Simmons, Keith, Riggs collect GCAC weekly awards

NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth time this season, Xavier University of Louisiana swept the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in track and field. The winners for April 9-15 are:
     •  Men's field — Evan Simmons.
     •  Women's field — Ireyon Keith.
     •  Women's track — Justyce Riggs.
     
There were no nominees in men's track.
     
Simmons, a freshman from Houston and a graduate of Cypress Falls High School, posted top-eight finishes in the discus, hammer and shot put at the Southeastern Strawberry Relays. His shot put mark of 10.48 meters/34 feet, 4 3/4 inches is XULA's longest since it restarted men's track and field in 2010.
     
Keith, a senior from Tickfaw, La., and a graduate of Independence High School, produced the Gold Nuggets' and the GCAC's best mark of 2018 in the long jump — 5.49 meters/18 feet, one-quarter inch.
     
Riggs, a sophomore from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and a graduate of Choctawhatchee High School, ran the Gold Nuggets' fastest 100-meter time in two years — 12.04 seconds. Her time of 25.26 in the 200 was a XULA PR.
     
The GCAC awards are the first for Simmons and Keith and the fifth for Riggs, who won four times this season as a member of the 400 relay squad.
     
The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will compete Friday and Saturday in the GCAC Championships at NOLA's Tad Gormley Stadium.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

A&T's Femi Olujobi generating plenty of interest as potential graduate transfer

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- For Femi Olujobi to keep himself on track to graduate this summer, he’s had to ensure his phone is turned off and put away once he steps into the classroom.

More than 50 programs have called this week after he announced he has received his release from N.C. A&T to explore the possibility of spending his final season of eligibility elsewhere as a graduate transfer.

“I feel like I’m coming out of high school all over again,” he said. “It’s been a roller coaster these past few days, I can’t even put my phone down … it’s fun — and stressful — but it just goes to show what putting in the work can do for you.”



Olujobi is in high demand after one season with the Aggies, where he burst onto the scene with 34 points in his debut and let the nation in scoring for several weeks before averaging 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in helping A&T to its first 20-win season since 2012-13.

Butler University is in the mix for a player who could become the third New Yorker on its college basketball roster.

Femi Olujobi, a 6-8 power forward from North Carolina A&T, announced Saturday on Twitter that Butler is among his final four transfer destinations. The others are Georgetown and DePaul, also in the Big East, and Hofstra.

CONTINUE READING       CONTINUE READING

Alcorn State football officially tabs former WVU star Pat White as QB coach

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Former West Virginia University football standout Pat White has been officially announced as the new quarterbacks coach at Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi.

White will be working for head coach Fred McNair and offensive coordinator Ryan Stanchek, who once blocked for White.

Alcorn State is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision’s Southwestern Athletic Conference and is an HBCU, which stands for historically black colleges and universities.

“I’ve always dreamed of being on the sidelines at an HBCU school,” White said via the school. “I grew up on HBCU sports and both of my parents went to HBCU schools. For me growing up, it was always HBCU all-day, every day.”

“Pat is going to be a great addition for us,” McNair said. “He’s been on campus and has gotten a chance to meet some of the student-athletes already and will be a great mentor and coach for them.

“I know Pat is excited to be here and he’ll help us both coaching and recruiting. We’re very happy to have him and we know he’ll make a big impact for our program.”



Just a short eleven years ago, Mountaineer nation said goodbye to one of the most beloved Mountaineers of all-time and possibly the best player to ever put on a West Virginia uniform, Pat White. White was the first quarterback in college football to win all four bowl games throughout his career and guided the Mountaineers to a 34-8 record over that span.

Aside from that, he broke multiple school and national records including the most rushing yards accumulated by a quarterback in college football with 4,480 total rushing yards. He is regarded as one of college football’s greats and one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the history of the sport at the collegiate level.

After a brief stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, a career that was shortened due to injuries, his focus now turns to coaching. White has been officially named as the quarterbacks coach at Alcorn State, who is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

CONTINUE READING    CONTINUE READING

Florida A&M offense adjusting well to new system

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M's offense looks a little different with new head coach Willie Simmons at the helm.

"This offense has multiple options," Simmons said.

"I don’t ever put a percentage on run-pass because I don’t know. We call a play, and there are multiple options within that play. The option to run the ball or pass the ball, and it’s up to the quarterbacks to make the right decision.

"One week it may be 70-30. The next week it might be 30-70. We don’t talk about the percentages. We just want to be efficient and take what the defense is giving us."

Gone are the days when the offense would huddle in-between plays and line up under center.

