Eagles deny Xavier Gold Nuggets a spot in championship round

XU women's tennis vs. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)

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MOBILE, Alabama -- Xavier University of Louisiana's women's tennis season ended the way it did a year ago: in the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship.

Fifth-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.), recording its second upset in as many days, won 2-of-3 doubles matches and 3-of-4 in singles to defeat the Gold Nuggets 5-2 on Friday at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. It was the second straight year that Xavier (17-7) was eliminated as the tournament's No. 1 seed.

"This loss really hurts," XU coach Alan Green said. "It feels much worse than the one last year because this year I thought we had the team to win it all. Today we just didn't do what it takes to get the job done."

After sweeping the doubles in the quarterfinals on Thursday against Northwood (Fla.), the Gold Nuggets fended off two match points to avoid a doubles sweep by Embry-Riddle (18-5). Nour Abbes and Simone-Alyse Ewell led 6-2 on the second court against Anna Gotz and Paola Montero, then lost five consecutive games before scrambling to get into a tiebreaker, then winning it 7-4 after trailing 3-0.

Xavier struggled in its other two doubles matches. Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers, the NAIA's fifth-ranked tandem, dropped their first five games against top-ranked Hui-I Huang and Kristina Marova before losing 8-6. Sisters Carmen and Brandi Nelson could not capitalize on a 3-2 lead and lost 8-4 to Eva Vilar and Paula Ortiz Couder.

"It seemed like we were fighting for our lives as soon as we stepped on the court," Green said. "We just never could get a grip on the match. Give Embry-Riddle a lot of credit for the way they came out and beat us down the way they did. We were lucky to win at No. 2 doubles. It could've easily been a sweep."

It could've easily been a sweep had Abbes not found a way to play with a stomach ailment -- she started feeling ill late Thursday -- and record both Xavier victories.

Abbes was nothing short of indefatigable. The freshman produced two straight winners to send her and Ewell into a tiebreaker, then she hit three straight winners during the tiebreaker to put her and Ewell ahead to stay. Abbes ended the doubles when she smashed a forehand down the line.

"I felt terrible after warmups. I wasn't sure I would be able to continue," Abbes said. "I have to give all the credit to (trainer) Allie (Wood). She took great care of me and kept me going, kept me on the court."

Abbes was first off the court in singles after beating Huang 6-3, 6-1, and that tied the dual at 2. But while Ewell and Howell won their opening sets, they couldn't get off the court. Couder beat Amber Brown 6-0, 6-4 at No. 6, Montero defeated Brandi Nelson 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5, then Marova clinched with a 6-4, 6-3 decision against Flowers at No. 3.

"Nour was sick, but she has the heart of a lion," Green said. "She's the type of player who is determined to win, no matter what is going on with her. We needed more of that."

Abbes, the Wilson/ITA NAIA National Rookie of the Year, ended her sensational season 17-0 in singles and 15-2 in doubles. She was 12-0 with Ewell, a sophomore who finished 20-3 in doubles, 19-0 in her final 20 matches.

It was the final XU competition for seniors Howell and Brown. Howell is the Nuggets' only two-time ITA NAIA All-American -- this season's honors have yet to be announced -- and Brown was a four-year letter winner who helped the Nuggets qualify three times for nationals.

Embry-Riddle, which beat fourth-ranked and three-time defending champion Auburn Montgomery in the quarterfinals, will meet second-ranked Georgia Gwinnett for the title at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Grizzlies -- in their second season of varsity competition and 1-1 against Xavier this season -- beat third-ranked Lindsey Wilson 5-2 in the other semifinal. This will be Embry-Riddle's second final; the Eagles lost to AUM in the 2012 title dual.

"As hurt as I feel right now and as hurt as the team feels, at the end of the day we had a very successful year," Green said. "We're disappointed to end it the way we did, but we had a great season. It was a great feeling knowing that we went into every match with a great shot to win."

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

MEAC names Florida A&M's Shouppe top coach

COACH JAMEY SHOUPPE

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- This baseball season was supposed to be one that Jamey Shouppe used to instill his philosophy as first-year head coach of the FAMU baseball team.

He accomplished that and more. So much so that the Rattlers went from being one of the worst teams to first in the MEAC, an amazing turnaround that earned Shouppe the conference’s Coach of the Year award Wednesday.

“I really didn’t look at it as was it going to be a great turnaround,” Shouppe said. “I just looked at it as an opportunity to teach baseball and to get guys to do things the right way.”

Infielder Bennie Robinson, who hit six home runs this season and led the team in hitting (.390) also was named Player of the Year. FAMU also put seven players on the All-MEAC academic team.

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Resilient Jackson State reborn at SWAC Baseball Tournament

NEW ORLEANS -- Ten days ago, playing baseball was the farthest thing from their minds. Ten days ago they were just happy that no one was hurt following a shocking bus fire on their way to take on Savannah State.

