Virginia State win PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship

In Division II, Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., brought home its first-ever division title, defeating Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., by seven strokes. Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University finished alone in third place overall.

Virginia State Head Coach Jeff Hamilton was pleased with his team's performance. "This came all the way down to the wire and my kids played well enough to win," said Hamilton, in his fifth year as head coach. "It is always a battle with teams like Fayetteville State University and Lincoln University. It will be another battle next year, too."

John Cole of Fayetteville State University was the Division II medalist, finishing with a 220 three-day total.

Men's Team Division II
1. Virginia State  (+63) 315-307-305--927
Stephen Genchi 78-77-75--230
Stuart Larus 82-78-77--237
Brian Wood 77-76-78--231
Mike Swope 87-76-80--243
Rashad Hunt 78-81-75--234

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Ex-Warrior baseball standout happy to help WSSU to first-ever title

Coach Kevin Ritsche 

GASTONIA, N.C. — Usually when a college or university starts up an athletic program, their coaches, players and fans simply hope to be competitive. So imagine what Winston-Salem University coaches, players and fans think of their Rams winning a CIAA tournament title in their first season fielding a baseball team in 37 years?

“People are really excited and happy,” said former East Gaston High standout Jordan Graham. “But when we got together last fall, we felt we could have a good team.”

But few could’ve imagined winning the school’s first-ever CIAA championship, which also means the Rams will make their first-ever NCAA Division in two weeks. That is, except for the WSSU players themselves.

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WSSU wins CIAA tournament

PETERSBURG, Va. -- Winston-Salem State defeated St. Augustine's twice Saturday, 7-6 and 3-0, to win the CIAA tournament championship and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

WSSU (30-19) had to win the first game to force the second in the double-elimination tournament after losing 3-2 to St. Aug's in Thursday's opener. The Rams took a 7-2 lead in the first game, then survived a four-run rally by the Falcons (36-18).

Reliever John Markley struck out Kevin White with the tying run on third and the winning run on second to end the game, and Andrew Smith went 3 for 5. In the second game, Markley (5-3) pitched seven shutout innings, and Brice Rivenbark pitched the last two for his second save of the year. Markley allowed three hits, struck out four and walked three.

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WSSU Rams sign six players for basketball, with five of them coming from junior college

It has been a busy offseason for coach Bobby Collins of Winston-Salem State. After losing six seniors from a team that went 19-8 and won the CIAA's Southern Division, Collins and his assistants worked overtime on the recruiting trail.

The Rams signed five junior-college players to help offset the loss of so many seniors. The Rams also signed freshman Wykevin Bazemore from Bertie High School and will also welcome 6-foot-9 center David Best, a transfer from N.C. Central.

"I'm extremely happy," Collins said. "We knew we had to really step it up in our recruiting because we had so many seniors on last year's team. I'm very pleased with how my assistant coaches worked long and hard hours to help me put this class together."


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Some Sports Could Be Cut as WSSU Faces Budget Deficit

 

Some sports could be cut as Winston-Salem State University works to recover a $3.9 million deficit in its athletic program. The school went back to Division II this year after four years in the Division I ranks. That saved $2 million, but left the aforementioned $3.9 million deficit.

The downgrade has led to an upgrade in basketball game attendance, increasing by nearly 400 a game this year.

"Attendance was definitely up. It was more support for the team, especially since the basketball team went to the CIAA this year," said Kelsey Mobley, student.

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WSSU Audit Finds $3.9 Million Athletics Deficit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A state audit of finances at Winston-Salem State University found a $3.9 million athletics department deficit, but the university blamed the shortfall on its decision to move its athletics programs to NCAA Division I classification.

The audit also found no means of eliminating the deficit in the coming years and that the university is using "unidentified funds" to support the athletics program.

Read Full Audit

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Former WSSU Rams great joins Delaware State

Tory Woodbury, a former Winston-Salem State quarterback and a native of Winston-Salem, has been hired as an assistant coach at Delaware State.

Woodbury, who played three years in the NFL, has been hired by Kermit Blount, a former coach of the Rams who coached Woodbury in the late 1990s.

"This is a great opportunity for me to get into college coaching, and I can't thank coach Blount enough for what he's done for me through the years," Woodbury said by telephone from Charlotte, where he has spent the past three years coaching at the high school level.

Woodbury, 32, helped WSSU to consecutive CIAA titles in 1999 and 2000, and then went on to play in the NFL with the Jets and the Bills. After his NFL career, he got into coaching at Carver and Atkins before moving to Charlotte, where he was the quarterbacks coach at Garinger.



