MCC finishes eighth in race for NATYCAA Cup

CLEVELAND - The Monroe Community College athletic program has finished in eighth place in the scholarship division for the 2017-2018 NATYCAA Cup. 

Rankings in the NATYCAA Cup are formulated by awarding NJCAA institutions with points based on competition at NJCAA Championship events. Iowa Central CC won the scholarship division, finishing with 179 points. Tyler Junior College was second with 159.75 points, and Barton CC was third with 138.

Monroe finished with 99.5 points and was just four points out of the sixth spot. The Tribunes were paced by a pair of national champions: women's basketball and women's lacrosse.

The Lady Tribune hoops team won its fifth national title with a 62-58 victory over Kirkwood on March 24. The women's lacrosse team captured its sixth consecutive NJCAA national championship and eighth in nine years by defeating Harford CC 20-13 in May.

MCC's men's swimming and diving team capped an outstanding season with a third-place finish at the NJCAA championship meet, while the Tribune softball team placed fourth. The baseball and women's swimming and diving teams also participated in national tournaments.

The 2017-2018 academic year marks the 15th year of the NATYCAA Awards Program. NATYCAA (National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators) is the national organization of all two-year athletic administrators from the United States.

MCC took top honors in 2006 and 2007, and has finished second four other times. Monroe has ranked in the Top 10 each year.

First established in 2003-04, the NATYCAA Cup recognizes the outstanding overall programs in two-year colleges from throughout the entire country. Each college is allowed to score points from their top-five programs per gender in the highest level of competition within their division. Each sport is treated equally so that the champion of each sport earns 20 points towards their NATYCAA Cup total. Second place finishes earn 19 points, third place earns 18 points, etc.