Chowan Falls to Virginia State University, 35-20

ETTRICK, VA – Coming in to tonight's game, the Virginia State University defense allowed only 21 total points to Division II opponents. The Trojans defense was again strong tonight, proving to be the difference as VSU defeated Chowan 35-20. Chowan is now 1-3 overall, and 0-2 in the CIAA. Virginia State moves to 2-2 overall (1-1 in the CIAA).

The Virginia State defense caused five Chowan turnovers and stopped the Hawks twice in the red zone.

Virginia State put together a four play, 60 yard drive on the opening series of the game for their lone score of the first half. Kenay Hawks capped the drive for the Trojans with a seven yard touchdown run. The Hawks defense stepped up for the rest of the quarter, however, allowing only 34 more yards.

After totaling 72 yards in the first quarter, the Hawks offense got back to their usual ways in the second. Quarterback Cameron Stover went 8-13 for 88 yards in the stanza. Stover led a seven play, 59 yard drive late in the quarter to even the score at seven. He hooked up with Kevin Hodrick for a ten yard pass for the score.

READ MORE

WSSU demolishes Chowan

MURFREESBORO, NC -- Different opponent, similar result. Winston-Salem State rolled to its second straight lopsided win Saturday night, 55-24 against Chowan. It followed a 67-16 victory at Virginia Union and although this game wasn't as lopsided, it was just as impressive.

As quarterback Kameron Smith rested on the bench in the waning minutes, his left knee wrapped in ice, he gave a thumbs up to some of the WSSU fans who braved the wet weather.

"We tried to keep it going from our previous game," said Smith, who had career highs for touchdown passes (6) and yards passing (355). "We tried to come out focus and play our game."

The Rams racked up 619 yards and scored all of their points on offense. Against Virginia Union, they scored twice on special teams.

"I give this to the O-line and my coaches," said Smith, who was 17 of 31 passing but did have one interception, his lone mistake.

READ MORE

Fort alumnus Carroll earns CIAA top coach award

Coach Aaron Carroll

PETERSBURG, VA — Chowan University head baseball coach Aaron Carroll has been named 2011 CIAA Coach of the Year. Carroll was awarded the honor at the CIAA ceremony on the campus of Virginia State University this past week before the start of the conference tournament.

Carroll, a Fort Defiance High School graduate, led Chowan to a 29-14 overall record in the regular season, the most wins the program has had since the 2008 campaign. The Hawks earned the top seed in the CIAA tournament after compiling a 25-3 conference record, but were eliminated from the tournament Saturday. Chowan finished the year with a 30-16 record.

READ MORE, CLICK HERE
VISIT: CHOWAN UNIVERSITY
VISIT: CUHAWKS

Chowan University Announces 2011 Football Schedule

MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Chowan University has announced its 2011 football schedule. The Hawks, led by Tim Place in his fourth season, will have five home and five road games next season.

Chowan kicks off the 2011 season with a home Thursday night matchup against Livingstone College on September 1st at 6:00pm. They will then hit the road for four of their next five games, including their only non-conference road game of the season, a September 10th matchup against UNC-Pembroke (6:00pm).

The Hawks will host the Rams of Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, September 17th at 6:00pm. Chowan will open CIAA play on Saturday, September 24th, when they travel to Virginia State University to take on the Trojans at 6:00pm.

Chowan travels to Richmond, VA for an October 1st tilt with the Panthers of Virginia Union University. Kickoff time for that game has yet to be announced. The Hawks will hit the road again on Saturday, October 8th when they travel to Lincoln University (PA) for a 1:00pm matchup with the Lions.

A three-game home-stand begins on October 15th, as the Hawks host Saint Paul's College (6:00pm) in the Homecoming game. Shaw University will travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday, October 22nd for a 6:00pm kickoff.

Chowan's final home game of the 2011 season will be Saturday, October 29th against Elizabeth City State University at 12:00pm. This will be the school's annual Hall-of Fame game.

The Hawks take the road to close out the season at Bowie State University on Saturday, November 5th. A 1:00pm kickoff is set in Bowie, MD.

Chowan is coming off a 3-7 season in 2010. The Hawks finished fourth in the CIAA North with a 3-4 conference record.

VISIT: Chowan Hawks

Quick Start Holds Up for No. 23 JCSU Women in 71-52 Quarterfinal win over Chowan

Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team advance to the semifinals of the 2011 CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament with an opening round 71-52 victory against Chowan University on Tuesday evening inside Time Warner Cable Arena. JCSU improves to 23-3 overall and play Bowie State University on Friday, March 4th at 3:00 p.m. in the TWC Arena.

Junior guard Terran Quattlebaum (Mitchellville, MD) was open on the wing. She got the pass, and didn't think twice. Quattlebaum let the 3-point shot fly and only drew net.

Eleven seconds into the game, the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Lions were ahead 3-0, and the rest of the game seemed almost as effortless as Quattlebaum's first jump shot as the Southern Division champion ran away from Chowan for the entire contest.

“I'm extremely proud of our team effort,” said Golden Bulls coach Vanessa Taylor, the CIAA Coach of the Year. “We just shot the ball extremely well in the first half.”

Chowan Falls to Johnson C. Smith in CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, NC – After five minutes of play, the Lady Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University held a 13-0 lead over Chowan in the second round of the CIAA Tournament. That early lead, paired with 16 first half turnovers, proved to be the difference in the game, as the Hawks could not mount another second half comeback in a 71-52 loss to the Lady Golden Bulls.

Chowan missed their first five shots and committed six turnovers in those opening five minutes, leading to the early deficit. Ransheda Jennings put Chowan on the board at the 14:54 mark with a layup to cut the JCSU lead to 13-2. At the 12:43 mark of the half, the Lady Golden Bulls held a 17-2 advantage. The Hawks, as they have done many times before, did not panic and mounted a furious comeback.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

NEXT GAME: 3 P.M. FRIDAY, VS. BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
VIEW GAME LIVE AT: theciaa.com -- or CLICK HERE

WSSU rallies to beat Chowan

Winston-Salem State’s new uniforms were nearly a bust. The Rams had to rally from a 13-point deficit on Thursday night at a packed Gaines Center but did enough to hold off upstart Chowan 65-62. Chowan didn’t look at all like a team that was 1-9 coming into the game.

“How many times can I tell my guys that every team in this league is going to give us their best shot?” a sweat-soaked Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams said afterward. “(Chowan) was very good, and they made us play their style.”

What the Hawks did to the Rams (9-2, 3-1 CIAA) was use an effective halfcourt trap that had the Rams running in circles most of the night. The Hawks went on a 14-4 run to start the second half and with 16:45 left had what appeared to be a comfortable 13-point lead.

Transfer worked out for Medley, WSSU

Turning around a program is never easy, but junior Courtney Medley, a transfer from Elon, is doing all she can to help the Winston-Salem State women's basketball team.

Medley leads the team in scoring with an average of 14.4 points and has been a big reason Coach Steve Joyner Jr.'s first WSSU team has been able to escape the losing ways of recent seasons.

"She's definitely stepped up to be a leader, especially when you talk about scoring and being aggressive on the offensive end," Joyner said. "I kind of tease her that she needs to do that a little more on the defensive end, but for right now, she's meeting all of my expectations."

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Kentucky State, Chowan Set to Face #1 Seeds in Volleyball Tourney

Kentucky State and Chowan found out their opponents in the NCAA Division II volleyball tournament Monday. Both teams will face the top-seeded teams in their respective regions.

Kentucky State (26-10) will take on Southern regional host and top seed Tampa (26-3) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The winner of the game will face the Lynn/Barry winner Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Led by junior outside hitter Mercedes Parker and junior setter Brittany Stewart, head coach Kyetta Mays' Thorobrettes got to the tournament by stopping Albany State's nine-year run of SIAC conference championships. KSU won its first conference title since 1997 in Friday's victory against ASU.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.


Videographer: MrTshabazz

Chowan Hawks Hang on for First Season Win over Virginia Union

MURFREESBORO, N.C. - The Chowan University football team picked up their first win of season this afternoon after beating Virginia Union University 35-34 in CIAA gridiron action. Playing in their first-ever televised event, Chowan held on to the one point win despite a late surge by the Panthers.

Chowan's Robert Holland hauled in 11 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns to help propel his team to victory. The Hawks improve their overall record to 1-4 and their CIAA record to 1-1. The Panthers fall to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the league after today.

Chowan collected 345 yards of total offense in the game with 234 yards coming through the air. Chowan's Steven Carroll came in for relief of starter Cameron Stover to throw for 183 yards on 19 completions. Carroll also threw three of today's four touchdowns. Stover, still nursing a shoulder injury, left the game in the second quarter but completed six passes for 51 yards and hooked up with Holland to put Chowan on the board in the first quarter.

Virginia Union University - Epic VUU Comeback Falls Just Short

A furious Virginia Union University comeback in the waning seconds of a regionally televised football game fell just short as Chowan University escaped with a 35-34 win over the Panthers in Murfreesboro, N.C., on October 2.

Trailing 35-21 with less than three minutes left to play, backup quarterback Cheston Hickman, playing in place of the injured Aris McGlone-English, led a seven-play 60-yard drive to pull the Panthers to within 35-28. Hickman capped the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Andre Winston with 1:22 left to play. Union then recovered the ensuing onside kick at their own 36-yard line.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

VSU Trojans Rush To Third Win Over Chowan Hawks

Virginia State University's football team held on late in the fourth quarter to secure a 20-13 win against Chowan University in Murfreesboro, NC on Sept. 25. Justin Parker's 2nd made field-goal (19; 30), from a season long 30 yards out gave VSU a 20-6 lead with 3:23 remaining in the game. Coach Andrew Faison and the VSU Trojans won their first northern divisional conference game with a balance attack of 168 yards passing and 153 yards rushing improving to their best start at 3-1 since the 2002 season.

(3-1) Virginia State University's defense gave up a late touchdown with a minute left in the fourth, after only giving up only two Chowan field-goals the entire game. Chowan rushed for 66 total team yards due to the Trojans stingy and smart defensive group.

Led with 9 tackles from senior LaQuentin Milo (Florence, SC), senior James Pratt's (Alexandria, VA) and junior Clifton Haney's (Orlando, FL) 7 tackles the Hawks averaged 1.8 yards rushing on 36 carries. Chowan also received pressure when they attempted to pass as VSU recorded a season high 6 sacks. Red-shirt freshmen Timothy Durant (Hyattsville, MD) and senior Isiah Townsend (San Francisco, CA) both had 2 sacks each and three others each recorded one; senior Andre' Adams (Washington, DC), senior James Pratt (Alexandria, VA), and sophomore Thomas Sykes (Newport News, VA).

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

WSSU welcomes Chowan

Chowan, one of the newest football programs to join the CIAA, will make its Bowman Gray Stadium debut tonight to play unbeaten Winston-Salem State. It will be the first meeting between the teams, and Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams said that he doesn’t know much about the Hawks, who are 0-2 with road losses to Lenoir-Rhyne (59-10) and The Citadel (56-14).

“Offensively they were a passing team last year, and their quarterback was offensive player of the year in the conference,” Maynor said. “But he’s gone, and that’s not going to be easy to replace him.” That quarterback was C.J. Westler, who passed for 2,865 yards and 25 touchdowns last season before graduating. Finding a replacement has not been easy for Coach Tim Place, who is entering his third season.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Citadel Bulldog Football Hosts Chowan to Open Season

Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel Football team will open the 2010 season against Chowan University on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Hawks. The game will be the Bulldogs’ season-opener, while the Hawks opened their season at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Aug. 28. The meeting marks the first time the Bulldogs will play a current opponent from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Citadel will be looking to break a three-game losing streak that includes a homecoming loss to Wofford at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Nov. 7, 2009.

The Bulldogs are led by seniors Cortez Allen and Alex Sellars. Allen was named to the All-SoCon preseason team for the second consecutive year. The senior defensive back was named to the first team in 2010 after starting all 11 games last season and finishing second on the team with 57 tackles. Sellars was named as the preseason second team tight end after finishing the 2009 season as a first team media selection and a second team coaches selection.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Chowan receives drubbing by Lenoir-Rhyne

HICKORY, N.C. -- If there was any question whether the Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears could score points, their season-opener on Saturday night put those concerns to rest. L-R scored the game’s first 28 points and cruised to a 59-10 win over the Chowan Hawks in the first meeting between the two teams at Moretz Stadium.

Quarterback Major Herron completed four of six passes for 69 yards with one interception to lead the Bears (1-0). Herron also had a hand in L-R’s ground attack, with 101 yards and three scores on 14 carries. “I thought Major played smart, made his reads and protected the ball well,” Bears head coach Fred Goldsmith said.

“I was pleased with how he ran the team.” Fullback Anthony Silvers added a touchdown and 101 yards on 11 rushes. Former Bandys High standout Le’Quan McCorkle ran 16 times for 84 of the Bears’ 513 rushing yards.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

CIAA: Bagbey named NCCAA South Region Player of the Year

NCCAA South Region Player of the Year for Baseball -- Chowan University's Justin Bagbey from Virgilina, VA /Halifax County H.S.

Justin ‘Buzzard’ Bagbey continues to succeed at the next level, after another standout season at Chowan University. Bagbey was named National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Region Player of the Year for Baseball. Bagbey was named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association player of the year earlier and first team, 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association Atlantic All-Region (ABCA).

The Hawks first baseman led the conference in home runs (13) this season and hit at a .437 clip. “It’s actually a big honor. When we had the tournament down at our place a couple of weeks ago, I saw a lot of great athletes there, a lot of great baseball players there. For them to name me regional player of the year over all them, it really told me something and it was a big honor,” Bagbey said.

The Chowan University sophomore had added protection in the lineup this year, always a boost for key run producers. The Hawks outstanding freshman Justin Shockley usually got a big hit if pitchers walked Bagbey, giving the former Comet extra help. Shockley was named to the 2010 ABCA Atlantic Region Second Team after hitting at a .452 clip as the Hawks' designated hitter. He collected nine doubles and 22 RBI in his first season of collegiate play.

Bagbey showed extra patience at the plate, a sign of maturity. “I knew after my freshman year, I was going to see a lot of off-speed. I ended up drawing 34 walks this year. Being patient helped a lot, too,” said Bagbey. The Chowan first baseman said he’s getting better, even if he did not produce the same offensive numbers as last year as a freshman. “But if you look at it, I had about ten more walks than I had last year, and other guys in the lineup also hit around me. If they didn’t want to pitch to me, they had trouble to pitch to behind me and everything.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Note: When Justin 'Buzzard' Badgey career is over a Chowan University, he may be the most famous person in his hometown of Virgilina, Virginia, which has a population of 147 people based on the 2008 census.

Chowan's bold move to CIAA in '08 draws mostly positive reaction

by Tom Robinson, The Virginian-Pilot

REMOVE RACE FROM the issue and Chowan University's move next year into the historically black CIAA for football makes total sense.

Chowan needs a home for its budding Division II football program within manageable driving distance of its opponents. The 10-member CIAA, which has lost schools such as Norfolk State and Hampton to Division I-AA, needs new blood for its health and relevancy.

It's a win-win. A logical marriage for Chowan, a private, 900-student Baptist school in northeastern North Carolina, and a Virginia-North Carolina-based conference, headquartered in Hampton.

In the real world, of course, the nuptials announced last week are landmark stuff, a barrier-breaking moment to be recognized and congratulated.

The CIAA is the country's oldest and possibly proudest "historically black conference," a label that seems quaint in 21st century college sports, where racial lines are easily blurred. But Chowan's student body is 50 percent white. It never has been and obviously never will be a historically black college.

And yet, after a back-channel courting dance that lasted the better part of a year, CIAA commissioner Leon Kerry asked and Chowan president M. Christopher White accepted the offer to help form a new reality.

"I'm not going to say it was an obvious fit, but there were a lot of pros," says Chowan's athletic director, Dennis Helsel, citing geographic and academic similarities. "And there were some negatives."

None was larger than the uncertainty of how the bold move would be perceived by supporters in both camps. To their credit, neither Chowan nor the CIAA let anything clutter the supporting evidence they'd diligently compiled.

The CIAA, Helsel says, is well aware that Chowan football has been down on its luck. The Hawks - Chowan sports are transitioning from Division III to II - snapped an 18-game losing streak two weeks ago.

Helsel, a former assistant AD at Old Dominion, knows CIAA loyalists question whether Chowan, simply on merit, deserves its invitation and can ever be "more than just a doormat" in the CIAA.

He responds as he responded to Kerry, whom Helsel calls a visionary: Chowan has firm plans to improve facilities, raise more scholarship money and generally be "a good partner" to the CIAA, with an eye toward CIAA acceptance in all sports.