 

Now, here they are having won their first two games in the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament at the MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium by a combined score of 19-4. Now, Jackson State is in position to claim both the tournament title and the league’s bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

 

 The defending SWAC champs had been struggling throughout the season, just 9-15 in the conference and only 27-23 on the year as they headed down I-20 for their penultimate series of the year. They were hoping that the final road trip of the year would bring them together. Those hopes literally went up in flames along with their bus. Fortunately, no one was injured but the team lost most of its equipment, which is no small loss to a small school in difficult financial times.

 

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MEAC Baseball Tournament Postponed Due To Weather

NORFOLK, Virginia -- All games of the MEAC Baseball Tournament today have been postponed until tomorrow due to heavy rain in the Norfolk, Va. area.

FAMU will face Coppin State on Saturday, May 17, at 2:00 pm. The winner will then play at 6:00 pm against the winner of the Norfolk State/NC Central matchup.

  2014 MEAC Baseball Tournament Bracket

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WSSU falls short in regional opener

WEST LAWN, Pennsylvania — Throughout Thursday’s opening game of the Division II Atlantic Regional baseball tournament, Winston-Salem State’s infield play was terrific, turning three double plays through four innings.

One more double play in the sixth would’ve loomed large in WSSU’s ability to protect a one-run lead and stop a threat by Shepherd. But the inning didn’t turn out the way WSSU would have liked.

After WSSU made an error — its fourth of the game — to start the inning, Shepherd rallied for two runs, then added a run in the seventh on the way to a 4-3 victory at Owls Field.
 

Starting pitcher Jordan Carlton had allowed just four hits and an unearned run in five innings. Trying to protect a 2-1 lead in the sixth, he allowed three hits but the two runs that put Shepherd up 3-2 were unearned. 

Coach Kevin Ritsche of WSSU said he was pleased with Carlton’s performance.

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Former Grambling State Basketball Player Fatally Shot

DAVID COPELAND
COURTESY GSU ATHLETICS

CHESTERFIELD, Virginia  -- A Chesterfield Community High School graduate who was the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer and went on to play at Grambling State University in Louisiana was fatally shot early Thursday during an apparent argument outside his home, police said.

David Emmanuel-Sinclair Copeland, 23, of the 3300 block of Meadowdale Boulevard, was found dead when officers arrived about 12:43 a.m. to investigate a report of shots fired. Another man who police said was known to Copeland and with him at the time was also shot and taken to VCU Medical Center with wounds that were not considered to be life-threatening. His identify has not been disclosed.

Police said they believed there were two suspects in the shootings, but they did not immediately have a description.

The shooting appeared to have followed an altercation in a parking lot at the apartment complex, said Chesterfield police Capt. Chris Hensley.

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FAMU Rattlers Fall To Savannah State 14-6 at the MEAC Tournament

Courtesy Florida A&M Sports Information

NORFOLK, Virginia  – Florida A&M (25-25, 14-10 MEAC) took a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning but fell 14-6 to Savannah State (22-29, 11-13 MEAC) at the MEAC baseball tournament on Thursday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field. The loss snapped a six-game winnings streak for FAMU. The Rattlers gave up five runs in the fifth inning and committed four errors in the eighth inning in the loss. Bennie Robinson extended his consecutive games reaching base streak to 46 games while going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Rattler starting pitcher David Duncan (5-5) took the loss after allowing six runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and four walks. Duncan struck out four of the first seven batters he faced.

FAMU grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Rattlers recorded four straight hits to start the game, while Marlon Gibbs and Ryan Kennedy each had RBI singles in the inning.

SSU tied the game at 2-2 on three hits as they sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the third. Todd Hagen led off the inning with a walk and David Richards singled to center to put runners on first and second with no outs. After a deep fly out to center by Charles Sikes that allowed Hagen to tag up and move to third, Mendez Elder crushed an RBI double against the wall in right center. Aaron Hoffer’s ground out to short plated Richards to tie the game at two. A two out walk would load the bases for the Tigers but Mike McHugh went down swinging to end the inning.

The Rattlers regained the lead, at 5-2, on Jared Walker’s bases clearing triple in the fourth. Jeremy Barlow drew a full count walk to open the home half of the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Michael Birdsong was also walked to place runners on first and second with no outs. Kendal Weeks followed with a single through the left side to load the bases. Peter Jackson struck out for the second out before Walker’s three-run triple with the bases loaded gave FAMU the lead.

SavannahState took their first lead of the game at 7-5 with five runs on five hits in the top of the sixth. The lead proved to be all that the Tigers needed. Lee Moore came in to pinch hit for McHugh and singled to left. Hector Benitez bunt single in the very next at bat put two on with no outs. Moore advanced to third on a fly out from Hagen and scored as Richards grounded out to short. A wild pitch sent Benitez to third and Elder’s RBI single to center plated Benitez for the second run of the inning. The Tigers first lead came on Hoffer’s two-run triple to make the score 6-5 and Nix’s RBI single to right accounted for the fifth run of the inning.

Florida A&M cut the lead to one with a single run in the seventh inning. Gibbs’ RBI double scored Robinson, who had reached on an error, from first to cut the Savannah
State lead to 7-6.

The Tigers bats were relentless as they continued to score with seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings for the final score of 14-6. SSU had eight hits in final two frames but FAMU added four costly errors in the eighth to aid the damage.

Tiger reliever Austin Robinson (1-4) earned the win after only giving up one hit and no runs in 1 2/3 innings of work. Robinson had two strikeouts and one walk.

Florida A&M will face Coppin State on Friday, May 16 in an elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm. CSU defeated MEAC Northern Division No. 1 seed Delaware State 6-1 in an elimination game on Thursday evening. Game times could change as inclement weather is moving through the Norfolk, VA area.

As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @FAMUAthletics and live stats for the tournament are available via www.meacsports.com.

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2014 MEAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET

By Michael Morrell/Special to FAMU Athletics
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Top-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) eliminates XU Gold Rush

MOBILE, Alabama -- Top-ranked and defending champion Embry-Riddle (Fla.) won a pair of close doubles matches Thursday en route to a 5-0 men's tennis victory against ninth-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana in the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship.

The Eagles (20-3) won their 10th in a row and will play fourth-ranked Vanguard or fifth-ranked Lindsey Wilson at 1 p.m. Friday. The Gold Rush finished 13-12 and are the only program in XU history to reach the national quarterfinals three consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014).

Deni Zmak and Simon Felix scored the final four points of tiebreaker -- and overcame two Xavier match points -- to defeat Kyle Montrel and Nikita Soifer 9-8 (8-6) at No. 1 and give the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the dual. Patrick Besch and Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios completed the doubles sweep with a 9-7 victory at No. 3 against Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht.

Svoboda and Albrecht trailed 3-0 but rallied to take 6-5 and 7-6 leads. In Montrel and Soifer's match, neither team led by more than a game.

"In doubles we missed a great chance to close out a couple of matches and grab the momentum," XU coach Alan Green said. "At No. 1 doubles we missed a shot by an inch with match point. But I can't fault our effort. We played and fought hard against Embry-Riddle and throughout the tournament."

Felix gave Embry-Riddle a 4-0 lead when he beat Jordan Harrell 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles. Miguel Lopez Gomez clinched when he beat Albrecht 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6.

It was the second dual of the day for Xavier, which defeated eighth-ranked Belhaven 5-4 after being rained out Wednesday.

"This tournament was a great experience," Montrel said. "But we need to get to the finals and win it one year. If we add a couple more solid players next year, we'll be fine."

After a 6-9 start, Xavier won seven of its final 10 duals to clinch its fourth consecutive winning season. There were seven victories against ranked teams -- two in the NAIA's top 10 -- and two victories against NCAA Division I opponents.

It was the final XU competition for Svoboda, the team's lone senior and a three-year letterman.

Results

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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GSU avoids elimination in SWAC tournament

NEW ORLEANS  -- A seven-run seventh inning helped Grambling stave off elimination Thursday in a 14-8 win over Texas Southern at the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in New Orleans.

The Tigers trailed 8-6 heading into the seventh before exploding for seven runs to advance to Friday’s elimination game against the winner of Alabama State and Alcorn State. Alabama State sent Grambling to the loser’s bracket following Wednesday’s 11-10 win in 11 innings.

Korey Hall’s two-run shot in the seventh tied the game against Texas Southern, and Juan Bueno broke things open with a three-run double to right center.

Bueno finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Hall, Roger Diaz and Johnathon Timeo all added two RBIs each.

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ASU Hornets survive meltdown, beat Grambling 11-10

NEW ORLEANS  --  Even a home run by Dillon Cooper couldn't save Alabama State's pitching staff from a complete collapse in the opening game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament at MLB Urban Youth Academy's Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans.

Cooper, who was 0 for 3 and batting just .194 when he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, blasted a two-run home run to left center off Grambling reliever Zach Moreau for his third home run of the year and a 10-9 lead over the Tigers.

Just as quickly, Hornet ace-turned-closer T.J. Renda surrendered a home run to Travaurs Bell that tied the game.

It took a leadoff double by Richard Amion in the bottom of the 11^th and a bases-loaded walk to Raul Perez to rescue the Hornet pitching staff in an 11-10 win over Grambling State on Wednesday night.

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JSU in good APR standing, but not every SWAC school

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- All Jackson State sports are in good shape for the 2014-15 postseason, but not all of its Southwestern Athletic Conference brethren was as fortunate.

The NCAA released APR figures updated for the 2012-13 year, and five of the 10 football programs are ineligible and face APR penalties. However, according to The Pine Bluff Commercial, those teams will still be able to compete for the SWAC football championship this fall.

That means if Mississippi Valley State, Alabama State, Prairie View A&M, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern football were to win their respective divisions, they can go to the SWAC championship in December despite their low APR scores. (All Southern sports face bans due to unusable data).

"As a result of the decision for basketball, all teams are eligible for postseason play in the SWAC," the league told The Pine-Bluff Commercial, adding that an official statement will be released soon.

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Gold Nuggets reach NAIA semifinals for 2nd straight year

MOBILE, Alabama  -- Compared to the second round the previous day, Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis coach Alan Green was considerably happier with his team's performance in the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship.

The Gold Nuggets (17-6), top-ranked and top-seeded at this event, throttled ninth-ranked Northwood (Fla.) 5-0 on Thursday to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Prior to 2013, no XU team in any sport had reached the national semifinals.

Xavier will play fifth-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) -- a 5-3 winner against fourth-ranked and three-time defending champion Auburn Montgomery -- at 9 a.m. Friday.

After becoming the first-ever women's top seed to lose a match in the second round -- Xavier beat Davenport 5-2 -- the Nuggets did not drop a set against Northwood (15-5) and needed slightly less than 2 1/2 hours to clinch.

"I can't tell you what I told our team in my pregame pep talk," Green said, "but the message was to dominate today. And we did. We responded well."

Sisters Carmen and Brandi Nelson, a loser at No. 3 doubles against Davenport, were first off the court against Northwood when they beat Livia Toth and Julia Ferraz 8-3. Nour Abbes and Simone-Alyse Ewell, 11-0 as a doubles team, gave the Nuggets a 2-0 lead with their 8-2 decision against Adelaide Wood and Melaine Snowberger. Then Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers, ranked fifth by the NAIA, completed the doubles sweep with an 8-5 victory against Justyna Wojcik and Valentina Souki.

The Nelsons' resurgence in doubles was symbolic of the Nuggets' improvement from the previous round.

"I am really proud of the way the Nelsons played," Green said. "I got on them pretty hard yesterday and benched Brandi in singles after they lost. They took the message very well.

"Today Brandi gave me what I was looking for. She responded like an adult and didn't get down on herself. She bounced back."

Brandi Nelson did not win in singles but was one of three Nuggets leading matches when the dual ended. Earning the final two victories for Xavier were Nour Abbes and Kourtney Howell, both 6-1, 6-1 at the top two flights.

Abbes improved to 16-0 by beating 12th-ranked Wojcik. Howell earned her 15th victory of the season by defeating Souki.

Xavier has 10 victories this season against ranked NAIA opponents and is 6-1 against the top 10. The Nuggets were 2-0 in 2013 against Embry-Riddle, including a 5-3 victory in the national quarterfinals.

Results

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

Gold Rush edge past Belhaven 5-4 to reach quarterfinals

MOBILE, Alabama -- Freshman Adam Albrecht, in the final match on the court, won a pair of tiebreakers Thursday to give Xavier University of Louisiana a 5-4 men's tennis victory against Belhaven in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.

Albrecht defeated Enrico Patriarca 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-1) at No. 6 singles to advance the ninth-ranked Gold Rush (13-11) to the quarterfinals for a school-record third consecutive year.

Eighth-ranked Belhaven finished 16-5.

Xavier will play top-ranked and defending champion Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at 5 p.m. Thursday.

"I've been playing 12 years, and I think this is the first time I've won two tiebreakers in a match," Albrecht said. "I just try to keep calm in tiebreakers and play each point like it's a practice match."

Albrecht (10-9) became the sixth XU male this season to reach double-digit victories.

"I made a last-minute decision to go with Adam at No. 6, and it paid off for us big-time," XU coach Alan Green said. "I'm so proud of Adam for being ready and coming through in crunch time for us."

Nikita Soifer and another freshman, Tushar Mandlekar, won in doubles and singles for Xavier. Soifer and Kyle Montrel won 8-4 at No. 1 doubles against Nikita Lisov and David Mejia, then Soifer gave the Rush a 3-2 lead when he beat Lisov 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2.

Mandlekar and Kevin Chaouat built a 5-1 lead but needed to win the last two games to prevail 8-6 at No. 2 against Andre Borghi and Patriarca, then Mandlekar gave the Rush a 4-3 lead when he beat Mejia 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at No. 5.

Mandlekar tied Montrel for the team lead in singles victories with 16.

The victory was the seventh in the last nine duals for Xavier, which moved two victories above .500 for the first time this season and assured itself of a fourth consecutive winning season.

The victory was the seventh for the Gold Rush this season against a ranked opponent, and this one came against a Belhaven team which won 5-4 at home against Xavier on Feb. 15. The Gold Rush eliminated the Blazers in the second round at nationals a year ago.

"Our guys knew this would be a tough matchup, and they fought hard all day," Green said.

This is the first time the Gold Rush have won twice in the same national tournament. Xavier advanced to the quarterfinals after first-round byes the past two years.

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

Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame to Honor Legendary Basketball Team

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will honor the three-time champion Tennessee State men’s basketball team this weekend during the 2014 Induction Banquet events.

From 1957-1959, the TSU men's basketball team won three consecutive NAIA National Championships and became the first team to ever accomplish the feat.

The Tigers were led by legendary head coach John McLendon who ended up finishing his TSU career with a .878 winning percentage.

On the court, the team featured prolific players such as Dick Barnett and John Barnhill. Barnett is still the school's all-time leading scorer with 3,209 and Barnhill is 19th.

The duo helped the Tigers amass a 94-8 record during the three-year stretch including a school-record 32 wins during the 1958-59 season.

The Tigers won their first of three championships in 1957 when the team beat South East Oklahoma, 92-73. TSU went on to defeat their next to opponents in the championship game by double-digits as well.

Barnett was named MVP of the National Championship for his performances in the 1958 and 1959 games.

In one record-setting game during the 1958-59 season, the Tigers battled in-state foe Knoxville College. TSU scored an all-time high of 150 points in the contest and won by a record 92 points.

In three seasons, the team scored over 100 points 26 times thanks to McLendon's fast paced style that revolutionized the game of basketball.

McLendon ended his TSU career after the third championship and he is now a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.



COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Updated 5/15: 2014 HBCU Football NFL Free Agent Signings

POS    PLAYER  TEAM    COLLEGE

WR Tyler McDonald, New England Patriots, South Carolina State *(minicamp invitee)
S    Kimario McFadden, Atlanta Falcons, South Carolina State
CB Keith Lewis, Tampa Bay Bucs, Virginia University-Lynchburg
LB Carlos Fields, Oakland Raiders, Winston-Salem State
DT Rob Smith, Oakland Raiders, Jackson State
RB Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns, Alabama State
LB Joe Thomas, Green Bay Packers, South Carolina State
DB Justin Blake, Washington Redskins, Hampton
WR Lee Doss, Washington Redskins, Southern
CB Qua Cox, Indianapolis Colts, Jackson State
WR Greg Moore, Indianapolis Colts, Lane College
K/P Bobby Wenzig, Kansas City Chiefs, Alabama State *(minicamp invitee)
DB David Van Dyke, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee State
TE  A.C. Leonard, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee State
DE Francis ("Frank") Mays, Philadelphia Eagles, Florida A&M
OL Karim Barton, Philadelphia Eagles, Morgan State
S    Dexter Moody, Baltimore Ravens, Albany State (Ga.)
DB Deji Olatoye, Baltimore Ravens, North Carolina A&T
WR Eddie Poole, Washington Redskins, Bethune-Cookman *(minicamp invitee)
 S    Nick Addison, Houston Texans, Bethune-Cookman *(minicamp invitee)
WR Jermaine Jones, New York Jets, Saint Augustine's U. *(minicamp invitee)
LB Brandon Denmark, Kansas City Chiefs, Florida A&M
SS  DeRon Furr, Kansas City Chiefs, Fort Valley State
DT Leon Minto, Houston Texans, Johnson C. Smith U.
OL Nathan Isles, Seattle Seahawks, North Carolina A&T

*Tryout 

Florida A&M Blanks Coppin State 10-0 To Open MEAC Tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- Florida A&M (25-24, 14-10 MEAC) opened the MEAC Baseball Tournament with a 10-0, mercy rule, win over Coppin State (11-33, 9-15 MEAC) on Wednesday evening at Marty L. Miller Field. The win was the sixth straight for the Rattlers. Kendal Weeks pitched five shutout innings for the win, while scattering four hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Ryan Kennedy paced the FAMU offense going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, while Marlon Gibbs was 3-for-4 on the night.

The win was the first MEAC Tournament win for the Rattlers, five years to the day, since they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 12-2 back on May 14, 2009.

FAMU jumped out to a 6-0 lead as the first six batters reached base in the first inning. The Rattlers chased Eagles starter Jhar Devilme from the game as he threw 41 pitches in the opening frame. Devilme allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits and walked four batters. Kennedy put the Rattlers on the board as he roped a two-run double into the left center gap for an early 2-0 lead. Three more runs were walked in with the bases loaded and another run scored as Devin Perry reached on a fielder’s choice. Coppin State pitchers combined to throw 58 pitches in the first.



The Rattlers added a single run in the third, to make the score 7-0, on Bennie Robinson’s RBI single that scored Jared Walker from first on a hit and run.

Coppin State’s first scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning. Bryant Miranda singled to left to lead off the fifth inning and after a pair of fielder’s choice outs, Colin Dower singled through the right side putting runners at first and second. Jeffrey Fitch followed with an infield single to load the bases before Weeks sent John Walls down swinging to strand the bags full and kept the shutout in tact.

Florida A&M increased its lead to 8-0 in the fifth. Walker led off with a single to left and took second as Robinson grounded out to the pitcher. Gibbs walked to place runners on first and second as Kennedy followed with an RBI single into left center.

Matthew Schaeffer came into pitch for FAMU in the sixth and walked Jack Kraft to open the inning. Schaeffer struck out David Hamlett for the first out before pinch hitter Jonathan Calvin’s infield single put runners on the corners. Miranda struck out and Chris Godfrey grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

FAMU pushed its lead to 9-0 with a run in the seventh.

CSU loaded the bases again in the eighth but failed to score. Kraft and Hamlett drew back-to-back walks to start the inning off reliever Cameron Sims. Both runners moved up a base as Bryant grounded out to second and Godfrey was hit-by-pitch to load the bases, but William Brown flew out to left for the third out.

Rattler pinch hitter Tevin Covington recorded his first hit of the season as he doubled home Ryan Hutson in the bottom of the eighth for the final score of 10-0 in a called mercy rule game.

CSU starter Jhar Devilme (3-4) suffered the loss.

Florida A&M will face SavannahState (21-29) in round two of the winner’s bracket at the MEAC Tournament on Thursday at 4:00 pm.

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

BOX SCORE

2014 MEAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET

By Michael Morrell/Special to FAMU Athletics
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Rain postpones XU Rush, Belhaven until 8:30 a.m. Thursday

MOBILE, Alabama -- Rain forced the postponement of Xavier University of Louisiana's men's tennis dual Wednesday against Belhaven in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.

The ninth-ranked Gold Rush (12-11) and the eighth-ranked Blazers (16-4) will meet at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. All eight men's duals were pushed back to that time.

In the first round on Tuesday, Xavier defeated Hastings 8-1, and Belhaven had a bye.

The Xavier-Belhaven winner will play the Embry-Riddle (Fla.)-Coastal Georgia winner at 5 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Embry-Riddle is the defending champion.

Sandwiched between the men's rounds will be the four women's quarterfinals matches at noon. Xavier's top-ranked women will play Northwood (Fla.), which is ranked ninth.

The rain began at approximately 12:15 p.m. and continued most of the afternoon.

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

Gold Nuggets snap Davenport's 20-dual winning streak

MOBILE, Alabama -- Top-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana got doubles and singles victories from Nour Abbes and Kourtney Howell in a 5-2 decision against Davenport in the second round of the NAIA Women's Tennis National Champipnship on Wednesday.

The Gold Nuggets (16-6) will play ninth-ranked Northwood (Fla.) at 9 a.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Xavier ended the 20-dual win streak of 16th-ranked Davenport (23-5Abbes, the Wilson/ITA NAIA National Rookie of the Year, and Simone-Alyse Ewell defeated Puck Luttikhuis and Marcie Kooyers 8-1 at No. 2 doubles to put Xavier ahead to stay.  Howell and Brion Flowers gave the Nuggets a 2-0 lead when they defeated Alyssa Fuentes and Emily Spiech 8-2 in a matchup of NAIA top-10 teams.

Abbes improved to 15-0 in singles this season -- and gave Xavier a 3-1 lead -- when she defeated Fuentes 6-0, 6-1 at the top flight. Howell made it 4-1 when she beat Spiech 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2.

Amber Brown, who received her bachelor's degree from Xavier on Saturday, ended the dual when she beat Montserrat Elizondo 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5. Xavier led the two matches still on court.

"The top of the lineup took care of business as usual in singles and doubles," XU coach Alan Green said. "We're looking for the entire lineup to play that way. That's what we're going to need the rest of the week. We have no margin of error for the rest of this tournament."

Northwood advanced with a 5-4 victory against eighth-ranked Vanguard.

NOTES: This is the first XU women's team in any sport to reach the NAIA quarterfinals in consecutive years . . . Xavier reached the semifinals in 2013 . . . Xavier defeated Northwood 6-3 at a neutral site in Florida during the 2013 regular season . . . Abbes is 10-0 with Ewell, whose doubles win streak is 17 . . . Fuentes and Spiech had won 19 of their last 20 doubles matches before losing to Howell and Flowers . . . The Nuggets are 5-0 all-time at nationals against teams from the Midwest.

Results

 

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

SWAC Football Media Day date announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its date for the 2014 edition of Football Media Day for Friday, July 18. For a consecutive year, the event will be held at the Birmingham Marriott located at 3590 Grandview Pkwy.

The date is set two days later than last year's media day which was the largest turnout in recent years, drawing more than 400 attendees and members of the media.

For a third consecutive year, the event will air live via SWAC Digital Network featuring a stage session and one-on-one interviews on the set of SDN. In addition, league head coaches and student-athletes will also join SDN live audio stream as part of the continuous coverage on www.swac.org.

Four new head coaches are slated to attend, including three first timers in the SWAC ranks with James Spady (Alabama A&M), Broderick Fobbs (Grambling State), and Harold Jackson (Jackson State). Rick Comegy, the longest tenured head coach in the SWAC, will be attending his eighth football media day, but his first at the helm of Mississippi Valley State.

A more detailed schedule with information on head coaches and student-athlete interview times will be released at a later date, however the event production will include:

 

SWAC Commissioner Address

Photo Opportunitites

Season Preview by Head Coaches

Championship Promo

SWAC Preseason Teams Announced

SDN Video Stream and SDN Radio

SWAC Audio Drops

Print Media Interviews

One-on-one TV Interviews

 

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Eldridge Dickey to be Inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Eldridge Dickey
Courtesy Tennessee State University Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --- On Saturday, May 17, Tennessee State great Eldridge Dickey will be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

 

In 1968, Dickey became the first African-American quarterback to ever get drafted by an AFL or NFL team. The Oakland Raiders used their first round pick on Dickey who had been an All-American his last two seasons.

 

While at TSU, Dickey set multiple records including the most passes attempted and the most passes completed with 805 and 430, respectively. He also set the career mark in career passing yards until Joe "747" Adams came along to break the record a decade later.

 

As a sophomore in 1965, Dickey led the Tigers to their fifth Black College National Championship and a perfect 9-0 regular season record. The Tigers played Ball St. in the Grantland Rice Bowl that year, tying the game at 14 apiece.

 

A year later, Dickey enjoyed his finest season- throwing for 1,812 yards and 25 touchdowns. Again, Dickey and the Tigers won the Black College National Championship with a 9-0 regular season. The Tigers started the year by beating North Carolina A&T and Texas Southern by a combined score of 107-0. Dickey followed those two games with a career-best 343-yard performance against Grambling.

 

In the final game of the 1966 season, the Tigers defeated Kentucky State 83-0- the fourth highest margin of victory in TSU history. After the game, the Tigers were invited to play in the Grantland Rice Bowl for the second time in as many years and this time the Tigers came out on top, beating Muskingum 34-7.

 

In 1967, Dickey was selected to Pittsburgh Courier's All-American team for the second consecutive year. The team went 6-3 that season, but the Tigers ended the year on a five game winning streak.

 

The Raiders used the 25^th overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft to select Dickey, but he ended up never playing a snap at quarterback as the coaches elected him to play receiver. Still, Dickey being chosen as a quarterback paved the way for other legendary African-American quarterbacks such as Warren Moon and Donovan McNabb.

In addition to Dickey, the 2014 induction class includes Carlton Flatt, Eddie George, Bridgette C. Gordon, Ronald “Popeye” Jones, Paul Naumoff, Claude Osteen, Carolyn Peck Allie J. Prescott III and Dorsey Sims Jr.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JSU Women's Basketball Signs Nyahok Bile

JACKSON, Missiaaippi -- Nyahok Bile, a 5-11 forward from Colorado Northwestern Community College, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Jackson State University next season. Nyahok will be a huge impact player for the Lady Tigers.

"We are thrilled to have Nyahoke as a Lady Tiger," JSU Head Women Basketball Coach Surina Dixon said. "She is a difference maker on the boards both offensively and defensively."

As a sophomore Nyahok averaged eight ppg and 9 rpg. Nyahok received all-conference honors in the Scenic West Conference. Nyahok was the second leading defensive rebounder in the Scenic West Conference and was ranked 21st in scoring, third in rebounding, and eleventh in free-throw percentage.

COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Fuentes Earns Complete Game, Braves Defeat Texas Southern 5-4 on Day One of SWAC Tournament

COURTESY ALCORN STATE ATHLETICS

NEW ORLEANS   -- What more can you say about senior pitcher Ryan Fuentes after striking out the final batter to pick up the victory for the Braves.  Fuentes struck out six batters and threw 152 pitches as the Braves survive day one of the 2014 SWAC Baseball Tournament with a 5-4 win over Texas Southern.

The Braves got behind 2-0 after Texas Southern scored a run in the second and fourth innings on a few defensive mistakes.

But in the sixth inning the Braves finally woke up.  Edagardo Salas, who made some outstanding defensive plays today, led off with a single up the middle.  Scottie Peavey stepped up next and hit a double to right center field to advance Salas to third.  Earl Burl hit a sacrifice fly to score Salas making the score 2-1.

After Christian Hickman was intentionally walked, sophomore Ashton Lewis hit a double down the left field line to score Peavey and Hickman giving the Braves the lead 3-2.

The Braves would hold their lead until the bottom of the ninth inning.  With only one out away from the win, the Braves allowed Tigers to tie the game on a bobbled ball by right fielder Earl Burl.

Moses Charles struck out to lead off in the 10th inning.  Salas stepped in and hit a single to center field.  Peavey collected his 3rd double of the game hitting a double down the left field line and Salas scored all the way from first base to give the Braves a 4-3 lead.  Brandon Vega came in to pinch run for Peavey and scored on a passed ball to extend the Braves lead to 5-3.

The Braves would end the inning on a groundout by Hickman.  In the bottom of the 10th inning, Texas Southern led off with a single by Zach Welz.  Next Robert Garza was hit by a pitch.  Two batters later, the Tigers would score on a RBI single.  Shaquille Cockrell made a great play at third base to pick up the second out.  Sayvon O'neal came in to pinch hit for the Tigers and face Fuents.  Fuentes won the battle striking out O'Neal to give the Braves the victory.

The Braves will play tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. and face the winner between Alabama State and Grambling State.

Box Score   

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

A&M wins first SWAC tournament contest

NEW ORLEANS  --  For the first time in team history the Bulldog baseball team has captured a Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament win, with an 11-5 victory over the Panthers of Prairie View A&M early Wednesday morning after a rain delay in the Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

A&M jumped on the board first as the home team leading three to zero. The Panthers however tied the game at three all in the bottom of the fourth inning. A&M threaten in the fifth with a runner on, but was caught in a rare triple play.

In the bottom half of the sixth; A&M started a rally with one out. Julio Nunez blasted a shot over left field wall extending their lead 8-4.  A&M then added three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.



For the game the Maroon and White collected 11 hits. Nunez along with Patrick Dobson, Austin Hulsey and Ramon Nelson each finished with two hits on the day.  A&M also batted in nine RBI's in the first contest of the 2014 SWAC Baseball tournament.

Manny Lora took over for starting pitcher Ryan Ahrens.  Lora pitched five innings striking out four while facing 21 batters.

The Bulldogs will meet the winner of the Texas Southern and Alcorn State matchup on Thursday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m.

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

Box Score            

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU falls short on NCAA APR; Rattlers banned from post-season in 2014-15 for football and basketball

KELLEN WINSLOW Sr.
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
COURTESY FAMU SPORTS INFORMATION

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M University (FAMU) has received notice from the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) that the football and men’s basketball teams will not be permitted to participate in 2014-15 postseason tournaments after falling below NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) standards, and appeals of the postseason ban were denied, Director of Athletics Kellen Winslow, Sr. announced Wednesday.

“We take responsibility for our failure to meet academic performance standards set by the NCAA,” said Winslow. “I am confident that the processes and procedures that we have put in place, along with the adoption of best practices, will address this issue. We look forward to overcoming this challenge and returning to post season competition as quickly as possible.”

FAMU’s sanctions are a result of the multiyear APR calculations – a four-year measurement covering the academic years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

The men’s basketball’s multiyear APR score was 900 and football’s score was 885, both falling short of the 910 benchmark set forth by the NCAA for limited resource institutions.

“We are implementing APR improvement plans that have been recognized and approved by the NCAA. This demonstrates that we have identified critical issues and initiatives with measurable goals, including specific steps to achieve those goals,” Winslow added.

Although neither team will be eligible for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season championships in 2014-15, games played against conference opponents will count in the standings. Rattler football and basketball players will be eligible for all individual conference honors during the season.

FAMU President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., expressed her expectations for a sound academic environment in Athletics. “FAMU is committed to the success of our student-athletes both on and off the playing field,” said Mangum. “Their academic success is our first priority and we take the regulations of the NCAA very seriously because they are designed to be applied consistently across all programs, at all member institutions, and represent best practice.”

FAMU’s APR improvement plan includes a partnership between Athletics and the Office of University Retention to enhance academic support to all athletes. The initiative includes monitored study hall and tutorial sessions, resources to enhance study and time management skills; and required coaching staff attendance in Academic Eligibility Rules Education sessions, to name a few.

Next year's multiyear APR will be the first to reflect the implementation of the corrective measures.

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

NSU Athletics Statement on NCAA APR Release

 NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State University Athletics Director Marty L. Miller released the following statement Wednesday in response to the NCAA's yearly release of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data:

"I was disappointed to receive the news that our men's track team is still ineligible for postseason competition next season. We realized last year that it could take two years for the program to recover from critical retention and eligibility issues it has encountered over the past few years in order to meet the required NCAA benchmarks.

"The track student-athletes made significant academic progress during the 2012-13 school year by recording a single-year APR score of 927 and achieving a cumulative grade point average of 2.77. However, the team fell three points short of the required 930 APR score to have received consideration for postseason competition.

"In an effort to correct the retention challenges and improve the APR score, several initiatives have been implemented to improve the track program's recruiting and advising processes.

"The results are already paying dividends. The preliminary APR scores for 2013-14 have increased significantly. Of the 150 NSU student-athletes who earned a 3.0 or better GPA in the fall 2013 semester, 22 were track student-athletes. With this level of academic performance and the commitment of student-athletes to return to the program next season, the men's track team is on pace to achieve the 2013-14 APR goals and be eligible to participate in postseason competition the following year."

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION