UMES Announces 2011 Recruiting Class

Hawks adds four transfers, five freshmen to four-time defending MEAC Northern Division champion

Princess Anne, MD - UMES head volleyball coach Don Metil has announced the addition of nine players for the 2011 season, joining five returners from last year after the Hawks won the MEAC Northern Division for the fourth time in a row.

"UMES will definitely have a different look on the court this upcoming season," says Metil, "we will need our recruiting class to make an immediate impact due to the loss of Samantha Chukwura and Stephanie Sierra."

Four players join the Hawks with collegiate experience plus five freshmen will suit up at the college level for the first time.

Coming from Indiana State University, Auriel Armstrong (Long Beach, Calif.) transfers to UMES with two years of eligibility remaining. With the Sycamores, the 6-2 middle blocker played in 31 matches in 2010, leading the team in solo blocks with 14 and finishing with 69 total. She also notched 177 kills with a hitting percentage of .224 plus 22 aces and 95 digs.

"I saw Auriel play in 2009 for MLB out of California and wanted her to join us then. Now that she's decided to finish her career with us, she'll make an immediate impact with her athleticism, ability to play back-row, aggressive serve, and her setting ability."

Also providing a boost at the middle blocker position, Ndidi Ibe (North Richland, Texas) joins UMES after two years with the United States Naval Academy. The 6-0 junior started 25 matches last season with 28 appearances overall, leading the Mids and ranking third in the Patriot League in total blocks with 96, also adding 174 kills. Last year, UMES defeated Navy 3-2 during the Kristen Dickmann Memorial Tournament in Annapolis, with Ibe notching 14 kills and eight blocks against the Hawks.

"When we played Navy in 2010, Ndidi hurt us offensively, so when the opportunity became available that she could join us, I definitely wanted her to be playing for us, and not against us."

Corey Haynes (Falls Church, Va.) will look to boost the setter position, coming in with junior standing after two years at St. Peter's College. She is the tallest setter to play for Coach Metil at UMES, standing at 6-3. Hayes played in all 31 matches for the Peahens in 2010, starting 29 of them, leading the squad with 436 assists. She contributed in a variety of ways, including offensively with 160 kills and 18 aces and defensively with 72 blocks and 218 digs.

"Corey touches a great ball and has the height we have needed in this position for a long time. She has experience running 5-1 as well as 6-2 which will give us some flexibility in our offensive systems we plan on using."

Rounding out the transfers is Raquel Rogers (Baltimore, Md.), the lone representative from the state of Maryland. Coming from CCBC-Essex, the 5-9 Rogers will contribute as an outside hitter. For the Knights in 2009, Rogers contributed 186 kills and dug out 171.

"Raquel has worked hard to become a part of the Hawk program, and we look for her to contribute on the right and left sides."

Saitaua Iosia (Long Beach, Calif.) will join the Hawks as a freshman, coming from the same high school as Zoe Bowens, Long Beach Poly. The 5-10 hitter led the Jackrabbits, ranked as high as #3 in the nation, to the state finals, averaging 12 kills and digs a match and will help bolster the outside.

"Sa has played club ball for MLB and TCA as well as for a highly success high school team and brings international experience, too. She jumps well, hits a very heavy ball, plays all the way around, and is a true leader. Sa has the skill set and drive to be one of the best athletes to come through our program here at UMES."

Also hailing from California, Victoria Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.) will play her first season for UMES. The tallest outside hitter on the team at 6-3, the left-handed Williams, who also played for TCA, will contribute primarily from the right side and is in her second year in Princess Anne.

"Tori trained off the court during the 2010 campaign and made huge gains. She is long, lean, left-handed, powerful, jumps well over 10' and is an incredible blocker. She could potentially develop into a key six-rotational player."

Finishing out the freshman outside hitters, Emily Shannon (Cross Junction, Va.) joins the maroon and grey standing six feet tall. She was the first player in James Wood High School history to record 1,000 kills, getting 344 her final season, and was named to the 2010 Winchester Star All-Area Volleyball Team.

"Emily jumps well, hits a heavy ball, is a primary S/R passer, and a six rotational player. Emily is level-headed on the court and will give us some consistency on the outside. She also has experience in the middle which gives us the flexibility to do some creative plays offensively."

With the final freshmen of the class, the Hawks bring in two international players to boost the team's strengths.

Hailing from America's neighbor up north, Jessie Vicic (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada) arrives in Princess Anne after playing for the Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, leading the Trojans to league championships all four seasons plus earning First Team All-Star status in Central Ontario. At 5-9, Vicic was the primary setter for the KW Predators in Ontario.

"Jessie has the drive, determination, ability and knowledge to run our offense. She has been trained by some well-known, respected individuals of the game, and her experience, even though a freshman, will prove invaluable to our success."

The final player of the class is Nadja Nemeth (Bettlach, Switzerland), becoming the second European player to suit up for Coach Metil, the other being Karin Vikterlof from Sweden in 2009. The 5-9 Nemeth, coming from Kantonsschule Solothurn, will serve as a utility player for the Hawks. She played in the Swiss Junior Championships, where her teams took first place three times.

"Nadja has played at a very high international level and has great S/R passing, is defensively quick, and shows great range when attacking. Nadja will be an integral part of our team play and will swing from both pins."

With these nine newcomers joining a team that went 20-12 last season and won the MEAC Northern Division, the future looks bright for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

"I'm eager to see the growth in this young squad," says Metil, "This team has the potential to achieve some of the best results since my time here at UMES."

By UMES Sports Information

VISIT: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
VISIT: UMESHAWKS

With development coming on all sides, Howard University takes a look inward

Washington, D.C. - Howard University sits in the midst of one of the country’s best real estate markets, and there are signs all around it.

A few blocks to the west, a 184-unit building, View 14, recently sold for $104 million, or $670 per square foot, maybe the highest ever for a Washington apartment building.

A few blocks to the south, atop the Metro station that bears the university’s name, the mixed-use “Progression Place” is under construction, which will add another new 205 apartments and a new headquarters for the United Negro College Fund.

While the neighborhood around it has seen an incredible growth of new housing and retail in the past 20 years, Howard has allowed large swaths of property its owns in the Cardozo-Shaw neighborhood north of U Street Northwest to be used as surface parking lots or to languish vacant.

Meanwhile Howard residence halls are currently able to house just 45 percent of the school’s students, compared with 60 to 70 percent at competing schools. Of the students who do live on campus, about three-quarters live in buildings that are at least 50 years old.

READ MORE

New Howard University Campus Plan Finalized

While campus plans for American and Georgetown Universities -- the latter of which is apparently considering expanding into Northern Virginia to circumvent the wrath of its Advisory Neighborhood Commission -- Howard University's plans are rolling along. The University officially released its finalized decennial Campus Master Plan to the public on July 12, 2011.

The plan has been under development since 2009. (Neighborhood blog Left for LeDroit has a fine repository of information on the several drafts that have been produced since that time.) Among the key features of the plan are the closure of several alleys, the construction of new residence halls and the renovation of several buildings around the campus. A minority of Howard's student population lives on campus -- the overarching goal of the plan is to attempt to pull more students closer to the University's core, enrich Georgia Avenue's commercial potential and increase transportation options -- including Bikeshare -- inside the campus.

You can read an entire copy of the plan below; all of the maps in the final plan can be viewed here.

Pigskin Preview: Fort Valley State Wildcats

Fort Valley, GA - Depending on how you look at the 2010 season, Fort Valley State Wildcat fans and players alike debate on whether their 8-3 finish was successful or disappointing. After going 8-1 before the season ending SIAC championship game with Albany State, the Cats dropped two straight to end the season while losing their starting quarterback to off the field trouble in the process.

"We just fell short," says head coach Don Pittman. "We felt like we just lost our momentum. We were disappointed that we didnt make the playoff and we lost in the Pioneer bowl because of that I think that was the main reason."



READ MORE

Paine College Baseball Marshall(s) In New Era

Head Baseball Coach Kirby Marshall

Augusta, GA - Melvin Le’Kerby Marshall (Kerby) joins the Paine College baseball staff as head coach, Director of Athletics, Tim Duncan announced. Marshall comes to the program from Edward Waters College, in Jacksonville, Florida where he was head coach for six years.

“We are excited to add a proven winner to lead the Paine College baseball program”, stated Director of Athletics, Tim Duncan. “Coach Marshall has a demonstrated track record of success and that was one of several factors that led to the decision to hire him as the leader of the Paine College baseball program.

“During the interview process, he impressed the committee with his preparedness, his vision for the program and his passion for the academic success of the young men he coaches. We are fortunate to add a coach of his caliber to Paine College.”

“I am truly honored and excited to be a part of the Paine College family as the new head baseball coach,” states Marshall. “It is my goal to continue to build upon and strengthen the foundation of academic excellence, athletics, and community service already in place here.”

During his tenure at Edward Waters, from 2005-2011, Coach Marshall led his team to four consecutive 20 plus win seasons, two 35 plus win seasons and a trip to the NAIA championships in 2011. Last season, Marshall’s team finished the season with a 37-24 overall record and recorded the first postseason trip in the history of Edward Waters College Baseball. Coach Marshall was named NAIA unaffiliated conference Coach of the Year, and received the number one ranking in Black College for NAIA and Division II baseball. Also under his tutelage at Edward Waters College, Coach Marshall helped produce the school’s first player selected for the Major League Draft (Charles Thomas/Chicago Cubs-2009). In 2008, Coach Marshall’s team set the school record of 35 wins and received their first national ranking in NAIA Top 25 poll. Coach Marshall has also spent time working as an assistant area scout for the Florida Marlins.

The Jacksonville, Florida native is a graduate of Englewood High School, where he was a three-sport letterman, and received a double scholarship to play basketball and baseball at Shaw University, in Raleigh, NC, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management in 1992. As a student athlete, Marshall earned baseball MVP honors in his junior and senior seasons, and was also named to the All-CIAA conference honorable mention team.

Coach Marshall’s coaching career began at Ribault Middle School, where he coached baseball and basketball for a year, and then moved to the high school level, where he coached baseball from 1998-2005. While at Ribault, he was instrumental in teaching the game of baseball to inner city youth, who were not exposed to the sport. He coached his middle school basketball team to a 12-0 record championship, and his baseball team finished the season with a 13-2 overall record. Once coach Marshall transitioned to high school, several of his players received baseball scholarships to Alcorn State University, Shaw University, and Lake City Community College.

“We are extremely fortunate to retain the services of Assistant Coach Kenny Bellamy. Coach Bellamy did an outstanding job as interim head Coach. We think with the addition of Coach Marshall and the retention of Coach Bellamy, Paine College has the finest baseball staff in the SIAC and we look forward to competing for championships in the near future”, states Duncan.

“Our goal will be to produce a team and individuals who are competing at the highest level.” Marshall states. “I want to express my gratitude to Edward Waters College for giving me the opportunity to become a head coach and to Paine College for the opportunity to take the reins of this program and guide them in the future.”

Coach Marshall will officially begin August 1.

by Paine College Athletics

VISIT:  PAINE COLLEGE

VISIT:  PAINEATHLETICS

Florida A&M Grad Hits Golf Ball 457 Yards!

Tallahassee, FL - On a good day, the weekend golfer can hit a drive somewhere north of 250 yards. If you really get into one, you can go 300 yards. Maurice Allen doesn't even play golf that much--and he can almost double what you or I can do...so how in the world does he hit the ball over four football fields long?

Maurice Allen can flat out hit a golf ball. He's a big, strong guy, but what he can do on the range is ridiculous With a swing like this, you'd think he's had years of practice -- "I started 12 months and two weeks ago," said Maurice Allen.



Allen is a long drive hitting phenom. For years, he laughed at those who golfed because it just wasn't cool. But what is cool is how far he can hit a golf ball. His longest is 457 yards but it went out of bounds--the average PGA tour player goes about 320-350 on a good day.

READ MORE

Norfolk State University welcomes new president

NORFOLK, Va. - On July 1, Norfolk State University (NSU) welcomed its fifth president, Dr. Tony Atwater. Atwater says he wants to expand and strengthen programs at the university, but says his main focus is the students.

"We're about achieving dreams and helping students to achieve success beyond measure," said Atwater. One of those dreams is expanding graduate and professional programs at the university. Atwater continued, "At the forefront of my vision for Norfolk State University is serving the student and the faculty and helping the institution develop to go to the next level. Academic success and academic strength."

Atwater is very familiar with leading a campus community having most recently served as...



READ MORE

ASU generates $901 million a year for state, study says

Montgomery, AL - Alabama State University generates $901 million and 10,500 jobs for the state each year, ac­cording to a report commissioned by the school.

Officials said the study is part of a broader push to remind the local business community of the school's growth and development over the past several years. ASU leaders hope to drum up support as they cope with state funding cuts and mull another possible tui­tion increase.

"We want this business com­munity in this region to recognize the importance of Alabama State and invest in it, and support it," said John Knight, a state repre­sentative and Alabama State's ex­ecutive vice president and chief operating officer.

The report, done by the Wash­ington Economics Group, based in Coral Gables, Fla., found the school generates $885 million for the River Region, including 9,714 jobs and $111 million in state and local taxes. University operations create an economic impact of $341 mil­lion, according to the study, and support 3,931 jobs.

READ MORE

LINKS:
ASU Economic Impact Press Conference, July 8, 2011
Click to view virtual fly-over of new ASU Football Stadium
The Week in Pictures at ASU
June 26-July 2, 2011