Department of Athletics

• North Carolina Central University earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Academic Performance Rate Recognition Award for achieving the MEAC's highest APR.
• Longtime Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree was surprised during halftime of the spring football game with the establishment of the Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree Legacy Endowed Scholarship Fund.
• Two student-athletes, Hannah Gaines of women's tennis and Madison Mifsud of softball, were among the seven senior and recently-graduated students that received the University Award for Academic Excellence. Mifsud and Gaines were also celebrated as class valedictorians during the spring 2022 graduation commencement.
• Veteran athletics administrator and NCCU alumnus Dr. Louis "Skip" Perkins was announced as the university's next Director of Athletics during a press conference on March 23, concluding a competitive national search led by CarrSports Consulting.
• The NCCU Department of Athletics launched a new mobile app for NCCU Eagles fans on Jan. 27. Developed in partnership with From Now On, the new NCCU Eagles Athletics app provides fans with a one-stop-shop location to experience game day, including game broadcasts, live statistics, team information, fan guides, videos, tickets, and merchandise.
• NCCU Athletics ranked No. 1 among FCS programs and 53rd among all NCAA Division I institutions in total social media interactions generated during the month of August 2021, tallying 38,522 interactions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Six individuals were inducted into the Alex M. Rivera NCCU Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 18, featuring Emanuel Chapman, men's basketball (2010-14); Jeremy Ingram, men's basketball (2010-14); Clarisse Steans, softball (2004-06); Benjamin Tate, football (1979-82); Zakia VanHoose, women's basketball (1998-2002); and Melvin Wallace, football (1982-85).

Volleyball

• Lauren Janok became the first NCCU volleyball student-athlete to earn the MEAC Setter of the Year award.
• Three NCCU Eagles received All-MEAC awards, which is the most in Division I era, including Lauren Janok (First Team), Ammaarah Williams (First Team) and Arlanda Faulkner (Second Team).
• Ammaarah Williams voted to the NCCSIA All-State Team.
• Arlanda Faulkner named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.
• The team's 11 total wins is the most in NCCU's MEAC era and the most since winning 21 matches in 2007-08.
• The team's 9 MEAC wins is the most since joining the league in 2011-12.
• Achieved a 6-2 home record.
• Defeated Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round of the 2021 MEAC Volleyball Championship for the programs first Division I era postseason win.

Football

• NCCU kicked off its football season with a 23-14 victory over Alcorn State University to capture the 2021 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge championship trophy, as seen in primetime on ESPN.
• More than 5.6 million viewers experienced North Carolina Central University through two days of coverage on ESPN and ABC during the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge weekend on Aug. 27-28. NCCU football student-athletes, head coach Trei Oliver, cheerleaders, and marching band members were prominently featured during ESPN shows First Take and College GameDay, in addition to the primetime live game coverage, as well as during Good Morning America on ABC, which featured defensive end Jessie Malit being surprised by his mom Daisy Malit and a donation to his book drive. ESPN programs generated a combined 2.1 million viewers, while Good Morning America amassed 3.5 million viewers. The live game coverage on ESPN of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge surpassed one million viewers to become ESPN's second-most-watched FCS game in the history of the sports network.
• North Carolina Central University overcame a 21-point deficit to capture a thrilling, double-overtime, homecoming victory over Norfolk State University, 38-36, in front of 10,027 fans at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Nov. 6.
• Defensive end Jessie Malit was one of only 22 college football players in the nation to earn distinguished recognition as a member of the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.
• Thirteen NCCU Eagles earned postseason All-MEAC football honors, including senior linebacker Noah Rainbow-Douglas, sophomore placekicker Adrian Olivo, and sophomore return specialist Brandon Codrington on the All-MEAC First Team; sophomore quarterback Davius Richard, senior wide receiver Ryan McDaniel, sophomore offensive lineman Corey Bullock, senior offensive lineman Bruce Trigg, and sophomore linebacker Cole Williams on the All-MEAC Second Team; and senior tight end Isiah Macklin, junior defensive lineman Jessie Malit, junior defensive lineman Chuck Manning, redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Jaden Taylor, and sophomore defensive back Manny Smith on the All-MEAC Third Team.
• Sophomore Brandon Codrington was announced as a member of the 2021 BOXTOROW HBCU college football All-America team, earning the distinction as a punt returner.
• Just three days after ending the season on a three-game winning streak, NCCU head coach Trei Oliver, assistant athletics director for football operations Travis Taylor, and seven Eagles football student-athletes gathered at Food Lion to help four local families in need shop for more than $1,000 of donated groceries for Thanksgiving.
• Four NCCU seniors – running back Isaiah Totten, wide receiver Ryan McDaniel, tight end Isiah Macklin, and linebacker Noah Rainbow-Douglas – received invitations to play in the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb. 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Former NCCU defensive end Darius Royster signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
• Senior wide receiver Ryan McDaniel signed an NFL free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Johnnie Forte, a former NCCU defensive lineman (1980-83) and ACC football official, represented NCCU as the umpire in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 10, inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Cross Country

• The NCCU men's cross country team won three regular-season meets, including the Cedric Walker HBCU Challenge as part of the 2021 Great American XC Festival, the UNCW Beach Blast, and the Greensboro XC Festival.
• NCCU men's and women's cross country teams finished in fourth and sixth place, respectively, at the MEAC Cross Country Championships hosted by NCCU at the WakeMed Soccer Park on Oct. 29. Both team finishes are the highest in program history since NCCU joined the MEAC in 2011.
• Three Eagles - senior Ashton Drake, freshman Victoria Swepson and junior Ariana Harrell - earned All-MEAC honors by running to top-15 finishes during the MEAC Cross Country Championships.

Women's Basketball

• Diamond Thomas becomes first NCCU women's basketball player to earn MEAC Rookie of the Year.
• Four NCCU Eagles captured postseason awards, including Diamond Thomas as MEAC Rookie of the Year, MEAC All-Rookie Team and Second Team All-MEAC, and Tianna Carter on the MEAC All-Defensive Team.
• Posted two 67-point victories, which is a new DI era program record, while reaching 100-plus points for the first time in program history in the 101-34 triumph over Johnson & Wales. The Eagles also set single-game DI era records of 72 rebounds, 25 assists, 37 made field goals in that win. In the next 67-point victory, a 96-29 win over St. Andrews University, NCCU set the Di era single-game record with 30 steals.
• Tianna Carter set a DI era individual single-game record with 21 rebounds against Johnson & Wales.

Men's Basketball

• Participated as one of four HBCUs featured in the nationally-televised Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, as senior guard Randy Miller Jr. knocked down six 3-pointers to lead NCCU to a big win on TNT.
• Overcame a seven-point deficit with just 27 seconds left in regulation, as Justin Wright drained a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds on the clock to force overtime, where the Eagles stunned Delaware State with a thrilling 84-79 home victory on Feb. 19, 2022. Wright finished with 32 points.
• Defeated Maryland Eastern Shore to advance to the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
• Guards Justin Wright (First Team) and Eric Boone (Second Team) earn All-MEAC honors. Wright became the youngest Eagle to claim First Team All-MEAC men's basketball honors.
• Justin Wright named BOXTOROW First Team All-American.
• Senior guard Randy Miller Jr. selected to play in the HBCU All-Star Game as part of the NCAA Final Four weekend in New Orleans.
• Eric Boone recorded 71 steals to tie for second on NCCU's single-season records list.
• Rallied to win five times after trailing by 10 points or more during the season.

Track & Field

• NCCU seniors Marvin Jones (men's high jump) and Micah Fulton (women's triple jump) soared to gold medal victories in the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Also medaling for the Eagles were freshman Victoria Swepson (silver, women's mile) and sophomore Matthew Swepson (bronze, men's shot put), while seniors Gordon Lewis and Mackenson Yrelus combined with juniors Isaiah Hunter and Donnell Carter to sprint to a bronze medal in the men's 4x400 relay.
• NCCU senior Marvin Jones soared 2.12 meters to earn first place in the men's high jump at the 126th Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
• NCCU track and field teams captured one gold medal, two silver medals, and five bronze medals at the 2022 MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Sophomore Matthew Swepson picked up four medals (1 silver, 3 bronze) to earn the Most Outstanding Field Athlete Award, the first Eagle to do so in the Division I era. Senior Marvin Jones won the men's high jump with a leap of 2.13 meters for his fourth career MEAC medal and third gold, making him the first Eagle to earn three gold medals in the Division I era. Other outdoor medalists include junior Jaelyn Blanc (silver, men's long jump) and freshman Victoria Swepson (bronze, women's 3000m steeplechase).
• The NCCU men posted a Division I era record and best finish at the MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 75 points to claim fifth place, nearly doubling their previous highest mark of 40 points in 2017.
• Senior Marvin Jones soared a career-best 2.15 meters to place 13th at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Championships at Indiana University.

Softball

• Four All-MEAC award winners, including Jaylah Barr (First Team), Maegan Garrison (Second Team), Hailey Batista (Third Team) and Madison Mifsud (Third Team).
• Defeated Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round of the 2022 MEAC Softball Championship.

Women's Tennis

• Two MEAC award winners, including Jade Houston (Second Team) and Kennedy Hill (Second Team).
• Defeated Delaware State in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MEAC Women's Tennis Championship.
• Hosted MEAC Round-Up and MEAC Tennis Championship for the first time.

Men's Tennis

• Two All-MEAC award winners, including Miles Clark (First Team) and Sebastian Pino (Second Team).
• Defeated Coppin State in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MEAC Men's Tennis Championship.
• Senior Miles Clark defeated players from Duke and Wake Forest in the first two weeks of the season.
• Hosted MEAC Round-Up and MEAC Tennis Championship for the first time.

