney brought tremendous lock down defender, very coachable and an amazingly positive leader. Next is Sarah Ward, graduating with a Pastoral and Youth Ministry degree, served as a Captain alongside Farney for the past 3 year. Ward brought a great sense of direction the team needed as well as being a top-notch communicator and would play her heart out each day. Hailey Culp, a duel major with a degree in General Studies from MCC and Applied Marketing and Advertisement. She stepped in as the goalie and pick up the skill quickly. Culp was a tremendous encourager, brought some humor to the team and was overall very helpful teammate. Rounding out the Soccer squad is Hannah Parks and Britney Scheetz. Britney, another graduate in Pastoral and Youth Ministry, was the teams hype women. Scheetz brought high amounts of energy, had an outstandingly positive attitude and was a great asset due to her willingness to give it her all. Hannah, a dual degree athlete majoring in Bible Leadership at MCC and Biology at KSU, had a very spontaneous but positive attitude. Always bring some fun and adventure, she also gave 100% each and every day. All these young ladies brought amazing amount of experience and leadership that this team will miss.

And finally, Chelvin Webb, who unfortunately and unexpectedly passed way in February, was a member of the Men’s Basketball team. From an outstanding player for MCC in the past, Webb transitioned this past season to Assistant Coach while he was finishing up his degree in Business Management and Ethics.

Graduation will be held in Howie’s Athletic Center Saturday May 8th at 10am. Limited attendance but the ceremony will be lived streamed for those to watch at home.

Breathe. After a season of so much uncertainty that's exactly what the coaches and players for the men's and women's basketball teams feel like they can finally do. Coming into the 2020-21 seasons both teams had to deal with all the inconsistency that the COVID-19 pandemic had created. Along with that, the women's basketball team was under the direction of a new coach for the 4th time in four seasons and searching for direction. The fall semester proved to be a waiting game as the shorthanded roster was impacted directly by quarantines and isolations and was unable to play a game until Januaray. And then, when they did finally open up, they had the privilege of hosting the soon-to-be 2021 national champions in the Lady Tigers from Champion Christian College. The five woman roster would compete well in early January after falling to Champion, losing their next two contests by a combined six points, before finding the win column on January 13th against Southwestern Adventist University 76-45. The win would be the first career victory for new head coach, Mindy Eckert. Through the remainder of January and into February the Lady Thunder would find a recurring theme of close games. In that stretch, they would return two more to the roster before rolling into the conference tournament as the #6 overall seed. In the first round MCC would match up with the host, Emmaus Bible College, where they would drop the contest. With the known end of the season approaching, the Lady Thunder would rally through injuries and a short bench to knock off Central Christian College of the Bible in the consolation semi-finals and then Faith Baptist Bible College in the consolation finals to earn a fifth place finish at the conference tournament and finish the season at 5-12 overall. 

The ladies were paced all season by the freshman out of Ft. Worth, Tx, Roni Harris. Harris would earn second team all-conference and second team all-region honors averaging over 21 points per game. She was named NCCAA DII Women's Basketball Player of the Week in January after her 39 point explosion on the road at Central Christian College of the Bible. Regardless of what happened on the floor, the ladies would continue to be hitters in the classroom where senior Kennedy Wilson and juniors Darby Cook and Jordan Lewis would earn NCCAA DII Scholar-Athlete awards. The Lady Thunder are projected to return a majority of their roster along with continuity with coaching for the first time in a half-decade as Coach Eckert will return to the helm. Expect a big leap forward from MCC Women's Basketball in 2021-22. 

The men's basketball team would share many of the same experiences as all of the other teams on campus in regards to COVID. The team battled through 10 schedule changes, seven cancellations along with several different delays. The team would spend time in a two week pause and individuals on the team would spend time in quarantine and isolation causing them to miss several games on their own. On top of all that, in February, the team experienced tragedy beyond anything they could have imagined and through that, they persevered and pushed themselves to a successful season in which they finished 18-11 overall winning the Midwest Christian College Conference regular season and conference tournament titles while making a trip to the NCCAA DII national tournament. Going into the national tournament as the #6 overall seed, the Thunder would find themselves matched up with the #3 seeded Johnson University Royals. The contest would prove to be one of the most memorable tournament games in recent history as MCC climbed out of a 12 point deficeit with four minutes left to force overtime. In the extra frame, MCC would once again dig themselves out of a hole and with 2.4 seconds remaining, sophomore Jordan White, would bring down a rebound and bury a 75' foot three ball to force a second OT. In the second extra frame, the Thunder would fall 92-97 as multiple members of the team fouled out as time was running thin. 

White would be named an NCCAA second team all-american along with first team all-region and conference MVP during the season. Junior, Nate Awbrey, earned NCCAA Scholar-Athlete status while also being named to the third team all-region and honorable mention all-conference. Sophomore, Taymont Lindsey, was named to the second team all-conference while senior Jeff Butler earned NCCAA Scholar-Athlete status as well. Unprecedented times have led to unprecedented roster moves as many of the current team, including the three seniors, will be returning for an additional season of eligibility that will leave expectations for the 2021-22 season high.