j.t. keith, mississippi clarion ledger
·4 min read
The senior athletes have graduated and moved on to the real world. It is time for the Clarion Ledger to grade the Jackson State coaches, teams and to recognize outstanding performances before putting a bow on the 2023-24 athletic season.
Men's sports
Baseball: A
Jackson State baseball was one out and five feet away from playing in its first NCAA Baseball Regional since 2014. Jackson State lost 6-5 to Grambling in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Basketball: C
Mo Williams' team was not able to avoid the injury bug. Still, the Tigers finished 11-7 in the SWAC regular season, a winning record for the second year in a row. Jackson State played well enough to have SWAC player of the year in Ken Evans Jr., who is in the transfer portal, and SWAC defensive player of the year in Jordan O’Neal.
Jackson State lost in the first round of the SWAC Tournament 73-62 to Texas Southern.
Cross Country: C-
Coach Mark Thorne won SWAC championships in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Thorne had to deal with a loss of athletes in the transfer portal and graduation, and Jackson State finished seventh.
Football: B
T. C. Taylor comported himself well during the chaos of taking over for Deion Sanders in 2023. Taylor guided the Tigers to a 7-4 record during his first season. With a year under his belt, there are serious SWAC championship aspirations being talked about in Tigerland.
Tennis: A
Jackson State’s Carlos Castillo was named to the All-SWAC team. The Tigers lost in the championship match to Alabama State 4-0.
Track and Field: B
Two Tigers qualified for the NCAA East First Round meet in Lexington, Kentucky in the triple jump. Senior Javon Gray finished 18th with a jump lf 51 feet, 5 1/2 inches. Sophom*ore Ledamian Rowell finished 21st with a jump of 51-3 1/2.
At the SWAC Championships, Jackson State’s Davieon Center and Rowell shared Most Outstanding Co-Field Performer honors. Center won the discus competition and Rowell the triple jump.
Women’s sports
Basketball: A+
The Tigers dominated the SWAC, going 18-0 in league play and winning the conference tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Jackson State lost to UConn 86-64 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Tomekia Reed was SWAC coach of the year and left in April to become coach at Charlotte.
Ti’lan Boler and Miya Crump were selected first-team All-SWAC. Angel Jackson was selected second-team All-SWAC and SWAC Defensive player of the year. Jackson was drafted by the WNBA in the third round with the No. 36 pick.
Bowling: B
Jackson State came up short in the SWAC championship match to Southern 4-3. Juliana Rincon, a sophom*ore, was named to the SWAC all-tournament team.
Cross Country: D
It has been 26 years since Jackson State has won a SWAC championship, and that was shared with Grambling. This season, freshman Kaylin Jackson finished 20th individually in the SWAC meet, but she was the Tigers' only runner in the top 50. Jackson State finished 11th in the 12-team competition.
Soccer: A
The Tigers lost in the SWAC championship to Grambling 2-1. Jackson State's Kendyl Terrell, Taytum Terrell and Maya-Joy Thompson were selected to the SWAC All-tournament team
Softball: A
The softball team won the SWAC Tournament over Florida A&M for a berth in the NCAA Tournament under fifth-year coach Kevin Montgomery, losing to LSU and California in double elimination play.
ADDING DUTIES: Why Jackson State football coach TC Taylor is also Tigers offensive coordinator in 2024
Tennis: B
The Tigers fell to No.2 seed Alabama State in the SWAC semifinals. Freshman ZofiaDziewiecka was selected All-SWAC.
Track and Field: B
Jackson State long jumper Mylani Galbreath finished the season strong with a 20th-place finish in the NCAA East Regional on May 23. She had a long jump of 6.12mm 20-1.
Volleyball: A
Jackson State won the SWAC championship and earned an NCAA tournament berth for retiring coach Rose Washington, who spent 22 teams leading the program and was selected SWAC coach of the year in 2024. Senior Alexis Williams was named MVP of the SWAC Tournament, and freshman Hope Briggs and sophom*ore Karys Dove were selected to the All-SWAC team.
Jackson State lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ashley Robinson, athletic director: A
In Ashley Robinson's sixth year at Jackson State, he received the SWAC Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award on May 18. Robinson has been named two-time National Athletic Director of the Year; 2023 Black Student Summit Athletic Director of the Year and 2022 Cushman and Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year.
If Robinson continues to climb, his next stop could be commissioner of the SWAC.
J.T. Keith is the HBCU sports editor for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at JKeith@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @JTKEITH1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State athletics: How we've graded teams' 2023-24 seasons
