MCC alums gather for weekend reunion celebrations

McCook Community College celebrated its homecoming with alumni events over the weekend around campus and around town.

Alumni gathered Friday to attend the MCC volleyball game in the VIP Room of the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center.

On Saturday, members of the record-setting 1980 volleyball team and former coach Stan Garretson were interviewed live on KICX radio by Rich Barnett for Coaches Coffee Club. From there, the team had brunch on campus with current coach Hayley Kobza and players from the 2023 team. The teams traded stories and exchanged autographed volleyballs.

Alumni toured campus and took part in a tailgate party prior to Saturday's game where the 1980 team was honored.

This team went 40-11-5, won the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference, won the Region IX Tournament, beat Cloud County in the sub-region championship and advanced to the NJCAA Championship Tournament in Miami, Fla. Under Garretson, this team won five tournaments, 29 tournament games, 10 triangulars and, at one point in the season, played 12 matches in five days in three cities and had a 17-match win streak during the season, rising to the No. 9 spot in the national polls.

Those returning to campus included: Marian Kotschwar-Richards, Tammie Middaugh-Zachmeier, Lynn Krolikowski-Johnson, Deb (Jones) Einspahr, Barb McBee-Carbone, Denise Garey, Katrina Minnick-Oaklund, Julie Quador-Vrbas, Jeanne Porter-Limbach, and Coach Stan and wife Ellen Garretson along with their daughter, Gail from the 1975-77 MCC volleyball team.

Saturday's festivities concluded with an alumni dinner in the Student Union.