Ram Ramblings: NCAA comes to WSSU but it's a good thing

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Not only is Connell Maynor a very good football coach he’s been lucky over three seasons to not have a long list of injuries to key players.

That luck ran out on Nov. 10 when quarterback Kameron Smith, who now holds every passing record in school history, went down in the second half of the CIAA championship game against Elizabeth City State. Smith could still play on Saturday in the second-round of the Division II playoffs but I’m guessing that Anthony Carrothers will get the start instead.

Smith, who is 30-3 as a starter, came at just the right time when he transferred from the U.S. Navel Academy before the 2010 season. Smith came here after Maynor was hired and Smith, who is from Raleigh, turned out to be one of Maynor’s best recruits.

The NCAA came to Winston-Salem about a month ago but it didn’t come looking for violations. Instead, the NCAA came and did a nice story on Smith and the rise of the WSSU football program.



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Picture of Grambling's Robinson unveiled at ceremony

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  When Steve Skipper was 36 years old, he made his way to Grambling State University to look into the possibility of painting a portrait of Eddie G. Robinson. Unfortunately, he missed Robison by five minutes.

Seventeen years later, Skipper unveiled what is now the official Robinson family commemorative portrait of the legendary football coach on Monday night at the Eddie G. Robinson Museum on the university's campus.

"I have three sons and four daughters, and as they celebrate the gift that God gave me, I want them to be able to celebrate the greatness of Eddie G. Robinson," said Skipper, 53, a Homewood, Ala., native and president of Anointed Homes Art.

 

Doug Williams and James Harris brought Skipper to the attention of the Robinson family. Williams, the head coach of last season's SWAC championship Grambling football team who leads his team into this weekend's Bayou Classic, and Harris, senior personnel executive for the Detroit Lions, played for Robinson, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history. The family commissioned him to paint the coach's portrait.
 

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff: the ultimate road warriors

COACH GEORGE IVORY

SAN DIEGO, California  --  The Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball team just returned from a three-game tournament in Hawaii. On Tuesday the Golden Lions bused to Little Rock and took two flights to San Diego ahead of tonight’s 7:30 game at Viejas Arena against San Diego State.

They’ll spend Thanksgiving here, then fly to Spokane, Wash., for a Saturday night game at Washington State.
 

Home for two days, then a road trip to Arizona State and Oregon.
 

Home for two days, then a road trip to Michigan State and Air Force.
 

Home for the holidays, then a two-game tournament in El Paso, Texas.
 

By the time the Golden Lions have their first home date of the season at H.O. Clemmons Arena, against Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 2, they’ll have played 11 games in eight states and five time zones and travelled 20,272 miles, or roughly 4,600 short of circumnavigating the planet.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach George Ivory explains it like this: “I tell our guys, ‘This is a life experience, to travel and see the world, to play against these great teams and great coaches. A lot of people will only see them on TV. You get a chance to shake Coach (Steve) Fisher’s hand and play in these big arenas.’

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Milford Mill grad Chase Cormier signs with Grambling State

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Chase Cormier graduated last spring from Milford Mill with a legacy of championships and individual honors, but not a single Division I scholarship. But despite his surprising lack of college of options, the 6-foot, 170-pound point guard said he never worried about eventually landing an offer.

“I knew it was a matter of time,” Cormier said. “As soon as I made my announcement to go to prep school, I started getting phone calls from coaches.”

 

Cormier’s thoughts about recruiting were proven correct earlier this month when the Grambling State coaches scouted him at his Fishburne (Va.) Military Academy practice and offered him a scholarship. The former Millers star signed his letter of intent to play for the Tigers this week.
 

“It feels like a relief,” said Cormier, who was also recruited by Rider. “Division I, that’s always been my dream since the ninth grade. It’s an accomplishment.”

Former Millers coach Al Holley – now in his first year as Friends’ boys basketball coach – always thought Cormier was a DI talent. But it was just a matter of finding the right fit.
 

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NCAA PLAYOFFS: Red Raiders Hit the Road to Face No. 2 Winston-Salem State on Saturday at Noon

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, parking fee is $10, live radio broadcast to air on WSYC-FM (and wsyc.org)

Live Coverage:
Listen: 88.7 FM (WSYC)

Gameday Central:
Shippensburg Game Notes (.pdf) [Wed.]
Winston-Salem Game Notes (.pdf)

In the Press:
WHAG-TV NBC 25: Chat With Mac

Websites:
WSSURAMS.COM
SHIPRAIDERS.COM

The No. 15 Shippensburg University football team will hit the road on the day after Thanksgiving for a long trip down Interstate 81 before facing No. 2 Winston-Salem State at noon Saturday in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championships from Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

TICKETS: Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students. The gates to the stadium open at 11 a.m. while tailgating is permitted to start at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through the Winston-Salem State University Ticket Office at 336-750-3220 or through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.

PARKING: General parking is $10. Additional spaces must be purchased for tailgating purposes at the same cost. The East Lot has been identified for RV vehicles. Patrons must purchase four (4) individual parking spaces to accommodate RV vehicles. Additional spaces must be purchased for tailgating purposes at $10 per space. More parking information is detailed HERE.

HOTEL: The Sundance Plaza Hotel & Spa has reserved 25 fan rooms which includes a hot breakfast buffet at a rate of $99.99 plus tax. The hotel is only six miles from WSSU. Additional hotel information is available by contacting Sheila Small at (336) 723-2911 or by e-mail at shefay@yahoo.com.

LIVE COVERAGE:. A live radio broadcast of the game will be available on 88.7 FM in Shippensburg and can be accessed online at www.wsyc.org. No television coverage of the game is anticipated.

TWITTER UPDATES: We encourage all fans looking for updates on the game to follow the SU sports information Twitter account (@ShipURaiders) for frequent messages throughout the contest.

NCAA INFORMATION: Shippensburg (12-1) has earned a NCAA tournament berth for the third time in the last nine years and is making its fifth NCAA postseason appearance in school history (1981, 1991, 2004, 2009, 2012). SU's 58-20 victory over Bloomsburg last week was its first since a 34-33 overtime win at East Stroudsburg in 1991.



COURTESY SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WSSU getting set to take on high-scoring Shippensburg

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Second-ranked Winston-Salem State has talked all season about winning the Division II national championship.

The next step toward that goal can be taken Saturday at noon against 15th-ranked Shippensburg in a second-round game at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Rams had a first-round bye last week, just as they had last season, when they advanced to the semifinals before losing to Wayne State 21-14.

This time around, the Rams have more experience, more depth, and there shouldn’t be any surprises.

“The CIAA is over with now and we won that championship, and we are back to where we wanted to be — and that’s at home and the No. 1 seed in our region,” Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams said. “There are only good teams left, and there are only 16 left still playing. We have to be ready each and every week if we want to play on.”

The Rams used their bye week to heal from bumps and bruises. Quarterback Kam Smith hasn’t practiced much because of a sore shoulder, which forced him to miss the second half of the CIAA championship game on Nov. 10.

Anthony Carrothers has taken the reps in practice with the No. 1 offense this week but Maynor hasn’t ruled out Smith playing this week.

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Virginia State reassigns Faison

ETTRICK, Virginia  --  Virginia State has reassigned football coach Andrew Faison to other duties within the university, athletic director Peggy Davis announced Tuesday.

Faison went 58-53 over the course of 11 seasons with the Trojans.

"We thank [Faison] for his dedicated loyalty to Virginia State University and our student-athletes," Davis said.

Virginia State, picked to finish third in the CIAA Northern Division in 2012, finished at 4-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play.

Faison led the Trojans to a division title - and an appearance in the CIAA championship game - in 2010.

Virginia State, which lost 14-7 to Shaw in the 2010 conference title game, has not won a CIAA championship since 1996.

The Trojans opened the season 1-3 and suffered a 19-14 loss at archrival Virginia Union on Nov. 3.

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Bayou Classic needs attendance boost, Grambling's Doug Williams says

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Grambling Coach Doug Williams walked into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Tuesday and went down memory lane when he saw the scoreboard with 39th annual Bayou Classic in big bold letters. It also made him long for the good old days.

Williams, who was a quarterback at Grambling and then went on to a stellar NFL career, played in the first Bayou Classic in 1974 when it was contested in Tulane Stadium.

“To walk out at Tulane Stadium and there are 80,000 people in that stadium was a shock to me,’’ said Williams, who next year will celebrate his 25th anniversary of being the MVP of Super Bowl XXII where the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos, 42-10, in 1988. Williams was the first African-American quarterback to start a Super Bowl game.

So consider how Williams felt last year, when only 40,175 attended the Bayou Classic, the lowest count ever.

“Last year was a very big shock to me,’’ Williams said. “I am concerned. Hopefully, those concerns get worked out. I would hate to see this game return to a home-and-home situation. It’s been good for both schools and New Orleans for so many years. That would be the worst-case scenario. I think we have to find a way to get the attendance up and make sure the game stays in New Orleans.




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UMES Hawks take own title, win 2012 Hawk Classic

MILLSBORO, Delaware  -- After leading almost the entire tournament, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) got four critical strikes in game seven of the championship match to best the University of Central Missouri (UCM) 4-3 and claim their second ever Hawk Classic title.

UMES last won the Hawk Classic in 2010. They went on that year to have arguably the best season ever in women's collegiate bowling, winning the 2011 MEAC, NCAA and USBC Collegiate titles.

This year though is different than the others, new head coach Kristina Frahm was at the helm and juggled her lineup each day, going with who she thought had the hot hand. Today the Hawks started with a 4.5-1.5 loss to the same UCM team they topped on day two of the 2012 Eastern Shore Hawk Classic sponsored by Hammer Bowling. They came back though and topped Vanderbilt 4-3, setting up a rematch with the Jennies. It was hard fought, but in the end UMES came out on top getting one critical strike from Anggie Ramirez (Bogota, Colombia) in the ninth and three even bigger ones from T'nia Falbo (Greensburg, Pa.) in the tenth to secure the win.

"It was a tough match," said Frahm. "These girls are clutch and when it mattered and it came down to the wire they threw strikes and that is what helped us get this win."

In the championship match UMES inserted Valentina Collazos (Cali, Colombia) and Victoria Jones (Baltimore, Md.) into the line-up at the first and third positions respectively, a move they had made earlier against Vanderbilt. It seemed to work for the most part, but open frames and splits took their toll on the Hawks and they reinserted freshman Kristie Lopez (Ponce, Puerto Rico) back into the lead-off position for the final two games of the match. It worked.

The two teams split the first pair of games with UCM taking game one 225-183 and UMES winning game two 222-207. They carried the momentum through game three with a 190-180 win but the Jennies rebounded to get game four 236-214. UMES responded with a 226-189 win and UCM with a 207-192 win. During that sixth game Lopez was reinserted and her strikes propelled UMES onward.

In the final game the Hawks were cruising until the eighth frame when Jones split, leaving the 6-7-10, getting two on the spare attempt . That gave UCM the window they needed. They took a lead but UMES held close. Ramirez calmly struck in the ninth bettering the Jennies spare. It came down to the anchor spot and Falbo needed a pair. Her first ball carried all ten pins but the UCM anchor went Brooklyn, also collecting all ten pins. Falbo struck again, forcing the Jennies to do so as well, but they got only eight and the spare. Falbo needed just three pins for the win, but she got all ten anyway, finishing with the turkey just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"I am so proud of them," added Frahm. "It is our first full tournament of the year and to get the win and see the hard work pay off is great."

Following the match Ramirez was awarded the high game of the tournament award for her career best 279 from Saturday.

Central Missouri, Vanderbilt, Fairleigh Dickinson and Stephen F. Austin rounded out the top five finishers. Adelphi, Sam Houston State, Sacred Heart, Kutztown and Valparaiso finished six through 10 respectively. New Jersey City, Saint Francis (NY), Norfolk State, Monmouth, Howard, Delaware State, Hampton and Morgan State rounded out the field.

Natalie Jiminez and Mary Wells from UCM, Kimi Davidson from Sam Houston State, Danielle McEwan from FDU and Amanda Fry from Vanderbilt were named to the All-Tournament Team and received their awards from UMES Hall of Fame coach Sharon Brummell who was on hand for the final two days of the championship. UMES takes some time off, next stepping on the lanes December 1-2 in the second MEAC Northern Division meet in Baltimore, Md.


COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Turkey Day Classic Buzz: Tuskegee at Alabama State

TURKEY DAY CLASSIC BUZZ --Tuskegee at Alabama State

WHAT: Tuskegee (9-1) at Alabama State (7-3)

WHEN: Thursday, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Alabama State's new stadium

TV: The game will be televised live on ESPNU

LINE: None

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: Technically, nothing. Tuskegee, the Southern Intercollegiate Conference champion, will go on to to the Pioneer Bowl on December 1st and Alabama State's season is over regardless of the outcome. But it's the 89^th annual meeting between the Division II Tuskegee and FCS Alabama State, making it a perfect kickoff to rivalry weekend. Tuskegee's lone loss came in a 7-6 game against Alabama A&M, the Hornets', arch-nemesis, in Week 1. Alabama State beat the Bulldogs by 18 in the Magic City Classic. Tuskegee has downed Miles and Stillman, which owns a victory against Concordia-Selma. So, if there were a state black college championship game, it'd be this. And all that's not to mention the fact, the Hornets are opening their new $62-million on-campus stadium to cap off their homecoming week with the oldest classic game in all of black college football.

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HU's Rose works toward next season, awaits sit-down with A.D.

HAMPTON, Virginia  --  Donovan Rose walked off the field at Morgan State last Saturday a winner for just the third time all season, a small consolation in as frustrating a year as he has experienced in football.

Yet when Hampton University's head coach reflected on the 2012 season, the message to his players came from one week earlier, after the Pirates lost yet another close game in which they contributed to their own downfall — at Delaware State.

"I told them: Remember this feeling, so you do what's necessary never to feel it again," Rose said. "When we do what we're supposed to do and play the type of football that you're coached and deliver, it's all going to take care of itself.

Hampton U. (3-7) concluded its worst season since going 2-9 in 1991, the final year of the Fred Freeman Era and when the athletic program was firmly planted in Division II and the CIAA.

The season figured to be a huge ...

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The CI: Shakeup in coaching ranks

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  It’s firing season for football coaches.

Virginia State fired head coach Andrew Faison after 11 seasons. Faison finished with a record of 58-53 but his Trojans struggled to challenge North Division heavyweights Elizabeth City State and Bowie State.

In the South Division, Livingstone has fired Elvin James, according to Football Scoop, a website that tracks coaches on the collegiate and professional levels. The site said the school was scheduled to name a replacement on Nov. 19.

Fayetteville State cut ties with Kenny Phillips earlier this month after 13 seasons. Phillips led the Broncos to their best stretch in school history, going 75-63 mark during his tenure with three CIAA championships and three appearances in the Division II playoffs. FSU has reassigned Phillips, who still has a year remaining on his contract, to other duties.

Programs and coaches with CIAA ties haven’t been immune from pink ...

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Forward progress at JCSU

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  After finishing above .500 and second in the CIAA South, Johnson C. Smith football has a definitive goal: Compete for the division title in 2013.

The Golden Bulls (6-4, 5-2 CIAA) have enough ingredients to at least improve on its 2012 record, which took a hit with upset losses to West Virginia State and Lincoln. They rebounded from a 2-4 record to win four straight to beat preseason expectations of the league’s coaches, who predicted a fifth-place finish in the six-team CIAA South.

JCSU coach Steve Aycock is looking to leverage the Golden Bulls’ consecutive winning seasons – which last happened in 1973 – as a selling point with recruits.

“We’ve had a few guys come in and visit with us that’s excited about what we’re doing,” he said. “We just hope people look at since we’ve taken over as head coach and brought the staff in that Johnson C. Smith is a team on the rise.”

Although Winston-Salem State is the undisputed king of the CIAA, JCSU returns enough personnel to perhaps contend for a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs or Pioneer Bowl.


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No revenge for Jackson State in UAPB rematch

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  When Jackson State players return to campus next Tuesday to begin preparations for Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Dec. 8 SWAC championship game, there will be no talk of revenge.

UAPB (9-2, 8-1 SWAC) was the last team to beat the Tigers, gashing JSU (7-4, 7-2) for a season-high 319 yards on the ground in a 34-24 win in October.

JSU has won five straight since that loss on a soggy night in Arkansas.

“That was a game ago,” JSU coach Rick Comegy said. “This is a brand new ballgame. We can reflect back on things we did wrong, but I don’t think we need to reflect back in a way of revenge. That takes away from play.

“I think we just go to go in there and play solid football and do what we do best and not worry about any type of revenge,” Comegy said.

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Road trip tests Florida A&M Rattlers

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The road that FAMU has traveled so far hasn’t been an easy one and it’s getting tougher with every stop that the men’s basketball team makes. The Rattlers’ next stop comes tonight at the University of Arkansas.

During the next 10 days, they’ll travel to Las Vegas for a tournament, then play at Jacksonville before coming home for a Dec. 1 game against Bethune-Cookman University at the Lawson Center.

Being away from home against teams from the Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC has presented some challenges, the biggest of them for coach Clemon Johnson being finding ways to keep his players’ confidence up. The Rattlers (0-3) go into every game as underdogs and, with the exception of a five-point loss to Houston, the games haven’t been close.

Things could have been much easier for the Rattlers against less powerful opponents, but with a financially strapped athletic department the financial guarantee take precedent.

“What I have to do is keep convincing those guys that this (playing against bigger programs) isn’t how it’s going to be for the entire year,” Johnson said Monday night before a team practice.



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FAMU MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE -2012

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)	Results
Thu, Nov 01	Albany State (Exhibition)	Tallahassee, Fla.	7 p.m.
Fri, Nov 09	Houston	at Houston, Texas	12 p.m.	76 - 81 (L) Final STATS
Tue, Nov 13	Stetson	at DeLand, Fla.	7 p.m.	66 - 88 (L) Final STATS
Las Vegas Tournament
Sun, Nov 18	Arizona State	at Tempe, Ariz.	2 p.m.	70 - 97 (L) Final STATS
Tue, Nov 20	Arkansas	at Fayetteville, Ark.	TBA	- (L) (W) (T)
Fri, Nov 23	Longwood	at Las Vegas, Nev.	TBA
Sat, Nov 24	Presbyterian/Longwood/Cornell	at Las Vegas, Nev.	TBA
Thu, Nov 29	North Florida	at Jacksonville, Fla.	7 p.m.
Sat, Dec 01	Bethune-Cookman *	Tallahassee, Fla.	6 p.m.
Tue, Dec 04	Edward Waters College	Tallahassee, Fla.	7 p.m.
Sat, Dec 08	Allen University	Tallahassee, Fla.	4 p.m.
Sat, Dec 15	Clemson	at Clemson, S.C.	TBA
Tue, Dec 18	Texas Tech	at Lubbock, Texas	TBA
Sat, Dec 29	Georgia	at Athens, Ga	TBA

