The 20th ANNUAL CHICAGO FOOTBALL CLASSIC Announces Teams: Grambling State University Tigers battles Clark Atlanta University Panthers

CHICAGO, Illinois -- The 20th ANNUAL CHICAGO FOOTBALL CLASSIC Announces Teams Grambling State University Tigers battles Clark Atlanta University Panthers

(Chicago, May 8, 2017) The Chicago Football Classic proudly announces this year’s teams. Celebrating a major milestone 20 years in the making, the Chicago Football Classic features a “not to be missed” game between Grambling State University Tigers and the Clark Atlanta University Panthers, Saturday, September 30th at 3:30 PM at Soldier Field.

"The Chicago Football Classic is excited to announce this exciting game that everyone wants to see, and we are proud to bring it to Chicago, says Larry Huggins, Co-Founder of the Chicago Football Classic.

This year’s Classic will be a destination event showcasing not only our series of events including the President’s Reception, Golf Tournament, Pep Rally, HBCU College Fair and Empowerment Summit, Battle of the Bands and of course, the highly-anticipated game, but some exciting surprises as well. Plans are underway to make this the “must attend” Classic of all time.

“This signature event demonstrates the commitment that the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District have towards the Chicago Football Classic, and the experience that is provided to the families of Chicago", says Tim Rand Co-Founder of the Chicago Football Classic.

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Central State releases 2017 football schedule

WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- The Central State University athletic department is pleased to announce the 2017 football schedule which features four home games and an appearance in the Circle City Classic®.

The Marauders open up the season at home against Elizabeth City State on Sept. 2. The meeting between CSU and ECSU will be the first since the 1992 season. CSU opens SIAC play the following week in Georgia against Clark Atlanta on Sept. 9. The Marauders return home on Sept. 16 to host Morehouse. The Marauders will then head to Indianapolis, Indiana to play in the 34th Circle City Classic against SIAC rival Kentucky State in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 23. The month of September wraps up with the Marauders traveling to Columbia, South Carolina to play Benedict on Sept. 30.

CSU celebrates Homecoming on Oct. 7 against Miles. CSU will face SWAC opponent Arkansas – Pine Bluff for the first time since 1996 on Oct. 14 in Arkansas. Senior student-athletes will be recognized during the last home game of the season on Oct. 21 against Fort Valley State.

The Marauders will end the regular season with back-to-back road games against Tuskegee on Oct. 28 and Lane on Nov. 4

All Central State University home games are scheduled to kickoff at 1 pm. Central State will be partnering with the Gem City Sports Network to provide live radio and video coverage of every home game.

For the schedule details, please go to - http://www.maraudersports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

Ticket information will be made available on www.maraudersports.com in the upcoming weeks.

CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship changing the face of golf

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida — The PGA of America is hosting one of the more culturally significant tournaments played at the collegiate level. The 31st annual PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship has now become more competitive than ever.

"I used to grow up watching this tournament," says Dante Davis of the defending champions Bethune Cookman University. "Now to have the opportunity to play in it, and to defend the Championship is a great honor."

And as the defending men's and women's team champions from Bethune Cookman prepare for a battle on the golf course, the competition itself is just part of what the tournament is all about.\

"I see more people like me here playing," says Cameron Riley of the FAMU golf team. "Golf is really a white dominated sport, so when you see minorities playing it makes you feel more at home and welcome."

It's uniquely amazing for Abhinav Walia, the first ever collegiate golfer from Zambia, a small country in Central Africa.

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After a bye, Rush will play Georgia foe in 2nd round

Men's Bracket  (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis received a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye Tuesday when the NAIA announced the bracket and seedings for its national championship tournament at Mobile, Ala.

The Gold Rush (11-5) will play in the second round — the round of 16 — at 9 a.m. May 17 against a Georgia opponent, 15th-seeded Reinhardt or 18th-seeded SCAD Savannah. The Eagles (13-5) and the Bees (8-8) will meet at 8:30 a.m. May 16 in the opening round. Tournament venue for the 14th consecutive year will be Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center (851 Gaillard Drive, zip code 36608, phone 251-208-5181). Admission is free.

XULA will make its ninth consecutive appearance at nationals and ninth overall. The Gold Rush feature four nationally ranked singles players — No. 4 Antoine Richard, No. 19 Moses Micheal, No. 21 Karan Salwan and No. 34 Catalin Fifea — and three ranked doubles teams.

The No. 2 national seeding is the program's highest ever. The Gold Rush have six dual-match victories this season against ranked opponents and three against NCAA Division I teams.

Reinhardt makes its third consecutive appearance at nationals and third overall. The Eagles, who qualified with an automatic bid by winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, opened their dual-match season Feb. 16 by winning 5-4 at SCAD Savannah.

In the most recent meeting between XULA and Reinhardt, the Gold Rush won 9-0 at the 2009 Auburn Montgomery Invitational in Montgomery, Ala.

Like XULA, SCAD Savannah qualified with an at-large bid. The Bees make their fourth appearance at nationals and first since 2009. XULA defeated the Bees 6-0 in their most recent meeting at the 2016 Green and Gray Invitational in Lawrenceville, Ga.

If seedings prevail, XULA would face three teams it already played this year. The Gold Rush could draw No. 7 William Carey in the quarterfinals, No. 3 Keiser in the semifinals and No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett — the three-time defending champion — in the final. XULA is 2-0 in 2017 against William Carey, 1-0 against Keiser and 0-1 against Georgia Gwinnett. The Grizzlies defeated the Gold Rush 5-2 in the 2016 championship round.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets draw bye, will play IWU or Asbury in 2nd round

Women's Bracket  (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS — Eighty-four days ago, Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis was ranked 19th in the NAIA and trying to find a way to move up.

The Gold Nuggets succeeded, beating five ranked teams since then and climbing in five of the next six coaches polls. XULA was rewarded Tuesday with a No. 7 seeding and a first-round bye for next week's NAIA National Championships at Mobile, Ala.

XULA (7-13) will play in the second round — the round of 16 — at 1 p.m. May 17 against 10th-seeded Indiana Wesleyan or 23rd-seeded Asbury. The Wildcats (33-7) and the Eagles (12-3) will meet at 1:30 p.m. May 16 in the first round. Tournament venue for the 14th consecutive year will be Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center (851 Gaillard Drive, zip code 36608, phone 251-208-5181). Admission is free.

XULA qualified for nationals with an at-large bid; Indiana Wesleyan (Crossroads League) and Asbury (River States Athletic) earned automatic bids as a result of winning conference tournaments.

One of the victories which sparked the Gold Nuggets' ascent was a come-from-behind 5-4 victory Feb. 18 against then-No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan in the Grizzly Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga. After falling behind 4-2, XULA rallied with singles victories from Lacee Ancar, Brandi Nelson and Sha'Nel Bruins, who clinched with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 decision over Olivia Reed. The dual match lasted more than five hours — it began at 8:24 p.m. and concluded at 1:29 a.m.

"That was one of the Nuggets' best victories ever," said 14th-year XULA coach Alan Green. "Our team learned it was capable of handling pressure against a talented opponent. The match was a big boost to our confidence."

XULA is 3-0 all-time vs. IWU — including victories at nationals in 2010 and 2013 — and never has met Asbury.

The Gold Nuggets earned a bye for the fourth time in the last five years. They lost 5-2 to Northwestern Ohio in the 2016 opening round. This is XULA's 11th all-time appearance at nationals, its sixth in a row and ninth in the last 10 years.

XULA sophomore Charlene Goreau, a consensus NAIA All-American a year ago, is No. 34 in the most recent ITA singles rankings. Including fall tournaments, Goreau is 14-12 in singles and 11-13 in doubles this season.

Indiana Wesleyan, located in Marion, makes its 18th consecutive appearance at nationals — the Wildcats never have missed since the NAIA adopted a dual-match format in 2000. IWU reached the quarterfinals a year ago and has three ranked singles players this season: No. 19 Rachel Bottorff, No. 40 Alex Mella and No. 44 Lizzie Bauss. Goreau beat Bottorff 6-4, 6-0, and Nelson defeated Bauss 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in February.

Asbury, from Wilmore, Ky., makes its second straight appearance at nationals and second overall. The Eagles lost in the 2016 first round. This year Asbury won 12-of-13 duals, including its last nine, after an 0-2 start.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

It's official: All FAMU teams are eligible for postseason

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- When the 2017-18 academic year begins, and for the first time in years, all of FAMU's athletic programs will be eligible for postseason play.

The NCAA on Wednesday released Academic Progress Rate reports for all schools -- and the penalties various schools will face for low scores. No FAMU program is listed as ineligible for the postseason. It's the first time since the 2013-14 academic year all of FAMU's teams are postseason-eligible.

APR scores, provided and tracked by the NCAA, take eligibility and retention rates into account and provide team-based scores.

Multiyear scores are an average of APR scores over four years.

Typically, teams need multiyear scores of 930 or higher to be eligible for postseason play, however, teams that show improvement over previous years can apply for waivers.

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Judge: FAMU owes fired coach Earl Holmes nothing

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- A Leon County Circuit judge ruled last week Florida A&M "did not violate the terms of its agreement" with then-head football coach Earl Holmes when he was fired four days before homecoming in 2014.

Holmes, in January of 2015, filed a civil lawsuit against FAMU trying to claim he was owed the remaining $400,000 on his contract. He went 6-16 at the helm and was the team's head coach for one full season. He coached two games in 2012 and ei
ght in 2014 before he was fired.

Judge James O. Shelfer, after hearing arguments from the university and from Holmes, said in a May 2 summary judgment that Holmes had the opportunity to do "due diligence" and discover on what terms he could be fired as head football coach.

Holmes was given a 60-day non-renewal notice on Oct. 28, 2014. His contract was officially terminated on Jan. 20 the next year. According to university regulations, any Administrative and Professional Employee can be fired in this way — Shelfer ruled even though Holmes' contract didn't specifically reference that regulation, it was still subject to it, per the language in his deal.

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