Women's Golf

• History was made on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, when NCCU teed off for the first women's intercollegiate golf competition in school history. Five NCCU Eagles initiated the university's women's golf era at the Elon Invitational at Alamance Country Club in Burlington.
• Senior Natasha Ainsley-Thomas achieved a season-low round of 70 to propel her to a fifth-place performance in her final college event at the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship in Philadelphia.

Men's Golf

• Senior Jesper Gullstrand recorded a hole-in-one on the 208-yard 12th hole at Bryan Park during the second round of the Aggie Invitational on March 28, 2022, the first hole-in-one registered in the NCCU men's golf records book.
• The NCCU men's golf team registered historic scores during the Bash at the Beach event, hosted by Appalachian State University at the Surf Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach. Junior Daniel Barbare (Raleigh, N.C.) posted a career-best 3-under-par 68 in the second round, which is the lowest score by an Eagle in four years and tied for the third-lowest round in program history. As a team, NCCU's second-round tally of 292 ranks third in program history, accounting for the Eagles' best team score since the 2015-16 season.
• Led by a second-place performance by NCCU redshirt junior Daniel Barbare, the Eagles finished as the MEAC Men's Golf Championship runner-up at Argyle Country Club in Silver Spring, Maryland.
• Redshirt junior golfer Daniel Barbare broke the school record for single-season scoring average with a 73.94.
• Senior Travis Jackson capped his college career among the final top five players in the 2021-22 APGA Collegiate Ranking, earning a spot on the APGA Tour.

All-Conference Honors 2021-22
 
Football
Noah Rainbow-Douglas – First Team All-MEAC (linebacker)
Adrian Olivo – First Team All-MEAC (place kicker)
Brandon Codrington – First Team All-MEAC (return specialist)
Davius Richard – Second Team All-MEAC (quarterback)
Ryan McDaniel – Second Team All-MEAC (wide receiver)
Corey Bullock – Second Team All-MEAC (offensive lineman)
Bruce Trigg – Second Team All-MEAC (offensive lineman)
Cole Williams – Second Team All-MEAC (linebacker)
Isiah Macklin – Third Team All-MEAC (tight end)
Jessie Malit – Third Team All-MEAC (defensive lineman)
Chuck Manning – Third Team All-MEAC (defensive lineman)
Jaden Taylor – Third Team All-MEAC (defensive lineman)
Manny Smith – Third Team All-MEAC (defensive back)
 
Volleyball
Lauren Janok – MEAC Setter of the Year, First Team All-MEAC
Ammaarah Williams - First Team All-MEAC
Arlanda Faulkner - Second Team All-MEAC
 
Cross Country (Women's)
Victoria Swepson – All-MEAC (9th place)
Ariana Harrell – All-MEAC (12th place)
 
Cross Country (Men's)
Ashton Drake – All-MEAC (13th place)
 
Basketball (Women's)
Diamond Thomas - MEAC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-MEAC, MEAC All-Rookie Team
Tianna Carter - MEAC All-Defensive Team
 
Basketball (Men's)
Justin Wright – First Team All-MEAC
Eric Boone – Second Team All-MEAC
 
Indoor Track & Field (Women's)
Micah Fulton – MEAC Champion (triple jump)
Victoria Swepson – Second Team All-MEAC (silver medal, 1-mile)
 
Indoor Track & Field (Men's)
Marvin Jones – MEAC Champion (high jump)
Matthew Swepson – Third Team All-MEAC (bronze medal, shot put)
Gordon Lewis, Mackenson Yrelus, Isaiah Hunter, Donnell Carter – Third Team All-MEAC (bronze medal, 4x400m relay)
 
Outdoor Track & Field (Women's)
Victoria Swepson – Third Team All-MEAC (bronze medal, 3000m steeplechase)
 
Outdoor Track & Field (Men's)
Marvin Jones – MEAC Champion (high jump)
Matthew Swepson – MEAC Most Outstanding Field Athlete, Second Team All-MEAC (silver medal, javelin), Third Team All-MEAC (bronze medals, discus, shot put, hammer throw)
Jaelyn Blanc – Second Team All-MEAC (silver medal, long jump)
 
Softball
Jaylah Barr - First Team All-MEAC (shortstop)
Maegan Garrison - Second Team All-MEAC (third base)
Hailey Batista - Third Team All-MEAC (catcher)
Madison Mifsud - Third Team All-MEAC (first base)
 
Tennis (Women's)
Jade Houston – Second Team All-MEAC
Kennedy Hill – Second Team All-MEAC
 
Tennis (Men's)
Miles Clark – First Team All-MEAC
Sebastian Pino – Second Team All-MEAC
 
Golf (Men's)
Daniel Barbare – MEAC All-Tournament Team (2nd place)
 
NOTE: Women's Golf not a championship sport in the MEAC