TSU Tigers Look to Rebound From Slow Start at OVC Championships

MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama --  Day one was a struggle for the Tennessee State men’s golf team at the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference golf championships. The Tigers fought wind gusts up to 15 MPH on the Par-72, 7,187 yard Fighting Joe course at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

 

TSU is in 11th place as they shot a 33-over, 321, on the first day of competition. Jacksonville State holds the lead with an 8-under, 280.

 

In the race for individual honors, Camilo Aguado (Jacksonville State), Marco Iten (Austin Peay) and Ted Moon (Belmont) are tied as they entered the clubhouse on Monday with a 4-under, 68. The trio is a part of nine golfers who shot under par.

 

Andrew Warner is currently tied for 26th in the field of 55 after shooting a 4-over, 76. Warner carded 11 pars on the day, including eight of the first 12 holes. Along with two birdies, the senior was even-par after 12.

 

Warner hit nine fairways and found 12 greens in regulation as he used 31 putts on Monday. Warner drained an 18-foot putt on the par-4, 10th, after reaching the green with a 9-iron from 145-yards. The second birdie of the day for the Hendersonville, Tenn. native came on the par-5, 12th. Warner stuck his third shot, a wedge from 135 out, two feet from the pin to set up an easy putt.

 

Codie Welborn dropped four birdies during the first round, the most by any Tiger. Welborn opened the day with his first 1-under on the opening hole. The senior laid up on his second shot, setting up a sand wedge from 105-yards to six feet from the flag, for the makeable putt. Welborn found himself at 4-over through seven, but was able to get down to 2-over after 11 with a pair of birdies and two pars.

 

Welborn hit a driver off the box on the par-4, 8th, finding the middle of the fairway. The Murfreesboro product knocked his second shot 122 yards to 15-feet, and a one putt. On the par-4, 11th, Welborn was able to drop his closest putt of the day, five feet, to sit at 2-over with seven to play. Two holes later, Welborn found himself on the front edge of the green on the par-3, 13th, as his 6-iron off the box came up short. Welborn proceeded to sink an uphill and to the left putt for his final birdie of the round. The four-year member of the Tigers closed out play with an 81 on Monday.

 

James Stepp matched Welborn’s 81 as he carded three birdies and five pars. On the par-4, 3rd, Stepp used a gap wedge on his second shot to within six feet to help him to move to 1-over after bogeys on the first two holes. After a bogey on No. 6, the junior was able to drop a putt from 20 feet away to move back to 1-over on the par-5, 7th. Stepp was once again at 2-over aftre the conclusion of the front nine. The Cheatham, Tenn. native, once again, would get the stroke back with a birdie on No. 10, as his second shot, a pitching wedge, stopped six feet from the flag to set up the one-putt.

 

Blake Burgett scored 11 pars as he hit 10-of-14 fairways and found eight greens. On the front nine, the sophomore finished 8-over, on account of four double bogeys. Burgett would settle in on the back nine shooting a 3-over to finish the round with an 83. The shot of the day for the Nashville product came on the par-5, 17th. Burgett found the right-side fairway bunker off the box, setting up a layup shot to 160-yards out. Burgett, once again, would find a bunker on his third shot on the front side of the green. The first-year Tiger hit his uphill bunker shot to four feet of the pin to set up a putt to save par.

 

Matt Campbell carded a non-scoring 86 on day one with nine pars on his scorecard. The junior continued to hit the ball well as he hit 11-of-14 fairways and found 12 greens in regulation.

 

The second round will begin for the Tigers at 8:00am on Tuesday as Campbell takes to the course. Burgett will tee off at 8:10am and will be followed by Stepp at 8:20am, Welborn at 8:30am and Warner at 8:40am. Hole-by-hole live results from each day of the championship can be accessed through links at OVCSports.com.

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Nuggets, Rush will play for NAIA group titles Saturday

Results:  Women vs. Oklahoma Baptist    Men vs. Tougaloo    Men vs. Oklahoma Baptist

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's women's and men's tennis teams have returned to a familiar postseason place -- the championship round.

Both the Gold Nuggets (14-6) and the Gold Rush (11-10) advanced to Saturday's finals of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament. The XU women, ranked second in the NAIA, defeated No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist 5-1 in Friday's semifinals after a first-round bye. The XU men, ranked 10th, beat Tougaloo 9-0 in the opening round, then defeated No. 25 Oklahoma Baptist 5-0 in the semifinals.

The Gold Nuggets will play No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett for the women's title at 9 a.m. Saturday at XU Tennis Center. The men's final, also a Xavier-Georgia Gwinnett matchup, will follow no sooner than 11 a.m. Georgia Gwinnett's men are 16-0 and ranked third.

The Rush reached the championship round of a conference/unaffiliated group tournament for the 12th consecutive season. The Nuggets reached the final for the 12th time in 13 seasons. Both teams won their group tournaments a year ago as top seeds. But Saturday they'll be underdogs to Georgia Gwinnett teams which beat the Nuggets and Rush at a neutral site in February.

"Both Georgia Gwinnett teams have played at a high level all season. Both are clearly capable of winning national championships," XU coach Alan Green said. "We know we'll have to play at that level Saturday, match them shot for shot, point for point. It's an awesome challenge, but we look forward to the challenge and the competition."

The Nuggets won 2-of-3 doubles matches against Oklahoma Baptist (13-10), then got straight-set singles victories from their 4-5-6 players. Amber Brown won 6-0, 6-0 against Kathryn Sild, Brandi Nelson beat Alex Morales 6-2, 6-0, then Simone-Alyse Ewell clinched with a 6-3, 6-1 decision against Ashley Abbe.

Nelson and Ewell also won in doubles, with Ewell earning her 15th consecutive victory.

The XU women have seven victories this season against ranked opponents, four against the top 10.

The XU men climbed above .500 for the first time this season and won for the fifth time in their last six duals. They dropped two games in a rout of Tougaloo (9-14), then got a dramatic doubles comeback from Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht to put a firm grip on momentum against Oklahoma Baptist (6-14).

After trailing 7-3 at the third flight against Francisco Da Silva and Patrick Sims, Svoboda and Albrecht rallied for a 9-8 (7-4) victory to give Xavier a 3-0 lead in the dual. Tushar Mandlekar won in a singles walkover when Augustin Janssen retired because of injury, then Jordan Harrell clinched with a 6-1, 6-0 decision against Da Silva at No. 4.

Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer, ranked 20th among NAIA doubles teams, knocked off 10th-ranked Marco Carvajal and Dario Macanovic 8-3. It was Montrel and Soifer's second victory of the season against a top-10 doubles opponent.

It was the sixth victory of the season for the XU men against a ranked team, which equals their total of last season.

Saturday's team champions will earn automatic bids to next month's NAIA National Championships.

SCOREBOARD: NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tennis Tournament


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Southern, hosting Grambling, needs strong SWAC finish

Needing a sweep, Jaguars host Grambling in their final home weekend series

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern baseball team can still qualify for the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.

But the Jaguars have virtually no margin for error in climbing out of the West Division cellar to grab the last tournament berth from the division.

The glass-is-half-full aspect of this situation is Southern (7-22, 3-13) faces the team immediately ahead of it — Grambling — this weekend at Lee-Hines Field.

“The only way we can go is up at this point,” outfielder D.J. Wallace said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it — and what better series than Grambling, because they’re our rival.

“It’s huge. They’re going to come in wanting to beat us again, and we have to sweep them. That’s the main goal this weekend.”

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Christiansz wants ASU Hornets off to fast start

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Alabama State's tennis team will be in New Orleans this weekend for the Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and men's and women's tennis coach Anuk Christiansz said it is important both teams get off to a good start.

"The women really need to win the doubles point as do the men," Chrisitiansz said. "The women's match (against third-seeded Prairie View), when we played during the regular season, was really close and evenly matched and I know it was a fun match to watch, but we want to pick up the win and the doubles point is very important."

The Lady Hornets (11-13) went out and did what Christiansz asked, winning the doubles point in Friday's match with Prairie View, propelling Alabama State to a 4-1 upset win over the third-seeded Panthers.

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B-CU Leads Way at MEAC Men's Golf Championships

SAVANNAH, Georgia  --  Bethune-Cookman University golfers Leon Fricker and Ryan Fricker fired 3-under-par rounds on Friday, helping the Wildcats to a first place lead after the opening round of the inaugural Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships. The three-day, 54-hole event takes place at Crosswinds Golf Club in Savannah, Ga.

As a team, Bethune-Cookman leads the tournament after the opening round with a 286. North Carolina Central sits second (299), followed by host school host Savannah State (300).

Leon Fricker, a sophomore from Ivybridge, England, posted a 3-under-par 69 in his opening round, using an eagle-3 on the 18th hole to finish tied atop the individual leaderboard. Leon also posted an eagle-3 on the 10th hole, while scoring birdies on holes four, seven and nine, respectively. Mishaps with bogeys on 12 and 13 cost him a shot at the outright lead heading into the second day of play.

Sitting alongside Leon atop the tournament leaderboard is older brother and classmate Ryan Fricker with a 3-under-par 69. Ryan, a 2013 NCAA Tournament participant, carded an impressive stretch on his final four holes though the front nine, scoring birdies on six, seven and nine. A double-bogey on eight and a bogey on three forced him to sit 1-under-par after the front stretch. Two birdies (10, 18) and seven pars carried him through the back nine.

Seniors Rafael Abad (Valencia, Venezuela) and Matthew McKnight (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) each sit tied for sixth in the tournament field, firing a round of 2-over-par 74 apiece. McKnight carded three birdies in his opening nine holes, picking them up on two, six and nine, respectively. Abad scored two birdies each on his front and back nine stretches.

The final golfer for the Wildcats was senior Emmanuel Petrich (Grand Blanc, Mich.) who finished in 18th with a 5-over-par round of 77. Three tough bogeys on the back nine, mixed with a birdie on 18, carried him to a 2-over-par in his final nine holes.

NCCU’s J.T. Thomas shares the tournament lead with Leon Fricker and Ryan Fricker, followed by Florida A&M’s Kevin Parker (-1, 71) in fourth, and Savannah State’s Brandon Neals (+1, 73) in fifth.

Play resumes Saturday with teams teeing off at 8 a.m. Live scoring for the event can be accessed here, or by visiting GolfStat.com.

