POPLAR BLUFF – For the first time since 2019, Three Rivers College held their annual winter sports banquet at the Bess Activity Center on Monday evening.

The 2022 banquet also marked the first time the men's and women's basketball teams and the cheer squad got to share one banquet together and recognize each teams accomplishments in the 2021-22 season.

"It was fun that we were able to come together and that my Dad got to come out," Three Rivers athletic director and men's basketball coach Brian Bess said. "It was great to have the girls with us, they had such a great season."

College President Dr. Wesley Payne was in attendance and delivered the opening remarks.

"These student athletes were not only role models on the court, but they were role models off of it," Payne said.

The 2021-22 cheer squad was recognized for all they did this past season, including making the trip out to Lubbock, Texas for the women's NJCAA National Tournament.

Then came the women's basketball team as they looked back on a historic season that ended prematurely to most, if not all of Raider nation in the second round of the national tournament.

"In my opinion, this is the best Lady Raider basketball team that has put on the uniform," said coach Alex Wiggs during his speech.

Wiggs pointed out the team achievements of winning 57 straight regular season games, the sophomore class going 52-2 and the super sophomore class amassing a record of 78-8. Wiggs also mentioned the individual achievements of his players including two Lady Raiders as of Monday moving on to Division I programs.

Wiggs also invited up Chaylea Mosby, who had to miss the entire 2021-22 season with a back injury.

"I wanted to give some recognition to Chaylea and all she's done for the program since we didn't have a banquet last year," Wiggs said.

To cap off the evening, Bess and assistant coach Anthony Beane recognized the men's basketball team and their mid-season turnaround.

"After we lost at State Fair, it was a long bus ride home," Beane recalled in his speech. "Before we played Mineral Area, coach Bess and I let the guys come in one-by-one and vent to us about what they thought was wrong with the team. That was probably the best thing we could've done because we went 8-1 against conference opponents after that."

Bess decided to quote his father.

"As Gene Bess would say at this banquet, we celebrate the sophomores and we challenge the freshmen," he said. "We want to challenge the freshmen to win a region championship and get us to the NJCAA Tournament."

Finally the coach Bess with 1,300 wins to his name closed out the evening and said that he is feeling much better after a third operation after he retired in 2020.

Robert Augsdorfer - Daily American Republic