Nicholas Meck. The junior from Topeka, Kans., won the KCAC Championship as well as the NAIA South National Qualifier and was ranked fifth in the nation at 174 pounds, Meck beat the No. 2 wrestler at the qualifying event to earn the championship and was named outstanding wrestler of the meet. Meck took his perfect 17-0 season to the NAIA Meck National Championships on March 3 with the full expectancy of returning to York as an All-American. He went 4-1 in the national tournament, including a 4-1 victory over the #2 ranked wrestler. His only loss of the season was an 8-18 decision to #1 ranked Lawton Benna of Grand View who went on to win the title. Meck's 3rd place finish made him the seventh YC wrestler to be named NAIA All-American. Head coach Ramon Diaz commented, “We are so proud. God is good and He has done a great work this year in Nick's life on and off the mat, with great measurable results all the way around.”
photo courtesy YC Athletics
Wrestling definitely had its champion in
Nick Meck's 3-2 victory in the quarter finals over former #2 Jose Alvarez of Wayland Baptist, advanced him to the semifinals, guaranteeing him a spot on the All-American stage.
opponents, 25-10 on the season, under seventh year head coach Delton Deal. An overtime win in the KCAC championship game earned YC an automatic berth into the NAIA Div. II Championships. York played the upset role for the second year in a row as they beat 2-seed Rochester College 85-75 in the first round of the tournament before falling to Bellevue University. The Coleman Panthers finished at No. 19 in the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll. Cameron Coleman (SR/Allen, Texas) was once again named to the AllAmerican Team, this year as Honorable Mention. All-KCAC First Team honors sent to Coleman, Second Team to Keith Mack, and Honorable Mention to Johnny Cooksey. Kameron Malbrough was named to the All-KCAC Freshmen Team. The team had eight rankings in the top 10 including 2nd in the nation in total steals (332), 4th in scoring (3138), 4th in assists (627), 5th in rebounds (1446), and 5th in turnover margin (4.23).
photo by Bob DeHart '95
Basketball went 17-5 against conference
Cameron Coleman draws a crowd of defenders from Friends University during a home matchup. Coleman led the team in scoring (15.6/gm), rebounds (8.36/gm), and steals (55).
qualified again for the KCAC Championships. Under 4th-year head coach Brian Walth, the Panthers finished their season with a 29-25 record, 16-10 in conference play. The team was ranked No. 7 in the NAIA in both home runs per game (1.389) and total stolen bases (134) as well as a number of other rankings in the top 20. The offensive arsenal put 75 home runs on the record books, Johnson breaking the 2016 season mark of 70. Billy Johnson (OF) and Billy Damon (C) were named All-KCAC First Team. Johnson led the team in hits (73) and batting average (.384) while Damon was First Team as a catcher but also led the team with a 4.90 ERA and in home runs (16). Second Team All-KCAC went to Timmion Hughes (OF), who broke the YC record for stolen bases (43). Honorable Mention went to RBI leader Nick Carney (1B) and Connor Towle (DH). York’s outfield of Hughes, Damon Johnson, and Lamar Smith swept the KCAC Gold Glove Team honors. The senior trio committed only three errors on the season.
photo by Steddon Sikes '84
Baseball had another solid year as the team
Billy Damon (JR/Reno, NV) was named NAIA Player of the Week for his dominating performance over No. 7 Tabor College. He went 9-of-13 at the plate, including six home runs. SUMMER 2017 |
Heritage | 25