10th-ranked Rush defeat 13th-ranked Crusaders 8-1

NEW ORLEANS -- Five from Xavier University of Louisiana won in doubles and singles Saturday in an 8-1 men's victory against William Carey at the XU Tennis Center.

It was the fifth victory of the season for the Gold Rush (7-9) against a ranked NAIA opponent. Xavier is ranked 10th, and William Carey (8-7) is 13th. Xavier is 2-0 against the Crusaders this season.

"Everyone played hard, which I was really proud of," XU coach Alan Green said. "We were ready to play, took charge from the beginning, played strong in doubles and never let up. I hope that will continue."

Nikita Soifer and Jordan Harrell, partners for the first time since the fall semester, gave Xavier a 1-0 lead when they defeated Aleksei Tumakov and Michael Vetter 8-3 at No. 3 doubles. Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht followed with an 8-3 victory against Jose Ruda and Lukas Moritzen, and the Gold Rush completed the doubles sweep when Kevin Chaouat and Tushar Mandlekar beat Ricky Keppeler and Phillipp Mueller 8-4 at the top flight.

Chaouat and Mandlekar are 9-2 as a doubles team this semester.

Mandlekar gave Xavier a 4-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-0 decision against Vetter at No. 4 singles. Soifer, playing No. 1 singles, clinched for the Gold Rush when Keppeler retired after trailing Soifer 7-5, 1-0.

Chaouat defeated Ruda 6-2, 6-0, and Harrell and Svoboda won third-set super tiebreakers to give the Rush an 8-0 lead. Harrell beat Moritzen 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3), and Svoboda defeated Mueller 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8).

Svoboda snapped his four-match singles losing streak and won for the first time since Feb. 28. It was the first time in eight opportunities this season that Svoboda won in doubles and singles in the same dual.

Both Xavier teams will travel to Jackson, Miss., to play Jackson State at 1 p.m. Sunday. Green announced an addition to the men's schedule -- 3 p.m. Wednesday at the University of New Orleans.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Purple Defeats Gold in Alcorn State 2014 Spring Game, 21-16

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

LORMAN, Mississippi  --  It was a beautiful day on the "Reservation" as Head Coach Jay Hopson and his Alcorn State Braves strapped up for the 2014 Spring Game this afternoon at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium.

The Braves gave the fans a little taste of what to expect this fall season.  Star quarterback John Gibbs, Jr. looked very impressive moving the chains and staying poised for the gold team while backup quarterback Lenorris Footman proved he could get the job done as well for the purple squad.

The gold team struck first on a 18 yard scamper by Robert Clay to go ahead 6-0.  A few minutes later kicker Haiden McCraney nailed a 41-yard field goal to extend the gold teams' lead to 9-0.

But the purple team went to work led by Footman who had a huge rush for 22 yards which set up a one-yard touchdown run by junior college transfer Darryan Ragsdale to cut the lead to 9-6.

Starkville native Billy Shed caught a three-yard dagger from Footman to give the purple sqaud the lead 14-9.

Second Team All-SWAC wide receiver Jordan Payne retook the lead for the gold team when Gibbs hit down the sideline for 64-yard touchdown making the score 16-14.

The defense played an outstanding spring game on both sides but it was the purple squad who came up big.  Jamil Cooks intercepted a pass in the second half for and returned it for the game-winning touchdown as purple defeated gold 21-16.

Defensive back, Kylan Johnson, also intercepted a pass for the purple squad.

"I thought we played very physical this afternoon and it was also a hard,clean scrimmage between our guys," stated Head Coach Jay Hopson.  "Certainly there are plenty of areas we need to clean up before we wrap spring practice but other than that our guys got after each other which shows the competitiveness in our ball club."

The Braves will practice for another week in and half before closing out spring practice as they continue to prepare for the 2014 season home opener on August 30th against Virginia University of Lynchburg.

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

UMES Takes Third Place at the NCAA Bowling Championships

Hawks eliminate top-ranked Arkansas State before falling to Sam Houston State

WICKLIFFE, Ohio --   Sometimes a team just has your number. That was true today for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), who battled back from an opening loss to Sam Houston State, to face them in a rematch in the semi-final round that would end the Hawks' championship hopes in third place.

UMES returned from the lunch break firing on all cylinders. They were taking on the nation's top-ranked team and No. 2-seeded Arkansas State University (ASU). The Red Wolves battled with the Hawks, but in the end there was just too much fire power from UMES.

Coach Kayla Bandy inserted freshman Justyne Falbo (Greensburg, Pa.) into the lineup in the second spot for the match after seeing her warm-up well.  The move paid off. The Hawks took game one 247-174, tossing all strikes to just a pair of spares and an open, which came on the first frame and did no harm.

In game two UMES continued to bowl well, shooting a 202, but ASU took advantage of opens from Falbo and Tatiana Munoz (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) to gain the edge and tie the match at one game each.

The third game was all Hawks. So much so, that the only blemish was a wobbly 10-pin in the first frame by Megan Buja (Rockford, Ill.). After that, no one missed, and UMES shot a tournament high 290, easily rolling past ASU who put up a respectable 248.

Game four went to the Hawks again as they rode the momentum of the 290 all the way to a 244, opening just one frame on a split by Munoz and one on a split on the second and third balls of the tenth frame from anchor Mariana Alvarado (Leon, Mexico). That was significant because until then Alvarado hadn't missed, tossing 14 straight strikes in the match.

Game five saw the Red Wolves make a charge and roll a 226. UMES split twice, once from Falbo and once from Valerie Riggin (Vista, Calif.) and although the team covered them with eight strikes, their 215 total was 12 pins shy of the win.  The final game was clean for the Hawks who tossed six strikes and five spares (including the fill), to shoot 228 and top ASU's 206, taking the match 4-2 and eliminating the Red Wolves from the championship.

"We bowled really well that match," said Bandy. "We were really in the pocket and when we missed a little the team had each other's back." 

But the thorn in the side of the Hawks came a calling.  The Bearkats of Sam Houston State, who had a bye in the previous round, was ready for UMES. On the same lanes that the Hawks lost to them the first match of the day, they would defeat Maryland Eastern Shore 4-0 to advance to the television finals and become the first eight-seed to ever make it that far in the 11 years of the event.

Game one was close all the way. The Hawks were clean until the ninth frame when Munoz split and opened the frame.  Despite eight strikes and a pair of spares from Falbo, it was just enough for the Bearkats to take advantage of and win 230-221.

Game two wasn't pretty for either team. Sam Houston State shot just a 188, but the Hawks couldn't take advantage. The sure-firing Alvarado opened in the tenth, Falbo opened in the sixth and Munoz and Riggin both split but at least recovered to spare their frames. UMES mustered just a 166, tossing only three strikes and never stringing them together.

Game three was another nail-biter. Victoria Jones (Baltimore, Md.) subbed in for Falbo and tossed a strike and a spare.  The Hawks threw six strikes, but back-to-back opens in the fifth and sixth frames could not be recovered from and Sam Houston jumped out to a 224-212 win and went up 3-0 in the match.

Game four was more of the same as the Hawks opened just once and tossed five strikes and five spares, but the Bearkats could anticipate their first trip to the championship match and pulled away to win 223-196.

"I can't complain," said Bandy. "I wanted to win and it's hard to talk about right now, but I think overall we bowled the best weekend of the whole season. We were amazing on Thursday and today we really dominated in our wins, but for some reason Sam Houston State gets amped to bowl us and while we had a few tough games against them we never bowled bad.  But today was their day and I give them credit for making the finals, my hat is off to them."

The loss ends the NCAA Championship hopes of the Hawks in third-place in the semi-final round. It also ends the NCAA portion of the season for the lone senior Megan Buja. She had a pretty good run in the event, winning the title in 2011 and 2012 and this season shooting the high average and high game on the team games.  She finished third her other two appearances, collected three NCAA Elite 89 awards and an All-America honors along the way.

But it is not over for the Lady Hawks, who leave Sunday for Reno, Nev. to bowl in the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships.  Last season, after being bounced in the semi-finals of the NCAA Championships, they went to the USBC Collegiate event and claimed their fifth National Championship in school history.

They have one senior that can think of no better way to finish her career than with a sixth title.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Joseph Webster Commentary: No black engineers, please! Just ballplayers

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. is killed helping garbage truck drivers in Tennessee.

April 4, 2014, Tallahassee Democrat: “Senate approves money for FSU engineering school.”

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- It’s ironic that, on the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., in Tallahassee, capital of the great state of Florida, we had a major university trying to roll back the hands of time to the unequal days of Jim Crow.

At a time when the country needs to come together and show a sense of unity, one should not have to fight to hold onto small gains that were made in an attempt to begin to rectify the 400 years of unequal treatment that blacks and other minorities have been subjected to in these United States of America.

What’s appalling is that state Sen. John Thrasher states a desire to “protect Florida A&M University by separating the schools of engineering” when he knows full well that Florida will never adequately and equitably fund two schools of engineering in the city. In almost poetic fashion, juxtaposed with the picture of Thrasher holding the microphone on Page 1A was a photo of Jameis Winston holding a football. Florida State University will go to all lengths to find black football players and has no problem with the football team that is mostly African-American, but it has significant difficulty in funding an engineering program that would allow African-Americans at least the opportunity to be exposed to the same level of engineering expertise as their white counterparts.

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Joseph Webster Sr. is a physician in Tallahassee and owner of Webster Surgical Center. He also is a past president of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association. Contact him at joeleeweb1@gmail.com .  Dr. Webster is the author of this commentary.

Howard To Hold Annual Spring Game Today at 1:30 PM



COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
(L)  Gary "Flea" Harrell



WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- The Howard University football team will officially end spring football practice with its Annual Spring Game on Saturday at 1:30 in Greene Stadium.  The game will be broadcast live on Heritage Sports Radio Network (www.hsrn.com), with Lamont Germany, Chuck Walton and Sarafina Hamer providing wall-to-wall coverage.

With a large contingent of players returning from last season, the Bison have looked sharp in practices and scrimmages.

"I have been pleased overall with the way things have gone," commented Howard head coach Gary "Flea" Harrell.  "We will be looking at the overall operations and team performance in the spring game.  We will evaluate the offense, defense and special teams in terms of coming together in a game format.  That will include play calling and discipline on all sides of the ball."

Offensively, much revolves around quarterback Greg McGhee, the 2013 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and a three-year starter.  The offensive line returns four of the five starters while the running game features three outstanding backs in Anthony Philyaw, William Parker and Aquanius Freeman.

Defensively, Howard has talent and depth on the defensive front and one of the top safety combination in the MEAC in Julien David and Cameron Alston.

"Since this is the final phase, we want to know who's going to stand out and show what they can do.  We want to execute on offense and eliminate turnovers.  Defensively, we want to play fast and be physical."

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Philip Gyau Named Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Howard U.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Howard University alumnus Philip Gyau (B.A. '87) has been named head coach of the men’s soccer team. The announcement was made April 8, 2014 by Interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick and Louis “Skip” Perkins, director of athletics. Gyau brings more than 20 years of experience to the position as a respected coach and a former U.S. National Team Player.

“We are excited to bring an alumnus home,” said Perkins. “Philip Gyau is one of the most technically proficient coaches in the world and an extraordinary recruiter. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber join our athletic program.”

Since 1998, Coach Gyau has placed 20 players on Youth National teams. He has played in six National Championships and won four of them. Gyau has several years of coaching experience. In 2007 and 2011, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) named him Coach of the Year. In 2007, Gyau was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.

“I am so thrilled to return to Howard because it’s the place that molded me into the coach and player I am today,” said Gyau. “Howard taught me that the key ingredient to happiness and success is to never give less than your best. I am looking forward to giving back to the program that gave me so much. I will do my best to return this soccer program to prominence.”

Gyau is married to Leslie Amina Gyau. Their son, Joseph-Claude Gyau, and daughter, Mia-Irene Gyau, are both soccer players.

About Howard
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 30 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University's Web site at http://www.howard.edu.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Stud defender Jones happy he returned to Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Javancy Jones enrolled at Southwest Mississippi Community College in early January.

He settled in his new dorm room, took classes and worked out with the football team.

But it didn’t feel right.

“I didn’t have a roommate, so I used to go to my room by myself and just think about the pros and the cons of my decision,” Jones said. “Every time, I went to my room, it was like, ‘Why am I here?’

Like, I had it good at Jackson State, and I didn’t even give the new coaching staff a chance.”

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