THE SHOW: Alabama A&M University at Auburn

Gaston-Loyd's late basket gives XU 46-45 victory against LSUS

 
NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gaston-Loyd's basket with 6.3 seconds remaining Monday lifted Xavier University of Louisiana to a 46-45 women's basketball victory against LSU-Shreveport at the Convocation Center.

Gaston-Loyd, with 13 points, was the only double-figure scorer for the Gold Nuggets (3-1), who are ranked 11th in NAIA Division I.

Xavier outscored the Lady Pilots (3-1), ranked 19th, 9-3 after Sharde Henry's free throw gave LSUS a 42-36 lead with 6:44 remaining. Gaston-Loyd scored the Nuggets' final four points, including a basket at 2:10 which gave them their first lead in more than 13 minutes.

Henry scored 15 points and Jenna Diakos 13 for LSUS, and Victoria Smith had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Henry missed a running 3-pointer from the right side with two seconds remaining, and Diakos, who grabbed the rebound, could not beat the buzzer with a final shot.

Danielle Tucker had eight points and a season-best nine rebounds for Xavier, and Carmen Holcombe had a season-high seven points, a career-high-tying two blocked shots and a career-best four steals.

LSUS outshot Xavier 37.8 to 30.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Nuggets 42-38. Xavier got 33 points from its bench and had a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Angelica Alexander's basket gave Xavier its largest lead, 19-8, at 9:58 of the first half. Smith tied the score at 22 with two free throws,, and Tucker's basket with three second remaining gave the Nuggets a 24-22 halftime advantage.

Smith's basket with 16:59 remaining gave LSUS its first lead, 28-27.

Xavier will play NAIA No. 14 Langston at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' third consecutive game against a ranked opponent. The other games Thursday will match Wiley against Tuskegee at 3 p.m. and Texas College against Dillard at 5 p.m.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
XULAATHLETICS

TSU Men's Basketball Knocks Off South Alabama, 68-57

ATLANTA, Georgia  -- The Tennessee State men's basketball team notched its first win of the season with a 68-57 victory over the Jaguars of South Alabama.

Junior guard Patrick Miller led the Tigers in points, assists and steals with 14, eight and four, respectively.

Miller also had five of TSU's 46 rebounds. The Tigers had 15 more rebounds than their opponents.

TSU won the tip and within three seconds Covington had his first points of the game. The bucket set the tone early for the Tigers, as they started the game on a 13-2 run.

During the run, guards Jay Harris and Patrick Miller combined for 11 of the team's points. Harris was 3-3 in the stretch with a three-pointer.

South Alabama's Mychal Ammons got the Jaguars within six at 16-10 with a strong drive in the lane. The layup was just two of his half-high nine points during the period.

The Tigers kept a large cushion through the next seven minutes, and eventually went up by nine when a missed three by Jordan Cyphers was tip-slammed home by Michael Green.

A layup from Kellen Thornton with 2:30 left in the first period gave the Tigers a 13-point lead- their biggest of the half.

Another layup from Thornton made the score 36-24 in favor of TSU heading into the break.

TSU shot 45 percent from the floor during the first half which was nearly 15 points higher than its season average.

USA came out strong to start the second period and went on an 11-2 run to cut the TSU lead to three. The Tigers were 0-6 from the field during the run.

With the lead down to just a couple, the Tigers came roaring back with a 13-4 run that was sparked by a pair of buckets from Robert Covington.

Covington finished the game with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

After a bucket by South Alabama made the score 51-43, the TSU defense held pat and didn't allow the Jaguars to make a field goal for the next nine minutes.

During those nine minutes, DeShawn Dockery drained a three and Miller assisted Rhett on an alley-oop. Those scores, plus a handful of others, allowed TSU to extend its lead to as many as 21 with just minutes to go in the game.

USA ended the game on a 10-0 run, but it wasn't nearly enough, as TSU walked away with an eleven-point victory.

The Tigers will turn right around and play Georgia State tomorrow at 7 p.m. TSU then wraps up the week with a game against Monmouth on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
 

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Coleman and Morgan Named Eddie Robinson Award Finalists

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head coach Monte Coleman and Mississippi Valley State University head coach Karl Malone were selected as one of the 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually by the Sports Network to the top coach in FCS football.

The announcement was made Monday, November 19, 2012. The winner of the Eddie Robinson Award along with the other postseason honors will be announced at the FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation on Dec. 17 in Philadelphia. All 13 FCS conferences have at least one coach on the list.
Coach Coleman led the Golden Lions to the best regular-season record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (9-2 overall and 8-1 conference). UAPB ran away with the West Division title and earned a spot in the conference championship game on December 8th in Birmingham, Ala. The Golden Lions will face Eastern Division champion, Jackson State. UAPB finished the regular season with six straight wins.

Under the direction of Morgan, the Delta Devils finished with a 5-6 record including a 5-4 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The win total is one more than their combined total from 2009-11. In his third season as head coach, Morgan's squad ranked fourth in the FCS in total defense during the regular season.

A panel of about 160 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the Robinson Award winner, which is presented by The Sports Network.

The Eddie Robinson Award is awarded annually to college football's top head coach in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The award was established by The Sports Network in 1987 and is voted upon by the division's sports information directors and selected sports writers. The award is named for Eddie Robinson, the College Football Hall of Fame coach, who retired in 1997 after 56 years at Grambling State University.

Along with the Walter Payton Award and Buck Buchanan Award, it is presented the night before the annual NCAA Division I Football Championship. All three awards are named after former players and coach of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG

Rush can't handle Payne in first Convocation Center loss

NEW ORLEANS -- Guy Payne made 5-of-6 3-pointers and scored 34 points Monday to lead William Carey in a 78-68 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana.

It was the first loss in six games for Xavier (6-1) in its Convocation Center, which opened Nov. 3.

Payne, a 6-foot-6 junior forward in his first season at William Carey (5-0), was 12-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the line in 29 minutes. He entered the game averaging 9.3 points. Payne scored 20 points in the second half.

Jeremiah Dunnings scored 17 points and Donzedrick Smith 11 for the Crusaders, who took the lead for good at 25-22 on a Dunnings 3-pointer at 5:02 of the first half. William Carey led 35-31 at halftime and 48-32 after Smith's basket with 13:35 remaining.

Wanto Joseph scored 18 points and Anthony Simmons 17 for Xavier, and Denzell Erves had 12 points and 11 rebounds in his fifth double-double of the season and second in a row.

Gary Smith's basket in the 12th minute gave Xavier its final lead, 18-16.

Xavier outshot William Carey 48.1 to 42.6 percent from the floor, but the Crusaders outrebounded the Gold Rush 40-27. Xavier entered the game with a plus-13.2 rebound margin. Xavier made 12-of-17 free throws after attempting an average of 30.7 in its first six games.

William Carey played without two starters, one injured and the other suspended, and snapped Xavier's 13-game home win streak. It was the third XU loss in its last 51 non-conference home games.

It was the second victory in three nights against a ranked opponent for William Carey, which won 79-76 at home Saturday against NAIA No. 6 Southern Poly.

Xavier will play Concordia (Ala.) at. 2 p.m. Friday and Wiley at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Memphis HBCU Classic at Southwest Tennessee Community College.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

B-CU's Jenkins among finalists for Eddie Robinson Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  The two coaches in Saturday's Football Championship Subdivision playoff game at Municipal Stadium were both named finalists Monday for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS national coach of the year.

Bethune-Cookman's Brian Jenkins and Coastal Carolina's Joe Moglia were among 20 coaches whose names will appear on the award ballot.

B-CU (9-2) will host Coastal Carolina (7-4) in a first-round playoff game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

“Obviously this is an extreme honor to be named a finalist for an award of this magnitude,” Jenkins said. “This award not only shows the hard work of a head coach, his staff and players throughout the year, but also the hard work and dedication of a man for whom the award is named.

“Not only was (former Grambling State coach) Eddie Robinson an inspiration to me, but he paved the way for African-American coaches like myself and many more to reach new heights in the college football coaching ranks.”




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Tuskegee RB Derrick Washington a Finalist for Harlon Hill Trophy

#2 DERRICK WASHINGTON
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY TIGERS

TUSKEGEE, Alabama --  The National Harlon Hill Trophy Committee announced today that Tuskegee running back Derrick Washington has been named a finalist for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy awarded to the Most Outstanding football player in Division II.

The 2012 SIAC Football Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, Washington, is one of eight finalists selected from a field of 24 candidates within the four Super Regions across Division II. The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors during regional voting and will now be placed on the national ballot where 155 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 27^th winner.

In his first and only season at Tuskegee, Washington, a transfer from University of Missouri, has been the lightning rod for Tuskegee's 9-1 record this year. As the seventh overall rusher in the nation, the Raymore, Missouri native, led the conference in rushing with 1,399 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading Tuskegee to its 26th SIAC Football Championship. He also averaged 8.1 yards per carry and rushed for more than 100 yards in six games, while running for 200-plus yards three times this season. In his last two outings, Washington rushed for 208 yards against Miles and 224 yards against Fort Valley State in the SIAC Championship game.

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WSSU's Sabb was ready when his time came

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  During his three seasons at Winston-Salem State, Coach Connell Maynor has quietly built a deep football team that can withstand injuries.

That depth came in handy in the CIAA championship game earlier this month, when offensive lineman Michael Page went down with a broken leg. As redshirt sophomore Michael Sabb trotted onto the field to take Page’s place, he wasn’t nervous.
“I was more concerned with how Michael was doing because I knew it wasn’t good when he went out,” said Sabb, who missed all of last season because of hip surgery. “I hate to see anybody go down — especially with him because he’s a senior and now his career is over.”

But the Rams’ season is not over. Sabb, who is from Raleigh, will be counted on to help a productive offensive line continue to be consistent. WSSU is averaging 44 points a game this season.

The Rams (11-0) had a cohesive five-man offensive line that knew the system very well. Other than Winston Hill, who went down early with a season-ending injury, the line was healthy — the same five players started the last 10 games. That will change Saturday when the Rams take on Shippensburg at noon at Bowman Gray Stadium in a second-round Division II playoff game.

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Jackson State wins SWAC Volleyball Tournament Crown

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Jackson State University captured back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament titles after defeating Alabama A&M University, 3-1, on Sunday in the Lee Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.

The Lady Tigers won their 22nd straight match on the year using set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-19, and 26-17, for their second overall SWAC tournament crown.

SWAC Tournament MVP, Christine Edwards, powered JSU (24-11) with a match high, 28 kills, while finishing with nine digs. Mikayla Rolle tacked on 10 kills and Jenna Siddiqui paced JSU with 44 assists. The Lady Tigers defense totaled 12.5 blocks with Angelica Kelley recording 11 digs to help the back line.

Clairissa Moore led AAMU (12-20) with a double-double, 18 kills and 14 digs. Savannah Blackiston finished with 10 kills and Ashley Forman dished out 41 assists. Mary Carmen-Aponte gathered 13 digs to lead the Lady Bulldogs.

Jackson State receives the automatic qualifier bid to the 2012 NCAA Volleyball Tournament to face an opponent to be announced during the NCAA.com Selection Show. The show will be televised on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 3 p.m. CST.

 

 

2012 Southwestern Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team

April Brown (Mississippi Valley)

Breanna McNeil (Prairie View)

Kelsey Espinosa (Prairie View)

Rachel Smith (Alabama State)

Mona Reed (Texas Southern)

Michelle Williams (Southern)

Mikayla Rolle (Jackson State)

Clairissa Moore (Alabama A&M)

Christine Edwards (Jackson State)

Ashley Foreman (Alabama A&M)

Paige Williams (Jackson State)

Tournament MVP

Christine Edwards (Jackson State)

Coach of the Year

Rose Washington (Jackson State)


COURTESY SWAC.ORG

UMES wins in five-set thriller over Florida A&M to earn berth in the NCAA Tournament

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Just like last season, Saitaua Iosia's 25th kill in the fifth set against Florida A&M at the P.E. Complex at Coppin State solidified UMES's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. UMES defeated Florida A&M in five sets (25-16, 25-21, 18-25, 14-25, 15-12) to repeat as conference champions and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

"The girls believe no matter what," said head coach Don Metil describing the team's fifth set, "In years past I have had teams that get down, but this team adapted quickly."

UMES improves to 28-5, the highest amount of victories UMES has had in a season since 2003 when the Hawks went 26-12. Florida A&M drops to 14-10 on the year.

Iosia (Long Beach, Calif.) finished with 25 kills in the match, the same amount as last year's title match against FAMU, with 15 digs. She was honored as the Most Outstanding Performer in the MEAC Tournament for the second straight season after earning 60 kills, 10 aces and 32 digs combined in the three matches.

"I was told I wasn't going to play this season," said Iosia, "I was devastated, and [when I learned I would play] it was a big motivation, and it was great to be out there."

In addition, Victoria Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.) earned a place on the All-Tournament team after earning 15 kills against FAMU and 48 in the tournament with a .513 hitting percentage.

"[Victoria] is a fantastic player, she performed fantastic this weekend, and we needed her to be successful this weekend, and she did; we had more than one Most Outstanding Player," said Metil about Williams.

Metil was chosen as the Most Outstanding Coach in the tournament after leading UMES to its second straight MEAC Championship.

First Team All-MEAC Ndidi Ibe (North Richland Hills, Texas) got UMES going in the first set with a pair of kills. A Maline Vaitai (Salt Lake City, Utah) ace tacked on a point for an opening 3-0 run.

After a Katherine Huanec kill, Iosia earned her first kill, followed by an Ibe ace for a 5-1 UMES lead. The Hawks and Rattlers started trading points as UMES stayed ahead, but FAMU got within two 12-10. Ibe came on strong again with a kill and ace, then an Iosia kill built the UMES lead to five. After a FAMU point, Iosia added a pair of kills to push the Hawks up six, later getting a 3-0 run started by an Iosia kill and ace for a 20-12 advantage. Two late kills by Ibe, and a Vaitai ace to end the game, helped UMES get a 25-16 set one win. Ibe was a perfect 6-6 on kills in the first set, adding two aces.

"As a senior, you always wonder if this is the last time you'll be out there," said Ibe after the match, "but it was a great feeling to be out there and win it."

At 1-1 in the second set, Ibe again got UMES started with a kill and ace, adding a point with a Diana Gonzalez attack error for a 4-1 Hawks lead. Following a pair of exchanges, a Corey Haynes (Falls Church, Va.) kill, Williams kill and Iosia ace pushed the score to 8-3 UMES. FAMU responded with a 3-0 run, capped by a Karol Marquez ace, to pull within two. At 11-8 Hawks, the Rattlers won five of the next six points, including two Maria Ceccarelli kills, to take a 13-12 lead. UMES countered by taking four of the next five to go up 16-14. The teams battled some more, tying the set up at 17 and later 18. UMES took command, building on an Ibe and Vaitai combo block and following up with a Vaitai ace and Gonzalez setting error for a 21-18 UMES lead. The Hawks did not trail again by less than two, as late kills by Iosia, First Team All-MEAC Jessie Vicic (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada) and Williams helped the Hawks win 25-21 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set started back and forth as the two teams tied early 4-4. A pair of UMES errors gave FAMU an early 6-4 advantage. At 9-6 Rattlers, a Vicic dump kill and Ibe solo block on a Pamela Barrera attack pulled UMES within one. FAMU went back up by three, and again the Hawks got to within one on an Iosia kill and Ibe ace. But off Ceccarelli's serving, FAMU went on a 4-0 run to go up 15-10. UMES kept getting countered on points until at 19-13, UMES took the next four points off Haynes's serving to get within two 19-17. But that is as close as UMES got, as the Rattlers won six of the final seven points to take set three 25-18.

FAMU continued its strong play into the next set, as the Rattlers started up 5-2, capped by a Ceccarelli ace. Following an Iosia kill, three straight Yeisha Arcia kills built Florida A&M's lead to five 8-3. At 10-5, a couple of FAMU errors and two Ibe kills got UMES back within two 11-9. But the Rattlers responded with a 4-0 run, including two kills and a block from Ceccarelli, to go up 15-9. UMES could not get back, as at 17-12, a UMES attack error and Marquez's serving gave FAMU a 5-0 run for a 22-12 Rattlers advantage. Florida A&M won the set 25-14 to force a fifth set tiebreaker.

UMES came into this match perfect in five-set matches this year, something that Metil relayed to his team before the tiebreaker set.

"We said to the team that we are 7-0 [in five-setters], and we said that FAMU does not make a lot of changes, and we were ready for them," said Metil.

At 1-1 in the fifth set, a Barrera service error gave UMES the lead. On Vicic's serving, the Hawks earned kills from Williams, Iosia and Williams again to surge ahead 5-1. Following an exchange of points, a 3-0 FAMU run capped by an Arcia kill pulled FAMU within one 6-5, later to 7-6. Vaitai earned a sideout on a kill, and after the switching of sides, Ibe got an unassisted kill, followed by a Vaitai kill for a 10-6 UMES advantage. Kills from Arcia and Ceccarelli pulled the Rattlers back to within two, but a Vaitai kill put the score at 11-8. FAMU again got to within one after taking three of the next four points. But Iosia came through once more with two straight kills to give UMES match point at 14-11. FAMU defended once on a Ceccarelli kill, but in the exact same rotation and setup as last year's match-winner, Iosia delivered the championship-winning kill to give UMES a 15-12 set five win and second straight MEAC title.

UMES, now 8-0 in five-set matches this season, hit .280 in the match, including at least .414 in sets won today and .033 or below in games fallen, also contributing 11 service aces.

Ibe also had a strong match against FAMU, finishing with 12 kills, four aces and a team-high three blocks. Vicic concluded with 57 assists, three kills and five digs. Jingqiao Li (Beijing, China) had a team-high 12 digs, while Megan Mueller (Manchester, Mo.) had nine. Vaitai finished with eight kills, three aces and six digs, while Haynes had two kills, two assists, an ace and a block.

Ceccarelli led the Rattlers with 16 kills and six digs. Arcia also had 16 kills, adding seven digs. Huanec finished with nine kills and three digs.

The Hawks will find out where they will play next Sunday during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION