NORFOLK, Va. – Third-year head coach Cat Tarvin was voted MEAC Coach of the Year and freshman shortstop Makiya Graves was selected MEAC Rookie of the Year as the North Carolina Central University softball team collected half of the big softball postseason awards that was announced by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Tuesday evening heading into the 2023 MEAC Softball Championship to go along with six Eagles being named as All-MEAC honorees.
 
Graves joined fellow freshman first baseman Takia Nichols and junior outfielder Imara Harrell on the All-MEAC First Team. Sophomore pitcher Jaden Davis and junior outfielder Ivory Jones both garnered All-MEAC Second Team accolades while junior third baseman Maegan Garrison earned postseason attention for a second straight year, landing on the All-MEAC Third Team.
 
Tarvin and Graves become the first two 'major' award winners for NCCU softball since the Eagles joined the MEAC in 2011-12 (Player, Pitcher, Rookie or Coach of the Year). NCCU's six all-conference selections is also the most in one season since joining the league a dozen years ago.
 
Cat Tarvin guided the maroon and gray to a 12-7 MEAC record, contenting for a regular season title right up to the last weekend of conference competition. NCCU was picked fifth in the MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish poll, but finished well ahead of that position in third place overall with a new MEAC-era record 12 league wins. The No. 3 seed that NCCU has secured entering postseason play is its best position since the MEAC has went to a six-team, double-elimination format. The Eagles also won a non-conference game over a 'Power Five' school for the first time since 2019, defeating North Carolina State University  by a 10-3 margin on March 8.
 
Makiya Graves jumped into the leadoff role for the Eagles and was NCCU's table setter all season long. As a rookie, Graves led the Eagles with a .363 batting average (4th in the MEAC), 27 runs and seven doubles while also contributing one triple, one home run, 15 RBI and six stolen bases. She increased her average to a team-best .441 in 19 league games with a .542 on-base percentage. Graves also ranks as the third toughest batter to strikeout in NCAA Division I, going an average of 47.7 plate appearances between K's.
 
Graves started all 47 games as a rookie and had at least one start at all four infield positions before becoming a stable at shortstop (34 starts). She earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors on April 3 and led NCCU with 13 multi-hit games, including a five-hit performance, to go along with a team-best, nine-game hit streak. 
 
Takia Nichols joined Graves in having a big rookie season for the Eagles. She led the maroon and gray with 23 walks, .453 on-base percentage and .566 slugging percentage while ranking second on the team in numerous statistical categories, including batting average (.336), RBI (28) and home runs (7). She ranks in the top 10 of the MEAC in batting average.
 
Nichols was named MEAC Rookie of the Week twice (March 27, April 10) as she supplied a team-best four home runs and 15 RBI in 19 league games. At one point this season Nichols had a 19-game reached base streak, while also having a seven-game hit streak, 10 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games.
 
Imara Harrell became one of NCCU's top hitter in league play, batting .431 against conference competition with eight extra-base hits (4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR), 10 RBI, 14 runs and five stolen bases. She finished the regular season with a .316 batting average and eight stolen bases.
 
After capping her rookie season as a MEAC All-Tournament Team honoree in 2011, Harrell was able to recovery from injury that kept her out of the lineup in 2022 to earn her first all-conference nod.
 
Jaden Davis finished her second season as NCCU's statistical leader in most pitching categories, including wins (8), ERA (3.27), complete games (13), innings pitched (135.0) and strikeouts (79). Davis became one of the top pitchers in the league with six wins and a 1.94 ERA over 65 innings pitched in MEAC play.
 
Davis, who was NCCU's team MVP last season and earned MEAC All-Tournament in 2022, also contributed a .312 batting average on the season and she enters postseason play on a six-game hit streak.
 
Ivory Jones jumped into the middle of NCCU's lineup in her first campaign with the maroon and gray, becoming a big power bat for the Eagles. Jones finished the regular season tied with Garrison for the team- and league-lead in home runs as the each launched eight long balls. She also totaled 22 RBI, 22 runs and seven stolen bases.
 
Jones, who played three seasons at Tennessee State University, also earned one MEAC Player of the Week award in her first season at NC Central.
 
Maegan Garrison retained all-conference status after leading NCCU and ranking third in the MEAC with 31 RBI. She also sits atop the league with eight home runs, tied with Jones. Garrison, who also scored 20 runs this season, batted .283 in 19 conference clashes.
 
Garrison was named Preseason All-MEAC each of the last two seasons and backed up those prognostications with her play on the field. She earned on MEAC Player of the Week award in 2023.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
 
MEAC Postseason Awards for NCCU since joining the league in 2011-12

Coach of the Year
Cat Tarvin (2023)

Rookie of the Year
Makiya Graves (2023)
 
First Team All-MEAC
Makiya Graves (2023)
Takia Nichols (2023)
Imara Harrell (2023)
Jaylah Barr (2022)
Kiara Hurley (2021)
Joirea Dumas (2021)
Olivia Daniel (2019)
Dalika Wallace (2019)
Courtney Mirabella (2018)
Ava Dolan (2018)
 
Second Team All-MEAC
Jaden Davis (2023)
Ivory Jones (2023)
Maegan Garrison (2022)
Kiara Hurley (2019)
Emerie Germ (2015)
Casey Hargett (2015)
 
Third Team All-MEAC
Maegan Garrison (2023)
Hailey Batista (2022)
Madison Mifsud (2022)
Tamiera Sanchez (2021)
Nadia Blevins (2019)