During the Orange and Green Spring Game at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Saturday, every snap taken by the Green team -- the Green team consisted of the offense, while the Orange team was the defense -- from the shotgun, and the only huddles came before a drive started and during timeouts.

The Green team won 36-33 -- the defense was awarded points for making plays -- though the actual offense scored 31.

CONTINUE READING

Florida A&M's defensive line stands out in Orange and Green Game

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M's defense impressed in new head coach Willie Simmons' debut in Saturday's Orange and Green Game at Bragg Memorial Stadium.

But you wouldn't have known it from the first play.

The Green team -- consisting of all the offensive players -- connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage with a crowd of 7,622 in attendance.

The defensive response from there was a resounding one.

"The offense tested us on the first play of the game with a touchdown pass, but we're a battle-tested defense. I feel like we came back at them strong. We got a couple turnovers to get us going, couple TFLs, couple sacks," junior defensive back Terry Jefferson said.

"We fought back."

Instead of the usual method of dividing the roster in half for the spring game, Simmons elected to pit the offense against the defense, forcing the defense to score points by creating sacks and turnovers and by forcing punts.

CONTINUE READING

Augusta Wins Fourth Title At MEAC Golf Championships

SAVANNAH, Georgia --The Augusta University men's golf team won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday at Crosswinds Golf Club. The Jaguars shot 7-under-par in the last round on Saturday to best the eight team field by 33 shots and finish the three-day event with a score of 861 (292-288-281, 3-under).

• LIVE STATS
• PHOTOS
• DAY TWO
• DAY ONE
• PREVIEW

 With the conference championship, Augusta received an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. I Men's Golf Championship. The NCAA Div. I Men's Golf Selection Show will air on Wednesday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m. on Golf Channel. 

Four of the starting five Jaguars ended the tournament in the top three on the leaderboard. Freshman Alex Shead won the individual title, edging out two of his teammates by six strokes to win 7-under-par. Shead shot 73, 67, and 69 to win his second event of the season at Crosswinds Golf Club, after winning the SSU Tiger Invitational on Halloween day. 

Senior Broc Everett took second at 1-under-par and freshman Laken Hinton and sophomore Gustav Andersson shared a tied for third (+3). Andersson's round-three 69 (-3) was the lowest of his career. Freshman Olof Gunnarsson rounded out AU in 14^th (+13). 

The Jaguars won the event, followed by Bethune-Cookman in second (+30), Florida A&M in third (+44), host Savannah State in fourth (+61), North Carolina Central fifth (+83), Hampton sixth (+109), Maryland Eastern Shore seventh (+115), and North Carolina A&T eighth (+136). 

Augusta head coach Jack O'Keefe was named the MEAC's Most Outstanding Coach for the fourth straight year and Shead was named the Most Outstanding Performer for winning the individual title. 

AUGUSTA @MEAC (Final Scores)

Pos.	Team/Player (seed)	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1	Augusta	292	288	281	861
1	Alex Shead (2)	73	67	69	209
2	Broc Everett (1)	72	73	70	215
T3	Laken Hinton (3)	73	73	73	219
T3	Gustav Andersson (5)	74	76	69	219
14	Olof Gunnarsson (4)	77	75	77	229

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics / on Twitter at @AugustaJags and on Instagram @augustajagsFacebook

Twitter

 Google+

Email

Print

Addthis

Grambling's starting quarterback battle to take time

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling State’s quarterback competition won’t be settled any time soon.

More than likely, the 2018 season will kick off before head coach Broderick Fobbs finds the next rightful starter to run the Tigers offense.

This spring marked the first time in two years the position has been as open as it currently is, and through 14 practices over the last month, there’s been very little separation among the field of signal callers to replace DeVante Kincade.

“It’s really close,” Fobbs said. “It’s been close all the way down to the 14th day. If it’s close, nothing changes.”

Rising sophomore Geremy Hickbottom served as Kincade’s primary backup last season and entered spring drills at the top of the depth chart. Behind him is redshirt junior Charles Wright, a converted running back from up the road at Ouachita Parish High School. Both guys battled last fall camp for the No. 2 spot, a contest Hickbottom won.

CONTINUE READING

GCAC Welcomes Rust College Bearcats As Newest Member

Kansas City, Missouri -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Council of Presidents (COP) yesterday approved Rust (Miss.) College as the newest member of the NAIA, and the 8th member institution of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Rust will join the GCAC for the 2018-2019 season.

The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Council of Presidents (COP) voted unanimously to approve Rust at their annual meeting this past December in Holly Springs, Miss. The meeting was held on the campus of Rust College. The NAIA Memberhship Committee voted last month to elevate Rust to full, active membership in the NAIA.

Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Commissioner Steve B. Martin praised the work of the conference's Council of Presidents in helping to expand the conference's membership.

"The growth of the GCAC continues with the addition of Rust," said Martin. "I'd like to thank the GCAC Council of Presidents for working to bring Rust into the conference, especially Presidents [Billy] Hawkins and [Roderick] Smothers, whose tireless efforts greatly contributed to our expansion."

Rust, which was previously an NCAA Division III school, offers 12 sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Founded in 1866, Rust is one of the nation's oldest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The private college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS

EWC Tigers Athletics Release 2018 Football Schedule

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Since the hiring of new head football coach Greg Ruffin in December, the excitement and anticipation of the new direction of Edward Waters football has been palpable. That excitement was taken up another notch as following a successful spring football game on Saturday afternoon,  the Edward Waters College Department of Athletics released its 2018 football schedule. The 2018 11-game schedule features five home games and six contests on the road. In addition, it also features 10 games against NAIA schools, six against Mid-South Conference Sun Division opponents, and one contest against an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) foe. 

The Ruffin Era will begin at home on Saturday, August 25th as Edward Waters will host the Knights of St. Andrews University for the first ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. The following weekend features another first time opponent for the Purple & Orange on September 1st as the Tigers welcome the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson. 

The Tigers will then take their show on the road for the next four straight contests beginning on September 8th as EWC faces former conference rival Point in Valley, Alabama. Following a bye week on September 15, EWC heads to Lebanon, Tennessee for date with the Phoenix of Cumberland University on September 22nd. The Tigers wrap up the month of September and will open up MSC Sun Division play on the 29th in West Palm Beach against the Seahawks of Keiser University for their first ever meeting on the field.

October begins with a trip to Polk County on the 6th as the Tigers face Warner at Legion Field in Lake Wales. Edward Waters finally returns home on October 13th for another division matchup against Faulkner. The Tigers will welcome another division foe Ave Maria in to town on October 20th when EWC hosts its annual Homecoming game. October closes out on the 27th in Lakeland as the Tigers face the defending MSC Sun Division champions, Southeastern.

The month of November opens on the 3rd where Edward Waters will travel to O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, North Carolina for a gridiron battle against North Carolina Central. The 2018 regular season concludes on November 10th at home as the Tigers host long time rival Webber International for Senior Day.

2018 Edward Waters Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location
Aug. 25	St. Andrews	Jacksonville, Florida
Sept. 1	Lindsey Wilson	Jacksonville, Florida
Sept. 8	@ Point	Valley, Alabama
Sept. 15	BYE WEEK
Sept. 22	@ Cumberland	Lebanon, Tennessee
Sept. 29	*@ Keiser	West Palm Beach, Florida
Oct. 6	*@ Warner	Lake Wales, Florida
Oct. 13	*Faulkner	Jacksonville, Florida
Oct. 20	*^Ave Maria	Jacksonville, Florida
Oct. 27	*@ Southeastern	Lakeland, Florida
Nov. 3	@ North Carolina Central	Durham, North Carolina
Nov. 10	*%Webber International	Jacksonville, Florida

*Mid-South Conference Sun Division Contest

^ Homecoming 2018

% Senior Day

Kickoff times and home venue information will be released at a later date.

Follow the Tigers
For complete coverage of Edward Waters College Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @EWCAthletics (Twitter), /EWCSports (Facebook) and @EWCAthletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Edward Waters athletics at EWCTigerPride.com.

Now showing at JSU: Hal Mumme’s Air Raid

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Hal Mumme, bespectacled and with his long, grayish blond locks blowing every which way in the wind, looked as much the part of mad professor as football coach at Jackson State’s spring football game Sunday.

He was more professorial than coach-like along the sidelines, too, rarely raising his voice, just calmly signaling in plays, which were, of course, mostly passes.

Jackson State is Mumme’s 14th stop in a 42-year coaching career that has taken him from such outposts as Copperas Cove (Texas) High School, to Iowa Wesleyan, to Valdosta State, to Kentucky, to New Mexico State, to Belhaven and now Jackson State, with several other stops along the way.

Most of that time has been spent as a head coach. Now, at Jackson State, he is back to being an offensive coordinator, which, he said, is his comfort zone.

“It’s a blast,” Mumme says. “I had forgotten how much fun it is to just coach the offense.”

Mumme sounded like a man definitely in his element.

CONTINUE READING

Alabama State University football will scrimmage at Memorial Stadium for first time

SELMA, Alabama -- College football is returning to Memorial Stadium Saturday, when the Alabama State University Hornets wrap up their third week of spring practice with a scrimmage from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.

ASU is a Division I Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Montgomery that plays in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Memorial Stadium hasn’t hosted a college football team since the now disbanded Concordia College Alabama football team played its last home games there.

Bringing ASU to Selma was introduced by the football program’s new head coach Donald Hill-Eley.

After spending three seasons as the interim head coach, Hill-Eley was named the Hornets 29th head coach this past December.

He gets 15 consecutive days to run his spring practice to prepare for the 2018 season, and he came up with the idea of using his 12th spring practice to bring his team from Montgomery to Selma for the last scrimmage before the Black and Gold spring game.

CONTINUE READING

ASU Lady Hornets win SWAC golf championship

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana | Alabama State ran away with their fifth Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship in the last six years Tuesday afternoon, winning the title by 39 strokes over last year's champion Texas Southern.
 
The Lady Hornets finished with a two-day total of 50-over 626 to outrun Texas Southern who finished with a two-day total of 89-over 665. Prairie View A&M finished third with a 124-over 700, while Alcorn State finished at 144-over 720.
 
Chanelle Avaricio won the individual title for the fourth consecutive season, finishing one shot of her teammate Nia Station. Avaricio finished with six-over 150, finishing ahead of Station at seven-over 151.
 
Amber Kuykendall of Texas Southern finished the event in third place finishing at fourteen over par, while Madison DeRousse of Alabama State finished the event in fourth place in a tie with Aubrianna Jordan. Quname Mhotsha of Alcorn State finished in sixth, and Jade McAlister of Alabama State finished in seventh.
 
Avaricio, Station and DeRousse were named First All-Conference; with Station earning Freshman of the Year honors. Jada McAlister and Shania Jones were named Second Team All-Conference.
 
Alabama State head coach, Dr. Gary Grandison, was named the 2018 SWAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year.
 
The Lady Hornets will now await their destination for the NCAA Regionals on the selection show April 25, which will air live at 5:30 pm on the Golf channel.
 
Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University women's golf, please follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateGolf (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

Jerry Nichols Named Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --- Tennessee State men’s basketball Head Coach Brian “Penny” Collins announced the hiring of Jerry Nichols as an assistant coach. Nichols arrives in Nashville after five highly-successful seasons as the Head Coach of Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis.

Nichols was previously the Head Coach at Motlow State Community College and served as a court coach for the USA Basketball Under 18 Junior National Team in 2016.

“Jerry Nichols is a coach that I have the utmost respect for,” Collins said. “We got to know each other as rivals in Region 7 of the Tennessee JUCO League. His teams at Motlow and Southwest were special. He has a knack for getting the most out of his players. His high basketball IQ, energy and determination will be exactly what our team needs to take the next step. He has recruited and coached some of the best JUCO players in the country. He also has experience coaching with USA Basketball. Jerry will help us become a force in recruiting wars right away.”

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Nichols compiled a 200-59 career record in nine seasons as a junior college head coach – winning five Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors. Guiding Motlow State from 2009-13, his teams went 80-31. He took over at Southwest Tennessee prior to the 2013-14 season, going 120-28 in five seasons from 2013-18.

“I’m really excited about this new opportunity,” Nichols said. “I’ve known Coach Collins for years. I had the opportunity to coach against him when he was the coach at Columbia State, and we definitely had some epic battles. I’m excited about working with him here at TSU.”

Nichols won two TCCAA Coach of the Year awards at Motlow State, serving as the head coach and athletics director. His best season with the Bucks came in 2012-13 when his team won the TCCAA Championship and earned a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament. Motlow State finished 13th in the final NJCAA Division I poll in 2013.

Moving on to Southwest Tennessee, Nichols continued to thrive, picking up three more TCCAA Coach of the Year awards. Nichols’ Saluqis finished 18th or better in the final NJCAA Division I polls in four of his five seasons. Twice Southwest finished 11th, including the 2015-16 season, when the Saluqis went 30-5 and earned a berth in the NJCAA Elite Eight.

With USA Basketball’s U18 Junior National Team, Nichols helped coach the squad at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Valdivia, Chile which featured eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

Nichols began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Walters State Community College during the 2006-07 season before heading to Union College in Kentucky for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

As a player, Nichols starred for Westwood High School in Memphis and went on to become a two-time All-American guard at Walters State Community College. The two-time TCCAA Player of the Year ranked ninth in the nation in scoring with 21.6 points per game as a sophomore. Nichols continued his education and playing career at Arkansas State, where he led the team in three-point shooting and was named the team’s top defensive player during his junior season. He was the recipient of ASU’s Leadership Award as a senior.

Nichols graduated from Arkansas State in 2006 and earned his master’s degree from Union College (Ky.) in 2009.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS