Rush seeded first, Nuggets second for NAIA qualifiers

NEW ORLEANS — The tennis teams of Xavier University of Louisiana are seeded first in the men's division and second in the women's division of an NAIA unaffiliated group qualifying tournament.

The dual-match event — to be played at Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, on Friday and Saturday — is for schools from the Gulf Coast Athletic, TranSouth Athletic and Appalachian Athletic conferences, which do not field sufficient teams to compete for automatic berths to next month's NAIA National Championships. Also competing will be independent SCAD Atlanta, the host school. The men's and women's champions of the unaffiliated group tournament will receive automatic berths to nationals.

The Gold Rush (14-7) are one of three NAIA-ranked men's teams in the qualifier. Xavier is eighth — matching the Gold Rush's highest rank ever — Cumberland (15-1) is 16th and Martin Methodist (7-5) is 19th. Xavier beat Martin Methodist 5-2 in last year's unaffiliated group final.

Martin Methodist (8-3), ranked 17th, is the only top-25 women's team in the event. Xavier (4-21) and Milligan (10-7) received votes in the most recent national poll, with the Gold Nuggets ranking 26th. The XU women lost 5-0 to Milligan in the semifinals a year ago.

Both XU teams will have first-round byes and play in the quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. EDT Friday. The Gold Rush will play eighth-seeded Milligan or ninth-seeded Bluefield, and the Gold Nuggets will play seventh-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) or 10th-seeded Reinhardt. Semifinals and championship matches will be played Saturday.

The XU men seek their fourth consecutive berth in the national tournament. The Gold Nuggets, who did not qualify a year ago, seek their fourth berth in five years and their sixth in eight seasons.

Xavier has six singles players and one doubles team on the national list of the Campbell's-Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA rankings of April 16. In men's singles Loic Didavi is eighth, Zach Taylor 19th, Viktor Svoboda 41st and Steffen Giles-Osborn 47th. In women's singles Kourtney Howell is 27th and Amanda Materre 38th. Didavi and Taylor are No. 4 in men's doubles.

In the ITA NAIA South rankings, Didavi is fourth, Taylor ninth, Svoboda 14th and Giles-Osborn 16th in men's singles. Howell is 12th and Materre 16th in women's singles. In men's doubles Didavi and Taylor are second, and Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson are ninth.

NAIA Unaffiliated Group Tournament MEN Racquet Club of the South, Norcross, Ga. All times Eastern First Round — Friday, April 27 #8 Milligan vs. #9 Bluefield, 8 a.m. Quarterfinals — Friday, April 27 #4 Bethel vs. #5 Tennessee Wesleyan, 10 a.m. #3 Martin Methodist vs. #6 SCAD Atlanta, 10 a.m. #1 Xavier vs. Milligan-Bluefield winner, 12:30 p.m. #2 Cumberland vs. #7 Reinhardt, 12:30 p.m. Semifinals — Saturday, April 28 Xavier-Milligan-Bluefield winner vs Bethel-Tennessee Wesleyan winner, 8:30 a.m. Cumberland-Reinhardt winner vs. Martin Methodist-SCAD Atlanta winner, 8:30 a.m. Championship — Saturday, April 28 Semifinal winners meet at noon

NAIA Unaffiliated Group Tournament WOMEN Racquet Club of the South, Norcross, Ga. All times Eastern First Round — Friday, April 27 #7 Bethel vs. #10 Reinhardt, 8 a.m. #8 Columbia (S.C.) vs. #9 Bluefield, 8 a.m. Quarterfinals — Friday, April 27 #3 Milligan vs. #6 Tennessee Wesleyan, 10 a.m. #4 SCAD Atlanta vs. #5 Cumberland, 10 a.m. #1 Martin Methodist vs. Columbia-Bluefield winner, 12:30 p.m. #2 Xavier vs. Bethel-Reinhardt winner, 12:30 p.m. Semifinals — Saturday, April 28 Martin Methodist-Columbia-Bluefield winner vs. SCAD Atlanta-Cumberland winner, 8:30 a.m. Xavier-Bethel-Reinhardt winner vs. Milligan-Tennessee Wesleyan winner, 8:30 a.m. Championship — Saturday, April 28 Semifinal winners meet at noon

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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WSSU, Shaw women to play in NCAA tennis tourney

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - The Winston-Salem State women's tennis team will play at California (Pa.) in the first round of the NCAA Division II women's tennis tournament on Saturday.

WSSU, the No. 8 seed in the Atlantic Regional, will be making its second consecutive NCAA appearance. WSSU is coming off a loss to Shaw in the CIAA championship last Saturday. Shaw, the fourth seed in the Atlantic Region, will take on fifth-seeded West Virginia State on Saturday.

The California-WSSU winner will play the Shaw-West Virginia State winner Sunday for the regional title. The winner of that matchup will advance to the national tournament to be held in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Tennessee State hosts 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Golf Championship

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - The Tennessee State University men's golf team will serve as host to the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Golf Championship from April 26-28 at the GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, Tennessee.

The 54-hole, three day tournament will consist of three rounds with round one set to begin on Wednesday, April 26. The third and final round is slated for Saturday (4/28) and will close with the team trophy presentation.

Designed by PGA Tour pro Mark McCumber, GreyStone is a public course that has hosted numerous high profile events. It has served as home of the 2002 PGA Tour First Round Qualifying, Men's and Women's Tennessee State Opens 1999 through 2003, the 2000 PGA Tour First Round Qualifying and the Monday Qualifying for the BellSouth Senior PGA Tour event.

This marks the third year in a row that GreyStone, a par-72, 6,858-yard layout, has hosted the OVC Men's Championship.

Sharing the field with Tennessee State will include: Eastern Illinois, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State, UT Martin, Murray State.

Jacksonville State claimed the team title last year with a 561 after inclement weather shortened the tournament to just two rounds. JSU won by 18 shots ahead of second-place finisher UT Martin. It was the Gamecocks third overall championship.

Andres Schonbaum (Jacksonville State), Johan Eriksson (Eastern Kentucky) and Matthew Wallace (Jacksonville State) won the individual title last year carding a 139 with a one-shot lead over the fourth place fininisher.

TSU will look to improve from their seventh place finish at last year's championship. The team is coming off an idle week after hosting the TSU Big Blue Intercollegiate. The Tigers finished the tournament in eighth place while Cameron Scitern returned from his injury to place 10th.

Although injury has limited him to 14 rounds this season, Scitern leads the Tigers, finishing in the top 20 on four occasions in five tournaments played this year. He has finished in the top ten four times which includes four finishes in the top five. He currently holds a team best 72.1 stroke average.

Ryan Pierson is second on the team with an 74.0 stroke average while registering three finishes in the top 20 and three in the top ten this season. James Stepp follows with a stroke average of 75.5 finishing in the top 20 twice in eight events played.

Andrew Warner (76.1), Tyler Hendrickson (76.2), Dallas Hill (77.3), Codie Welborn (79.2) and Matthew Campbell (82.3) round out the team averages with the Tigers currently shooting a combined 299.8 team average.

Practice round will begin on Wednesday before the opening round starts on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

The annual awards banquets will be held following Thursday's first-round play honoring the All-OVC first-team and second-team members as well as All-Newcomer Team and Freshman of the Year.

The champion of the tournament will represent the OVC in NCAA Regional Play.

Hole-by-hole live results from each day of the championship can be accessed through links at OVCSports.com.

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California juco standout is Gold Nuggets' second signee

ANDRAQUAY  QUINNINE

NEW ORLEANS — Andraquay Quinnine of Elk Grove, California, has signed a women's basketball scholarship with Xavier University of Louisiana. She averaged 13.9 points per game and made 108 3-pointers during the past two seasons.

 Quinnine, a 5-foot-9 guard, is the Gold Nuggets' second signee for 2012-13. Guard Whitney Gathright of New Orleans signed a week ago.

Quinnine averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 29 games for Consumes River College of Sacramento, Calif., this past season and was a California Community College Athletic Association second-team selection in the northern half of the state. Quinnine scored 40 points, including six 3-pointers and 10-of-11 free throws, in the Hawks' 72-64 victory at Diablo Valley on Feb. 7.

As a freshman at Consumnes River in 2010-11, Quinnine averaged 13.3 points in 26 games. In two seasons at the junior college she made 35.8 percent of her 3-pointers (108-of-302) and 80.7 percent of her free throws (130-of-161).



Quinnine is a 2010 graduate of Franklin High School in Elk Grove and helped the Wildcats reach the semifinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Division I section playoffs each of her final two seasons.

Quinnine will be a junior on the Nuggets' roster next season.

Xavier was 26-9 in 2011-12, won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and, for the second consecutive year, reached the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship. The GCAC Tournament title was the Nuggets' third in a row.

note:    name pronounced ON-druh-kway KWY-nine

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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ASU's Ex-Wetumpka star asked to do more as vocal leader

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Kejuan Riley has proven there isn’t too much he’s unable to do on the football field. He has established himself as perhaps the premiere defensive back in the SWAC. He’s earned countless honors and awards over his three-year career at Alabama State and is an interception away from rewriting the Hornets’ history books.

And the list could go on and on. But there’s one vital piece missing from Riley’s arsenal that remains in the developmental stages — vocal leadership skills.

“Lately, I’ve been trying to get out and talk to everybody a little bit more,” said Riley, the Wetumpka native. “I am a laid back guy, but I know that being one of the leaders on this team I need to talk a little bit more.”

There’s no secret amongst teammates and coaches that the senior free safety’s voice has to become a regular presence on the sideline and in the locker room.




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AT&T Nation's Football Classic™ Tickets Now on Sale

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -  Events DC announced today that tickets for the 2nd annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™ are now on sale via Ticketmaster, at the Howard University Box Office located at Cramton Auditorium and the Morehouse College Bookstore.

The AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™ takes place Labor Day weekend with a rematch between the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and the Howard University Bison on Saturday, September 1 at RFK Stadium. Tickets are priced $25 to $50, plus all applicable fees. Through June 30, $25 tickets are available for $15 (while tickets last). Suite and group ticket sales will begin July 1.

“The inaugural AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™ took the nation’s capital by storm, and we look to build upon the success of last year’s event. Holding the Classic during Labor Day weekend presents a greater opportunity for students and alumni to come show their school pride and enjoy all the festivities,” said Erik A. Moses, managing director of the Events DC Sports and Entertainment Division. “With the support of our sponsors, our partner schools and the city, we cannot wait for the festivities to begin.”

In addition to the football game, there are several free events that will be held throughout Labor Day weekend including the AT&T Kickoff Rally, Pepsi MAX Fan Festival, Academic Symposium, and Morehouse vs. Howard Student Debate.




The Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and located at 2455 Sixth Street, NW. Washington, DC 20059. The Morehouse College Bookstore is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and located at 830 Westview Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30314. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster locations and via ticketmaster.com and nationsfootballclassic.com.

For more information on the AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™, please visit nationsfootballclassic.com.

About the AT&T Nation's Football Classic™
The AT&T Nation's Football Classic™ is a black college football game held annually at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. This year, the game features Howard University against Morehouse College. Organized by Events DC, the AT&T Nation's Football Classic™ was created to celebrate the passion and tradition of the college football experience, recognize the history of service to others by the students, faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities, highlight the unity of African American culture, and honor the heritage and excellence of these proud institutions. Tickets for the AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™ are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, the Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium and the Morehouse College Bookstore. Seats are priced $25 to $50.

Blow Returns as SAC Head Men's Basketball Coach!

COACH LONNIE BLOW JR.
HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL
SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Saint Augustine's College announced the hiring of Lonnie Blow, Jr. as its head men's basketball coach on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

This is Blow's second stint as Falcons' head coach. During his first tenure from 2008 to 2010, the basketball program experienced its most successful period in school history. In 2010, Blow directed the Falcons to their first CIAA championship and NCAA Division II playoff berth in 13 years. It was the Falcons' second conference title overall.

“We are excited to have Coach Blow back as we transition into university status,” President Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber said. “Coach Blow exemplifies the leadership that propels student-athletes to not only excel on the court but in the classroom.”

His teams compiled a 46-15 record in two years including a 27-5 mark in the 2009-10 season, which was the best season winning percentage (.844) for the Falcons since the NCAA started keeping track of the program's statistics in 1975. Blow, who won a conference crown quicker than any St. Aug coach, was named NCAA Division II national coach of the year by Heritage Sports Radio Network and CIAA coach of the year in 2010, the same year his team was ranked 23rd nationally in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll and third in the Atlantic Region.

During his time at St. Aug, Blow was known for discipline and defense. The Falcons ranked first in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.358) and third in the nation in rebounding (42.8 rpg) in 2010.

“Coach Blow's return is a step in the right direction for the men's basketball program,” athletic director George Williams said. “He showed in his first stint that he knows how to be successful in the CIAA. We look forward to competing on a conference, regional and national level.”

Blow returns to St. Aug from Old Dominion University where he was an assistant coach at the Division I mid-major program for two seasons. He used his defensive knowledge to help Old Dominion become one of the best defensive teams in Division I. In the 2010-11 season, the Monarchs were the top rebounding team and the third-ranked defensive team in the nation. That same season, the Monarchs won the Paradise Jam tournament, captured the CAA title and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They finished the season as the third-ranked mid-major team in the nation. In the 2011-12 season, the Monarchs reached the quarterfinals of the College Insiders Tournament.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Blow said. “This is a good time for me to come back. I look forward to the challenge of returning the program back to a competitive level.”

Honors such as these are not rare to Blow who prior to coaching college was the head boys basketball coach at Granby High School from 1995-2005, and the men's assistant coach at Maury High School from 1984-1995. At Granby, he coached the boys' team to the Virginia AAA state title and was named AAA state coach of the year in 2000. In 2001, Blow led Granby to the Virginia AAA state semifinals.

Blow was named Eastern District coach of the year in 2001, 2003 and 2004, while earning Eastern Regional coach of the year honors in 2000 and 2001.

Blow served as an assistant coach at Norfolk State University from 2006-08 and at Hampton University from 2005-06 where he coached four All-MEAC players and a MEAC Tournament MVP. Hampton won the 2006 MEAC title.

Before entering the coaching profession, Blow was an outstanding college basketball player from 1979-82 at Virginia Wesleyan College. Blow was named Dixie Conference player of the year during the 1980-81 season. He was also a two-time All-American and All-South Atlantic Region selection, and a three-time All-Dixie Conference player, including two selections to the first team.

Blow is Virginia Wesleyan's third all-time career scorer with 1,574 points. He shares the Virginia Wesleyan single game scoring record of 40 points against St. Andrews in 1981. He still holds the single season record for points with 625 in 1980-81. That same year, he made 281 field goals which is also school single season mark. In 2009, Blow was inducted into the Virginia Wesleyan Sports Hall of Fame.

Blow was a first-team All-Tidewater selection at Frederick Military Academy and led the area in scoring during the 1977-78 season with a 31.1 points per game average. He also served as coordinator for the summer youth programs at Old Dominion from 1992 to 2001.

Blow received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Wesleyan College in 1982 with a degree in sociology and criminal justice. Blow is married to Donna Maxine and has an adult son, Kenneth.

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Women's hoops player leaving ODU for Hampton

JO GUILFORD
5'-10" R-JUNIOR GUARD
PORTSMOUTH, VA
PHOTO GALLERY
(Photo Courtesy ODU Athletics)

NORFOLK, Virginia - JoNiquia Guilford will play for the Hampton University women’s basketball team next season. She’s eager and excited for that opportunity. That much, she and Old Dominion head coach Karen Barefoot agree on. How she got there, well, that’s a different story.

Guilford is one of two Lady Monarchs players who were released from their scholarships and are set to transfer, joined by center Brittany Campbell.  But Guilford said she wishes she weren’t leaving the program.

Guilford and Roger Smith, her coach at Wilson High School in Portsmouth, say Guilford’s scholarship was pulled by Old Dominion. Barefoot says Guilford made the choice in the face of reduced playing time.

“It was taken away,” Smith said. “They released her. It was not her initiating the release. They were going in another direction. I know it’s a business. I don’t like how that it is, but it is. Her job depends on winning. I just don’t like how it was handled.”

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Former NCCU chancellor, USOC head Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, dies

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, a historic leader in the U.S. Olympic movement and a hugely accomplished coach and educator in North Carolina, died Monday in Durham, his home for more than 60 years. He was 93.

Walker was the first African-American to head the U.S. Olympic Committee and was instrumental in bringing the Olympic Games to his native Atlanta in 1996.

In his long life, he overcame poverty and discrimination to earn honors as an athlete and coach, but he also was an academic. He was the first African-American to earn a doctorate in biomechanics, and he went on to become chancellor of N.C. Central University.

LeRoy Walker was truly a remarkable human being, a great teacher, a great leader as chancellor, and a great international figure in competitive sport, especially the Olympics,” said William Friday, president emeritus of the UNC system and a friend of Walker for 40 years. “I don’t know of a man who has had a greater impact in his world than did LeRoy. He will be greatly missed.”

Walker as an inspiration

Walker was a member of more than a dozen halls of fame, but his admirers said his most impressive legacy may be not in what he accomplished, but in what he inspired and enabled others to achieve.

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Dr. Walker said at the time of his being named president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, “There are a lot of disenchanted blacks, women and Hispanics in our country who feel they will never get their just due no matter what they accomplish. I think I serve as a model of the idea that if you constantly pursue excellence, in spite of everything you have suffered, there are enough fair-minded people out there who will eventually recognize your talents.”

Longtime NCCU, Olympic coach dies in Durham

DURHAM, North Carolina — LeRoy Walker, a longtime track and field coach at North Carolina Central University and the first African American to head the United States Olympic Committee, died in Durham Monday. He was 93.

During his career at NCCU, he coached 111 All-Americans, 40 national champions and 12 Olympians. He also served as chancellor from 1983 to 1986.

Walker coached Olympic track and field all over world, including in Israel and Kenya. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, he led a 10,000-member group of some of the most talented athletes in the world.

In addition to track and field, Walker was passionate about education.

"It is our young people now that are our next group leaders," he said in February 2007, about a week before he was given a lifetime achievement award from the Triangle Urban League for his leadership in the community. "(They) are going to make this the community we want it to be, but they have to have some training."

He had degrees from Benedict College in South Carolina and Columbia University in New York. He got a PhD in exercise physiology and biomechanics from New York University in 1957.  He was named president of the United State Olympic Committee in 1992.

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Paine second after first day of SIAC Golf Classic

AUGUSTA, Georgia -- The 2012 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Golf Classic teed off Monday at Jones Creek Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The two-day classic features teams from Benedict College (BC), Kentucky State University (KSU), LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC), Morehouse College (MHC) and Paine College (PC).

Two-time defending champion Morehouse College currently leads the field at the close of round one after shooting a team score of 335. The Maroon Tigers hold a three-stroke lead over second-place Paine College, who shot a team score of 338. Benedict College is not far behind in third place with team score of 348. Kentucky State University is in fourth place with a 351 followed by LeMoyne-Owen with a 391.

Paine College’s Carlos Solio shot a 75 in round one and currently sits atop the individual leader board while teammate Victor Tapia is in second after shooting a 78. Morehouse College’s Bryan McElderry sits in third place with an 81 while teammate Alexander Atkinson is tied with Benedict’s Jordan Buchanan for fourth with an 84 to round out the top five.

The final round of the 2012 SIAC Golf Classic will tee off on Tuesday, April 24th at 9:30 a.m.

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Dillard's Kierrariel Mitchell Receives 2012 MS-INBRE Scholars Award

KIERRARIEL MITCHELL
WOMEN'S BLEU DEVILS BASKETBALL
5'-10" FRESHMAN GUARD/FORWARD
HOMETOWN: JACKSON, MS

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi - Kierrariel Mitchell, a freshman Biology major, is a recipient of the Mississippi iDEA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (MS - INBRE) research scholar award for the 2012 summer research project.

The MS-INBRE Research scholar project is a 10-week summer internship program held at the University of Southern Mississippi. Scholars work with a mentor of their choice during the 20-week period and agree to present a project poster at the state-wide Mississippi Academy of Sciences meeting that is held annually in February.

Kierrariel Mitchell, biology major, was recently named to the Dillard University's Dean's List for achieving above a 3.5 GPA. She is a member of the Dillard University women's basketball team. The 5-10, guard/forward was instrumental in helping the Lady Bleu Devil achieve a 13-12 overall record, and 9-5 GCAC record, which put the team in three way tie for third place. Kierrariel started in 15 of 25 games for the Lady Bleu Devils this season. In her first year, she averaged 19.2 minutes per game and shot 71% (20/28) from the free-throw line while accumulating a total of 122 rebounds (2nd on the team).

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ASU Braves win 2012 SWAC Championship in Men's Tennis

LORMAN, Mississippi  -- Alcorn State claimed their second straight title in Men's Tennis with a win over Prairie View. The Braves blanked the Panthers, 4-0 in tournament action. Alcorn State captured the doubles point first and dominated the singles competition to run away with the SWAC Title.

Vitali Vasileuski/Garry Amor defeated Trenton Johnson/Juan Pablo Robles while Alexandr Lidzar/Max Tkachenko overpowered David Aldaz/Jonathan Dingle to get the BravesAS off to a good start by picking up the doubles point.

In singles action, the Braves Ernesto Santillan, Winfried Weinbeer and Garry Amor were victorious over Prairie View's Ronald Chidzikwe, Kristen Powell and David Aldaz respectively.

The Braves have won a total of eight SWAC Men's Championships.

Head Coach, Anthony Dodgen was named 2012 SWAC Men's Coach of the Year while Garry Amor received Tournament MVP Honors. Ernesto Santillan and Winfried Weinbeer were named to the All-Tournament Team. Earlier in the week, Alcorn State swept first team honors in the category of doubles in the SWAC. Weinbeer, Lidzar, Amor and Tkachenko earned SWAC All-Conference first team honors in singles.

As a result of the SWAC Title, Alcorn State will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament during the month of May.

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Southern Jaguars host UNO, look to extend win streak to 11

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Riding the wave of a 10-game win streak, Southern will host UNO at Lee Hines Field Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Southern (25-14) is coming off a three-game sweep of Prairie View A&M and are 12-1 in April after struggling mightily in March with a 9-10 mark. The Jaguars scored 24 runs during the weekend series including a 12-2 thrashing in seven innings.

Daniel Garcia (3-1, 4.46) will get the start in Tuesday's game and has earned victories in his last three mid-week starts. Garcia, who is 3-1 this season, defeated UL 3-2 with a masterful pitching effort, lasting 8.1 innings.

In the Jaguars 9-4 win over UNO last Wednesday, Garcia allowed four runs in six innings before freshman Pedro Fargas entered to pitch three innings of perfect baseball, adding four strikeouts.

At the plate, no one has been hotter the right-fielder Stephen Wallace. Wallace, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a solo homerun in the 5-point win over the Privateers, is batting a team-leading .359 with six homeruns, also a team high. Wallace accounted for six RBIs in the last week's game against UNO.

Southern continues its meteoric rise towards next month's SWAC Tournament at Lee Hines Field when the Jaguars embark upon a home-and-home tilt with rival Jackson State. Southern will travel to Jackson, Mississippi to face the Tigers on Saturday before returning to friendlier confines on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.

First pitch for Sunday's matinee is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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VSU Lady Trojans Win First Ever CIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship

PETERSBURG, Virginia -- Virginia State University’s women’s outdoor track and field team won their first ever CIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday, April 21st with 139.50 total points.

The women's meet turned into a two-team duel between Virginia State and Johnson C. Smith, which started the day with the lead. Virginia State, in fourth place entering Saturday, surged into contention early, and the lead flip-flopped between Johnson C. Smith and Virginia State. The Lady Trojans started their rally in the 800-meter run, where Sierra Clayton led a 1-2 VSU finish. The 1,500-meter run was a VSU sweep of the top three places with Taylor-Ashley Bean winning the event. After two runners scored in the 200-meter dash, the Lady Trojans had reclaimed the lead 134.5-123 with one event left. It was a team effort for the Lady Trojans, who won six individual events. Samantha Edwards of the Lady Trojans won the 400-meter dash. She is ranked fourth in Division II in the event.

Samantha Edwards (senior/ Elmont, NY) won the women’s 400m dash in 52.15 seconds and then placed third in the women’s 200m dash with a time of 24.54 seconds. Jovonne Tyson King (junior/ Pontiac/ MI) added three points by placing sixth in the women’s 100m dash event.

In the women’s 800 m run, VSU added 20 points with three runners advancing to the finals. Sierra Clayton (senior/ Chesapeake, VA) won the event, while Taylor Ashley Bean (freshman/ Sandys, Bermuda) placed second (2:14.55) and Jourdan Johnson (junior/ Winston-Salem State) finished seventh (2:20.94).

The Lady Trojans displayed great effort by having three runners finish in the top-3 in the women’s 1500m event. Taylor Ashley Bean won the women’s 1500m run with a time of 4:54.06. Sierra Clayton followed with a solid 4:58.46 placing second and Jourdan Johnson helped the Lady Trojans sweep the event with a third place finish with a time of 5:03.85. In the women’s 1500m run, VSU accumulated 24 team points.

Four Lady Trojans added 23 points in the women’s 3000m run. Taylor-Ashley Bean won the event (10:58.30), Sierra Clayton followed by placing second (11:37.88), Jenna Arnold (senior/ Philadelphia, PA) finished in fifth place, and Shayla Szabo (senior/ Newport News, VA) finished in eighth place (11:57.48).

Two Lady Trojans collected points in the women’s hurdles events at the 2012 CIAA Outdoor Championships. Shaundra Cook (junior/ Franklin, VA) added four points in the women’s 100m hurdles (14.98) with a fifth place finish, while Alicia Terry (freshman/ Roanoke, VA) also added four points in the women’s 400m hurdles (1:01.71).

In the women’s relay events, VSU placed third in the women’s 4x100m relay (47.11) and then finished fourth in the women’s 4x400m relay (3:52.76). Anjelica Harris (senior/ Suffolk, VA), Samantha Edwards, Alicia Terry, and Jovonne Tyson King placed third behind winner St. Augustine’s and runner-up Johnson C. Smith in the women’s 4x100m relay. In the women’s 4x400m relay, Jovonne Tyson King, Sierra Clayton, Shannon Lewis (sophomore/ Yorktown, VA) , and Taylor-Ashley Bean finished in fourth place.

Both Sierra Clayton and Shaundra Cook placed fourth and fifth respectively, in the women’s high jump event. Clayton added four points by rising 1.60m and Cook scored two points with a mark of 1.55m. In the women’s long jump, Cook placed ninth (5.11m) and in the women’s triple jump she placed tied for sixth (11.35m). Alicia Terry also competed in the women’s triple jump following Cook by placing eighth (11.09m).

The Lady Trojans added 17 points in the women’s discus throw with Chelsey Fuller (freshman/ Norfolk, VA) placing second (36.63m), Millicent Barber (sophomore/ Virginia Beach, VA) placing fourth (36.10m), and Ashley Heedley (sophomore/ Oakland, CA) placing fifth (34.33m). Shaundra Cook placed eighth in the women’s javelin throw adding one point (26.97m), while Millicent Barber placed eighth in the women’s shot put event (10.78m).

FINAL STATS

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Shaw Lady Bears Tennis Takes CIAA Championship

ETTRICK, Virginia -- One year ago, Shaw number one singles player Lolia Kienka watched as Winston-Salem State celebrated their 2011 women's tennis championship,  Angry, she declared, "We will win it next year."

 

This year, Kienka and her teammates proved her right as they captured their third CIAA Women's Tennis Championship in four years by defeating defending champion Winston-Salem State 5-0 in a match played on the campus of Virginia State.

 

In doubles action, number one doubles Lolia Kienka and Jessica Medina downed Kalin Jarvis and Bianka Locklear 8-3.  The number two doubles team of Vimbai Mawisire and Aline Ferreira topped Sloane Holmes and Kayla Carter.  Claudia Silva and Gislaine Farias gave Shaw a clean sweep of the doubles with their 8-0 win over Chelsea Chatman and Taylor Harris.

 

With the sweep of doubles, Shaw needed to capture two singles contests to win the best-of-nine match.  Number five single Ferreira defeated Lindsay 6-2, 6-0 and Gislaine Farias -in the number six slot - clinched the match with her 6-1, 6-1 win over Chatman.

 

Now the Lady Bears wait for the NCAA Tennis Selection Show, which will air Tuesday, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. on  ncaa.com.  At that time, they will learn when and where they will compete.

BOX SCORE

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Claflin captures first SIAC East Division baseball title

COLUMBIA, South Carolina - The script could not have been written any better. For the second consecutive year the SIAC East Division Title would be decided on the last weekend of the regular season, as rivals Benedict College (20-14) and Claflin University (22-16) squared off. Last season the games took place in Orangeburg, SC at Historic Mirmow Field, with Benedict taking the East regular season crown.

This year the battle took place at new Tiger Field on the Benedict College campus. Needing two wins over the Tigers the Panthers would win the Division outright. Claflin knew this was their opportunity to capture their first SIAC East Division Title since becoming a member of the NCAA II in 2008.

The Panthers took advantage and left nothing to chance by sweeping the Tigers in the Saturday afternoon doubleheader 4-3, and 11-8.

Coach James Randall said, “This is the reward for hard work and dedication. It feels great to win our first division title, here at Claflin University. I am extremely proud of the players on this team who set the goals and sacrificed their personal time and efforts to get to this point. It was difficult to watch Benedict celebrate winning the division on our field last year, and I know we had that vision in the back of our minds since then. I can't say enough about our seniors who kept us focused helped each player to believe in each other, I think that helped us to be as successful as we were. We will now come out and continue to play fundamental baseball as we head into next weeks SIAC Championships with momentum.”

The Panthers will travel to Ozark, Alabama as the #1 seed in the east for the SIAC Baseball Championships beginning Thursday. Brackets and parings for the championships will be released at a later date.

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Shaw Men's Tennis Takes Eighth Straight CIAA Championship

ETTRICK, Virginia -- The Shaw men's tennis team claimed it eighth straight CIAA Championship with a 5-0 win over Winston-Salem State in a match played on the tennis courts of Virginia State.

Both the number one and number three doubles teams won their matches 8-1. In the one slot, Charles Silva and Juan Sanchez downed Chris Jeter and Creighton Jones, while number three doubles Artur Latypov and Andre Monti topped Drew Dunzweiler and Calvin Brooks.

In number two doubles, Daniel Vasquez and Gabriel Nicotra defeated Leandro Imaz and Nick John 8-4.

With the sweep in the doubles, Shaw needed victory in only two of the singles matches to win the best-of-nine contest.

Sanchez, in the number five slot, recorded a 6-0, 6-0 win over Dunzweiler, while Monti cemented the victory with a 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Brooks.

Latypov, the number one singles player, was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Now the Bears wait for the NCAA Tennis Selection Show, which will air Tuesday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. on ncaa.com.   At that time, they will learn when and where they will compete.

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SU Women's Tennis claims third straight SWAC title

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana - Southern women's tennis claimed its third straight SWAC Championship with a convincing 4-0 win over Alcorn State at City Park in Alexandria Sunday.

With the win, Southern earned the conference's automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament May 17-28.

Senior No. 1 Carlista Mohammed was named the tournament's most valuable player after finishing undefeated in singles and in doubles play in the Jaguars' wins over the Braves and Prairie View A&M.

2011/12 SWAC WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONS
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS

ROSTER

Name	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (Prev School)
Lisbeth Cuevas Castaneda	5-6	So.	Bogota, Columbia
Camara Davis	5-5	Fr.	Arlington, Texas
Lois Alexis	5-9	Jr.	Grenada
Carlista Mohammed	5-6	Sr.	Trinidad & Tobago
Gabrielle Moore	5-8	Fr.	Chicago, Ill.
Morgan Taylor	5-9	Fr.	Southfield, Mich.
Demetria Woods	5-7	Jr.	Pearl City, HI

COACHES

CLICK EACH NAME FOR PHOTO AND BIO

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Southern head coach Jeff Conyers was named the 2012 SWAC Coach of the Year. Sunday's win marks the sixth SWAC Championship for Southern under head tennis coach Jeff Conyers. Conyers, who is also a member of the NCAA Division Men's and Women's Tennis Committee, led the Lady Jaguars to it third straight HBCU Tennis national title this past fall.

After Mohammed and freshman Gabrielle Moore claimed a 8-3 win over Kersten Vanem and Victoria Kozachuk, the Lady Jaguars clinched the doubles point when freshmen Camara Davis and Morgan Taylor defeated Daria Rudd and Chan Rutherford 8-6.

No 4. Lois Alexis extended the Lady Jaguars 1-0 lead, making quick work of Merilin Tipp in straight sets 6-2, 6-0. Mohammed finished off Alcorn State No. 1 Vanem 6-2, 6-2 before Moore, a Chicago native clinched the championship defeating Kozachuk 7-5, 6-0.

Joining Mohammed on the All-Tournament team are teammates Lois Alexis and Gabrielle Moore. Keti MeBuke from Alcorn State, Monica Arcos from Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Brittany Harrell from Prairie View round out the 2012 All-Tournament team.

Boxscore

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Not Enough Spring in the TSU Tigers' Step for Coach Asberry

HOUSTON, Texas - The Texas Southern Tigers wrapped up their spring training today with their spring game at Alexander Durley Stadium on TSU’s campus.

The new TSU offense squared off against the defending TSU 2011 FCS top defense before dozens of supporters, alumni and fans. The game was setup on a point system where the offense got six points for a touchdown and three points for a field goal. The defense received three points when they forced the offense to punt and five points for a turnover or a stop on a fourth down. The defense won 32 to 6 and head coach Darrell Asberry was not happy with the outcome.

“Today they came out flat. In my eyes they walked; they loafed and I know we’re a much better football team than that,” Asberry said. “The kids can get it done, because I’ve watch them do it all spring.”

Asberry said it was the effort by the offense that disappointed him most.

“Over on the sideline, he sees it best. If he says the effort was lacking, then the effort was lacking, “said senior quarterback Riko Smalls. “What we need to do as players is dig deeper and respond.”

The defense played well, and Asberry credits the coaches for getting the best out of those guys.

“The defense has been flying around all season that was the reason to kept Coach Ramsey… for chemistry on the defensive side of the ball,” Asberry said. “The linebackers are still a concern, but he just does a great job of disguising a couple of our weakness. The coaching staff is doing a great job over there.”

Asberry is confident that the team will get to where it needs to be. He says it seems that they just had an off day, but that’s a situation he says is not acceptable.

“It’s been great all spring, but today wasn’t our day offensively. Hopefully they will use the words that I expressed to motivate them. They don’t have a choice; they have to get motivated because September 1st is just around the corner.”

“I think that we struggled with consistency on the offensive side of the ball today. But we are going to look at the tape and we’ll get better and correct those coming into next season,” said Smalls.

The Tigers will start the 2012 season against Prairie View A&M in the State Farm Labor Day Classic on September 1st.



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SU Jaguars take two from PV

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — With 20 mph winds blowing in from center field, Southern University played small ball against Prairie View in the first game of a SWAC doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

In the second game, Prairie View seldom got the bat on the ball. Southern pitcher Jose De Leon was in control, striking out 12 Panthers in seven innings.

When all was said and done, Southern extended its win streak to nine games, sweeping Prairie View and drawing to within two games in the loss column of the Panthers for the Western division lead. The teams conclude their weekend series with a 1 p.m. Sunday game.

Southern (24-14, 13-7) strung together 12 hits — 11 singles — in the first game, and did a great job of advancing runners in an 8-5 win.

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Bethune-Cookman's Waters off and running at spring game

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - Bethune-Cookman fans finally got a glimpse of Quentin Williams in action. And while Florida's Mr. Football of 2010 did not disappoint in his first Wildcats spring football game, a quarterback who moved behind center just 10 days ago stole the show Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

Brock Waters, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, signed with the 'Cats in February as a wide receiver. But coaches wanted to take a look at him at quarterback.

He ran four times for 83 yards, including a 57-yard keeper on his first snap and a 1-yard touchdown run. He also completed three of five passes for 68 yards, including an 8-yard scoring pass to Courtney Keith.

"He did some good things at quarterback (Saturday)," B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said. "He's good at receiver too, so it will be good to see where he plays. He's played quarterback in the past, so we wanted to give him a shot.



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Alabama State football: Low scoring affair in spring game for Hornets

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - If you arrived on time for Alabama State’s annual Black and Gold Game, you missed virtually all of the scoring.

Tailback Rodney Cross powered into the end zone from a yard out to give the Black a 14-7 overtime victory over the White (or Gold) team after both teams had scored touchdowns in the first few minutes of ASU’s annual spring game at Hornet Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Those points came well before the scheduled 1 p.m. kickoff after head coach Reggie Barlow started the game early to avoid the threat of afternoon thunderstorms which, thankfully, never arrived.

“We were a little worried about the weather,” Barlow said after the two-hour workout. “We did find out God is a Hornet. He held (the rain) off for us, but we had to start it early. As a matter of fact, the referees had not made it out here yet. We ran about four plays without them.”

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NBA could be next milestone for Norfolk State's O'Quinn

KYLE O'QUINN
(Photo by Mark W. Sutton)

NORFOLK, Virginia - In the last month, Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn, previously little known outside the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference he had dominated so thoroughly this season, has been whisked away on his own little magical mystery tour. The stops included the NCAA Tournament, where he personified March Madness, and the Portsmouth Invitational, where he was chosen MVP.

O'Quinn hasn't quite had time to wrap his head around what's been happening to him, and who could blame him? How could a guy who, only because he had sprouted to 6-foot-7 was basically forced to play basketball as a high school junior, go on to bask in that One Shining Moment all college basketball players dream about but few experience, and then three weeks later strengthen his chances of becoming an NBA Draft pick with his play in the PIT?

That question was posed of O'Quinn, an intelligent, well-spoken and funny person. It took him a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

"Staying on the same path," O'Quinn said. "Staying consistent. Never venturing off."

That path was more or less thrust upon him just before his junior year at Campus Magnet High School in Jamaica, N.Y. after he'd grown five inches over the summer.

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SAC Falcons Win 15th Straight CIAA Outdoor Track & Field Title



COACH GEORGE WILLIAMS
SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE



PETERSBURG, Virginia  -  Saint Augustine's College coasted to victory on the men's side while Virginia State University earned a hard-fought win in the women's events at the 2012 CIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Rogers Stadium on the campus of Virginia State University.

The Falcons, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II men's rankings, claimed their 15th straight league outdoor crown and 29th title in the last 30 CIAA championship outdoor meets under legendary head coach George Williams by a lopsided score. They compiled 216 points to easily defeat the rest of the men's field. Virginia State was second with 88 points and Johnson C. Smith University was third with 84 points.

The women's championship was the first for the Lady Trojans, who rallied late to overtake first-day leader Johnson C. Smith. The Lady Trojans scored 139.5 points followed by Johnson C. Smith (129 points) and Saint Augustine's College (115 points).

Andrew Chebii of Winston-Salem State University was named CIAA men's track MVP while DeJon Wilkinson of Saint Augustine's College and Randale Watson of Johnson C. Smith shared men's field MVP honors. Samantha Elliott of Johnson C. Smith was chosen women's track MVP and teammate Xahnn-Georgia Reid was selected women's field MVP.

For the St. Aug men, the outcome was never in doubt once the championship meet started. The Falcons built a 15-point lead after four events Friday and steadily increased the margin Saturday after each event. The only question was how much the Falcons would win by.

The depth and talent of the Falcons were simply too much to overcome. They took the top three places in the 800-meter run, the 110-meter hurdles and the high jump, and had two of the top three finishers in the 400-meter hurdles, the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter dash.

Wilkinson added a victory in the triple jump to go along with his long jump win on Friday. Other winners for the Falcons on Saturday included Ramaan Ansley (100-meter dash), Marcelis Lynch (800-meter run) and Jason Boyd (110-meter hurdles). The Falcons won the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays. Christopher Copeland captured the high jump Friday. Boyd is No. 3 in the nation in the 110 hurdles, and Copeland is No. 4 in Division II in the high jump.

Wilkinson joined Chebii and Akino Ming of Johnson C. Smith as double winners in the men's events. Chebii won the 1500-meter and 5,000 meter run, and Ming is the league champion in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. Ming is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 400 dash.

Other men's winners were Daniel Ross of Virginia State (400-meter hurdles), Hildrew McNair of Virginia State (pole vault), Watson of Johnson C. Smith (shot put), Ahmad Garrison of Livingstone (discus) and Bryan Aycoth of Livingstone (javelin).

The women's meet turned into a two-team duel between Virginia State and Johnson C. Smith, which started the day with the lead. Virginia State, in fourth place entering Saturday, surged into contention early, and the lead flip-flopped between Johnson C. Smith and Virginia State. The Lady Golden Bulls eventually gained breathing room again and led 110-88.5 with four events remaining.

The Lady Trojans started their rally in the 800-meter run, where Sierra Clayton led a 1-2 VSU finish. The 1,500-meter run was a VSU sweep of the top three places with Taylor-Ashley Bean winning the event. After two runners scored in the 200-meter dash, the Lady Trojans had reclaimed the lead 134.5-123 with one event left.

It was a team effort for the Lady Trojans, who won six individual events. Samantha Edwards of the Lady Trojans won the 400-meter dash. She is ranked fourth in Division II in the event.

Shanika Lamons of Winston-Salem State and Elliott of JCSU were both winners in two events Saturday. Lamons was first in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and Elliott finished first in the 100-meter and the 400-meter hurdles. Elliott entered the CIAA championships ranked No. 2 in Division II in the 400 hurdles and No. 3 in the 100 hurdles.

Andrea Powell of Saint Augustine's College won the high jump and Brittany Abraham of Virginia Union won the triple jump to go along with her long jump win on Friday. Marcia Higgins of Johnson C. Smith won the discus, and Saint Augustine's College swept the 4x100 and 4x400 races. On Friday, Imeshia Jones of Johnson C. Smith won the javelin, Brelyn Finley of Bowie State won the shot put and Bean of Johnson C. Smith won the 3,000-meter run.

Johnson C. Smith won the league's team outdoor track and field highest grade point average award, and Saint Augustine's College won the CIAA team outdoor track and field highest GPA honor.

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