Bowie State Bowling 4-Peats as CIAA Champions

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia – For the fourth time in as many years, the Bowie State University women's bowling team captured the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Bowling Championship at the AMF Lynnhaven Lanes on Saturday (3/24) afternoon.

COMPLETE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
 
In addition to this being BSU's fourth straight CIAA Crown, it is the eighth overall in school history. The endurance on the lanes paid off for the 2018 Champions as they went undefeated during championship play; earning them an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Bowling Championship.
 
The lanes became heated when Bowie State and Fayetteville State met yet again, this time in the Championship match. On day one (3/23), Bowie State knocked Fayetteville State into the loser's bracket, so the Broncos were ready for revenge. This time the Bulldogs knew not to take the Broncos lightly, but the match continued to the full seven games.
 
After Bowie State started out strong with a 196-116 victory in the first game, Fayetteville State countered with three big wins in the next three games with 161-152, 187-171 and 157-146 victories. The next game was a blowout by the Bulldogs winning 172-121. Both the sixth and seventh games came down to the tenth frame and both games the Bulldogs finished strong (163-152 and 170-161) to take home the 2018 CIAA Bowling Championship.
 
The final day of CIAA bowling competition began with Round Four of the double-elimination, championship bracket. The I-95 rivals, No. 4 Virginia State and No. 3 Virginia Union fought through six games, and with a 4-2 result, the Trojans of VSU continued their journey in the loser's bracket. They then faced the No. 1 Broncos of Fayetteville State, but were soon knocked out of the tournament after the Broncos took an early 3-0 lead (175-135, 151-135, 199-159). VSU was able to capture the fourth game 174-164, but FSU soon closed the match in the fifth with a score of 159 to 128.
 
Following the Championship match the 2018 CIAA Bowling Championship awards ceremony consisted of honors for the first (BSU), second (FSU) and third (VSU) place teams, the All-Tournament Team and the Championship MVP.
 
The All-Tournament Team consisted of Ariel Haith (Virginia State), Amaree Durfee (Virginia Union), Baylee Lexton (Chowan), Diamond Carter (Bowie State) and Savannah Sterling (Fayetteville State). Bowie State's Diamond Carterwas also named to MVP of the Championships.

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Head Coach Dana Ford Leaves TSU for Missouri State Bears

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri -- A new era for Missouri State University men's basketball officially began Thursday (March 22) with the introduction of Dana Ford as the program's 18th head coach.

Ford was introduced to a gathering of media and fans at JQH Arena after his hire was unanimously approved by the Missouri State University Board of Governors Executive Committee late Wednesday afternoon and an extensive national search.

The 33-year-old served the last four years as head coach at Tennessee State University. He is widely regarded as one of the nation's most promising young head coaches and was awarded the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach.

"Within the first 15 minutes of talking with Coach Ford, I was excited about him," said Missouri State President Clif Smart. "I could tell he was extremely excited about Missouri State. He and his wife, Christina, have great personal stories. I don't think we could have found a better fit."

Ford orchestrated one of the best turnarounds in NCAA history when he accepted the TSU job in 2014-15 as the nation's youngest Division I head coach at the time. The Tigers went from a 5-26 record his first season to a 20-11 ledger a year later. He earned Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year laurels that same season.

Over his last three years in Nashville, Ford has led the Tigers to a combined 52-39 record and coached five All-OVC players in addition to two players recognized on the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Under his leadership, Tennessee State also doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during the 2016-17 season.

"When you consider what Coach Ford has done, his resume is impressive," said Kyle Moats, MSU's director of athletics. "But when you consider that he was the fifth-youngest head coach in Division I this season – with four years of head coaching already under his belt – then you can understand why all of us are so excited here today."

A native of Tamms, Ill., Ford is a 2006 graduate of Illinois State University where he was a four-year letterman for the Redbirds under coaches Tom Richardson and Porter Moser from 2002-06. He was a regular starter and led ISU in steals as a senior.

He went on to successful assistant coaching stints at Winthrop and Wichita State under coach Gregg Marshall and later as associate head coach at Illinois State under coach Dan Muller. His coaching resume also includes assistant coaching stops at Chipola (Fla.) College and Tennessee State.

Ford has been an assistant coach on two NCAA Tournament teams at Winthrop (2006-07) and Wichita State (2011-12) as well as a NJCAA national final four run at Chipola College (2008-09).

"I'm looking forward to getting started," said Ford. "I have always had a great admiration for this university and the great basketball program here. It is an honor to return to the Missouri Valley Conference and be the one selected to carry on a great Bears basketball tradition."

Ford's contract, which was also approved by the Board of Governors, is a five-year agreement through March 31, 2023. He will earn a base salary of $375,000 his first two years and $425,000 in years three, four and five. Additional achievement incentives for NCAA and NIT appearances, conference championships, coaching honors, attendance average and APR standards are also included in the agreement.  

The Fords have two sons, Carson and Cameron, and a daughter, Charlie Rose.

Ford replaces Paul Lusk who was not retained by the university after seven seasons as head coach of the Bears from 2011-2018.

The Bears are expected to return 10 players, including three starters, from an 18-15 squad.

Thursday's news conference is archived on Facebook and the Missouri State Bears YouTube channel.

Ford Coaching History
Season School Position W-L Postseason / Notes
2006-07 Winthrop Grad Assistant 29-5 NCAA (Round of 32)
2007-08 Wichita State Grad Assistant 11-20
2008-09 Chipola (Fla.) College Assistant Coach 35-2 NJCAA 3rd place
2009-10 Tennessee State Assistant Coach 9-23
2010-11 Tennessee State Assistant Coach 14-16
2011-12 Wichita State Assistant Coach 29-8 NCAA (Round of 64)
2012-13 Illinois State Associate Head Coach 18-15
2013-14 Illinois State Associate Head Coach 18-16 CBI Semifinals
2014-15 Tennessee State Head Coach 5-26
2015-16 Tennessee State Head Coach 20-11 CIT 1st Round / OVC Coach of the Year
2016-17 Tennessee State Head Coach 17-13
2017-18 Tennessee State Head Coach 15-15

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Two sports disappearing at high school level

PVAMU WOMEN'S 2017-18 GOLF TEAM 

HOUSTON, Texas -- A pair of fall high school sports in the southwest are continuing to experience declining participation.

The most alarming of the pair is golf which has saw its figures dwindle down another 40 per cent this past year causing some schools to stop taking part in the sport.

Athletic Coordinator for Chinook School Division Deb Reamer said the lack of golfers participating in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association isn't just being witnessed in the southwest.

"I think the numbers provincial wise are kind of dropping a little bit in golf too," she explained. "I don't think it's specific to the southwest."

Reamer did note that some high school students don't have access to golf courses and some pick other sports (football, volleyball, and soccer) over playing golf.

"Certainly we could try and incorporate some grade eights, so get some younger kids and giving them that exposure," she said. "They could not advance to provincials, they wouldn't be eligible because they aren't old enough, but that might be another option we have to look at."

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TSU Football Holds First Spring Scrimmage

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Concluding the first week of spring practices, the Tennessee State football team held its first scrimmage on Saturday at the Indoor Practice Facility on campus.

“I thought the kids came out and played hard,” Head Coach Rod Reed said. “You shouldn’t have to coach effort, and we didn’t have to do that today. I thought everybody was excited about getting after it for the first time. I saw some bright spots out there.”

• The action began with 7-on-7 where senior linebacker Blair Edwards came up with an interception.
• Later in the 7-on-7 session, the local duo of quarterback Michael Hughes and wide receiver Lawrence Segree II connected for a long touchdown pass over top of the defense.
• Moving to full 11-on-11 action, Minnesota transfer quarterback Demry Croft put together a sustained drive both with his feet and through the air. Aided by tough runs from Te’kendrick Roberson and Earl Harrison, the offense drove down to the red zone before a third down tackle from cornerback Dajour Nesbeth stalled the drive.  
• Hughes led the next series for the offense, which featured positive gains on the ground from running back Seth Rowland.
• Following the series, the team worked on punt coverage before jumping back into live play.
• Facing live third-down situations, the defense had the better of the play in the early going. Newcomer Terry Straughter recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
• Harrison continued to impress, breaking off a couple of positive runs in the live session.
• TSU is scheduled to practice next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday leading up to next Saturday’s second scrimmage.

HEAD COACH ROD REED

“I thought Lawrence Segree caught a deep ball early on. He’s a young kid that we expect to step up at the wide receiver spot – I thought he did a good job. Te’kendrick Roberson had some pretty good runs in there. Demry Croft drove the offense down the field with some efficiency – so did Michael Hughes, so that’s a good problem to have when you have two really good quarterbacks. (Kalen) Whitlow came in at the end and did some good things, so we’re excited about where we are right now.”

- On the highlights from the scrimmage

“You always want to see who will stick their face in there and hit somebody. It was good to get about 10 plays live. With limited numbers, we didn’t want to do a lot of live stuff, so we limited that to 10 plays.”

- On going live at the end of practice

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North Carolina A&T Wins 2018 MEAC Bowling Championship

CHESAPEAKE, Virginia -- Why will the name Brianna Boze always mean something in the history of North Carolina A&T bowling?

It will always mean something because even with some of the individual accolades that have gone to great Aggie bowlers of the past, Ms. Boze, a senior out of Summit, N.J., is the one Aggie bowler in program history who has contributed to a national championship team (2015 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships), an NCAA tournament team (2016) and as of Sunday her latest feat is helping N.C. A&T win the 2018 MEAC Bowling Championship Tournament at AMF Chesapeake Lanes.

A year after losing the MEAC title to Maryland Eastern Shore, the Aggies downed the MDES Hawks 4-1 in a best out of seven Bakers format series to win the program's fifth MEAC title overall and the first since 2004. Bowling's win also adds to the collection of MEAC titles N.C. A&T Athletics has won during the 2017-18 school year. N.C. A&T's haul now includes MEAC regular-season titles in football, women's basketball and bowling (Southern Division Champions). Bowling also joins women's basketball, women's indoor track and field and men's indoor track as other Aggie programs who have won MEAC postseason titles in 2017-18.

Because they won the MEAC title on Sunday, the Aggies will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Bowling Championship. The field will be announced via live stream on NCAA.com 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 28. The automatic bid guarantees Boze another opportunity to win a national title.

"I'm so excited that we won my senior year," said Boze. "Since the day I joined the team the goal was always to win a MEAC championship. Last year we made it to the finals and lost. We promised this year we would walk out of this building with a trophy, and we fought hard this weekend and accomplished that goal."

N.C. A&T ROSTER

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

Boze was anything but an innocent bystander. She earned all-tournament honors along with teammate and MEAC Rookie of the Year Ana Olaya. Olaya was also named Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament.

Boze had key strikes in Games 3 and 5, and she was a part of a team that left only four frames open all day. Olaya left no frames open against the Hawks, hitting difficult spare after difficult spare to lead the Aggies to victory. Fellow freshman Cameron Strombeck was terrific as the Aggies anchor. In fact, she was one 9-pin away from leading the Aggies to a sweep of MDES. Strombeck needed a strike on the ninth frame of Game 1. Instead, she left the ninth-pin open which led to the Hawks only victory of the day, 189-173.

Strombeck as the anchor and the Aggies as a team were dominant from there. Strombeck opened Game 2 with a strike and closed the game with a spare and a strike to lead the Aggies to a 181-157 Game 2 win.

"It feels amazing to win the MEAC championship with my team as a freshman, and I could not be any prouder of each of these ladies," said Strombeck. "We all threw the ball so amazing and played with so much heart. I am proud to be an Aggie."

Sophomore Tyra Merritt also caught fire. She fired off four spares and six strikes including five straight. In Game 3, her hot streak helped the Aggies win Game 3, 202-188.

"Today was tough. It was a fight," said Merritt. "Not all of our shots were perfect but I think we had more fight within us. Sometimes the will has to be greater than the skill, and we impeccably displayed that this weekend. I am so proud of myself and the team."

The Aggies took advantage of multiple open frames by MDES in Game 4 to win 182-152. The Aggies, who had one of the most dominating performances in MEAC history on the first day of the tournament, closed the tournament in a similar fashion. N.C. A&T went on a strike binge in Game 5 to clinch the title 256-219. Sophomores Mia Pope and Kayli Christ made the championship sweeter by closing out the fifth game with back-to-back strikes.

"We showed that the Aggies are a team to watch out for," said Boze, a four-year senior who would know.

Sunday's final will air on ESPNU via rebroadcast on Sunday, April 1 at 9 p.m.

Outstanding Performer
Ana Olaya, North Carolina A&T State

Outstanding Coach
Kim Kearney, North Carolina A&T State

All-Tournament Team
Elizabeth Burkholder, Delaware State
Brittany O’Connell, Maryland Eastern Shore
Jacqueline Rhoda, Maryland Eastern Shore
Brianna Boze, North Carolina A&T State
Ana Olaya, North Carolina A&T State

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Texas Southern Claims 2018 Bowling Title

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Southern claimed its first Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Bowling Championship in more than a decade after defeating Jackson State in the title match of the 2018 edition Sunday at the International Training and Research Center.

The best-of-seven championship match came down to the final frame as Texas Southern recorded a 190-189 victory in the deciding game to earn the conference title, 4-3, and an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship, which is taking place April 12-14 in St. Louis.

The championship match aired live on ESPN 3 and will re-air on ESPNU April 1 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

Texas Southern, which last captured the SWAC Championship title in 2006, entered the championship match in the enviable position of needing to win just one match to earn the title against No. 2 Jackson State in the double-elimination match-play bracket. Jackson State would’ve needed to defeat Texas Southern twice to claim victory.

The teams alternated wins through the first six games to setup the dramatic finale.

Texas Southern opened Game 7 with three consecutive strikes and held a 20-pin lead after five frames.

Jackson State countered with three consecutive strikes of their own in frames five, six and seven to tie the match, but Texas Southern held a one-pin lead after both teams traded opens in the eighth frame.

Both teams tossed strikes in the ninth, allowing Texas Southern to maintain its one-pin lead as they entered the 10th frame.

Jackson State stepped up first and 2018 SWAC Bowling All-Tournament team selection Marcella Sanchez left a 4-5 combination on her first offering. On her spare attempt, Sanchez’s spare ball clipped the 4 pin and just barely missed the 5 pin on the conversion attempt, leaving Jackson State with a final score of 189.

That left Texas Southern needing to fill nine pins in the final stanza to win, and the ball was in the hands of 2018 SWAC Bowling All-Tournament team member Samantha Kriner.

But, Kriner’s first delivery left the potential for disaster as she left the 3-6-7-10 split combination. Needing just three pins to secure victory she calmly took care of the 3-6-10 on the second offering for the 190-189 victory.

The Texas Southern team members are Shania Carr, Jessyca Driver, Kimari Jackson, Samantha Kriner, Summer Salak, Jessica Thoma, Brittany Torres and Denisyha Waller. The Lady Tigers are coached by Sabrina Rose. Torres was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.

Visit SWAC.org for complete tournament information, including photos and more.



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Nuggets win 8th straight; 8th victory vs. ranked team

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana got three-set victories from Mariia Borodii, Angela Charles-Alfred and Yi Chen Pao in a 7-2 victory Saturday against LSU-Alexandria. It was a matchup of ranked NAIA women's tennis teams.
     
The Gold Nuggets (11-7) have won eight straight and 10 of their last 11 dual matches. The victory was their eighth this season against a top-20 NAIA opponent. XULA is ranked fifth, and LSUA (6-4) is 11th.
     
Borodii defeated Alba Perry 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on the first singles court. Charles-Alfred beat Laia Charles 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 at No. 3, and Pao defeated Patricia Perez 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 at No. 5.
     
Farah Baklouti clinched with her 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 victory against Ariadna Cabezas on the fourth court.
     
Borodii is 11-0 in singles this season, and Charles-Alfred is 6-0. Both are freshmen.
     
Earning her ninth straight victory was Charlene Goreau at No. 2 with a 6-0, 6-2 decision against Miljana Milojevic. In her last eight singles matches — seven victories and one unfinished — Goreau has won 94-of-102 games. Eight of her completed 15 sets were by 6-0.

Results

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XULA produces 3 top-10s at Rice Victor Lopez Classic

HOUSTON — Xavier University of Louisiana earned three top-10 finishes but no new NAIA national qualifying marks in the Rice Victor Lopez Classic track and field meet Saturday.
     
The highlight was a fifth place from the women's 400-meter relay team of Martina Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley. Their time was 46.86 seconds — the Gold Nuggets' second fastest ever. It's the fourth time in as many meets that XULA has met the NAIA A-standard in this event.
     
The XULA relay team finished ahead of seven NCAA Division I teams. Last week the squad set a school record of 46.66 at the Louisiana Classics meet.
     
Tamia Scott was seventh in the women's javelin with a season-best 34.28 meters/112 feet, 5 inches. Edward Angel, already a national qualifier in the men's high jump, placed third in 2.07 meters/6 feet, 9 1/2 inches.
     
XULA will travel to Alabama Friday for the University of Mobile Invitational.

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Six assistants join Milstead on new DSU football coaching staff

HEAD COACH ROD MILSTEAD

DOVER, Delaware — The new Delaware State University football coaching staff is coming together.
Six new assistant coaches have joined first-year coach Rod Milstead’s staff this offseason — Eric Day, Mark James, Anthony Vitale, Keiki Misipeka, Ollie Taylor and Cordie Greenlea.

Day is a familiar face to Hornet fans.  He was the offensive coordinator under Al Lavan from 2004-2006. He returns to the staff in the same role and will also coach the quarterbacks.  During Day’s first tenure at Delaware State the Hornets went a combined 15-7 and were 11-4 in MEAC play.

James comes to Delaware State as the new defensive line coach. He was previously the head coach at Virginia Union but was let go at the end of the 2017 season. He also held the defensive line coach job at Virginia Union before he was named head coach.

Vitale was most recently the offensive line coach at Southwest Baptist University and will take over the same position at DelState. Vitale also was the offensive line coach at Linewood Univer-sity before taking the job at Southwest Baptist.

Misipeka is the new DSU running backs coach while Taylor will coach the wide receivers.  Misipeka comes to Delaware State from Garden City Community College, a junior college in Kansas. He was also the running backs coach there.

Taylor, a DSU alum and former football captain, was most recently the wide receiver coach at Saginaw Valley State. He had a previous stop at Seton Hill where he was the wide receiver coach and also coached the running backs at Widener.

Greenlea rounds out the new coaches as the linebackers coach. He is a longtime Delaware high school football head coach with stints at Delcastle, Brandywine and McKean.

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Texas Southern, Jackson State To Meet For 2018 Championship

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After two days of qualifying and match play at the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, Texas Southern and Jackson State have advanced to the final match and will bowl for the title Sunday.

The championship match will take place at the International Training and Research Center at 2 p.m. Eastern and will air live on ESPN3. The title match will re-air on ESPNU on April 1 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

This year’s SWAC champion receives an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship tournament that will take place April 12-14 in St. Louis.

Texas Southern, which entered Saturday's best-of-seven Baker double-elimination match-play bracket as the No. 1 seed, defeated defending champion Alabama State (4-1) and Jackson State (4-1) to end the day as the only undefeated team in the six-team field.

The Lady Tigers also were the top seed in 2017 but finished second to Alabama State. Texas Southern is looking to win the event for the fifth time, the last coming in 2006.

Jackson State will have to defeat Texas Southern twice in Sunday's final at the ITRC to claim their second championship in three years.

Jackson State, who received a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed after Friday's qualifying rounds, opened match play with a 4-2 victory over Prairie View A&M before falling to Texas Southern in the next round, 4-1.

From the elimination bracket, the Lady Tigers defeated Alabama State, 4-1, to advance to the championship round.

Friday's qualifying and Saturday's match-play rounds were live streamed on BOWL.com's BowlTV. You can watch the archives here and here.

Go to SWAC.org for complete tournament information, including the bracket, results, photos and more.

UAPB’s Ivory a top candidate for Southern job

HEAD COACH GEORGE IVORY

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- After a successful season, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions Head Basketball Coach George Ivory has drawn interest from another program.

A competitor that UAPB is highly familiar with, the Southern University Jaguars of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has reached out to Ivory and named him one of the top candidates for their head coaching vacancy.

Ivory is coming off of a season where the Golden Lions had their best start in SWAC history, and they were named 2018 SWAC regular season champions. The Golden Lions made a run all the way to the SWAC tournament title game, where they fell one win short of their second NCAA tournament berth under Ivory.

At this point, Ivory said he is weighing his options, and nothing is definite as far his future.

Southern Athletics Director Roman Bank and Ivory have an interview set up at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Bank directly indicated that Ivory isn’t the only candidate at this time, but he’s being highly considered.

Ivory has grown a passion for the Golden Lions, and right now he’s simply testing the waters.

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March For Our Lives Want Change!

2018 All-SWAC Bowling Honors Announced

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Lindsay Parades of Prairie View A&M was named bowler of the year as the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2018 All-SWAC bowling teams and individual awards on the first day of the SWAC Bowling Championship.

Parades led all bowlers in the conference with a 195.33 average in conference play in 27 games bowled. Parades also recorded the third highest score of any bowler in conference play with a 258. This is the second time that she has earned All-SWAC honors.

Alabama State freshman Alize Stevenson was named the Freshman of the Year. Stevenson led all freshman and was also third overall in the conference with a 186.63 average score per game in conference play.

Alabama State head coach Andrew Chatmon was named Coach of the Year. Chatmon led Alabama State to a regular se
ason championship with an 18-6 record in conference play.

Alabama State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern each earned the most All-SWAC bowlers with three each being named. Jackson State earned one All-SWAC honor.


The entire 2018 All-SWAC and individual award winners are below.

Coach of the Year

Andrew Chatmon - Alabama Sate

Bowler of the Year

Lindsay Paredes - Prairie View A&M

Freshman of the Year

Alize Stevenson - Alabama State

1st Team All-Conference

Lindsay Paredes - Prairie View A&M

Denisyha Waller - Texas Southern

Alize Stevenson - Alabama State

Haley Young - Alabama State

Samantha Kriner - Texas Southern

2nd Team All-Conference

Veronica Prior - Prairie View A&M

Alexes Burton - Prairie View A&M

Capri Howard - Jackson State

Brittany Torres - Texas Southern

Jessica Sawmiller - Alabama State

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NAIA All-America honorable mention for Davison, David

NEW ORLEANS — Virgil Davison and Jalen David, the top two scorers on Xavier University of Louisiana's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball co-champions, received honorable mention Thursday on the 2017-18 NAIA Division I All-America team.
     
It's the 10th time in 12 seasons that the NAIA All-America Committee recognized Gold Rush athletes in this sport.
     
Davison is a 5-foot-8 junior guard from Memphis, Tenn., and a former Hillcrest High School and Dyersburg State (Tenn.) Community College standout. He led the Gold Rush in 2017-18 in scoring (14.2 points per game), 3-pointers made (90) and 3-point field-goal accuracy (.423). Davison was second-team All-GCAC.     


David is a 6-4 senior guard/forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and a former Mount Vernon High School and Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College standout. He was XULA's No. 2 scorer (12.2) and rebounder (5.3). David was first-team All-GCAC.
     
All-time XULA has produced 18 athletes who accounted for one first-team All-America selection, four third-team selections and 17 honorable mentions.
     
XULA was 24-9 this season, finishing second in the GCAC Tournament. The Gold Rush shared the GCAC regular-season title with Dillard at 9-3, finished second in the GCAC Tournament and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the seventh time in eight years.

XULA NAIA Division I All-Americans
1971-72 — Bruce Seals (honorable mention), Donald "Slick" Watts (honorable mention)
1972-73 — Bruce Seals (first team)
1981-82 — Alvin "Bo" Dukes (third team)
1985-86 — Derrick Collins (honorable mention)
1987-88 — Juan Mercier (honorable mention)
1990-91 — Merlin Peters (honorable mention)
2000-01 — David Egans (honorable mention), Kermit Smith (honorable mention)
2004-05 — Timothy Green (honorable mention)
2006-07 — Shaun Dumas (third team)
2007-08 — Shaun Dumas (honorable mention)
2008-09 — Shaun Dumas (third team)
2010-11 — Devin Andrew (honorable mention)
2011-12 — Chris Iles (honorable mention)
2012-13 — Denzell Erves (third team), Wanto Joseph (honorable mention)
2013-14 — Sydney Coleman (honorable mention)
2014-15 — Morris Wright (honorable mention)
2015-16 — Morris Wright (honorable mention)
2017-18 — Jalen David (honorable mention), Virgil Davison (honorable mention))

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DI Wildcats win 5-4 to snap Gold Rush winning streak

NEW ORLEANS — Abilene Christian rallied with victories on the sixth and fourth singles courts Friday to defeat Xavier University of Louisiana 5-4 at XULA Tennis Center and snap the Gold Rush's six-dual-match win streak.

XULA (7-7), ranked second in the NAIA, got doubles and singles victories from freshman Shaikh Abdullah. Antoine Richard — the ITA/NAIA National Rookie of the Year last season — teamed with Abdullah in Richard's first competition in seven weeks.
     
"Overall I thought our team played pretty well," XULA coach Alan Green said. "I'm a little disappointed in the result because we had chances to win, but I am looking at this match long-term to take us into the rest of the NAIA season."
     
The Wildcats (13-9), an NCAA Division I and Southland Conference member, won their fourth straight. They tied the dual at 4 when Hunter Holman defeated Chris Anders 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles. Henry Adams clinched at No. 4 when he beat Gabriel Niculescu 7-6 (7-0), 6-4.
     
XULA led 3-2 on all three doubles courts and took a 2-0 lead in the dual when Niculescu and Samir Chikhaoui defeated Brad Gleason and Adams, then Abdullah and Richard defeated Josh Sheehy and Paul Domanski. Both scores were 8-5.
     
XULA got singles victories from Abdullah, who defeated Niko Moceanu 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3, and Pierre Andrieu, who beat Domanski 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5.
     
The Gold Rush will play twice next week in Florida — against NCAA Division II No. 10 Embry-Riddle on Monday and NAIA No. 3 Keiser on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Gold Nuggets will be home Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. dual against LSU-Alexandria and a matchup of the NAIA's No. 5 and 11 teams. Green said late Friday that the XULA-LSUA start time was pushed back 90 minutes.

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Five from XULA receive GCAC weekly awards

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's record-setting women's 400-meter relay team of Martina Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley and men's horizontal jumper Brandon Matthews are Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week recipients in track and field for March 12-18.
     
Latting, Milton, Riggs and Riley combined for a school-record 46.66 seconds Saturday in a fourth-place finish at the Louisiana Classics meet at Lafayette. It was the third time in as many meets this season that the Gold Nuggets produced an A-qualifying mark for the NAIA National Championships in this event.
     
Latting and Milton are juniors from Opelousas, La., and graduates of Westminster Christian Academy. Riggs is a sophomore from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and a graduate of Choctawhatchee High School. Riley is a sophomore from New Orleans and a graduate of Lusher Charter School.
     
Matthews, a freshman from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of The Church Academy, placed third in the triple jump with an NAIA B-qualifying mark of 14.31 meters/46 feet, 11 1/2 inches. He also long-jumped 6.26 meters (20-6 1/2).
     
The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will compete in Houston Friday and Saturday at the Rice Victor Lopez Classic.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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2018 NFL Draft: 15 FCS defensive prospects to watch

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina – With about 150 former FCS players on NFL rosters annually, teams are looking closer than ever at the quality across the subdivision.

And they’re liking what they see.

The FCS has averaged about 18 selections per draft over the last decade, with dozens more signing as undrafted free agents. South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard leads the way among the defensive prospects this year.

Darius Leonard, OLB, South Carolina State, 6-2, 234 (third-fourth)

Leonard’s instinctive feel for the game reflects in his school-record 394 tackles, including a career-high 19 in a 2016 game against Clemson, the eventual FBS champ. … The two-time MEAC defensive player of the year didn’t stop there as he racked up a game-high 14 tackles at the Senior Bowl in January. … Has an NFL frame with athletic range. Noted for workmanlike characteristics. … Named to the 2017 STATS FCS All-America first team, up from the second team as a junior.

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Dixon out as Jackson State women's basketball coach

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State will not renew the contract of women's basketball coach Surina Dixon. JSU President William Bynum said he met with both Dixon and her team Thursday morning regarding the university's decision.

Dixon will receive her full pay and benefits until her contract expires in June, but Bynum said he went public with his decision Thursday so he can start the coaching search immediately.

"The job will be advertised next week," Bynum said. "Our goal is to move quickly and have a new coach in place by April 15."

JSU went 82-93 overall and 55-53 in SWAC play in six seasons under Dixon's leadership. The Lady Tigers got off to another hot start for the second year in a row this past season, going 10-6 overall and 3-0 to start the SWAC slate, but faltered down the stretch and finished an underwhelming 15-13 overall and 10-8 in the SWAC.

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Enthusiasm 'really high' as FAMU Rattlers open practice

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Wednesday was another important step in a process that Terry Jefferson believes the Florida A&M Rattlers must master to regain their relevance in MEAC football.

FAMU opened spring practice under new head coach Willie Simmons, and the early-morning session - it started at 6 a.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium - represented a new mindset for a program that last embraced a winning record in 2011.



"I liked the energy we came out with today (Wednesday)," said Jefferson, a redshirt junior defensive back who had 51 tackles and a team-best three interceptions last season.

"We were very competitive. We are out here competing and working. It feels like a new beginning. We all get a fresh start. We are trusting the process.

"At this stage... we have to master this phase of the game."

Simmons, hired last December to replace Alex Wood, and his staff are installing new systems offensively (spread) and defensively (4-2-5).

He has stressed accountability, discipline and trust, on and off the field.

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Tuskegee University assistant coach arrested on federal drug trafficking, gun charges

RUSSELL COUNTY, Alabama -- An assistant football coach at Tuskegee University was arrested Wednesday on federal drug and gun charges.

Ramone Jardon Nickerson, 33, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one charge of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, said Middle District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin Sr.

Nickerson, who also played at Tuskegee, is accused of selling cocaine and marijuana in the Tuskegee area. Nickerson was indicted by a federal grand jury after being found with approximately 3 ounces of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, and a .40 caliber handgun on March 13, 2018 in Russell County, Franklin said.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Gulf Coast H.I.D.T.A., Montgomery Police Department, Autauga County Sheriff's Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Alabama Attorney General's Office, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Prattville Police Department, and Russell County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ben Baxley is prosecuting the case.

No additional details were released.

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Livingstone College Release 2018 Football Schedule

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Livingstone College Department of Athletics has released its 2018 football schedule. Livingstone will play 10 games during the 2018 season, seven on the road and three at home. The schedule features three non-conference games.

The Blue Bears kick off the 2018 season on the road on August 30, in the first of three straight non-conference games.  Livingstone will roam in Pikeville, Kentucky, to take on the Bears of the University of Pikeville on Thursday night for a 7 p.m., kickoff.  This is the first time these two schools have met.  "UPIKE" is a member of the Mid-South Conference.

The following week, Livingstone will travel to Jackson, Tennessee to face the Dragons of Lane College of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Sept. 8.

The final non-conference game of the Blue Bears' away contests will be against Hornets of Allen University.   Allen University dropped its football program in 2006, revamped its program in January 2018. This game is scheduled for Sept. 15.

Livingstone, which went 0-10 overall and 0-7 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association last year, will open CIAA play and its first home game in Salisbury, North Carolina, in a CIAA cross-over game on September 22, in Alumni Memorial Stadium taking on the Lions of Lincoln University (PA), in its annual West End Classic.

The Blue Bears will hit the road again to Richmond, Virginia on September 29, to take on the Panthers of Virginia Union University in its second CIAA cross-over game of the season.

The Blue Bears will return home to celebrate "Homecoming", on Oct. 6 and will face off against the Falcons of Saint Augustine's University and to close out the its 2018 home season the Blue Bears will host Shaw University for Senior Day, Oct. 13. Game times have yet to be released.

Livingstone's will be on the road for three straight CIAA southern division conference games, and will be on a "homecoming tour" for two of the opponents. First, LC will visit Winston-Salem State University on Oct. 20, and then back on the bus to Fayetteville State University on Oct. 27 to take on the Broncos.
 
To close out the 2018 gridiron season on Nov. 3 the Blue Bears visit arch-rival Johnson C. Smith University. Dubbed as The Commemorative Classic, Livingstone and JCSU became the first two black college football teams to play an organized game when they met on Livingstone's front lawn on Dec. 27, 1892. 
 
On Nov. 10, the CIAA Southern and Northern division winners will compete for the league title. The time and location for the game will be determined by conference officials.
 
Locations are subject to change and game time will be announced at a later date.
 
Date Opponent Location Time
Aug. 30 Pikeville Pikeville, KY 7pm
Sept. 8 Allen University, Columbia, SC TBA
Sept. 15 Lane College, Jackson, TN TBA
Sept. 22 Lincoln (Pa.) (West End Classic) Salisbury, NC TBA
Sept. 29 Virginia Union Richmond, VA TBA
Oct. 6 Saint Augustine's (Homecoming) Salisbury, NC TBA
Oct. 13 Shaw Salisbury, NC TBA
Oct. 20 Winston-Salem State Winston-Salem, NC TBA
Oct. 27 Fayetteville State Fayetteville, NC TBA
Nov. 3 Johnson C. Smith(Commemorative Classic) Charlotte, NC TBA
Nov. 10 CIAA Championships Durham, NC TBA