PV Lady Panthers take SWAC bowling championship title

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  History has repeated itself with the Lady Panthers bowling team defending its title and becoming the 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference Champions by beating Alabama A&M like last years competition.

Coming into the tournament at number four, like in 2012, having to beat Alabama A&M twice to claim the title. Losing their first game against Texas Southern University 4-1, the Lady Panthers came back and eliminated Texas Southern and Jackson State in a 4-3 game.

The Lady Bulldogs rolled through the rounds on Saturday. In the first match, Prairie View started well, blowing past A&M 231-175.

After the red-hot start, the Lady Panthers struggled in the next three games. The Lady Bulldogs capitalized, posting 154-150, 179-173 and 171-147 wins.

The second championship match did not go in Prairie View’s favor as Alabama A&M won the first two games 160-157, 170-122.

Making a comeback, the Lady Panthers won the next three games 189-170, 201-133, and 171-147, but the Lady Bulldogs did not let up that easy. They tied the series and won the sixth game 202-191.

An opportunity knocked at the Lady Bulldogs door giving them an open from the Lady Panthers. At the 10th frame, Collins stood on the approach with a chance to put the Lady Bulldogs in the lead. She responded with a strike and a spare, giving the Lady Bulldogs a slim lead and putting all of the pressure on freshman Ashle Reid.

Alabama A&M was on its way to a third SWAC title, however, Prairie View was not going to let that happen.

Despite her knee injury Reid stepped up to the line with the game in her hand. With both teams standing on their toes she nailed a strike giving Prairie View the title.

Day one of the tournament Prairie View was fourth in pinfalls beating Alabama A&M, Southern State, and Jackson State. Alexis Holmes had the best pinfall average knocking down 951 in the tournament Brittney Wehmeier followed behind knocking down 897 pins.

FAMU Rattlers Under The Lights At Bragg Stadium

Rattler James Owens returns a kick

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --   It’s Tuesday morning, and while most people are snug in their beds as 43-degree temperatures test the levels of insulation in their homes, the Rattler football team is at full tilt. It’s 5:45 a.m. and the Rattlers are 15 minutes into their spring football practice inside Bragg Memorial Stadium. New head coach Earl Holmes has decided that practicing that early has several benefits.

“At some point, your team has to be mentally tough. Looking at what we’re trying to get done here and looking at the style of ball we’re going to play here, we’ve got to make sure that the elements are not a part of it. Whether we’re playing in the sun or strong winds or rain, we’ve got to be ready to execute,” Holmes said.

The team is even varying locations for practice, utilizing the regular practice field, Bragg Stadium and the campus recreation turf fields in a rotation of venues. Holmes feels this will help with the team’s preparedness and insure that nothing is mundane about spring football practice this year.

FAMU offensive coordinator Quinn Gray signals a play to quarterback Damien Fleming, who executes the play, throwing a crisp pass right between the 2 and 7 on the chest of receiver Lenworth Lennon. Lennon promptly throws a move, causing a defensive back to miss, that draws whoops from the offensive sideline and exposing an energy that the new era has brought to the program.

The Rattlers have 12 games lined up for the 2013 slate, but they pale in comparison to the competition internally on the team. Coach Holmes has stated that 21 positions are open as of spring, excluding quarterback he said with a laugh. Fleming will be regarded as the top returning quarterback in the MEAC and FAMU’s top professional quarterback prospect since Gray finished his playing days.

With All-American kicker Chase Varnadore handling kickoffs and field goals, special teams coach Juan Vasquez now turns his attention to replacing punter Branden Holdren. Right at mid-practice, the Rattlers went over punt team coverage drills, where heir-apparent Colby Blanton booted a 60-yard booming kick that had the scout team returners retreating. In usual Vasquez fashion, he commented to Blanton that the punt was “okay.”

Holmes, a career defensive guy, seems to be rooting more for the offense these days. “As a head coach, I have to concentrate on our weaknesses. Last year, obviously we struggled offensively and now I want to see progress in our offense and I’m confident that coach Gray and his staff will bring better results for us,” Holmes said.


 Coach Quinn Gray talks with Damien Fleming.

Surveying players on the sideline, the best analysis they could give about the new direction of the team is “it’s just different.” Holmes said he accepts that notion. “If different means better, then I can attest to that. We’ve talked about it among the coaching staff and in player meetings and it’s about moving forward and that’s what we are concentrating on,” Holmes said.

Minutes later, a receiver caught a pass on the sideline and was popped by a defensive back. The team energy was evident as the mode was rowdy…a competitive rowdiness that brought smiles to all of the coaches. The energy of internal competition is evident.

The Rattlers have about eight working days before they publicly unveil the changes to the team. The annual Orange & Green Game is Apr. 6, 2013 at Bragg Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m. Coming off a disappointing 4-7 season, Rattler fans are anxious as well to see what Holmes and his staff have to add to the FAMU legacy.

“I’ve seen some of our underclassmen starting to raise some eyebrows. Guys are improving and understanding what we’re looking for and understanding the tempo of practice, while playing close attention to detail. We’re going to continue to put our best foot forward and try to play some Rattler football,” Holmes concluded.

The Rattlers will play five home games in Bragg Stadium and two more games in the state of Florida. To order your season tickets, please call (850)599-3141. To renew your Rattler Booster memberships, please call (850)224-6093.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
PHOTOS BY FAMU ATHLETICS

Rush 24th in postseason poll for second consecutive year

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is 24th for the second consecutive year in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll.

The Gold Rush (24-8) arrived there after dropping eight spots from the previous poll on March 6 — and 11 places in the final two polls. Opening-round losses to Dillard in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and to Faulkner in the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship helped bring the Rush down in the rankings.

Xavier was 19th in the preseason poll and spent seven weeks in the top 15, including a high of 11th place on Jan. 22. The Gold Rush were one of six teams to drop seven or more places and remain in the top 25.

This is the third consecutive year and the fourth time in Dannton Jackson's 10 seasons as head coach that the Gold Rush are in the final top 25 of the season. This is the second consecutive year that the final poll was conducted after the national tournament.

Xavier will enter the 2013-14 season trying to extend a streak of 24 consecutive top-25 appearances. The Gold Rush have appeaered in the top 25 in 37 of the last 38 polls.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through end of season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Georgetown (Ky.) (11) 28-8 281 tie-13 2 Southwestern Assemblies of God 33-5 272 6 3 Lindsey Wilson 33-5 262 2 4 LSU-Shreveport 27-7 254 25 5 Columbia (Mo.) 35-1 245 1 6 Montana Western 24-10 228 tie-13 7 John Brown 28-7 223 4 8 Lee (Tenn.) 30-4 221 3 9 Evangel 26-7 211 9 10 Culver-Stockton 26-9 187 RV 11 Oklahoma Baptist 25-8 177 10 12 Westmont 25-8 166 11 13 MidAmerica Nazarene 26-10 163 RV 14 Faulkner 29-6 162 18 15 Pikeville 26-7 159 8 16 Martin Methodist 21-11 152 tie-20 17-tie Hope International 26-8 137 tie-16 17-tie Cal State San Marcos 23-7 137 7 19 Lewis-Clark State 26-6 134 5 20 Concordia (Calif.) 23-11 112 23 21 William Carey 25-6 106 12 22 Philander Smith 25-8 94 22 23 St. Thomas (Texas) 28-6 80 tie-20 24 Xavier 24-8 78 tie-16 25 Emmanuel (Ga.) 28-5 67 15 Others receiving votes: Montana State Northern 66, Arizona Christian 52, Life 37, Science & Arts 30, Voorhees 11, Rocky Mountain 7, Bethel (Tenn.) 5, Campbellsville 4.

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

Summer Camp Dates Set For Tennessee State Football

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Dates have been set for the annual TSU Lil' Tiger and TSU Prospect Camps this summer.

The TSU Lil' Tiger Camp is scheduled from June 3-6 at Hale Stadium. Camp will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day with boys ages 6-14 eligible to participate. For more information, click here to read the brochure.

The TSU Prospect Camps will begin on June 7 at Hale Stadium. The Tigers will go on the road to Memphis on June 9, Chattanooga on June 13 and conclude the camp season on July 20 with the Music City Shootout and OL/DL Camp.

For more information, click here to read the brochure.

To check out camp information for all TSU sports, CLICK HERE.

2013 TSU Prospect Camp Brochure
2013 TSU Lil' Tiger Camp Brochure

XU Nuggets 7-0 vs. ranked teams after beating Embry-Riddle

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Xavier University of Louisiana's women's tennis team defeated Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 7-2 Thursday to remain unbeaten this season against ranked NAIA opponents.

The Gold Nuggets, ranked eighth, are 11-7 overall but 7-0 against ranked teams. The XU women won against a top-10 team for the second time ever and the first time in eight years. Embry-Riddle (6-8) is ranked seventh and was the NAIA runner-up a year ago.

Embry-Riddle's second-ranked men defeated eighth-ranked Xavier 8-1.

Kourtney Howell and Amanda Materre, both losers in singles Wednesday in the Nuggets' victory against Northwood (Fla.), bounced back with doubles and singles victories against Embry-Riddle. Materre and Olivia West scored first in the dual with an 8-2 doubles victory against Ana Gonzalez-Hoy and Meena Bennett. Howell and Brion Flowers, No. 12 in the ITA's NAIA doubles rankings, followed with an 8-5 victory against fourth-ranked Hui-I Huang and Kristina Marova.

The Nuggets won 5-of-6 singles matches, including Howell's 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) victory against Huang -- the reigning NAIA Player of the Week -- and Materre's 7-5, 6-1 decision over Paola Montero. Freshman Vashni Balleste clinched the dual with her 6-3, 6-2 victory against Bennett at No. 6.

Also winning for Xavier was Simone-Alyse Ewell in a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory against Giovanna Tomiotto and Amber Brown in a 6-0, 6-1 decision over Gonzalez-Hoy.

Xavier is the first NAIA women's team since 2009 to win at Embry-Riddle.

"The Nuggets put it all together today and played very well. This is the best they played this season," XU coach Alan Green said. "It shows what they are capable of when the entire team is involved in the match -- whether they are playing or cheering. We had great team spirit today, and the girls fed off each other."

In the men's dual, Viktor Svoboda scored the lone point for the Gold Rush (10-6). Svoboda won his eighth consecutive singles match, a 6-4, 6-3 decision against Miguel Lopez Gomez. Chris Freeman and Deni Zmak won in doubles and singles for the Eagles (13-2), and Zmak clinched with his 6-1, 6-1 victory against Loic Didavi at the top singles flight.

"Embry-Riddle is, in my opinion, the best team in the nation," Green said. "Our guys competed, but Embry-Riddle was just too much for us today."

Embry-Riddle snapped Xavier's season-high four-dual win streak. Four of the Gold Rush losses are to teams in the top seven in the most recent coaches poll.

The Gold Nuggets finished 3-0 and the Gold Rush 2-1 in their spring-break trip to Florida. Next duals for both will be at 3 p.m. on April 5 -- one week from Friday -- at William Carey, whose women are ranked second and men are sixth. The next XU home duals will start at 2 p.m. on April 6 against Auburn Montgomery and its top-ranked men and third-ranked women.

Results: Men Women

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

Rush, Nuggets beat ranked teams from Northwood (Fla.)

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Loic Didavi's three-set singles victory gave Xavier University of Louisiana a 5-4 men's tennis decision against Northwood (Fla.) on Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets defeated Northwood 6-3.

All four teams are ranked in the NAIA. Xavier's men and women are eighth, Northwood's women are 14th, and Northwood's men are 15th.

The XU men (10-5) rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to increase their win streak to four duals, a season best. They've won seven of their last eight duals. The Nuggets (10-7) have won six of their last eight and are 6-0 this season against ranked NAIA opponents.

Didavi dropped a first-set tiebreaker 7-0 to Alvaro Iturriaga but won the next two sets 6-2, 6-3.

Didavi has eight consecutive singles victories and is 5-0 this semester in split-set matches.

"What can I say about how our guys competed today?" XU coach Alan Green said. "Northwood is very good and could have easily won this match. Today Loic was the guy who gutted out a victory for us when it was on the line."

Also with an eight-match win streak are Nikita Soifer and Viktor Svoboda, who gave Xavier its only doubles point with an 8-6 victory against David Cathalina and Nikita Borodatov. Soifer beat Guilherme Azambuja 6-0, 6-2 in singles, and Svoboda improved his win streak to seven with a 6-3, 6-1 decision against Borodatov. Scoring the other Gold Rush point was Kyle Montrel, a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Cathalina.

The Gold Rush have five victories this season against teams in the current NAIA top 25.

In the women's dual, the Gold Nuggets won for the first time in two years despite singles losses by Kourtney Howell and Amanda Materre. Picking up the slack included freshman Brion Flowers and sophomore transfer Olivia West, both winners in doubles and singles.

In doubles, Flowers and Howell defeated Rose Bellevue and Adelaide Wood 8-1, and West and Materre defeated Julia Ferraz and Melanie Snowberger 8-4. Flowers beat Bellevue 6-0, 6-0 in singles, and West clinched the dual with her 0-6, 6-2, 6-0 decision against Snowberger. Also rallying from a first-set deficit was Amber Brown, who defeated Ferraz 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The Nuggets' other singles winner was Simone-Alyse Ewell, who beat Livia Toth 6-3, 6-3.

"Our women got some good production from our depth, which was much needed because our top of the lineup has been carrying us for the most part," Green said.
Justyna Wojcik, No. 7 in the ITA's NAIA singles rankings, defeated Kourtney Howell, who is eighth, 7-5, 7-5.

Northwood's men are 9-4, and the women are 7-5.

Both XU teams will conclude their Florida trip with duals at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach. Embry-Riddle's men are ranked second in the NAIA, and the women are seventh.

Results: Men Women

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Gold Nuggets drop 5 places, rank 17th in postseason poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana dropped five spots to finish 17th Wednesday in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll.

It's the lowest rank of the season for the Gold Nuggets (24-6), who closed the regular season with 12 consecutive victories before losing to Fisk in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and to Faulkner in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.

Xavier was 11th in the preseason poll and spent six weeks in the top 10, including highs of ninth place on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8. The Nuggets were 10th on Feb. 26.

This is the fourth consecutive year and the 10th time in Bo Browder's 14 seasons as head coach that the Gold Nuggets are in the final top 25 of the season. This is the second consecutive year that the final poll was conducted after the national tournament. Xavier was 16th in the 2012 postseason poll.

Xavier will enter the 2013-14 season trying to extend a streak of 44 consecutive top-25 appearances. That streak began on Jan. 25, 2010.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through end of season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Westmont (11) 30-4 281 4 2 Lee (Tenn.) 34-3 271 7 3 Freed-Hardeman 34-2 262 1 4 Cumberland 33-3 255 6 5 Oklahoma City 28-4 245 2 6 Lubbock Christian 31-4 233 3 7 Westminster (Utah) 29-4 231 5 8 Vanguard 25-4 218 8 9 MidAmerica Nazarene 30-3 207 9 10 Campbellsville 25-10 196 14 11 Benedictine (Kan.) 28-6 189 11 12 The Master's 25-6 172 10 13 Georgetown (Ky.) 23-10 171 16 14 Rogers State 24-10 168 15 15 Shawnee State 24-10 149 18 16 Columbia (Mo.) 27-7 147 13 17 Xavier 24-6 143 12 18 Faulkner 26-7 131 21 19 Wiley 29-4 114 17 20 Lyon 28-5 110 20 21 Carroll (Mont.) 21-10 108 23 22 William Woods 26-6 99 22 23 Our Lady of the Lake 30-4 82 20 24 Bethel (Tenn.) 21-11 66 24 25 Southern Poly 25-6 65 RV Others receiving votes: LSU-Shreveport 64, St. Catharine 37, Coastal Georgia 36, Cumberlands 35, SUNO 17, Central Methodist 11, Auburn Montgomery 3. By Ed Cassiere, SID XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA XULAATHLETICS

Former Randolph-Clay Red Devils star Ellington closes college career on top at Texas Southern

Dexter Ellington #2 vs. Kansas State

HOUSTON, Texas — There’s frustration and there’s utter frustration — and then there’s what

Dexter Ellington went through this year.

Ellington, a former (Albany) Herald Super 6er, had a long journey from Randolph-Clay (High School, Cuthbert, Georgia), where he was a star for the Red Devils, then he landed at Texas Southern, where he was hoping to have a huge senior season.

A combination of some bad luck and a bad ankle made this an almost unbearable season for Ellington, a starting point guard who saw his frustration hit a high point last week when the NCAA Tournament began without him.

I’m sitting here watching Gonzaga play Southern (University) and I still can’t believe it,’’ Ellington said last Thursday as March Madness began. “We beat Southern (in our conference). We could have been there. We could be playing right now.’’

Texas Southern never had a chance. The Tigers were on probation because of violations committed by their former coach and were ineligible for postseason play. And to make things worse, Texas Southern not only won the SWAC regular season title by going 16-2 in the conference, but they ended the season as one of the hottest teams any where.

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McClelland has TSU Athletics Department Back on Track

The TSU Football program has added Howard (2014) and Bethune-Cookman (2015) to its schedule

Dr. Charles McClelland
ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

HOUSTON, Texas  --  As the old saying goes, anything good doesn’t come easy, and the task of turning around the Texas Southern University Athletics Department, wasn’t for Dr. Charles McClelland.

Approaching his fifth year anniversary as the head man in charge, Dr. McClelland along with his coaches, support staff, and the blessing of TSU President Dr. John Rudley, has the Tigers athletics program back on track and in much better shape than what he inherited.

Dr. Charles McClelland was named Texas Southern University’s Director of Athletics in April of 2008. In his position as athletics director, McClelland supervises 16 sports- nine women’s and seven men’s. His daily duties include managing budgets, scheduling, fundraising, marketing and keeping abreast of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules and regulations.

For McClelland, success in athletics is not just about winning championships, but it’s about graduating student-athletes.

“TSU athletic program is on a strong solid foundation,” McClelland said during a recent interview. “We’ve put a lot of time and energy in putting together a strategic plan across the board.”

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Morgan State football coach Donald Hill-Eley working to rebuild his program after firing that wasn't

DONALD HILL-ELEY
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Donald Hill-Eley has always told his Morgan State football players that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond.

Now, after enduring as strange a few months as any college coach could fathom, Hill-Eley is striving to live by his own lesson.

In late November, following the Bears' third straight losing season, Hill-Eley accidentally received an e-mail outlining the university's plan to seek his replacement. For almost six weeks after that, as rival coaches ramped up recruiting for 2013, he heard nothing official about his status. Day after day, he reported to work but was not allowed to have contact with his team.

During the same time, the chairman of the university's Board of Regents attempted to oust Morgan president David Wilson, the man seemingly behind Hill-Eley's own uncertain situation. That coups was ultimately unsuccessful. In early January, Hill-Eley finally heard from Kevin Banks, the university's vice president for student affairs: Morgan would honor the final year of his contract and he would remain coach.

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SCSU Bulldogs using spring practice to build offensive backfield

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  The arrival of spring may not have marked a new beginning yet from a weather standpoint.

There is, however, a “rebirth” of sorts taking place currently with the South Carolina State football team. It’s occurring in the backfield where a staple of the Bulldogs’ offense – the running game- has performance less than stellar in recent seasons.

“We’re making a reemphasis toward running the football,” Running backs coach Danny Lewis said. “Not the say we ever got away from it from a mentality standpoint, but let’s just say we’re dedicated to making a recommitment towards running the football.”

Since the graduation of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s all-time rusher Will Ford in 2009, no Bulldog player has rushed for over 1,000 yards. With the offensive line’s struggles in run blocking and losing leading rusher Jalen “Scoot” Simmons with a shoulder injury late last season, S.C. State finished with its lowest conference ranking in rushing offense (133.5 yards per game) under head coach Buddy Pough.

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Rush, Nuggets grill Webber in opener of Florida trip

BABSON PARK, Florida  --  Xavier University of Louisiana's tennis teams, both ranked eighth in the NAIA, won 15-of-17 matches played Tuesday and defeated Webber International's men and women in the opener of a spring-break trip.

The Gold Rush won 6-3, and the Gold Nuggets won 8-1.

Loic Didavi, Nikita Soifer, Kyle Montrel and Viktor Svoboda won in doubles and singles for the Rush (9-5), as did Kourtney Howell and Amanda Materre for the Nuggets (9-7). The XU men have won three straight and 6-of-7.

"Both our teams played well," XU coach Alan Green said. "The conditions were very tough out there because it was very windy. But we adjusted well and took care of our business on the court."

Didavi and Montrel defeated Valentin Bayh and Jonathan Cohen 8-3, their 11th victory in 13 doubles matches this semester. Soifer and Svoboda improved their win streak to seven with an 8-0 decision against Alwin Leysner and Nickolay Kodinov.

In singles, Didavi defeated Bayh 6-1, 6-2 for his seventh consecutive victory. Soifer defeated Kodinov 6-1, 6-3, Montrel beat Cohen 6-2, 6-2, and Svoboda clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-0 decision against Leysner.

The Gold Nuggets won all three doubles matches for the sixth time this season and snapped three-match losing streaks at the No. 2 and 3 flights. Howell and Brion Flowers defeated Julija Stojkovska and Laura Nowak 8-3, Amber Brown and Simone-Alyse Ewell beat Nathalia Chaddad and Chandler Reed 8-5, and Materre and Olivia West defeated Holly Parnelll and Ashley Palmer 8-2.

Materre was first off the court in singles after beating Chaddad 6-0, 6-2. Howell then clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Stojkovska at No. 1. Both Howell and Materre are 11-4 in singles this semester, and Howell has won six of her last seven matches.

West beat Parnell 6-2, 6-1, Jordyn Goody defeated Reed 6-0, 6-0, and Nicole DeLoach beat Palmer 6-2, 6-0.

Webber International's men are 9-6 -- the Warriors were 28th in the most recent NAIA poll -- and the women are 3-13. The Gold Rush snapped the Warriors' three-dual win streak and gave them their second loss in the last nine duals. The Lady Warriors have lost four straight.

Both XU teams will play Northwood (Fla.) at noon EDT at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla., a suburb north of Orlando. Northwood's men are ranked 15th in the NAIA, and the women are 14th.

By Ed Cassiere, SID

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

XULAATHLETICS

Charles Hawkins wants to become another NFL success story from Southern

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  NFL scouts are scouring the countryside these days looking for that gem that could translate into success at the highest level. This week's tour brings the stopwatches to Baton Rouge for scheduled stops at LSU and Southern University.

For one player, the latter stop is hoped to be an eye opener. His goal on Wednesday afternoon is to post a 4.2 forty. His name Charles Hawkins.

"The worse that I'll run will be a 4.31," stated the former Southern Jaguar matter of factly. "I've worked hard for 4 months preparing for this."

Hawkins (5'8-170) previously ran a sub 4.3 so the anticipated time is not out of the realm of possibility.

"When I ran a 4.28, I had only worked on my start."

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Transfers make reloading Norfolk State roster an easy task

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  While most college basketball coaches whose teams aren't in postseason play are hot on the recruiting trail, Norfolk State's work is mostly done.

Coach Anthony Evans has three transfers enrolled who, along with four returning starters, should make Norfolk State the favorite to repeat as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season champ, he says.

"With everything we've got coming back, with the new guys coming in, we should be favored," he said.

Norfolk State loses four seniors but only one starter: forward Rob Johnson. Kris Brown, a reserve non-scholarship player, was the only other senior to play frequently.

The most interesting of the newcomers is Grant Hefeng, a 6-foot-8 Fresno State transfer who practiced with the Spartans this season. He is a strong offensive player and rebounder and could start, Evans said.  Hefeng is from Shenzhen, China, and played for the Chinese Junior National Team.

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Florida A&M's Holmes keeps promise, hires Pata

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  During his final two years of playing college football as a reserve tight end at Florida State, Edwin Pata made up his mind on a career path.

He wanted to become a teacher and eventually a principal.

Or so he thought until his passion for the game overcame him while he was a volunteer coach in 2006. The following year, former FAMU coach Ruben Carter offered him a graduate assistant position to work with the tight ends.

Since then, he’s worked under Joe Taylor for two seasons and spent the last three seasons at Florida International University as an assistant.

Now, he’s in his second tenure at FAMU, as Taylor’s successor, Earl Holmes, kept a ...

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Hampton U. Justin Durant signs with Dallas Cowboys

FLORENCE, South Carolina  -- Justin Durant is going from one Big D to another.

The former Wilson standout has agreed to a two-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys after spending the past two seasons with the Detroit Lions. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Durant’s deal can’t be made official until the Cowboys clear up some cap space to do so. Dallas is only $100,000 under the cap at the moment.

Durant earned $5.5 million in his two seasons in Detroit and is coming off his best season as a pro. He recorded a career-high 103 tackles this season for the Lions, good for second most on the team.

Durant played outside linebacker in the Lions’ 4-3 system and is expected to ...

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FAMU's New coordinator 2-time Pro Bowler: Kirkland teaches physical style

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Levon Kirkland doesn’t appear to have change one bit 12 years after he played his last game in the NFL as a two-time Pro Bowl starter.

“What people don’t understand is that when you’re physical and going after people it makes opponents don’t want to play you because you have a style and a standard,” Kirkland said Monday.

That said, Kirkland isn’t about to change now that he is the defensive coordinator at FAMU. His ultimate goal is to make the defensive unit, especially the line backers unit that he will coach, one of the most respected in the all of FSC football.

“That’s what we need to establish here,” he said. “We are going to punch at you, we are going to fight you to the very end and when you leave whatever game we play, you’re going to be black blue. It’s very simple as that.”

Kirkland is one of six new additions that head coach Earl Holmes named to his staff last week.

Holmes, who was defensive coordinator before ...

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Hire New Offensive Coordinator

COACH RICKEY BUSTLE

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  – Third-year North Carolina A&T head football coach Rod Broadway added a key piece to his coaching staff on Tuesday with the hiring of new offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle.

Bustle brings 33 years of coaching experience to the staff, including nine years (2002-2010) as the head football coach at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Bustle also spent 14 seasons (1987-93, 1995-2001) at Virginia Tech, where he was the offensive coordinator in the Hokies Bowl Championship Series title game against Florida State in 2000.

“Coach Bustle will bring a fresh new perspective and outlook to our offense,” said Broadway. “He brings new blood, new life, if you will, to our program. I wanted to bring in somebody who was going to continually work to make us better. Coach Bustle has the vision to make us a better team offensively, and that will hopefully translate into us being a better football team as a whole.”

Bustle’s two most recent stops were at Southern Mississippi as the running backs coach in 2012 and at Tulane as the quarterbacks coach in 2011. Bustle won 41 games at ULL, including a win over A&T in 2006. In 2005, he led the Rajin’ Cajuns to the Sun Belt championship and their first winning season in 10 years. They were bowl eligible in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

During his first six seasons at Virginia Tech, he was the quarterbacks coach. In 1993, he became the Hokies’ offensive coordinator and helped them to a win in the Independence Bowl. He became the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of South Carolina in 1994, before returning to Virginia Tech as the offensive coordinator in 1995. He was a part of Hokie wins in the Sugar (1995), Music City (1998) and Gator Bowls (2000).

In 1999, the Hokies led the nation in points per game (41.4). In fact, his second seven-year stint with the Hokies produced seven of the eight highest-scoring teams in school history. Bustle has also coached collegiately at Clemson, East Carolina, Northeast Louisiana and Gardner-Webb. Bustle will take over an offense that ranked seventh in the MEAC in total offense and eighth in passing offense.

The Summerville, S.C., native, is a 1976 graduate of Clemson, where he received a bachelor's degree in parks and recreation administration. He was a four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver for the Tigers.


COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS

UMES rolls through Hampton on its way to a sixth conference championship

CHESAPEAKE, Virginia -  The Hawks showed why they are the two-time defending NCAA Champions today, dominating Hampton University 4-0 to easily claim their sixth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship (MEAC) in front of a packed house at AMF Lanes in Chesapeake, Va.

 "I am so proud of these young ladies," said head coach Kristina Frahm. "They never put their head down, never got down on themselves or stopped believing they would win this. We struggled a little yesterday with the Florida A&M match but they kept up their spirits and going into this match they were very confident they could win."

The match was recorded for airing by ESPNU to air on April 1 at 10:30 p.m.

UMES got to AMF Lanes at 10:00 a.m. this morning to start doing television interviews. Why they were filming, Hampton University pulled another upset. The seventh -seeded Pirates rolled past the third-seeded Rattlers of Florida A&M 4-1 to earn a spot in the finals against the Hawks.

After some delay for television, the match got underway and the Hawks quest for an unprecedented sixth MEAC title began. UMES looked to experience in their lineup as Coach Frahm called on her seniors to fill the critical positions.

Valentina Collazos (Cali, Colombia) would lead-off, Anggie Ramirez (Bogota, Colombia) would bowl fourth and just as she has all year, T'nia Falbo (Greensburg, Pa.) would anchor. Megan Buja (Rockford, Ill.), a junior, would bowl second and sophomore Mariana Alvarado (Leon, Mexico) would bowl third. That five has bowled on some of the world's biggest stages and four are no strangers to television, which can drastically affect rhythm and momentum of a match. While Frahm would make minor adjustments along the way, the lineup would remain intact throughout the match.

Game one was fun to watch. Collazos would open with a strike and Buja followed with a spare. The Hawks then threw six straight strikes until Ramirez spared and Falbo struck. With the match in hand freshman Kristie Lopez (Ponce, Puerto Rico) got her first championship action with a seven and spare. UMES looked impressive with a 248. But Hampton bowled well marking in every frame but the tenth and throwing five strikes along the way for a 203.

Game two was a little uglier. The Hawks left three opens in the match, two from Buja including a big four in the seventh frame, and one from Alvarado, but they opened with five strikes in the first six frames, including a lucky wobble from Collazos in the sixth, that allowed them to post a 189.
Hampton wasn't as lucky, rolling five opens, including splits in the eighth and tenth to tally just a 141.

Game three was more like the first for the Hawks, bowling on the left lane. They marked every frame, including a four-bagger in the sixth through ninth to post an impressive 234. Hampton got better, getting a strike in the ninth and two in the tenth, but their first strike didn't come until the sixth frame and they missed three one pin spares, totaling a 170 and giving UMES a 64 pin win and a 3-0 lead.

The final match saw UMES cruise again. They tossed five strikes, despite a couple of opens, to total 190. Hampton never struck, getting six spares but mounting just a 145, allowing UMES to claim their sixth conference championship in women's bowling.

NCAT's Emily Strombeck, FAMU's Katherine Jones, Hampton's Rebecca Galzier, and the Hawks' Anggie Ramirez and T'nia Falbo all earned All-Tournament honors while Ramirez was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Performer.

"It was always my dream since I was MEAC Rookie of the Year to be MEAC Player of the Year. Now that I won this and MVP of the tournament, I am so happy that my dream could come true," said Ramirez. Head Coach Kristina Frahm was named the Championship's Most Outstanding Coach. "It's an honor to receive the award, but the girls did all of the work, they deserve all the credit for this championship," Frahm said.

"[The team was] talking last night that this was the year to win MEACs again and we know that we could win today and then go on to try and win NCAAs again," said Ramirez.

If they earn another at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, UMES will travel to the championships for the 10th straight year, this time in Canton, Mich. The week after that UMES has already earned a berth in the USBC Collegiate Championship in Lincoln, Neb.


COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Bowie State Lady Bulldogs Win 2013 CIAA Bowling Championship

CIAA BOWLING CHAMPION LADY BULLDOGS OF BOWIE STATE

DURHAM, North Carolina –  Bowie State University never panicked despite losing the first match to Virginia State University in the championship round of the CIAA Women's Bowling Championships on Monday, March 25, 2013.

The Lady Bulldogs simply regrouped and swept the Lady Trojans 4-0 in the second match to claim the league crown at AMF Durham Lanes. The title is the second in four years for the Lady Bulldogs, who were seeded third in bracket play.

“We knew once we got into bracket play we had the capability to make a run,” Bowie State Head Coach Ken Sco

The Lady Bulldogs never lost their composure despite losing 4-0 in the first championship match to Virginia State, which won three straight matches in the elimination bracket to reach the finals in the double-elimination tournament. After the loss in the first match, the Lady Bulldogs bounced back to defeat the Lady Trojans, who needed to win twice to gain the title.

The second match was a complete reversal from the first match. The Lady Bulldogs dominated from the start, winning 164-154, 196-168 and 202-136 in the best-of-seven Bakers format for a 3-0 lead. The Lady Trojans battled back in the fourth game to take a 149-140 lead, but tournament MVP Shayla Lightfoot rolled a strike for a 150-149 Lady Bulldogs' lead. The Lady Trojans regained the lead 159-150 with a strike, but Lightfoot knocked down nine pins on her first roll in the final frame to tie the score. Her one-pin spare gave the game and the championship to the Lady Bulldogs.

Scott says Lightfoot was unaware of the situation in the final frame. “We teach the kids not to look at the scoreboard,” Scott said. “She didn't know what the score was.”

The spare by Lightfoot touched off a celebration by the Bowie State players, coaches and fans. The Lady Bulldogs captured the title before a large contingent of Bowie State supporters who attended each session of the three-day tournament.

“This team is truly blessed to have support from the athletic department, staff, alumni and our president," Scott said. "They come to watch every match during the regular season.”

The championship capped an outstanding run by the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament. After entering bracket play as the third seed, the Lady Bulldogs won three matches in the winner's bracket, including a 4-1 win over Elizabeth City State on Monday, to reach the finals.

Meanwhile, the Lady Trojans had a more difficult path after a loss on Sunday sent then to the elimination bracket. On Monday, the fourth-seeded Lady Trojans had their best bowling day, beating two-time defending champ Fayetteville State 4-1, Winston-Salem State 4-2 and Elizabeth City State 4-2 to make it to the finals for the second consecutive year. The win over ECSU avenged a 4-3 loss to the Lady Vikings on Sunday which knocked the Lady Trojans to the elimination bracket. In other matches Monday, Winston-Salem State eliminated Saint Augustine's 4-1.

The Lady Trojans continued their run against Bowie State in the finals. They won all four games by scores of 181-143, 183-144, 183-135 and 236-172 against the Lady Bulldogs, who hadn't played since Monday morning against ECSU. In the last game, the Lady Trojans made eight strikes and two spares.

But the momentum turned in the second match. It was the Lady Bulldogs rolling the most strikes and spares. In the third game, the Lady Bulldogs recorded seven strikes including six in the last seven frames.

“[Virginia State] had a slight advantage maybe mentally but we had a break,” Scott said. “Even though we started flat, we were fresher.”

Scott also had a message for his team between the first and second matches in the final round. “I told them to 'man up' and they responded,” Scott said.

Scott says winning the Northern Division championship during the regular season helped the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament. The Lady Bulldogs finished in a tie with Elizabeth City State but won the division on total pins. Three Northern Division teams - Bowie State, Virginia State and Elizabeth City State – finished among the top three in the tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs captured their latest championship with a young roster including three freshmen. Lightfoot, the tourney MVP, is a sophomore.

“We didn't jell until the last division tournament,” Scott said. “All the schools in our division our highly competitive which helped us prepare for the [CIAA] tournament.”

The All-Tournament team consisted of Amber Slater of Virginia State, Briana Evans of Bowie State, Nicole Sciortino of Saint Augustine's and Crystal Mujica of Fayetteville State in addition to Lightfoot. They had the top five bowling averages in the tournament. Lincoln (Pa.) won the CIAA team highest grade point average award.


COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION