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NEW ORLEANS — Strong performances by Xavier University of Louisiana's Ariane Williams and Tamia Scott earned them Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in women's track and field for March 26-April 1. Williams earned her first weekly track award of the season and the fourth of her career. Scott earned her second field award of 2018 — she's won in back-to-back weeks — and the fourth of her career. Williams, a junior from Gonzales, La., and a graduate of East Ascension High School, won the 400-meter dash at the University of Mobile Invitational. Her time of 57.26 seconds is the Gold Nuggets' best in this event this season, and it met the B-qualifying standard for next month's NAIA National Championships. Williams was All-America in this event a year ago. Scott, a sophomore from Lafayette, La., and a graduate of Carencro High School, won the javelin at the Mobile meet with a XULA PR of 34.81 meters/114 feet, 2 inches. Scott finished ahead of two NCAA Division I athletes. Next for the XULA women and men will be the Southeastern Strawberry Relays April 14 at Hammond, La., then the GCAC Championships April 20-21 at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis standout Samir Chikhaoui tied a program record when he was named Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week for March 26-April 1. It's the fourth GCAC award this season for Chikhaoui, tying him on the Gold Rush all-time list with Karan Salwan (2016), Thomas Setodji (2016) and Kyle Montrel (2013). Montrel holds the career mark with eight. Chikhaoui, a sophomore from Lille, France, and a transfer from Eastern Florida State College, won in doubles and singles to help XULA win at Embry-Riddle (Fla.), the No. 8 team in NCAA Division II. It was XULA's first-ever dual-match victory against a top-10 NCAA D2 team. The next day Chikhaoui won in straight sets against Keiser's Adrian Frutos, No. 12 in the ITA NAIA singles rankings. Chikhaoui's doubles partner was Gabriel Niculescu. The Gold Rush (8-8) will play a pair of NCAA Division I teams at home this weekend: Troy at 10 a.m. Saturday and Jackson State at noon Sunday. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
MURFREESBORO, North Carolina. – The 2018 Chowan Football season is right around the corner as spring practice is underway for the Hawks.Head Coach Tim Place released the 2018 slate on Thursday.
Chowan will wrap up the spring sessions on Saturday, April 14 with the Spring Game in Garrison Stadium kicking off at 3pm.
Coming off a 4-6 season and 4-3 record in CIAA play, the Hawks will kick off the season against Division I opponents Campbell and Davidson on August 30 and September 8 respectively on the road.Chowan and Campbell will meet for the third time with the Fighting Camels taking both previous meetings.
CU will travel to Davidson, another member of the Pioneer Football League. The Wildcats went 2-9 last season picking up wins against DIII opponents Brevard and Guilford.
Then, Chowan travels to Raleigh, N.C. to face Shaw for the first time since 2013 for a CIAA cross-divisional contest.The Hawks and Bears have split the series, 3-3, with CU taking the last three meetings in close contests.
Chowan will host McKendree University in their home opener on September 22 with kick-off at 1pm before hosting Fayetteville State (9/29), Bowie State (10/6) and Virginia Union (10/13).The Broncos of Fayetteville State snuck out of Murfreesboro last season with a win, 24-21, and played in the CIAA Championships as the Southern Division champions.
The Hawks will face NCAA DII Regionals participant Bowie State prior to welcoming Virginia Union for homecoming.Kick-off for those contests are at 6pm and 1pm respectively.
On October 20, the Hawks will travel to Elizabeth City State for a rivalry contest against the Vikings.Chowan picked up the win last season, 28-18, on homecoming weekend.
The final road contest of the season will feature defending CIAA Northern Division champion and DII Regionals participant, Virginia State, in Petersburg, Va. on October 27.Chowan came up just short last season falling 26-23 at home.
CU will host Lincoln (Pa.) on November 3 at 1pm for the annual Hall of Fame Game.The Hawks handed the Lions a 73-30 defeat in the finale.
Sophomore DH Hunter Romero (33) had three hits and three RBI on Friday
MOBILE, Alabama -- – The Spring Hill College (SHC) baseball team swept a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) doubleheader away from the visiting Tuskegee University (TU) Golden Tigers on Friday afternoon at historic Stan Galle Field by closing out the first game on a triple play for a 13-5 win followed by a 5-1 victory in the nightcap. SHC grabbed a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning of the opener, but the Golden Tigers (6-25, 2-9 SIAC West) answered back to tie the game with four runs of their own in the top of the 2nd inning. The Badgers took back a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the frame when shortstop John Sklopanfound a hole on the left side for a run-scoring single and designated hitter Hunter Romero lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate first baseman Keaton Smith. Three more runs would cross the plate for the Badgers in both the 3rd and 6th innings while Sklopan delivered another run-scoring single to center in the 5th inning. Sklopan would also end the game in the 7th inning when, with runners at 1st and 2nd bases, he hauled in a line drive, stepped on 2nd base and fired to Smith at 1st base to complete the first triple play by the Badgers this year. SHC sent five pitchers to the mound in the first contest with Will Shaw (2-1) picking up the win in relief of starter Lucas Kunkel. Shaw pitched two innings, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts. Trey Nelson (1-8) went five innings for Tuskegee with nine hits and five walks as well as three strikeouts. Along with Sklopan and Romero's two hits and three RBIs each, right fielder Grayson Williamsand left fielder Brennan Fontenot both collected two hits for the home team. Romero slapped a triple into the corner in right field to lead off the 6th inning, Williams had his ninth and 10 doubles of the year, and Fontenot punched his team-leading 11th double to right in the 2ndinning. For Tuskegee, third baseman Gabriel Selochan had two hits and an RBI as left fielder Jalen Luter provided a two-run single to center in the 2nd inning. The nightcap saw TU break on top 1-0 in the top of 3rd inning after second baseman Lajerrius Haralson led off the stanza with a triple to right-center and later scored off an infield throwing error by the Badgers. SHC responded to knot the game at 1-1 in the next half inning when an errant throw on the second half of an attempted double play combination from 2nd to 1st base skipped away, allowing third baseman Maverick Latour to scamper home from 3rd base. Spring Hill took a 3-1 lead in the 4th inning when Smith scored from 3rd base off a wild pitch and second baseman Brandon Donoghue's ground ball to short was thrown away with two outs to bring in pinch runner Garrett Dearujo who had entered to run for Romero following his double to left field earlier in the frame. Fontenot then crushed a solo two-out homer over the right-centerfield gate in the 5th inning and pinch hitter Chet Silveria would score off an infield bases-loaded double-play ball in the 6thinning. Zach Paulene improved to 4-1 on the year in six innings with just two hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Rob Ewald closed out his second game of the day by striking out the first two batters of the 7th inning, hitting the next two opponents and then surviving an infield error that loaded the bases with a ground out to 2nd base to end the threat. The Badgers (18-14, 10-0 SIAC West) will host the Golden Tigers in an SIAC single game on Saturday at historic Stan Galle Field beginning at 12 p.m.
DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central will lose four players from its men’s basketball team, head coach LeVelle Moton confirmed Thursday.
Reserve guards C.J. Wiggins, Alex Mills, Alston Jones and Brandon Goldsmith will transfer from the program. All four would have been seniors next season.
“At this time, Alex, C.J., Alston and Brandon concluded that it was in their best interest to play their senior year elsewhere,” Moton said. “It was indeed an honor to coach these outstanding young men. Their character, unselfishness and personalities will be truly missed. These young men will leave as champions and are all on track to receive their degree. They've made me a better coach and I wish them nothing but success at their new institutions. NCCU Basketball is better because they were a part of it.”
North Carolina Central went 19-16 overall and 9-7 in the MEAC. They entered the league tournament as the No. 6 seed, but got hot at the right time, winning the conference tournament with a 71-63 upset win over No. 1 Hampton. The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time under Moton, and all four players saw action during a 64-46 loss to Texas Southern.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina — N.C. A&T football's annual Blue and Gold Spring Game will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at Aggie Stadium.
The game, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, was postponed a day by the threat of inclement weather.
A&T is wrapping up its first spring practice session under head coach Sam Washington, who took over the program when Rod Broadway retired in January.
Washington was an assistant on Broadway's coaching staffs for 12 years dating back to their time at Grambling, and he takes the reins of a program coming off a 12-0 season with plenty of returning talent.
Quarterback Lamar Raynard, running back Marquell Cartwright and wide receiver Elijah Bell are all back after All-MEAC seasons, as are eight of 11 starters on defense.
The Aggies must replace four out of five offensive linemen, along with star kick returner Khris Gardin and linebackers Jeremy Taylor and Marcus Albert. CONTINUE READING
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Springtime is a season where things bloom, but at Florida A&M, it’s a period of planting seeds for new beginnings for the football program.
The Rattlers are cultivating the soil under a new administration with the hopes of sprouting a return to the glory days.
Head coach Willie Simmons is no stranger to spring practices and weight training. However, the 2018 version of the seasonal marks his first time leading this squad, which has been entrenched in despair in recent years.
At the halfway point of the spring practice schedule, FAMU is making small steps toward shedding the stain of losing which lingers over the program.
The Rattlers continue spring practice with their first scrimmage Saturday.
“So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised, “Simmons said. CONTINUE READING
MONROE, Louisiana – The offense took a step forward for the Alcorn State University softball program despite UL-Monroe finishing on top 13-5 in five innings Wednesday at the ULM Softball Complex.
Alcorn (5-22, 2-1 SWAC) registered nine hits which accounted for five earned runs against the Warhawks (19-13, 6-6 SBC). Four of the runs came in a big third inning which saw junior Victoria Tyler blast a three-run shot for her second homer of the year.
"We swung the bats well today. I like how we responded offensively after getting down early. It was good to get out and play against some great competition," said Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin.
Freshman Amari Ramsey extended her hitting-streak to 15 games and her on-base streak to 17 games. She doubled down the left field line and scored on a pair of passed balls to plate Alcorn's first run in the third frame.
Freshman Desirea Lindsey and senior Tyler Hughes both knocked singles in the third to score on Tyler's homer. Lindsey and Hughes both notched two hits in the contest as Hughes now has a team-high 12 multi-hit games on the year.
With the run scored, Hughes moved into a tie for third all-time in the Alcorn record book with 88 in her career. She's the all-time hits leader with 172.
The Lady Braves scored their first run in the second inning. With two outs, freshman Malea Dickerson singled through the left side and scored on an RBI double by freshman Bri Smith to left. Smith raised her batting average to .391 on the season which is the second highest on the team behind Hughes (.411).
Alcorn used three different pitchers in the match. Junior Winter Ridgeway got the start and did not allow an earned run in 1.0 inning. Freshman Lindsey Eldridge pitched the next 1.2 frames and sophomore Ambria Dorsey threw the final 2.0.
"We are working on the now, but our program has a promising future ahead of us. At one time today, we had seven freshmen in the lineup. We continue to see flashes against some of these bigger schools, but I believe the consistency will come as we continue to gain experience," Rankin said. "We have a great group of young ladies who have stayed committed to what's asked of them."
The Lady Braves used their 24th different batting order of the year.
The Warhawks extended their winning-streak to seven games including two wins over Jackson State 11-0 and 8-0. They were led by the head coach's daughter Cheyanne Lyon who went two-for-three with three RBI's and two runs scored.
It was the first time Alcorn and UL-Monroe have played since Rankin took
over at the helm in 2014.
"We are looking forward to heading north tomorrow to take care of step No. 4," Rankin concluded.
The Lady Braves have a quick turnaround as they travel to Jackson State tomorrow for a 4 p.m. conference doubleheader. The two teams will close out the series Friday with a game tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. but can be moved earlier to avoid the threat of rain. Alcorn swept the Lady Tigers in a three-game series last year in Lorman, outscoring them 20-4.
LORMAN, Mississippi -- According to Garrett Kroeger of MagnoliaStateLive.com, Chargers offensive line coach Pat Meyer put Alcorn State offensive lineman Timothy Gardner through a 30-minute workout following his performance at Mississippi State’s pro day on March 28th.
Gardner, a 6-foot-6 315-pound offensive lineman from Indianapolis, is a former Ohio State commit that found himself taking the prep school route after an arrest prior to the fall of his freshman season. Following his time at prep school, Gardner enrolled and spent the next two seasons at Indiana University where he was a role player along the offensive line.
After deciding he wanted to start somewhere else, he followed former Hoosier graduate assistant Ryan Stanchek after he took the offensive line coaching job at Alcorn State.
Gardner had the opportunity to showcase his talents in front of all 32 NFL teams in Starksville. He put up 22 reps on the bench, broad jumped eight feet and six inches, ran his forty-yard dash in 5.20 seconds, and posted a 4.90 in the short shuttle.
ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- Two days after hiring a new football coach, Elizabeth City State University has fired both its athletic director and head men’s basketball coach.
ECSU released both Athletic Director Derrick Johnson and men’s basketball coach John Hill from their administrative duties on Wednesday, Chancellor Thomas Conway said in a press release.
“We are grateful to Derrick and John for their service to our student-athletes and this university,” Conway said in the release. “We are committed to the ECSU athletics program and want to ensure its success.”
Dr. Claudie Mackey, recently named professor emeritus at ECSU, has been named interim athletics director, Conway said. Mackey has served previously as both an assistant athletic director and head men’s basketball coach at ECSU.
ETTRICK, Virginia – The Virginia State University (VSU) Athletics Department announces its 2018 football schedule on Wednesday (April 4). The Trojans will play a 10 game schedule, six road competitions and four at home. The 2018 schedule will feature two games against Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents, Norfolk State and Robert Morris. The schedule also features three non-conference games, followed by seven conference games against Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) opponents.
VSU will open its season against Division I Norfolk State University (NSU) on Sept. 1st for the Labor Day Classic. This will mark the 52nd meeting between the old rivals. The teams rekindled the Labor Day Classic last season (2017) with VSU coming away with a 14-10 victory.
VSU holds a 27-20-1 in the Labor Day Classic series history. NSU, who is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), finished last season with a 4-7 overall record.
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) reigning champions will then travel to Moon Township, Pa. on Sept. 8 to face Division I Robert Morris University (RMU) for the first time in program history. The Colonials, who are a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), finished the 2017 campaign with a 2-9 overall record.
The Trojans will remain on the road for their next two games as they travel to Raleigh, N.C. to face St. Augustine's (Sept. 15) for a non-conference game and to Charlotte, N.C., to open its 2018 CIAA conference play against Johnson C. Smith University (Sept.22).
VSU will play its home season opener against Shaw University on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. inside Rogers Stadium. The Trojans will then host Elizabeth City State University on October 6 at 2 p.m. before returning to the road.
VSU will travel to Bowie, Md. to battle conference opponent, Bowie State on October 13.
The Trojans will then return home for Homecoming 2018 on October 20 against Lincoln University at 2 pm. Following the Lincoln competition, fans will have the opportunity to see its 2018 VSU team for one last time in Rogers Stadium as the Trojans host Chowan University for Senior Day, October 27 at 2 p.m.
VSU will close out the regular season on the road against Virginia Union University November 3 at 1 p.m.
2018 Virginia State University Football Schedule Date Opponent Location Time
Sept. 1 at Norfolk State Norfolk, VA 6 P.M.
Sept. 8 at Robert Morris Moon Township, PA TBA
Sept. 15 at St. Augustine's Raleigh, NC 1 P.M.
Sept. 22 at Johnson C. Smith* Charlotte, NC 6 P.M. SEPT. 29 SHAW* ETTRICK, VA 2 P.M. OCT. 6 ELIZABETH CITY STATE* ETTRICK, VA 2 P.M.
Oct. 13 at Bowie State* Bowie, MD TBA OCT. 20 LINCOLN*# ETTRICK, VA 2 P.M. Oct. 27 CHOWAN* ETTRICK, VA 2 P.M.
NOV. 3 Virginia Union* Richmond, VA 1 P.M.
Nov. 10 CIAA Championship Salem, VA TBA
NOV. 17 NCAA Payoffs TBD TBA
*CIAA Conference Games # - Homecoming TBA – Time To Be Announced Home Games in BOLD CAPS and are played at Rogers Stadium on VSU campus
For more information on VSU football, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women have achieved their highest position ever — 12th — in the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Gold Nuggets' previous high was 14th twice in 2014, the first year of the rankings. Rankings are based only on performances during the 2018 outdoor season and the number of athletes a school has near the top of the descending order list in the various events and how highly they are ranked. XULA's top-10 national event rankings are: • The 400-meter relay team of Martina Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley, second in 46.66 seconds. • The 1,600 relay team of Janelle Jones, Ariane Williams, Riley and Kayla Quincy, sixth in 3:55.26. • The 3,200 relay team of Brianna Pace, Maliya Vaughan, Taylor Price and Clarke Allen, sixth in 10:05.15. • Riggs (12.05) and Latting (12.11), 8-10 in the 100. • Williams, 10th in the 400 in 57.26. • Alysia Terry, 10th in the triple jump in 11.59 meters/38 feet, one-quarter inch. The USTFCCCA ranks 134 men's teams and 129 women's teams this week. Among Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's teams, SUNO is 35th, Edward Waters is 57th, and Dillard is 118th. Among GCAC men's teams, Edward Waters is 20th, SUNO is 51th, XULA is 56th, and Dillard is 71st. Neither Philander Smith team is ranked. Next for XULA will be the Southeastern Strawberry Relays April 14 at Hammond, La., then the GCAC Championships April 20-21 at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.
NAIA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Team Rankings 1. Indiana Tech 2. Wiley 3. Friends 4. Wayland Baptist 5. British Columbia 6. Hastings 7. Doane 8. Concordia (Neb.) 9. USC Beaufort 10. Southern Oregon 11. Westmont 12. XULA 13. MidAmerica Nazarene 14. College of Idaho 15. Shawnee State 16. Olivet Nazarene 17. Cornerstone 18. SCAD Savannah 19. SCAD Atlanta 20. Lewis-Clark State 21. Columbia (Mo.) 22. Benedictine (Kan.) 23. McPherson 24. Point Park 25. Corban Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Chad Hunter is not hard to find on a football field. The redshirt-freshman receiver can be spotted easily with either his helmet on or off.
With his helmet off, the maroon dreadlocks are easy to spot from anywhere on the field. With his helmet on, he is easy to spot making amazing catches and scoring touchdowns. The former walk-on from Rickards High School has made his way to FAMU’s choice receiver. The Tallahassee Southside native proudly promotes the area where he grew up on Ridge road.
Head coach, Willie Simmons, sees Hunter as much more than a unique look. “Coming in watching Chad go through workouts, he was a guy that jumped out right away. We started our fourth quarter program going through drills and we noticed not just his quickness and explosiveness, but his work ethic. Once we started practicing, he has an extraordinary natural skill set. He can stick routes full speed, he really understands leverage, has really good hands and has a playmaker mentality about him,” Simmons said.
Hunter made his mark this past season. Playing sparingly at first, he quickly earned his way into playmaker status. At the beginning of last season, he was a possession-type receiver. Eventually, he became the “go-to” guy for quarterback Ryan Stanley.
He was the team’s second leading receiver, behind Brandon Norwood. He collected 574 yards on 31 catches for an impressive 18.5 yards each time he touched the ball. He scored 36 points on six touchdowns. None was more exciting that what most consider as the top play of the year.
The Rattlers were down against the Hampton Pirates. Backed up near their own goal line, the FAMU offense was stagnant. With a penalty, the team was backed down to its own nine-yard line, Stanley dropped back and unleashed a bomb that appeared aimed for Marcus Williams. Williams was double covered and he and both defensive backs went up for the ball. Seemingly out of nowhere, Hunter swooped in, took the ball from the crowd and scampered for the 91-yard touchdown.
Hunter is a very fun, but humble guy. “The way people tried to put everything on the coaches last year…it’s on us. For this season, I want to do better than I did last season. I want to stay consistent and have more yards and touchdowns and remain free of injuries,” Hunter said.
Receivers coach Jelani Barassa is impressed with Hunter in several ways. “I think Chad Hunter is going to be a big player for us on offense and possibly special teams as well. His work ethic was the first thing that jumped out at me. He has great character. He’s a former walk-on and earned himself a scholarship and he still has that same kind of drive about himself, that walk-on mentality. He goes hard every single day and that’s why he’s going to end up being a good player.” Barassa said.
Stanley likes the confidence he has that Hunter can get open and make tough catches when necessary. “He’s a real reliable guy. He topped a lot of people with his talent. He does a great job in one-on-one situations and he can account for when the ball is not thrown just right. I expect him to be one of the top guys in the conference this year,” Stanley said.
Hunter became one of the favorite targets of Stanley, as the two hooked up on several occasions as the team performed its best last season. An amazing over-the-shoulder touchdown on Savannah State silenced the home crowd in Savannah last season.
“More than liking Chad, I think his teammates respect him. That comes from them seeing the work he puts in on the field. When you have that, then you have a chance to lead. He’s a guy that doesn’t show up on lists for missing things, he’s always one of the first ones on the field and the last one to leave. Every rep he takes is a full speed rep. He’s a high energy guy, you hear him at practice and always competing. He gets a little chippy with the defensive backs sometimes, but that’s the intensity he brings to the position and it gives the offense life. That’s what you look for in a guy that will hopefully be a marquee player for us this year,” Simmons said.
Hunter will lead a receiver corps that returns Williams, Dock Lucky and Kevin Troutman. He is excited about the promise that the team’s new offense presents. The West Coast offense Simmons is known for is a dream for quarterbacks and receivers. The team bought into the new scheme real fast. Everybody is moving on the ball and moving fast. It’s a fast practice, so you never sitting around, it’s always something to do. It feels good to have that confidence from the coach, but I don’t even look at it that way. I am a team player and I just do my assignment…and hold everybody accountable,” Hunter concluded.
The Rattlers will have another morning practice on Friday at 6 A.M. and a full contact scrimmage on Saturday at 5 P.M.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T football will play their annual Blue & Gold Spring Football Game 1 p.m., Saturday, April 7 at Aggie Stadium to prepare for what looks to be a season where they will have a huge bullseye surrounding them every Saturday. The game will be played like a traditional game with some offensive and defensive players wearing blue and others on the team wearing gold instead of offense versus defense. That is subject to change depending on circumstances between today and Saturday, but right now that is the plan of the Aggies coaching staff.
The bullseye will be there despite the Aggies entering the 2018 season with a first-year head coach who is replacing a legend. They must also replace four starters on the offensive line, two of them had multiple first-team All-MEAC honors and one of them will likely be drafted by an NFL team in three weeks.
Don’t expect too many sympathy cards to be sent to N.C. A&T's football office, however. After all, the Aggies will come into the 2018 season on top of the black college football world as its defending national champion. They are near the top of the Division I-Football Championship Subdivision world having finished sixth in the FCS Coaches Poll last season.
Plus, N.C. A&T opponents have seen this motion picture before. After the 2016 season, the Aggies sent one of the best players in school history to the NFL in Tarik Cohen. By the end of the next season, they were 12-0, MEAC champs, Celebration Bowl champs and HBCU national champs. Opponents will not be lured into taking the Aggies lightly because Rod Broadway, the school’s all-time leader in winning percentage, retired in January.
First-year head coach Sam Washington inherits from Broadway MEAC offensive player of the year in quarterback Lamar Raynard and first-team All-MEAC offensive standouts Elijah Bell at receiver, Marquell Cartwright at running back and Marcus Pettiford at tackle. The Aggies also have eight starters returning on defense including first-team All-MEAC cornerback Frank McCain and first-team All-MEAC defensive end Darryl Johnson.
“A lot of people would like to have what we have coming back,” said Washington. “Lamar, Bell and Cartwright can play, play. They’re very powerful. It’s a blessing to have them back. Then we have eight starters coming back on defense and others who played a lot as backups. We have a good group upfront (defensive line), which makes it easier to do more things on the back end. It allows us to play at a very fast pace because of our vertical play of the d-line.”
Washington does have some holes to fill. In addition to losing All-MEAC linemen in center Darriel Mack and left tackle Brandon Parker (two-time All-American), the Aggies also must replace defensive end Kenneth Melton, third-team All-MEAC linebacker Marcus Albert and first-team All-MEAC linebacker/safety Jeremy Taylor.
The Aggies filled some gaps along the defensive line during the offseason with the signing of transfers Michael Branch (Presbyterian) and Justin Nwachukwu (Northern Illinois). In addition, the Aggies have a strong nucleus of defensive linemen returning in Sam Blue, Jermaine Williams, Justin Cates, Turner Echols, Julian McKnight, Kadarius Kendrick and Shomari Wallace.
Taylor and Albert will be tough replacements because they were excellent playmakers on defense who were routinely around the football, forced turnovers and disrupted offenses.
“There are some holes we have at different positions that we need to find out if we have the right person there,” said Washington about what he wants to take away from spring practice. “Can they and will they. That's what the spring is about. Who can and who can't. I think we want the players who can and who can’t and who will and won’t identified by the end of the spring. If we can say that, we would have done ourselves some justice.”
Washington is also looking for more leaders to emerge from the spring. He pointed to Raynard, safety Jamal Darden, Cartwright, Pettiford, Bell, Blue and fullback William Hollingsworth as the players who have filled that leadership role thus far.
“They’re doing a yeoman’s job here this spring,” said Washington. “They are raising the bar so that the other guys have something to aspire to. They stand up and say something positive every day about repeating and playing at high level. They stress doing the little things right whether it's the classroom or walking down the street.”
In terms of what the 2018 Aggies will look like on the field. Do not expect them to be a far departure from what has been on the field the past seven seasons. It’s still about stopping the run, protecting the football and winning the kicking game. Something his mentor, Broadway, preached often.
“I’m not looking to quote, unquote, put my stamp on the program. I like to get the same results that we’ve had for the past 12 years,” said Washington who also worked under Broadway at Grambling State prior to working with him at N.C. A&T. “We are going to stay steadfast as the old folks would say, do what we do and do it well.”
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Golden Lions football team released its schedule for the 2018 football season on Wednesday. The highly anticipated season opener for the new look Golden Lions will be on Saturday, September 1, as the team will play host to Morehouse College. UAPB started off the season with a bang and defeated the Tigers 23-10 in last year's season opener.
UAPB will play host to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member Cumberland University on September 8 at Golden Lion Stadium. On September 15, UAPB will travel north to face the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State before returning home for the conference opener against Prairie View A&M in a highly anticipated Southwestern Athletic Conference match up. Sophomore linebacker Jontavis Testa, who will return next season to help guide the linebacking corps, produced his first collegiate interception during last year's battle against the Panthers.
A week later, the Golden Lions will face its second Panthers opponent, at Florida International University in Miami.
The Golden Lions will then return home on October 6 to host Jackson State University. Last year UAPB stormed back for a thrilling come from behind victory and beat the Tigers 34-27 in overtime to win the W.C. Gorden Classic in Mississippi.
On October 20, the Golden Lions will travel to Itta Bena to face Mississippi Valley in SWAC play. Last season against the Delta Devils, All-SWAC kicker/punter and former Scottish rugby player Jamie Gillan (nicknamed Gold Toe) broke the school record with a 52-yard field goal and Dollarway standout running back KeShawn Williams rushed for a season-high 147 yards at Golden Lion Stadium. Both will return to the Golden Lions next season as seniors.
The following week, the Golden Lions will travel to Louisiana to face Grambling State University. Last year UAPB was the closest SWAC team to upsetting Grambling, but the Tigers escaped Pine Bluff with a marginal victory.
A week of exciting festivities on the campus of UAPB will culminate with the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M coming to Pine Bluff on November 3 for the sacred UAPB homecoming game. Alabama A&M hosted UAPB for its homecoming game in 2017.
On November 10, the Golden Lions will travel to Baton Rouge to battle against the Jaguars of Southern University. The Jags were victorious in last year's 47-40 shootout in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium.
The Golden Lions will round out the regular season in Houston as they face Texas Southern University on November 17.
2018 UAPB GOLDEN LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
9/1 Morehouse
9/8 Cumberland University
9/15 @ South Dakota State
9/22 Prairie View A&M*
9/29 @ FIU
10/6 Jackson State*
10/13 OPEN
10/20 @ Mississippi Valley*
10/27 @ Grambling*
11/3 Alabama A&M**
11/10 @ Southern*
11/17 @ Texas Southern*
11/24 OPEN
12/1 SWAC Championship
*denotes conference game **denotes Homecoming HOME GAMES IN BOLD UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Johnson C. Smith University has finalized the 2018 football schedule, which includes five home games and two games against teams that participated in the 2017 NCAA Division II Playoffs.
The Golden Bulls will begin the season on Thursday night, Aug. 30 when they travel to local rival Wingate for a 7:00 p.m. start against the Bulldogs.
JCSU will open their home slate a week later, hosting Benedict at 6:00 p.m. in the annual Eddie McGirt Classic. The game against the Tigers will also feature the induction of the newest members into the JCSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
On Sept. 15, JCSU will meet Virginia Union in a nonconference game in Salem, Va. Dubbed the Mayor's Cup Classic, the Golden Bulls and Panthers will meet for the first time since 2015.
After the tilt with the Panthers, JCSU returns home to face the defending CIAA Champions in Virginia State. A trip to CIAA Northern Division foe Lincoln rounds out the month of September.
The Golden Bulls will then host longtime rival Winston-Salem State in Charlotte and following road games at Fayetteville State and Shaw on consecutive weeks, will entertain St. Augustine's on Oct. 27 for the annual Homecoming game.
The regular season will then come to a close with the Commemorative Classic on Nov. 3, with JCSU hosting archrival Livingstone at the Irwin Belk Complex.
Ticket information for the upcoming 2018 season will be finalized in the coming weeks.
2018 JCSU Football Schedule Date Opponent Site Time
Aug. 30 at Wingate Wingate, N.C 7:00 p.m. Sept. 8 Benedict Charlotte, N.C. 6:00 p.m.
Sept. 15 vs. Virginia Union Salem, Va. 4:00 p.m.
Sept. 22 Virginia State* Charlotte, N.C. 6:00 p.m.
Sept. 29 at Lincoln Lincoln, Pa. 1:00 p.m. Oct. 6 Winston-Salem State* Charlotte, N.C. 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 13 at Fayetteville State* Fayetteville, N.C. 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 20 at Shaw* Durham, N.C. 1:00 p.m. Oct. 27 St. Augustine's (Homecoming) Charlotte, N.C. 1:00 p.m. Nov. 3 Livingstone* (Commemorative Classic) Charlotte, N.C. 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 10 CIAA Championship Game Salem, Va. TBD
NEW ORLEANS — Strong performances by Xavier University of Louisiana's Ariane Williams and Tamia Scott earned them Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in women's track and field for March 26-April 1.
