This Year’s Villains: FAMU, Wisconsin & Northwestern

COLUMBUS, Ohio  --  We’re at the point now where we can measure the distance between now and the 2013 Ohio State football season in weeks rather than months. Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future, so it’s time to get to the second part of our “Villains” series.

Last week we told you about the villains from the first quarter of the 2013 OSU football schedule — Buffalo, San Diego State and Cal. Herein, we’ll discuss the most villainous members from the season’s second quarter (games 4, 5 and 6). That segment includes the Florida A&M Rattlers as our last non-conference foe of the regular season, plus Leaders (Legends?) Division rival Wisconsin, and a vastly improved Northwestern team from the one we last saw in 2008.

As with last time, the goal here isn’t to break down the opponent or provide keys to victory, but merely to point out some of the players you’re going to be rooting against. Chances are, if the Buckeyes can keep these players under wraps, the game should conclude with a favorable result. Here are the young men we all need to start hating now. As conference opponents are included in this installment, you no doubt already hate some of them.

Florida A&M

The lone FCS school on Ohio State’s 2013 slate, the Florida A&M Rattlers are coming off a 4-7 season. The only comparable opponent the Rattlers faced last year was Oklahoma, in Norman. The Sooners ...

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UAPB is early SWAC favorite

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  Linebacker Jer-ryan Harris still isn't convinced Arkansas-Pine Bluff has made believers out of its Southwestern Athletic Conference rivals.

The Golden Lions won their first outright SWAC title last season and are the pick to repeat as West Division champions going into the season. But now feel they must prove they're not one-year wonders.

"I believe last season got us an added respect level, but at the same time, I also feel like teams are still kind of looking at it like that was luck," Harris said Monday at SWAC media day. "I believe that in order for us to actually get the respect we deserve, we will have to repeat. That's kind of the mindset all the players have."

The results of balloting by ...



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Star CB Cox, Jackson State hungry for SWAC title

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  —  The SWAC named Jackson State cornerback Qua Cox its preseason defensive player of the year on Monday. But Cox was not buying it as some kind of accomplishment.

“It’s really not anything that I’m excited about really because I’m trying to get back to the SWAC championship,” Cox said. “Because a ring is what I need.”



Cox, who had five interceptions to lead the conference as a junior, is apparently not the only one who feels that way. A year after winning the East Division but losing the SWAC Championship Game, the Tigers are pushing to make it to Houston in December for another chance at winning the title.

“The last time I’ve seen a team acting like this we went undefeated,” coach Rick Comegy said, referencing his 2000 Tuskegee team. “You don’t have to push them. You don’t have to tell them to be here or go there.”

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Five Bulldogs named to Preseason All-SWAC team, Bulldogs picked to finish third

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Montaurius Smith, Corey Johnson, Reginald Bailey, Justin Goodrich and Derrick Harris were each named to the Preseason All-SWAC second-team announced today at the Southwestern Athletic Conference football media days.

Bailey, Johnson, Smith and Harris each received their first preseason nod while Goodrich earns his second straight as he was named to the 2012 squad.

Also for the second straight year the Bulldogs were picked to fininsh third in the Eastern Division.  At the beginning of 2012 A&M was in a similar situation after coming off their fifth championship game in the last ten years.  They finished the season third with a 6-3 record.
Defending champion, UAPB, led the way with 11 selections including nine voted to the first team. Alabama State, Jackson State, and Prairie View A&M had seven picks apiece. ASU and PVAMU tallied three players on the first team with JSU posting two.

Alabama A&M and Southern each recorded five picks with SU finishing the tally with three players making the first team.



Rounding out the selections include: Mississippi Valley with four players, registering two on the top team. Alcorn State, Grambling State and Texas southern posted one player apiece on the second team.

For the predicted order of finish in both divisions, Arkansas-Pine Bluff totaled 105 points, including 14 first-place votes, to become the favorite out of the West Division. Southern followed with 88 points, Prairie View A&M gathered 83 points, with Grambling State (51) and Texas Southern (38) closing the division's preseason ranking.

In the East Division, Alabama State claimed 108 points with 15 first-place votes. Jackson State received 102 points followed by Alabama A&M (60), Mississippi Valley State (51) and Alcorn State (40).

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

2013 Preseason All-SWAC Football

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  For the predicted order of finish in both divisions, Arkansas-Pine Bluff totaled 105 points, including 14 first-place votes, to become the favorite out of the West Division. Southern followed with 88 points, Prairie View A&M gathered 83 points, with Grambling State (51) and Texas Southern (38) closing the divison's preseason ranking.

In the East Division, Alabama State claimed 108 points with 15 first-place votes. Jackson State received 102 points followed by Alabama A&M (60), Mississippi Valley State (51) and Alcorn State (40).

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:

Ben Anderson (QB) - Arkansas - Pine Bluff
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Qua Cox (DB) - Jackson State

2013 Preseason All-SWAC Football Preseason - First Team
OFFENSE

QB	Ben Anderson	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
RB	Isaiah Crowell	Alabama State
RB	Justin Billings	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
WR	Lee Doss	Southern
WR	LaDarius Eckwood	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
TE	Dezmond Beverly	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
OL	Kenny Eagle	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
OL	Tre Glover	Prairie View A&M
OL	Damien Love	Alabama State
OL	Dillon Bonnet	Prairie View A&M
OL	Edmund Davis	Alabama State
PK	Bobby Wenzig	Alabama State
P	Bobby Wenzig	Alabama State
RS	Virgil Williams	Southern

DEFENSE

DL	Robert Simpson	Mississippi Valley State
DL	Damien Lee	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
DL	Tedderick Terrell	Jackson State
DL	DeMarcus Berry	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
LB	Jer-Ryan Harris	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
LB	Jerome Howard	Prairie View A&M
LB	Anthony Balancier	Southern
DB	Qua Cox	Jackson State
DB	Ryan Shaw	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
DB	Kevin Eugene	Mississippi Valley State
DB	Virgil Williams	Southern

2013 Preseason All-SWAC Football Preseason - Second TeamOFFENSE

QB	Dray Joseph	Southern
RB	Tommy Gooden	Jackson State
RB	Rakeem Sims	Jackson State
WR	Julian Stafford	Mississippi Valley State
WR	Montarius Smith	Alabama A&M
TE	Justin Robinson	Alabama State
TE	Olatunde' Idowu	Prairie View A&M
OL	Keathric Brown	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
OL	Jordan Arthur	Jackson State
OL	Clint Marsh	Grambling State
OL	Justin Goodrich	Alabama A&M
OL	Antonio Griggs	Mississippi Valley State
PK	Chris Barrick	Prairie View A&M
P	Travis Jatzlau	Prairie View A&M
RS	Johnta' Hebert	Prairie View A&M

DEFENSE

DL	Carlton Jones	Alabama State
DL	Reginald Bailey	Alabama A&M
DL	Arthur Miley	Southern
DL	Corey Johnson	Alabama A&M
LB	Xavier Lofton	Arkansas - Pine Bluff
LB	Todd Wilcher	Jackson State
LB	DeMarques Taylor	Alabama State
DB	Cameron Loeffler	Jackson State
DB	Jamison Knox	Alcorn State
DB	Le'Tevin Wilcox	Texas Southern
DB	Derrick Harris	Alabama A&M

2013 Predicted Order of Finish: (First-Place Votes)
WEST DIVISION

1.	Arkansas - Pine Bluff	105 (14)
2.	Southern	88 (6)
3.	Prairie View A&M	82 (3)
4.	Grambling State	51 (1)
5.	Texas Southern	38

EAST DIVISION

1.	Alabama State	108 (15)
2.	Jackson State	102 (9)
3.	Alabama A&M	60
4.	Mississippi Valley State	51
5.	Alcorn State	40

RELATED LINKS

Photo Gallery

2013 SWAC Football Championship Preview

 

COURTESY SWAC.org

Southern picked to finish second in the SWAC West Division

(Courtesy SU Athletics)

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Despite having a new head coach and coming off a 4-7 season in 2012, the Southern Jaguars were picked to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division in voting released by the conference Monday at its annual football media day.
Grambling, which went 1-10 last season, was picked fourth in the five-team West Division. Voting was done by SWAC coaches, sports information directors and select members of the media.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the 2012 SWAC champion, was picked to win the West once again. UAPB got 105 points and 14 first-place votes to 88 points and six first-place votes for Southern.

Grambling had 51 points and one first-place vote.
Alabama State, which has tied for first in the East Division the last three seasons, was picked first again. There were no selections for overall SWAC champion.

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Seven Alabama State players named to SWAC preseason all-conference team

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  Alabama State has been picked to win the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in a vote released by the SWAC at the 2013 SWAC Football Media Day. The Hornets picked up 108 points and 15 first place votes to outdistance last year's SWAC East Co-Champion Jackson State who picked up 102 points and nine first place votes.

"It's an honor for these coaches and the media outlets to pick us, but we all know it still has to be played on the field," ASU head coach Reggie Barlow said. "We do feel good about our team, we feel good about our coaches, so we are just going to go to work and try to win one at a time and see how we finish up at the end."

The Hornets vote total was the highest among the two division leaders as Arkansas-Pine Bluff was picked to win the West Division with 105 points and 12 first place votes.

Following ASU and JSU in the East were Alabama A&M (60 pts.), Mississippi Valley State (51 pts.) and Alcorn State (40 pts.).

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2013 SWAC Football Media Day Information

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  2013 SWAC Football Media Day Information

Thank you for attending the 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference Football Media Day. The annual event will be held: Monday - July 15.
                                                                Birmingham Marriott
                                                                3590 Grandview Pkwy
                                                                Birmingham, AL 35243
                                                                (205) 968-3775

 

The annual kickoff to the SWAC athletic season - this year's media gathering will feature all 10 head coaches and selected student-athletes in an online video stream.

SWAC Football Media Day will stream live on the SWAC Digital Network beginning at 10:00 a.m. on swac.org. SDN will also include a live audio link slated to broadcast 10:35 a.m.

The SWAC will announce the 2013 All-SWAC preseason teams and predicted order of finish during the occasion as well as the conference television and stream broadcast schedule.

2013 All-SWAC Preseason Football Team (Announced at 10:15 a.m.)


WATCH IN HD 720p, FULL SCREEN 

 

Schedule
Below are the times the coaches and student-athletes will be available for interviews. Each group will rotate between the 1-on-1 / Table Interview area, Sound Bite - TV standup area, Audio Drops, SWAC Digital Network and SDN Online Radio. Each area is indicated by signage.

 

2013 SWAC Football Media Day Schedule
Head Coach	SDN Radio	SDN Set	Audio	Stand Ups	Table
Anthony Jones (AAMU)	12:05	12:20	12:35	10:35	11:10
Reggie Barlow (ALST)	11:20	1:10	11:55	10:35	12:50
Jay Hopson (ALCN)	12:20	12:35	10:35	10:50	12:05
Doug Williams (GRAM)	11:30	11:45	12:05	12:20	10:35
Rick Comegy (JKST)	11:40	11:55	12:20	10:35	11:25
Karl Morgan (MVSU)	10:35	10:55	11:15	11:30	12:20
Heishma Northen (PVAM)	11:10	11:25	11:45	10:35	12:35
Dawson Odums (SUBR)	12:50	11:10	11:30	10:35	11:50
Darrell Asberry (TXSO)	12:35	10:35	10:55	11:10	1:05
Monte Coleman (UAPB)	1:05	12:05	12:45	10:35	1:20

Media Credentials
Credentials will be available for pick up on July 15 at 8:15 a.m. prior to the start of media day. Members of the media without a credential issued by the SWAC will not be allowed to attend.

Photo Opportunities

We are asking for camera crews to arrive for this portion by 9:00 a.m. for the ops and stage session.

Stage Session
The session will begin immediately after the photo ops with an introduction and welcome, preseason team, and predicted order of finish announcements.

It will also include the viewing of the SWAC general and championship PSAs. This portion is not open to questions from the media on the floor.

Table Interviews
With the conclusion of the stage session, six coaches with student-athletes will immediately report to their respective tables in Birmingham III & IV to hold one-on-one / print / table interviews. Video stand ups and sound-bite interviews are not permitted at the table.

Sound Bites / Stand Ups
All soundbites and stand ups from camera crews must be performed in Birmingham V in front of the SWAC or school backdrops. Camera crews can gather footage and B-roll at the tables, but conduct all one-on-one stand-up interviews in front of the back-drops during your scheduled sound-bite slots.

However, if a crew wants a sound bite early during the table interviews, please notify a SWAC administrator before using the non-scheduled time slot. Please use time limit listed. Both student-athletes will accompany coaches for this segment. Lighting will not be provided in the room. This is a quiet area and print / internet media are not permitted.

Courtesy SWAC.org

TODAY: SWAC Media Day Live on the SWAC Digital Network at 10 a.m. CT

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The head coach and two student-athletes from each of the 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference football programs will participate in the 2013 SWAC Football Media Day.

The event is scheduled for July 15 at the Birmingham - Marriott in Birmingham, Alabama.

Montgomery CBS affiliate WAKA Channel 8 sports director, Dee Jackson, will serve as the moderator and will open Media Day live on the SWAC Digital Network at 10 a.m. CT.

SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp and Coordinator of Football Officials Harold Mitchell, Sr. will be in attendance and available to the media upon request.

 

The SWAC’s official website, swac.org, will carry continuous coverage of Media Day via online video and radio broadcast stream. 

The list of head coaches and student-athletes participating in SWAC Football Media Day include:

Alabama A&M

Anthony Jones - Head Coach

Montaurius Smith (WR • 6‐0 • 170 • R‐Jr. • Birmingham, Ala.)

A.J. Clark (DB • 6‐2 • 185 • R‐Jr. • Pensacola, Fla.)

Alabama State

Reggie Barlow - Head Coach

Edmund Davis (OL • 6‐1 • 280 • R‐Sr. • Montgomery, Ala.)

Carlton Jones (DE • 6‐3 • 230 • Sr. • Shreveport, La.)

Alcorn State

Jay Hopson - Head Coach

Arnold Walker (RB • 6‐0 • 226 • Sr. • Atlanta, Ga.)

Jamison Knox (DB • 5‐9 • 184 • Jr. • Memphis, Tenn.)

Grambling State

Doug Williams - Head Coach

Clint Marsh (OL • 6‐3 • 319 • Sr. • Mobile, Ala.)

Tyree Hollins (DB • 5‐10 • 190 • Jr. • Monroe, La.)

Jackson State

Rick Comegy - Head Coach

Qua Cox (DB • 6‐0 • 185 • R‐Sr. • Tuskegee, Ala.)

Rakeem Sims (RB • 5‐11 • 225 • R‐Jr. • Richton, Miss.)

Mississippi Valley State

Karl Morgan - Head Coach

Julian Stafford (WR • 5‐10 • 180 • Jr. • Memphis, Tenn.)

Robert Simpson (DT • 6‐4 • 255 • Sr. • Gulfport, Miss.)

Prairie View A&M

Heishma Northern - Prairie View A&M

Tre Glover (OL • 6‐3 • 280 • R‐So. • Waskom, Texas)

Jerome Howard (LB • 6‐0 • 210 • So. • Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Southern

Dawson Odums - Head Coach

Dray Joseph (QB • 6‐1 • 213 • Sr. • Edgar, La.)

Virgil Williams (DB • 5‐9 • 180 • Sr. • Shreveport, La.)

Texas Southern

Darrell Asberry - Head COach

Billy Rosenberg (TE • 6‐5 • 230 • So. • Memphis, Tenn.)

Jarius Moore (LB • 5‐11 • 220 • So. • Houston, Texas)

Arkansas‐Pine Bluff

Monte Coleman - Head Coach

LaDarius Eckwood (WR • 6‐1 • 185 • Sr. • Springdale, Ark.)

Jer‐ryan Harris (LB • 6‐1 • 225 • Sr. • Memphis, Tenn.)

 

COURTESY SWAC.org

Livingstone Blue Bears Increase Staff; Hughey Named Defensive Coordinator

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Former Blue Bears defensive backs coach Rodney Hughey has transitioned into the defensive coordinator position while Livingstone College adds two assistant coaches to interim Head Coach Daryl Williams' football staff. The Blue Bears hired Brian White as offensive line coach and Rodney Simmons as defensive line coach.

"Moving Hughey into the role of defensive coordinator is a great transition for him and the program being that he knows the players quite well and is very knowledgeable of the program we are instituting," said interim head Coach Daryl Williams. "With Hughey as defensive coordinator I'm 100 percent confident we will be able to stop people and play good defense with his leadership. Hughey brings enthusiasm and energy to the players and the coaches."

Hughey enters his fourth season with the Blue Bears. During the 2010 season, Hughey coached the Blue Bear defensive backs to the top pass defense in the CIAA while ranking in the NCAA Division II top 25. In 2011 Hughey's back field defense led the CIAA in interceptions while finishing in the NCAA Division II top 10. Under Hughey's guidance as defensive backs coach, his players have gained national recognition and gained various honors within the CIAA.

Along with transitioning Hughey into the defensive coordinator position, the Blue Bears received another facelift with two additions to their staff.
Prior to coming to Livingstone College, White was the run game coordinator at St. Francis University in 2011.

White's coaching career also includes stops at Texas Southern University (2008-2010), Kentucky State University (2006-2008), Lock Haven University (2005-2006) and his alma mater, Youngstown State University (2002-2004). He also coached in the high school tanks at Shaw High School (1998-2000) in Cleveland, Ohio.

"Coach White brings with him a wealth of knowledge, unbridled passion and genuine concern for the well-being of the student-athletes he comes across.  He is a devoted family man and coach," said Williams.

As an undergraduate offensive lineman, White earned three varsity letters and was a member of two NCAA Division I-AA national championship teams (1991 and 1993), as well as one team that finished as the national runner-up (1992) at Youngstown State.

A native of New Kensington, PA, White earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from
Youngstown State.

Simmons joins the Blue Bears staff after spending the past six seasons on the coaching staff of Morehouse College.

"Coach Simmons has unmatched energy and is a detailed oriented professional.  He is inspiring to our athletes and I am excited to have him as part of our football family," said Williams.

A native of Atlanta, GA, Simmons moved to Tennessee to attend and play football for Lane College in Jackson, TN. Simmons was a four-year letter winner as a defensive end at Lane from 1995-1999, and later served on the coaching staff for Lane.

As a player for Lane, Simmons was team captain and a first team All-Conference selection for two years.

The Blue Bears open the 2013 season with the Commemorative Classic against Johnson C. Smith University, Sept. 7 at 4:00 p.m.


WATCH IN HD

COURTESY LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE BLUE BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

New Orleans Saints Rookie Run-Down: Terron Armstead and Johnathan Jenkins

NEW ORLEANS  -- Welcome back to The Rookie Run-Down Saints fans! In the last installment we previewed incoming rookies Kenny Vaccaro and Kenny Stills. This week we will take a look at Johnathan "Big Man" Jenkins and Terron "The Freak" Armstead. Armstead is an offensive tackle who was taken with the 75th pick and Jenkins is a nose tackle who was taken at No. 82, both in the 3rd round of the 2013 NFL draft. The new guys are rolling into the Crescent City with a ton of potential (seems almost literally) and an opportunity to step in at their respective positions and make a statement.

Terron Armstead

First up this week is Terron Armstead, who joins the Saints after a four year career at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  He stands at 6'5" and weighs in at 306 lbs and was an All SWAC selection in his final three seasons, he is considered a raw talent. Projected as a left tackle for New Orleans, Terron is a physical freak with great athleticism.  Football fans all over the world know the legend of The Freak and his performance at the combine earlier this year. Armstead clocked a blazing 40 yard dash time of 4.71 which is the fastest time of any offensive lineman in combine history. This is a player that has the potential to hone his skills and earn a starting role with the Saints.  Let's take a look at Armstead's chances of becoming Drew Brees' blindside savior.

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Kyle Adams takes reins at Cheyney University

Kyle Adams
Head Coach
Lady Wolves Basketball

CHEYNEY, Pennsylvania  –  Kyle Adams knows all about the rich women’s basketball tradition at Cheyney University. He actually owns a taped copy of the Lady Wolves’ historic 1982 appearance in the first NCAA Women’s Championship Game.
 

But Adams also knows firsthand about all of the recent heartbreak. A Cheyney alum, Adams spent the last two seasons as the top assistant on Marilyn Stephens’ staff, and during that stretch, the Wolves prevailed exactly one time in 51 tries. To nobody’s surprise, Stephens will not be back, but the fact that Adams was elevated to the head coaching position? That was a bit of a stunner.   

 

“The last two seasons were extremely difficult, but we don’t have to be there,” said Adams, who officially took over for Stephens on July 1. “I know we have a great deal of work to do, but I am excited about doing that work.”

 

The 40-year-old Adams has 15 years of college coaching experience, including stints at ...

 

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Former Morgan State Track Athletes Win Gold in Mexico

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Former Morgan State track and field athletes Romona Modeste and Allison Randall continue to perform on the grand stage. Both athletes won gold medals in their respective events at the Central American Caribbean Athletics Championships (CACAC), which were held on July 5-7, 2013 in Morelia, Mexico.

Modeste, who was a member of Morgan State's 2005 squad which captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Team Championship and is the school's record holder in the 400m hurdles (57.92 in 2006), won gold in the 4x400 meter relay for Trinidad & Tobago. The team ran a time of 3:30.64, which currently ranks them among the top eight fastest times in the world.

"Our goal was to qualify for the World Championship and in doing that we won gold, broke our national record as well as ranked No. 8 on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) list," said Modeste on the team's performance. "Going into the World Championship we aim at breaking our record again and making it to the finals."

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Jackson State Sprint ace Jobodwana eager to improve

Anaso Jobodwana
(Photo Courtesy JSU Athletics)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa  –  Having stamped his authority as South Africa's fastest man, lanky sprint prodigy Anaso Jobodwana is heading back to the drawing board in an effort to tweak his approach and write himself into the record books.

 

Jobodwana, who turns 21 at the end of this month, grabbed a magnificent sprint double at the World Student Games in Kazan, Russia, this week, but the SA 100m and 200m marks continued to elude him by the narrowest of margins.

 

While he had his sights set on another solid performance at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow next month, Jobodwana was reluctant to admit he had the national records in his sights, insisting his only goal was to continue his steady improvement.

 

“I'm just aiming to get my personal bests, so I guess that translates to national records,” Jobodwana said.

 

“I haven't really made any plans yet, so I'll go back to the drawing board and see what I need to work on and take it from there.”

 

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Team USA 4x100m Relay Earns Silver, Anchored by B-CU's Tristie Johnson

TRISTIE JOHNSON

KAZAN, Russia --  Bethune-Cookman freshman sprinter Tristie Johnson made her way to the World University Games medal stand on Friday (July 12), after anchoring the USA Track & Field 4 x 100m Relay to a second place finish at Kazan’s Central Stadium.

Entering the relay finals with a third-ranking time of 44.08 in the semifinal, the Jacksonville, Fla. native renewed her role as the squad’s anchor, crossing the finish line with a team time of 43.54 for the silver medal.

Joining her on the relay were Vashti Thomas (Academy of Art University), Aurieyall Scott (UCF) and Jade Barber (Notre Dame).

The medal ceremony caps off an outstanding week of performances for the Wildcats’ sophomore-to-be, who finished fifth individually in the 200m after moving up the rankings, turning in a finals time of 23.32.

“It is an awesome feat for Tristie, the Team USA relay team and Bethune-Cookman University,” Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Donald Cooper said. “We are extremely proud of her accomplishments as a member of both the USATF World University Games team and Bethune-Cookman University. The positives I spoke of when I took the job here are progressively manifesting.”

“Go Wildcats,” Cooper added.

For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feeds at @BCUathletics and @CookmanTrack or "Like Us" on Facebook at Bethune-Cookman Athletics.


COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JCSU's Danielle Williams Captures Bronze at the 2013 World University Games

KAZAN, Russia  -- Johnson C. Smith University rising senior track and field student-athlete Danielle Williams secured the bronze medal for Jamaica in the 100m hurdles at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia on Wednesday, July 10th.

The 2013 U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coache

Vashti Thomas (United States) won in a new World University Games record of 12.61 seconds, cutting one-hundredth of a second off Lucyana Longer (Poland) 12.62 seconds. Alina Talay (Bulgaria) was second in 12.78 seconds.

Host Russia continue to lead the track and field athletics medals section with 32 (15 gold, 11 silver, six bronze); and South Africa is in second place with six (three gold, one silver, two bronze). USA moved into third with three gold medals, while Jamaica moved up to 11th with one silver and three bronze medals.

Williams will have a few weeks to rest and recover before beginning her preparation for the incoming collegiate indoor track and field season.

s Association (USTFCCCA) Women's National Division II Track Athlete of the Year and newly crowned national Jamaican 110 hurdles champion Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) took bronze with a time of 12.84 seconds, 0.15 seconds off her winning time of 12.69 done at the Jamaican trials.

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Five hot topics for Monday’s SWAC Media Day

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --   Can Pine Bluff buck history and repeat?

Arkansas-Pine Bluff enters its pursuit of a second straight SWAC championship armed with 18 returning starters, including the quarterback (Ben Anderson) who made first-team all-conference last year. But history says the Golden Lions will have their hands full. Over the past 10 years, only Grambling has won multiple SWAC championships, and the league hasn’t seen a back-to-back winner since the Tigers won three straight titles from 2000-02. UAPB had not won a SWAC title since 1966, becoming the conference’s third champion in four years to break a dry spell of over four decades. Prairie View (2009) and Texas Southern (2010) had not won conference titles since the 1960s as well.

2) What will Houston bring to the title game?

The unofficial start of the SWAC football season still begins in Birmingham with Media Day, but the season’s official closing act no longer resides there. For the first time since the SWAC went to divisional play and introduced its conference title game in 1999, the East and West champs will not meet at Legion Field in Birmingham. Instead, the championship game is moving to ...

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Excitement building for Southern’s Dawson Odums as SWAC Media Day nears

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Dawson Odums has been through his first signing day as Southern’s football coach. He has been through his first spring practice and most of his first offseason.

In fact, Odums coached nine games for the Jaguars last season, leading Southern to a 4-5 mark as the interim replacement for Stump Mitchell.

But Monday in Birmingham, Ala., Odums will experience another first.

Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day arrives as the coaches from the conference’s 10 schools, along with two selected players apiece, converge on the Birmingham Marriott to answer questions about the season ahead.

Odums, who in December had the interim tag removed from his title, will be joined by a pair of seniors: quarterback Dray Joseph and defensive back Virgil Williams.

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SUNY-Buffalo hires Hampton U's Peel as head coach

COACH TRENA PEEL
(Photo Courtesy Hampton University)

BUFFALO, New York  –  A proven winner at every level of competitive softball, Trena Peel has been named the eighth coach in the history of Buffalo softball, Director of Athletics Danny White announced Friday.  Peel most recently served as head coach at Hampton University, where she led the team to its first MEAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 1996.

Peel spent three seasons at Hampton, improving the team's win total each season.  After a 13-win season in her first year, she nearly doubled Hampton's total in her second season and took the Pirates to the conference semifinals.  In 2013, her team finished 34-26; an improvement of nine wins from the previous year, and won the MEAC Title.  The Pirates traveled to Gainsville, FL for the NCAA Tournament Regionals.

Prior to her first head coaching job at Hampton, Peel was an assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State, who went 27-23 in 2010. Four Devilettes were named All-SWAC: pitcher Lisa Jansen and right fielder Ashley Hobs were First Team All-SWAC selections, while outfielder Haleigh Eubanks and catcher Alexandria Robertson were named Second Team All-SWAC.

"Trena has tremendous enthusiasm for the game of softball and has been successful at all levels as both a player and a coach," said White.  "Her commitment to winning and the development of student-athletes makes her the ideal choice to build our softball program at the State University of New York at Buffalo."

Peel has also been an assistant coach at both the University of Maryland (2006-08) and George Washington University (2003-04).

A 2003 graduate of LSU with a bachelor of science in Kinesiology, Peel has enjoyed a professional career in the National Pro Fastpitch League that has included stints with the Akron Racers (2004, 2008-09), New York Juggernauts (2005), Chicago Bandits (2006) and Philadelphia Force (2007). In the summer of 2009, Peel participated in the MLB Celebrity All-Star Game during MLB All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, Mo.

In her rookie season with Akron, she finished with five home runs, three triples, 27 RBI and a league-high 27 stolen bases. The two-time NPF All-Star (2004, 2005) was especially productive in two seasons with Philadelphia. In 2007, she signed as a free agent and ended the campaign leading the team with five home runs and tied for second on the team with 20 runs scored. In 2008, she had eight home runs (tied for fifth in the league) along with eight stolen bases, 20 RBI and a .508 slugging percentage.

Peel played at LSU from 1999-2002, where she earned NFCA Second-Team All-American accolades and was a semifinalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year as a senior. She was named SEC Athlete of the Year in 2002 and was also a three-time All-SEC honoree, selected twice to the All-South Regional Team. She was a 2001 NCAA Region 3 All-Tournament team member and a 2002 SEC All-Tournament selection.

As a Tiger, Peel tallied a .323 batting average with 269 hits, 45 doubles and 27 triples, which ranks first in LSU history.  Her triples total is also in the Top 20 in NCAA history. As a junior, Peel led the nation in triples per game and broke the LSU and SEC single-season triples record while ranking fourth in NCAA history with 14.

While at LSU, Peel was a 1999 USA Junior Olympic Softball team member and played on the 2001 USA National Red Team. She was also selected to the USA Elite Team in 2002 and 2003. The 2002 SEC Player of the Year, Peel was also a semifinalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

New coach Greg Ruffin is resurrecting Paine football program

COACH GREG RUFFIN

AUGUSTA, Georgia  -- The two assistant coaches kept crossing paths in various circles, noticing they shared some similar physical characteristics and the same last name.

The Ruffins – Greg and Reginald – later discovered they’re cousins. Reginald grew up in Meridian, Miss., and Greg’s grandfather is from that city. For the past decade they’ve grown closer, but now that Greg Ruffin is the new coach at Paine College don’t expect Reginald – the head coach at Miles College – to take it easy on his new Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival.

“He’s got to go by ‘Greg’. He can’t go by ‘Coach Ruffin,’ ” Reginald Ruffin said. “He hasn’t established himself in the conference yet.”

Greg Ruffin is the new guy on the SIAC football block.

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Albany State star guard Thomas leaving program for Valdosta State

ALBANY, Georgia  — Albany State women’s basketball coach Robert Skinner called April Thomas the best scorer to come through ASU in his 23 years with the program.

And now Thomas, a former Bainbridge star and rising junior, is headed to one of the Lady Rams’ biggest rivals.

 

Thomas confirmed to The Herald on Tuesday that she is transferring to Valdosta State, leaving behind an Albany State team that she had become the cornerstone of.

 

“We are going to miss her,” Skinner said. “It’s going to be hard to replace that kind of scoring. Her ability to score with her size was phenomenal. Since I have been coaching here, I haven’t had a shooter her size that can score like her.”

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