A Tale of Two Conference: SWAC supports Legacy Bowl; MEAC schools against it

Unlike most SWAC schools, MEAC powers Florida A&M University Rattlers and South Carolina State University Bulldogs like to play Football Bowl Championship Subdivision schools like Miami, Georgia Tech, South Florida, South Carolina, Florida, Clemson and others for both the high payouts and competition.

On paper, it seemed brilliant and simple. The Legacy Bowl would pit the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference -- against each other. Airing on ESPN, it would guarantee a $3 million payout to be split by the conferences. It would also end the arguments, such as when South Carolina State edged out Prairie View A&M for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network's Black National Championship -- neither team played each other (in fact, the MEAC and SWAC rarely play each other).

Ever since reports about the proposed bowl began to leak out -- first from the Jaguar Journal radio show, then TSPNSports.com and, finally, College Sporting News -- it has seemed like a done deal. Reports say the various presidents of the SWAC and MEAC are 100 percent behind the deal. But, hold on. The proposal has hit a big snag. The game is slated for Dec. 17, 2011, right in the middle of the FCS playoffs. While the SWAC does not participate in the Football Championship Series playoffs, the MEAC has an automatic berth. In fact, the first FCS (formerly known as Division 1-AA) championship game in 1978 was won by Florida A&M over UMass).

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FAN POLL: Question 2: How should MEAC Presidents vote on Legacy Bowl game? Question 1: Should the NCAA require ALL Division I, FCS football conferences, like the SWAC, to participate in NCAA football playoffs to remain at the Division I level in football?

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Things looking up at Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University athletic director Charles McClelland has released a statement that Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M will play the 2010 Labor Day Classic at 4 p.m. Sept. 5 at Reliant Stadium. The game had been originally set for Sept. 4.

If the 2009-10 sports season is an indication, the turnaround of Texas Southern's athletic program is gaining steam. TSU's campaign officially ended last week when the baseball team fell in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers set a school record for total wins (30) and conference wins (18) en route to capturing the SWAC's Western Division title.

The baseball team's season capped a year full of notable accomplishments for TSU. The football squad finished 6-5 for its first winning season since 2000. The men's basketball program improved to 17-16 from 7-25 the year before, advancing to the SWAC tournament final and falling one win short of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003. The softball team went 21-20 for its first winning season since 2002 and first Western Division title since 2000.

The Tigers faltered in some areas, notably women's soccer and the track and field programs, but Charles McClelland sees encouraging signs heading into his third year as athletic director. “The ironic theme is that approximately 90 percent of our student-athletes will be returning for next year's competition, so we're a young athletic program and a program that has made tremendous strides,” McClelland said. “We're extremely happy and positive about the direction that (we're heading in) after only two years.”

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CIAA: Run on the Right Track‎

Maybe it’s time to reassess the pecking order in black college sports. I know most of us will argue until we’re blue in the face that it should be what I refer to as the “barber shop sports” of football and basketball. Those are the games folks talk about at the shop, as in, “My team is gonna stomp your alma mater, and we’ll smoke your band at halftime, too.” It makes for animated debates, but HBCUs, don’t produce hoops and football national champions, let alone a consistent pipeline of NBA or NFL talent any more. Track and field does.

Saint Augustine’s College dominated the sprints to claim the NCAA Division II men’s track and field title last week at Johnson C. Smith University, the 31st national title in the school’s history. “The kids were on point,” Falcons head coach George Williams said. “Everything was just so smooth. We didn’t give up anything. I got good performance from all my kids. You don’t win championships with one guy, you win championships with everybody.”

That’s why black college track and field has been able to hold its own since southern white colleges were desegregated in the late 1960s while blue-chip football and basketball players opted for pro farm clubs in the ACC, SEC and Pac-10. Saint Augustine’s is the platinum standard and can hang with the best of Division I, but the Falcons have company. Lincoln University (Mo.) is a Division II national power; Lincoln University(Pa.) is one of the best programs in Division III and joins the CIAA next year. That league will be loaded, to say the least, with St. Aug’s and JCSU on the upswing.

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Lakeland alum gets Hampton University Pirates out of the blocks

Predist Walker, Position: Hurdles/Relays, Height: 5-11, Weight: 158, Class: Junior, Hometown: Suffolk, VA, High School: Lakeland HS.

HAMPTON, VA — Anyone who thinks track isn’t really a team sport should chat with Hampton’s Predist Walker. Walker, a junior for the Pirates and a Lakeland graduate, is the first leg of Hampton University’s 4x100-meter relay team and what a team it’s been during this outdoor season. The Pirates set a new school record and a new MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) record (39.71 seconds) in winning the conference crown in early May.

Last weekend, in the NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C., the Pirates took more time off their new school record with a time of 39.55 seconds. More importantly, HU’s relay team qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. June 9-12. Hampton’s time is the ninth-best time in NCAA Div. I this season. In addition to the outstanding, and steadily improving, times for the Pirate sprinters, the team is as unified as any sports squad around. In fact, it’s part of why they’re having success. “We’ve been together since our freshman year, so we’ve built a real connection. We’re pretty much like brothers,” Walker said.

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Cador ready to recruit, rebuild SU baseball

The Southwestern Athletic Conference handed out a championship trophy Sunday. The Southern baseball team wasn’t there to see it, much less accept it. The trophy instead rested in the hands of James Cooper, the coach at archrival Grambling, which earned the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Monday, while the Tigers waited to learn their NCAA regional destination, the Jaguars were back home, contemplating a season that started with promise but ended in disappointment. Like most of its SWAC counterparts, Southern had talent but also its fair share of flaws.

The Jaguars still had a shot to win last week’s SWAC tournament because no other team was dominant. Jackson State, the Eastern Division champion, crashed and burned with two quick losses. Texas Southern, the West champion, lost its first game and flamed out Friday, two days before the title game. But the same flaws Southern displayed all season — among them, sloppy defense, poor situational hitting and a suspect starting rotation — ultimately doomed the Jaguars in an 8-7 tournament loss to Alcorn State. As a result, their season ended prematurely.

In a sense, Roger Cador’s 26th season as the SU baseball coach had ended long before that. Thanks to a since-fixed glitch in his pacemaker, Cador left his team in the hands of assistant coach Fernando Puebla over the final three weeks — and while Cador watched the tournament from the dugout, he made no in-game decisions. Now, Cador said, doctors have green-lighted his offseason workload, and he intends to get back to business.

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Beach High offensive lineman Harris signs with Savannah State University

Harris was named to the First Team, 2009 Georgia All-Region 3-AAAAA Football Team for his offensive line performance. Harris, who had qualified with test scores since his junior year, plans to major in Aerospace Engineering at Savannah State.

The choice: Go play football or make mom happy? Alfred Ely Beach High School senior Darryl Harris was able to do both. On Wednesday morning, the Bulldogs' offensive tackle signed a letter of intent to continue his career at Savannah State University. "I had already been accepted to Tuskegee University and Alabama State University, but my mom wasn't too out there for me going that far away for college," Harris said. "When Savannah State offered me this opportunity, it allowed me to stay close to home."

Harris, well-built at 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, has the size to be effective but the mobility and quickness to be able to block on the run. "Playing my position of left tackle on the offensive tackle, with my speed, it allows me to get to the outside and contain players better than most people can who aren't as quick as I am," Harris said. "But I know I have to improve my strength more and just get stronger."

Harris is the second Beach Bulldog to sign with SSU in the past week. Receiver/running back/quarterback Simon Heyward, 5-10/180 (First Team wide receiver, 2009 Georgia All-Region 3-AAAAA Football Team) signed his letter of intent seven days earlier.

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Bitter End to Tough Year on the Bluff for Southern Jaguars

Southern University athletic director Greg LaFleur is a former LSU tight end and retired St. Louis Cardinals football player. As always, next season will be a more fruitful year for the SU Jaguars and the former 3rd round NFL draft pick.

Some 2 1/2 months ago, near midcourt at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, members of the Southern women’s basketball team gathered, overflowing with joy. They donned T-shirts and hats, commemorating their newly won Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship. Smiles and hugs were aplenty. For the SU athletic department, it was the brightest moment in an otherwise brutal year.

Football season started with loads of promise. It quickly turned into a disaster. The Jaguars were lifeless at the Bayou Classic, and a nutty, wild chain of events led to a gruesome last-minute loss at Texas Southern in the season finale. As a result, SU dumped iconic coach Pete Richardson after 17 years, five SWAC championships and four black college national titles. Even to Richardson’s critics, his dismissal was painful to watch, in part because officials hammered it out so swiftly — on a gray Monday afternoon, 48 hours after the TSU loss. It was also painful because Southern bought out the final year of Richardson’s contract — even at a time of severe budget cuts, layoffs and furloughs at the university.

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Former FAMU Quarterback Casey Printers starter for B.C. Lions

BC Lions look to the past to prepare for 2010 football season‎

With the B.C. Lions set to play home games outdoors for the first time in nearly three decades, much of the talk around the team’s 2010 Canadian Football League season will focus on its past and its ties to the original Empire Stadium on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds. But as the Leos get set to kick off training camp in Kamloops on June 6, head coach and general manager Wally Buono intends to take a different path down memory lane. The man with more CFL coaching wins than anyone else is far more interested in recent history than in nostalgia.

Buono spent much of the off-season trying to figure out how to get his 2010 football club to look and play like the teams he had here four, five, and six years ago, when the Lions truly were kings of the CFL jungle, getting to the Grey Cup in 2004 and winning it all in 2006. Last year, the Lions lost their way as they stumbled to a forgettable 8-10 record. While they managed an overtime win in Hamilton in their playoff opener, they suffered an embarrassing 56-18 thumping one week later at the hands of the eventual champion Montreal Alouettes.

And, of course, there is Casey Printers (Florida A&M University), who comes to camp as the starting quarterback after his much-ballyhooed return to the club late last season. Unlike last year, though, Printers will have the luxury of a full training camp to begin putting his stamp on the Lions. Buono believes that Printers can get his game back to the level it was at in 2004, when he was the CFL’s most outstanding player.

“When he came here last year, he worked hard and won the locker room, and not only excited the players in the locker room but everyone in the organization and the fans,” says Buono. “He wants to lead this team. It’s the number-one position on any football team, and we feel right now we’re in excellent hands. Casey is in the prime of his growth and development as a quarterback.”

"You talk about offence, you talk about excitement, you talk about a guy who raises everybody else up, and the guy that did that for us last year was Casey Printers. I think he excited not only the players in the locker-room, but everybody in the organization and our fans. It was something we needed." -- Coach Wally Buono on his No. 1 QB.

Lowered expectations for once mighty Lions

VANCOUVER — The once-mighty B.C. Lions have fallen from the “expectant” category in the Canadian Football League into the “hopeful” group. In an eight-team league, that’s a precipitous drop and a significant change as the rookies gather on the Hillside Stadium fields of the campus of Thompson River University in Kamloops, B.C., for the beginning of training camp on Wednesday.

There are, of course, reasons and explanations for the downgrade. Foremost is team performance the last two seasons in which the Lions, firstly, were bumped from the top perch by the Calgary Stampeders (2008); then forced to qualify for playoffs by crossing over to the East Division when their ugly 8-10 record was superior to two woeful teams in the have-not division.

Heading to camp, instead of grand expectations, the Lions are hoping quarterback Casey Printers is, indeed, the answer to revitalizing a moribund offence. They are hoping they have the line protection needed so Printers or Jarious Jackson or Travis Lulay will have time to look off their primary receiver without fear they are going to be killed by the blind-side rush. Heading for Kamloops, they are hoping that, at 33, running back Jamal Robertson has one more good year in him or until Jamall Lee can get his feet under him. They are hoping they discover another Emmanuel Arceneaux to augment established stars Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson.

LIONS ROAR INTO HILLSIDE

Local football fans are in for a treat. For the next 17 days, the B.C. Lions will be at Hillside Stadium preparing for the upcoming Canadian Football League season. The action gets underway today (June 2) with the beginning of the team’s rookie camp, followed by full two-a-days beginning this weekend. Between June 6 and June 19, the squad will practice twice each day on the artificial turf at Hillside. The only exception will be June 13, when the Lions face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a CFL exhibition game in Regina.

Jeff Putnam, sport development and business operations manager with the City of Kamloops, said the fact the Lions are holding training camp in the Tournament Capital speaks volumes about the city’s facilities. “It means a lot with an outward perspective,” he said. “It solidifies the fact that our facilities are at a professional calibre.” And it means a lot for local football fans. On-field training camp practice sessions are open to the public — and there’s no charge.

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CFL Game of the Week, Eastern Semi: BC 34 ...

Starring Casey Printers, B.C. Lions, (FAMU); Hamilton WR Marquay McDaniel (Hampton University) and Hamilton RB Martell Mallet (Arkansas-Pine Bluff). Mallet is now 2010 member of NFL Philadelphia Eagles.

Click here to listen to Casey Printers on the TEAM 1040

B.C. Lions sign quarterback Casey Printers to contract extension ...

Just as he was during a magical run in the summer of 2004, Casey Printers is once again the go-to guy for the B.C. Lions. The Canadian Football League's Most Outstanding Player in that 2004 season returned to the Lions Den late last year and showed enough in limited action for the team to anoint him its starting quarterback moving forward. That was made official when the two sides agreed to a new contract on Sunday (March 7).

It's been an interesting six years for Printers since he left the Lions to pursue his dream of playing in the National Football League. When that didn't pan out, he returned to the CFL and had a less than successful stint with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Printers looked like he may have played himself out of professional football at this time last year when there were no takers for his services. But when the Lions ran into injury problems at the most important position on the field last September, they reached out to Printers, who jumped at the chance to resurrect his career and led the Lions to a playoff win in Hamilton and showed enough to earn the new deal.

He's only 28, an age when many pro quarterbacks are coming into their primes. It seems the professional hardships he's been through may have given Casey Printers some perspective and allowed him to mature. He's got the physical tools to play the game as he displayed with his electrifying performances six seasons ago. And now he's got the contract he was looking for and the starter's job that goes with it. He's taken a less than conventional route to return to his roots, but Casey Printers is back to lead the B.C. Lions in 2010.

Lions release Champion

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The B.C. Lions' remake of the quarterbacking depth chart continued Monday with the release of Zac Champion.The Louisiana Tech grad was mostly a third-and fourth-stringer in his two years with the Lions, although a rash of injuries last season meant he saw action in one game. He went four-of-14 for 35 yards with two interceptions.

Earlier in the off-season, after re-signing Casey Printers to a long-term deal, the Lions released former starter Buck Pierce. He later signed with Winnipeg. Jarious Jackson, also a onetime starter, and Travis Lulay are the other quarterbacks currently on the depth chart behind Printers. General manger/ head coach Wally Buono expects to add one more thrower before the start of training camp June 6 in Kamloops.

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CFL Calgary adds pair of MEAC stars

Former Norfolk State University quarterback Dennis Brown, #10 from Miami Central High School (Florida) has a legitimate shot with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders.

Two more quarterbacks and one more defensive back have been added to the Calgary Stampeders' training camp roster. The Stamps announced Wednesday that quarterbacks Michael Desormeaux and Dennis Brown, as well as DB Jason Horton, have signed contracts with the team and will be at training camp, which kicks off with rookie camp a week from today.

Brown, meanwhile, completed his college eligibility at Norfolk State University last fall, passing for 2,228 yards while throwing for 18 touchdowns; he also set a school record with 571 yards in rushing and five touchdowns.

Horton will be trying to resurrect a career that started promisingly. After a brief stint with the Toronto Argos in 2003, the 30-year-old North Carolina A&T State University product played two seasons with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 and 2005, and has since spent time on practice rosters or injured reserve with Houston, Kansas City and Oakland without playing another game.

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Tuskegee Golden Tigers feature five home games in bid for fifth straight SIAC football championship

Under Coach Willie Slater’s leadership, Tuskegee is 42-5 for the last four years. Slater maybe the best head football coach in Division II.

Alvin Jackson, Tuskegee University director of athletics, recently released the 2010 football schedule, which includes an 11-game slate for the Golden Tigers, defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) champions. The Golden Tigers, 10-2 in 2009, will play in three neutral site classics, five home games and three other road contests.

Homecoming 2010 will be celebrated on November 6, when the Golden Tigers tangle with the Dragons of Lane College. Nine games make up the required SIAC conference slate. Two out-of-conference games are booked with Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponents, Texas Southern University and Alabama State University.

Tuskegee opens the 2010 season at home against Benedict at Abbott Stadium in a conference matchup. On September 11, the Golden Tigers will face in-state conference rival Stillman in Tuscaloosa. Tuskegee will entertain Albany State at Abbott Stadium on September 18. The Golden Tigers will fly to Los Angeles, Calif., for a showdown with Texas Southern University in the Angel City Classic at the 100,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 25. After returning from the West Coast, Tuskegee will host Miles College at Abbott Stadium on October 2.

The 75th Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic will be staged at McClung Stadium in Columbus, Ga., on October 9. This is the longest-running HBCU rivalry and the 2010 game will be the 100th overall meeting between Tuskegee and Morehouse. Two road encounters against SIAC foes, Fort Valley State and Clark Atlanta, on October 16 and October 23, follow the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic. The Golden Tigers will close out the month of October, hosting Kentucky State on October 30.

SIAC conference opponent Lane will serve as the Homecoming guest for Tuskegee on November 6. The regular season will end with the 87th Annual Turkey Day Classic against long-time in-state rival Alabama State at Cramton Bowl, Montgomery. The Golden Tigers and the Hornets will meet for the 97th time.

Tuskegee will seek its fifth consecutive conference title, 29th overall SIAC crown, and its ninth HBCU National Championship. Under Coach Willie Slater’s leadership, Tuskegee is 42-5 for the last four years. The Golden Tigers have won 63 of 71 games (63-8) in a streak that dates back to 2004 and will be gunning for their seventh consecutive 10-plus win season.

Tuskegee Golden Tigers 2010 Football Schedule

09/04/10 - *Benedict College, at Abbott Stadium, Tuskegee, AL 1:00 p.m.
09/11/10 - *Stillman College, at Stillman Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL 5:00 p.m.
09/18/10 - *Albany State University at Abbott Stadium, Tuskegee, AL 1:00 p.m.
09/15/10 - Texas Southern University at Angel City Classic, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
10/02/10 - *Miles College, at Abbott Stadium, Tuskegee, AL 1:00 p.m.
10/09/10 - *Morehouse College at A. J. McClung Memorial Stadium, Columbus, GA 2:00 ET, 75th Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic
10/16/10 - *Fort Valley State University at Wildcat Stadium, Ft. Valley, GA 2:00 p.m.
10/23/10 - *Clark-Atlanta University at Panther Stadium, Atlanta, GA 2:00 p.m. ET
10/30/10 -*Kentucky State University at Abbott Stadium, Tuskegee, AL 1:00 p.m.
11/06/10 -*Lane College (Homecoming) at Abbott Stadium, Tuskegee, AL 1:00 p.m.
11/25/10 - Alabama State University at Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL 1:00 p.m.
(87th Turkey Day Classic)

*SIAC Conference Games

Bethune-Cookman draws Florida Gators in NCAA Regionals

B-CU draws UF in regionals

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Just as the NCAA baseball selection show was coming on Monday afternoon, the satellite dish at the local restaurant went on the blink due to a weather disturbance. "Don't they know that's the reason we're here," Bethune-Cookman coach Mervyl Melendez joked. But the satellite reception resumed just as the Gainesville Regional teams were being announced and the Wildcats lifted their heads from their conversations and meals long enough to find out their first regional opponent will be the Florida Gators for the second year in row.

Then they returned to their chicken wings and fries. No hoots, no cheers no applause. "We're used to it by now," senior pitcher Andrew Tilka said. "We expect to be someplace watching it every year. And we knew we'd be going to either Florida or Miami." The Wildcats will be playing in the regionals for the fifth straight year and for the 11th time in the past 12 years, but they are still looking for their first win over a No. 1 seed. They've never come closer than last year when they led 7-5 going into the bottom of the ninth where the Gators scored three runs to stave off the upset with an 8-7 win.

Gainesville Regional team capsules

Bethune-Cookman University, 2010 record: 35-20

Players to watch: C Peter O'Brien, 1B Ryan Durrence, OF DJ Leonard, P Roman Lacara

Of note: Sophomore ace Ali Simpson (6-1, 4.66 ERA) was suspended three games by the MEAC in the semifinals vs. North Carolina A&T for an in-game shoving incident. If the suspension holds, Simpson isn't eligible to pitch until game three of the regional as he sat out one game (the MEAC final).

Quotable: O'Sullivan on B-CU — "Obviously, we're real familiar with Bethune. We got rained out against them this year and they gave us everything we could handle last year (in the Gainesville Regional). They're very, very well coached and they're a good club and we'll have to play well (to beat the Wildcats Friday)."

Of note: This is Florida's 26th NCAA Regional appearance and the Gators have claimed seven titles. Five of those titles came while hosting in Gainesville. The Gators are a combined 37-6 all-time against FAU and Bethune-Cookman, including a 23-0 record against B-CU. If Oregon State and Florida meet, it will be the first time the two programs have played against each other.

Quotable: Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan: "We figured we'd be one of the eight (national seeds). That was the goal from the beginning of the season so we can host regionals, super regionals. It's awfully nice to play at home.“

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Grambling State to face Arkansas in NCAA Opener

Arkansas will host Grambling in the first round of the NCAA's Fayetteville Regional Friday at Baum Stadium. Arkansas announced that the Hogs would playing Grambling at 2:05 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 seed Washington State and No. 3 seed Kansas State will meet in the nightcap at 7:05. The winners will advance to play Saturday night at 7:05. The losing teams will play at 2:05 in an elimination game.

The Razorbacks (40-18) will host their first regional since 2007 and fourth in seven years while the Tigers will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985. Grambling (22-29) won the SWAC Tournament championship last week to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Playing an afternoon game gives Razorbacks and Tigers a chance to get on the field first instead of waiting all day for the NCAA Tournament opener. If the Tigers win, they’ll have more than 24 hours to prepare for their next game. If they lose, they’ll still be the team with more rest heading into the elimination game. And when you’re dealing with the potential of playing four or five games in three or four days, any extra rest could prove very, very valuable.

Washington State (34-20) will travel to Fayetteville as the No. 2 seed in the regional and will face No. 3 seed Kansas State (36-20) on the first day. Arkansas and Washington State are no strangers to one another. The Razorbacks went 4-0 against the Cougars in 2009, winning 10-3 in the first game of the Norman Regional and sweeping Washington State in the season opener for both teams last year. The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will be paired with the winner of the Tempe Regional. Arizona State, the No. 1 overall seed, will headline that field.

Fayetteville Regional schedule:
Friday, June 4
Game 1 – Arkansas vs. Grambling – 2:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Washington State vs. Kansas State – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, June 5
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, June 6
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 2:05 p.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 – 7:05 p.m.
Monday, June 7 (if necessary)
Game 7 – Same teams as in Game 6 – 7:05 p.m.

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Saint Augustine's College Successfully Defends Division II National Track and Field Crown

St. Augustine's earns men's Division II track title ‎

Saint Augustine’s dominated the sprints to claim the NCAA Division II men’s track and field title Saturday at Johnson C. Smith’s Irwin Belk Complex. The Falcons ran away with the men’s competition on the third day, outscoring second-place challenger Abilene Christian 82 to 62. Central Missouri finished third with 38 points. Angelo State won the women’s crown with 87 points, besting 2009 champion Lincoln (Mo.'s) 73. Grand Valley State was third with 47.
The Falcons won their 31st NCAA crown overall behind Josh Scott, who won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. Scott also anchored the winning 4x400 relay team and ran on the winning 4x100 squad. The host Golden Bulls had two sprinters in the top four places in the 400 men’s meters. Junior Leford Green finished second with a time of 45.68 seconds, behind Scott’s 45.11.

James Howell of Angelo State clocked in at 45.95 to capture third. Freshman Akino Ming was the only first time competitor in the event and placed fourth with a time of 45.96.
JCSU’s Shermaine Williams won the women’s 100 hurdles for the second straight year by with a time of 13.14 seconds. Indira Spence of Adams State placed second at 13.15, followed by JCSU’s Rosemarie Carty in 13.37. Scott’s time of 45.11 seconds in the 400 is the 10th fastest in Division II history, and the 4x400 team’s time of 3:04.95 was the fastest in Division II this season. It was about two seconds faster than second-place Angelo State.

Saint Aug's men do it again on track

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Longtime St. Augustine's track and field coach George Williams held up his index finger as he took a photo with the members of his winning 4x400-meter men's relay team at the conclusion of the NCAA Division II Championships late Saturday at Johnson C. Smith's Irwin Belk Complex. The gesture signified that his men's relay team had won yet another title in its signature event (18th in the past 24 years) and that his team had won again, as well.

The Falcons, paced by their sprinters and jumpers, took their second consecutive NCAA Division II men's outdoor track and field title, and 11th overall, and Josh Scott cemented it when he crossed the line to give his relay the victory in 3 minutes, 4.95 seconds. "We don't think about winning as much as people think we do," said Williams, who took over the program in 1976 and has coached U.S. World Championship, World Cup and Olympic teams. "We just come to perform at our best. If we win, that's a blessing."

Saint Augustine's College athletic director and head track and field coach George Williams:

"I just take what I get and try to mold them the best way I know how," said Williams, whose team started the day with just five points but totaled 82 to beat runner-up Abilene Christian by 20.

"Whether we're at the top or the bottom, we know we did the best we could. That's all we could do." Central Missouri's men finished third with 38 points. Johnson C. Smith's men tied for 11th, and Queens finished tied for 23rd. Angelo State won the women's crown with 87 points, 14 more than 2009 champion Lincoln (Mo.). Grand Valley State was third with 47 points. Queens was sixth, Johnson C. Smith was 10th, and St. Augustine's was 11th.

D-II Outdoor Track Championships: view gallery

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Division II 2010 Outdoor Track & Field All-Americans Announced

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday the 336 student-athletes that will receive USTFCCCA All-America honors in Division II. A total of 434 awards will be presented to the 336 individuals as a result of a national top-eight finish in last weekend’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

USTFCCCA All-America PDFs: By Team | By Event | Previous Award Recipients
Final National Team Ranking PDFs: Week-by-Week
NCAA Championship Scoring Summary

Saint Augustine’s College won the NCAA men’s team title for the second-straight year and for the 11th time overall. With 82 points and five event champions, the Falcons took the spot over Abilene Christian who scored 62. Saint Augustine’s men led with 20 individuals receiving All-America nods, followed by Angelo State (12) and Central Missouri and Lincoln (Mo.) (11).

On the women’s side, Angelo State also received 20 All-America certificates while Lincoln (Mo.) earned 16 nods and Grand Valley State tallied 13. Angelo State won their first NCAA team title, scoring 87 points with three event champions. Lincoln (Mo.) took second with 73 team points.

MEN’S NOTES

Saint Augustine’s College junior Josh Scott recorded double NCAA crowns in the 200 and 400 meters. Scott, the defending 400-meter champ won this year’s one-lapper in 45.11 over CIAA rival Leford Green of Johnson C. Smith University. Scott won the 200 meters in 20.53. Scott also claimed double relay NCAA national titles with a lead-off leg of the 4×100 (39.75) and as the anchor of the Falcons’ 4×400 (3:04.95).

JCSU's Green did win the 400-meter hurdles in a blazing time of 48.67. Only Olympic medalist Bershawn Jackson has run faster at an NCAA Division II Championship (48.50). Scott’s time also places him as a top-10 World performer in the event in 2010.

WOMEN’S NOTES

Sophomore Semoy Hackett of Lincoln (Mo.) reset the all-time Division II best in winning the women’s 200-meter dash in 22.75 and into a headwind (-0.5 m/s). Hackett topped what was the Division’s all-time best and NCAA meet record of 22.85 set in 1993 by Norfolk State’s Chandra Sturrup. Hackett also won the 100 meters, marking the second-straight year in which she earned the double-sprint win.

Johnson C. Smith University junior Shermaine Williams won a second-straight NCAA championship in the 100-meter hurdles, clutching victory over Adams State’s Indira Spence by an eyelash in a 13.14 to 13.15 photo finish.

In another thriller, Lincoln (Mo.) frosh Michelle Cumberbatch held off Angelo State multi-eventer Aisha Adams to clock a championships-meet record time of 56.85. Adams’ time of 56.93 was also under the 2006 meet record of 57.18 set by Lynnsey Dailey. Defending champ Christine Merrill of UC San Diego was third at 58.04.

Lincoln (Mo.) took the 4×100-meter crown for the second-straight year. This year’s squad of Kirlene Roberts, Semoy Hackett, Sudian Davis, and Tia Rolle clocked 44.73. Hackett and Davis were also on the 2009 squad that won the NCAA title.

Lincoln (Mo.) Racquel Anderson won the long jump over teammate and defending champ Anna Kay Campbell by virtue of second-best jumps. Anderson and Campbell both notched a best of 19-11½ (6.08m) in their opening jumps, but Anderson’s second-best mark of 19-6¼ (5.95m) on her fourth attempt bettered Campbell’s second-best, fifth-round attempt of 19-5½ (5.93m).

Fort Valley State junior Antionette Oglesby captured the NCAA title in the triple jump for the second-straight year, leaping to 42-6¼ (12.96m) this year to win by 17 inches.

HBCU MEN ALL-AMERICANS

200m Dash Antoine Thomas Albany State (Ga.)
400m Dash Antoine Thomas Albany State (Ga.)
Long Jump William Bailey Bowie State
4×100m Relay Aaron Allen Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay John Brown Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay Roger Chaney, Jr. Fort Valley State
100m Dash Keon Montgomery Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay Keon Montgomery Fort Valley State
400m Dash Leford Green Johnson C. Smith
400m Hurdles Leford Green Johnson C. Smith
400m Dash Akino Ming Johnson C. Smith
400m Hurdles Sabiel Anderson Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Sabiel Anderson Lincoln (Mo.)
400m Hurdles Steve Banton Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Steve Banton Lincoln (Mo.)
100m Dash Kimour Bruce Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Kimour Bruce Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Dwain Bryden Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Mandela Clifford Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Jean Nougues Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Rupert Smith Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Gavin Terrelonge Lincoln (Mo.)
Triple Jump Barry Batson Morehouse
100m Dash Lemario Bland Morehouse
00m Dash Antonio Abney Saint Augustine’s
400m Dash Antonio Abney Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Antonio Abney Saint Augustine’s
100m Dash Richard Boone Saint Augustine’s
200m Dash Richard Boone Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Richard Boone Saint Augustine’s
110m Hurdles Jason Boyd Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Jason Boyd Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Jason Boyd Saint Augustine’s
High Jump Christopher Copeland Saint Augustine’s
Long Jump Orolando Duffus Saint Augustine’s
Triple Jump Orolando Duffus Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Kelly Fisher Saint Augustine’s
200m Dash Josh Scott Saint Augustine’s
400m Dash Josh Scott Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Josh Scott Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Josh Scott Saint Augustine’s
110m Hurdles Steve Simeus Saint Augustine’s
100m Dash Sean Stuart Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Sean Stuart Saint Augustine’s
High Jump Hoova Taylor Virginia State
110m Hurdles Melvin Edison Virginia Union

HBCU WOMEN ALL-AMERICANS

Javelin Melinda Bastian Benedict
4×100m Relay Shankevia Burke Fort Valley State
Triple Jump Kiana Key Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay Tiffany Moore Fort Valley State
4×400m Relay Tiffany Moore Fort Valley State
Long Jump Antionette Oglesby Fort Valley State
Triple Jump Antionette Oglesby Fort Valley State
4×400m Relay Latonya Payne Fort Valley State
100m Dash Portia Wilson Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay Portia Wilson Fort Valley State
4×100m Relay Raven Wilson Fort Valley State
4×400m Relay Raven Wilson Fort Valley State
4×400m Relay Portia Wilson Fort Valley State
100m Hurdles Rosemarie Carty Johnson C. Smith
4×100m Relay Rosemarie Carty Johnson C. Smith
4×100m Relay Monique Kelly Johnson C. Smith
4×100m Relay Lakaevia Tyler Johnson C. Smith
100m Hurdles Shermaine Williams Johnson C. Smith
4×100m Relay Shermaine Williams Johnson C. Smith
Long Jump Racquel Anderson Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Anna Kay Campbell Lincoln (Mo.)
Long Jump Anna Kay Campbell Lincoln (Mo.)
100m Dash Nyoka Cole Lincoln (Mo.)
200m Dash Nyoka Cole Lincoln (Mo.)
400m Dash Nyoka Cole Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Nyoka Cole Lincoln (Mo.)
400m Hurdles Michelle Cumberbatch Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Michelle Cumberbatch Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Sudian Davis Lincoln (Mo.)
100m Dash Semoy Hackett Lincoln (Mo.)
200m Dash Semoy Hackett Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Semoy Hackett Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Keniesha Jones Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Kirlene Roberts Lincoln (Mo.)
4×100m Relay Tia Rolle Lincoln (Mo.)
4×400m Relay Sheena Johns Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Sheena Johnson Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Kyra Mobley Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Keisha Parris Saint Augustine’s
200m Dash Barbara Pierre Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Barbara Pierre Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Barbara Pierre Saint Augustine’s
4×100m Relay Angelique Smih Saint Augustine’s
400m Dash Angelique Smith Saint Augustine’s
4×400m Relay Angelique Smith Saint Augustine’s

Fayetteville State Broncos sign future stars

Football star makes decision to play for FSU ‎

Manteo, N.C. -- Manteo High School's C. J. Bailey accepted a full scholarship to Fayetteville State University and will play football for the school next year. “I was so excited when I got the news,” Bailey said. “I told my parents, and my mom freaked out and started kissing me and my dad was so proud.” Bailey has played football for the Redskins for four years. As a freshman, he played on the JV team. However, he has been on the varsity team for the past three years. “Football has [always] been my favorite sport,” Bailey said. “I really like scoring touchdowns and getting sacks. I really like the running back position too, I’ve played it for a long time and I get to score.”

“CJ has finished his career with 3,647 yards rushing, 40 touch downs, had a total of 366 tackles, 7 sacks, and 4 fumble recoveries. He has also been All-Conference for the past 2 years and was MVP for the past 2 years. CJ was the Four Rivers conference player of the year this year. All of these things are statistics that show he can play at that level. I think the most important thing is that he is just an all around good kid and a great leader,” head football coach Eddie Twyne said.
Bailey cites dedication and determination as two of the main reasons for how he go to where he is today. “I had to work hard and commit myself to get to the point that I am at,” Bailey said. While attending FSU, Bailey plans pursue a degree in physical education.

During the 2009 season, the 5-11/205 running back had 184 carries for 2,002 yards and 25 touchdowns--a whooping 10.88 yards per carry average. C.J. longest run was 94 yards. On defense, playing at line backer position, C.J. had 55 solo tackles, assisted on 82 others for a 137 season total. On special teams, Bailey averaged 62.8 years on five returns, and had one return of 95 yards. Too say the least, this fellow can play football! CJ lead Manteo High School in 2009 to a 12-1 season record and the second round of the Class 1-A state playoffs.

Tiffany Locklear Signs with Broncos!

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PEMBROKE, N.C. - When it came down for Purnell Swett's High School Tiffany Locklear to chose a college to continue her softball career at, she wanted to find one that felt like a family. Locklear believes she found what she was looking for when she signed a letter of intent to attend Fayetteville State. "They have a good softball program and the coach Miguel Justiniano is easy to get along with," said Locklear. "It felt not only like a softball team, but a family. It's not too far down the road so my family can come support me and watch most of my home games."

Besides the campus' proximity to her home, Locklear was looking for an opportunity to play as a freshman. "There's an opportunity to play there at shortstop," Locklear said. "The coach came to a couple of my games and has assigned me to shortstop. It's right there for me." The senior is currently hitting .424 with a double and 13 runs batted in for the Rams, who are the No. 3 seed out of the Southeastern Conference. Locklear also plays with the Dixie Diamondbacks, a traveling softball team. She hit .408 last summer and helped the team to finish first in four of the eight tournaments the team played in, as well as a third place finish in the World Fastpitch Connection A Class World Series.

Purnell Swett coach James Graves said Locklear has been a pleasure to coach because she puts the team above her personal achievements.

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Grambling State University claims SWAC baseball tournament title

Grambling State University Tigers first year coach James Cooper wins first SWAC championship.

SHREVEPORT, LA — As the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament crawled along, the regular-season powerhouses quietly tiptoed out of Fairgrounds Field. Eventually, Grambling and Alcorn State found themselves in the championship game. Sunday afternoon, with an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament on the line, Grambling was quiet no more. The long-suffering Tigers — playing against Alcorn State University and their former coach, Barret Rey — unloaded on the Braves pitching staff and got a sterling effort from left-hander Adrian Turner in a convincing 15-2 victory.

It is the ninth SWAC championship for Grambling, but its first in 25 seasons. The Tigers hadn’t won a baseball title since 1985, when then-coach Wilbur Ellis led them to their third consecutive crown. This time, their coach is James Cooper, who, at 29 years old, took over the Grambling program last summer when Rey left after three years for the same job at Alcorn.

The Braves (28-27), who finished third in the SWAC Eastern Division, were 3-0 in the tournament heading into Sunday’s championship game, with two wins over Southern and one more against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Grambling (22-30), which finished third in the SWAC West, went undefeated in four games at Fairgrounds Field. Jackson State lost its first two games. Southern and Texas Southern flamed out Friday.

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Morgan State Bears Football to Face North Dakota State University Bison

Morgan State University has an East versus West date with perennial NCAA Division I FCS power North Dakota State University Bison of the Missouri Valley Conference. The game will be played at the Bison home field at the Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota.

FARGO, N.D.-- North Dakota State University finalized its 2010 football schedule with a 6 p.m. home game against Morgan State University on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010 in the Fargodome. NDSU director of athletics Gene Taylor made the announcement today. The Bison have six home games on the 2010 schedule.

Morgan State University is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Head coach Donald Hill-Eley led the Bears were 6-5 last season and tied for fourth in the MEAC with a 4-4 record. Morgan State returns six starters on offense and six on defense. It is the first meeting between the Bison and the Bears.

The Morgan State game is the first of three in a row at home after NDSU opens at the University of Kansas of the Big 12 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 4. The Bison will face a rejuvenated Jayhawks program under first year head coach Turner Gill (formerly at University of Buffalo). Gill has a familiar MEAC name on his staff in coach Lee Fobbs, serving as Director of High School Relations/Player Development. Fobbs served as head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University in 2006-08, ending his head coaching career at 2-28.

After Kansas, the Bison will play at University of Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 11. The Bison are scheduled to entertain the University of South Dakota at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 and Western Illinois at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 in the annual homecoming game.

North Dakota State then embarks on Missouri Valley Conference Football road trips to Youngstown State on Oct. 9 and Illinois State on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Bison return home for three in a row with Indiana State in the Harvest Bowl with the game time to be determined on Oct. 23, Southern Illinois at 3 p.m. Nov. 6, and South Dakota State in the Dakota Marker game at 3 p.m. Nov. 13.

NDSU closes out the season at Missouri State on Saturday, Nov. 20.

North Dakota State averaged 16,515 spectators over five home dates in the Fargodome and placed ninth in the 2009 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) attendance figures released by the NCAA. NDSU had a season-high 18,608 spectators in the Fargodome for the 27-24 loss to Illinois State on Oct. 3, 2009. The football program has enjoyed seven sellouts over the past four seasons including a school record 19,053 against South Dakota State in 2006. The Bison are 30-9 in the Fargodome over the past seven years under head coach Craig Bohl.

North Dakota State finished the 2009 season with a 3-8 record overall including a 2-6 mark in the MVFC.

The Morgan State Bears have completed an exceptional schedule for 2010. The Bears opens with in-state rival Bowie State University Bulldogs of the CIAA on Sept. 4 at Hughes Stadium. The teams last played in 2006, and the Bears edged the Bulldogs by a score of 28-20.

The Bears return six starters on the defensive side of the ball including #7 Darren McKhan, senior defensive back Miramar H.S./U. Connecticut, from Miami, Florida.

In the first meeting ever on the gridiron, Morgan State will take on Atlantic Coast Conference bottom dweller, the University of Maryland Terrapins. The Bears will be meeting the Terps at a good time as they finished last season with a 2-10, 1-7 ACC record. Don't expect much improvement this season under head coach Ralph Friedgen who cannot recruit the best players from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. The Bears should give the Terps a tough game with their lights out defense.

The Bears thereafter will travel to Fargo, N.D. on September 18 to prove MEAC supremacy with a stampede of the North Dakota State Bison. After chomping up on the Bison, the Bears will travel to the New Meadowlands Stadium at East Rutherford, N.J., for the 39th Annual New York Urban League Football Classic. There, the Bears will continue their "undefeated streak" with MEAC rival Howard University Bison.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2010 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME/RESULT
9/4/2010 Bowie State University Hughes Stadium 6 p.m.
9/11/2010 at University of Maryland College Park, MD 6 p.m.
9/18/2010 at North Dakota State Fargo, ND 6 p.m.
9/25/2010 * Howard University East Rutherford, NJ 2 p.m.
10/2/2010 * Bethune-Cookman College Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.
10/9/2010 * North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, NC 1 p.m.
10/23/2010 * Delaware State University (Homecoming) Hughes Stadium 1 p.m.
10/30/2010 * at Florida A&M University Tallahassee, FL TBA
11/6/2010 * at Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA TBA
11/13/2010 * South Carolina State University Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.
11/20/2010 * Hampton University Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.