The Crosswinds Golf Club is a unique par-72 course with narrow fairways and features five par 5s and five par 3s, along with TiFeagle greens and Bermuda fairways.

The tournament champion and medalist receive an automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Selection Show will air Monday, May 5, at 10 a.m. on the Golf Channel.

For news and results on the B-CU men’s golf team, log on to BCUathletics.com and follow the team (@BCUgolf) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with the hashtag, #bcugolf. Make sure to “Like Us” on Facebook at BCUathletics.

MEAC MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND SCORES

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Register Today for TSU Football Summer Camps

Medical Authorization Form for Campers

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Following the conclusion of spring practices and another successful signing day, the Tennessee State coaching staff will turn its focus to hosting summer camps that benefit high school students as well as children from around the Nashville area.

TSU will hold four camps in total, including three prospect camps around the state and the annual Lil’ Tiger Camp on campus.

 

The first prospect camp will be June 1 at Whitehaven HS in Memphis. The staff will then hold sessions in the TSU Indoor Facility on June 6 and at Tyner High School in Chattanooga two days later.

 

Each event costs 25 dollars and will provide students interested in becoming a member of the Tigers a chance to be instructed and evaluated by Tennessee State’s very own coaching staff.

 

The Lil’ Tiger Football Camp will take place from June 9-13 for kids ages 6-14. For a 135 dollar registration fee, participants will get educated in the game of football and have fun running through tires, catching passes and diving into end zones.

 

For more information or to sign-up, click here.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alan Williams: FAMU-FSU proposal must be openly vetted, not rushed

Alan Williams represents District 8 (Gadsden County and parts of Leon County) in the Florida House of Representatives and is the House Democratic whip. Contact him at alan.williams@myfloridahouse.gov.   House photo by Meredith Geddings

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  It is the role of the State University System’s Board of Governors to review any changes to academic programs and offerings at state universities. This was a hard-fought settlement between the Legislature and the Board of Governors, placing the responsibility rightfully in the hands of those best equipped to make decisions regarding academics. The decision’s plausible and seemingly prophetic intent was to avoid politicizing higher education.

Recent actions create a slippery policy slope that lawmakers may not be able to recover from.

The proposal to create a new engineering program must allow inclusion and collaboration by stakeholders from both universities. Creation of a separate College of Engineering at Florida State University should be fully vetted by the process described in the settlement, not a budget amendment.

In government, process is everything. Changes in academic offerings and programs are definitely important enough for ...

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PVAMU Tankersley Field Ribbon Cutting, SWAC Baseball Showdown Set For Saturday At 12:30 P.M.

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  -- Prairie View A&M University will hold a ribbon cutting for its recently renovated baseball stadium prior to its doubleheader showdown against Texas Southern on Saturday at 12:30 p.m..  In addition to the ribbon cutting, the university will also formally dedicate the field in honor of former baseball coach John W. Tankersley.

The Wi-Fi enabled facility features 512 total seats (192 chair backed seats) along with a brand new concession stand which contains additional storage space and restrooms.  A press box was erected along with a net/pole backstop and extended team dugouts which are bricked.  Tankersley Field was designed by Brown Reynolds Watford Architects with SSC Service Solutions serving as the project manager and CME Builders & Engineers, Inc. the general contractor.

John W. Tankersley, known as "Coach Tank" to the Prairie View A&M family, was synonymous with Prairie View for over 33 years. He was the chief architect of Panther baseball for 30 years, serving his first stint from 1969-72. During a two-year hiatus from Prairie View, Tankersley served as athletics director at his alma mater, Wiley College, before returning in 1974 and retiring in 2002. 

 

As head coach at Prairie View, Tankersley led his teams to an NAIA district title and five NAIA zone titles. His success on the diamond earned him two Adirondack Big Stick awards, three Bill Ennis Athlete of the Year awards and several NAIA and Southwestern Athletic Conference coach of the year honors.   Tankersley passed away on Oct. 27, 2003 but his legacy will live on forever as the Texas A&M Board of Regents unanimously approved the baseball field to be named in his honor.

 

Admission to Saturday's showdown against Texas Southern is $5 with area youth admitted free of charge.  The ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. followed by the first pitch at 1 p.m.

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NCAA discusses Southern case

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  The NCAA took another small step toward resolving Southern’s Academic Progress Rates case Thursday.

The Subcommittee on Data Collection and Reporting held a conference call to discuss what was learned during two representatives’ visit to the Southern campus April 14-15. The subcommittee is part of the Committee on Academic Performance.

The next step is for the committee to talk with Southern officials about a potential timeline for concluding the case. As of late Thursday, Jaguars athletic director William Broussard said he had not heard from the NCAA.

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Two SUSLA players land in SWAC

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana  --  The SUSLA men’s basketball team placed two players with Division I schools and added three more signees in recent Jaguar recruiting moves.

Freshman point guard Yettra Specks signed a scholarship with Jackson State while forward Telvin Marshall is headed to Grambling.

According to SUSLA stats, Specks averaged 12 points and six assists per game while Marshall compiled 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game.

Guard Mark Gray is still choosing between Prairie View A&M and Grambling, according to the Jaguars coaching staff.

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2014 SIAC Baseball Championships - Day Two Recap

OZARK, Alabama — Day Two of the 2014 SIAC Baseball Championship saw two elimination games in the morning and two afternoon games in the tournament's winner's bracket.

GM 8:  Stillman blanks Miles 6-0
The Stillman Tigers faced the Miles Golden Bears in the second round of the 2014 SIAC Baseball Championship, with the Tigers capturing a 6-0 victory.

The Tigers opened the scoring the bottom of the first when Paul Winterbottom scored on a Fernando Tanaka groundout.  In the second inning, Cameron Stallings singled to score Jose Alicea.  In the fifth inning, Stillman added two runs, one on an RBI single and the other on a sacrifice fly.

Stillman would get two more runs in the bottom of the eighth:  first on a Winterbottom double that scored Dunn before Winterbottom scored on a stolen base and an errant throw.

Tiger senior starter Ashton Johnson worked nine innings, striking out six, walking three and allowing only one hit – a single to Austin Freeman.  Miles pitcher Austin Pate threw eight innings allowing four earned runs and a walk while striking out six.

Stillman will meet Tuskegee at 3 pm in the deciding game of the winner's bracket.

GM 7:  Kentucky State Rally Falls Short as Thorobreds Fall to Tuskegee, 5-2
A day after beating top-seeded Albany State in the opening round of the 2014 SIAC Baseball Championship, a Thorobred rally fell short as the Tuskegee Golden Tigers won, 5-2, Thursday afternoon at Historic Eagle Stadium.

Tuskegee plated a run in each the first, second and sixth innings before scoring twice in the bottom of the eighth frame.  In the inning, Travis Hylton singled before Samuel Rodney walked.  Both runners scored when Cameron Duncan singled later in the inning.  The Thorobreds mustered three team hits against Tuskegee but reached base 10 times via walks Thursday's contest.

Junior catcher Marshall Howard went 2-for-2 and scored two runs on Thursday including one in the top of the ninth inning as the Thorobreds tried to come back from a 5-1 deficit. After Howard drew a walk and moved to second when Justin Cain walked, Kyle Clark hit a single to bring Howard home.

Kentucky State had kept things close throughout the game and entered the bottom of the eighth inning behind, 3-1. After loading the bases, Tuskegee's Cameron Duncan hit a clutch 2-RBI single to push the TU lead to, 5-1.

Cameron Summers pitched well for the Golden Tigers, allowing just one hit, but was pulled in the fourth inning after surrendering his fourth walk of the game. Relief pitcher Stanley Smith (1-0) earned the victory after taking over for Summers and pitching 3.0 innings. Smith allowed just one hit and no runs.

Kentucky State starter AJ Garza-Hall (1-7) was saddled with the loss after 6.0 innings on the mound. Garza-Hall allowed seven hits, surrendered four walks and struck out five Golden Tiger batters.

GM 6:  Paine Lions Stave Off Elimination with Ninth-Inning Heroics
The Paine College Lions avoided elimination as they defeated the Claflin Panthers 5-4 in game six of the 2014 SIAC Baseball Championship Thursday at Eagle Stadium in Ozark, Alabama.

Trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, pinch runner Cordale Duncan scored when Jonathan Richey doubled to left field.  Two batters later, Paine faced two outs and runners on first and third; Demonta Streeter hit a shot to left center field to score Jonathan Richey for the game-winning run.

Paine opened the scoring in the game in the bottom of the first inning.  Claflin scored their first run of the contest in the top of the fourth inning before the Lions answered in the bottom of the frame.  Claflin then added two runs in the top of the sixth to build a 3-2 lead.  After Paine scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers added a run in the top of the eighth inning to give Claflin a 4-3 advantage going into the final inning.

Paine was guided by Avery Wilson and Streeter, each going 3-for-5 in the game.  Richey and Jon-Tyler Shaw each had two hits in the game.  Thomas Clay paced Claflin with three hits while Johnny Stevenson and Wendell Ferguson both finished with two hits.

Paine's Cornelius Reed got the win in relief, pitching two innings walking three.  Paine starter Adam Martin threw six innings walking five and striking out one before leaving the game.  For Claflin, Darius Boykins took the loss, allow two hits against three batters faced.  Panther starter Anthony Ford pitched 8.1 innings striking out four and walking three.

Paine advances to face the loser of the Tuskegee / Kentucky State contest.

GM 5:  Albany State Remains Alive with 12-5 win over Benedict
The Albany State Golden Rams kept their championship hopes alive with a 12-5 in the first elimination game of the day over the Benedict Tigers.

After plating a run in the top of the second inning, the Rams (29-16) plated five runs in the top of the third, using three bases loaded situations to push runs across.  The Rams also scored in the top of the third, making the score 7-0.

Benedict scored two runs in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to five runs.  Albany State added a run in the fifth, giving the Rams an 8-2 advantage.

Over the final three innings, Albany State outscored Benedict, 4-3, for the final division.

The Tigers out hit the Rams 14-9, but fell victim to four errors in the game.

Rams pitcher Andrew Bacon (7-4) earned the complete game victory, striking out four and walking two over nine innings.  Five Benedict pitchers combined to strike out four in the game.

Hector Carrasquillo went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two runs driven in for the Rams while Ryan Latner finished 2-for-5 with a run scored.  Lashante Grimes led Benedict with three hits and a run while four other Tigers registered two hits each.

Friday's Baseball Tournament Pairings:
9 am - Kentucky State vs. Paine
12 pm - Miles vs. Albany State
3 pm - Tuskegee vs. Stillman
6 pm - Winner of MC/ASU versus Winner of KSU/PC

COURTESY THESIAC.COM

2014 SIAC Softball Championships - Day One ReCap

HAMPTON, Georgia  --  Day one of the eight team double-elimination 2014 SIAC Softball Championships began today with four exciting contests at the Gerald Matthews Sports Complex in Hampton, Georgia.

Game 1: Clark Atlanta def. Stillman, 6-2 (Box Score)

While holding a 6-0 lead through the top of the sixth inning, the third-seeded Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers stunned No. 2 Stillman College with a 6-2 first round victory in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Softball Championship Tournament held today at the Gerald Matthews Softball Complex in Hampton, Ga.

A three-run homer by All-Conference third baseman Breanna Bailey, put the Lady Panthers on the board early in the top of the first inning. Both teams went scoreless through the three innings until freshman pitcher Brittany Gonzalez knocked in one run to give CAU a 4-0 advantage. In an eventful sixth innings, Clark Atlanta produced two runs while Stillman (20-27) gets on the board with a two-run double by Michaela Norman for a 6-2 score that would through seven.

Gonzalez put down five batters in a complete game for CAU while Stillman pitcher Ashley Savage retired 10 batters. CAU senior and All-Conference selection Alia Williams led the Lady Panthers at the plate going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.

With the win, the Lady Panthers (20-21) advance to the second round game tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., against #1 Claflin University.

Game 2: Albany State def. Miles, 9-4 (Box Score)

The Albany State Lady Rams opened the 2014 SIAC Women's Softball Tournament with a 9-4 victory over Miles College. The Lady Rams improved to 19-24 overall and advanced to the second round to play #1W Tuskegee. The Tigerettes advanced with a 15-0 win over #4E Benedict College.

In the first inning, Miles took advantage of a few hits and errors by Albany State to build an early 4-0 lead. The Lady Rams cut their deficit to 4-3 after Chelsea Hicks singled to score Domonique Bryant and Marks hit a two-run homer. In the second inning, Ambrionna Atkism gave ASU a 5-4 lead with another homerun that scored her and Anria Peterson. Peterson started the inning with a double.

Hicks added another homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Lady Rams a 6-4 lead. ASU added its final three runs in the sixth inning. Malea Maye hit a double to score Atkism. Hicks followed that play with a single to bring home Maye and Bryant to account for the final score.

Hicks led the Lady Rams with four hits and four RBI's.  Atkism added two hits and two RBI's, and Marks also had two RBI's. Alexa Lopez recorded the mound win.

Game 3: Tuskegee def. Benedict, 15-0 (Box Score)

The top-seeded Western Division champion Tigerettes of Tuskegee University scored nine runs in the bottom of the second-inning en route to a 15-0 opening round win against the Lady Tigers of Benedict College.

Latifah Kelly, the 2014 SIAC Starting Pitcher of the Year, pitched five scoreless innings and allowed one hit while retiring 16 of the 17 batters she faced. Tuskegee was led by Karisa Foye and Denavia Harrison, who each hit three-run homers during the second and third innings. 

Tuskegee will next face the Lady Rams of Albany State tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The Lady Rams won their opening round contest, 9-4, against Miles College.

Game 4: Claflin def. Lane, 8-7 (Box Score) 

Claflin University came from five down to defeat Lane, 8-7, on day one of the 2014 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) softball tournament.  The tournament, which runs through Saturday, Apr. 26, is being contested at the Gerald E. Mathis Complex in Hampton, Ga.

Lane put up three runs in the top of the first to take a quick 0-3 lead.  The Dragons put up two additional runs in the top of the fourth to take a 0-5 lead.  Claflin bats came to life in the bottom of the fourth as they scored four runs off five hits, including a three-run homerun from Briana Pinero, with one Lane error to pull with one, 4-5.  

The Lady Panthers added two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the game, 6-5.  Lane's catcher Jasmine McNeal hit a two-run homer in the top in the sixth to help the Dragons regain the lead, 6-7. A two-run single in the bottom of the sixth by senior Amanda Evans gave Claflin the 8-7 lead heading into the seventh inning.  The Lady Panthers held the Dragons scoreless in the top of the seventh en route to the one run victory.

Markea Sheppard led the charge for the Lady Panthers going 3-for-4 with three runs.  Amanda Evans went 2-for-4 with one run and three RBI's and Alice Boone went 2-for-3 with one run.  Erin Lipps picked up her 18 wins on the mound for the Lady Panthers.  

Lane was led by Sherica Bradford who went 3-for-3 with three runs. Shawnae Campbell was the losing pitcher for Lane. Claflin will face Clark-Atlanta tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. in the semifinal round.

Friday's early contests:

Clark Atlanta vs. Claflin - 12:00 p.m.

Albany State vs. Tuskegee - 12:00 p.m.

Stillman vs. Lane - 2:00 p.m.

Miles vs. Benedict - 2:00 p.m.


COURTESY THESIAC.COM

2014 SIAC Track & Field Championship - DAY ONE RECAP

DAY ONE RESULTS / DAY ONE TEAM SCORES

ROCK HILL, South Carolina – The 2014 SIAC Track & Field Championships got started Thursday at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of Winthrop University. After Day One, the women from Albany State and the men from Kentucky State scored a total of 61 points and 37 points respectively, to finish the day in the lead.

The 2014 SIAC Women's Field Athlete of the Year, Euphemia Edem, made a huge statement for Stillman with her 6.11m mark in the long jump. With the win and an NCAA provisional mark, Edem now ranks second in Division II in the long jump. Benedict's Krishanda Campbell-Brown and Albany State's Lanequa Borders finished second and third, respectively, with marks of 5.80m and 5.45m.

Tuskegee's Aaron Bennett claimed the title in the men's shot put with a mark of 14.54m on his first throw. Javonte Brooks-Brown (14.15m) from Kentucky State and Albany State's Jamal Quadir (13.84m) rounded out the top three.

In the women's shot put, Albany State swept the top three spots. CreeAnn Perkins (13.23m) finished first and teammates Brittany Dean (13.13m) and Rhenia Bonner (11.99m) rounded out the top spots.

Tre Adderely from Benedict narrowly missed the NCAA provisional mark of 7.17m with his leap of 7.16m in the long jump to claim gold. Stillman's Solomon Atosona, the 2014 SIAC Men's Field Athlete of the Year, jumped 6.98m to finish second. Benedict's Omar Wallace (6.75m) ended in third.

In the women's hammer throw, the 10 first place points went to Kentucky State following Joscilyn Crain's 42.12m throw. Clark Atlanta's Rita-Ashley Cunningham (40.26m) placed second and Claflin's Jessica Crawford (36.41m) finished third.

Morehouse's Cullen Watkins won the hammer throw with a mark of 42.20m. Javonte Brooks-Brown's mark of 39.62m helped him to a second-place finish for Kentucky State. Teammate Terry Horton placed third with a 36.71m mark.

The 10,000m run was the only final running event on Day One. Morehouse's Shinaola Agbede finished in 33:22.94 for the gold medal. Albany State's Albery Murrey won the silver medal crossing the line in 33:41.16. Claiming the bronze medal was Benedict's Ediberto Crisanto with a time of 34:54.44.

Benedict's Jonnise Pierce (48:36.21) and Astacia Watkins (48:37.43) went 1-2 in the 10,000m run. The 2014 SIAC Women's Track Athlete of the Year, Olivia Traylor, finished in third with a time of 48:47.28.

Preliminaries of the 400m hurdles, 800m run and women's 4x100m relay were also run. Claflin's Makayla Jackson ran a 1:01.73 to lead the qualifying pack of eight in the women's 400m hurdles. Carrie Byrd, also from Claflin, finished the preliminaries of the women's 800m with the leading time of 2:17.83. In the women's 4x100m preliminary relay, Stillman finished first with a time of 47.02, just about one second faster than the second place Claflin team that finished in 48.18.

Stillman's Darrell Jackson led the qualifiers of the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.55. Kentucky State's Kieren Broussard (1:54.10) placed first in the men's 800m prelims.

Day Two events begin Friday at 8 a.m. with the finals in the decathlon and heptathlon.

COURTESY THESIAC.COM

New Harris-Stowe president sees an 'awesome opportunity'

St. Louis, Missouri  -- The young man in the dark suit jumped onto the stage Thursday afternoon, grasped the edges of the podium and declared himself a visionary leader.

It was Dwaun J. Warmack’s official introduction as the new president of Harris-Stowe State University, and he wasted little time stating his four main goals, beginning with academic excellence.

“That has to be the core of what we do,” said Warmack, 37.

The three other goals, he said, are establishing a recruitment and retention program, creating a marketing and branding campaign and focusing on “friendraising and fundraising.”

He explained the latter as building more community partners. Warmack comes to St. Louis from Daytona Beach, Fla., where he has served since July 2010 as a vice president at Bethune-Cookman University. Like Bethune-Cookman, Harris-Stowe is among the nation’s more than 100 historically black colleges and universities.



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VISIT: HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

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ESPNU LIVE Softball: Mississippi Valley State vs. Jackson State

Watch Live Here on ESPNU



COURTESY SWAC.ORG

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Mississippi Valley State University will host in-state rival Jackson State during a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. CT. The Devilettes will open the second day doubleheader on Saturday, April 25 live on ESPNU at 3:32 p.m.  The eastern division matchup will take place at the MVSU Softball Complex in Itta Bena, Miss.

Defending conference champions, MVSU (10-32, 8-6) currently fall in third place in Eastern Division play while JSU (24-26, 14-0) claims spot number one. 

Last season MVSU finished 25-32 and won five straight games at the SWAC Tournament to claim its ninth tournament title in school history. The Devilettes return four of their top players; Yasmin Battle, Omeshia Moffett, Natalia Covarrubias and Cassandra Rivera.

Battle has recorded three triples, 12 RBI while carrying a .300 slugging percent. Moffett leads the Devilettes with 33 hits, 17 stolen bases and she comes in second with a .284 batting average and teammate Covarrubias has 19 RBI, 22 hits and five doubles on the season.

MVSU’s returning pitcher Rivera (5-10) recorded 114.1 innings pitched to go along with 63 strikeouts. She has an ERA of 8.08 while making 40 appearances, including 21 games started. 

Seniors Lauren Aikens and Breea Jamerson have helped lead the Lady Tigers ride on a 14-0 conference record. Aikens guides the JSU offense with a .366 batting average, a league leading 53 total hits and she ranks number two in the conference with 40 RBI.

Jamerson (10-11) anchors the pitching staff with a league leading 10 wins on the season. Jamerson's three saves leads the league in that category and her .255 batting average to opposing teams lead the league as well.

 

COURTESY SWAC.ORG

TSU Men's Golf Heads to Alabama for OVC Championships

MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama -- The Tennessee State men’s golf team will take to the course for the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference golf championships. After four years of play at GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn., the championships will be played at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Ala., for the first time since 2009. The 11-team field will play the Par-72, 7,187 yard Fighting Joe course.

 

TSU finished eighth last year and was seven strokes out of third place as the final round was rained out. James Stepp and then senior Cameron Scitern tied for third finishing two strokes back. Stepp tied for the lowest score in a round last year as he shot a 4-under, 68 on day two.

 

The championships will consist of 54-holes over three days beginning on Friday, Apr. 25. Stepp will be the first Tiger on the course at 8:50am. Stepp will be followed by Matt Campbell at 9:00am, Andrew Warner at 9:10am, Codie Welborn at 9:20am and Blake Burgett at 9:30am. TSU will be playing with Moreheadt State and SIU Edwardsville for the first round.

 

TSU will face off against Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, SIUE, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin and defending champions, Austin Peay.

 

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

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Tailgate on us and AAMU Spring Football on "The Hill"

Tailgating On Us

NORMAL, Alabama  -- Bulldog fans, we invite you to attend this years Tailgate On Us April 26^th beginning at 10:00 am at Louis Crews stadium!!

Tailgating opens in the morning, with events the rest of the day!  Come out and bring your friends and family to this wonderful event!

There will be free food, the football scrimmage at 3 pm, kids stations of activities, contests and prizes for adults, greek strolling, alumni events, band and cheerleader performances, wing cook-off, and much more!!!

The spring game will close out the spring drills the A&M football squad has been participating in for the month.

Head coach James Spady and his staff will look for consistency as he replaces looks to instill a new offense and a new mentality on Bulldog Football.

Fans are asked to come out and set up your grill and enjoy a beautiful day on "The Hill".  Tailgating will be allowed all day in the Louis Crews stadium parking lot in front of the home grand stands. Don't miss out on this event!!!

For more information on Alabama A&M athletics, visit aamusports.com. Fans can also find the Bulldogs on Twitter at @aamubulldogs or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Alabama-AM-Bulldogs.

Tailgating On Us























COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Travels To NC Central For Big MEAC Series

Ryan C. Kennedy #33
6'-3" 205 Infielder
HOMETOWN: Merritt Island, Florida
Courtesy: Florida A&M Sports Information

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  – Florida A&M (18-21, 10-7 MEAC), who is coming off a huge win over No. 6 Florida at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville on Wednesday, looks to remain in first place of the MEAC Southern Division with a three game series against North Carolina Central (15-25-1, 10-9 MEAC) beginning on Saturday, April 26. The Rattlers have gone 7-2 over their last nine games including winning three straight.

Central leads the all-time series 10-13, which includes six straight losses for FAMU in Durham, NC. The last victory for the Rattlers over the Eagles in Durham came on April 13, 2011 by a score of 12-9. The series between the two schools only started in 2009 as NC Central resumed their baseball program in 2007 since 1975.

The Eagles had won five straight games the week of April 2-6 but have since lost four straight games and have gone 1-8 in their last nine games since April 8.

FAMU and NCCU split the first two meetings this season in Tallahassee. Florida A&M won game one by a score of 13-5 while NC Central took game two 6-5 in extra innings. Sunday’s game three was rained out with the Eagles leading 6-0 in the top of the second inning and has yet to be determined if that game will be made up.

Rattler catcher Jeremy Barlow went 4-for-6 with a double and a run scored while throwing out two Eagle base runners in the two games, while centerfielder Jared Walker was 5-for-9 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. The Rattlers hit .387 as a team in the series. Chase Jarrell and David Duncan started the two games as Jarrell was the only starter to earn the win. Jordan Montague pitched three innings of relief for the save of game one, only allowing one run on four hits.

NCCU is led offensively by Carter Williamson (.345) and Tyson Simpson (.378), while Christian Triplett’s seven home runs is tied with FAMU’s Ryan Kennedy as the MEAC home run leaders.

PITCHING PROBABLES:

                           Florida A&M (18-21, 10-7 MEAC)            NC Central (15-25-1, 10-9 MEAC)

Saturday Gm 1: Fr., RHP Chase Jarrell (4-2, 3.47)            Jr., RHP Kyle Shields (3-3, 3.38)

Saturday Gm 2: Sr., RHP David Duncan (2-4, 4.72)          Sr., RHP Terry McNabb (2-6, 4.13)      

Sunday:             So., RHP Kendal Weeks (2-1, 4.18)        So., RHP Alex Dandridge (1-3, 5.09)     

Rattler Quick Strikes:

• With the success of the 2014 season, the Rattlers have ended three long losing streaks to common opponents. With the 4-3 win on April 23 FAMU recorded its first victory in program history over No. 6 Florida, snapping an 18-game losing streak to the Gators. Florida A&M had also lost 20 straight to Jacksonville before a 6-5 victory back on April 8 at Moore-Kittles Field and ended a run of 13 consecutive losses to Bethune-Cookman with a 5-1 win on April 5 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
  
• In head coach Jamey Shouppe’s first season, FAMU has already won more games (18) than the last two years combined (14). The 18 wins are the most since the Rattlers went 24-30, 10-9 MEAC in 2009.
  
• FAMU is currently 10-7 in the MEAC. Florida A&M won seven games in each of the last two seasons. This is just the sixth time since 2000 that the Rattlers have won double-digit MEAC games (2002, 03, 07, 08, 09) and the most since they went 10-8 in 2009.
  
• 1B/RF Bennie Robinson comes in as one of the nations offensive leaders statistically. Robinson is hitting .411 (8^th) on the year with 65 hits (T-11th) and 94 total bases (T-28^th).
  
• Robinson is currently hitting .411. The last Rattler to hit over .400 with at least 100 at bats this late in the season was Derrick Shaw in 2010. Shaw finished with an average of .421 and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010 (41^st Rd-Pick 14).
  
• Robinson is also hitting .513 (20-for-39) over the last 10 games with five doubles, a home run and six RBI.
  
• In the last 10 games the Florida A&M bullpen has pitched 45 strong innings with an ERA of 1.80 with 28 K’s and 12 BB. The Rattler bullpen also hasn’t allowed an earned run in five of those last 10 games dating back to the Sunday game at Bethune-Cookman on April 6.
  
• William Carrasco, who only allowed one unearned run in three innings as the starter at No. 6 Florida has been pitching well during the last half of the season. In his last six appearances he is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.51 with 13 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings of work including two saves.
  
• Florida A&M last won the MEAC Southern Division in 1997 and last won the conference championship in 1994.

The Rattlers and Eagles will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 26, as game times are scheduled for 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. The series finale will be on Sunday at 1:00 pm.

As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @FAMUAthletics and live stats will be available via www.FAMUAthletics.com.

VISIT: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
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By Michael Morrell/Special to FAMU Athletics
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alcorn beats XU Rush; qualifying tournament starts Friday

2014 NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tennis Tournament April 25-26 in New Orleans

Click here for information

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana, ranked 10th in NAIA men's tennis, closed its regular season Thursday with a 5-3 loss to NCAA Division I's Alcorn State.

Both teams are 9-10. The Braves snapped the three-dual win streak of the Gold Rush and prevented Xavier from moving above .500 for the first time this season. The Rush were trying for a third consecutive victory against an NCAA Division I opponent.

It was the first Gold Rush loss this season in four duals.

The Gold Rush will play Tougaloo at 9 a.m. Friday at XU Tennis Center in the opening round of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament. The Xavier-Tougaloo winner will play Oklahoma Baptist or the University of the Southwest in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday at the University of New Orleans.

Also at UNO, Xavier's women will play a 2 p.m. Friday semifinal against Oklahoma Baptist or Our Lady of the Lake. Women's and men's championship matches will be played Saturday at Xavier.

Xavier led 1-0 and 3-2 before Alcorn clinched with three consecutive singles victories. Nischay Rawal ended the dual with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 decision against Jordan Harrell at No. 3.

Freshmen Tushar Mandlekar and Adam Albrecht won in singles for Xavier, and Mandlekar and Kevin Chaouat teamed for an 8-2 victory against Garry Amor and Rawal at No. 2 doubles.

Albrecht beat Amor 6-3, 6-0 at No. 6 singles, and Mandlekar defeated Max Tkachenko 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4.

Ernesto Santillan and Nikita Kostikov won in doubles and singles for Alcorn. Santillan and Kostikov beat Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer 8-5 at No. 1 doubles, and Santillan beat Montrel 7-5, 6-4 at the top singles flight.

Results


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Howard University SID Ed Hill, Jr Named CoSIDA Trailblazer

30-year Howard veteran to be honored during CoSIDA Convention in June

Mr. Edward (Ed) Hill Jr.
Courtesy Howard University Athletics
COSIDA STORY LINK

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  In 1983, Edward (Ed) Hill Jr. gave up a career as a sportswriter to become the assistant sports information director at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Two years later, he was elevated to the top position. Good move for Hill. Great move for College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the profession!

Hill is set to receive the 2014 CoSIDA Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award during the group's annual workshop June 8-11, 2014 at Orlando, Fla. The award is given annually to a member of the group who is a pioneer in the field of sports information who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within the organization.

"It is truly a great honor to be recognized with the Trailblazer Award," Hill said. "I feel that it is especially noteworthy that I am being honored during the same time that the award is being named for a true 'trailblazer' in the profession, Mary Jo Haverbeck (former associate SID at Penn State and the first recipient of the award).

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