McWain, Byrd, Rogers sign with colleges

Ruston High seniors Landon Byrd, Jaliyah McWain, and Thomas Rogers will officially take their athletic talents to the next level after each signed their National Letter of Intent with three respective colleges on Monday.

Byrd signed to run cross country at Louisiana Tech, while his longtime teammate Rogers inked with the LSU Tigers to run cross country and track. McWain signed with Trinity Valley Community College for women's basketball.

McWain, a two-time District 2-5A MVP for the Lady Bearcats, will look to build off an impressive high school career, including this past season as she averaged 15 ppg, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals (104 total steals) while shooting 40% from the field.

“I’m nothing but grateful," McWain said. "The whole year I prayed on this situation that I get the opportunity to have options and be able to pick out whoever offered me. I’m grateful.”

McWain, a two-time Second Team All-State selection, said part of choosing TVCC was the location and distance from home - less than four hours. That sounds good to Meredith Graf, McWain's head coach for four years, who expressed great pride in seeing one of her top players in program history take the next step.

“In my time, I’ve seen her work tremendously hard, putting the time and effort that it takes to not only get better as an athlete but to grow as a person and a leader. It’s something not everybody does," Graf said. "And it takes a lot of time and effort and support to get that process going and make it better every year.

“I can tell you now, Trinity Valley is getting a wonderful student athlete and I say this wholeheartedly, the best is yet to come for Jaliyah McWain.”

McWain thanked Graf and the RHS coaching staff for pouring into her throughout her time as a Bearcat.

“Coach Graf, I’ve been with her all four years, and her teaching me and letting me be myself on and off the court and embracing my style of play was big," McWain said. "And then Coach White coming in also helped a lot and her positivity and her motivation. It was great.”

Rogers will go down as one of the best distance runners in Bearcat history and he hopes to deliver just as highly with the Tigers down in Baton Rouge. Rogers became the LHSAA Division I State Indoor Meet champion in the 3200 meter in 9:33.81 this winter, while also holding a school-record 9:21.79 in the 3200 meter outdoor on March 16.

Rogers, a 2023 and 2024 District 2-5A champion in the 1600 meter, said going with LSU is hopefully an exciting chapter in his life.

“This is really exciting because the past four years I’ve worked really hard to get here and it’s just really exciting I get to keep doing this in college," Rogers said. "It's really cool. I’m really thankful Coach [Houston] Franks is letting me be on the team. It’s a big deal and I really appreciate that. It’s really awesome I get to be a part of one of the best collegiate athletic programs in the country.”

Byrd, a fellow high-level distance runner for Ruston, didn't think a month ago he'd be signing to run at the college level. But after meeting with LA Tech coaches and long conversations with family, Byrd felt signing with his hometown school was the right move.

“It feels really good. It’s been a lot leading to this moment," Byrd said. "I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run in college but after talking with my parents and the coaches at Tech, it’s been a good experience and they’ve been really nice helping me with my decision.”

Byrd's recent accomplishments include finishing 5th in LHSAA Region I Division I cross country race, 23rd at LHSAA State Cross Country Meet, and 5th in the North Louisiana Cross Country Championships.

Dustin Cochran, head coach of the RHS cross country program and assistant with the track program, said Monday's signing puts a perfect bow on what's been two stellar distance careers for Byrd and Rogers.

“It’s been unmeasurable how much better these kids have gotten, not only as athletes but as leaders for our program," Cochran said. "That really says something because we’ve had some absolutely great athletes and leaders come through the cross country and track programs in the last few years. And these guys are right at the top of that. I can’t even count all the blessing they give us on a daily basis.”