Alabama State Wins Commissioner's Cup, Sweeps All-Sports Awards

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Alabama State University athletics program won the 2013-14 Commissioner's Cup Award, symbolic of the best all-around sports program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

It's the first time Alabama State has won the Commissioner's Cup, as ASU swept all three conference awards for the first time ever. For the second straight year, the Lady Hornets won the women's all-sports trophy, while the Hornets won the men's all-sports trophy for the first time in school history. Overall, Alabama State finished first or second in the SWAC in 13 of 18 sports this season.

For the third straight year, the women's track program won the "Triple Crown," earning SWAC championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. It was the third straight league title in cross country, the sixth consecutive title in indoor track, and the fifth consecutive outdoor track championship.



For the second straight year, both the women's and men's golf programs won SWAC Championships this spring, earning NCAA Tournament appearances. The women's team earned its second straight SWAC title and third in four years, while the men's team won its third consecutive league title.

Alabama State volleyball won its first Eastern Division championship and first SWAC Championship in school history, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in setting a program record for wins.

The success of the athletics department occurred not only in competition but in the classroom as well. Nearly 200 Alabama State student-athletes had cumulative or semester 3.0 GPAs in the fall of 2013, with 40 student-athletes graduating in the past academic year.

The women's track triple crown, volleyball and golf titles highlighted the women's team accomplishments. The nationally-ranked ASU bowling team won the SWAC's regular season title and finished second overall, both firsts in the program's history. The women's soccer team won the conference Eastern Division title and finished second overall, again firsts in the history of the program.

The SWAC title in golf highlighted the men's team accomplishments. The men's cross country, indoor track, basketball, tennis, and baseball teams each finished with at least a share of second place this season. For the first time ever, men's basketball was selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. For the second straight year, the baseball program set a school record for wins, won the division title for the first time since 1994, and its second-place finish was the highest in school history.

The commissioner's cup is named the James Frank Award for the former long-time SWAC Commissioner and NCAA President. The women's award, the Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee Trophy, was named for two conference pioneers. Jacket was a long-time track coach at Prairie View and is in the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame. Magee is the winningest coach in Jackson State women's basketball history. The C.D. Henry Award, presented to the top men's program in the conference, is named for the former executive officer of the SWAC and the first African American to serve as assistant commissioner of any conference when he joined the Big 10 Conference in 1974.

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XU's Ciccone will represent Jamaica in Davis Cup play

Vincenzo Ciccone was 10-7 in singles and 4-1 in doubles during the
 2013-14 season, his first at Xavier.

NEW ORLEANS — Vincenzo Ciccone, a member of the Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis team, will represent Jamaica next week in a Davis Cup Group III tie.
    
Ciccone, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., was eligible for the Jamaican team because his mother is a native of the country. He qualified for the team by winning 2-of-3 singles matches in trials at Kingston, Jamaica, in April.
    
The six-day, nine-nation Group III competition will begin Monday at Palmas Athletic Club in Humacao, Puerto Rico. The top two countries will be promoted to Americas Zone Group II in 2015. The other competing countries are the Bahamas, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago.
    
Ciccone was a junior and in his first season at Xavier in 2013-14. He was 10-7 in singles and 4-1 in doubles to help the Gold Rush reach the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship and rank eighth in the NAIA postseason coaches poll. Ciccone, a graduate of Aspirations High School and ASA College, was the 2012 American Tennis Association men's singles champion.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Jackson State falls 3-1 to Mississippi State at Lafayette Regional

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – One day after recording its first ever NCAA postseason victory, the Jackson State baseball team was not able to keep the momentum going against Mississippi State (39-22) on day two of the NCAA Lafayette Regional. The Bulldogs used a two run sixth inning to pick up a 3-1 win over the Tigers at “Tigue” Moore Field.

With the loss JSU faces Louisiana Sunday at 1 p.m. in the second elimination game of the regional. Jackson state played a clean game, but MSU came through with timely hitting in the sixth to secure the win.

Desmond Russell (9-5) recorded his ninth complete game in the losing effort. In nine innings of work he allowed three runs on seven hits, while striking out seven batters. Prior to MSU rallying in the sixth, Russell retired 11 straight batters.

Mississippi State pitchers Ben Bracewell and Jonathan Holder held the Tigers to three hits. Holder (7-1) pitched 5.1 innings in relief to pick up the win for the Bulldogs.

 

“We needed to take advantage of some opportunities,” said JSU head coach Omar Johnson.

“Mississippi State pitched awesome, they pitched well. We knew that they were able to do that from some of the information we had on them. We had a couple opportunities to score runs and left them out there, but you have to give their guys some credit. That guy made some pitches when he needed to make pitches. They’re a good team and are coached well.”

Gary Thomas scored JSU’s only run in the fourth inning, tying the game at 1-1. Thomas singled to get on base and Bracewell walked the next three batters to score Thomas.

Thomas finished the game with a hit and a run for JSU. Tilur Smith recorded a hit (double) and a walk for JSU and Charles Tillery posted JSU’s third hit of the game.

