TSU Softball to Host Tiger Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - - Tennessee State softball will host five teams in the Tiger Classic Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17. Ohio State, Mercer, Saint Bonaventure, Mississippi Valley State and Belmont will all participate in the three day event. TSU opens on Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. against Big Ten opponent, Ohio State.

The match-up between the Tigers and the Buckeyes is the second, and final, game of the first day. St. Bonaventure and Belmont will start the tournament at 5 p.m. Friday evening. Day two will feature six games, including TSU versus St. Bonaventure at 1:30 p.m. and, in the last game of the day, the Tigers against MVSU at 8:15 p.m. The final day of the classic boasts four games, with the Big Blue and Mercer closing out play at 3:45 p.m.

Get full schedule and updates on the Tiger Classic Central page at tsutigers.com.

Ohio State (11-8)
2011 Record: 14-37
Conference: Big Ten
2011 Finish: 3-17
Series Record: 0-1
Last Time Played: 2001, Lost 13-0
Last Win: NA

Shortstop Alicia Herron leads the Buckeyes at the plate hitting .420 (21-for-50) with three doubles, four triples and six home runs. The senior has reached 12 times by walk, scored 17 times and has driven in 21 runs. Four other Buckeye hitters are above .300, helping set the team average of .290. In the circle, Mikayla Endicott has posted team highs at 7-6, a 1.86 ERA, two shutouts, one save, 82.2 innings pitched and 86 strike outs. Melanie Nichols is 4-2 with a 4.47 ERA.

Saint Bonaventure (8-8)
2011 Record: 13-20
Conference: Atlantic-10
2011 Finish: 8-12
Series Record: 1-0
Last Time Played: 2009, Won 2-1
Last Win: 2009, 2-1

Snider and Rohan pace the Bonnies offensively. Snider tops the stat page at .356 with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. She is second on the team with eight runs scored and seven RBI. Rohan is 15-for-44 for a .341 average and leads the speed attack with nine of the Bonnies 15 total stolen bases. Phalon and Sansano share 97% of the pitching duties. Phalon is 4-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 51.2 innings of work. Sansano has hurled 46.2 innings and is 4-3 with a save and sports a 3.15 ERA. Both pychers have fanned 29 batters this season.

Mississippi Valley State (11-12)
2011 Record: 26-25
Conference: SWAC
2011 Finish: 15-2
Series Record: 1-1
Last Time Played: 2004, Won 2-1
Last Win: 2004, 2-1

Junior pitcher Kimberly Spivey leads MVSU in the circle and is a two-time SWAC Pitcher of the Year. Last season, Spivey finished 14-16 with an ERA of 4.49. She had four shutouts with 175 strikeouts. The Devilettes' also rely on infielder Alexandria Robertson, Nicole Burr, Diana Parade and Ashley Hobbs to drive the offense.

Mercer (12-13)
2011 Record: 32-24
Conference: Atlantic Sun
2011 Finish: 10-10
Series Record: 1-4
Last Time Played: 2011, Lost 1-6
Last Win: 1995, 4-3

McKenzie Woody sets the table for Mercer with a .425 average, 14 stolen bases and crossing home plate 20 times. The Bears are averaging just over five runs a game and boasts a lineup with six players with either double-digit runs scored or double digit runs batted in. Jessica Holsinger tops the Mercer pitching staff at 6-2 with a 2.24 ERA. She is holding opponents to a .200 batting average, while striking out 54 in 65.2 innings.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SU Athletics Committee unanimously approves Broussard as A.D.

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - After nearly eleven months without an athletics director, the Athletics Committee of the Southern University Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Dr. William Broussard as Southern's future director of athletics during a special session Thursday on the Baton Rouge campus.

Before Broussard's appointment becomes official, a final vote of the board is pending and will be conducted at a March 30 meeting in Shreveport, La. The former Northwestern State student-athlete was presented to the athletics committee at the recommendation of SUBR Chancellor Dr. James Llorens.



"I'm thrilled about the opportunity (to serve as Athletics Director at Southern)," said Broussard.

"I am incredibly encouraged by the (Board of Supervisors) support today. Obviously, to be approved by the committee unanimously is a tremendous show of support. I am really excited about the opportunity to come down to Baton Rouge and Southern University and to get to work."

Highly regarded as a visionary with superb fundraising capabilities, Dr. William Broussard delivers a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new post as Southern University's Director of Athletics.

Broussard's versatility is derived from a variety of administrative, athletic, and academic experiences garnered throughout his career and will be instrumental in his supervision of five men's and eight women's Division I programs at Southern.

"Similar to a new athletic director coming in, even if (a school) has been without an athletic director for a month, I am a new person," said Broussard.

"I am going to need to cultivate relationships, learn about the student-athletes who are here, the coaches who are here and their concerns, spend some time reviewing policies and procedure and ensuring that those are properly lined up so that the program performs adequately and excellently."

Broussard, 33, recently served as athletics director at Centenary College in Shreveport and cited NCAA rules compliance, academic performance and "institutional advancement" as areas he deemed vital to the success of the athletics department during his tenure.

But Broussard acknowledged that his accessibility will be a critical component as well.

"(The alumni base) needs to get to know me as well," said Broussard. "It's going to be a lot of time spent relationship building, making myself accessible. Probably will be a lot of time on the road visiting people but that's one of the best parts."

According to Broussard's bio, he is a 2000 graduate of the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University and earned a master's and doctorate in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of the English Language in 2007 from the University of Arizona. While in graduate school, he served as an undergraduate instructor, research supervisor, and held positions in athletics and student life. He also gained academic experienced as a faculty member at Pima Community College in Tuscon.

Originally from Crowley, Broussard returned to his home state and alma mater to serve as Associate Athletic Director for External Relations as well as the Executive Director of the NSU Athletic Association.

In these roles, he oversaw all areas of athletic fundraising and external relations, breaking university records for attainment, annual fund, and corporate sponsorships. He garnered the largest gifts in the history of the department as well as the university as a whole. In addition, he worked closely with several sports, managing football game operations and coordinating schedules and contracts. He also served as the department's ambassador at campus events and on a wide variety of committees and working groups.

Concurrently with his work in the athletic department, Broussard worked closely with students on an academic level. He served as an assistant professor first in the journalism department and later in the language and communication department, teaching several traditional and online courses. In this role, he volunteered as a faculty advisory for the National Association of Black Journalists as well as NSU's Student Alumni Association.

Broussard has also been an active leader in the community. He has served on the Executive Board of the Boys and Girls Club and is a past president of the Natchitoches Lions Club. He also represented the NSU Athletic Department at regional and national conferences and the Southland Conference at the National Association of Athletic Development Directors conference.

As an undergraduate, Broussard was a varsity letter winner for NSU's Division I football team from 1997-2000. A two-time All-American center, Broussard was a member of the All-Conference, All-Louisiana, All-District teams and received several notable awards for his success both in the classroom and on the playing field.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Nicholls State defeats Gold Rush 5-4, Gold Nuggets 9-0

NEW ORLEANS — Shayann Vaezzadeh defeated Viktor Svoboda 6-2, 7-5 at No. 3 singles Wednesday to clinch Nicholls State's 5-4 men's tennis victory against NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.

Nicholls defeated Xavier 9-0 in the women's dual.

The Gold Rush (9-3) got singles victories from Zach Taylor, Steffen Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson, but Taylor and Giles-Osborn won after the Colonels (6-6) clinched. Taylor and Loic Didavi saved three match points to defeat Sidharth Sivakumar and Palash Tiwari 9-8 (8-6) at No. 1 doubles.

Nicholls won each of the other two doubles matches by the minimum two games. Damjan Despotovski and Roy Knight rallied from a 7-6 deficit to defeat Svoboda and Corey Huggins 9-7 at No. 3.

"Today was a good loss, if there's such a thing, for our men," XU coach Alan Green said. "Our guys played extremely hard and almost came away with a win against a Division I (NCAA) opponent that's been ranked in the top 75 this season.

"I was proud of the effort, especially after a long week when we played six times in seven days."

It was the second consecutive 5-4 loss for the Gold Rush since a nine-dual win streak, the program's longest since the start of the 2001-02 season. It also was the XU men's first home loss of the season.

The Gold Nuggets (2-13) did not win a set and lost their fourth in a row. Former XU recruit Parija Maloo, a junior at Nicholls (4-7), defeated the Nuggets' Kourtney Howell 7-5, 6-4 at No. 1 singles and snapped Howell's five-match win streak. Marie Aubert defeated Amanda Materre 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 to end Materre's seven-match win streak and extend Aubert's streak to nine.

"Nicholls' women are pretty good from top to bottom," Green said. "We were overmatched. However, I did think Kourtney played pretty well against Maloo."

Both Xavier teams will play Saturday at City Park. The Gold Nuggets will play Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m., and both teams will meet city rival Loyola at 5 p.m.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Howard Lady Bison Drop 59-56 Overtime Decision to UVA in WNIT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia – The Howard women's basketball team dropped a 59-56 decision to the University of Virginia in first round action of the WNIT. The Lady Bison will end the 2011-12 campaign with a 24-9 mark – tying the program's record for most wins in a single season. The game also marks the first post-season bid for HU since 2001.

Saadia Doyle tallied her 15th double-double of the season with 16 points and a season-best 14 rebounds in 45 minutes of action. Tamoria Holmes tallied her 31st consecutive double-digit performance with 17 points. Kara Smith chipped in with eight points, while Cheyenne Curley-Payne recorded seven.

The first half was a tightly contested affair as both teams struggled offensively. HU gained a slim 13-12 advantage at the 7:03 mark off a Smith shot from behind the arc. UVA went on an 8-3 run the close the period for a 21-16 margin at the half – the largest deficit for either team.

In the second period, the Cavs were leading 34-26 at the 13:05 mark, before a Holmes triple ignited a 13-4 run over a six-plus span to take a 39-38 lead with just under seven minutes remaining. From there, both team exchanged baskets. A free throw by the Cavs Lexie Gerson tied it at 50-50 with 20 seconds on the clock. The Lady Bison had three opportunities within the last six seconds of regulation to win the contest, but was unable to convert on those attempts.

In the extra period, Zykia Brown hit a three-pointer at the four minute mark to open up scoring for a slim 53-50 edge. UVA took the lead with two consecutive baskets for a 54-53 score at 2:35. The Cavaliers pushed the lead to four, 57-53, but a Holmes three cut it down to one with just over a minute left. Two at the stripe by Gerson put UVA back up by three. Holmes shot a three as time expired, but it missed as Virginia gave the Lady Bison their ninth loss of the season.

Both teams struggled from the field as the Lady Bison were held to 29 percent shooting (20-for-29), and the Cavs a 33.3 clip (19-for-57). HU scored 13 points off 12 Cavalier miscues. Howard also won the battle of the boards 52-44.

For UVA, Gerson recorded 18 points. Ariana Moorer and Ataira Franklin tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively.

BOX SCORE

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information
VISIT: HOWARD-BISON.COM
VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY

TSU Football Opens Spring Practice Friday

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Anticipation for the new season is in full swing as the Tennessee State University football team opens up spring practice on Friday, March 16.

Coach Rod Reed and his staff conduct their third year of spring practice this Friday and participate in drills until the annual Blue and White Game on Saturday, April 14. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Last season, the Tigers finished the season 5-6 overall and 4-4 overall - placing fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference, which was three spots higher than the projected eighth place in the preseason.

The Tigers return a lot of offensive weapons including OVC Freshman of the Year Michael German. The quarterback completed 140 passes for 1,899 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

Tailback Trabis Ward returns as the leading rusher, notching 978 yards and 11 TDs.

Defensively, the Tigers are looking to fill gaps to replace OVC Defensive Player of the Year Rico Council along with HBCU All-American Joseph Wylie.

Daniel Fitzpatrick returns as the Tigers' leading tackler, grabbing 69 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss in 11 contests last season. Defensive end Antonio Harper returns with a team-best 9.0 TFLs and 6.5 sacks.

For special teams, Jamin Godfrey is expected to make extensive strides as the team's placekicker. The junior was 37-of-39 in point after attempts, while making 16 field goals.

On Friday, April 13, TSU alum Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie hosts his annual celebrity basketball tournament. In conjunction with TSU's Centennial Celebration, the Tigers close out spring practice with the annual Blue & White game at Hale Stadium affectionately known as 'The Hole.' All the practice sessions are open to the public.

Weekly Football Practice Schedule:
Friday, March 16 - 4 p.m.
Monday, March 19 - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21 - 4 p.m.
* - Only first three practices are listed. Other dates/times will be posted later at TSUTigers.com.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Track & Field Turns Focus to Morehouse Relays

NASHVILE, Tennessee - The Tennessee State men's and women's track & field teams compete in the 41st annual Morehouse Relays on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 at B.T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta.

The Tigerbelles and Flying Tigers are coming off 15 podium finishes at the 62nd annual Florida A&M Relays. This weekend, TSU competes against several HBCUs including Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M and Tuskegee.

The Tigers compete in the men's Steeplechase on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (CT). The field events kick off Saturday at 8 a.m. (CT) with the men's javelin, while the running events also start at 9 a.m. with the 10,000-meter run. The running events continue on a rolling schedule with the college field events concluding around 2 p.m. (CT).

Two Flying Tigers are ranked nationally after the first weekend of outdoor meets. Sophomore Royce Dates' mark of 7.22m (23-8 ¼) in the long jump is good for fifth nationally. Arthur Combest's time of14.72 in the 110-meter hurdles is 12th best as of this week.

For the Tigerbelles, there are three athletes with top-30 marks. Ashontae Jackson is 21st in the long jump (18-2 ½, 5.55m) and 23rd in the 100m dash (12.15).

Junior Gabrielle Todd has the 25th best time in the 400-meter dash (57.16) and the 30th national mark in the high jump (5-3 ¼, 1.61m). In the triple jump, Ja'Lyn Burr's leap of 11.43m (37-6) is rated as 18th in the NCAA.

The women's 4x400-meter relay team of Breanna Adams, Jackson, Kya Riley and Todd ranks 13th with a time of 3:51.72.

Results of this weekend's meet will be available online at TSUTigers.com after the conclusion of the meet.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

LSU-Shreveport blocks Xavier's path at NAIA tournament

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Derrick Parker, the NAIA Division I leader in blocked shots, rejected Jamaan Kenner's 3-point attempt with five seconds remaining Thursday to preserve LSU-Shreveport's 66-63 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship.

The Pilots (26-7), ranked 12th, advanced to a 12:30 p.m. Friday game against fifth-ranked Southern Poly, a 66-60 winner against Cumberlands. The Gold Rush, ranked 21st and in the tournament for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in eight seasons, finished 23-9.

Xavier missed four field goals on the same possession in the final 17 seconds, including two blocked 3-pointers, to cap a roller-coaster game in which the Gold Rush led 10-1 through six minutes, trailed 36-25 at halftime, rallied for a 47-42 lead with 9:52 remaining, then lost the lead for good in the 33rd minute.

Greg Shyne scored 18 points, Parker 13, Cody Walker 12 and Mark Politte 11 for LSUS, which won its seventh in a row and for the 18th time in 19 games. Parker, a first-team NAIA All-American two years ago, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked six shots.

Isiah Bazile, who had eight points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, blocked Xavier's other late 3-pointer, by Kevin Miller with 17 seconds remaining. Miller and Denzell Erves also missed 2-pointers during the final Gold Rush possession.

Chris Iles scored 20 points, and Erves had 12 points and seven rebounds for Xavier. Wanto Joseph, an XU junior who entered the game with four career 3-pointers, was 3-of-4 from behind to arc and finished with nine points, five assists and no turnovers in 19 reserve minutes.

Xavier played its best in the first 12 minutes of each half, when it outscored LSUS by a combined 36-18. But the Pilots outscored the Gold Rush by a combined 48-27 in the final eight minutes of those periods.

Two shooting streaks moved the Pilots into contention in the first half and into control of the game in the second. LSUS made six consecutive shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers, to turn a 14-9 deficit into a 25-20 lead at 4:51 of the first half. After Xavier made 5-of-6 3-pointers to open the second period with a 22-6 run, the Pilots answered again by hitting five in a row from the floor. Politte's 3-pointer, the only one he made in seven tries, put LSUS ahead to stay at 52-51 with 7:09 remaining and started an 8-0 burst.

Shyne's two free throws with 1:15 remaining gave LSUS a 63-55 lead, but Xavier didn't fold. The Pilots missed 6-of-9 free throws in the final 64 seconds, and 3-pointers by Joseph with 36 seconds remaining and Erves nine seconds later — his first in three seasons at Xavier — trimmed the LSUS lead to three. When Bazile missed a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining and Miller rebounded the second, Xavier still had a shot.

Yet free-throw shooting was equally troubling for the XU men, who were 6-of-15, including five consecutive misses in the final 10 minutes. The Gold Rush were fouled three times in the final eight minutes while making baskets — Iles twice and Anthony Simmons once — but Xavier failed to make all three free throws.

Both teams shot less than 40 percent from the floor — LSUS 36.1 percent, Xavier 35.4 — and the Pilots had a 46-42 rebound advantage. The Rush made 11 3-
pointers, equaling its most ever at nationals.

NOTES: It was the final XU game for seniors Iles, Kenner (six points, four rebounds), Cordell Hadnot (no points but a team-high nine rebounds) and Jeremy Lee (no points) . . . Kenner will attend medical school this fall . . . LSUS was a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rival of Xavier from 2003-10. The Pilots, now a member of the Red River Athletic Conference, lead the series 12-3 (3-0 postseason) . . . Xavier made its most 3-pointers since hitting 13-of-18 in a victory at William Carey on Feb. 2, 2008 . . . Since its second-round upset of unbeaten and top-ranked Sam Houston State in 1973, Xavier is 1-12 at nationals. The lone victory was in 2007 . . . It's the first time since the mid-1980s that Xavier finished with single-digit losses in consecutive seasons.

BOX SCORE

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA