Exciting Future for Pellissippi State Panthers as Year Two Approaches
Knoxville, TN - As we enter into July, let's look at the past and future as we prepare to begin year two of Pellissippi State Athletics.
Historic Year One Success
Our Panthers soared to great heights in the 2023/24 athletics year, setting the groundwork and standard for our future teams. For a program in their first year, our teams had unprecedented success. Men's Soccer achieved an impressive 11-3-2 overall record, with an 8-1-1 home record, only losing to NCAA nationally ranked LMU, and tying top-20 NJCAA foe Georgia Military. Not having a conference to play in, the Men's Soccer team fought through adversity to run through a tough make-shift schedule. Heading into year two, they will be in NJCAA Region 17 alongside Georgia Military College, Andrew College, and Oxford College.
Women's Soccer made its presence known in Region 7 with thrilling victories over #15 Motlow State, who at the time had not lost a conference match in over two years, and Columbia State, both of whom were the first and second place finishers in the conference respectively. A third-place finish in year one, only behind those two historically good teams, is a feat not to be overlooked. The season also produced conference and national awards. Coach Mariana Diaz won TCCAA Coach of The Year and Sophomore Sade Lee won TCCAA Player of The Year, as well as NJCAA All-American Honors. The team also produced numerous All-conference players.
Cross Country established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, sweeping the first event of the year at the Walters State Opener, taking first place in the Men's and women's team portion, and having the first overall finisher for the Men's portion. The team also had first-place finishers in the American Legion 5K and the Knoxville Marathon 5K, as well as NJCAA National Runner of The Week twice. Volleyball drew huge numbers to their games and thrilled the fanbase with wins over Cleveland State, Chatt State, and U. of The Cumberlands at home. Golf fought through adversity to finish the season with their best performance of the year and improved with every stroke.
Building The Future
In November, Director of Athletics Brock Evans announced the additions of Men's and Women's Basketball, Softball, and Baseball to the Pellissippi State Fleet. Along with the additions of these sports come new and upgraded facilities. May saw the renovation of the SRC Gym to accommodate Men's and Women's basketball. The court was re-painted to fit the needs of these programs, along with a new center court logo. Coming soon will be brand new goals, a scoreboard, a scorers table, and a new layout for fans to enjoy and be closer to the action. Construction will begin this fall on a new soccer complex on the corner of Hardin Valley Road and Solway. This will include a new turf field for playing with bleachers and a press box, along with a new practice field as well. Announcements regarding Softball and Baseball fields will be forthcoming.
For the fall and spring, Softball will play home games at the Knox County Sports Park in Karns, and Baseball will play home games at Ridley-Helton Field near the Old City in Downtown Knoxville. Men's basketball will be coached by Darrian Jones, Women's basketball by Quan Dudley, Baseball by Shawn Hughes, and Softball by Meredith Smith. Men's Soccer also welcomes a new coach to the team, Abe Tizaf, who comes to Pellissippi State from Young Harris, Georgia. Abe is a seasoned coach and former professional soccer player.
Background information for these coaches can be found below:
Looking Ahead
Going into year two, all our programs are now eligible to compete in post-season play. As a department, we expect to be heavily involved and make our name known in the various post-season tournaments we play for conference and national titles. Keep your eyes open regarding exciting announcements regarding facilities, sponsors, and other ways for alumni, students, faculty, staff, and fans to get involved in this exciting journey for Pellissippi State Athletics. Having the support of Panter Nation will be critical to the future success of our programs.
"We are extremely excited about where we are as a department heading into year two. All of our coaches and student-athletes are on the same page and we are building something exceptional. We can't wait for Panther Nation to join us this fall in cheering on our teams as they work towards achieving their goals." - Brock Evans, Athletics Director
In the Fall of 2024, there will be over 80 opportunities to watch the Panthers play at home, spread throughout all of our sports, with even more opportunities at away games in the Knoxville area. Stay up to date on the schedule of our teams at https://psccpanthers.com/composite
To get involved, please visit https://psccpanthers.com/donate to contribute to our teams' success funds and ensure the success of the Panthers for years to come.