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NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional: Shaw men roll over WSSU 75-47

WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. -- Shaw didn’t have any hangover from its CIAA Tournament championship on its way to 75-47 thumping of conference-rival Winston-Salem State on Saturday in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.

The Bears (23-8) controlled the game throughout thanks to an effective fast break and the all-around play of point guard Tony Smith. The Bears, who won their sixth straight, will play top-seed and host West Liberty on Sunday in the semifinal of the region. West Liberty improved to 30-0 with a 117-73 win over Slippery Rock.

Greg Thomas led the Bears with 15 points and David Jones added 12 with Dwight Bell, Devon McLendon and Darryl Johnson added nine points each.

Bears Defense Smothers WSSU in NCAA Tourney Opener

West Liberty, WV - After a closely played first half, No. 4 seed Shaw found its transition game in the second - even with three starters on the bench with foul trouble - and easily defeated No. 5 seed Winston-Salem State in an NCAA opening round game played at the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex on the campus of West Liberty University.

With the win, Shaw (23-8) now advances to take on No. 1 seed and 30-0 West Liberty at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. WSSU finishes their season at 19-8.

"Both teams came out slowly," said Shaw Head Coach Cleo Hill, Jr. "Both teams were sluggish. Both teams had been off a while since the CIAA and you can practice all you want, but you can't simulate actual game situations."

Both teams were slow to find offense - and WSSU struggled offensively the entire game. Midway through the first half, Shaw held a six-point 15-9 lead. By the end of the first half, the two teams had combined for only 52 points -- only five more than Shaw would score alone in the second.

Rams Take Tough 75-47 Loss to Shaw at NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Regional Quarterfinal

WEST LIBERTY, WV - The Winston-Salem State Rams (19-8) just couldn't find the answers in a tough 75-47 loss to the Shaw Bears (23-8), Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Regional tournament. The Rams gave a solid overall effort, but the team struggled mightily in the second half to take the tough loss. Though the Rams shot a solid 41.7% from the field in the game, but the Rams shot 25% from the field in the second half with just six field goals made in the half and were outscored 47-23 to take the season-ending loss.

NEXT GAME: SHAW BEARS (23-8) vs. WEST LIBERTY (30-0) --SUNDAY, MARCH 13@ 7:35 p.m.  VIEW GAME LIVE ON INTERNET AT:  www.wltvonline.com OR CLICK HERE

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Winston-Salem State Earns At-Large Bid To NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Winston-Salem State Rams (19-7) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, Sunday. Though the Rams fell short in the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament, they will receive a shot at ultimate redemption when they face the 2011 CIAA champion Shaw Bears in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.

"We didn't like the way the season ended. This will give us a chance to go out and make it right," WSSU men's basketball head coach Bobby Collins said.



 WSSU gets Division II bid

Winston-Salem State’s season will continue. The Rams (19-7) are seeded fifth in the eight-team Atlantic Region and will take on CIAA champion Shaw (22-8), the fourth seed, in the first round of the 64-team Division II Tournament on Saturday.

The winner of the Shaw-WSSU game will take on the winner of the West Liberty-Slippery Rock game in the second round on Sunday. West Liberty is 29-0 and is the seeded No.1 in the eight-team regional, and Slippery Rock (21-10) is seeded eighth.

West Liberty is located in West Virginia.

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WSSU wins division title

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- With little coming easy for the Winston-Salem State Rams this season, it was no surprise that clinching the CIAA's Southern Division on Saturday night was hard work.

The Rams nearly let a 17-point lead slip away before holding off Fayetteville State 74-69 in front of more than 4,000 at Capel Arena. And when it was finally over, there was plenty of celebrating, especially among the veterans on the team.

"Wow, that's really all I can say," said Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams, whose team will get a top seed in this week's CIAA Tournament in Charlotte. WSSU will have a first-round bye and won't play until Thursday's quarterfinals.

Fayetteville State rally falls short against Winston-Salem State

Fayetteville State failed in an attempt to play spoiler Saturday and springboard itself into next week's CIAA Tournament with momentum. But just barely.

The Broncos clawed their way back from a 17-point second-half deficit and had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds before falling to Winston-Salem State, 74-69, before a crowd of 4,594 at Capel Arena.

Winston-Salem State guard Andrew Jackson stripped the ball with about 15 seconds to play from FSU's Sidney Evans, who appeared to be about to launch a potential game-tying 3-point shot from near the top of the circle. The play sealed the Broncos' fate and a 13-13 regular-season finish. The Rams (19-6) clinched the CIAA Southern Division and a coveted first-round bye in the CIAA Tournament.

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Shaw Bears turns back WSSU Rams

RALEIGH -- The race for the CIAA's Southern Division title just got a little more interesting. Shaw made all the right moves on Saturday night to come away with a 77-64 victory against Winston-Salem State at sold-out Spaulding Gym. One Shaw official was asked how many Spaulding actually seats. His reply: "It seats 1,000. … Well, it seats 1,000 skinny people."

The Rams were a little shell-shocked out of the gate playing in such a small gym and fell behind by 17, thanks to the Bears (15-7, 4-2 Southern Division) scoring on 10 of their first 13 possessions. The Rams (16-5, 4-2) finally did get it together late in the first half.

"This was the smallest, hottest gym I've ever been in," said forward McIntoche Alcius of the Rams. "And it was a tough crowd out there."

Strong Performances Lead Shaw Past Winston-Salem State

(Raleigh, NC) - Shaw got zero points from its bench Saturday night, but four of the five starters scored 17 points or more to lead the Bears past Winston-Salem State 77-64 in a CIAA divisional game played at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

Shaw (15-7, 8-5 CIAA) built a big lead early, and while Winston-Salem State (16-5, 9-4 CIAA) tied the game with their first bucket in the second half, they did not hold a lead at any time in the game.

The Bears seemed equally comfortable from the arc and the paint, hitting nine of 23 three-point attempts and garnering 32 points in the paint (versus 22 for the Rams).

Coming off a career-high 27-point performance against Livingstone Monday night, Dwight Bell started the game hot – scoring Shaw's first eight points, on the way to what would become a 16-2 lead with 14:40 remaining in the first.

Second Half Scoring Surge Powers Shaw Lady Bears Past WSSU 73-53

(Raleigh, NC) - The Shaw women's basketball team used a 34-9 scoring run at the start of the second half to power past Winston-Salem State 73-53 in a CIAA divisional contest played at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

Shaw (14-10, 7-6 CIAA) and Winston-Salem State (14-8, 9-4 CIAA) played a see-saw first half, but the Lady Bears stormed through the opening ten minutes of the second half to build a lead that never fell below 20 in the last eight minutes of the game.

The Lady Rams opened the game with a hot shooting hand from the three-point line, with Jasmine Newkirk hitting three three-pointers to build an 11-2 lead with 15:33 left in the half.

Demaria Liles, in her first game for the Lady Bears, hit two unanswered buckets, then Kyria Buford added two more – one a three pointer – to tie the game at 11. Aslea Williams would then add four unanswered points of her own, allowing Shaw to take a 15-11 lead with 9:05 left in the first.

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Videographer: ShawUniv; 2011 CIAA TICKETS ON SALE

CIAA Basketball: Livingstone 81, Winston-Salem State 73

WINSTON-SALEM — The Livingstone men’s basketball team pulled off a big road upset Saturday against Winston-Salem State 81-73.

With the victory, James Stinson’s Blue Bears (12-5, 7-3 CIAA) improved to 3-1 in the division and move into a tie with the Rams for first place in the Southern Division at 3-1. The Rams (15-4) came into the contest as the fourth-ranked team in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings.

Donte Durant had his best offensive output of the season, leading the Blue Bears with 18 points. Darius Cox fell just short of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds while Quentin Redfern added 13 points with 11 of them coming at the charity stripe.

Rams lose to Blue Bears 81-73

Winston-Salem State failed to answer the bell against Livingstone on Saturday night at the Gaines Center. Playing their sixth straight home game the Rams thought they could turn it on whenever they needed to but that wasn’t the case as the Blue Bears won 81-73. It was the Blue Bears first victory at the Gaines Center since the 1997-98 season.

“We can’t just flip a switch,” said guard Shelton Carter of the Rams, who was one of many who struggled and scored just seven points. “We need to defend better and not just in spurts – we need to do that the entire 40 minutes.”

The Rams (15-4, 3-1) finally flipped the switch late but...

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG; Fayetteville State vs. Winston-Salem State 1/28/11

WSSU Rams Open 2011 Season with Tough 4-3 Loss at Wingate

WINGATE, NC - The wait is over as Rams baseball made its return after a 37-year hiatus, but the return was a bittersweet one as the Winston-Salem State Rams (0-1) could not hold on in a tough 4-3 loss at Wingate (1-0), Tuesday evening. The Rams had a solid day, holding a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but four unanswered runs by the Bulldogs in the final three innings ended the day with the WSSU loss.

"First game or not, it's disappointing that we didn't play baseball for nine innings; we played for seven innings," WSSU head baseball coach Kevin Ritsche said following the tough loss. "We had some runners on base in scoring position with only one out and we get them across. We only had one error so I can't be too upset about, but it was a costly error."

The WSSU offense had a solid day with eight total hits for the game and took advantage of three Wingate errors to score three unearned runs. Junior outfielder Brice Rivenbark led the effort with two hits and two RBI in the game. Junior catcher Michael Robbins added a hit and a pair of runs scored.

'Dogs rally for 4-3 win over Rams in season opener

Wingate, N.C.----The defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate University Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to rally for a 4-3 victory over the Rams of Winston-Salem State University in the 2011 season opener Tuesday afternoon at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. Wingate is 1-0 on the season, while the Rams, playing their first game since 1973, are 0-1.

Junior outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) was two-for-three with a double and a run scored to lead the Wingate offense. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Bulldogs, while redshirt sophomore infielder James Tedder (Clemmons, N.C.) was one-for-three with an RBI.

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Parkland's Bowman commits to play at WSSU

Miles Bowman, a 6-6 senior forward at Parkland High School, has committed to play at Winston-Salem State. Bowman said on Sunday night that he was offered a scholarship over the weekend and is looking forward staying close to home to play in college.

“I just liked how their assistant coaches and Coach (Bobby) Collins showed a lot of interest and kept coming to my games,” said Bowman, who averages around 24 points and 13 rebounds a game for the Mustangs. “They’ve got a winning program over there and a lot of seniors who will be leaving so I think it’s a good place for me.”

Bowman said he was also being recruited by several other programs including Johnson C. Smith, Virginia Union, Belmont Abby and Davidson.

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WSSU's big priority: Retention of athletes

Out with the cockroaches. In with state-of-the-art study space. Winston-Salem State’s work to strengthen its athletics program through the addition of an academic center is complete. The center is in the bowels of the Gaines Center, with part of it using a room known as “The Dungeon.”

Athletics Director Bill Hayes had a vision to build a place where athletes could go to study or for tutoring. “Who would have thought that ‘The Dungeon’ that was infested with cockroaches could be turned into an academic center?” Hayes said.

Chancellor Donald Reaves has talked at length about retention of all students at WSSU, including student-athletes. The new center features a computer lab with 10 computers and enough space for as many as 45 athletes to study at one time.


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Winston-Salem subdues Brevard

Winston-Salem State took a break from its CIAA schedule Monday night but couldn't completely coast against Brevard at the Gaines Center.

The Rams (13-3) had their inside game working and hit enough from the outside to carve out a 77-64 victory. It was their third game in five days, but they showed no signs of fatigue.

"It was a hard game, and it's hard just playing a team that's not in your conference," said center Paul Davis, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. "It was a different style of play, and they aren't as fast as most CIAA teams, but they shoot the ball really well…. We played a good team tonight."

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WSSU races past Fayetteville State

There were no empty seats at the Gaines Center for Winston-Salem State's showdown with Fayetteville State on Saturday night.

On a night when several past WSSU greats were honored, Lamar Monger stole the show. He scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Rams to a 76-62 victory in front of 3,200. It was as full as the Gaines Center has been since the Rams were last in the CIAA, five years ago.

"We had all these Hall of Famers and our fans here watching, so we couldn't let them down," said forward McIntoche Alcius, who had eight points and five rebounds. "After watching those legends get their jerseys honored and all that (on Friday night) we kind of got excited, so we wanted to play well."

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

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."

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WSSU wears down Virginia Union

RICHMOND, Va. -- As Andrew Jackson and the rest of the his Winston-Salem State teammates skipped into the locker room after dispatching Virginia Union 59-54 Saturday night, they couldn't help but brag.

"We are deep," Jackson said as he high-fived a bystander. And the rest of the Rams agreed as their solid 10-man rotation wore down the Panthers. The Rams got 17 points from Shelton Carter, who had one of his better games of the season, and 14 more from Jackson as they picked apart a zone defense that usually is one of the CIAA's best.

The Panthers (3-4, 1-1 CIAA) employ an extended 2-3 zone to make teams shoot over them, but the Rams penetrated it at key times and never were really threatened after building an 11-point lead at halftime.

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Saint Paul's hands WSSU first loss

LAWRENCEVILLE, Va.- Winston-Salem State's unbeaten season came to a halt Tuesday night with a 93-84 loss at St. Paul's. Even though both teams play in the CIAA, the game was designated as a nonconference game, giving Coach Bobby Collins of the Rams some solace.

"It didn't count in the conference standings, but we still didn't come ready to play, and that's disappointing," Collins said by telephone after the game. "St. Paul's just stepped it up when they had to, and we didn't make the plays. We missed a lot of easy layups, and they hit their free throws." WSSU fell to 6-1. St. Paul's improved to 3-4.

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