Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Three for three: Florida A&M sets another season ticket sales record



TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Once again, Florida A&M’s football program is reaping the benefits of a dedicated fan base.

The hard work being done in the ticket office certainly helps, too.

For the third year in a row, the Rattlers have set a season ticket sales record. Every year since Athletic Director Milton Overton’s first at the helm, the program has set new marks for season tickets sold.

Stephanie Kimbrough, director of ticket sales and operations for FAMU, said as of Monday afternoon, 4,472 season tickets have been sold. Last year’s total was 4,300.

“We’re shooting for 5,000,” she said. “We’re hoping we can get that last push. We’re trying to get those last ones this week and next week.

“I think people are starting to see the value of the Investing in Champions program and how it benefits our student athletes. That has contributed tremendously to our success.”

FAMU will open the 2017 college football schedule with the Jake Gaither Classic against Texas Southern in Bragg Memorial Stadium at noon on Aug. 26.



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Monday, August 14, 2017

Gold Nuggets picked 1st; 4 named preseason All-GCAC


NEW ORLEANS — Six-time defending volleyball champion Xavier University of Louisiana is favored to win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference title again, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
     

XULA has four of the eight players on the preseason All-GCAC team: libero Amanda Perry, setter Tiffany Phillips, middle blocker/right side Hasani Salaam and outside hitter Juliana Tomasoni. Perry, Phillips and Salaam are sophomores; Tomasoni is a senior.
     

The GCAC announced the results Monday.
     

Following the Gold Nuggets in the predicted order of finish were Dillard in second place, SUNO third, Talladega fourth, Tougaloo fifth, Edward Waters sixth and Philander Smith seventh.
    

Perry, from Bolingbrook, Ill., and a graduate of Bolingbrook High School, was GCAC Defender of the Year, first-team All-GCAC and Louisiana Freshman of the Year in 2016 and set a XULA season record of 529 digs. Phillips, from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, was GCAC Setter of the Year and second-team All-GCAC a year ago. Phillips led the conference with 8.34 assists per set.
    

Salaam, from New Orleans and a graduate of Lusher Charter High School, was second-team All-GCAC in 2016 and led the Gold Nuggets with a .249 hitting percentage and 62 blocks. Tomasoni, from Nova Trento, Brazil, and a graduate of Francisco Mazzola in her home country and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, led the Gold Nuggets a year ago with 345 kills, 27 aces and 14 double-doubles and was second with a .242 hitting percentage and 391 digs. She was MVP of the GCAC Tournament, first-team All-GCAC and second-team All-Louisiana.
     

The Gold Nuggets, led by new head coach Pat Kendrick, will open their 10th season of intercollegiate volleyball Aug. 25 in the UM-Dearborn Early Bird at Dearborn, Mich. — 3 p.m. EDT against Trinity International and 7 p.m. against Madonna. The XULA home opener will start at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 against Mobile at the Convocation Center.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Chicago State Cougars Finish 3-0 in the Bahamas with 93-79 Win Over CTG Knights

NASSAU, Bahamas – Chicago State men's basketball finished off its exhibition slate here with a 3-0 record after earning a 93-79 win today over the CTG Knights at Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium.

Juniors Anthony Harris (Gary, Ind./Griffith (Ind.)) and Fred Sims, Jr. (Chicago, Ill./North Lawndale) each produced seven points in the first quarter as CSU forced its opponents to shoot 26 percent from the field en route to a 26-13 lead then posted a slim 18-14 second quarter advantage to take a 44-27 leading margin at halftime. CTG outscored Chicago State by a 25-19 tally in the third quarter to close within 63-52 before the Cougars posted a slim 30-27 score in the final stanza to end the game.

The Green and White used balanced scoring to defeat the Knights as six of the seven players that played finished the game with double digit points. CSU also held advantages in rebounds (57-47), assists (19-10) and blocked shots (5-1).



Harris finished with a game-high 18 points and three steals to lead Chicago State, while senior Deionte Simmons (Detroit, Mich./Lewisville (Texas)) produced a double-double of a game-leading 18 rebounds and 15 points.

Sims, Jr. also tallied 15 points followed by redshirt freshman Travon Bell (Chicago, Ill./Mather) with 14 points and seven rebounds, and freshman Cameron Bowles (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood) added 13 points. Senior Glen Burns (West Memphis, Ark./West Memphis Christian) rounded out the group by scoring 13 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a game-high eight assists.

Van Hutchinson matched Harris for game high scoring honors with 18 to lead four CTG Knights in double figures. Livingston Munnings contributed a double-double of 14 rebounds and 13 points.

