Livingstone College: Former West QB Aycoth now throwing javelin

Let’s see if I’ve got this straight. When Bryan Aycoth used to play football in the fall at West Rowan, he was a quarterback who was named Rowan County Offensive Player of the Year.

When Aycoth suits up for Livingstone College in the fall, he’s be a linebacker.

When Aycoth used to play baseball in the spring at West Rowan, he was an all-state catcher, using that strong right arm to throw out runners.

When Aycoth suits up in the spring at Livingstone, he is still using that strong right arm, only now to throw the javelin.

The what? That’s right. The javelin.

Bryan Aycoth Named to 2011 CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team

HAMPTON, VA – Junior Bryan Aycoth, a two-sport athlete in football and track and field was named to the 2011 CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Second Team, it was announced Friday by the conference office.

This year's team defines the total NCAA DII student-athlete experience with each member excelling on their respective playing fields as well as in the classroom and in their communities.

Aycoth, a native of Salisbury, NC, has a cumulative GPA of 3.87 as a biology major. Aycoth led the Livingstone football team in tackles this season with 67 total tackles including 11.5 tackles for loss.

On the track and field team Bryan excelled in the javelin throw, breaking his own school record five times over the season. At the conference championships Bryan threw his collegiate best of 60.27 meters which won the CIAA title for the second year in a row, set the CIAA record and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

The CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team is voted on by the CIAA Sports Information Directors' Association and is in its 14th year. To be eligible for the team a student-athlete must have completed one academic year at a CIAA institution, earned a minimum 3.2 grade point average, and have excelled as a starter or significant reserve in a CIAA sanctioned sport.

Bryan Aycoth Named to USTFCCCA All-Region Atlantic Team

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Bryan Aycoth has been named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II outdoor track & field Atlantic All-Region Team, for his performance in the javelin, it was announced Tuesday.

Aycoth was named to the All-Region team by virtue of finishing in the top-five in the Atlantic region in the javelin throw. Aycoth's top performance came in the 2011 CIAA Championships where he threw 60.27 meters which won him the CIAA title, set the conference record and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA National Championships.

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West Virginia State added to JCSU football schedule

Johnson C. Smith will open its 2011 football season against West Virginia State.

The Golden Bulls will open their season Sept. 3 against the Yellow Jackets at McGirt Field, according to a revamped schedule on JCSU's website. The change became necessary when original opponent St. Paul's eliminated its entire athletics program earlier this month. As a result, the Tigers have been removed from CIAA membership, leaving the league with 12 schools.

JCSU officials opened the search for a new opponent shortly after St. Paul's announced its intention. Golden Bulls coach Steve Aycock and athletics director Steve Joyner confirmed JCSU was in contact with multiple Division II schools and one Division I program about filling the open date in order to keep its preseason schedule intact.

2011 JCSU Golden Bulls Football Schedule

DATE        OPPONENT            LOCATION                                    TIME
09/03/2011 West Virginia State  Charlotte, NC, Irwin Belk Complex     4:00 PM
09/10/2011 Brevard College       Brevard, NC                                       2:00 PM
09/17/2011 Virginia State           Charlotte, NC, Irwin Belk Complex     4:00 PM
09/24/2011 Davidson                  Davidson, NC                                     7:00 PM
10/01/2011 Winston Salem State Winston Salem, NC                            1:00 PM
10/08/2011 *Shaw                      Raleigh, NC                                        1:00 PM
10/15/2011 Virginia Union           Charlotte, NC, Irwin Belk Complex     1:00 PM
10/22/2011 Saint Augustine's        Raleigh, NC                                        1:30 PM
10/29/2011 Fayetteville State       Charlotte, NC, Irwin Belk Complex     1:00 PM
11/05/2011 **Livingstone            TBA                                                    1:00 PM

* Homecoming
**Commemorative Classic

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Howard Women's Basketball Among the teams in Preseason WNIT Field

Washington, D.C.(May 26,2011) – The 16-team field for the 2011 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament was announced today.

Top 10 teams Baylor, Notre Dame, and UCLA headline the field that also includes Akron, Chattanooga, Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB.

The Preseason WNIT bracket will be announced in June. Here’s a quick snapshot of the field:

- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.

- Baylor is a favorite to win next season’s national title after advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Lady Bears have U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year Kim Mulkey to lead freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, All-American Brittney Griner, and the vast majority of the Bears that went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season’s youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year’s team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.

- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.

- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-12 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.

- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team, including Destiny Mitchell, who earned all-conference freshman team honors after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February.

- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs despite a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.

- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.

- Indiana State head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament’s semifinal round.

- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.

- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.

- McNeese State posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Their top players return to the team this fall.

- Notre Dame made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to Texas A&M, and the Fighting Irish (31-8) will be back in force this fall for another strong run. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins, who is among a record three Irish players who recently made the 14-player cut for the U.S. World University Games.

- Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record. They get all five starters back this fall.

- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters and all but one player on their roster.

- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close after Nikki Caldwell took the LSU job, but should again be picked to finish around the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 Conference this fall.


Videographer: howarduniversity; Performer Frenchy Davis tells how Howard University shaped her career

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.

In last year’s Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.

For more information, visit the website at www.womensnit.com.

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information
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Alcorn State home of the brave

Braves tough schedule has them ready for first regional

The old saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” That quote had to pop into Alcorn State head coach Barrett Rey’s mind when he was putting together the Braves’ schedule this season.

If you take a look at the non-conference schedule Alcorn State endured this season, it reads like a who’s who of college baseball: Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi State, LSU, Wichita State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Southern Miss. Even Division I independent Dallas Baptist boasts a 39-17 record and currently ranks No. 45 in the RPI.

On paper, the Braves may have not had much success against those clubs this season, but the experience of facing them definitely prepared Alcorn State for the challenge of Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.

“There was a method behind the madness of that scheduling,” Rey said. “The guys really bought into it and understood that it wasn’t just us doing a wild schedule. It was to prepare us for this if the time arose. It prepared us for the conference tournament and going into a hostile environment.”

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Willie Hayes Named AAMU Men's Basketball Coach

NORMAL, AL -- Director of Athletics at Alabama A&M University has announced that 16 year assistant coach Willie Hayes has been hired as the next head coach in the Bulldog men’s basketball program.

The Bulldogs have won over 250 games since Hayes joined the Bulldog staff. One of the best point guards to ever play for A&M, Hayes thrilled Bulldog fans with his pinpoint passing and deadly shooting. He held the school record for career assists with 669 until Craig Lottie surpassed the mark in 1997, by just four.

Still, Hayes will always be known for his fantastic performances on the court. In 116 games as a player in the Bulldog program, Hayes averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from three-point range and ...

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Hale will not return as XU Gold Nuggets' head volleyball coach

Al'lisa Hale

NEW ORLEANS — Al'lisa Hale will not return next season as head women's volleyball coach at Xavier University of Louisiana, Athletics Director Dennis Cousin announced Wednesday. A national search for a successor will begin immediately.

Hale coached the Gold Nuggets to an 11-26 record and third place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in 2010, her lone season at Xavier.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Jacksonville Ends B-CU Wildcats' Season With 8-0 Decision At NCAA Regional

The Bethune-Cookman University softball season ended Saturday with an 8-0 loss in six innings to Jacksonville in the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

Staving off elimination in the fifth gave the Wildcats' top of the batting order another at bat and All-MEAC Allison Garcia's last collegiate appearance at the plate was a solid double off the left field wall. Garcia led the Wildcats in hitting all four of her playing seasons while registering 83 victories as a pitcher.

Jacksonville (43-16) scored once in the bottom of the sixth to end the game and the right to face defending national champion UCLA in the late Saturday game. The Dolphins also beat the Wildcats (33-26) for the third time this season.

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