It's Official! Clemon Johnson Resigns to Coach Division I FAMU

After four seasons at the helm of the University of Alaska Fairbanks men's basketball team, head coach Clemon Johnson is stepping down to take a Division I head coaching job at his alma mater, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU).

Johnson finishes with a 28-74 overall record with the Nanooks (NCAA Division II).

Alaska fell just short of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference playoffs this season after finishing 8-17 (5-13 GNAC). He also recruited and coached the 2010-11 Ron Lenz National Player of the Year, Parrish West.

"The best part of my job is watching student-athletes go on to distinguished careers and seeing staff members pursue their dreams and move on to exciting professional opportunities,” Alaska Director of Athletics Forrest Karr said. “I couldn't be happier for Clem and his family."

Johnson played for FAMU from 1974-1978, during which time he set rebounding records for a single game (25), a season (412) and a career (1,494). Those records still stand, and he still ranks in the top-twenty in scoring with 1,381 points.

“The opportunity to return home is another blessed moment in my life,” Johnson said. “The departure from UAF is a bittersweet moment. I felt the incoming class and the returning players would recreate the stir heard during earlier years in the GNAC.

“But coming home to Florida A&M University allows me to continue my growth in my desired profession on another level. The past four years has been a great learning experience for my coaching and life development. The athletic staff, my coaching staff and administrators have provided guidance, patience, encouragement and knowledge.”



FAMU Head Basketball Coach Clem Johnson
(Photos courtesy of University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics)

After graduating from FAMU with a degree in economics, Johnson was drafted to the NBA by the Portland Trailblazers in the second round of the 1978 draft. He played 761 professional games with four different teams, including the Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Seattle Supersonics.

Johnson retired from the NBA in 1988 and went on to play five years of professional basketball in Italy.

He then began coaching at the high school level in Florida before taking on a coaching internship with the Atlanta Hawks in 2006 and eventually making his way to Fairbanks the next year.

Last season, FAMU finished 12-20 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They made the MEAC tournament, but lost 87-85 to Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round.

Alaska's head coaching position is posted on UAKjobs.com, NCAA.org and on various college coaching websites. The position will remain posted through Tuesday, May 17. A final decision will be announced by the end of May.

“It is with this presentation of support that I move forward confident of the job I retired for 18 years ago,” Johnson said. “I will always be grateful to Fairbanks and UAF.”

Courtesy University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Author: Nick Steyn

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XU's Taylor selected NAIA and GCAC Player of the Week

Zach Taylor

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Zach Taylor was selected NAIA Men's Tennis Player of the Week for April 25-May 1. He also won a similar honor from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

Taylor, a junior from Monroe, La., and a graduate of St. Frederick High School and Ventura College, won 38 of 47 games to help the Gold Rush win both its dual matches in a qualifying tourna
ment at Chattanooga, Tenn., for the NAIA National Championship. Taylor and Hassan Abbas, the NAIA's 15th-ranked doubles team, defeated Martin Methodist's Vinicius Santos — the TranSouth Athletic Conference Player of the Year — and Juan Suarez 8-0 in the championship dual, and Taylor put the Gold Rush ahead to stay with his 6-1, 6-3 victory against Renato Castro.

"Our men had never been in the top 10 or beaten a top-10 team before Zach started playing for us this year," said eighth-year XU Coach Alan Green. "He has been a difference-maker."

Taylor, 10-10 in singles and 15-7 in doubles this season, is the first Xavier athlete to win an NAIA national player-of-the-week award since Brittany Powell (women's basketball) did it for Jan. 18-24, 2010. This is the first season of the NAIA's weekly tennis awards. The GCAC award is Taylor's third this season.

XU's men, 13-9 and ranked ninth, will compete in the NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala., from May 17-21.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Florida A&M track and field team gets boost from Rattlers' football players

Brian Tyms wanted to be a better basketball player in high school, so he ran track at Fort Lauderdale's Dillard High School. Hundreds of miles away, Jeremy Tillman figured that being on the Brandon High School track team would improve his football game.

Both Tyms and Tillman are now wide receivers on the Florida A&M football team, and not surprisingly, they're on the Rattlers' track and field team as well. Obviously, they want the cardiovascular advantage that running and jumping gives them, but their reason for being on the team runs a little deeper.

They're there because of pride and a desire to help the Rattlers to at least a top-five finish at this weekend's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships. Tillman's specialty is the sprints, and Tyms competes in the high jump.



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ASU women taste first NCAA action today at Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Alabama State women's golf team is one of 72 teams competing in three NCAA regionals throughout the country today. And while teams such as Alabama, UCLA and Southern California dream of winning a national championship, the local golfers are happy making history with their first NCAA appearance.

"I saw the list of the schools that are going to regionals and they are the top schools in the NCAA," Alabama State freshman Amelie Buhl said. "I think it's a great opportunity for us to play in the same group. They're really good schools. I don't have any expectations for us. We've already achieved our goal."

A team comprised largely of first- and second-year players earned a bid to an NCAA regional by capturing the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in Louisiana in mid-April. A week later, the Hornets made history again by winning the National Women's Collegiate Golf Championship...

Hornet Golf Teams in National Tournaments This Week

The Alabama State women's and men's golf teams will compete for national championships this week, both in the state of Florida.

The 2011 SWAC Women's Golf Champion Lady Hornets will make their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will play in the East Regional in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The men's team, runners-up in the SWAC Tournament for the third straight year, will compete in the 25th annual PGA Minority Golf Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

“It's time to just relax and play in control,” head coach Gary Grandison said. “We'll strive to represent the school well, and represent the community well.”

The women's golf team will be one of 24 teams in the East Regional. The LPGA International's Legends Course (par 72, 6,271 yards) will challenge the teams in the three-day, 54-hole tournament.

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XU degree for Olympic medalist — 71 years after enrolling

"It's a storybook ending. Can you believe it? Xavier really started my path in life. I learned academics there. I learned how to run. And I learned religion." — Herbert Douglas

NEW ORLEANS — Closure is coming this weekend for Herbert Douglas.

Douglas, 89 years old and Xavier University of Louisiana's only Olympic medalist, will receive an honorary degree during XU's 84th commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lakefront Arena.

"It's a storybook ending," Douglas said. "Can you believe it? Xavier really started my path in life. I learned academics there. I learned how to run. And I learned religion."

Douglas arrived at Xavier in the fall of 1940 after being recruited to compete for future hall-of-famer Ralph Metcalfe's men's track and field program. Douglas excelled — in 1941 he set a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship-meet record of 23 feet, 11 inches in the outdoor long jump, and in 1942 he teamed with William Morton, Clarence Doak and Howard Mitchell to make Xavier the first HBCU (historically black college or university) to win a relay at the Penn Relays. The quartet won the 440-yard relay in 41.7 seconds.

But the demands of World War II forced Douglas to leave XU in 1942 after two years. His coach, Metcalfe, left Xavier after the fall 1941 semester to join the U.S. Army. Douglas returned home one semester later — not to enlist, but to help at his father's Pittsburgh parking garage.

"My father had been blind for several years and needed help," Douglas said. "He was losing employees to the military and to war-related industries. He had a 24-hour garage, and he could not find enough reliable workers. I wanted so much to stay at Xavier, but the circumstances just wouldn't allow me."

After the war Douglas returned to college — but at his hometown University of Pittsburgh, where he competed in football ("I scored a touchdown against Notre Dame," he said pridefully) and in track, where he set a school record in the long jump (24-4.88) which lasted 23 years. He received a bachelor's degree from Pitt in 1948 and a master's in 1950.

He long-jumped 24-9 to win bronze at the 1948 Olympics in London and plans to return to London for the Olympics next year.

Douglas joined Schieffelin & Company (now Schieffelin & Somerset) in 1963 where he became the third African-American to reach the level of vice-president of a major North American corporation.

"I have been blessed in so many ways," Douglas said.

Front row, left: Xavier University of Louisiana men's track and field standout
Herbert Douglas in 1942. Also in the front row is Edward Culp. In the back
 row, from left: Howard Mitchell, Clarence Doak, Coach Giles Wright and
 William Morton.  Wright replaced Ralph Metcalfe after the fall 1941 semester.

According to the U.S. Olympic Committee, Douglas is the fourth-oldest living U.S. track and field Olympic medalist. Three other medalists from the 1948 U.S. team — sprinter Cliff Bourland and shot-putters Jim Delaney and Wilbur Thompson — are older.

Also receiving honorary XU degrees Saturday will be businesswoman and philanthropist Camille Hanks Cosby, BET Holdings CEO and chair Debra Lee. Urban League CEO and former New Orleans mayor Marc H. Morial will be the keynote speaker.

The honorary degree is far from a take-him-off-the-shelf-and-dust-him-off moment for Douglas. Next Tuesday he'll be back at his alma mater for a dinner he helped plan as a centennial salute to African-American athletes at Pitt.

"All the heavy hitters will be there," Douglas said. "Hugh Green, Tony Dorsett, Roger Kingdom, Larry Fitzgerald, Charles Smith . . . and Bob Costas will be the emcee."

Officials at the Penn Relays, Douglas said, want him to help plan a fundraising dinner within the next year. And there will be more projects.

"When will he really retire? That's a good question," said Douglas' wife, Minerva. "I would say never. He's like that (Energizer) bunny. He just keeps going. He finishes one thing, and then he moves on to another. He gets involved in a lot of things."

Douglas swims every other day in an indoor pool at his Philadelphia condominium. "I can't walk or jog for exercise any more because of my knees," he said. "But I'm doing fine for a guy my age."

The trip to New Orleans and Xavier will be the first for Douglas since 1992, when he attended the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. He and the other honorary recipients will attend a baccalaureate Mass and honors convocation Friday evening at The Barn, then convene to Dooky Chase restaurant for a much-anticipated meal with Xavier officials.

"That's some good Creole food," Douglas said. "You know, Dooky Chase opened the year I got to Xavier, 71 years ago. I couldn't afford it then."

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Jasmine Lytle of New Brunswick is going to Hampton University

Coach David Six

Jasmine Lytle of New Brunswick was looking for a school that showed loyalty. As she battled through a knee injury she suffered last summer, some schools stopped pursuing her.

Hampton University never stopped recruiting the 6-1 forward and that's why she's signing a letter of intent to play for the Virgina college on Thursday.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was a close second for Lytle, and Coppin State and Long Island University were among the other schools in the hunt.

Jasmine Lytle scores 1,000th point in New Brunswick loss

Junior slasher LaRhonda Womack erupted for 30 points Monday to lift the South Plainfield High School girls basketball team past New Brunswick, 68-60, on the night Zebras senior Jasmine Lytle scored her 1,000th career point.

Jasmine Lytle Erupts For A Monster Game, 33 pts, 23 rbs, for New Brunswick High

It takes more than one player to win a basketball game, but Jasmine Lytle certainly came close. Despite outscoring the entire Sayreville High School girls basketball team 18-16 in the first half Tuesday night, the New Brunswick High School senior forward needed a boost from a teammate down the stretch.

“She’s a great player, and it’s hard to win games when a girl scores almost as much as your entire team does” Sayreville coach Tara Currie said of Lytle. “She’s an animal who lives off the boards, and we didn’t achieve our goal in limiting her.”

Jasmine Lytle of New Brunswick signs to play basketball for Hampton

Jasmine Lytle, a Second Team All-Middlesex County selection from New Brunswick, will sign a letter of intent Thursday to play basketball for Hampton University.

"Words can't explain how happy I am to have this opportunity," said Lytle, who plans to major in either business or psychology. "Hampton has been there with me since the beginning of the process and I really like their style of play. They give me a good chance to better myself as a player and academically."

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Fang Mitchell gets three more years with Coppin State University

Legendary Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell

At 5 o'clock on a fall morning in 2009, Coppin State University basketball coach Fang Mitchell drove then-sophomore Michael Harper to the hospital for surgery on his wrist. Harper, from Milwaukee, appreciated the show of support — then and now.

When Harper finishes his college career next season for the Eagles, Mitchell will be there for him again, just like Harper would want it.

"If they were bringing in a new coach in my fourth year, it would mean a whole new system, a new personality, a different look on the team," Harper said. "Him not coming back would have been horrible."

After two months of uncertainty, Mitchell is coming back for his 26th season and more. Francine Stokes McElveen, the senior advisor to the president for legal affairs, acknowledged Tuesday that Coppin has given Mitchell a new, three-year contract that will allow the legendary 63-year-old coach to finish his career at...

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A Day in the Life of 2011 FAMU Graduate

Videographer: FAMUTUBE1887; A Day in the Life of Gregory Boler Jr., FAMU Rattlers football player and a 2011 FAMU graduate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Watch as he makes his family proud. This is a Day in his life...


Videographer: FAMUTube1887; On Saturday, April 30, 2011, nearly 1,400 candidates graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU). These are the students who started classes in 2007 -- the same year Dr. James H. Ammons became president of FAMU. However, before they receive their diplomas, some graduating seniors share their thoughts on Dr. Ammons and his tenure at FAMU.

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FAMU's Holcomb glad to be a Niner

Jacksonville and Green Bay promised they'd take him in the NFL Draft on Saturday. Neither one called. So Florida A&M cornerback Curtis Holcomb dozed off. It might have been because he didn't think his name would be called or he was a little worn out from shooting hoops earlier in the day to calm his nerves.

"I was trying to be patient throughout the whole process," said Holcomb, who eventually was selected by the San Francisco 49ers. He was so into his nap that he might have missed the call from the 49ers if it weren't for his best friend, who had visited from Jacksonville to be with him for the draft.

"My best friend called me and it was a surreal moment," said Holcomb on Sunday. "I didn't even know how to take that but it was a blessing."


Videographer: FAMUTUBE1887; An interview with 2011 FAMU Rattlers/S.F.49ers draftee, Cornerback Curtis Holcomb, a native of Miami, Florida and graduate of Southridge High School.

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Southern University: Living her dream

Sandy Pugh, Head Women's Basketball Coach
Interim Athletics Director, Southern University

As it turns out, Jessica Thomas ended up where she wanted to be all along.

The senior Northwest girls basketball standout inked a letter of intent to play basketball at Southern University next season Tuesday in the Northwest High library with her family and Lady Raiders coach Latosha Malone on hand.

"It's amazing to be where I am because of all the hard work I've put in and coach Malone helping me out a lot on everything I had to do to get to this point," Thomas said. "I had to do a lot of things, keep my grades maintained and stay focused in school and not worry about anything else."

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S.C. State tennis teams get ‘reward’ with Florida rematch

Orangeburg, S.C. - Visit Hardeep Judge's office at South Carolina State University and there's an impressive display of championship glory starting at his desk.

Lined up in order on each side are 13 of the 14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title plaques won by both the men's and women's tennis teams during the head coach's tenure. Other numerous Most Outstanding Coach awards are also posted on the walls.

Given the program's championship resume, Judge was hoping Tuesday for a more favorable seeding for his teams when the NCAA released the tournament brackets. He was especially optimistic for the Lady Bulldogs, who earned key out-of-conference wins this season over West Virginia and North Carolina-Wilmington, won a seventh straight conference title and have a player, Daria Sekerina, listed in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Top 125 rankings.

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XU Gold Rush back in NAIA top 10 after climbing two places

NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth time in five polls, Xavier University of Louisiana is among the top 10 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25.

The Gold Rush (13-9) climbed two spots Tuesday to No. 9 after beating Bethel (Tenn.) 6-0 and Martin Methodist 5-2 to win an NAIA National Championship qualifying tournament at Chattanooga, Tenn. XU's men qualified for the national tournament for the third consecutive year.

Xavier was No. 8, a program record, for three consecutive polls beginning March 8.

The Gold Rush are in the the top 25 for the 31st consecutive time dating to April 4, 2007 — that's the fifth longest active streak among NAIA men's teams — and it's the 22nd straight time dating to April 30, 2008, that the Gold Rush are among the top 18.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 1) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (12) 21-2 312 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 14-6 302 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-3 291 3 4 Oklahoma Christian 21-1 279 5 5 Azusa Pacific 15-6 276 4 6 Westmont 12-5 262 6 7 Point Loma Nazarene 15-7 252 7 8 Vanguard 7-13 228 12 9 Xavier 13-9 225 11 10 Union (Ky.) 17-5 217 10 11 Concordia (Calif.) 8-14 207 8 12 Shorter 12-4 206 15 13 Graceland 11-5 193 13 14 William Carey 12-9 183 9 15 Lindsey Wilson 14-5 176 17 16 Aquinas 24-3 174 14 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) 14-3 157 16 18 Olivet Nazarene 14-3 132 19 19 Lewis-Clark State 10-8 127 18 20 McKendree 20-3 122 tie-20 21 Tennessee Wesleyan 11-6 115 22 22 SCAD Savannah 7-4 109 tie-20 23 Martin Methodist 14-5 90 23 24 Webber International 13-6 79 24 25 Bethany (Kan.) 19-3 69 tie-25 Others receiving votes: Lee (Tenn.) 59; Campbellsville 41, Northwood (Fla.) 23, Huntington (Ind.) 23, Cumberland 22, Lindenwood 19, Northwestern Ohio 13, Walsh 6, Our Lady of the Lake 5, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Biola 1.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 1) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (10) 18-4 281 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (1) 20-3 272 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-5 260 4 4 Azusa Pacific 19-4 253 6 5 Oklahoma Christian 17-2 244 5 6 Point Loma Nazarene 18-3 242 3 7 Concordia (Calif.) 14-7 226 7 8 Brenau 10-7 218 8 9 SCAD Savannah 10-2 207 9 10 Vanguard 10-10 201 10 11 Southern Nazarene 14-6 184 12 12 William Carey 14-6 182 13 13 Lee (Tenn.) 9-5 171 16 14 Olivet Nazarene 19-1 160 14 15 Shorter 11-4 156 11 16-tie Indiana Wesleyan 21-1 139 17 16-tie Lewis-Clark State 6-14 139 21 18 Martin Methodist 15-5 127 18 19 Lindsey Wilson 13-5 121 23 20 Oklahoma Baptist 9-10 110 15 21 St. Thomas (Fla.) 9-9 102 19 22 Campbellsville 14-5 96 20 23 William Jewell 17-7 90 22 24 Webber International 12-9 68 24 25 Belhaven 14-3 60 25 Others receiving votes: Westmont 42, Milligan 41, Cumberlands 27, Robert Morris (Chicago) 23, Indiana Southeast 19, McKendree 17, Taylor 5, The Master's 3, Northwood (Fla.) 3, Xavier 1, Mobile 1, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Spring Hill 1,; Marian (Ind.) 1.

Lee (Tenn.) dropped out of the top 25 after being tied for 25th in the previous poll. That snapped the Flames' streak of 47 consecutive appearances in the top 25. There are no new teams in this week's top 25, and Xavier was one of seven teams to climb. The top three teams are the same as the previous poll, with Fresno Pacific ranked first for the 14th consecutive time. Martin Methodist, 0-2 this season against Xavier, remained 23rd.

This was the seventh of eight polls this season. The final rankings will be announced Sunday.

The Gold Rush will play May 17 in the first round or May 18 in the second round of the NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala.

Xavier's women, whose season ended Saturday with a 5-0 loss to Milligan in the semifinals of the qualifying tournament, are out of the top 25 for the fourth consecutive time. The Gold Nuggets collected one point to tie for 35th place.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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NCCU Sibling standouts share bond

One minute with Trey and Cameron Chatman, and you immediately sense a special bond between the brother and sister.

Although they have different personalities - Cameron is reserved and laid back, while Trey has the bright grin and fiery spirit - both seemed as one as they discussed their relationship during our interview last Thursday. That bond extends onto the tennis courts at N.C. Central as well.

Cameron just finished her junior season on the women's team as the No. 2 singles players (16-4) and part of the No. 1 doubles team (12-8). Trey, a senior, accomplished his personal goal of 10 single wins. They both helped lead their teams to their best seasons since NCCU reclassified to Division I.



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Southern's Hall learned by example

Frazier Hall

Baton Rouge, LA - Hard work. It’s something every coach talks about, but something players more often learn by example.

Southern University senior first baseman Frazier Hall first began to grasp the concept of hard work watching his older brother Ben recover from brain tumor surgery a decade ago. Ben was 14 years old when a tumor was discovered in the left temporal lobe of his brain – the location that controls short-term memory.

The Hall family expected Ben to come out of brain surgery as a vegetable, sitting in wheelchair and eating from a tube for the rest of his life, not able to pursue his boyhood dreams of playing football.

“The family wouldn’t accept that so we countered that with absolute prayer and belief,” Hall said.  Miraculously, Ben was not only...

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TSU Hires Former Oakland Raiders Assistant Coach

HOUSTON - Texas Southern University, reigning champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conferrence, hired former Oakland Raiders receivers coach Charles Coe as its new offensive coordinator. Coe was the Raiders receivers coach in 2007 and worked in personnel in 2008.

Prior to that Coe was head coach at Alabama State for four years where he was 29-18 and won two SWAC East Division titles and the 2004 league championship.

"I hired Charles because of his experience and because he is a very good teacher," said Kevin Ramsey, TSU interim head coach, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "Charles will help us upgrade our overall football IQ and he is respected throughout the coaching profession."

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Wright helps B-CU win MEAC

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- Matt Wright went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs, and Bethune-Cookman clinched the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 7-3 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday.

The Wildcats moved to 15-0 in the MEAC, 29-19 overall, and clinched the top seed for the conference tournament. UMES fell to 8-35 overall and 7-11 in the MEAC. Patrick Goelz (6-3) allowed two runs, neither earned, on six hits in seven innings. He fanned 11 and walked just one on his way to the victory.

With Late Inning Runs, Wildcats Overcome UMES to Complete Sweep

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Wildcats battled out a pitcher’s duel through the early innings of Sunday’s finale with Maryland Eastern Shore. Beginning in the sixth, the B-CU offense picked up steam while the Wildcat defense held UMES off in the 7-3 win to sweep the Hawks and remain perfect in MEAC play, clinching the MEAC regular season crown and the number one seed for the conference tournament

Matt Wright opened up the scoring for the Wildcats in game three, as the left hander hit a high drifting solo homer beyond the right field fence to take the 1-0 lead. Brashad Johnson’s fifth inning triple to right field set up designated hitter Anthony Stokes’ groundout RBI to create a little more breathing room at 2-0, as Johnson crossed home on the play.

Much like the first games of the series, UMES played tough defense and held B-CU’s hitters without any further runs through the fifth inning, but it’s difficult to keep B-CU down for long.

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NSU softball runs streak to nine games

Junior Whitney Holland (King’s Fork) had two three-RBI games as Norfolk State swept three straight softball games against MEAC rival North Carolina A&T Saturday and Sunday in Norfolk. The Lady Spartans (19-23, 6-6) won 1-0, 12-1 and 9-0 to go to a nine-game winning streak.

Holland, NSU’s third baseman a fifth-place hitter, hit a three-run home run, her third homer of the season, and had another game with two hits and three RBI in the series, taking her RBI total to 25. The Lady Spartans are building toward the MEAC Conference Tournament May 12-14 in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Wright, Schulle Named MEAC Player, Rookie of the Week

NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Danielle Wright and freshman Jamie Schulle of the Norfolk State softball team earned a pair of weekly honors on Monday afternoon, as the duo was named the MEAC Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, by the conference office.

Wright batted .500 for the week (12-of-24) and added 12 runs, one double, two home runs and eight RBI to lead NSU to a 7-0 record last week. The center fielder out of Safety Harbor, Fla., also stole seven bases as the Spartans swept UMES and Hampton in a pair of mid-week doubleheaders before taking all three games against North Carolina A&T over the weekend. NSU ran its win streak to nine games and improved to 19-23 overall on the season, 6-6 in the MEAC.

In the last two games of the series against the Aggies, Wright hit 5-for-9 with five runs, five RBI and two home runs. In addition to ranking seventh in the league in hitting this season, Wright also ranks in the top 6 in runs, hits, home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage and steals. NSU’s primary leadoff hitter currently leads the team with 37 runs, 49 hits, eight home runs, 29 RBI, a .598 slugging percentage, a .432 on-base percentage and 24 steals in addition to ranking second with a .371 average.

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HBCUs seeing ‘renaissance' in NFL draft

SCSU Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough and SC Coach Steve Spurrier
after Gamecock vs. Bulldog Football Game 10/4/09

There was a time when a South Carolina State football player signing with an NFL team was a certain post-graduate job.

Whether through the draft or free agency, a Bulldog player from the late 1960s through the mid-'90s seemed destined to earn a pro roster spot. This was also a prime period for historically black colleges, when as many as 734 players, according to ESPN.com, were selected in the draft and it was viewed as a prized recruiting market for future All-Pros and even Hall of Famers like S.C. State's Deacon Jones and Harry Carson.

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Alabama State women win SWAC track and field title

NEW ORLEANS, La.— The Alabama State University Lady Hornets held a 57-point lead heading into Sunday's final round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship and did nothing to deter from that lead as the Lady Hornets won their second consecutive SWAC Outdoor Championship in commanding fashion scoring 222 points, with the second place team only scoring 106 points.

“I am very happy for the girls and so happy for these seniors,” head coach Ritchie Beene said. “Words can't explain how happy I am for what they accomplished. We had the mindset of bending but not breaking, and that is exactly what the women did. When they were tired, they pushed through.”

The men entered today's final day in sixth place and made a push during the day to wind up the championship in third place. The Hornets were only seven points behind second-place Texas Southern.

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Stillman Captures Fifth SIAC Championship; Cagle Hurls Complete Game in 3-2 Win

ALBANY, Ga. – Junior left-hander Josh Cagle fired his second complete game in less than 48 hours, pitching the Stillman College baseball team to a 3-2 win over Albany State University in the championship game of the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Paul Eames Complex on Sunday afternoon.

The Brookwood native was named the 2011 SIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after his second complete game in the four-day event. The former Tuscaloosa Academy standout worked 18 innings in his two tournament starts and allowed five runs (3 ER) on nine hits with 21 strikeouts and two walks.

Shortstop Josh Beal and first baseman Jarius Brown were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Stillman College 2011 SIAC Tournament Baseball Champions - ROSTER

 Stillman (25-17) won all four games at the 2011 SIAC Tournament Championship in winning its fourth tournament championship in the last five years. The Tigers, who have won SIAC championships in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, also secured the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament, which will begin on May 19. The pairings and location will be announced at a later date by the NCAA.

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Women in Sports: International duo boost ASU golf

ASU Golf Coach Dr. Gary Grandison

Montgomery, AL - Amelie Buhl and Aileen Meredith are part of something special, something they never would have envisioned five years ago.

Both are major components in Alabama State's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship women's golf team, international players leading the surge at an HBCU (Historically black colleges and universities) program.

"It's a big change compared to where I'm from," said Meredith, a sophomore from Apia, Samoa. "At first, I wasn't expecting it to be an all-black school but after the first semester my freshman year, I adapted well. At first, everything was hard and difficult but now it's nothing to me. I'm used to it. I'm enjoying myself here."

ASU golf program soaring under Grandison

What a week for the Alabama State women's golf team. And what a week for their coach, Gary Grandison. Thanks to my good friend, Pete Cobb, and the folks at Montgomery Country Club, I've been paying close attention to the job Grandison's been doing at ASU for a couple of years now. Starting out with very little, he's produced a lot, and last week brought the best production of all.

On Tuesday, the ASU women won the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament for the first time. That's as in, ever. But the Lady Hornets weren't finished.

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Alabama A&M's Frank Kearse taken by Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins' Frank "Big Spoon" Kearse

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M defensive tackle Frank Kearse was selected by the Miami Dolphins Saturday in the NFL Draft. Kearse, taken in the seventh round, was the 231st player taken in the draft.

A 6-foot-4, 315-pounder, Kearse was a second-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection after managing 57 tackles, including 30 solos and 14 tackles for loss last season. Kearse is the first A&M player taken in the draft since Johnny Baldwin was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2007.

Savannah High grad Frank "Big Spoon" Kearse drafted by Miami Dolphins

Savannah High graduate Frank "Big Spoon" Kearse was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft on Saturday night. Kearse, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle, attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Ala.

Kearse said he was watching NFL Network at his Savannah home when he received a phone call from the Dolphins about 10 seconds before his name appeared on the television screen.

Alabama A&M's Frank Kearse taken by Miami Dolphins

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A captain throughout the 2009 and 2010 season, Kearse was a second-team All-SWAC. He finished with 33 tackles, a career high 12 tackles for loss for 41 yards (11th in SWAC), 3.5 sacks for 41 yards, 3 quarterback hurries, a fumble and a forced fumble. Kearse was one of the four players to block a kick attempt. In 2008, he had 30 total tackles (nine solo), 3.5 tackles for loss (14 yards), 1.0 sacks (10 yards), two interceptions (six yards), and one pass break-up.

He was the only Southwestern Athletic Conference football player taken during the 2011 NFL draft.

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Southern Jaguars Splits, Wins Western Division Championship

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — After losing the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Southern baseball team turned to junior right-hander Brian Foster with a chance to win the series. Foster, who won his first start of the season at Jackson State eight days earlier, responded.

Foster got Southern through seven innings in Saturday’s second game, then made way for closer Cody Hall in a 9-2 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to take the three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series. The win, combined with a pair of Grambling losses at Prairie View, gave Southern the Western Division championship.

Foster, who improved to 2-0 since moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation, helped the Jaguars get back on track after a 10-6 loss to the Golden Lions in Saturday’s first game.

Box Score: UAPB 10, Southern 6

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