Central State joins Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- Central State University President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond announced that Central State will join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (S-I-A-C).

"Joining the SIAC is a great opportunity for Central State University. The SIAC provides additional exposure for Central State and enhances the collegiate and academic experience," Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond said. "We look forward to the camaraderie and athletic competition with some of the best universities in the country."Presidents of the SIAC institutions voted unanimously on the decision to grant full membership status to Central State University. CSU, which had established partial membership with football in 2013, will see all its sports compete under the rules and by-laws of the SIAC beginning this Fall.

SIAC Presidents Council Chairman and Miles College President Dr. George T. French said, "Central State's participation in the conference is exciting because it will not only add to the competitive spirit that already exists among conference members but will strengthen our conference as a leader within NCAA ranks."

Central State previously competed as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in cross-country, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's track & field, and men's track & field. CSU officially ended its affiliation with the conference on June 15.

"We (SIAC) are very pleased to welcome Central State University as a full member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference," said SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. "Central State is an outstanding academic institution with a rich athletic tradition. We look forward to working with President Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond and her staff as they make the transition to full membership."

Founded in 1913, the SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities. Its headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. The primary mission and purpose of the SIAC is to leverage intercollegiate athletics to the benefit of its student-athletes and to advance the overarching strategic interests of SIAC member institutions. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions. They are: Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Spring Hill College, Stillman College, Tuskegee University. The institutions which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio)."Joining the SIAC is an investment into our program. It shows our commitment to enhancing our brand and broadening our fan base," CSU Athletic Director Jahan Culbreath said. "We are excited to start this new era of Marauder sports as a part of the SIAC family."

Central State has been a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference since its inception in 2011. CSU recently celebrated a 10-year anniversary of achieving NCAA Div. II status, which dates back to 2004. Prior to joining the NCAA, Central State competed as a member of the NAIA.

For more information on the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, please visit - http://www.thesiac.com/

COURTESY CENTRAL STATE UNIVESITY (OH) SPORTS INFORMATION

NSU Spartans Signs 7-foot Iona Transfer, Norfolk Native Daniel Robinson

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Norfolk State men's basketball program added some size to its future rosters when Iona transfer and Norfolk native Daniel Robinson recently signed to join the Spartans.

Robinson, a 7-foot-0, 220-pound forward, competed for Iona during the last two seasons. After sitting out the upcoming season, he will have two years of eligibility left beginning in 2016-17.

Robinson attended Atlantic Shores Christian Academy in Chesapeake. He spent a year at IMG Academy in Florida in 2012-13 and his following two collegiate seasons at Iona.

"We are pleased and excited to have Daniel Robinson join our program," said head coach Robert Jones. "We recruited Daniel out of high school, and we are happy he has decided to finally come home. Although he received limited action at Iona, our style of play is a match made in heaven for us and him."

Robinson played in 10 games as a freshman in 2013-14 at Iona before sitting out the rest of the season due to injury. He finished with totals of 11 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor. He had four points, one rebound and one block in just two games as a sophomore in 2014-15.

Robinson was a second-team All-Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) honoree as a senior at Atlantic Christian in 2011-12 after averaging 9.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.

"We were looking to add more frontcourt depth for this year," Jones stated. "However, we did not have a lot of great options to meet that need, so adding Daniel will help solidify our post rotation for the future."

He joins a Spartan program that currently has 12 players on the 2015-16 roster, including two seniors in Jeff Short and D'Shon Taylor, the team's leading returning scorers. NSU has now added seven players to this year's recruiting class, including Robinson, to go along with the six returning players.

Norfolk State finished 20-14 last year and 12-4 in the MEAC, the regular season runner-up. The Spartans have competed in the postseason each of the last four seasons.

Mike Bello, Asst. SID
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

David Bowser Officially Named Fayetteville State Football Defensive Coordinator

DAVID BOWSER
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
FSU BRONCOS

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- Fayetteville State University head football coach Lawrence Kershaw has appointed veteran assistant coach David Bowser to defensive coordinator for the upcoming 2015 season. Bowser served as the inside linebackers and special teams coach last season at FSU. He has been a member of the Broncos football coaching staff since 2000.

Bowser graduated from North Carolina State University in 1992. He joined the FSU football coaching staff prior to the 2000 season as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Bowser is the longest tenured assistant coach at Fayetteville State. This is his first appointment to the defensive coordinator position.

“I’m humbled deeply by the promotion and I’m excited by the opportunity,” said Bowser. “Moving forward, we’re going to use multiple fronts on the defensive line, apply pressure, and focus more on man coverage schemes. Ultimately, it’s about utilizing the right student-athletes in the right positions to be successful.”

During his time at FSU, Bowser has also served as the assistant head coach under Kenny Phillips, running backs coach, defensive backs coach, linebackers coach, secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. He has also had several duties off the field pertaining to housing, admissions and academics in assisting FSU football student-athletes.

“My overall philosophy has always been about promoting from within if possible,” said head coach Lawrence Kershaw. “He (Bowser) has shown the desire for this opportunity. He has the knowledge, experience, passion, and he’s a great teacher.”

Bowser recruited Bronco standouts Richard Medlin and Michael Johnson. Medlin spent four seasons at FSU (2007-10) at running back and in special teams. He was named CIAA Special Teams’ Player of the Year and signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 with the New England Patriots. Michael Johnson has earned multiple All-CIAA and All-American honors at the safety position. Johnson has garnered interest from several teams following the 2015 NFL Draft and looks to join a club as a free agent. He led the Broncos in tackles (79) and interceptions (3) in 2014.

Bowser has coached several All-CIAA offensive and defensive players in his time as FSU. He looks to continue the pattern. Bowser has also been an instrumental member of the coaching staff during three CIAA Championships (2002, 2003, 2009).

“As a coach, I’m charge to develop and grow our student-athletes. My aspirations are to help our guys improve and become better on the field and in life.”

Prior to joining the FSU coaching staff, Bowser accumulated experience and success at a few North Carolina high schools. Bowser has coached at Garner High, Anson High, Westover High in Fayetteville, NC, Chapel Hill High and Orange High.

Fayetteville State finished the 2014 season 5-5 overall and ranked 6th in the CIAA for yards allowed (361) and 5th in points allowed (21.4). The Broncos open the 2015 season on September 5th against Chowan University at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

2015 FSU BRONCOS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date Opponent / Event Location Time
09/05/15 vs. Chowan Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.
Two Rivers Classic
09/12/15 vs. UNC Pembroke Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.
09/19/15 at West Georgia Carrollton, GA 2:00 p.m.
09/26/15 at Virginia State * Ettrick, VA 2:00 p.m.
10/03/15 vs. Lincoln (Pa.) * Fayetteville, NC 1:00 p.m.
10/10/15 vs. Shaw * Fayetteville, NC 1:30 p.m.
10/17/15 at Johnson C. Smith * Charlotte, NC 3:00 p.m.
Homecoming
10/24/15 vs. Saint Augustine's * Fayetteville, NC 2:00 p.m.
10/31/15 at Livingstone * Salisbury, NC 1:30 p.m.
11/07/15 at Winston-Salem State * Winston-Salem, NC 1:30 p.m.

*Conference Event


ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

COURTESY FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Chicago State Athletics Closes 2014-15 with 52 Academic All-WAC Accolades

LEARN       COMPETE      INSPIRE

CHICAGO, Illinois – The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced the release of its 2015 spring and freshmen/transfer Academic All-WAC honorees to which 52 Chicago State University student-athletes received recognition on the list.

To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must have completed at least one academic year at their institution, have at least a cumulative 3.2 grade point average and have competed in at least 50 percent of their team's contests. The student-athletes on the list are from spring sports and freshmen/transfers from all conference-sponsored sports throughout the 2014-15 academic year.

2015 Spring and Freshman/Transfer Academic All-WAC Release

Listed below are CSU's honorees:

Spring Honorees

Freshmen/Transfer Honorees

Baseball Tyler Abbott (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), Sr. Evan Davis (Sterling, IL/Sterling), Sr. Nick Kostalek (Huntley, IL/Huntley), Sr. Chase Matheson (McHenry, IL/McHenry), Sr. Jake Perkins (Huntley, IL/Huntley), So. Jerry Silva (Chicago, IL/Holy Trinity), Sr. Jordan Stroschein (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), Sr. Men's Golf David Keenan (Caitlin, Ill./Caitlin), Sr. Dan Patkunsa, Sr. Drew Vannoy (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet Seymour), Sr. Women's Golf Tali Letoi (Lakeside, Calif./El Capitan), So. Casey MacNeil (Massey, Ontario/Espanola), Jr. Taneka Sandiford (Nassau, Bahamas/St. John's College High School), Jr. Fernanda Valdes Solis (Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico/Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey), Jr. Men's Tennis Julian Chavez (Bogota, Colombia), Sr. Sergiu Muresan (Roman, Romania), Sr. Mario Noboa (Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador), Sr. Luis Ulloa (Guayaquil, Ecuador), Sr. Rashley Yeremia (Jakarta, Indonesia), Sr. Women's Tennis Faith Huckabee (Hazel Crest, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor), So. Men's Outdoor Track and Field DeShaunte Lewis (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly), Sr. Desmond Meyer (Oswego, IL /Oswego HS), So. Women's Outdoor Track and Field Tochkuwu Akujieze, So. Jessica McCaskill, Jr. Veronica Tovar (Cicero, Ill./Morton East), Jr. Alisha Wren, R-Jr.

Baseball Cody Freund (McHenry, IL/McHenry), Fr. Men's Basketball Jawad Adekoya (Tinley Park, IL/Victor J. Andrew High School), Jr. Anthony Glover (Toledo, OH/St. John's Jesuit), Fr. Trayvon Palmer (Milwaukee, WI/Brown Deer), Jr. Women's Cross Country Daeja Hooks (Chicago, IL/UIC Prep), Fr. Men's Golf Austin Egbers (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic), Jr. Women's Golf Pia Serrano (San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Preparatory), Fr. Women's Soccer Chloe Cain (Jackson, Mich. /Jackson), Fr. Taylor Conroy (Omaha, Neb./Millard West), Fr. Hannah Etcitty (Gallup, N.M./Middle College), Fr. Vialy Garcia-Hernandez (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell), Fr. Jordan Hinterser (Granite City, Ill./Marquette Catholic), Fr. Cassidy Kepler (Omaha, Neb./Millard South), Fr. Gabby Klemp (Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer), Fr. Lina Lorence (Henderson, Nev./Basic), Fr. Sara Marcotte (Republic, Mo./Republic), Fr. Olivia McCafferty (Crown Point, Ind./Boone Grove), Fr. Lexi Montgomery (St. Charles, Mo. /Francis Howell), Fr. Megan Stapleton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Madeira), Fr. Men's Tennis Christian Gonzalez (Mungia, Spain/Larramendi Ikastola), Fr. Women's Indoor Track and Field Daeja Hooks (Chicago, IL/UIC Prep), Fr. Jessica McCaskill, Jr. Veronica Tovar (Cicero, Ill./Morton East), Jr. Women's Outdoor Track and Field Daeja Hooks (Chicago, IL/UIC Prep), Fr. Caitlyn Howard, Fr. Volleyball Sarah Metcalfe, Fr. Selena Newell (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter), Jr. Elli Woinowsky (Berlin, Germany/Merian Oberschule), Jr.

COURTESY CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Grambling State hoops records lowest Division I attendance

COURTESY: GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling's men's basketball team has dealt with its fair share of struggles by failing to record a winning record in 10 seasons, but the program hit a new low Monday when the NCAA announced its annual attendance report.

Grambling finished with an average attendance of 305, the lowest among 351 teams, on the heels of a 2-27 season in 2015, which included a winless campaign against Division I teams.

The Tigers' latest home average is the lowest since they joined the Division I ranks in 1978. The previous low was 852 in 2002, and the program even averaged 1,713 fans during an 0-28 campaign.

It also marks the second-lowest average in the country since 2005. St. Francis (N.Y) averaged 297 people in 2007. Nicholls State averaged 316 people in 2007.

"We gotta put a good product on the floor," Grambling coach Shawn Walker said.

CONTINUE READING

Men's basketball attendance numbers up slightly in 2014-15

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- NCAA men’s basketball saw a slight bump in overall attendance for the 2014-15 season as 32,510,647 fans came to watch student-athletes in Divisions I, II and III.

Compared to last year, 480 more fans attended games, making this past season the eighth highest attendance in NCAA history. The record of 33,396,316 fans in a single season was set in 2007-08.

In Division I, attendance totaled 27,422,615 for the year. Although it was down slightly from a season ago, the attendance is the ninth highest total in history. However, the NCAA tournament total attendance increased. The tournament earned its third-highest attendance in history with 739,798 fans. The record-setting total of 800,377 came in 2012-13.

With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers, the Big Ten Conference led the way among conferences with a home and conference tournament total of 3,195,137, the second-highest total number of any conference in history. The all-time record of 3,259,992 was set by the 16-team Big East Conference in 2006-07.

Syracuse slightly edged Kentucky for the home attendance title for the second year in a row, as the Orange averaged 23,854 while the Wildcats brought in 23,572 a game. Kentucky led the nation the previous eight seasons. Louisville was third with 21,386 per game. North Carolina was fourth with 19,582; and Wisconsin finished in the top five with 17,279.

“NCAA college basketball attendance remains remarkably consistent across the country and all three NCAA divisions, as fans and alumni support their favorite teams from the largest arenas to the smallest gyms,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president for men’s basketball championships. “NCAA Division I games were attended by over 27 million fans for the ninth consecutive year, and March Madness was experienced by the third highest fan attendance in history for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.”

Full Attendance Charts

Other attendance highlights include:

• Kentucky led the nation in total home attendance with 447,874 fans at its games this season at Rupp Arena. The other two schools to reach at least 400,000 were Syracuse (429,378) and Louisville (406,338).
A total of 41 schools averaged more than 10,000 fans per game, including 11 from the Big Ten.
• The Big Ten also led all conferences in average attendance with 12,781 fans, ahead of the Atlantic Coast Conference (11,368), Southeastern Conference (10,819), Big 12 Conference (10,181) and Big East Conference (9,853). It marks the 39th consecutive season the Big Ten has led the nation in average attendance.
• There were 24 schools that had an increase of more than 1,000 fans from the 2013-14 season, led by North Carolina State, which saw attendance increase by 2,795 fans a game from 12,641 in 2013-14 to 15,436 in 2014-15.
• Kentucky led the nation in overall attendance as 845,594 fans saw the Wildcats play at home, on the road and in neutral sites. Wisconsin was second with 711,115 and Duke placed third with 664,146.
• Division II attendance was up 37,373 fans from a season ago with a total of 2,785,383, the most since 2011-12.
• For the eighth consecutive year, Northern State led Division II in attendance with 3,402 fans per game. Augustana (S.D.) was second (2,697), Fort Hays State was third (2,656), Central Missouri fourth (2,647) and fifth place went to Dixie State (2,607).
• For Division II conferences, the Mid-America Intercol
legiate Athletic Association had the highest home attendance average for the sixth consecutive year with an average of 1,514. The Lone Star Conference (1,169) also averaged more than 1,000 fans per game.

COURTESY NCAA MEDIA RELATIONS

Fox Sports Broadcaster Pam Oliver to Deliver Keynote Address

PAM OLIVER
COURTESY: FAMU SPORTS INFORMATION

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) announced that iconic television personality Pam Oliver will address graduates at the University’s 2015 summer commencement ceremony.

Oliver is a renowned sports broadcaster with more than 30 years of experience. She received her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from FAMU in 1984. Currently, she is entering her 21st season as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports’ award-winning presentation of National Football League games. She was originally a reporter with ESPN during the early 1990s before joining FOX Sports in 1995. In recent years, she also has done courtside reporting on TNT during the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs.

Oliver, who started in agricultural journalism and later migrated to space and science reporting, credits FAMU with giving her the support needed to go outside her comfort zone and discard fears of moving to unfamiliar places. She says, “FAMU was almost my agent in the beginning when they said, ‘There is an opening here, and we think you should go for it.’”

Oliver, who grew up in Niceville, Fla. was a college All-American in both the 400-meter and the mile relay while attending FAMU. She was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

“I am grateful that Pam Oliver has agreed to share her experience and vision with our graduates," said FAMU President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D. "Her story is so inspirational and uplifting. She is a living testament to the value of courage, hard work, perseverance, and dedication. These are values that we strive to instill in our students every day at FAMU.”

Summer commencement will be held at 4 p.m. on August 7 at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium that is located at 1800 Wahnish Way, Tallahassee, FL 32307.


ALWAYS WATCH IN 720p HD, WIDE SCREEN

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION