Arizona distance runner Fakler signs with Xavier Gold Nuggets

NEW ORLEANS — Catherine Fakler of Phoenix, Ariz., and Xavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School has signed a women's cross country scholarship with Xavier University of Louisiana.

Fakler (pronounced FOCK-ler) has best times of 19 minutes, 22.68 seconds for three miles and 20:44.70 for 5,000 meters. She recorded her 5K best at the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional at Gilbert, Ariz., in November.

Catherine Fakler

Other best times for Fakler include 5:24.98 for 1,600 meters and 11:55.52 for 3,200 meters — both recorded during the current outdoor track season — and 2:28.38 in the 800.

As a sophomore in 2008, Fakler finished 33rd out of 154 runners in Arizona's Class 5A Division I state meet. She was the Gators' fourth fastest finisher and helped XCP win the team championship.

Fakler has a 4.0 grade-point average at XCP and a composite ACT score of 30.

"I am very excited to have Catherine join our women's cross country program," XU Coach Joseph Moses said. "I expect her to be one of our top three runners this fall."

Xavier's other female signee for 2011 is Zahri Jackson of Kingwood, Texas.

Xavier University competes in the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and won the last five GCAC women's and men's team championships.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Two NC High School standouts sign with Johnson C. Smith

Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball program has announced the signing of Reginald LaTrez Shuford and Marcus Walker for the 2011-12 season.

Reginald LaTrez Shuford also known as Trez Shuford is a 6'3, 170 lbs, point guard from nearby Hickory, North Carolina. Shuford played for Shawn Johnson at Hickory High School. In his senior year, Shuford led the Red Tornadoes to a 26-4 overall and 11-1 league record. He received all-conference and all-district honors for performance on the hardwood.


Videographer: tw56059

Shuford has been described as an athletic-slasher with great ball handling ability. He has a solid inside jumper, but like most young player could use more work. Shuford will have a familiar face in the backcourt; he and sophomore guard Trevin Parks (Hickory, NC) were teammates at Hickory High.

“We're excited to have this young man come abroad; because of the versatility and rotation options he may provide,” said head men's basketball coach Stephen Joyner, Sr. “Shuford is a good rebounder at his position, he gets up and down the floor well, and make good decisions with the basketball. He should immediately challenge our current guards for playing time and may allow us to move Trevin to the two-guard position in some situations.”

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Videographer: tueforumclt; JC Smith spearheads corridor renewal. Torrey Feimster and Malcolm Graham from Johnson C. Smith University address the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum April 19, 2011. In this segment, Graham describes five J.C. Smith initiatives in the Beatties Ford Corridor all running concurrently, some with near-term completion dates. 

Pierce leads Saint Augustine's Falcon in CIAA finale

Joe Pierce is putting the finishing touches on a career that began with shoulder pads, but ended with spikes aluminum. “I was recruited for football,” said Pierce, a graduate of Wetumpka High (near Montgomery, AL). “It didn’t work out, so I tried out for baseball. Ever since then, that’s all I’ve been playing.”

Pierce capped his senior season at Division II Saint Augustine College with commanding performance during the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association baseball tournament. The senior Falcon was one of five chosen as part of the All-Tournament team.

“This was a pretty good year for us,” said Pierce. “We started off slow, but got everything together.” The No. 2 seeded Falcons (36-18) dropped back-to-back games (7-6, 3-0) to conference newcomer Winston-Salem.

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WSSU's Corders waiting for chance at the NFL

Juan Corders of Winston-Salem State hasn't made an appearance in any of the endless mock drafts on the internet. But he still hopes for the chance to make an NFL roster.

Corders, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end from Durham, has spent the past several months working hard to get noticed. He graduated from WSSU in December with a double major in business management and marketing. He also played in two HBCU all-star games, and he plans to keep his cell phone close in the coming days.



"At one of the all-star games, there were some scouts showing interest," said Corders, an All-CIAA selection last season. "I've got nothing concrete, but I feel like something will come along after the draft, and I'll get a shot."

Corders participated in the NFL Pro Day at Wake Forest in March and did fairly well, bench-pressing 225 pounds 21 times and running the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds.

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VISIT: WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
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Saint Augustine's Falcons Release 2011 Football Schedule

Raleigh, N.C. - Five home games highlight the 2011 Saint Augustine's College football schedule which was released Tuesday.

The Falcons are looking to build off last season's 9-2 record and second-place finish in the CIAA's Southern Division. They capped the 2010 year by defeating Fort Valley State 20-9 to take home the Pioneer Bowl title. The nine victories set a modern school record for season wins.

Led by Head Coach Michael Costa, the Falcons host Catawba in the season opener on Sept. 3. They hit the road the next two weeks with games against New Haven on Sept. 10 and Saint Paul's on Sept. 17. The contest versus Saint Paul's kicks off the CIAA portion of the schedule.

The Falcons return home Sept. 24 to play Lincoln (Pa.) before hitting the road again to visit Fayetteville State on Oct. 1. They finish the second half of their schedule with three of the final five games at home starting with Winston-Salem State on Oct. 8. The Falcons step out of conference for the final time during the season for an Oct. 15 matchup against West Georgia.

The homecoming game will be Oct. 22 against Johnson C. Smith followed by an Oct. 29 home contest against Livingstone. The Falcons wrap up the regular season against crosstown nemesis Shaw on Nov. 5 at Durham County Stadium, which is the host site of the CIAA Championship Game on Nov. 12.

2011 Saint Augustine's College Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
9/3/11	CATAWBA	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
9/10/11	at New Haven	West Haven, CT	1:00 p.m.
9/17/11	*at Saint Paul's	Lawrenceville, VA	1:00 p.m.
9/24/11	*LINCOLN (PA.)	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
10/1/11	*at Fayetteville State	Fayetteville, NC	6:00 p.m.
10/8/11	*WINSTON-SALEM STATE	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
10/15/11	at West Georgia	Carrollton, GA	2:00 p.m.
10/22/11	*JOHNSON C. SMITH#	RALEIGH, NC	2:00 p.m.
10/29/11	*LIVINGSTONE	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
11/5/11	*at Shaw	Durham, NC	1:00 p.m.
11/12/11	CIAA Championship	Durham, NC	1:00 p.m.

*CIAA Games

# - Homecoming


By Saint Augustine's College Sports Information Office
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NCCU coach has a speedy plan for success

DURHAM, N.C. -- N.C. Central football coach Henry Frazier III made the mistake once of trying to adopt someone else's offensive system. At the time, he had just accepted his first head coaching job at Bowie State in Maryland. He was hired three weeks before the start of the season and announced that it was easier for him to learn an old system rather than have his player's adapt to a new one.

"I got to looking at what they were doing, not that it was bad, but it wasn't me," Frazier said. "If I can't be authentic, then there's no need of me doing it. So I scratched that idea."

Frazier takes his own ideas to N.C. Central - and they are forward thinking. At Prairie View A&M, his previous coaching post, his teams ran a no-huddle offense, snapping the ball with 10 seconds left on the play clock. He has an even faster version for the Eagles.


Videographer: NCCU Eagles

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Defending champion ASU Rams open 2011 SIAC tourney today at home

ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.

“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.”

“War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.

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VISIT: ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
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