St. Aug Men Repeat As CIAA Outdoor Track & Field Champions

PETERSBURG, Virginia – The names may change but the winning never stops for the Saint Augustine's University men's track & field team.

The Falcons cruised to their 17^th consecutive men's conference title at the 2014 CIAA Outdoor Championships at Rogers Stadium on the Virginia State University campus Saturday, April 19. They scored 193 points for an 89-point victory margin. Virginia State University was second with 104 points and Virginia Union was third with 94 points.

Coupled with 18 straight CIAA Indoor men's titles, the Falcons have dominated league competition for nearly two decades. And they show no signs of slowing down.

"They just keep continuing to work hard," said legendary Head Coach George Williams, who has guided the St. Aug men's and women's teams to 34 NCAA Division II national titles and over 150 CIAA championships during his illustrious coaching career. "We get a new group every year, and every four years we graduate them. The new ones come in and try to keep the legacy up. It's something that we do."

The St. Aug women's team almost made it a sweep, losing by one point to Johnson C. Smith 132-131. The Lady Falcons led by one point heading into the final event, but they finished second to JCSU by approximately two seconds in the 4x400 meter relay.

"The women had a good run [at the meet]," Williams said. "I feel sorry for them. We lost points in some events because we had a couple of young ladies injured who already qualified for nationals. They couldn't score because of their injuries.

"But you are going to win some and lose some. They fought hard and left it all out there but Smith had a little more left."

St. Aug still won five of the six CIAA men's and women's track & field and cross country championships for the second straight season. The Falcons claimed the men's cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field titles. The Lady Falcons took home the women's cross country and indoor track & field crowns.

The Falcons also claimed the NCAA Division II men's indoor track & field championship for the second straight year. The defending Division II outdoor champs as well, the Falcons are ranked No. 1 nationally in the men's outdoor rankings.

This weekend, St. Aug breezed by its opponents in the men's division with talent and depth. They claimed eight of the 17 events with two Falcons finishing among the top three in six events.

The men's individual winners for the Falcons were Eddie Shelton (Sr./Deltona, FL) in the high jump, DeJon Wilkinson (Sr./Summerville, SC) in the triple jump, Ty'reak Murray (Sr./Portsmouth, VA) in the 110 meter hurdles, James Quarles (Sr./Washington, DC) in the 400 meter dash, Roxroy Cato (Sr./St. Mary's, Jamaica) in the 400 meter hurdles and Torion Bailey (Sr./Compton, CA) in the 800 meter run.

Saint Augustine's won the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. The quartet of Jermaine Jones (Sr./Wilmington, NC), Quarles, Daniel Jamieson (Soph./Windsor, CT) and Taffawee Johnson (Sr./St. Ann, Jamaica) were on the 4x100 squad, and the foursome of Joshua Edmonds (Sr./Jacksonville, FL), Quarles, Kevaughn Hewitt (Fr./Miamar, FL) and Cato were on the winning 4x400 team.

Among the women, Shakinah Brooks (Fr./Raleigh, NC) captured the long jump and Tia-Adana Belle won the 400 meter hurdles. The 4x100 team of Shamia Lassiter (Soph./Chesapeake, VA), Ornella Livingston (Fr./Jamaica), Brooks and Kandace Thomas (Canton, OH) and the 4x400 squad of Belle, Akeisha Dumont (Jr./Brooklyn, NY), Brittany Brown (Sr./Akron, OH) and Cherrisse Lynch (Jr./St. Lawrence, Barbados) placed second. One Lady Falcon placed among the top three in seven of the 16 events which helped the team stay in contention.

After outstanding performances by both the men's and women's teams, St. Aug will make its annual trek to Philadelphia, Pa., for the Penn Relays. The prestigious meet will be held Thursday, April 24 thru Saturday, April 26, at Franklin Field.

Results

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

JCSU Women's Outdoor Track and Field Crowned 2014 CIAA Champions

ETTRICK, Virginia  – The Johnson C. Smith University women's outdoor track and field team wins the 2014 CIAA Championship during the Spring Sports Festival held Saturday, April 19th on the campus of VSU. JCSU recorded 132 team points to edge Saint Augustine's University, who had 131 points. This is the second consecutive championship for the Golden Bulls and the team's third title in four years (2011, 2013, and 2014).

"It was a very tough championship for us, St. Aug had a lot of talented athletes, but we dug deep and pulled it out; it was a total team effort," said JCSU head coach Lennox Graham. "I'm very proud of the whole team: the student-athletes, my assistant coaches, the athletic training staff, and our massage therapist; again it was a total team effort."

Senior sprinter Danielle Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) was named the 2014 Women's Outdoor Track MVP. The Golden Bulls won six overall events, including four individual event titles en route to the championship victory. Williams won the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 100 meters hurdles events. She had a time of 11.71 in the 100m dash, 23.49 in the 200m dash, and 14.09 in the 100m hurdles. Those victories produced 30 points towards the team score.



Junior thrower Imeshia Jones (Reidsville, NC) won the javelin event with a toss of 37.06m. Jones has won the javelin event for the third consecutive season. She also placed sixth in the shot put event with a throw of 11.11m.

The Golden Bulls also won the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay events. In the 4x100m relay, the team of sophomore Shamaz Quince (West Palm Beach), Williams, sophomore Trudy-Ann Richards (St. Thomas, Jamaica), and senior Samantha Elliott (Kingston, Jamaica) finished first with a time of 45.09. The 4x400m relay team of senior A'Tyan Kennedy (Rock Hill, SC), sophomore Tovea Jenkins (St. James, Jamaica), freshman Crystal Campbell (St. Catherine, Jamaica), and Williams ran a season best 3:40.68 to win the event.

In addition to Williams winning the 100m hurdles, Elliott (14.11) and Kennedy (15.01) finished second and fourth, respectively in the event. Richards finished sixth in both the 100m (12.28) and the 200m (25.02) events.

Jenkins set a new JCSU school record with her second place time of 53.48 in the 400m. Elliott placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 54.70. Elliott ran 1:00.27 for second in the 400m hurdles. Campbell and Kennedy placed fifth (1:03.22) and sixth (1:03.99), respectively in the 400m hurdles.

Freshman Domenique Julius-Williams (Ontario, Canada) placed third in the 1500m (4:52.57) and fifth in the 800m (2:19.03) for her conference championship debut.

In the field, senior Shaquitta Anderson (Orangeburg, SC) and freshman Sara Louis (West Palm Beach, FL) placed sixth and seventh in the javelin. Anderson had a throw of 28.10m, followed by Louis' toss of 25.95m in the event. Senior Bianca Parker (New Castle, DE) had a heave of 29.99m in the discus for eighth place.

In addition to 4x100m relay duty, Quince also impressively finished fifth (11.14m) in the triple jump and eighth (5.40m) in the long jump. Anderson also competed in the high jump and placed eighth (1.44m).

Team points were assessed based on the following finishes:
1st place (10 points), 2nd place (8 points), 3rd place (6 points), 4th place (5 points), 5th place (4 points), 6th place (3 points), 7th place (2 points), and 8th place (1 point).

The Golden Bulls will travel to Philadelphia, PA for the 2014 Penn Relays held at Franklin Field. Events are scheduled for April 24-26.

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

From College Drop Out to Medical School Acceptance, Life is full of Second Chances for TSU Graduate

Jonathan Fitzgerald
Photo Courtesy TSU Media Relations

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Life is about second chances. Just ask Jonathan Fitzgerald.

The soon-to-be Tennessee State University graduate has gone from college dropout to graduating with top honors as a biology major. He has already been accepted to medical school and will start in the fall of 2015.

But Fitzgerald readily admits, his journey was not always easy, and eventually found out what he was looking for was already in his own back yard.

Along the way, he attended numerous colleges, started a career and family, and ultimately dropped out of school to adopt his two-week old niece to raise as his own daughter.

“I knew I had the potential to do something great with my life,” Fitzgerald said. “My educational journey has truly been a long and arduous journey.”

The journey started in 1996 at McGavock High School for the Nashville native. He graduated with honors and was ranked in the top 11 percent of his class, while his senior class voted him “Most Likely to Succeed.”

“My goal was to go to college to become a physician and follow in the footsteps of my uncle,” said the 36 year-old Fitzgerald. “It has been a dream of mine from a very early age. I always wanted to specialize in internal medicine.”

The first leg of his journey took him to Atlanta where he attended Morehouse College and majored in pre-med. He lasted a year because he was not prepared for life so far away from home.

“I had no role model for what it took to go through pre-med classes or college life,” Fitzgerald added. “I returned home because I just didn’t have the support system I needed in Atlanta.”

His next stop was Volunteer State Community College, where he took general education classes, then transferred to Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Instead of pre-med, he changed his major to music.

“I always loved music and was a musician in high school,” he said. “I played viola and was in the band, so I thought I could pursue a career in music.”

But he quickly found out that working full-time and going to school was not easy. After a series of life-changing events, he eventually dropped out of school to adopt his two-week old niece, leaving a 1.9 grade point average in his wake.

“It was not a hard decision to make to drop out of school to take care of my daughter and my family,” he said. “She needed me and, at that point, my family came first.”

For seven years, Fitzgerald continued to raise his family, adding two more children along the way, and concentrating on his business career. But there was always a “monkey on his back” nagging at him to go back to school.

In 2009, dressed in his best suit, he made the drive to Tennessee State University, a university that was right in his backyard, and one he never really considered.

“While I was growing up my father would bring me to the football games and I remember singing, ‘I’m so glad,’ and watching the band perform,” Fitzgerald said. “But I heard negative things so I didn’t give TSU a good look.”

But that first walk through the doors, he said, was like a second chance at pursuing the dream of becoming a doctor. Giving it the “old college try,” he walked into Dr. Lois Harlston’s office and told her he wanted to give his dream another shot.

Harlston, chair of the Pre-Professional Students in Health Services, helped Fitzgerald get into the dual Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine (BS/MD) fast-track program with Meharry Medical College. The program prepares students to go to medical school by allowing them to study three years at TSU then enter Meharry as a first-year student. Fitzgerald was one of five students to be admitted into the program that year.

“He was very serious and had his entire education mapped out,” Harlston said. “He told me about his life struggles, but also told me he would do whatever he needed to accomplish his goals. Jonathan has far exceeded my expectations and has performed at the top-tier level.”

During his four years, Fitzgerald’s hard work has paid off. He has been named to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, been the recipient of three TSU scholarships and, most recently, been named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Biology by the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences. He is also graduating with a 3.907 GPA.

It has been a very long journey for Fitzgerald to realize his educational dream and will graduate with nearly 1,000 other candidates Saturday, May 10. He is also keeping a promise he made to his mother who passed away in 2012.

“Before she died, I promised her that I would press on and become the doctor that she and my father always knew I could become,” he said. “I know she will be smiling down on me when I finally receive my diploma. All it took was a second chance, and TSU was
willing to give that to me.”


About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Shaw Bears Claim CIAA Championship With 5-1 Win Over Chowan

COURTESY: SHAW ATHLETICS

PETERSBURG, Virginia --  Shaw University reclaimed their spot atop the CIAA Men's Tennis Championship with a 5-1 win over Chowan Saturday afternoon at the Virginia State University Tennis Complex.  The championship is the ninth in ten years for the Bears.

With the win, the Bears improve to 14-5 overall and qualify for the NCAA regional tennis tournament.  The Hawks fall to 17-9, but could still qualify for the NCAA tournament. 

Shaw's Charles Silva and Sergio Cuartes recorded the first win of the match with an 8-4 win over Danilo Galovic and Pedro Aiala at number one doubles, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead.

At number two doubles, Chowan's Ivan Doubograev and Farid Hajizada evened up the score with an 8-3 win over Andre Monti and Gafur Sirojiddinov.

In a hotly contested match at number three doubles, Bach Tran and Juan Sanchez of Shaw downed Tristan Martin and Sasha Kirsanov 9-8 - 7-3 in the tiebreaker, giving Shaw a 2-1 lead going into the singles matches.

Sanchez brought in a point for Shaw at number four singles as he downed Martin 6-0, 6-0 to give the Bears a 3-1 lead.

The win for the Bears came as Sergio Cuartes at number two singles and Bach Tran at number three recorded near simultaneous victories.  Cuartes defeated Aiala 6-1, 6-2, and Tran downed Kirsonov 6-2, 6-2.

Both teams now await the NCAA Division II Tennis Selection Show to determine where they might be heading in tournament play.  The show will air on ncaa.com at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 29.

Box Score

 

COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATION

James Wilhelmi Named WSSU Interim Men's Head Basketball Coach

James Wilhelmi
Interim Head Men's Basketball Coach
Winston-Salem State University Rams

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Interim Director of Athletics, Tonia Walker, has appointed James Wilhelmi as the Interim Head Coach of the WSSU Men's Basketball Program following Bobby Collins move to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Wilhelmi joined the Rams coaching staff in the summer of 2011 as associate head men's basketball coach under Collins.

"James brings a wealth of experience and a strong knowledge of the game to the WSSU sidelines after several coaching stints," said Walker. "Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in the recruitment and development of several players who have gone on to compete at the professional levels. Coach Wilhelmi has served the WSSU program with passion and integrity. I am confident that he will manage the program in that same manner."

"It is an honor and a blessing to have been chosen to continue to serve WSSU, where we believe in graduating student-athletes and winning championships", says Wilhelmi. "We are continuing to work hard in preparation for another exciting season of Ram basketball".

Prior to WSSU, Wilhelmi had been an assistant coach at the University of North Alabama and spent five seasons at Howard University in Washington, D.C. During his time at Howard, he played an integral role in recruiting some of the top players in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), including a pair of MEAC All-Rookie Team players. He also spent time as an assistant men's basketball coach at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md.

His other coaching stops include the University of Evansville, Texas Southern, the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Hampton, Northeastern Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. During his time at Evansville, he was the team's offensive coordinator where he guided the Evansville Purple Aces to ranking second in the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage and an upset of a top ten opponent when the team defeated the Creighton Blue Jays, who were led by NBA star Kyle Korver. He also recruited former Texas Southern great Sean Walker, who went on to lead the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in scoring. Wilhelmi was also instrumental in teams' successes as he helped guide the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore Fighting Hawks to their first winning MEAC record in 10 seasons and helped the Hampton Pirates to a turnaround season that saw the team win nine more games during the 1999-2000 season representing one of the top ten turnarounds for NCAA Division I teams. He also helped guide the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers to an elite eight appearance in the NCAA Division III National Basketball Tournament. Additionally, Wilhelmi spent a year as a head boys' basketball coach at Sussux Central High School in Georgetown, Del.

Wilhelmi is a 1995 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and he earned a Master of Science degree in human development and community resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (1997). He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and spent several years on the Mid-Major Top 25 voting panel for CollegeInsider.com.

As an athlete, Wilhelmi played high school basketball at La Follette High School in Madison, Wis. and went on to letter in football at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for three years.

"We are prepared to conduct a national search" Walker said. "Realizing this is a time sensitive matter due to recruiting, I am working to post the position to build a quality pool of applicants and we will be prepared to move forward with the process once a permanent director of athletics is named."

COURTESY WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

HBCU Students & Faculty Kaleidoscope of "Happy" to Pharrell Williams Song

Winston-Salem State Tops Virginia State for the 2014 CIAA Baseball Championship

Winston-Salem State University Rams wins their fourth consecutive title.
Photo Courtesy: WSSU Athletics

ETTRICK, Virginia  -- The Rams of Winston-Salem State University are the CIAA Baseball Champions for the fourth consecutive season after a 9-5 victory against Virginia State University in the championship game held on Saturday, April 19^th at Whaley Colbert Field on the campus of VSU.

With the win, WSSU improves their overall record to 33-14 and will await their seeding for the 2014
NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament with today's automatic berth.

The Rams held a lead in this contest from wire to wire. Despite location and based on tournament seeding, Virginia State was the visiting team in the game and batted first. In the top of the first, the Trojans produced one hit, but failed to score a run in the inning.

WSSU delivered one run along with a hit in the bottom of the first, starting with Gavin Culler, who headed to first base after being hit by a pitch. CIAA Player of the Year, Ray Crawford, followed up with a single to center field, advancing Culler to second. An error by the third baseman put Colby Keene on first and brought home Culler for the initial score of the contest. The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Rams until the bottom of the fourth.

In the fourth, Winston-Salem State exploded with seven hits and six runs to expand their lead to 7-0. VSU allowed an additional run in the sixth inning. Crawford smacked a RBI double in bottom of the sixth to bring Culler for a score. The Trojans trailed 8-0 and were held scoreless until the top of seventh.

In the top of the seventh, an error in right field by Crawford opened the door for a VSU comeback. Tyshaun Taylor loaded the bases after the error in right field. Colton Gunn crossed home plate off a fielder's choice from Jamison Griffin. Nicholas Christopher hit a RBI double to score Griffin two batters later. Tyler Coleman scored off an errant throw at third base. Christopher eventually came home for the fourth and final run of the inning.

Neither team scored again until the bottom of the eighth. The Rams put up two hits and one run in the eighth, including a RBI single by Colby Keene. Heading into the ninth inning, the score was 9-4 in favor of the Rams. VSU made their last attempt at a rally with two hits and one run in the ninth.

Zachery Jordan singled to right field for a run batted in (RBI) to score James Goodwin from third.
However, that would be the last run scored as Joshua Markins grounded out to second base to close the game. Scott Wells was charged with the victory on the mound for WSSU. He pitched eight innings, including six scoreless innings. Wells finished with eight hits and four runs allowed (all unearned) along with three strikeouts.

Ray Crawford adds Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team honors to his list of season accolades.

Winston-Salem State still has two regular season games remaining, as tune ups for the NCAA Regional. The Rams will travel to Milledgeville, GA on Tuesday for a matchup with West Georgia, before returning home on Friday to take on Bluefield State.

A complete list of the 2014 CIAA All-Tournament Team is below:

2014 CIAA Baseball All-Tournament Team
Colton Gunn - Third Base/Pitcher - Virginia State
Nicholas Christopher - Utility - Virginia State
Alex Grubb - Designated Hitter - Winston-Salem State
Jeremy Sandifer - Pitcher - Saint Augustine's
Colby Wiggins - Short Stop - Chowan
Tashaun Taylor - Outfield - Virginia State
Blake Eure - Second Base - Chowan
Devin McLemore - First Base - Winston-Salem State
Conner Andrus - Catcher - Winston-Salem State
Ray Crawford - Outfield - Winston-Salem State
David Markins - Catcher - Virginia State
Scott Wells - Pitcher - Winston-Salem State

 

2014 CIAA Baseball Tournament MVP
Ray Crawford - Outfield - Winston-Salem State

COURTESY WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION