Shipp and Claas announce future plans

State Fair Community College (SFCC) sophomore Jaida Shipp of Dallas, Texas and freshman Myra Claas of Tipton announced where they will continue their academic and athletic careers after SFCC in front of a gathering of family members, teammates, athletic staff members and fans inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on Tuesday afternoon, May 14.

Shipp will continue her academic and athletic career at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma next year. Claas will continue her academic and athletic career at Mission University in Springfield.

Shipp earned Honorable Mention All-American honors as a sophomore. Shipp was also named to the All-Region 16 First Team and the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team. Claas was also named to the All-Region 16 First Team and the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team.

Shipp played in 29 games and started in 17 as a sophomore for SFCC. Shipp finished first on the team in scoring and rebounds averaging 10.6 and 7.2 rebounds per game. Shipp shot 57.1 percent from the field to finish second on the team. Shipp scored a season-high 21 points against Moberly Area Community College on February 17. She pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds against Crowder College on January 27. Shipp scored double-figures in 18 games and had double-figure rebounds in six.

"Jaida grew by leaps and bounds from her freshman year," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Nicole Collier. "Jaida became a competitor on the floor, figured out how to train to get in shape and what it takes to be really good at the next level. She became a post player that wanted the ball on every possession and shot the ball well with a field-goal percentage of above 50%. Jaida also rebounded the ball very well and gave us a presence inside."

Claas started in 27 of 28 games as a freshman and averaged 2.3 assists per game, a team best. Claas finished second in scoring averaging 10.3 points per game, shot 68.6 percent from the free-throw line, and pulled down 3.1 rebounds from the guard position. Claas scored a season-high 23 points in her first appearance as a Lady Roadrunner against Haskell Indian Nations University Junior Varsity and scored in double figures 17 times this season.

"Myra gave us that overall toughness," said Collier. She is very versatile player who made a lot of big shots for us."

The pair helped the team to a 22-8 record this season. The 22 wins this season for the Lady Roadrunners are the most wins since the 2015-2016 Lady Roadrunners who also recorded 22 victories. The Lady Roadrunners also advanced to the Region 16 Tournament Championship.

"I'm very proud of the progress that they both made," said Collier. "They both found their next opportunity and we are excited to watch what they do in the upcoming years."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics