Eagles Deliver Strong Showing at Thanksgiving Invitational

An MCC Eagles swimmer in a green cap drives through a freestyle race at the Millsaps meet, arm extended forward as water sprays from their stroke. The close-up captures the speed and effort of the athlete in the black and gold lane.

November 24, 2025

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Meridian Community College men's swimming and diving team continued its impressive fall season with a strong showing at the Thanksgiving Invitational, hosted by Delta State University from November 20–23. Competing against four-year programs, the Eagles placed fourth overall out of five teams that included Henderson State University, Delta State University, Rhodes College, and Millsaps College.

Meridian was represented by freshman Matthew Kirkland and sophomore Sydney Cooper, who both turned in outstanding performances across multiple events, earning national qualifying times and setting several new program records.

Matthew Kirkland

Kirkland made the most of his first appearance at the Delta State Invitational, recording season-best times in all events while setting four new MCC team records in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, and 100 individual medley.

50 Freestyle: 23.23 (22nd place)
100 Butterfly: 57.36 (23rd place) — New team record
100 Backstroke: 58.78 (8th place) — New team record
200 Breaststroke: 2:34.15 (12th place) — New team record
100 IM: 59.36 (time trial) — New team record

All of Kirkland's swims were season bests and NJCAA national qualifying times, capping an impressive performance against strong NCAA Division II competition.

Sydney Cooper

Sophomore Sydney Cooper also delivered a stellar meet, posting season-best times in every event and earning national qualifying cuts in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 200 freestyle.

50 Freestyle: 23.65 (26th place) — National qualifier
200 Freestyle: 2:10.11 (18th place) — National qualifier
100 Backstroke: 1:25.82 (10th place)
100 Freestyle: 54.95 (28th place) — National qualifier
100 IM: 1:14.84 (time trial)

Cooper's performance further solidified MCC's growing presence in the pool, as both swimmers stood out among athletes from four-year programs.

Head Coach Wade Heggie praised his swimmers for their effort, progress, and professionalism throughout the weekend.

"Matthew and Sydney showed tremendous discipline and maturity in every race," Heggie said. "Their approach, their composure, and their execution were exactly what we've been working toward. They're building confidence with every meet, and their results reflect that growth."

The Eagles' performance in Cleveland demonstrated the progress of a program continuing to establish itself on the NJCAA stage. With multiple national qualifiers, new school records, and strong showings against four-year opponents, MCC's swimmers closed out the Invitational with momentum. Fans can stay updated on any additional late-season meets and the upcoming full schedule at mcceagles.com.

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