Until then, Chowan's 10 other sports will remain independents in Division II.

"This is not a free pass," Helsel says. "Leon wasn't out begging. If he was going to break ground, he didn't want to break ground with someone that was going to embarrass him."

Kerry couldn't be reached Thursday to address reaction to his conference's decision. Helsel, however, says feedback that's crossed his desk is strongly positive. Negative messages he's received that do reference race, he says, haven't been overtly bigoted.

"Nobody's said, 'How dare you do what you are doing?' " Helsel says. "At least nobody's had the guts to send me something like that."

They would forget Chowan's trailblazing history. Chowan was created in Murfreesboro in 1848 as a four-year educational school for women, Helsel notes, not as a "finishing school," which was common for the day.

From the start, Helsel says, "Chowan had the vision to buck society."

Vision, plus necessity, just put Chowan back out front.

Chowan University makes historic move to join CIAA in 2008

By Michael N. Graff, Fayetteville Observer

Chowan will join the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association as a football-only member, becoming the first non-historically black college or university to affiliate with the conference.

The Hawks, who are in the process of moving from Division III to Division II, will join CIAA play next fall.

The move verifies the CIAA’s interest in becoming more diverse, and confirms the door is open for other non-HBCUs — including UNC-Pembroke.

“Our vision for the CIAA is to grow all aspects of the conference including educational synergies, athletic competition and to create a dynamic mixture of culture, history and geographic relevance,” CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry said in a release. “We feel that Chowan University joining our football program is a great step on that path.”

Chowan has struggled in football recently, earning its first win since 2005 by beating Methodist two weeks ago.

About six years ago, Chowan attempted to join the Division III USA South Athletic Conference, which includes Methodist. But after a provisional period, the USA South voted not to extend an invitation to be a full-fledged member.

Fayetteville State Athletic Director Ed McLean said Monday he was excited about the new addition. But, he said, Chowan must prove itself worthy.

“I have my doubts,” McLean said. “It’ll be interesting to see.”

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania is scheduled to join the CIAA in 2009. It is starting a football program the same year. That would give the conference 12 football members.

But McLean said he is still waiting to complete Fayetteville State’s schedule for next year, because he anticipates another entry.

Chowan actually plays UNC-Pembroke this weekend. The CIAA has issued an invitation to UNC-Pembroke, which started its football program this year.

UNC-Pembroke Athletic Director Dan Kenney was out of the office and unavailable for comment Monday.

Chowan Athletic Website: http://www.gocuhawks.com/
----------------
Daily Press

Chowan to make historic move

The predominantly white N.C. school to join the historically black CIAA in football.

Chowan University will join the Division II CIAA as a member in football for the 2008 season, the league announced on Tuesday.

The arrangement is believed to be ground-breaking.

Leon Kerry, commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, said he knows of no other instance of a predominantly white institution joining an historically black athletic conference.

Chowan, in Murfreesboro, N.C., not far from the Virginia border, is close to CIAA member Elizabeth City State and a short distance from the Hampton Roads, long a hotbed for CIAA fans and alumni. Other CIAA schools in Virginia include Virginia State in Petersburg and Virginia Union in Richmond. Former CIAA members include Hampton University and Norfolk State.

"We have a plan where we can help each other, and we're working on a great sports relationship," Kerry said. "We want to be out of the box in our thinking. That's how we maintain our success."

He said Chowan might eventually join the CIAA in other sports.

Chowan currently is a Division I member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), and a Division II member of the NCAA where the CIAA and its school also are members.

"Chowan University is thrilled at the opportunity to become a part of the CIAA football culture," Chowan president M. Christopher White said. "We look forward to developing a relationship with the conference and its athletic programs."

Kerry said CIAA league officials began talking with Chowan officials over the summer, put together a plan and presented it to the CIAA board of directors.

"The CIAA member institutions are excited to have Chowan University and the Hawks join the conference's football member teams, said Dr. Dianne B. Suber, Chair, CIAA Board of Directors. "Chowan University's membership affirms the CIAA's commitment to building a diverse and competitive Conference and represents a new chapter in the CIAA's history of blazing new trails and raising the bar in NCAA Division II sports."

The CIAA has a rich history stemming from the days of segregation and continues to have one of the nation's most successful college basketball postseason tournaments, which continues to draw alumni even from the former CIAA schools.