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NORFOLK, Virginia -- Coaches often feel either shortchanged or concerned about overconfidence when preseason polls come out.
Second-year Norfolk State football coach Latrell Scott figures that the league’s coaches and sports information directors got the Spartans’ spot right this year.
NSU, on the heels of a 4-7 overall and 4-4 MEAC mark, was picked sixth in the 11-team poll released Friday as part of the MEAC’s media day. Of the five teams picked ahead of the Spartans, only one – rival Hampton – lost to them last season.
“I think if you look at it, it’s right where we should be,” Scott said. “If we want to be ranked high, we need to beat those teams.”
Defending co-champions North Carolina A&T, Bethune-Cookman and N.C. Central, respectively, were the top three picks. N.C. A&T won a tiebreaker and represented the MEAC in the inaugural Celebration Bowl , where the Aggies defeated SWAC champion Alcorn State.
For the long-struggling frontrunners, being picked to win the league again is an honor.
NORFOLK, Virginia --Ten North Carolina Central University Eagles have been voted to the 2016 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced Friday. Leading the way for NCCU on the All-MEAC First Team are senior quarterback Malcolm Bell (Richmond, Va.), senior center Carl Jones (Nashville, Tenn.), senior offensive lineman Desmond Cooper (Stafford, Va.) and senior linebacker Jeremy Miles (Durham, N.C.). All-MEAC Second Team distinction was awarded to sophomore running back Dorrel McClain (Cary, N.C.), senior offensive lineman Tarrance Wells (Oxon Hill,, Md.), junior defensive lineman Antonio Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.), sophomore defensive back Davanta Reynolds (Tucker, Ga.) and senior return specialist LaVontis Smith (Maben, Miss.). Junior defensive lineman Ja'Quan Smith (Miramar, Fla.) rounded out NCCU's selections with a spot on the All-MEAC Third Team. In a vote by the conference head football coaches and sports information directors, NCCU is picked to place third the predicted order of finish, which was unveiled during the MEAC Football Press Luncheon in Norfolk, Virginia on Friday afternoon. NCCU, back-to-back conference co-champions with an 8-3 overall record and a 7-1 league mark last year, received four first place votes and 388 total points, while second place Bethune-Cookman captured three first place votes and 447 points, and predicted MEAC champion North Carolina A&T amassed 13 first place votes and 489 points to claim the top spot. The Eagles were followed by fourth place South Carolina State (351), then Hampton (265), Norfolk State (239), Morgan State (192), Florida A&M (164), Delaware State (121), Howard (90) and Savannah State (48). For more information about NCCU football, the complete season preview is available online atNCCUEaglePride.com. COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
NORFOLK, Virginia -- After a volatile offseason in which the Morgan State football team lost its head coach and an opportunity to play in the postseason, the Bears are looking forward to opening training camp Aug. 7 and trying to capture the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.
“We still can win the MEAC,” senior wide receiver Ricky Fisk said Friday at the conference's media day in Norfolk, Va. “Nobody really talks about the postseason. At the end of the day, it's about who was the conference champion. We're striving to be the conference champion and go out with a bang.”
The hazy and humid conditions normally associated with August are almost a welcomed respite for the program. In February, Lee Hull left after two years to become the wide receivers coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Two months later, the NCAA banned the team from postseason play after failing to meet a satisfactory score in the Academic Progress Rate report.
But Morgan State can still win the MEAC crown for the second time in three years, and Fred Farrier, the offensive coordinator who was promoted to interim head coach, said that goal takes precedence.
NORFOLK, Virginia – North Carolina A&T State running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard was selected as preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
All votes are submitted by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors/football contacts.
Cohen, the two-time defending Player of the Year, led the MEAC in rushing with 977 total yards in 2015. A two-time MEAC Offensive Player of the Week, Cohen led the conference with 122.1 rushing yards per game, carrying the ball 183 times, with nine touchdowns in eight games. He finished first in the MEAC in touchdowns and all-purpose yards (141.1 avg./g). He helped lead the Aggies to a share of the conference title and a win at the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. Cohen rushed for 295 yards for three touchdowns during the nationally televised win over Alcorn State.
Leonard was named to the 2015 All-MEAC First Team, as a linebacker. A one-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, Leonard finished the season recording 70 total tackles, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, two quarterback hurries, four passes deflected and two breakups. He notched two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 13.5 tackles for a loss. Leonard was second on the team in sacks (5.0) and interceptions.
Listed below are the 2016 Preseason All-MEAC teams:
NORFOLK, Virginia -- North Carolina A&T State received 13 first-place votes, to receive the first place ranking in the conference’s preseason poll for the 2016 MEAC Football season.
All three teams (North Carolina A&T State, Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina Central) that earned a share of the conference title last year rounded out the first three spots of this year’s preseason predicted order of finish.
2016 MEAC FOOTBALL
PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has a trio of Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athletes for the second consecutive year. Earning that honor for 2015-16 were Sha'Nel Bruins and Tess Guarino on the women's team and Karan Salwan on the men's. The ITA announced the awards this past week.
ITA Scholar-Athletes must be varsity letterwinners and have a 3.50 GPA for the most recent academic year.
Bruins, from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, was an XU junior this past season. Guarino was a freshman from Billere, France. Salwan was a junior from New Delhi, India, and a graduate of Modern School.
Xavier's men ranked second and the women 19th in the 2016 NAIA postseason coaches polls. The Gold Rush were the first XU team in any sport to reach the championship round of an NAIA national tournament.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's cross country has signed three high school seniors to scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. It'll be the largest Gold Rush freshman class in five years. The signees are: • Robert Clayton of Woodland Hills, Calif., and Chaminade College Preparatory High School. • Clydarius Everett of Meridian, Miss., and Meridian High School. • Oji Wells of Florissant, Mo., and Hazelwood Central High School. Clayton was a member of Chaminade's 1,600-meter relay team which placed third in the California Interscholastic Federation state meet in June. During seventh grade he qualified for the Junior Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles. At 6 feet 4 inches, Clayton is the tallest distance runner during Joseph Moses' 12 seasons as head coach. Clayton will major in computer science at Xavier. Everett was Meridian's second-fastest finisher at the 2015 Class 6A state meet. He finished 42nd overall and helped the Wildcats finish 11th in the team standings. As a junior in outdoor track and field, he was a district and regional champion at 1,600 and 3,200 meters. His best times include 17:32.15 for the cross country 5K, 11:05.12 in the 3,200 and 5:01.88 in the 1,600. Everett will major in biomedical engineering. Wells — his first name is pronounced oh-gee — qualified for Missouri's outdoor state meet in the 800 and the 1,600 relay his senior year. As a junior and sophomore he qualified for state in the 3,200 relay. He achieved three best times his senior year: 1:57.91 in the 800, 4:45.46 in the 1,600 and, in cross country, 17:59.81 for the 5K. Wells will be a biology/pre-medical major and is interested in studying physical therapy. Clayton, Everett and Wells also will compete for Xavier in outdoor track and field during the spring. The first Xavier meet of the 2016 cross country season will be the Xavier Big Easy Opener Aug. 26 at City Park in New Orleans. Joining the signees will be returning runnersChristopher August, Ammiel Williams and Darrick Williams. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Coaches often feel either shortchanged or concerned about overconfidence when preseason polls come out.