The Cougars will spend the next couple of days enjoying Nassau before they return to Chicago on Tuesday.

BOX SCORE

CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Cam Newton's brother Caylin on Howard: 'This is my Auburn'

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Caylin Newton has spent much of his formative years in the shadow of his older brother, former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.

Caylin is a decade younger than Cam, the former NFL MVP who stars for the Carolina Panthers, and has been compared to him at every stage of his childhood on the football field. Caylin is hoping to change that now that he's entering his freshman year at Howard, a small historically black university in Washington D.C. that plays in the MEAC.



"I'm trying to make my own path," Caylin recently told the Washington Post. "I'm trying to be a person that stands for who I am, but my last name is my last name. I get it. I mean, he's a big deal. NFL MVP. So I can't be not owning who my brother is."

Still, Caylin is trying to make a name for himself for the Bison after signing with the program in February. While both were standouts at Atlanta area high schools, Cam has 6 inches on his little brother and was a far more coveted prospect. Caylin threw for 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior at Grady High while running for more than 1,000 yards and 13 scores, but his size disadvantage kept him more under the radar despite his family name.

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MEAC Monday: Hampton plays in Puerto Rico while UMES and Bethune-Cookman release 2017-2018 schedules

HAMPTON, Virginia -- WE HAVE SOME BASKETBALL GAME ACTION!

Two more MEAC teams have released their 2017-2018 schedules. Yet what really gets me excited is live basketball action, and thanks to Hampton we have a little warm up for the upcoming season.

How well are the Hampton Pirates coming together? A team-building trip can give us a few answers.

The Pirates played three games this weekend in Puerto Rico against international competition and went 3-0. On Friday, the Pirates defeated UC Bayamon 86-60 behind an impressive defensive performance. Outstanding sophomore guard Jermaine Marrow led the charge with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Pirates saw three others score in double figures as Austin Colbert scored 13, Lysander Bracey had 12 and Greg Heckstall added 10 points accompanied with 12 rebounds. The balanced offensive attack provided a comfortable lead, but it was the stifling defense that made the difference. The Pirates held UC Bayamon to just 26 percent shooting on the night.

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HAMPTON MEN FINISH PUERTO RICO TRIP 3-0 WITH 78-64 WIN

GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO – The Hampton University men's basketball team finished a 3-0 weekend of international competition in Puerto Rico with a 78-64 win over Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) on Sunday night.

In a reverse of Saturday night's victory, Hampton opened the game outscoring the hosts 23-12 in the first quarter and held a 49-32 lead at the half. UMET outscored the Pirates 32-29 in the second half, but couldn't get closer.

Jermaine Marrow topped Hampton with 21 points and nine rebounds while Kalin Fisher added 12 points for the double figure scorers on Sunday.

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New York Jets Signs Former JSU WR Daniel Williams



NEW YORK, New York -- The Jets signed wide receiver Daniel Williams and waived WR Deshon Foxx.

Williams recorded 47 receptions for 599 yards and three touchdowns for Jackson State in 2016. The 6'3", 200-pounder totaled 2,497 yards and 19 touchdowns on 184 receptions in four seasons for the Tigers.

Foxx originally signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets in January, but was waived May 9. He was re-signed later that month when the team placed WR Devin Smith on injured reserve after he tore his ACL in Phase One of the offseason workout program.

Dan turned heads at JSU Pro Day in April, clocking a 4.3 in the 40 yard dash. He signed with the Raiders in May as an undrafted free agent and participated in rookie minicamp.

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Sunday, August 13, 2017

FAMU bound Wilson High graduate hit by stray bullet dies

Jamahri Sydnor
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Jamahri Sydnor spoke with the enthusiasm of a cheerleader and an eloquence beyond her years.

Whether the event was ordinary or exceptional, the 17-year-old approached it with unbridled energy and a broad smile. She jumped for joy for classmates who passed an exam or were accepted to college. She convinced a discouraged friend to stay in school and led an impromptu dance aboard a sightseeing boat around Manhattan.

She was so excited about her future and heading to Florida A&M University in about 10 days that she posted a copy of her acceptance letter on Twitter.

A single bullet ended her plans.

Sydnor died Saturday, two days after she was shot in the head by a stray bullet fired about 3:30 p.m. Thursday as she drove along a street in a Northeast Washington neighborhood.

Police said she remained on life support until Saturday, a difficult state for her friends to comprehend as they recalled her upbeat demeanor. “There was never a day I saw her she didn’t have a smile on her face,” said Patrice Arrington, the college and career coordinator at her school, Woodrow Wilson High in Northwest Washington.

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