FAMU Baseball Gets Walk-Off Home Run from Peter Jackson to Sweep Doubleheader Over B-CU

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  – Florida A&M (10-5, 2-0 MEAC) used a monster offensive performance in game one and a, two-run, walk-off home run by Peter Jackson in game two to defeat Bethune-Cookman (5-9, 0-2 MEAC) by a scores of 15-3 and 2-1 at Moore-Kittles Field on Saturday. The win was the seventh straight for FAMU. In game one, seven different Rattlers had multi-hit performances as the Rattlers scored in every inning. Game two had a phenomenal pitching performance from Ricky Page as he worked a career high eight scoreless innings, while tying a career high with five strikeouts.

The 18 hits allowed by B-CU in game one were the most this season by the Wildcats. It also marked the first time in program history that the Wildcats fell due to the mercy rule. Before today’s walk-off home run, Jackson had just hit his first career home run against Toledo on Tuesday. It was the first walk-off home run for Florida A&M since Alec Wong’s walk-off home run against North Carolina A&T on March 28 of last season.

Rattler game one starter Danny Rodriguez (2-0) earned the win after he pitched a season long six innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Page was the game two starting pitcher for FAMU and despite the strong outing he was credited with a no decision. Hunter Fillingim (1-0) picked up the win in relief after recording the final out in the top of the ninth inning of game two.

The Wildcats scored first in game one with a single run in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Demetrius Sims and Jameel Edney led off with back-to-back walks and Michael Cruz beat out the back end of a double play ball, as Edney was out at second base. With runners on the corners and one out, Danny Rodriguez then dropped an RBI single into right field to plate Sims from third. FAMU’s Danny Rodriguez then struck out the final two batters in the inning with the bases loaded to keep the damage at one run.

FAMU answered with two runs on five hits in the home half of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. Marlon Gibbs led off with a ground rule double that bounced over the wall in left center field. With one out, Brian Davis reached on an infield single before Dylan Dillard roped an RBI double down the left line as Davis went to third. Davis then scored the second run of the inning as Ben Ellzey reached on a fielder’s choice, but Dillard was out at third base on the play.

B-CU tied the game at 2-2 with another run in the second inning. Trent Nash led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Josten Heron. Nash would later come around to score on a two out RBI single to center from Edney.

The Rattlers jumped out for good by a score of 6-2 with four runs on five straight hits with one out in the second inning. With one out, Jackson, Gibbs and Wong each recorded singles to load the bases. Davis then ripped a two-run single into right field to plate both Jackson and Gibbs, while Wong moved to third. Dillard then scored Wong from third with an RBI double just over the head of the third baseman as Davis went to third. A sac fly to center from Ellzey brought home Davis for the fourth run of the inning.

Florida A&M scored four runs again in the third inning to push the lead to 10-2. Cameron Johnson and AJ Elkins led off with back-to-back singles and Johnson was called out on interference going to third as he ran into the third baseman. Elkins would later score as Gibbs beat out a double play ball. The throw to first on the attempted double play turn went past the first baseman, which allowed Elkins to come home. With runners now on the corners and two outs, Davis blasted his third home run of the season, an opposite field, three-run, home run, over the left field fence.

In the fourth inning, FAMU extended its’ lead to 11-2 on an RBI single from Elkins.

The Rattlers scored for the fifth straight inning as Dillard smoked his third home run of the season, a deep two-run shot to left field, to make the score 13-2 in the fifth inning.

Florida A&M scored its’ final run on their 18^th hit of the game to increase the lead to 15-2. Jacky Miles, Jr. was hit-by-pitch and Johnson walked on five pitches to put runners on first and second. After a great sliding catch by the right fielder, Jake Hellweg, Miles, Jr. scored on an errant throw into second as Jackson reached on a fielder’s choice. Wong then ripped an RBI double down the right line to score Johnson.

B-CU scored their final run of game one, an unearned run, in the seventh inning for the final score of 15-3.

Wildcat game one starter German Hernandez (2-1) suffered the loss after he gave up seven runs on 12 hits in two innings of work with one strikeout. Hernandez had only allowed four runs (two earned) on the season coming in to today. Nate Sterijevski (0-1) took the loss in game two after Jackson proved to be the go ahead run on the home run.

In game two, neither team was able to get a runner past second base until the fifth inning when the Rattlers worked the bases loaded. Elkins led off with a single to right and Willis McDaniel followed with a bunt single just past the pitcher. Elkins was picked off at second and Jackson fouled out to third base for the first two outs. McDaniel stole second and took third on a passed ball before Gibbs walked and Wong was hit-by-pitch to load the bases with two outs. Bethune would then make a pitching change as Joseph Calamita came in for relief and was able to get Davis to go down swinging and strand the bases loaded.

The Rattlers had another chance in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second and one out, but a double play ended the scoring threat. Jackson was hit-by-pitch to start the home half of the seventh inning and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Gibbs. Wong was intentionally walked trying to set up a double play scenario and it worked just as Bethune-Cookman wanted as Davis hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

B-CU took their first lead at 1-0 in the top of the ninth inning. Heron walked and was out at second as Sims reached on a fielder’s choice. Edney was also walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Cruz then recorded an RBI single to into center field to plate Sims from second for the games’ first run.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Elkins led off with a single through the right side and moved to second on a sac bunt from McDaniel. In the next at bat, Jackson fell behind in the count at 1-2, but the next pitch was a hanging breaking ball that he sent over the wall in left center for the walk-off win. The home run was the second of the week and career for Jackson.

Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman close out the three-game series on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @BaseballFAMU and on Facebook.

Game 1 Box Score                                                                 

Game 2 Box Score

 

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU to play LC State in 6th straight trip to nationals

NEW ORLEANS — For the sixth consecutive season, Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball is headed to the national tournament.
    
The Gold Rush (21-12) received an at-large bid Wednesday to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. Xavier will play Lewis-Clark State (28-4) at 8 p.m. March 17 — the second day of first-round games — at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
    
Xavier, Georgetown (Ky.) (25), LSU-Shreveport (12) and Columbia (Mo.) (6) have the longest active streaks of consecutive appearances at nationals.
    
Xavier is one of four teams seeded eighth. Lewis-Clark State is a No. 1 seed.
    
The meeting of Xavier and Lewis-Clark State will be their first. The Warriors, from Lewiston, Idaho, won Frontier Conference regular-season and tournament championships.
    
Xavier maintained its No. 29 ranking in this week's coaches poll after a 94-92 double-overtime victory against Tougaloo — the Rush trailed by 17 points in both halves — and a 75-67 victory against two-time defending champion and then-fourth ranked Talladega at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
    
Lewis-Clark State is ranked fourth.
    
The GCAC has three teams at nationals for the third consecutive year and the 10th time in 15 seasons. Talladega, which dropped to No. 6 nationally, is in the tournament for the third consecutive year. Dillard qualified for the first time since 2003, but the Bleu Devils fell out of the top 25 despite an 84-71 victory Sunday at Xavier in the GCAC Tournament final.
    
Second-round games will be played March 18, followed by quarterfinals March 19, semifinals March 21 and the championship game March 22. The Xavier-LC winner will play Freed-Hardeman or Our Lady of the Lake at 9:45 p.m. March 18.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 8)   Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Georgetown (Ky.) (8) 28-3 219 2 2 LSU-Alexandria (1) 28-3 211 1 3 Biola 29-3 206 3 4 Lewis-Clark State 28-4 196 6 5 Pikeville 25-5 188 5 6 Talladega 23-5 180 4 7 Columbia (Mo.) 28-5 176 9 8 Hope International 26-5 175 7 9 William Penn 27-6 162 10 10 Texas Wesleyan 24-7 154 8 11 Langston 25-6 151 13 12 MidAmerica Nazarene 25-8 141 tie-11 13 Freed-Hardeman 25-7 138 tie-11 14 Mid-America Christian 23-9 125 14 15 Peru State 22-10 113 16 16 Arizona Christian 22-8 108 15 17 William Carey 20-11 103 17 18 Our Lady of the Lake 20-8 99 18 19 Carroll (Mont.) 21-9 95 20 20 Park 20-9 92 19 21 Cumberlands 22-11 78 21 22 Montana Western 19-12 56 23 23 Campbellsville 22-10 54 RV 24 Oklahoma City 15-10 52 22 25 Westmont 21-10 45 RV        Dropped from rankings:  No. 24 William Jessup, No. 25 Dillard        Others receiving votes:  Dillard 43, LSU-Shreveport 35, William Jessup 31, Xavier 26, Southwestern Assemblies of God 22, Dalton State 13, William Woods 3, Avila 3 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

XU Nuggets to play Campbellsville in national 1st round

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will lead off the 2016 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship in a rematch with Campbellsville.
    
The Gold Nuggets (22-11) will play the Tigers (25-7) at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16 to lead off the 32-team event. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Mo., is the tournament site for the second straight year. The NAIA announced Wednesday the tournament field and pairings.
    
Xavier and Campbellsville will meet for the third consecutive season. The Lady Tigers defeated Xavier 59-55 in the 2014 second round of nationals at Frankfort, Ky., and 74-62 in the Bethel Chamber of Commerce Shootout at McKenzie, Tenn., to open the 2014-15 season.
    
Xavier is one of four teams seeded seventh. Campbellsville is a No. 2 seed.
    
Xavier climbed to 25th in the coaches poll returned to the top 25 for the first time in five weeks. Campbellsville is ranked eighth and was preseason No. 1.
    
The Gold Nuggets earned an automatic bid to nationals by defeating Talladega 75-68 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship game Sunday. This is the 19th time in the last 22 seasons that the Gold Nuggets qualified for nationals. They did not qualify a year ago.
    
Talladega remained at 15th in the coaches poll and will play Lindsey Wilson in the opening round at 4:30 p.m. March 17
    
Second-round games will be played March 18, followed by quarterfinals March 19, semifinals March 21 and the championship game March 22. The Xavier-Campbellsville winner will play The Master's or Loyola at 9 a.m. March 18.

PDF Bracket
 

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 8) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Our Lady of the Lake (9) 29-2 219 1 2 Westmont 28-3 212 2 3 Lyon 29-3 205 4 4 Bethel (Tenn.) 26-6 194 3 5 Shawnee State 28-5 190 8 6 Vanguard 24-6 180 tie-6 7 The Master's 24-5 173 5 8 Campbellsville 25-7 170 tie-6 9 MidAmerica Nazarene 27-5 168 9 10 Freed-Hardeman 26-7 157 10 11 Wayland Baptist 25-4 153 12 12 Columbia (Mo.) 27-5 140 11 13 Lewis-Clark State 25-6 139 14 14 Central Methodist 26-4 131 13 15 Talladega 23-5 119 15 16 Montana State-Northern 23-8 112 16 17 Oklahoma City 20-8 104 17 18 Lindsey Wilson 26-6 99 18 19 Benedictine (Kan.) 26-6 94 19 20 Great Falls 22-10 88 21 21 Carroll (Mont.) 22-8 82 20 22 Baker 24-8 67 24 23 Pikeville 23-8 63 22 24 Loyola 23-7 62 25 25 Xavier 22-11 50 RV      Dropped from rankings:  No. 23 Langston      Others receiving votes:  Martin Methodist 43, Langston 32, Auburn Montgomery 22, Cumberland 20, LSU-Shreveport 18, Huston-Tillotson 11, Harris-Stowe 4 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

Former Peninsula District, Hampton University track star Yvette Lewis to compete for Panama in the Olympics

HAMPTON, Virginia – Yvette Lewis turns 31 on Wednesday and says she's ready to retire. That makes sense when you consider her profe
ssion is track and field, and that she's sprinted, jumped and hurdled since her early teens like few other women in state history.

"I'm tired," she said. "It's time to let my body rest and do what I'm going to do for a career."

Before she does, she'll compete for one more summer, finishing with a flourish in the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Lewis, a former star at Denbigh and Menchville high schools and Hampton University, will compete in the 100-meter hurdles for Panama.

Lewis, who missed twice by a whisker of competing for the United States in World Championships, hurdled for Panama in the worlds held in Beijing, China this past summer. She was eligible then and now to race for Panama because her mother, Lorna, is Panamanian and because ...

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Back-To-Back: Hampton Pirates Win MEAC Tournament Title

 

NORFOLK, Virginia -- In winning the MEAC Tournament title last season, the Pirates surprised quite a few people.

No such surprise this season, but the result was much the same. Hampton, the top seed and regular season champion, won its second straight MEAC Tournament crown Saturday afternoon with an 81-69 win over South Carolina State at Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Pirates also locked up the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

It was Hampton's sixth MEAC Tournament crown overall and third under head coach Edward Joyner, Jr. This also marked the first time the Pirates won back-to-back tournament titles since 2001-02.

"It's rare that I'm kind of lost for words," Joyner said, "but to do what they did, to put the university and the alumni in this situation… hats off to the guys."

Brian Darden led four Pirates in double figures with 22 points, hitting four 3-pointers for the second straight game and going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Reginald Johnson, Jr. – who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player – added 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

Jervon Pressley came off the bench to score 14 points (going 6-for-6 from the free throw line) and grab a team-high nine boards, and Quinton Chievous – who was named to the All-Tournament Team – had 13 points and seven rebounds.

"(Pressley) just took over in the end," Chievous said. "He was the key to the game. He was a straight monster today."

The Pirates (21-10) shot just over 46 percent from the floor – including a 50 percent clip in the first half – and made nearly 82 percent of its free throws (27-33). Hampton also led on the glass (39-28) and second-chance points (10-7).

Though Hampton jumped out to an early lead, S.C. State – likely riding a wave of momentum following its semifinal win over Norfolk State on Friday – used an 11-2 run to take a 26-19 lead at the 8:47 mark after Eric Eaves drained a jumper.

Hampton then scored 15 of the next 22 points, taking a 34-33 lead after a pair of Lawrence Cooks free throws with 1:48 left in the half. But a 6-2 Bulldogs spurt gave them a 39-36 lead after a Luka Radovic layup with 14 seconds left.

Darden hit a three with 10 seconds left to send the game into a 39-39 halftime deadlock.

Johnson had 11 points at the break, while Darden had 10.

"One thing that helped us today, and really this season, is that we won it last year," Johnson said. "We got that taste in our mouths and we didn't want any other taste, so we couldn't imagine leaving here not the champion."

The Bulldogs led by as many as nine on two separate occasions early in the second half, before Hampton went on a 13-2 run – taking a 57-55 lead on a Johnson jumper with 9:40 to play. Over that span, the game featured five ties and three lead changes.

In fact, Darryl Palmer tied the game at 65-65 with an alley-oop dunk with 5:25 remaining. But Dionte Adams hit two free throws 31 seconds later to give Hampton back the lead, 67-65, before Tashombe Riley hit a jumper with 4:06 left to tie the game at 67-67.

But the Bulldogs only managed one field goal after that, and the Pirates ended the game on a 14-2 run. Chievous broke the deadlock with a layup, and the Pirates hit each of their last six free throws to ice the game and the championship.

S.C. State shot just over 45 percent from the floor for the game, but only hit four of its 21 3-pointers and nine of its 14 free throws.

Eaves scored a game-high 25 points to lead the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (19-14).

The Pirates will learn their NCAA Tournament destination on Sunday, when the bracket is unveiled live on CBS at 6 p.m. EST. A viewing party is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the student center ballroom; it will be free and open to the public.

"Man, don't ask me (about seeding)," Joyner said. "Wherever they send us, we'll go. If you've got someone I can call, outside of Jesus, I'll call them."

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

 

BOX SCORE

 

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Alabama State edges Southern women for SWAC title and NCAA berth; Jaguars will play in WNIT

HOUSTON, Texas — The Alabama State and Southern women were about as even as two teams could be.

The Lady Hornets beat the Jaguars by one point in overtime in January, and the Jaguars won by two points in the rematch in February.

They both finished 14-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season, ASU getting the No. 1 seed and Southern the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament.

When the teams met again in the SWAC tournament championship game Saturday afternoon in the Toyota Center, it was more of the same.

In the end, it was ASU holding off Southern 55-51 to win the conference title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. The Jaguars (19-11) will play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, their first postseason berth since 2011.

 

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FAMU Trustees Approve Athletics Five-Year Financial Plan

Bragg Memorial Stadium
Florida A&M University Campus

 

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- FAMU Athletics Director Milton Overton submitted the department's Five-Year Financial Plan. He outlined to the Board of Trustees how he plans to get the athletics department out of the deficit of $7,624,114.

Overton told trustees during the board meeting Thursday that he's trying to build a championship football team.

To do that, he says they have to start with the foundation, and the repairs of what he called the financial pillar.

Overton said, "No matter who comes in, no matter who the coach is, you have to make sure that those coaches and those student athletes have what they need to be successful. That's just a fact."

Overton says revenues are projected to increase by nearly 44 percent.

Key components of that increase include an increase in Football Game Guarantees, from $685,000 in the current year to $2.6 million in 2020-2021; increase in licensing revenues from $100,000 to $500,000; an increase in Athletics donations from $500,000 to $1 million; and growth in advertising revenue over six years from $200,000 to $1.2 million.

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XU's weekend tennis, track canceled due to weather

NEW ORLEANS — Heavy rain and the threat of more has prompted Xavier University of Louisiana to cancel Saturday competition in men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field.

In tennis, XU was to compete in Jackson, Miss., against Tougaloo and Jackson State. Those dual matches will not be rescheduled.

 

In track and field, Xavier will not travel to Lake Charles, La., for the McNeese Cowboy Relays. Coach Joseph Moses said he replaced that meet with an April 1 trip to Clinton, Miss., for the Mississippi College Twilight Invitational.

 

Next for XU tennis will be a trip to south Florida for duals against St. Thomas, Keiser and ASA Miami March 22-24. Track and field will compete March 18-19 in the Rhodes Invitational at Memphis, Tennessee.

 

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

Briana Green takes over as Southern beats Texas Southern to reach SWAC title game

HOUSTON, Texas — The Southern women were clinging to a two-point lead early in the fourth quarter of a game in which field goals were occurring with less and less frequency.

Then Briana Green made a patented drive to the basket and Britney Washington swished a trademark 3-pointer.

Suddenly, the Jaguars had a seven-point lead, and Green added eight more points down the stretch as second-seeded Southern held off third-seeded Texas Southern 62-54 in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament Friday afternoon in the Toyota Center.



Southern (19-10, 16-4 SWAC) will play the winner of Friday night’s semifinal between No. 1 Alabama State and No. 4 Grambling in the championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday. The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Tigers, losing to the Jaguars for the second time in nine days, finished 19-11, 15-5.

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Early surge lifts Southern men into SWAC final

HOUSTON. Texas — March Madness is officially under way at the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.

Fourth-seeded Southern roared to a 24-point first-half lead, watched top-seeded Texas Southern storm back to grab the lead early in the second half, then regrouped for an 81-73 victory in the semifinals Friday night in the Toyota Center.

The Jaguars, 21-12 and 13-7 in the SWAC, will meet third-seeded Jackson State, which defeated No. 7 Mississippi Valley State 74-68, in the championship game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU, WXOK-AM, 1460). The winner will advance to the NCAA tournament.

Last season, Southern advanced to the title game, where it lost to Texas Southern, but that team was ineligible for the NCAA tournament.

“It’s not over yet,” senior guard Christopher Hyder said. “Last year, we got to the final and we lost. We’ve got to continue to do what we did today and play as hard as we can again tomorrow.”



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A&T women battle their way into MEAC title game

NORFOLK, Virginia — Failure in the semifinal round of the MEAC basketball tournament has hung over the N.C. A&T women like an albatross. Three consecutive seasons have ended in futility and frustration.

Scratch one albatross.

The Aggies got 25 points from Aprill McRae and 20 from Dana Brown in a 63-54 win Friday that sent them into today’s final against Coppin State. The Eagles beat South Carolina State 81-62 in Friday’s other semifinal for their ninth straight win.

A&T beat Hampton for the first time in their last seven meetings by making free throws when it counted, pulling away from a 52-50 edge with 2:23 to play by hitting 11 of their last 12.

The Aggies struggled at the start, closed to within 27-26 at halftime, then faltered again in a third quarter in which they were 1-of-9 from the field.

“I thought Hampton was the better team for three quarters,” A&T coach Tarrell Robinson said. “I thought we found a way in the fourth.”

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Xavier qualifies both basketball teams for national tournaments

NEW ORLEANS -- For the fifth time in six years, both basketball teams at Xavier University of Louisiana qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championships.

The Gold Nuggets, who earned an automatic bid by winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, will play Campbellsville at 8:30 a.m. March 16 in the first game of the women's tournament at Independence, Mo. The Gold Rush received an at-large bid to the men's tourney and will play Lewis-Clark State at 8 p.m. March 17 at Kansas City, Mo.
The NAIA announced both 32-team brackets Wednesday.

Xavier's women qualified for the 19th time in the last 22 seasons. The XU men qualified for the sixth consecutive year and the 10th time in the last 13 seasons.

The Gold Nuggets (22-11) climbed to 25th in this week's coaches poll, and the Gold Rush (21-12) were 29th in the men's rankings.

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

Virginia State faces Fairmont State in Atlantic Region Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS. Indiana  --  The Virginia State University Trojans men's basketball team were the sleeping giants of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Entering the season ranked fourth in the CIAA pre-season poll, the Trojans put together an impressive season, finding themselves as the Northern Division and CIAA Tournament Champions.

The No. 6 seed Trojans (23-5) will take on the No. 3 seed Falcons (25-4) of Fairmont State a member of the Mountain East Conference on Saturday, March 12.  The NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament host will be the No. 1 seed, the Cardinals of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The Trojans topped Livingstone College, 89-79, in the CIAA Championship game and earned the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region tournament. Twenty-four NCAA Division II conferences automatically qualify their champions a place on the post season bracket.  The Atlantic Region is made up of three conferences, the CIAA, Penns
ylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and the Mountain East Conference (MEC).

The Trojans have reached the NCAA Tournament (Big Dance) 3-times in modern era (1982, 1988, 2016). Reaching the tournament is a triumph for the Virginia State University Trojans. Since arriving at Virginia State in 2013, third-year head coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. along with his staff have built a profound program for the history books.

For more information on VSU Trojans men's basketball, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @vsusports, or call 804-524-6831.

COURTESY VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Fellan Ferguson Named Atlantic Region Indoor Track Women's Track Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – Johnson C. Smith University indoor track athlete Fellan Ferguson was named Atlantic Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) it was announced on Tuesday morning.

Hailing from Trelawny, Jamaica, Ferguson set five new school records during the indoor season in the 800m, the mile run, 3000m, the 4x400 relay and the distance medley relay.

Entering the NCAA Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas on March 11-12, Ferguson is the top seed in the country in the 800m with a 2:07.46 and is the anchor of the JCSU 4x400 relay team that is also the top seed.

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Virginia Union Lady Panthers to Host NCAA Basketball Regional

RICHMOND, Virginia -- History was made on Sunday, March 6, when the NCAA announced that the Virginia Union University women's basketball team would host the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Panthers, as the top seed in the Atlantic Region of the NCAA, will host the first three rounds on March 11, 12 and 14, in the Arthur Ashe Center in Richmond, Va.

VUU will face eighth-seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Frriday, March 11, in the Ashe Center.

NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament Central



#2 seeded California (Pa.) will face #7 seed Chowan University while #3 seed West Liberty will face #7 Shaw University.

Fourth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit will face #5 West Chester.

All the first-round games will be played on March 11 in the Ashe Center.

Twenty-four conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 40 teams were selected at large by the committee.

Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 11, 12 and 14 at regional sites. The South Central regional will be conducted March 10, 11 and 13. The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2016 NCAA Division II Women's Elite Eight at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The finals will be part of a larger 35th anniversary NCAA women's basketball championship celebration taking place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis the first week in April. Championship week will culminate with five championship basketball games and three national titles decided within a 48-hour period at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. It will be the first time in the history of NCAA women's basketball that all three divisional championships will be decided in the same city and venue. The Division I national semifinals will be played Sunday, April 3 at 6 and 8:30 p.m. EST. The Division II and III national championship games will be played on Monday, April 4 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, while the Division I national championship game will be played on Tuesday, April 5 at 8:30 p.m.

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JCSU Announces 2016 Football Schedule

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Johnson C. Smith football team will host four home games, one against the defending CIAA Champions, and will play an away game against an NCAA Division I FCS opponent, as the university announces its 2016 football schedule.

The Golden Bulls, coming off a 4-6 season in 2015 under first year head coach Kermit Blount, will open with three straight road games in 2016, travelling to local rival Wingate on Sept. 3.

Following a nonconference game at Bowie State on Sept. 10, the Golden Bulls will travel to Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. to take on Division I FCS member Wofford College. The Terriers finished the 2015 season at 5-6 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference play.

Following the tilt with the Terriers, JCSU will open their home schedule by hosting CIAA Northern Division foe Elizabeth City State on Sept. 24.  After an Oct. 1 game at Chowan, the defending CIAA champion Winston-Salem State Rams will pay a visit to JCSU on Oct. 8.  After tangling with the Rams, two consecutive road games at Fayetteville State (Oct. 15) and at Shaw (Oct. 22) await the Golden Bulls.

The season will close with two consecutive home games, as St. Augustine's visits for the annual Homecoming game on Oct. 29.  The regular season will come to a close on Nov. 5 when archrival Livingstone travels to the Irwin Belk Complex for the Eighth Annual Commemorative Classic.

The winners of the CIAA Northern and Southern Divisions will then meet on Nov. 12 in the CIAA Championship game with a time and location to be determined by the league office.

Kickoff times that are not listed below, as well as ticket information and a promotional schedule will be announced at a later date.

2016 JCSU Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time	Series	Last Meeting
Sept. 3	at Wingate	1:30 p.m.	Wingate leads 3-0	2015, Wingate, 14-0
Sept. 10	at Bowie St.	4:00 p.m.	Tied 11-11	2015, BSU, 34-21
Sept. 17	at Wofford	TBD	Wofford leads 1-0	2004, Wofford,  56-0
Sept. 24	Elizabeth City St.*	TBD	JCSU leads 10-7	2010, ECSU, 45-27
Oct. 1	at Chowan*	6:00 p.m.	Tied 1-1	2009, Chowan, 33-22
Oct. 8	Winston-Salem St.*	TBD	WSSU leads 42-23-1	2015, WSSU, 37-22
Oct. 15	at Fayetteville St.*	1:00 p.m.	JCSU leads 35-24-3	2015, JCSU, 37-20
Oct. 22	at Shaw*	1:00 p.m.	Shaw leads 21-13-2	2015, JCSU, 17-10
Oct. 29	St. Augustine's* (Homecoming)	1:00 p.m.	JCSU leads 18-16-1	2015, JCSU, 22-3
Nov. 5	Livingstone* (Commemorative Classic)	TBD	JCSU leads 41-22-2	2015, Livingstone, 35-12

Home games in bold 

* denotes CIAA games

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

House approves beer-at-Bragg Stadium bill

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida House approved Monday a measure allowing beer to be sold at Florida A&M University sporting events. The proposal by Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, extends a downtown district where temporary alcohol licenses are available to Wannish Way, where Bragg Memorial Stadium and the Lawson Center are.

The bill would allow caterers and vendors working with not-for-profit groups like boosters and the Urban League to offer beer and liquor at events. The move could be worth as much as $50,000 to Rattlers' football boosters, according to a House analysis from last year.

The boosters, two years ago, began offering a game day experience in the North End Zone Club. Season ticket holders can pay extra for a buffet and watch the game on a flatscreen television in a climate-controlled tent. They would be able to serve alcohol if the Senate and Gov. Rick Scott signed off on the proposal.

Williams said the bill revises a 2008 law that permits three-day alcohol licenses for a designated part of the downtown district. That district currently starts at Park Avenue and stretches south to Orange Avenue but bypasses Bragg Stadium and the Lawson Center, home of the FAMU basketball team.

CONTINUE READING

MEAC spring football primer

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania  -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference began sending its champion to the Celebration Bowl this past December.

In fact, North Carolina A&T won the inaugural bowl against Alcorn State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference to claim the mythical national championship of historically black colleges.

Leading up to the selection of the FCS playoff field, MEAC commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas made it a point to remind the selection committee that the other MEAC programs not playing in the Celebration Bowl were eligible for at-large bids to the field.

It didn't happen, although Bethune-Cookman (9-2) and North Carolina Central (8-3) probably were in the mix after they ended the regular season sharing the MEAC title with North Carolina A&T (10-2).

But it figures to happen in the future. MEAC schools tend to have tough nonconference schedules - some might say too tough - to potentially draw national attention. With some upsets, the MEAC's stature will keep growing.

Three of last year's top four finishers are playing...

CONTINUE READING 

Hawks fail to put Bears away, exit from MEAC tournament

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The men’s basketball team at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore had not won a game in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in five years.

With the Hawks facing the Morgan St. University Bears – a team they had beaten twice in the regular season – on Tuesday, March 8, many expected this streak of bad luck in March to end.

It didn’t.

“We knew it was going to be tough to beat them three times,” said UMES head coach Bobby Collins.

After a back and forth battle for much of the second half, the Bears pulled away in the final minute and topped the Hawks 65-58 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

For the Hawks, their season is over. The Bears will advance to the next round and face third-seeded Hampton Pirates on Wednesday – a team the Hawks beat in their only regular season meeting.

CONTINUE READING

2016 All-SWAC Men's Basketball team announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  – The Southwestern Athletic Conference unveiled its men's basketball postseason awards Tuesday morning to cap off the 2015-16 season. All honors including first and second team selections were voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and selected media members.

Texas Southern center Derrick Griffin was recognized as Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year, while his head coach Mike Davis earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors for the third time in four seasons. Nigel Ribeiro of Grambling State was named Freshman of the Year.

Griffin broke the SWAC single season record for consecutive double-doubles (12) and most in a season (17). The redshirt freshman was the only player in the league to average a double-double throughout conference play with 13.5 points-per-game and 11.3 rebounds-per-game, while also leading the SWAC in blocked shots with 2.3 per contest for a total of 55. Additionally, he is the first player since TSU’s Aaric Murray to be recognized for multiple specialty awards. Murray earned Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013-14. Griffin accomplished all of this following a stellar football season in which he led the SWAC in touchdown catches (11) landing him a spot on the 2015 All-SWAC Football Team.

Ribeirio finished the season as Grambling State’s second leading scorer averaging 11 points-per-game while leading the team in assists at 2.1 per outing. He scored a career high 28 points earlier in the season against Louisiana Tech.

For the third time in four seasons, TSU head coach Mike Davis earned Coach of the Year honors. Davis led the Tigers to a 17-13 record overall and a 16-2 mark in league play, capturing back to back conference regular season crowns. Davis was voted on as Coach of the Year in 2012 and in 2014.

Joining Griffin on the All-SWAC Men’s Basketball First Team include guards Chris Thomas (Texas Southern) and Jamel Waters (Alabama State) along with forwards Ladarius Tabb (Alabama A&M) and Adrian Rodgers (Southern).

The second team is highlighted by Nick West (Alabama A&M) and Malcolm Riley (Texas Southern) who finished 6th and 7th in scoring overall in the conference at 14.2 and 13.7 points per game respectively.

A complete list of the 2016 SWAC Men's Basketball postseason awards follows:

FIRST TEAM
Guard – Chris Thomas – Texas Southern
Guard – Jamel Waters – Alabama State
Forward – Ladarius Tabb -Alabama A&M
Forward – Adrian Rodgers – Southern
Center – Derrick Griffin – Texas Southern

SECOND Team
Guard - Tamarcio Wilson – Alcorn State
Guard - Paris Collins – Jackson State
Forward – Malcolm Riley – Texas Southern
Forward – Raeford Worsham – Jackson State
Center – Nick West – Alabama A&M

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derrick Griffin – Texas Southern

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derrick Griffin – Texas Southern

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Derrick Griffin – Texas Southern

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nigel Ribeiro – Grambling State

COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Davis

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

2016 All-SWAC Women's Basketball team announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  –  Norianna Haynes of Alcorn State has been named Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year as announced by the Conference Tuesday, March 8.

Also selected by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors were Keiana Vines of Texas Southern as Defensive Player of the Year, Niya Head of Arkansas-Pine Bluff as Newcomer of the Year and Jazmin Boyd and Nadine Domond of Grambling State as Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectfully.

Haynes finished the regular season leading the SWAC in scoring with 568 points – 20.3 per game. She also topped the Conference in double-doubles (12), as well as defensive rebounds (6.6 per game). Haynes paced the Lady Braves in 21 games this season, recording 16 appearances of 20-plus points. Her highest scoring contest came in the non-conference game against Louisiana-Lafayette where Haynes netted 39 points. She is the only student-athlete in the league to hit 35-plus points this season.

Vines was crowned the Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the season first in the league in blocked shots, averaging 3.3 per game. She is one of four SWAC student-athletes currently ranked nationally by the NCAA, standing ninth in blocked shots per game, 10th in blocked shots (89) and 12th in field-goal percentage (57.3).

As Newcomer of the Year, Head paced the Lady Lions with a team-high 376 points, an average of 13 per game. She also tops UAPB in rebounds 201. Head’s best performance was during the 69-60 victory over Alabama A&M where she tallied a season-high 22 points.

Grambling State claimed two individual awards courtesy of Boyd and Domond who were named Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectfully.

Boyd stands second in the Conference in free throw percentage at .776 and sixth in three-point percentage (.320). Her best performance was in the 89-69 win over Alabama State where she scored a career-high 27 points. Boyd’s efforts helped the Lady Tigers become the only team this season to defeat each of the top three teams (Alabama State, Texas Southern and Southern) in the league. During her first collegiate season, Boyd earned 270 points (10.8 per game).

In her second year as a Division I head coach and a member of the SWAC, Domond earned her award after leading GRAM to its best win/loss record in six-plus years. Domond was also credited with getting the Lady Tigers through five consecutive victories – the team’s longest run since the 2010-11 season.

The entire list of awards and first and second teams are below:

FIRST TEAM
Guard - Brianna Sidney - Texas Southern
Guard - Britney Washington - Southern
Forward - Norianna Haynes - Alcorn State
Forward - Britney Wright - Alabama State
Center - Keiana Vines - Texas Southern

SECOND TEAM
Guard - Shakyla Hill - Grambling State
Guard - Lamaria Cole - Prairie View A&M
Forward - Larissa Scott - Prairie View A&M
Forward - Toni Cheadle - Texas Southern
Center - Jasmine Peeples - Alabama State

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Norianna Haynes - Alcorn State

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Keiana Vines - Texas Southern

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Niya Head - Arkansas-Pine Bluff

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jazmin Boyd - Grambling State

COACH OF THE YEAR
Nadine Domond - Grambling State

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

XULA Gold Rush win, Gold Nuggets lose to William Woods

NEW ORLEANS — Karan Salwan, Thomas Setodji and Charlene Goreau extended singles winning streaks Sunday as Xavier University of Louisiana split dual matches with William Woods at XU Tennis Center. The XU men won 6-0, and the women lost 5-2.
    
Salwan won his eighth in a row, 6-1, 6-1 against David Barbieri. Setodji improved to 5-0 for the spring semester after beating Marcos Constantino 6-1, 6-2. Goreau won her sixth in a row, 6-0, 6-1 against Paige Smith.
    
The XU men (7-3), ranked third in the NAIA, won for the sixth time in their last seven dual matches and are 9-0 at home over the last two seasons. The Gold Nuggets (4-6), who are No. 14, lost to a ranked opponent for the third consecutive day. The William Woods women are 2-1 and ranked 23rd.
    
William Woods' men are 0-2.
    
The Gold Rush swept the doubles matches. Setodji and Kevin Chaouat beat Barbieri and Adam Deen Qurban 8-0, and Salwan and Kyle Montrel defeated Christian Barbieri and Jelmer Van Vliet by the same score. Tushar Mandlekar and Manav Chakma defeated Stefan Simic and Johnnie Carmichael 8-6.
    
Montrel beat Christian Berbieri 7-5, 6-0.
    
The Gold Nuggets' only other victory occurred at No. 3 doubles, where Dasia Harris and Sha'Nel Bruins beat Felicia Cesar and Smith 9-7. Bruins was 1-1 in the third set of singles with Alba Salinas when the dual was halted by the coaches' mutual agreement.
    
Next for the Rush and Nuggets will be a trip t
o Jackson, Miss., Saturday to play Tougaloo at 10 a.m. and Jackson State at 2 p.m. All matches will be played on Jackson State's campus.

Results:  Men   •   Women


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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