Virginia State rolls to CIAA crown

Simpson rallies, wins individual crown for Virginia Union

FORT LEE, Va. – Virginia Union’s Mason Simpson shot a final-round 70 Thursday to win the 2011 CIAA Men’s Golf Championship individual title while Virginia State took home the team title with a two-day total of 603.

Simpson came into the final round two shots behind the first-round leader Mike Swope of Virginia State, but his final-round 70 was enough to overtake Swope to win the title by four strokes. Simpson was the only golfer under par for the tournament while Swope finished with a 1-over par 145.

Virginia State followed its opening round 301 with a final-round 302 to win the team title by 14 strokes ahead of Winston-Salem State, which shot a two-day total 617.

Fayetteville State finished in third place with a two-day score of 645 (322-323) while Chowan finished fourth (650, 319-331) and Virginia Union came in fifth (693, 345-348). Livingstone pulled in the sixth-place finish (699, 349-350) followed by St. Augustine’s in seventh (723, 368-355), Elizabeth City State in eighth (756, 394-362), Johnson C. Smith in ninth (768, 394-374) and St. Paul’s in 10th (918, 471-447).

The all-tournament team, which consists of the top five golfers by score for the two-day tournament, included: Mason Simpson (Virginia Union), Mike Swope (Virginia State), Glendon Mabe (Winston-Salem State), John Cole (Fayetteville State) and Brian Wood (Virginia State).

The all-conference team was also announced and included: Brandon Bailey (Virginia Union), John Cole (Fayetteville State), Cliff Forbes (Chowan), Stephen Grenchi (Virginia State), Rashad Hunt (Virginia State), Glendon Mabe (Winston-Salem State), Lawrence McKenzie (Livingstone) Zack Sheets (Winston-Salem State), Mike Swope (Virginia State), Michael Thornton (Livingstone), Brian Wood (Virginia State). The all-conference team is selected based on overall average scores from the two divisional tournaments and the conference championship. To be eligible players must have competed in all three tournaments.

Virginia State will now represent the CIAA as a team in the 2011 NCAA Super Regional Golf Tournament.

By Virginia State Athletics

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Senior powers Morehouse Tigers golf to victory

Olajuwon Ajanaku can finally cut his hair. The Morehouse College senior wanted to wait until he won a tournament, and his three-round total of 8-over-par 224 was more than enough as Ajanaku placed first individually and his team won the SIAC Golf Classic at par-72 Jones Creek Golf Club on Wednesday.

"I've never seen this much hair on my face," Ajanaku said with a smile.



Morehouse had four of the top five scorers as it ended at 69-over-par for a comfortable victory. The victory gave Bill Lewis coach of the year honors as Morehouse won for the third consecutive year. Benedict College came in second at 135-over and Kentucky State grabbed third at 182-over. Paine College was next in fourth place at 226-over and LeMoyne-Owen College rounded out the team scores at 370-over.

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Morehouse takes big lead at SIAC tournament

Ajanaku, Cooper leading Maroon Tigers at Jones Creek

Olajuwon Ajanaku lifted his cap Monday afternoon, revealing one month's hair growth. A pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place showing this spring aren't good enough. So his hair will continue to grow for at least two more days.

"I can't get a haircut till I win a tournament," the Morehouse senior said. Ajanaku and teammate Earl Cooper each opened with 3-over-par 75 to share the first-round lead at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Jones Creek Golf Club.

The second round begins at 8 a.m. today, with the final round held Wednesday.

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Paine College to host SIAC Golf Classic

Atlanta, GA — The 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Golf Classic is set to take place Monday, April 18th through Wednesday, April 20th. This year’s classic will be hosted by Paine College and be played at the Lions home course, Jones Creek Golf Club in Augusta, GA.

“Paine College is excited to host golf invitational here in Augusta, Georgia at our golf team’s home golf course, Jones Creek. This gives our community a chance to see some of the finest collegiate student athletes’ play. We encourage members of the community to come out and join us as we celebrate golf in our community,” said Dr. George C. Bradley, president of Paine College.

The 2011 golf championship will feature all five SIAC teams including Benedict College, Kentucky State University, Morehouse College, LeMoyne-Owen College, and Paine College.

Originally designed by renowned golf architect Rees Jones, Jones Creek Golf Club opened its doors in 1985 and is ranked as one of the top golf courses in the state of Georgia, including the best course in Columbia County for 2010. The club is built on a superb site and offers a challenge for golfers of all skill levels. The 6,928-yard course features many changes in elevation, tall Georgia pines, and winding streams throughout the course create a beautiful setting for a championship golf event.

Established in 1736, Augusta is the second largest and oldest city in Georgia. Located in the east central section of the state, Augusta is approximately 150 miles east of Atlanta on Interstate 20. Augusta, also known as the “Garden City”, is home to the most famous professional golfing event in the world, The Masters.

Military man to head Paine College golf

After taking a devastating shot to the nose, Herman Belton Jr. decided his basketball career was over. The military man found a new sport when his cousin in the Air Force invited him to hit balls at a driving range. Belton hit his borrowed 7-iron farther than his cousin's 6-iron.

After 20 years of playing the sport, Belton's now a plus-1 handicap. "I just love the game," he said. At a Friday news conference, Belton was introduced as the new head golf coach at Paine College. He took pictures with his players and spoke with the media at Jones Creek Golf Club.

Belton last coached the South Carolina State men's golf team in the 2009-10 season before the school dropped the program because of financial difficulties. He said friends called him and recommended him for the Paine job after the school fired Hoover Johnson last week.

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Paine sacks its golf coach

Coach Hoover Johnson

Paine College continues its shake-up within its sports department. Golf coach Hoover Johnson, who helped rebuild the program after the team was kept from going to the national championship tournament, was let go by the school this week.

Brandon Brown, Paine's vice president for institutional advancement, said Friday that the school does not comment on personnel matters. "I know a lot of folks question the practice the institution takes with its personnel matters," he said. "We're looking to protect the interests of the institution as well as the former employee."

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Texas-Pan American Leads Defending Champions Tennessee State by Three after 36 Holes

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- After witnessing a tragic flood that just missed engulfing its Nashville campus and having the team charter bus break down, the prospect of fighting the South Florida sun and a three-stroke deficit is a mere bump in the road for Tennessee State University's men's golf team. It's all in a week's work for the Tigers, who rode senior Chris Seibel's career-best 6-under-par 66 Saturday at PGA Golf Club's Wanamaker Course to make it a race with pace-setter Texas Pan-American for the Division I men's title in the 24th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.

"We made up two strokes today, and Chris gave us a great lift," said Tigers Coach Chip Taylor, a PGA Professional, recalling how his 2009 team erasing a 10-stroke deficit in the final round. "What we're looking for is a good performance from all five tomorrow." Texas Pan-American, bidding to capture its third overall national title and first since 2007, demonstrated the depth it needed from the balance of its line-up to post a 581 total through 36 holes. Tennessee State is next at 584, followed by Jackson State University at 596, and Bethune-Cookman University at 600.

Peni Sanjoto of Prairie View A&M University sent a shot flying on Friday. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America)

"We've had two decent rounds, and despite us letting about seven or eight strokes go on the last six holes, I'd rather us be leading by three than trailing by three," said Texas Pan-American Coach Santiago De Larrea. "I'm happy that Tennessee State is there with us. They're very good fighters. It's going to be very interesting tomorrow. We have always wanted to get this title back, and I feel my kids are pretty confident and know what it will take to win."

The Championship, making its 13th consecutive appearance at PGA Golf Club, features a field of 185 student-athletes representing 41 colleges and universities and golfers from 15 countries.

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Return to Championship home Saturday photo gallery Friday recap Friday photo gallery Tee times and scoring Field list Fact sheet Upbear Career expo Championship preview

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