JSU’s Post Game Quotes
Omar Johnson (HC)

On Desmond Russell’s complete game: “It gives us an opportunity to have a lot of guys available tomorrow. When you’re in an elimination game like we are tomorrow, you need as many arms as you can.”

 

On the team’s confidence after the UL victory: “Games are about matchups, so we’ll try to put the best guy out there to match up with them. We had confidence today. You have to take advantage of your opportuni­ties. We’re prepared for tomorrow.”

 

On offensive struggles: “We have to find a way to create some offense. We faced some outstanding pitch­ing: Holder, Robichaux. Those guys are really good pitchers. They proved that throughout the year. You have to take advantage of your opportunities. Not necessarily hitting more, it’s when you get your opportunities to get a situational hit and score runs, you have to do it. Just like the time their kid moved up on the ball in the dirt, it got him on third base with less than two outs; they hit a fly ball and scored a run. You have to take advantage of that. It’s the same thing when we didn’t turn that double play. Without those two situations it’s still a 1-1 game.”

JSU SP Desmond Russell Quotes

On the sixth inning: “I’ve got to give it to them. They played good. We played good. I just messed up on a few pitches. We have to capitalize a little bit more. Other than that I felt pretty great.”

On what his complete game does for the team: “We only used three pitchers so far. We have confidence in each and every pitcher in our bullpen. It was good that I threw a complete game to give them an opportunity to be fresh.”

JSU 1B Tilur Smith Quotes

On MSU relief pitcher Jonathan Holder’s performance: “His curveball was good. We really just wanted to hit the fastball...we missed a couple. He just had us off-balance.”

BOX SCORE

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Athletic committee starts FAMU fund-raising

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- A committee of FAMU alumni that president Elmira Mangum introduced almost two months ago to serve as a liaison between her office and athletic director Kellen Winslow Sr. has disclosed the initial phase of an ambitious plan to raise $3.2 million for upgrades to the school’s football facilities.

Gregory Clark, a former FAMU baseball player who heads up the President’s Alumni Advisory Committee, said the initial plan is to upgrade the field house and resurface the turf in Bragg Stadium by next spring. A more in-depth study will be done to determine how much and how long it will take to upgrade the rest of the stadium, he said.

The concentration is on football, Clark said, because it’s the primary revenue generator for athletics.

“We should commit to this sport to ensure that it bears the fruit that we are looking for,” he said.

“Hence, we want to start by addressing some of these football issues.”

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ASU Student-Athletes Continue To Shine In Classroom

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- More than 170 Alabama State University student-athletes earned at least 3.0 grade point averages during the 2014 spring semester.

Of the 171 student-athletes with 3.0 GPAs, 110 students made the Dean's List (3.0 GPA with at least 15 semester hours), with 34 earning 4.0 GPAs.  These stats are very similar to the Fall 2013 semester, when 172 student-athletes had at least a 3.0 GPA, 107 making the Dean's List, and 18 earning 4.0 GPAs.

All of Alabama State's athletics programs had student-athletes earn at least a 3.0 GPA. Football led the way with 37 players, followed by baseball (23), women's track (14), softball (13), women's basketball and soccer (12 each), men's track (11), volleyball (10), men's golf (nine), bowling (eight), women's tennis (seven), men's basketball (six), women's golf (five) and men's tennis (four).

The bowling team had the highest team GPA with a 3.646 mark, with all eight players earning a 3.0 or better, six of whom with at least a 3.5 with two players earning 4.0s. Women's tennis was second with a 3.517 team GPA (six 3.5+, three 4.0s), and men's golf third with a 3.474 team GPA (six 3.5+, four 4.0s).

Baseball (23): Jahmal Brooks, Patrick Coffin, Dillon Cooper, Christian Cumberlander, Wesley Dismuke, Logan Dyer, Waldyvan Estrada, Jose Figueroa, Joshua Magee, Hunter McIntosh, Kevin Olmeda, Jorge Pantoja, Jamari Randle, T.J. Renda, Armando Ruiz, Julian Shields, Derron Simmons, Taylor Singletary, Michael Tellado, Ryan Thompson, Julio Valdez, Chase Waters, Cameron White.

Men's Basketball (6): Nicholas Davis, Brandon Graham, Eugene Johnson, Darius Scott, Darrius Sizemore, Jamel Waters.

Football (37): Kevin Bass, Kourtney Berry, Ja'Quez Bowser, Robert Brown, Jahaad Coleman, Kenyan Davis, Johnny Garner, Meryles Gilbert, James Graves, Ronald Hall, Andre Hammon, Nehemiah Henry, Kelsey Hunter, Anthony Jacob, Trey Jenkins, Barry Johnson, Andre Kincey, Damian Love, Dreyvon Mitchell, Justin Mitchell, Edward Mosley, Kadeem Murray, Brandon Napier, Marcus Owens, Nathaniel Parker, Shawan Parks, Jaquinton Patterson, Therron Presley, Justin Robinson, Willie Roller, Robert Roquemore, Kara Stewart, Bradley Street, Clarence Sutton, Quinterris Toppings, Daerius Washington, Kerry Williams.

Men's Golf (9): Francis Berthiaume, Branson Ferrier, Robert Grant, Joseph Killebrew, Ian Mmbando, Daniel Park, Yann Pfeiffer, Corey Price, Jose Rodriguez.

Men's Tennis (4): Dylan Cleary, Digvijay Naruka, Jarred Thompson, Stefan Vojnic.

Men's Track (11): Devauntay Brown, Justin Davis, Donovan Dupin, Carlos Flores, Jalen Floyd, Ryan Hall, Byron Kearney, Harry Rhodes, Dequarius Smith, Stevie-Durrell Stephens, James Walker.

Women's Basketball (12): Taila Arrington, Jamesha Blake, Tabitha Bradshaw, Antoinette Brown, Daniele Ewert, Erica Henderson, Brittney Howard, Durriya Shields, Ashunte Smith, Brittney Smith, Kayla Tucker, Britney Wright.

Bowling (8): Andranice Collins, Rebecca Hresko, Jessica Ledbetter, L'Neisha Porter, Tanisha Pughsley, Kaila Ryan, Danielle Walker, Briana Wells.

Women's Golf (5): Brooklyn Kraakman, Janelle Kraakman, Dismary Marquez, Sylvia Masango, Shanon Spinuzzi.

Softball (13): Valerie Centeno, Chontanee Combs, Kendall Core, Stephanie Hernandez, Jasmine James, Rachel Mills, Bailey Patt, Jazzmin Romero, Kimberly Ross, Shantelle Smith, Raven Walker, Makayla Webster, Brittney Wilson.

Soccer (12): Samantha Bruno, Jordan Creel, Kayla Edwards, Kylee Hathaway, Stephanie Howard, Courtney Ledonne, Anastasia McCleary, Allysa Murphy, Iita Pienimaki, India Pleasant, Alayna Smith, Helma Von Zadow.

Women's Tennis (7): Matabe Akoachere, Irina Cvijovic, Brianna Fairley, Giovanna Lombardi, Nathalie Lorenco, Brankica Orlovic, Arantxia Wijngaarde.

Women's Track (14): Lori Davis, Tatiana Etienne, Latrice Lee, Artrailia Lesane, Mia Mike, Paige Rankine, Summer Simmons, Soyong Smith, Breanca Thompson, Jahneel Tyrell, Kimberly Wedderbunn, Kawandra Wiggins, Shakalia Williams, Shantia Wilson.

Volleyball (10): Brooke Beasley, Jamie Coleman, Dragana Cvoric, Latoya Ellington, Luiza Griz, Ellyn Jones, Shanquella Jones, Tiara Kelley, Erika Thompson, Scout Wonsang.

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B-CU football coach Brian Jenkins disqualified in MMA debut

DELAND, Florida — Bethune-Cookman football coach Brian Jenkins did not walk out of the Tommy Lawrence Arena with a win in his mixed martial arts debut Saturday, but he was able to leave with his head held high.

Jenkins, 43, wobbled Chris Green, 27, with a right, and dropped him with a left seconds into their fight and appeared well on his way to a win. But a pair of blows, deemed illegal by two ringside judges, while Green was grounded, led to Jenkins' disqualification in their fight at Breakthrough MMA 12.



While strikes on the ground are legal in professional MMA, they are illegal in amateur mixed martial bouts when fighters have less than three fights.

“I am proud of what I showed,” Jenkins said. “Whatever the judges decided, I'm not going to question. I committed myself to eight to 10 weeks of training. I wanted to prove to my players that everything I ask them to do as far as focus and attention to detail … that is what I put into preparing for this fight, and I went out and executed. And I wanted to prove to my son and daughter that if you set your mind on something you can do it.

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Bethune-Cookman holds off Columbia 6-5 in NCAA Regional

CORAL GABLES, Florida  -- Matt Noble was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and Bethune Cookman withstood a late Columbia rally to beat the Lions 6-5 on Saturday in an elimination game at the Coral Gables regional.

Noble hit his 13th double of the season in the seventh inning to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead. The Lions also committed two errors in the inning.

 

Keith Zuniga (8-4) scattered three hits over six innings while walking two.

 

Columbia's Kevin Roy (6-5) gave up a home run to John Johnson on the second pitch of the game.

 

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Forest Whitaker Is Producing A Scripted Drama On HBCU Hazing & I’m All For It

HOLLYWOOD, California --  Forest Whitaker is bringing a hush-hush issue that happens at historically Black colleges and universities to the big screen. According to reports, the famed filmmaker is teaming up with Django Unchained producer Reginald Hudlin to write and direct a new feature film that sheds light on extreme hazing on Black campuses. The drama, titled “Underground,” will center around a student enduring harsh hazing conditions while trying to pledge a fraternity at a HBCU campus. The project is bound to spark a good debate, and as a Black college alum and member of a Black Greek Letter Organization, I think this topic deserves the attention of a national stage now more than ever.



MUST READ: Ex-FAMU Band Member Sentenced To A Year In Jail For Role In Hazing Death

According to the StopHazing research campaign, the practice is defined as “any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them regardless of a person’s willingness to participate.” Although hazing is not exclusive to HBCUs, it’s became a custom of acceptable violence on Black campus as right of passage or way to gain respect in almost every kind of group, including fraternities and sororities, marching bands, athletic teams, academic clubs and resident advisors.

I say, it’s about damn time ...

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Former Wagner forward Mario Moody transfers to Bethune-Cookman

STATEN ISLAND, New York  -- Bethune-Cookman has reportedly adding a big man with one year of eligibility remaining for the 2015-2016 season.

Wagner junior forward Mario Moody, along with another teammate, received their releases from the program five weeks ago. According to a report from Cormac Gordon of SILive.com, Moody will play the last year of his collegiate career at Bethune-Cookman.



“At the end of the day, the decision became mutual,” Wagner head coach Bashir Mason told Gordon. “Mario is a great kid, and there aren’t any hard feelings. This is just something he wanted to do, and maybe he’ll benefit from sitting out a year in terms of gaining maturity and working on his game.”

The 6-foot-7 Moody averaged 8.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for the Seahawks, who finished second in the Northeast Conference before being upset in the conference tournament semifinals.

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Jackson State stuns No. 1 Louisiana-Lafayette to open NCAA Regional

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana  -- Jackson State grinded out a 1-0 win over No.1 ranked (USA Today/ESPN Poll) Louisiana to open the 2014 NCAA Baseball Tournament on Friday in the Lafayette Regional at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

JSU (32-23), winners of back-to-back SWAC championships, picked up its first win in NCAA postseason handing ULL (53-8) its first shut-out loss on the year. The Tigers become the third team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to earn a victory in the regionals since the 64-team expansion. The last team from the league to pull out a win in postseason play was Texas Southern in 2004 defeating top-seeded Rice, 4-3.



Vincent Anthonia (4-0) earned the win serving six innings with a pair of strikeouts and 51 strikes.

Alex Juday picked up his fourth save of the season. He closed out the final three innings with two strikeouts including one in the final frame against Blake Trahan who was 3-for-3 at the plate prior to striking out swinging. In the eighth he faced the gauntlet of ULL's lineup with runners on second and third. He worked out of the jam and struck out Kyle Clement to end the inning.

JSU posted the eventual game winning run after Melvin Rodriguez singled up the middle with two outs scoring Desmond Russell. Russell doubled down the left field line with one out to get on base and hand the Tigers their only run of the evening.

The Ragin Cajuns finished 0-7 with runners in scoring position as Austin Robichaux (7-3) picked up the loss throwing six strikeouts. He sat in the top of the ninth after allowing two to reach base. Relief pitcher Matt Plitt threw one strikeout as the inning ended on a double play line out to shortstop and second base.

JSU finished with four hits with Rodriguez going 2-for-4 at the plate while Russell and Charles Tillery posted one hit apiece. UL, carrying the nation's longest win streak at 10 games, collected eight hits but left 11 stranded on base.

JSU's win sets up an all Mississippi showdown with Mississippi State on Saturday. The first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament. The Bulldogs defeated San Diego State earlier in the day 5-2.

Box Score / Photo Gallery

Notes:
-The Tigers recorded a 1-0 victory for the first time since beating Texas Southern in the fifth game of the 1981 season.
-JSU recorded its first postseason win in program history.
-The win is the first 1-0 victory for the Tigers under head coach Omar Johnson.
-Vincent Anthonia picked up his fourth win of the season.

JSU Post-game Quotes:
Jackson State Head Coach Omar Johnson Opening Statement:
It was a tough game. That is an outstanding team. Both teams battled nine innings and the crowd got their money’s worth.

Vincent Anthonia on where the performance ranks among his pitching performances:
Not sure, but I can tell you it wasn’t easy. We knew coming in that they were a really good hitting team. As far as where it ranks, I’m not sure.

Vincent Anthonia on his approach dealing with an offense that didn’t appear to have any weaknesses:
I had to trust my changeup because that’s basically all I threw the whole game. I knew that I had to keep the ball down because if not they would have kept hitting home runs. I wouldn’t say that I faced a lot of pressure, because you can when the crowd is pumped up, I was fortunate to avoid it.

Vincent Anthonia on at what point you felt you could close out the victory:
We never really thought of that because that team can switch the momentum at any point. We knew every time we went out on the field we had to get three outs quickly.

Melvin Rodriguez on the importance of getting the run across because it would be a low-scoring game:
That situation was similar to the whole season. I was looking for fastball to drive in a run and the second pitch was a fastball down the middle and I was able to turn on it.

Vincent Anthonia on not being in awe of No. 1 ranked team:
I have to give credit to my team. Last night we had a meeting and we told each other to have fun. There was really nothing to lose so just come in and play the game that we love.

Melvin Rodriguez on what it means to produce first NCAA regional win in school history:
This is amazing, what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s something special. I respect the other team. My teammates, we battled and fought the whole year and when you do good things happen.

Omar Johnson on choosing Vincent Anthonia to start the contest:
His last start was against Alabama when they were eighth in the country and he basically shut them out through six innings. He’s pitched in the Little League World series, too, so being on TV and feeling pressure is not a big deal. That’s an outstanding team. We played them close last year (in Baton Rouge Regional) where they had an unbelievable inning and aside from that it was blow-for-blow through the first five or six innings. They’re an overly aggressive team which plays into the changeup so that’s all we did. It’s not rocket science…it was playing against what they try and do best. Being overly aggressive, they chase pitches out of the zone and off the end of the bat comes a lot of fly balls. We made some good decisions in the game and their kid battled hard allowing only one run.

Omar Johnson on what it means to be able to share this moment with his team:
We have a lot of seniors and they won a lot of games especially some of the guys who have been around for four years and redshirts who have five years. I felt that wouldn’t be rattled by this situation. There were nearly 15,000 last year at LSU so they’d seen the atmosphere before. You play against the ball and if you do everything you need to against the ball it doesn’t make a difference who’s on the other end.

Omar Johnson on Vincent Anthonia’s ability to contain the Ragin’ Cajuns:
As long as he made his pitches I knew we were going to keep guys off balance. He knew if he messed up what could possibly happen…those guys are dangerous. They drove two balls into the gap that we had to catch at the warning track. You have to respect your opponent, that’s half the battle. If you respect your opponent it keeps you from walking into a situation blind.

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Ninth-Inning Heartbreak for B-CU in 1-0 Walk-Off Miami Loss in Regional Opener

CORAL GABLES, Florida  --  A pair of ninth-inning miscues made all the difference in the Coral Gables NCAA Baseball Regional on Friday night, as the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (26-32) dropped a heartbreaker to host Miami (FL) (42-17) to open play at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Despite battling the Hurricanes to the brink through eight scoreless innings, the chess match ended on a 1-0 walk-off loss.

“No question, they’re disappointed and rightly so. I’m disappointed, but I’m definitely not disappointed in the way they played,” Head Coach Jason Beverlin at the postgame press conference. “That’s the way I want them to play, and I’m very proud of the way they went about their business and played the game. We just didn’t get a big hit when we needed it, but that’s baseball.”

From the onset, the pitcher’s duel was brewing, as Bethune-Cookman’s Montana Durapau matched up inning-for-inning with Miami’s Andrew Suarez, as the starters squared off for seven scoreless innings.

Making his 16th start of the season and fourth of his career versus the Hurricanes, Durapau carried the Wildcats with a three-hitter through seven frames, striking out five before yielding to classmate Scott Garner, who promptly delivered three consecutive swinging strikeouts in the eighth.

On the rubber for the Hurricanes, Suarez went a full nine innings for Miami, allowing the Wildcats to put a runner on third in each of the first three frames, but limiting B-CU to only seven hits, while striking out a season-high 10 batters in a nine-inning season-long outing.

In the bottom of the ninth, UM first baseman David Thompson reached base as a hit batter with one out. The junior reached second on shortstop Brandon Lopez’ single to right with two outs, and advanced to third despite freezing in the basepath, as right fielder Josh Johnson overplayed the ball.

Facing Johnny Ruiz, a Garner pitch slipped underneath catcher Zach Olszewski and the Wildcats’ shutout ended in a walk-off wild pitch as Thompson slid underneath the play at the plate and the Hurricanes rushed the field in the 1-0 B-CU loss.

After throwing one and two-thirds innings with three strikeouts, Garner (1-4) takes the loss for the Wildcats. Suarez (6-3) earned the win for the Hurricanes.

Throwing 109 pitches in the outing, Durapau struck out five. Unlikely to see additional action in this weekend’s Regional play, the senior ends the day with 103 strikeouts on the year in 117 1/3 innings, ranking him fourth among B-CU’s season strikeout leaders with the most innings pitched in a season, overcoming Francisco Rodriguez (110 2/3, 2007) in the first inning against UM. Durapau also ties Helpiz Moises (2002) for most wins in a season with an 11-1 record.

“I’ll put him up against anybody’s number one,” Beverlin said of his senior ace. “He’s pitched that way no matter where we go; we could go play Washington, Miami, or all the teams in our league, it doesn’t matter. He’s the same guy and he deals, that’s what he does. And that’s the bottom line, it doesn’t matter what conference, what team—he pitches the same way, and it’s good.”

At the plate, the Wildcats outhit the Hurricanes 7-4, led by Shortstop Shaun McCarty, who batted 2-for-3, while Johnson and Matt Noble each batted 2-for-4.

The Wildcats return to action on Saturday afternoon in a 2 p.m. matchup against the Columbia Lions in the elimination game. The Ivy League champion, Columbia (29-19), also dropped a heartbreaker on Friday, falling to Texas Tech, 3-2, on a ninth-inning walk-off double.

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

To join the conversation on social media, be sure to tag your B-CU-related posts with the official hashtag of B-CU Athletics, #HailWildcats.

BOX SCORE

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/31/4148315/miami-hurricanes-win-regional.html#storylink=cpy

Six More Commit to Ford, TSU Basketball

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  On Friday, Tennessee State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford announced the signing of six more players to add to his recruiting class. Keron Deshields, Zachary Lee, Christian Mekowulu, Marcus Roper, Rodney Simeon and Charles Tucker all signed letters of intent and will be on next year’s roster.

“We are excited to add these fine young men to our basketball program here at Tennessee State University. They all possess the abilities to perform at a high level both in the classroom and on the floor. They are the future of Big Blue basketball and we couldn’t be happier about that,” Ford said.

Keron Deshields is a guard originally from Baltimore Maryland, but played the last three seasons at the University of Montana. Deshields played a big role in the Grizzlies clawing to a 17-13 mark this past season, averaging 11.8 points per contest and leading the team with 36 steals. Deshields was Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference a year ago and was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams during his freshman and junior seasons. He will have to sit out 2014-15 due to transfer rules.

Ford went all the way to New Mexico to snag Zachary Lee, who suited up for Eldorado HS in Albuquerque last year. Rated as the fifth-best prospect in the state by Full Court Press, Lee proved he could defend almost anyone while playing small forward, tallying 4.2 blocks per game. The 6-foot-8 wing also averaged 11 points and eight rebounds in both of his varsity years for coach Roy Sanchez, earning him All-State honors as a senior. Lee also attended Elev8 Sports Institute.

Christian Mekowulu

Christian Mekowulu is a power forward from Nigeria, but played high school basketball in Marietta, Ga. for Covenant Christian Ministries Academy. At 6-foot-8, Mekowulu will provide size to TSU’s front court and his ability to crash the glass (11 rebounds per game) will fit Ford’s defense-first style. Mekowulu can also score, as he improved his average from 10 points to 12.8 per contest from his junior to senior seasons. He was the 14^th best forward and 36^th best overall player from Ga. according to maxpreps.com.

 

Marcus Roper will transfer into the Tennessee State program after playing two years at New Mexico Military Institute JUCO. Last season, he averaged 15.8 points per contest while leading the team in blocks per game (1.2). The wing also shot 39 percent from beyond the three-point line and had nine 20-plus point games. One of those games was a 33 point and 10 rebound effort against Frank Phillips College. Roper played a significant role in NMMI increasing its win total by eight games between his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

As senior at Boyd Anderson HS in Florida last season, Rodeny Simeon averaged 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while captaining a team that went 25-6 including a 7-1 district mark. Simeon also led his team to a Final Four appearance in the 7A State Playoffs and No. 15 ranking in Fla.

 

Charles Tucker is a point guard from Lansing, Mich. that was rated a two-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. He was selected to the 2011-12 USA Men's Developmental National Team comprised of the nation's top under-16 talents. As a junior at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md., Tucker was selected to maxpreps.com’s 2013 Honor Roll after leading his team to a 19-5 record. Tucker played last season at ABCD Prep, a postgraduate school in Urbandale, Iowa.

 

The six signed on Friday plus previously inked Darreon Reddick, Xavier Richards and Christian Crockett give TSU nine incoming players for next season.




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Five from Xavier are selected ITA NAIA All-America

Nour Abbes

Kourtney Howell

Brion Flowers

NEW ORLEANS -- Five from Xavier University of Louisiana, including a school-record four from the women's team, have been named Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA All-Americans for the 2013-14 season.

Freshman Nour Abbes, sophomores Simone-Alyse Ewell and Brion Flowers and senior Kourtney Howell are the Gold Nuggets' All-Americans. Selected from the men's team was sophomore Kyle Montrel.  All five qualified for All-America by being top 20 in singles or top 10 in doubles in the ITA's postseason individual rankings.

Flowers, Howell and Montrel are repeat All-America selections. Howell was honored for the third consecutive year.

For the second straight year, the Gold Nuggets set program records for highest postseason national rankings. Abbes is No. 2 in singles, and Howell and Flowers are No. 2 in doubles. The previous postseason highs were No. 6 in singles by Howell and No. 3 in doubles by Howell and Flowers.

Kyle Montrel

Simone-Alyse Ewell

Howell is 13th in singles, and Abbes and Ewell are ninth in doubles. Also ranked nationally in singles are Nikita Soifer of the Gold Rush (26th) and Flowers (35th). Montrel and Soifer are 14th in doubles.

Abbes is from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah. Ewell is from Detroit and a graduate of The Roeper School. Flowers is from Lafayette, La., and a graduate of St. Thomas More High School. Howell is from Cypress, Texas, and a graduate of Cypress Woods High School. Montrel is from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Soifer is a junior from Beer Sheva, Israel, and a graduate of Hof Sasharon.

Xavier's women were 17-7 in 2014, reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship for the second consecutive year and ranked third in the postseason coaches poll. The men were 13-12, reached the national quarterfinals for the third straight year and ranked eighth.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Black college football heads to the Bahamas: Central State takes on Texas Southern

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the first time, two Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) will play a football game in Nassau, Bahamas.  HBCUX, a recently launched digital media network, and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism are teaming up to produce the inaugural"Bahamas HBCUX Classic."

HBCUX is planning a weekend of events this fall in Nassau highlighted by a football game and battle of the bands competition between Central State and Texas Southern Universities, preceded by a star-studded tailgate concert. The game will be held in Nassau's refurbished 15,000-seat, multi-purpose Thomas Robinson Stadium on Saturday, September 13, 2014.



HBCUX Network founded by President & CEO Curtis Symonds and General Manager & COO Clint Evans showcases the talent, diversity and value of HBCUs that have been around for 177 years.  "Bringing an HBCU football game to the Caribbean will truly be a unique experience on many different levels," Symonds said.

"This is the culmination of a dream, and a combination of 'out-of-the-box' thinking, hard work, commitment and faith on our part as well as the Minister of Tourism Obediah Wilchcombe and his staff to advance tourism in the Bahamas.  The game allows two HBCU presidents to provide a cultural experience for their students in addition to promoting their universities to a wider audience.  Paramount to this experience is allowing the Caribbean and international communities to see first-hand the educational value HBCUs have to offer." Symonds added that HBCUX Network is committed to hosting the event for the next three years.

Representing The Bahamas, the Permanent Secretary for the Bahamas Ministry of Financial Services Harrison Thompson said, "The Bahamas HBCUX Classic not only supports our goal to bring more people to our beautiful islands, but Bahamians can experience American football at home, and gain insight into what two HBCUs have to offer should one decide to continue their education in the United States."  Both schools will have staff available to speak to potential students during the weekend.

Jahan Culbreath, athletic director, Central State University said "This is a wonderful opportunity for Central State to participate in the inaugural Bahamas HBCUX Football Classic.  It will allow Central State to showcase our university while broadening our reach within the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Participating and traveling to another country always adds to a quality collegiate experience for our students. We look forward to establishing new relationships with the wonderful Bahamian community."



President of Texas Southern University (TSU) Dr. John M. Rudley, stated, "For Texas Southern University, accepting an invitation to be a part of the first American football classic in Nassau, Bahamas highlights our willingness to take the lead in educational innovation, even as it relates to athletics. This is a tremendous opportunity for Texas Southern University to showcase academic and athletic programs to the citizens of the Bahamas. Texas Southern University must chart new directions so that we can take full advantage of opportunities to introduce Historically Black Colleges and Universities athletics to individuals in places like the Bahamas and abroad.

Athletics, like academic programs and student life, can be the vehicle that we use to introduce college to high school students everywhere.  One never knows the interest of the student, so why not expose them to everything we have to offer. We will do that by offering, not only an opportunity to see competitive football, but TSU will participate in a career and recruitment fair while in the Bahamas. 

Our Student Government Association leaders will also be on the trip.

We are especially excited and hopeful this first endeavor will create a lasting relationship between the government of the Bahamas, its citizens and Texas Southern University. We are an inclusive university and we welcome this opportunity to create long-lasting relationships and opportunities for our students."

HBCUX Network, the Ministry of Tourism and both universities participated in a joint news conference in Nassau, Bahamas to announce the event. Symonds hopes to attract thousands of existing students, alumni and football enthusiasts to the inaugural Football Classic. Tickets to the game start at $25.00. HBCUX Network will be offering packages starting around $375.00 for a two-night hotel stay at the Atlantis resort, transfers, game tickets and a one month subscription to the HBCUX Network.

HBCUX Network headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a 24/7, education, entertainment, lifestyle and sports programming network. The programming includes original series, student productions, music, movies and specials. HBCUX Network is an advertiser and subscription supported service, with a portion of the proceeds generated going to scholarship funds to attend HBCUs.

The Bahamas, located 50 miles off the east coast of Florida, is an ecological oasis featuring 700 islands over 100,000 square miles of ocean with the world's third largest barrier reef and the clearest water on the planet—with a visibility of over 200 feet. The Bahamas attracts almost six million international visitors each year.

About Texas Southern:Texas Southern University, in Houston Texas, was founded in 1927. With an enrollment of 9,700 undergraduate and graduate students, it is one of the nation's largest historically black universities. The TSU Tigers football team, a member of the NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference, is in a rebuilding mode with 16 new recruits for the 2014 season. "The Ocean of Soul" marching band promotes excellence and the school's legacy is that of preparing and developing accomplished professional men and women to take their rightful place in the global society.

About Central State:Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, is one of the nation's oldest historically black universities, with a 125-year legacy of academic and athletic achievements. With the return of football to Central State in 2005, the Mighty Marauders are reviving a legacy that produced several conference championships. Central State's marching band, the Invincible Marching Marauders, have twice performed at the national Honda Battle of the Bands and been featured in the 2006 film "Dave Chappelle's Block Party."

Tone deaf NCAA deals FAMU a low blow

The penalties FAMU was forced to accept say far more about the NCAA than they do about Florida A&M University

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- Florida A&M University's two prime-time sports programs suffered a low blow a couple of weeks back when the NCAA ruled that the Rattlers' football and men's basketball teams will be banned from post-season competition during 2014-2015.

Student-athletes on those teams did not satisfy the APR (Academic Progress Rate) standards the NCAA instituted 10 years ago.

Shame on the NCAA for being tone deaf in a surround-sound world.

The well-staffed NCAA should know better than to take a one-size-fits-all approach to evaluating the hundreds of universities it governs.

Simply put, FAMU does not have the resources required to play the APR game. Not to diminish the value of what happens in the classroom, but APR numbers are not an accurate reflection of a school's student-athletes' academic performance.

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Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins ready for MMA fight

The 5-foot-9 Jenkins could potentially have his face rearranged by the 6-foot Green.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- When Brian Jenkins and Chris Green meet in the middle of the cage Saturday night at Breakthrough MMA 12, they will be coming from very different backgrounds.

Jenkins, 43, is the head football coach of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

 

Green, 27, is a cook at Joe's Crab Shack.

 

Perhaps as close as they will ever come to sharing common ground will be in the moments following the signal to start the fight because, for however long it takes to sort itself out, the cook and the coach are going to try to beat one another into submission.

 

“People are in disbelief that (Jenkins) is actually going to go in there and do this,” Breakthrough MMA Promoter Jason Arnett said. “But this is for real. This is the same Jenkins that led his team to a (MEAC) championship. People are just in awe.”

 

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Green hopes to shock B-CU coach Brian Jenkins in MMA bout

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Chris Green knows the chips will be stacked against him when he steps into the cage to face Bethune-Cookman football coach Brian Jenkins in their mixed martial arts bout Saturday at Breakthrough MMA 12.

Jenkins is a rare athlete, good enough to earn a scholarship to play at Cincinnati, where he set a few records. He even had some pro football looks after college.

 

Green went to Mainland, took a few classes at Daytona State and is currently a cook at Joe's Crab Shack.

 

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UNCG and N.C. A&T will play home-and-home in 2015-16 and 2016-17

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  --  UNCG and N.C. A&T's men's basketball programs reached a verbal agreement to play a home-and-home in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.

The two schools are working on the contract and couldn't work out scheduling to play next season. The Spartans will travel to N.C. A&T's Corbett sports Center in the 2015-16 season, and the Aggies will play UNCG in the Coliseum in 2016-17.
“We ought to be playing that game every year," Record said. "I can’t speak for A&T, because obviously the Coliseum is our home court, but the opportunity to have a maximum of 21,000 people see our two community teams play to me is a bigger impact than playing in a smaller venue on each other's campus. But again, they value playing at home and I respect that. We’re looking forward to playing there.”

UNCG and N.C. A&T didn't play this season for the first time since the 2009-10 season.  The two teams didn't play from the 2002-03 season until the 2010-11 season.

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Elizabeth City State University Chancellor Becton declares ECSU a “Beacon of Hope”

CHARLES L. BECTON
Interim Chancellor
B.A. Howard University
J.D., Duke University School of Law
L.L.M, University of Virginia School of Law

 

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina  -- The North Carolina Senate is considering a budget provision that would dissolve constituent institutions with large declines in student enrollment. That decision could impact Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). This provision has not passed the NC House nor the NC Senate. It has not been signed into law.

“In my view, ECSU is, and will remain, a vital part of the University of North Carolina system. It has always been the premier four-year educational, economic, and cultural entity in northeastern North Carolina,” said Chancellor Charles Becton.

ECSU is a force for growth in northeastern North Carolina, bringing education, jobs, grants, and cultural events to a part of the state that has been historically underdeveloped. ECSU is the third-largest employer in the region, and its total economic impact on the Elizabeth City community is 118 million in output sales, 83 million in value added (gross regional product), and 59 million in labor income. The university provides 64.06% of the elementary and 38.46% of the secondary teachers for our geographic area. Over 60% of our students come from the 21 counties in northeastern North Carolina, and most of them, upon graduation, remain in the area filling much-needed jobs.

We have seen a decline in our enrollment during the past four years, but we are working hard to reverse that trend. Even at our current size, we are larger than hundreds of universities in this country and several in this state. Efforts are currently underway to right size the university and to develop signature areas to attract more students.

During the school year, even with a $4+ million budget deficit and an enrollment decline this academic school year we had our largest fall and spring graduation classes.

“During this year, when naysayers question our worth, we have been recognized nationally for our educational and other offerings,” Becton said.

For the second year in a row, ECSU was ranked #1 among baccalaureate colleges in one of Washington Monthly’s College rankings. We were ranked number one in the Top Public School Regional Colleges (South) category by U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition and #18 among the nation’s 100+ Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 2014, ECSU was ranked seventh best out of the Top 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) where college freshman return after their first year. (U.S. News and World Report 2014); ECSU ranked #3 among the top 10 greenest historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the public institution category. (Building Green Initiative, 2014). ECSU has the lowest tuition among UNC system schools, and we represent one of the best values in education. ECSU will continue to be a beacon of hope for those wanting access to education and an enhanced opportunity for a better future.

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS