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Sunday, April 17, 2016
Albany State Lady Rams capture 12th SIAC Championship
ROCK HILL, South Carolina - The Albany State women's track & field team used a mixture of veterans and valuable newcomers to run away from the SIAC competition. After all 21 events concluded at the 2016 SIAC Women's Track and Field Championships, ASU finished the final day with a flurry to claim its 12th SIAC title in school history.
The Lady Rams generated 196 points to edge out defending champion Benedict, which scored 170 points. Claflin (155) finished in third place, followed by Clark Atlanta (112), Paine (63.5), Kentucky State (52), Central State (16), Miles (14), Tuskegee (12), Stillman (11) and Fort Valley State (7.5).
On the final day, Albany State received solid performances to pull away from the field. In the running events, Ebone Cobb won the 100-meter title with a time of 12.24. Aaliyah Howard also helped highlight the Lady Rams run to the championship. She finished first in the 5000-meter run after clocking in at 20:48.50.
ASU's two relay teams also made valuable contributions. The 4x400 –meter relay team comprised of Cobb, My'keese Edwards, Irrion Conaler and Yasmine Reynolds won the event with a time of 3:46.75. The 4x100-meter team, which includes Cobb, Reynolds, De'ja Goodine and Elizabeth Folsome, placed second with a 47.86 clip.
In other track action, Philicia Batton (15.30) placed third in the 100-meter hurdles, while Reynolds (57.54) finished third in the 400-meter dash. Conaler took second place honors in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.68.
In the 200-meter dash, Reynolds and Cobb finished in second and third place. Reynolds clocked in at 24.54, and Cobb's time registered at 24.62.
Sophomore Anaiah Hopewell recorded the top finish for Albany State in the field events. She earned second place in the pole vault at a height of 7.1 feet.
Albany State head coach Kenneth Taylor received the SIAC Coach of the Year award. Since taking over the women's program in 2006, Taylor has led the Lady Rams to eight of the last 11 SIAC championships.
2016 SIAC Track & Field Championship Final Results
COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
A&T Blue & Gold Game Ends In A Tie
Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information |
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T stepped back on the football field in competition for the first time in five months on Saturday in the Aggies annual Blue & Gold Spring Game at Aggie Stadium with a few constants. N.C. A&T’s defense is really good. The offense is still a work in progress and the Aggies will have a pretty good quarterback battle on their hands when the practice starts in August.
Five months after winning their second straight MEAC title, the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl and the school’s third Black College Football National Championship, the Blue & Gold finished in a 14-14 tie. The Blue team featured the Aggies first-team offense and second-team defense while the Gold played with the first-team defense and second-team offense. Both Aggie defenses looked superb even though the Gold did not have to face All-American running back Tarik Cohen who did not play. Without Cohen, the Aggies did had a touchdown on the ground as rising sophomore Keevin Thompson scored on an 18-yard touchdown run for Gold.
Defensively, rising junior outside linebacker Jeremy Taylor and rising sophomore Kiaundric Richardson were swarming to the ball all day for the Gold. Meanwhile rising junior defensive back Jerome Beatty and rising senior Tyree Andrews had some good pursuits to the football for Gold.
“I think it starts with the defensive staff. Everybody is on the same page and have been on the same page defensively as far as what we try to do and how we try to do things,” said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway about an Aggies defense that has been one of the best in FCS play since he arrived in Greensboro in 2011. “I think (defensive coordinator Sam Washington) does a good job with the staff in making sure they know exactly how we want things done.”
There was some offense on Saturday. Rising senior Denzel Keyes looks primed to improve on his second-team All-MEAC season from 2015. Keyes, who became a huge threat inside the opponents’ 20-yard line with his 6-foot-4 frame and leaping ability, looked at little more diverse on Saturday. There were times on Saturday when Keyes looked difficult for smaller defensive backs to deal with in the open field. His day was capped off by a 50-yard touchdown pass from rising senior quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro for the Blue.
“He’s got to have a big year for us,” said Broadway about Keyes. “His batting average needs to be a little bit better than it is right now because we threw quite a few balls to him last season, and he could not come up with enough of them. My challenge to him would be to improve his hitting. He was a good hitter last year. We need him to be a great hitter.”
Rising sophomore quarterback Lamar Raynard had two touchdown tosses, a 26-yarder to Virginia Tech transfer Carlis Parker (for Blue) and an 84-yard bomb to rising sophomore receiver Malik Wilson (for Gold).
Raynard started the 2015 season as the starter before rising sophomore Kylil Carter emerged late in the season with a game-winning touchdown pass at S.C. State along with significant playing time in the Aggies remaining three games. The Aggies also have Bamiro and they signed a quarterback during National Signing Day. N.C. A&T played three different QBs last year.
“They all have things that they can do and it’s going to be a heckuva battle come fall,” said Broadway. “I may just have to see how much they progress over the course of the summer. All three of those guys can throw, and all three of them are working hard so it’s going to be a challenge to see which one of them can rise to the top”
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Seniors leading the buy-in at Jackson State
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Shortly after Tony Hughes arrived at Jackson State, he asked All-SWAC defensive end Javancy Jones if he was all in regarding his commitment to the program.
Jones told the Tigers' newly-minted coach yes.
Hughes felt Jones' buy-in to his approach has permeated throughout the program during spring practice, which concluded with the Blue and White Game on Saturday.
"The program is built on the commitment of the players," Hughes said. "The most important players in the program are the seniors. If the seniors buy into the program, then it will work. I would have to say whether it's Javancy and Dan (Williams), two of our top players, they bought into the program. Now the younger players see that and the younger players will follow the seniors."
Jones and Williams are playing for their fourth coach in four years, which includes Derrick McCall's stint as the interim coach last fall. They started their careers off as members of the 2013 team, which nearly won a SWAC title, but haven't enjoyed a winning record since their freshman season.
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Jones told the Tigers' newly-minted coach yes.
Hughes felt Jones' buy-in to his approach has permeated throughout the program during spring practice, which concluded with the Blue and White Game on Saturday.
"The program is built on the commitment of the players," Hughes said. "The most important players in the program are the seniors. If the seniors buy into the program, then it will work. I would have to say whether it's Javancy and Dan (Williams), two of our top players, they bought into the program. Now the younger players see that and the younger players will follow the seniors."
Jones and Williams are playing for their fourth coach in four years, which includes Derrick McCall's stint as the interim coach last fall. They started their careers off as members of the 2013 team, which nearly won a SWAC title, but haven't enjoyed a winning record since their freshman season.
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XU produces 6 team season bests at Southeastern meet
HAMMOND, La. — One week before the conference championships, Xavier University of Louisiana produced six team season bests Saturday at the Southeastern Invitational track and field meet.
Lowering XU season marks were:
• Chelsea James in the women's 100-meter dash (12.23 seconds, 11th place).
• Kayla Quincy in the women's 200 (25.31, 11th).
• Tylor Row in the women's 100 hurdles (15.68, 11th).
• Ethan Gipson in the men's 100 (11.25, 25th) and 200 (22.97, 23rd).
• Erwin Simmons in the men's 400 hurdles (1:05.89, 14th).
For the second time this season in the 400, Quincy met the NAIA's B-qualifying standard for next month's national meet. She ran eighth in 57.35.
Next Saturday (April 23), Xavier and SUNO will play host to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. Admission is free. Xavier's women will seek their fourth consecutive team title and fifth in six years. The meet will begin at 8:45 a.m. The bulk of the running events will start at 1 p.m., and presentation of team trophies will begin at 5:15 p.m.
Here are all of Xavier's results from the Southeastern Invitational:
Women
100: Chelsea James, 11th in 12.23; Martina Wright, 22nd in 12.58; Alexis Milton, 26th in 12.72
200: Kayla Quincy, 11th in 25.31; Clarke Allen, 25th in 26.04; Alexis Milton, 32nd in 26.24; Kailey Williams, tied for 33rd in 26.27; Janelle Jones, 36th in 26.62; Martina Wright, 40th in 26.95
400: Kayla Quincy, 8th in 57.35; Clarke Allen, 12th in 59.05; Janelle Jones, 20th in 1:00.44; Terri Cunningham, 27th in 1:02.68
800: Ky'Reon McBride, did not finish
100 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 17th in 15.68
400 Relay: Chelsea James, Destini Thomas, Alexis Milton, Martina Wright, 8th in 48.98
Long Jump: Katelyn McMorris, 21st in 4.85 meters (15 feet, 11 inches); Dorian Hill, 26th in 4.54 meters (14 feet, 10 3/4 inches)
Men
100: Ethan Gipson, 25th in 11.25
200: Ethan Gipson, 23rd in 22.97; Langston Adams, 29th in 23.52
110 Hurdles: Erwin Simmons, did not finish
400 Hurdles: Erwin Simmons, 14th in 1:05.89
Long Jump: Christopher Kennie, 15th in 6.15 meters (20 feet, 2 1/4 inches); Keairez Coleman, 16th in 5.94 meters (19 feet, 6 inches)
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Gathright is All-Louisiana for 3rd consecutive season
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Whitney Gathright has done it again.
Gathright, a 5-foot-4 senior point guard from New Orleans and a graduate of John Curtis Christian School, was named second-team All-Louisiana in women's basketball late Friday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. It's the third consecutive season that Gathright is All-Louisiana; she made the third team as a sophomore and junior.
Gathright received two votes for Player of the Year and finished fifth in that voting. Xavier's Bo Browder received one vote for Coach of the Year.
Gathright led the Gold Nuggets in scoring for the third consecutive season. She averaged 14.4 points and led her team with 150 assists and 73 steals. Her 184 free throws and 226 attempts are XU season records. She finished her career in the top 10 of nine XU categories, including first in made free throws (463) and free-throw percentage (.782) and second in 3-point accuracy (.366).
Gathright is the second Xavier player to reach 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a career. Her 1,414 points in four seasons rank seventh all-time at XU.
Other honors this season for Gathright included WBCA NAIA All-America first team, NAIA Division I All-America third team, Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament MVP for second time in three years, first-team All-GCAC for third straight year, Louisiana Co-Player of the Month (November) and GCAC Player of the Week twice.
A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel of sports media and publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, which consists of student-athletes from NCAA Division I and NAIA members. The Gold Nuggets never have produced a first-team selection; Gathright is the program's first second-team player since Brittany Powell in 2009-10. Gathright is the second Gold Nugget chosen All-Louisiana three times. Jarryn Cleaves (third team in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08) was the first.
Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 22-12 in 2015-16, won the GCAC Tournament for the sixth time in 11 seasons and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship.
2015-16 All-Louisiana Women's Basketball Team | ||
FIRST TEAM Brandi Wingate, senior, Louisiana Tech Keke Veal, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette Kolby Morgan, sophomore, Tulane Janelle Perez, senior, Northwestern State Jalyn Johnson, senior, McNeese State SECOND TEAM Whitney Gathright, senior, Xavier Alexis Hyder, junior, LSU Reagan Maricle, senior, LSU-Alexandria Kourtney Pennywell, junior, LSU-Shreveport Alayshia Hunter, senior, Louisiana-Monroe THIRD TEAM Shakyla Hill, freshman, Grambling Randi Brown, sophomore, New Orleans Allison Baggett, senior, McNeese State Taylor Maricle, senior, LSU-Alexandria Kia Wilridge, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brandi Wingate, Louisiana Tech Voting: Wingate 10, Veal 6, Morgan 5, Perez 3, Gathright 2, Hyder 1 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Alexis Hyder, LSU Voting: Hyder 17, Brooke Pumroy (Louisiana Tech) 8, Quianna Tucker (LSU-Shreveport) 2 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Shakyla Hill, Grambling Voting: Hill 20, Cassidy Barrios (Nicholls State) 5, Megan Worry (Loyola) 2 COACH OF THE YEAR: Garry Brodhead, Louisiana-Lafayette Voting: Brodhead 11, Lisa Stockton (Tulane) 9, Kellie Kennedy (Loyola) 4, Nadine Domond (Grambling) 2, Bo Browder (Xavier) 1 HONORABLE MENTION Liann McCarthy, senior, Nicholls State; Briana Oglesby, senior, Loyola; Pearl Paulo, senior, LSU-Alexandria; Nanna Pool, senior, Southeastern Louisiana; Brooke Pumroy, senior, Louisiana Tech; Quiana Tucker, junior, LSU-Shreveport; Leslie Vorpahl, junior, Tulane Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold |
Saturday, April 16, 2016
FAMU men’s tennis recovers after 2014 suspension
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Around this time in 2015, Florida A&M tennis coach Carl Goodman was happy just to watch his team take the court.
FAMU’s tennis team had been suspended in June 2014 by then-Athletic Director Kellen Winslow, who said the move was a cost-saving measure. Goodman said his group stayed together through adversity, and was ready to play when D’Wayne Robinson, the school’s interim athletic director at the time, reinstated the team in January 2015.
It didn’t take long for the team to return to form.
The Rattlers battled rival Bethune-Cookman on Saturday for an outright MEAC Southern Division title. The Rattlers lost 4-3, but are still 3-1 in conference play heading into the MEAC tournament, which is starts April 21 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
“It’s been a long, long, long journey with a lot of hard work,” Goodman said.
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FAMU’s tennis team had been suspended in June 2014 by then-Athletic Director Kellen Winslow, who said the move was a cost-saving measure. Goodman said his group stayed together through adversity, and was ready to play when D’Wayne Robinson, the school’s interim athletic director at the time, reinstated the team in January 2015.
It didn’t take long for the team to return to form.
The Rattlers battled rival Bethune-Cookman on Saturday for an outright MEAC Southern Division title. The Rattlers lost 4-3, but are still 3-1 in conference play heading into the MEAC tournament, which is starts April 21 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
“It’s been a long, long, long journey with a lot of hard work,” Goodman said.
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Possible Patriots Draft Target, DL Javon Hargrave
BOSTON, Massachusetts -- As the 2016 NFL Draft draws closer BOSprofile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar that we feel would be a great fit.
The Patriots have a need at defensive tackle following the release of Dominique Easley this week. More specifically the team again has a need for an interior defensive lineman that is good against the run but can penetrate into the backfield as well as pressure the quarterback and collapse the pocket.
The team brought in a trio of big-bodied run stuffers in Frank Kearse, Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn which will help the run defense that suffered the loss of both Akiem Hicks and Sealver Siliga during the off-season. Now the team must try to replace the interior pocket push of Easley and Hicks.
The team used a nice rotation last year of rookie Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Hicks and Easley during 2015. With Chris Jones being released on Friday along with Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, don’t rule out his returning this season, he’s provided a bit of pocket push at times and Brown in his second season will be looked to, to add some production there as well. Jones’ contract will probably get re-done at a more team friendly cap hit. On the roster right now the team has DTs Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn, Frank Kearse and Joe Vellano.
The Patriots will look to the draft to find some depth for a big man that can push the pocket, penetrate inside and provide run support as well.
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The Patriots have a need at defensive tackle following the release of Dominique Easley this week. More specifically the team again has a need for an interior defensive lineman that is good against the run but can penetrate into the backfield as well as pressure the quarterback and collapse the pocket.
The team brought in a trio of big-bodied run stuffers in Frank Kearse, Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn which will help the run defense that suffered the loss of both Akiem Hicks and Sealver Siliga during the off-season. Now the team must try to replace the interior pocket push of Easley and Hicks.
The team used a nice rotation last year of rookie Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Hicks and Easley during 2015. With Chris Jones being released on Friday along with Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, don’t rule out his returning this season, he’s provided a bit of pocket push at times and Brown in his second season will be looked to, to add some production there as well. Jones’ contract will probably get re-done at a more team friendly cap hit. On the roster right now the team has DTs Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn, Frank Kearse and Joe Vellano.
The Patriots will look to the draft to find some depth for a big man that can push the pocket, penetrate inside and provide run support as well.
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Norfolk State nose tackle deals with major losses
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Walter Brantley IV has had a terrible spring.
He’s missed assignments, forgotten play calls and has, at times, appeared lost in a haze at practice.
But his coaches and teammates at Norfolk State understand and empathize with the hulking nose tackle.
In ways most of them can’t possibly comprehend, Brantley has had a terrible year.
Last May, just a few days apart, both of Brantley’s grandmothers died.
On Jan. 23, his paternal grandfather, Walter Brantley II, died of what players say they believe was heartache from the loss of his wife after a 26th year of dialysis treatment.
And then on Feb. 22, a crushing, final blow: Walter Brantley III, a popular and outgoing barber in Hampton who, his son said, “never missed a game, ever” died of congestive heart failure at 47.
So it’s easy for his peers to pardon the occasional moments when the friendly rising sophomore from Phoebus High thinks he sees his late father standing on the sidelines mid-play, only to forget exactly what he’s trying to accomplish in the present.
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He’s missed assignments, forgotten play calls and has, at times, appeared lost in a haze at practice.
But his coaches and teammates at Norfolk State understand and empathize with the hulking nose tackle.
In ways most of them can’t possibly comprehend, Brantley has had a terrible year.
Last May, just a few days apart, both of Brantley’s grandmothers died.
On Jan. 23, his paternal grandfather, Walter Brantley II, died of what players say they believe was heartache from the loss of his wife after a 26th year of dialysis treatment.
And then on Feb. 22, a crushing, final blow: Walter Brantley III, a popular and outgoing barber in Hampton who, his son said, “never missed a game, ever” died of congestive heart failure at 47.
So it’s easy for his peers to pardon the occasional moments when the friendly rising sophomore from Phoebus High thinks he sees his late father standing on the sidelines mid-play, only to forget exactly what he’s trying to accomplish in the present.
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Friday, April 15, 2016
Williams signs with Norfolk State
SANBORN, New York -- Niagara County Community College sophomore Kyle Williams signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his basketball and academic endeavors at NCAA Division I Norfolk State University on Friday.
Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard, was a second team All-Region III selection this past winter after averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game. The sharp-shooter knocked down 55 3-pointers in just 18 games of action.
"We're very excited for Kyle to receive this opportunity," NCCC head coach Bill Beilein said. "He's worked extremely hard to get to this point. We look forward to seeing him continue to grow on and off the court at Norfolk State."
COURTESY NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard, was a second team All-Region III selection this past winter after averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game. The sharp-shooter knocked down 55 3-pointers in just 18 games of action.
"We're very excited for Kyle to receive this opportunity," NCCC head coach Bill Beilein said. "He's worked extremely hard to get to this point. We look forward to seeing him continue to grow on and off the court at Norfolk State."
COURTESY NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Why GSU treated end of spring as if it was week after Bayou Classic
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Broderick Fobbs is always on the prowl to find ways to prepare his Grambling football team for a Southwestern Athletic Conference title run.
His latest move involved extending spring practice by almost a week following last weekend's spring game.
Instead of ending the spring like almost every college program in the country, Fobbs held four additional practices concluding with Friday's session at Eddie Robinson Stadium.
As for the reasoning behind it, Grambling missed out on several practices during last month's flood, so instead of trying to cram them all in before the April 9 game, Fobbs purposely extended the spring by six more days to simulate the week after the Bayou Classic.
"It is it's normally the biggest game of the year. When you play in (the Bayou Classic) and then you have a championship game the following week, the toughest thing is to play very well, receive all of the pats on the back and then put that behind you so you can get refocused on Sunday and practice the right way for the championship week," Fobbs told ...
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His latest move involved extending spring practice by almost a week following last weekend's spring game.
Instead of ending the spring like almost every college program in the country, Fobbs held four additional practices concluding with Friday's session at Eddie Robinson Stadium.
As for the reasoning behind it, Grambling missed out on several practices during last month's flood, so instead of trying to cram them all in before the April 9 game, Fobbs purposely extended the spring by six more days to simulate the week after the Bayou Classic.
"It is it's normally the biggest game of the year. When you play in (the Bayou Classic) and then you have a championship game the following week, the toughest thing is to play very well, receive all of the pats on the back and then put that behind you so you can get refocused on Sunday and practice the right way for the championship week," Fobbs told ...
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Thursday, April 14, 2016
North Marion's Mackey to play football at FAMU
Cameron Mackey
North Marion High School
Sport: Football
Position: Running back/slot receiver
Individual accolades: Cameron Mackey is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedy offensive weapon who rushed for 1,032 yards on 110 carries with 10 touchdowns during his senior season at North Marion. As a receiver, Mackey caught 19 balls for 267 yards and one TD. The Star-Banner first-teamer returned three kickoffs for touchdowns and was second on the Colts in total yards with 1,521.
Most memorable moment: Mackey talks about the Colts' 65-58 loss to Green Cove Springs Clay in the Region 2-5A semifinals. In that game, Mackey rushed for 131 yards and helped put the Colts in position for what could have been the game-tying score in the final seconds. He also scored on runs of 6 and 44 yards and on a 2-point conversion. "We were down 15-0 and came back and fought the whole game," Mackey said. "Unfortunately though, we came up a little short."
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
NCAA level: Division I
North Carolina A&T Bowling Arrives In New Jersey Ready to Win
The N.C. A&T bowling goes selfie Wednesday afternoon at Brunswick Zone Carolier. try to win the school's first-ever NCAA national championship. |
When Strombeck arrived in Greensboro from Durham N.C. A&T had won only 32 times in 141 tries over the previous two seasons. Strombeck, who comes from a family of bowlers, certainly had other college options. Instead of choosing those other options, she decided to be the cornerstone of a once proud program that had fallen on hard times.
Four years later she has a resume that makes her the undisputed greatest bowler in school history with four first-team all-conference recognitions, the MEAC Rookie of the Year award in 2012-13, N.C. A&T Female Freshman of the Year honor, MEAC Bowler of the Year as a sophomore and junior, N.C. A&T Female Athlete of the Year as a sophomore and junior and she is a two-time National Tenpin Coaches Association All-American.
After Strombeck came fellow All-American MacKenzie Robinson and Kristin Shinn. Sophomore Kori Smith came two years after Strombeck. All of sudden the Aggies had the nucleus for a championship team – a national championship team. The Aggies won the 2015 were crowned national champions at the Intercollegiate Team Championships sponsored by the USBC. As the Aggies arrived in New Jersey on Wednesday in an effort to win the university’s first-ever NCAA national championship, Strombeck sounded like a lady gladly telling the nation the Aggies are no longer that team she signed up for in 2012.
“When I got here the program was really going through a tough spot,” said Strombeck Wednesday at a press conference. “My freshman year we just wanted to get to .500 to show the program was viable. My freshman year we got to .500 (49-48) and it just took off from there.”
Therefore, Strombeck and her teammates aren’t willing to take a back seat to any of the other seven teams at the NCAA championships.
“It helps to know we’ve played all the teams that are here this year, and we have beat all the teams who are here this year,” said Strombeck. “It’s not like we’re going to come in here the eighth seed and scared of everyone. That’s not the case. We’re going to be ready to bowl.”
N.C. A&T is ranked eighth in the nation by NTCA. They come in with a school-record 79 wins to go along with 38 losses. The Aggies are the eighth seed behind No. 1 Nebraska followed by Arkansas State, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, McKendree and Central Missouri. The Aggies have nine wins against the field including a 3-1 record against No. 3 seed Vanderbilt.
Competition begins with qualifying rounds in which each team bowls one five-person regular team game against each of the other seven participating teams. Teams will be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record during the qualifying rounds. At the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, teams will then compete in best-of-seven Baker matches in the double elimination tournament.
In the Baker format, each of the five team members, in order, bowls a complete frame until a complete (10-frame) game is bowled. A Baker match tied at 3½ a piece after seven games will be decided by a tiebreaker using the Modified Baker format.
“When I came in four years ago we only had five people and no one knew who we really were and what our program was about,” said Strombeck. “It took us a good two years to rebuild which is what I came here to do. My goal before I left here was to compete for an NCAA title, so I’m really happy we accomplished that goal. Now we want to win it.”
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Running point for one of college basketball's biggest events
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jacqueline McWilliams landed her dream job four years ago when she became the first female commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The CIAA conference, based in Charlotte, N.C., consists of 12 Division II historically black colleges and universities. The annual CIAA basketball tournament, the largest of 16 CIAA championships in a variety of sports, features 22 men’s and women’s games in the same week. It generates more than $55 million in economic impact for the city of Charlotte, totaling more than $325 million in the 11 years the tournament has been in the city.
Williams, 47, earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Hampton University, where she played basketball and volleyball. She earned a master’s in sports management and administration from Temple University, and went on to work as a college coach and administrator for the NCAA. Williams is on several boards, including the NCAA, the National Association of Collegiate Women in Athletic Administration and Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards.
I spoke with Williams about how she got the job, learning to say no and the mentor who taught her to always move up.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Nuggets remain 15th in NAIA; Alcorn visits Thursday
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is one of 14 teams whose ranking in Tuesday's NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll is the same as two weeks ago.
The Gold Nuggets (8-11) remained 15th. It's their 36th consecutive appearance in the top 25 and their 81st in the last 91 polls dating to Feb. 25, 2004.
Xavier will play its final home dual of the season at noon Thursday at XU Tennis Center against NCAA Division I's Alcorn State. Honored in a prematch ceremony will be seniors Vashni Balleste, Brion Flowers and Jana van der Walt.
Alcorn will be the Gold Nuggets' seventh NCAA DI opponent this season.
The national rankings are the NAIA's sixth of the season. Defending national champion Auburn Montgomery received 8-of-14 first-place votes and remained No. 1. Two points behind AUM is Georgia Gwinnett, which received the remainder of the first-place votes. The top six teams are the same as the previous poll.
The Gold Nuggets (8-11) remained 15th. It's their 36th consecutive appearance in the top 25 and their 81st in the last 91 polls dating to Feb. 25, 2004.
Xavier will play its final home dual of the season at noon Thursday at XU Tennis Center against NCAA Division I's Alcorn State. Honored in a prematch ceremony will be seniors Vashni Balleste, Brion Flowers and Jana van der Walt.
Alcorn will be the Gold Nuggets' seventh NCAA DI opponent this season.
The national rankings are the NAIA's sixth of the season. Defending national champion Auburn Montgomery received 8-of-14 first-place votes and remained No. 1. Two points behind AUM is Georgia Gwinnett, which received the remainder of the first-place votes. The top six teams are the same as the previous poll.
NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 10)
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