WINTERVILLE, N.C. — The ENC HBCU Combine & Showcase will take place in Winterville on April 28-29.

This is the second year that the combine has been held in Pitt County and the first year that the event has expanded into a two-day format. 

The event will begin on April 28 with an informational seminar at Pitt Community College for coaches and student-athletes from 5:30-7:30 pm. The seminar will feature a number of speakers including Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at East Carolina University, Alex Keddie. She oversees the athletic department’s compliance program and will share information and offer direction regarding the recruiting process.

On April 29, athletes will participate in the combine and be evaluated in a number of areas including the 40-yard dash, 5-10-5 shuttle run, vertical jump, broad jump and bench press. The combine on Saturday will be held at Premier Sports Academy, located at 4801 Reedy Branch Rd. Recruiters from the MEAC and CIAA conferences as well as some regional non-HBCU colleges are expected to attend.

“We are pleased to provide an avenue for exposure for those high school athletes that often get overlooked by large universities in the Power 5 Conferences,” said Maurice Jordan, ENC HBCU Combine & Showcase Committee member.” “By bringing college recruiters to one location, athletes can showcase their skills without having to travel to multiple college campuses.”

“It’s exciting to host the 2023 ENC HBCU Combine & Showcase in Pitt County,” said Andrew Schmidt, president & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC and Play Greenville, NC Sports. “We are honored to work with the committee to provide an excellent experience for participating student-athletes.”

The Eastern North Carolina Historically Black College & University Showcase was established with the mission of providing an authentic football combine experience in which high school student-athletes can gain exposure and expand their recruiting portfolios. In addition to providing a platform for student-athletes to showcase their athletic ability, the combine serves as a vehicle to educate students and parents about the collegiate recruiting process.

The ultimate goal of the ENC HBCU Combine is to offer a platform for students to maximize all opportunities to receive scholarship or financial aid consideration from college football programs.