Bowling: UMES Perched Atop December NTCA Poll

UMES Head Bowling Coach Sharon Brummell

After an eventful fall semester, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore of Princess Anne, MD was ranked as the No. 1 NCAA women’s bowling program in the country by the National Tenpins Coaches Association in its December national poll. UMES received 16 out of a possible 25 first place votes.

Highlighting their successful first half was the Hawks’ championship match victory over the University of Central Missouri to win the 20-team Hawk Classic in Millsboro, DE. UMES (41-7) also ended in second place at the 18-team Jersey Jamboree in Howell, NJ; and owns a commanding six game lead in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Northern Division after 20 matches.

Ranked second was Fairleigh Dickinson University of Teaneck, NJ, 2010 NCAA national champions. The Knights (40-9), who collected four first place votes, won the championship of the Jersey Jamboree by defeating UMES in the title match; finished in second at the 22-team Jeanette Lee Invitational in Midlothian, VA; and after nine matches sits in a first place tie in the North East Conference with three other schools.

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National Tenpin Coaches Association Poll

December 2010

Rank	School (first-place votes)	Season Record
1.	Maryland-Eastern Shore (16)	41-7
2.	Fairleigh Dickinson (4)	40-9
3.	Nebraska - Lincoln (5)	19-3
	tral Missouri	26-14
5.	Sam Houston State	28-13
6.	Arkansas State	26-10
7.	Kutztown	41-13
8.	Sacred Heart	35-14
9.	New Jersey City	36-13
10.	Adelphi	41-18
11.	St. Francis (NY)	33-16
12.	Vanderbilt	13-17
13.	Valparaiso	27-20
14.	Alabama A&M	11-5
15.	Stephen F. Austin	15-13
16.	Norfolk State	28-15
17.	Delaware State	24-22
18.	Florida A&M	21-12
19.	Minnesota State - Mankato	19-18
20.	Louisiana Tech	27-17
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically)
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC; Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX;  Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA; State University of New York Institute of Technology, Utica, NY;  University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, Whitewater, WI.

Wood lifts NC State past Delaware State 72-70

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Scott Wood's putback with 2.1 seconds left lifted North Carolina State past Delaware State 72-70 on Wednesday night.

Richard Howell scored a career-high 16 points, C.J. Leslie had 15 and DeShawn Painter added a career-high 14 for the Wolfpack (7-4). They led by 13 late in the first half but needed some drama to hold off the pesky Hornets. Casey Walker scored 20 points and hit four 3-pointers for Delaware State (4-6), and his free throw with 37.2 seconds left tied it at 70.

Wolfpack escapes Delaware State upset

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Scott Wood picked the right time to hit his first basket. Wood's putback with 2.1 seconds left gave N.C. State a 72-70 win over Delaware State on Wednesday night at the RBC Center. Wood was 0-for-6 before he grabbed a missed 3-pointer from Ryan Harrow about eight feet from the basket and coolly dropped in the game-winning shot.

Delaware State's last gasp, a halfcourt shot by Jay Threatt, bounced off the front of the rim and harmlessly to the floor. N.C. State got a career-best 16 points from Richard Howell and 15 from forward C.J. Leslie and 14 from DeShawn Painter against the undersized Hornets.

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Norfolk State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

Norfolk State University released its 2011 football schedule on Tuesday. Highlighting the slate are six home games, including the return of the Labor Day Classic, and a road game at Big East power West Virginia (9-3, 5-2 Big East).

The Spartans open the season on Sept. 3 against Virginia State (8-2, 7-1 CIAA) at Dick Price Stadium. After the Spartans played VSU in their third game of the season in 2010, the game returns to Labor Day weekend for the next four years.

"Having Virginia State back on Labor Day weekend is a great way to kick off the season," head coach Pete Adrian said. The VSU Trojans won the Division II, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Eastern Division championship in 2010.

The following week, the Spartans trek to Morgantown, W.Va., to face West Virginia University. It will be the Spartans' fourth-ever game against a Division I FBS opponent, and third against a Big East team after facing Rutgers in 2007 and 2010. WVU is currently 9-3 and was Big East Conference co-champion with Connecticut and Pittsburgh.

Coach Pete Adrian's Spartans will play at West Virginia

"This will be a major challenge, to say the least, to face a Big East champion," said Adrian, who graduated from WVU in 1970. "But our team looks forward to these games and this will be no exception."

The Spartans open MEAC play at Howard University (1-10, 0-8 MEAC) on Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C.

NSU's third and final non-conference game of the season will come on Sept. 24 against FCS foe Charleston Southern (3-8, 1-5 Big South)at Dick Price Stadium. The teams have never met.

"Playing Charleston Southern will be a good test for us, and a nice non-conference game to add to our league's schedule for next season," Adrian said.

The Spartans' final seven games of the year will be against conference opposition. With the addition of North Carolina Central and Savannah State to the MEAC for 2011, MEAC teams will no longer play every conference opponent each season. NSU will not face NCCU (3-8) and 2010 MEAC Co-Champion Florida A&M (8-3, 7-1 MEAC) in 2011.

The Spartans' home MEAC games next season are against 2010 MEAC Co-Champion/FCS Playoffs participant South Carolina State (9-3,7-1 MEAC)(Oct. 1), Hampton (6-5, 5-3 MEAC) (Oct. 15), MEAC Co-Champion/FCS Playoffs participant Bethune-Cookman (10-2, 7-1 MEAC) (Oct. 22) and North Carolina A&T (1-10, 1-7 MEAC) (Oct. 29). The contest against the Aggies will serve as Homecoming as well as Senior Day.

In addition to the road game at Howard, NSU will also travel to Delaware State (3-8, 2-6 MEAC) (Oct. 8), Savannah State (1-10)(Nov. 5) and Morgan State (4-7, 3-5) (Nov. 12) in MEAC play. The Spartans do not have a bye week next year, playing 11 consecutive games before completing the regular season on Nov. 12.

2011 Norfolk State Football Schedule

September
03, Virginia State (Labor Day Classic), Norfolk, VA
10, West Virginia, Morgantown, WV
17, Howard, Washington, D.C.
24, Charleston Southern, Norfolk, VA

October
01, South Carolina State, Norfolk, VA
08, Delaware State, Dover, DE
15, Hampton, (Battle of the Bay), Norfolk, VA
22, Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk, VA
29, North Carolina A&T (Homecoming/Senior Day), Norfolk,VA

November
05, Savannah State, Savannah, GA
12, Morgan State, Baltimore, MD

Press Release: 12/21/10; Written By: MEAC Media Relations

South Carolina State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

SCSU Bulldogs QB Derrick Wiley

ORANGEBURG, SC – South Carolina State University released its 2011 football schedule on yesterday, a slate that includes five home games, six road contests and two meetings with Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents.

The Bulldogs open the campaign Thursday, Sept. 1, at Central Michigan, one of two FBS teams Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough's team will face during the season and the first of three consecutive road opponents for SC State. The CMU Chippewas finished the 2010 campaign with a 3-9, 2-6 MAC record, and a 33-0 season opening win over the Hampton Pirates (6-5, 5-3 MEAC).

The Bulldogs will take on 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Co-Champion Bethune-Cookman (10-2, 7-1 MEAC) at Daytona Beach on Sept. 10 before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana, Sept. 17 to meet Big 10 member Indiana (5-7), the second FBS opponent on the 2011 schedule.

SC State opens its home schedule Sept. 24 against Delaware State (3-8, 2-6 MEAC) . Other home games include North Carolina Central (3-8), Oct. 8, in the 2011 Homecoming contest, first-time opponent Georgia State (6-5) Oct. 15, 2010 MEAC Co-Champion Florida A&M (8-3, 7-1 MEAC)Oct. 22 and North Carolina A&T (1-10, 1-7 MEAC) Nov. 12.

NCCU is one of two new MEAC members on this year's slate, while Georgia State and the Bulldogs will be meeting for the first time.

Additional road games include Norfolk State (6-5, 4-4 MEAC) Oct. 1, Howard (1-10, 0-8 MEAC) Oct. 29 and Savannah State (1-10), the second new league foe on the schedule, Nov. 19.

South Carolina State Bulldogs Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough 

Absent from this year's schedule, which includes an open date Nov. 5, are traditional MEAC rivals Hampton and Morgan State. The two have been replaced by NCCU and Savannah State.

Starting times for all games on the 2011 schedule, which is listed below, will be announced later.

The MEAC is expected to have a new look in 2011 with new a coaching staff at North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Delaware State and Howard University.

SEPTEMBER
01 Central Michigan University at Mount Pleasant, MI
10 Bethune-Cookman University at Daytona Beach, FL
17 Indiana University at Bloomington, IN
24 Delaware State University, Orangeburg, SC (Youth/ROTC Day)

OCTOBER
01 Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
08 North Carolina Central University, Orangeburg, SC  (Homecoming)
15 Georgia State, Orangeburg, SC
22 Florida A&M University, Orangeburg, S.C. (Community Day/Paint the Town Red)
29 Howard University, Washington, DC

NOVEMBER
05 Open
12 North Carolina A&T University, Orangeburg, SC (Senior Day)
19 Savannah State University, Savannah, GA TBA

NOTE: Dates, times and locations are subject to change.

From: Press Release 12/21/10

All That ... And Moore

UConn set a new Division I hoops standard Tuesday night winning its 89th consecutive game in a blowout of #20 ranked Florida State, 93-62. Maya Moore has been part of all 89 wins, which sets her apart and has never lost a game in her four-year career. More importantly, the University of Connecticut women basketball team is doing it in the classroom, sporting an Academic Progress Rate ("APR") of 991 as reported by the NCAA in the May 1, 2009 report.

UConn has set a standard for all of us within the CIAA, SIAC, MEAC and SWAC to admire.  But, what can we learn from their work ethic and methods that can improve our success in competitive Division I intercollegiate athletics? What strikes me is the consistency of Coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn women basketball team and his ability to motivate his student-athletes to excel in all phases of life beyond their belief.

This is truly greatness that worth emulating!



UConn passes UCLA with record 89th straight win

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Geno Au riemma's women play like stars, but he supplies the drama.
Sunday, the UConn coach suggested that the streak -- now 89 consecutive victories and one more than John Wooden's UCLA teams' from 1971-1974 after a 93-62 win over Florida State -- had become a misogynist's worst nightmare.

"All the women are happy as hell," he said. "All the guys that love women's basketball are all excited and all the miserable bastards that follow men's basketball and don't want us to break the record are all here because they're [ticked]."

"To have this many people talking about it. . . . It's something to be celebrated. Just don't tarnish it by comparing what someone else did in another time, another era."



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Xavier (N.O.) knocks off Southern U. 72-58

BATON ROUGE, La. – Michael Harvey scored a season-high 20 points and Xavier (N.O.), a NAIA program, never trailed in a 72-58 victory over Southern University on Monday night. Anthony Simmons added 14 points for the Gold Rush (12-0), who are No. 9 in NAIA Division I.

Xavier shot 50 percent from the field (23 of 46), 85.7 percent from the free-throw line (18 of 21) and outrebounded the Jaguars 41-29. Jamann Kenner hit a 3-pointer to give the Gold Rush a 12-2 lead with 15:46 left in the first half. Xavier extended the margin to 28-13 on Harvey's dunk with 6:25 left before halftime.

Southern (1-9) cut the lead to 47-43 on Blake Sanford's jumper with 11:17 to play, but the Gold Rush pushed the lead to...

Xavier-N.O. keeps Southern reeling

Unable to hit an outside jumper or grab a key rebound, Southern forward Quinton Doggett wore warmups and watched Monday’s game from the bench in the northeast corner of the F.G. Clark Activity Center. He had barely settled into his seat when Xavier players started burning up the nets.

Running down loose basketballs, racing down the floor in transition and sinking a flurry of outside shots, the Gold Rush opened a big lead in the first half and finished strong down the stretch in a 72-58 victory, handing the Jaguars their seventh consecutive loss.

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Hampton Pirates rebound with win over Towson

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team got back into the win column Monday night, defeating the Tigers of Towson University 78-67 at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (8-2) controlled much of the second half, though Towson closed the gap to 61-55 with 6:52 to play when Dre Conner converted a 3-point play. The Pirates responded emphatically when senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.) threw down a one-handed dunk over Braxton Dupree, drawing the foul and converting the 3-point play at the 5:10 mark to give the Pirates a 68-57 lead.

Junior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) sank a trey with 2:01 to play to put Hampton up 76-63.

Hampton holds off Towson

HAMPTON, VA — Charles Funches posted career highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hampton to a 78-67 victory over Towson on Monday night. The Pirates (8-2), coming off a 55-53 loss to Delaware that snapped their seven-game winning streak, shot 45.8 percent from the floor (27 of 59) and hit a season-best 11 of 20 3-pointers.

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Virginia Barely Slips by Norfolk State, 50-49

Charlottesville, VA - UVa men's basketball got a huge scare Monday night, but the Cavaliers pulled out a 50-49 win over Norfolk State.

UVa had to play again without the injured Mike Scott. Mustapha Farrakhan picked up the scoring slack, leading the Cavs with 18 points. The Spartans came into the game losers of six straight but they outrebounded UVa 43-36 and they had a one-point lead with time winding down. Sammy Zeglinski's three-pointer rimmed out, but K.T. Harrell got the rebound and was fouled. He missed both free throws, but the 7-footer Assane Sene tipped in the game-winner with 4.8 seconds left.



U.Va. squeaks past NSU 50-49 with late tip-in

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - It was evident Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena that the Norfolk State Spartans are going to be a much better team with transfer Chris McEachin in their lineup. It was also crystal clear that the Virginia Cavaliers are a donut unit - sweet on the outside and empty in the middle - as long as power forward Mike Scott is sidelined as he recovers from ankle surgery.

Monday's result was expected: A Virginia victory over a team that ranks No. 311 in the power rankings among 348 Division I teams. The way it came about was mind-boggling and bordered on unbelievable.

The Cavaliers needed an Assane Sene tip-in of a missed free throw with 4.8 seconds remaining to pull out a 50-49 win in front of a crowd of 7,856 that ...

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Sene's winner rescues sluggish Cavs
Wahoos Nearly Upset by Norfolk State at the JPJ! Hoos Win 50-49
UVA Edges Norfolk State on Sene's Last-Second Tip-In

Turnaround trio leaves mark on PV

 Basketball Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper-Dyke  

Like Robertson, Cooper-Dyke, Frazier departs after reviving dreadful program

Henry Frazier III’s decision to leave Prairie View A&M for North Carolina Central last week closed the book on one of the school’s most successful football coaches.

It also signaled the exit of the last remaining coach in Prairie View’s former “big three.” The three were Frazier, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (women’s basketball) and Michael Robertson (baseball). They stood out as Prairie View’s most significant coaches in recent years because of their roles in turning around programs that were doormats before their arrival.

When Robertson began in 2003 after leaving Forest Brook High, the baseball team had won only 17 games in...

Northern ready for the next step at Prairie View

Heishma Northern was placed on the fast track to become a Division I head coach when Prairie View A&M named him coach-in-waiting Oct. 13.

It turned out to be much faster than the sixth-year defensive coordinator or most others envisioned. Northern was elevated to head coach Monday after Henry Frazier III stepped down to pursue coaching opportunities at programs in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. A person familiar with the situation said Frazier, who went 43-30 in seven seasons at Prairie View, will fill the coaching vacancy at North Carolina Central.

Meanwhile, Northern is left with the keys to a program that went 32-9 over the last seasons and won the Southwestern Athletic...

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Tennessee State Tigers safety is an AP All-American

Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel told Tennessee State Coach Rod Reed to expect great things from Eugene Clifford, a safety Tressel had dismissed in 2008. Clifford transferred to TSU, where he was a three-year starter, and on Wednesday was selected to the Associated Press Football Championship Series All-America first team.

"After we got Eugene I ran into (Jim) Tressel at the coaches convention," said Reed, who was TSU's defensive coordinator at the time. "I introduced myself and he said, 'Coach, I tell you what, you've got a great one on your hands.' As soon as Clifford got on the field, you could see it. He has that ability to explode plays. He's a good tackler in the open field, and he played well in our system."

FHSAA: Tampa Jefferson wins first state title, beating Miami Norland 44-34 in the Class 3A football final

Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams (oral commitment to Bethune-Cookman) runs for two touchdowns and throws for three more.

Quentin Williams was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football Friday afternoon. Then he went out and showed the announced crowd of 2,908 at the Citrus Bowl for the Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association football final exactly why he deserved the award.

Williams ran for two touchdowns and threw for three more as Tampa Jefferson (15-0) defeated Miami Norland (13-2) 44-34 to win its first state championship in a game stopped with 3 seconds remaining after a fight broke out. Williams finished with 73 yards rushing and connected on 11-of-16 passes for 151 yards.

"It's a great feeling, a great blessing," Williams said about being Florida's top football player. "But, it's even better to know that we are state champions."

JEFFERSON'S WILLIAMS WINS STATE'S TOP FOOTBALL AWARD

Quentin Williams has made a verbal commitment to Bethune-Cookman University, his mother's alma mater, but said he's planning January recruiting trips to Ohio University and Florida International University.

Jefferson High senior quarterback Quentin Williams was named Florida's Mr. Football on Friday, becoming the third Hillsborough County player in history to win the state's highest honor.

Williams, the Class 3A player of the year, had 137 points in a vote of high-school football coaches and media representatives, outdueling Demetrius Hart of Class 6A Orlando Dr. Phillips (128 points). Plant running back/defensive player James Wilder, the top Class 5A player, was third with 119 points.

Other Hillsborough County players to become Mr. Football were Robinson running back Zain Gilmore (1997) and Plant quarterback Robert Marve (2006).

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FHSAA Class 4A state football final: Tallahassee Lincoln 17, Armwood 14

ORLANDO, FL — The sun made a brief, belated appearance Saturday at the Citrus Bowl, peering from behind the clouds late in the first half of the Class 4A state football final. It was a meteorological tease for the Armwood High Hawks. A depression unlike any they’ve experienced in recent memory was only starting to form.

On an overcast, periodically rainy afternoon, the top-ranked Hawks (14-1) let a team they had statistically outplayed for three quarters stick around and, in the end, surpass them. Senior kicker Carlos Gaston’s 37-yard field goal with four seconds to play — set up seven plays earlier when he drew a roughing-the-punter penalty — lifted Tallahassee Lincoln (11-4) to a 17-14 upset before a meager audience of 2,217.

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Lincoln wins title in Class 4A

Tallahassee Lincoln senior Carlos Gaston nailed a 37-yard field goal with four seconds left to give Lincoln a 17-14 victory against Seffner Armwood in the Class 4A state championship game at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday afternoon in Orlando.

Armwood (14-1) came into the game nationally ranked and a heavy favorite against Lincoln (11-4), which started the season losing four of its first seven games. ``Our kids knew that nobody gave us a chance and nobody expected nothing,'' said Lincoln coach Yusuf Shakir, a Lincoln alumnus.

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