PRATTVILLE, Alabama — Daniele Ewert didn’t want much from recruiters.
She wasn’t asking to be treated differently or expected special perks.
The Prattville basketball star simply wanted to be appreciated.
Ewert averaged 18 points and 13.6 rebounds during her senior year to lead the Lions to their longest Class 6A postseason run since 2000. She also became the school’s first female player to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds.
Yet, the college recruiters weren’t beating down the door to secure her John Hancock on the dotted line. Programs such as Faulkner, Grambling and the University of Maine each showed interested, but none were able to close the deal.
Then Alabama State stepped into the picture.
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Johnnie Cole's show cause upheld
HOUSTON, Texas -- The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld a three-year show-cause order for former Texas Southern football coach Johnnie Cole.
Cole was given the order for failing to promote an atmosphere for compliance, and the order prohibits him from all on- and off-campus recruiting activities until October 2015. He contested that finding, but the committee found that the information in the record was enough to uphold the finding of the violation.
The appeal came after the Division I Infractions Committee determined in October 2012 that the school allowed 129 student-athletes in 13 sports in seven academic years to compete and receive financial aid and travel expenses while ineligible. That report found that Cole knowingly allowed a booster to recruit for the program and that former men's basketball coach Tony Harvey provided misleading information during the investigation.
Tourism officials work to keep CIAA in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte tourism officials are off to Virginia to try to keep the CIAA in Charlotte.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Hayes: I’m not finished working just yet
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Bill Hayes, the soon-to-be 70-year-old athletics director at Winston-Salem State, isn’t going anywhere.
While most in his position would sit back and enjoy a care-free retirement, Hayes is wired a little differently.
“People ask me all the time when I’m going to retire,” Hayes said. “I’ll retire when I’m finished working — and I’m not finished working just yet.”
Hayes, a football coach at heart, says there are a lot more games to be played and he plans on sticking around a little longer. He’ll turn 70 on June 1 but, with a contract extension expected, Hayes is aiming to keep the highly-successful athletics program chugging along.
The Rams have won 14 league titles since moving back into the CIAA in 2010, including the last two in football and the last three in baseball.
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While most in his position would sit back and enjoy a care-free retirement, Hayes is wired a little differently.
“People ask me all the time when I’m going to retire,” Hayes said. “I’ll retire when I’m finished working — and I’m not finished working just yet.”
Hayes, a football coach at heart, says there are a lot more games to be played and he plans on sticking around a little longer. He’ll turn 70 on June 1 but, with a contract extension expected, Hayes is aiming to keep the highly-successful athletics program chugging along.
The Rams have won 14 league titles since moving back into the CIAA in 2010, including the last two in football and the last three in baseball.
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3 Nuggets are All-America, including Howell on 1st team
 Kourtney Howell |  Brion Flowers |  Amanda Materre |
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's record-setting women's tennis program set another record Monday when the NAIA announced its 2013 All-America team. For the first time in the program's history, the Gold Nuggets have three All-Americans: Kourtney Howell on the first team and Brion Flowers and Amanda Materre on the second team.
Those three helped Xavier finish 19-8 and become first XU team in any sport to reach the semifinals of an NAIA National Championship. The Gold Nuggets were ranked first in the final three coaches polls entering the national tournament, and they repeated as champion of an NAIA unaffiliated group qualifying tournament. The Nuggets on April 16 became the first XU team in any sport to be No. 1 in an NAIA poll.
Howell, a junior from Cypress, Texas, and a graduate of Cypress Woods High School, was 20-11 in singles and, with Flowers as her partner, 23-11 in doubles this season. Howell had a team-leading five singles victories against ranked opponents. Howell is All-America for the second consecutive year; she was second team in 2012. She is the program's first first-team All-American since Anastesia Opata in 2009.
Flowers, from Lafayette, La., and a graduate of St. Thomas More High School, is the first XU women's tennis freshman to earn NAIA All-America. She was 10-17 in singles and 23-11 in doubles. She and Howell were the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional doubles runner-up. It was the first time the Gold Nuggets produced a finalist in that fall event. Flowers and Howell also reached No. 1 in the ITA NAIA doubles rankings of April 17.
Materre, a sophomore from Richmond, Texas, and a graduate of Westside High School, was 19-5 in singles and 15-10 in doubles. She led the Gold Nuggets in singles and overall winning percentage and closed the season with eight consecutive singles victories.
The ITA will announce its NAIA All-Americans after compiling its final singles and doubles rankings.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
XU All-Americans: Didavi 1st team again, Soifer 2nd team
 Loic Didavi |  Nikita Soifer |  Kyle Montrel |
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's tennis program set several precedents Monday with the announcement of the 2013 NAIA All-America team. Loic Didavi is the first Gold Rush player to be make the first team twice. Nikita Soifer, who's on the second team, is the first Gold Rush sophomore to earn second team or higher. Kyle Montrel, an honorable-mention All-American, is the program's first freshman to be cited.
Those three helped Xavier finish 15-8, repeat as champion of an NAIA unaffiliated group qualifying tournament and reach the quarterfinals of NAIA National Championship for the second consecutive year. The Gold Rush were ranked sixth in the NAIA entering the national tournament and reached a program-record fifth in two April polls.
Didavi, a senior from Cotonou, Benin, and a graduate of Lycée Jean Dautet, La Rochelle, was 16-6 in singles and 18-5 in doubles this season and was chosen ITA NAIA National Senior Player of the Year. Didavi is All-America for the fourth straight year — he was second team in 2011 and 2010 at Auburn Montgomery.
Didavi, from Beer Sheva, Israel, and a graduate of Hof Hasharon School, was 17-11 in singles and 21-6 in doubles. He led the Gold Rush in doubles victories. Soifer and Viktor Svoboda won 15 of their final 16 doubles matches this season, nine against ranked NAIA schools.
Montrel, from Atlanta, Ga., and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, was 16-4 in singles and 18-4 in doubles. He led the Gold Rush in singles and doubles winning percentage and, with Didavi as his partner, won his first eight doubles matches. In March he became the first XU freshman to reach the top 30 in the ITA NAIA singles rankings.
The ITA will announce its NAIA All-Americans after compiling its final singles and doubles rankings.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
XULAATHLETICS
UAPB Golden Lions Announce Spring Signings
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- Although head coach George Ivory and his University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions basketball team are in the off season, that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. One Year removed from an NCAA post season ban, when most teams would have to rebuild, Ivory and his Golden Lions hoop squad have literally reloaded.Last year, the Golden Lions finished tied for second in the SWAC standings with a 15-3 regular season conference record and will go into the 2013-14 season with a 9-0 home court record and will look to add the that total.
Gone from a year ago are seniors Terrell Kennedy (13.9 pts. /avg.) First team All- SWAC, Lazabian Jackson (11.9 pts. /avg.) and Mitch Anderson (7.5 pts. /avg.).
“We met some areas of concern, we brought in some big athletic, scores we got everything we needed to be very competitive this year”, said head coach George Ivory. “We will have more size in the paint. I will be looking for some returning leadership to help with the team chemistry”, added Ivory.
2013 Spring Signings
Ghiavonni Robinson- 6'3 175lbs – Guard - Leflore High School
Hometown- Itta Bena, MS
Stats: Avg. 23pts/g 8reb/g 10asst/g 5stl/g 2 blk/g
He is Honor Student with a 20 on his ACT.
JoVaughn Love – 6'8 210lbs – Seminole Community College
Hometown - Pine Bluff, AR
Stats: Avg. 15.0pts/g 7.0 Rebs/g 2.0 Asst/g 3.0 blks/g
JoVaughn is a former Pine Bluff High standout. After a stellar high school career he took his talents to Seminole CC where he starred for the past 2 years there. Jovaughn is a talented player who can knock down the 3 pointer as well as attack the basket off the dribble.
David Tillman- 6'9-235 lbs - Fort Bend Travis High School
Hometown- Sugarland, TX
Stats: Avg. 8pts/ 8rebs/ 4blks
David was a member of the 5A State Championship Basketball Team. He played alongside the Harrison twins who signed to play collegiately at Kentucky. David is a tremendous shot blocker, with a 7'2 wing span.
Sterling Smoak- 6'9 225lbs- Motlow State CC
Hometown- San Antonio, TX
Stats: Avg. 5pts / 7rebs
Sterling is a standout center from San Antonio, TX. He helped his Motlow State CC team to the 2013 National Juco Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF SPORTS INFORMATION
Morris: Allen University’s baseball crown deserves dusting
COLUMBIA, South Carolina — FIFTY-THREE YEARS WILL scramble the memory of almost any baseball player. Bloop singles of long ago become line drives to the gap today.Members of the Allen University baseball team long since have forgotten most of the details from the 1960 season, their mental files gathering dust as they carried on with their lives over the past five decades.
One thing every member of that team remembers clearly, though, is that Allen won the 1960 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. A trophy that sits encased at the Adams Gymnatorium on the Allen campus proves that, even though a history of the SIAC lists Florida A&M as the champion. State Sen. Darrell Jackson plans to present a resolution on June 4 to the state Legislature recognizing Allen’s championship.
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Future looks bright for WSSU baseball team after historic season
That was apparent on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Wake Forest Ballpark last weekend. Reality hit for the seniors on the Winston-Salem State baseball team as they realized that their college careers were over. Tears from seniors such as Travis Moore, a 26-year-old left fielder, and first baseman Aaron Jones were a symbol of how much they cared and how much emotion they had poured into the program.
“We’re a family,” said junior third baseman Levi Grassley about the emotion displayed after Saturday’s 7-4 heartbreaking loss to Shippensburg in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region playoffs. “We are one unit and that’s what we’ve been talking about all season — and especially in this regional.”
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Monday, May 20, 2013
Aggies, Spartans hoping for home-track advantage in NCAA regional
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Keenan Smith can’t bring his girlfriend with him to meet his parents when he goes home for breaks.N.C. A&T’s junior triple jumper leaves her someplace he knows he’ll find her when he gets back to Greensboro: safely nestled within the confines of Irwin Belk Track at Aggie Stadium.
“I spend so much time out here, sitting down on the (jump) pit, meditating, coming out here and raking the pit just to be around it,” Smith said. “It’s like my girlfriend.”
Smith, the 15th-ranked triple jumper in the NCAA East Preliminary Round, knows his special lady will be getting the attention of more than 100 other jumpers during this week’s regional meet.
But he knows where her true loyalties lay.
“When I’m here, I feel like no one else should beat me. I should dominate on this pit,” Smith said. “This is like my fortress of solitude.”
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Ram Ramblings: WSSU baseball team should be proud of its season
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It’s a shame more folks didn’t come out to see No. 23 Winston-Salem State’s baseball team at the Atlantic Region at Wake Forest Ballpark.
While attendance was spotty for the Rams three games, the brand of baseball was good. I was impressed at the style of Coach Kevin Ritsche’s team that puts a lot of pressure on the other team’s defense.
My best guess is there were maybe 200 fans at Friday’s game and probably 150 or so at Thursday and Saturday’s game. Still, the Rams played hard and while they didn’t win the regional they more than held their own.
The Rams wound up 1-2 in the regional and 39-13 overall, the best record in school history. I’ll have a season wrap-up story on Tuesday about the Rams in the Journal.
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While attendance was spotty for the Rams three games, the brand of baseball was good. I was impressed at the style of Coach Kevin Ritsche’s team that puts a lot of pressure on the other team’s defense.
My best guess is there were maybe 200 fans at Friday’s game and probably 150 or so at Thursday and Saturday’s game. Still, the Rams played hard and while they didn’t win the regional they more than held their own.
The Rams wound up 1-2 in the regional and 39-13 overall, the best record in school history. I’ll have a season wrap-up story on Tuesday about the Rams in the Journal.
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
JSU baseball wins 15th SWAC title by defeating Prairie View
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Alexander Juday pitched a complete game and received balanced offensive support to propel Jackson State to a 6-2 victory over Prairie View for its 15th Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas.Bryce Taylor got JSU on the board in the third inning with a double to score Gary Thomas. Taylor came around to score on a single by Ethan Bright to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Jose Cruz added a 2-run single down the left field line to score Bright and Taylor in the fifth inning.
Stephen Curtis scored Aneko Knowles on an RBI double with two outs in the sixth inning.
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President Obama gets personal about race and manhood in Morehouse speech
ATLANTA, Georgia - President Obama on Sunday summoned the graduates of historically black Morehouse College to “transform the way we think about manhood,” urging the young men to avoid the temptation to make excuses and to take responsibility for their families and their communities.
Delivering a commencement address at the all-male private liberal arts college in Atlanta, Obama spoke in deeply personal terms about the “special obligation” he feels as a black man to help those left behind.
“There but for the grace of God, I might be in their shoes,” Obama said. “I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family — and that motivates me.”
The president also reflected on the absence of his father growing up, noting that he was raised by a “heroic single mother” and urged the young graduates not to shrink from their family responsibilities.
“My whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father wasn’t for my mother and me,” Obama said. “I want to break that cycle — where a father’s not at home, where a father’s not helping to raise that son and daughter. I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.”
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Savannah State lands first NCAA baseball tournament bid
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Senior Peter Poole's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning scored fellow senior Campbell to lift Savannah State to a 1-0 victory Sunday against Bethune-Cookman in the finale of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va.The win gives the Tigers (33-21) the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. It will be the school's first appearance in the Division I field. The 64-team bracket will be announced May 27.
Kyle McGowin (12-1), the MEAC pitcher of the year, went the distance for Savannah State, allowing seven hits while striking out 11 and walking only two. McGowin's lone loss came May 5 in his previous outing against Bethune-Cookman.
Campbell sparked the winning rally in the 10th with a one-out double. Todd Hagen singled up the middle but Campbell advanced only to third. Poole then smacked the first pitch he saw from Jordan Dailey (5-1) in the air down the right-field line to bring home Campbell.
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Robinson signs with Savannah State
EVANS, Georgia -- Austin Robinson has played baseball at every level in Columbia County, starting with T-ball and moving up through the ranks of rec league ball to Dixie Youth and on to high school.
On Monday he signed the paperwork to move up another notch as a scholarship player at Savannah State University, a Division I school affiliated with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
A right-hand pitcher for the Wolfpack, Robinson has amassed a 25-6 record since being “thrown into the fire” as a sophomore, said head coach Chris Wilkins.
“We knew he was going to be a special player,” Wilkins said, impressing coaches with a complete-game win in his first outing.
Robinson went 9-2 that season, losing only to South Effingham’s J.B. Wendelken, who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Robinson followed that season with an 11-1 record and 2.93 ERA his junior year, and was name first team All Region 2-AAAA.
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On Monday he signed the paperwork to move up another notch as a scholarship player at Savannah State University, a Division I school affiliated with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
A right-hand pitcher for the Wolfpack, Robinson has amassed a 25-6 record since being “thrown into the fire” as a sophomore, said head coach Chris Wilkins.
“We knew he was going to be a special player,” Wilkins said, impressing coaches with a complete-game win in his first outing.
Robinson went 9-2 that season, losing only to South Effingham’s J.B. Wendelken, who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Robinson followed that season with an 11-1 record and 2.93 ERA his junior year, and was name first team All Region 2-AAAA.
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Richmond Hill basketball's Jeremiah Hill signs with Savannah State Tigers
RICHMOND HILL, Georgia -- When he took over the Richmond Hill High boys basketball program last summer, Wildcat coach Bill Henderson knew he had a solid shooter in rising senior Jeremiah Hill, but he wasn’t sure what the slender guard could offer on the other end of the court.
Hill provided a loud and definitive answer to that question this past season, emerging as one of the area’s top offensive threats and becoming one of the Wildcats’ biggest defensive assets down the stretch. Now, he’ll have a chance to continue his career, as he signed a letter of intent with Savannah State University on Thursday.
Jeremiah Hill #169
“I’m really proud of him. He was a kid last year who didn’t play much, and this year he came in and took on this role of leading the team,” Henderson said of Hill. “He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever seen. He’d get done with practice and then want to get some extra shots in. We kind of challenged him to become a better defender, and he became one of, if not the best one, on our team at the end of the year.”
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Hill provided a loud and definitive answer to that question this past season, emerging as one of the area’s top offensive threats and becoming one of the Wildcats’ biggest defensive assets down the stretch. Now, he’ll have a chance to continue his career, as he signed a letter of intent with Savannah State University on Thursday.
Jeremiah Hill #169
“I’m really proud of him. He was a kid last year who didn’t play much, and this year he came in and took on this role of leading the team,” Henderson said of Hill. “He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever seen. He’d get done with practice and then want to get some extra shots in. We kind of challenged him to become a better defender, and he became one of, if not the best one, on our team at the end of the year.”
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B-CU baseball advances to MEAC championship game
NORFOLK, Virginia — Bethune-Cookman won again in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament Saturday to advance to today’s championship game. Despite a first-round loss, the Wildcats have won four straight and are in the championship for the eighth straight season.
B-CU (34-24) won 4-1 over Coppin State.
“They were outstanding,” B-CU coach Jason Beverlin said. “I’m extremely proud of all of the guys. Like I told them, I wish we had realized earlier in the season how good of a team we could really be when we play together, but now’s the time to come together.”
B-CU will face Savannah State (32-21) in the championship at 11 a.m. today.
PVAMU Panthers Knock Off Alabama State, Advance To SWAC Championship Game
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Panthers put in all on the line on Saturday in an 8-3 win over Alabama State to advance to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday against Jackson State at LaGrave Field. Prairie View A&M threw its ace Jonathan Mata in the semifinal game for the chance to play another day, and the gamble paid dividends.
Mata threw a complete game for the Panthers in the win, giving up just two earned runs off of six hits. He tallied seven strikeouts en route to becoming the third-consecutive Prairie View A&M starter to throw a complete game in the tournament.
Mata was hitless through three complete innings, but a throwing error by the junior pitcher eventually led to Alabama State taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth off of a Waldyvan Estrada two-run single. Both runs were earned.
First Team All-SWAC first baseman Dominiq Harris struck back in a big way in the bottom of the fourth. On a 2-2 count, the Panthers slugger got ahold of a fast ball and sent a shot well over the left field fence that read 325 feet. He scored designated hitter Greg Salcido, who reached on a leadoff single. That blast, which looked to be over 350 feet, was Harris' second home run of the SWAC Tournament and his eighth of the season. Harris finished the game batting 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Alabama State countered in the top of the fifth when Leo Rojas sent a sacrifice fly to left field to take a 3-2 lead as Mata seemed to settle down and get back into the groove that was disrupted in the fourth inning.
The Panthers moved into position to strike again in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases for cleanup and designated hitter Greg Salcido. Salcido worked the count and was eventually hit by a pitch to drive in center fielder Colby Hines and tie the game at 3-3. That brought Harris back up to the plate, and he delivered once again. On a 1-2 count, Harris sent the ball on a line into left center and drove in second baseman Andre Oliver and third baseman Brad Benes for a 5-3 lead.
Catcher Trey Price opened up the flood gates in the eighth inning with a single to right field to drive in Walter Wells from second base. Price, along with Colby Hines was driven in thanks to a two-RBI single to left field by Benes to deal the death blow. With the win, Mata improved to 5-5 and finished his fourth complete game of the season on the largest stage of his Division 1 career.
Sunday's championship game will be streamed live on ESPN3 and then tape delayed at 9 p.m. on Monday on ESPNU. Mike Prince will have the radio call for the game via the OpenMic Broadcast Network via www.ktorradio.com.
COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ASU Season Ends With Semifinal Loss To Prairie View
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Alabama State baseball team lost to Prairie View 8-3 Saturday afternoon in an elimination game at the 2013 SWAC Tournament.It was the second loss in as many days for the Hornets (32-25) in the semifinals to Prairie View (27-26), which advances to the Sunday's SWAC Championship Game.
Alabama State took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Richard Amion reached base on an error, Leo Rojas on an infield single, and Richard Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Waldyvan Estrada singled through the left side on a 1-1 pitch to score Amion and Rojas.
After Prairie View tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Hornets regained the lead in the fifth. Einar Muniz singled through the left side to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Amion walked, Muniz advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rojas.
Prairie View made another late-game rally, scoring three runs in the seventh, all with two outs, and then three more in the eighth for the final margin.
Box Score
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
WSSU Rams bounced from playoffs after stumbling in the 9th
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach Kevin Ritsche of Winston-Salem State could only shake his head when trying to describe the top of the ninth inning of a 7-4 loss to Shippensburg on Saturday in an elimination game of the Atlantic Region baseball tournament.The Rams were cruising with a 4-2 lead, and starter Scott Wells, who had a career-best performance, got the first out of the inning at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Jimmy Spanos singled to start the rally, Mike Marcinko singled off the pitcher’s mound, and Kyle Hollingsworth hit a clean single to right-center to load the bases. Seth Mahaffey relieved Wells after the third single, then Michael Douglas surprised the Rams with a bunt. Third baseman Levi Grassley fielded the ball cleanly but couldn’t get Douglas at first base, and Spanos scored to make it a 4-3 game.
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42 Southern University studen-athletes awarded degree Friday
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University awarded degrees to 42 student-athletes during its
fall commencement execises in the F.G. Clark Activity Center Friday
morning.
Among the 42 students to receive degrees was four-time SWAC women tennis champion and the 2013 Player of the Year Demetria Woods, who is joined by her teammate Lois Alexis.
Former Southern basketball forward Peter Cipriano, who spent several seasons overseas playing professional after winning the SWAC title in 2006, also received his degree today during Spring commencement excercises.
Football finished with the most graduates with 13, followed by track and baseball with six each and soccer with 5.
COMPLETE LIST OF SPRING 2013 STUDENT-ATHLETE GRADUATES
Lois Alexis – (Tennis)
Lee Almanza (FB)
Hansoni Alfred - (Track/Football)
Sylvester Nzekwe - (FB)
Omari Robinson - (FB)
Kadeem Lewis - (FB)
Javon Jordan - (FB)
Jerry Joseph - (FB)
Dion Palmer - (FB)
Brandon Turner - (FB)
Delwin Williams - (FB)
Demarcus Stewart - (FB)
Anthony Wells – (FB)
Essence Hopkins - (WBB)
Lechell Rush - (WBB)
Pedro Cipriano - (MBB)
Vincent Coleman (BB)
Demario Ellis - (BB)
Jeremy Lopez - (BB)
Jose Francisco - (BB)
Wilmy Marrero - (BB)
Kevin Williams - (BB)
Shawntall Steamer - (SB)
Kasha Tauriac - (SB)
Kesha Tauriac Brown (SB)
Amber Crews - (Track)
Maya Anderson – (Track)
Crystal Blue - (Track)
Joshua Albert - (Track)
Micah McCulloch - (Track)
Kayante Parker Allen – (Track)
Elsa Valencia - (Soccer) - Honors
Brenda Parra - (Soccer)
Khady Faty - (Soccer)
Jillian Crawley Foster – (Soccer)
Kate McConnell - (Bowling)
Otia Stewart - (Bowling)
Adrianna Guillory – (Bowling)
Wayne Birch - (Golf)
COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Among the 42 students to receive degrees was four-time SWAC women tennis champion and the 2013 Player of the Year Demetria Woods, who is joined by her teammate Lois Alexis.
Former Southern basketball forward Peter Cipriano, who spent several seasons overseas playing professional after winning the SWAC title in 2006, also received his degree today during Spring commencement excercises.
Football finished with the most graduates with 13, followed by track and baseball with six each and soccer with 5.
COMPLETE LIST OF SPRING 2013 STUDENT-ATHLETE GRADUATES
Demetria Woods –
(Tennis)
Lois Alexis – (Tennis)
Lee Almanza (FB)
Hansoni Alfred - (Track/Football)
Sylvester Nzekwe - (FB)
Omari Robinson - (FB)
Kadeem Lewis - (FB)
Clinton Boyd -
(FB)
Javon Jordan - (FB)
Jerry Joseph - (FB)
Dion Palmer - (FB)
Brandon Turner - (FB)
Delwin Williams - (FB)
Demarcus Stewart - (FB)
Anthony Wells – (FB)
Essence Hopkins - (WBB)
Lechell Rush - (WBB)
Pedro Cipriano - (MBB)
Vincent Coleman (BB)
Demario Ellis - (BB)
Jeremy Lopez - (BB)
Jose Francisco - (BB)
Wilmy Marrero - (BB)
Kevin Williams - (BB)
Shawntall Steamer - (SB)
Kasha Tauriac - (SB)
Kesha Tauriac Brown (SB)
Amber Crews - (Track)
Maya Anderson – (Track)
Crystal Blue - (Track)
Joshua Albert - (Track)
Micah McCulloch - (Track)
Kayante Parker Allen – (Track)
Elsa Valencia - (Soccer) - Honors
Brenda Parra - (Soccer)
Khady Faty - (Soccer)
Natasha Witt -
(Soccer)
Jillian Crawley Foster – (Soccer)
Kate McConnell - (Bowling)
Otia Stewart - (Bowling)
Adrianna Guillory – (Bowling)
Wayne Birch - (Golf)
COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
FAMU's Holmes looks for quick start
Rattlers coach says wins over early non-conference foes key to playoffs
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — The Sept. 21 matchup against Ohio State aside, coach Earl Holmes would like his FAMU football team to win its first four games – all against non-conference opponents.
Holmes’ reasoning is simple. Non-conference victories would carry a lot of weight in FAMU’s case for a postseason berth if the Rattlers would make an impressive run in conference play.
Especially if they do so and don’t finish as champions of MEAC.
“I’d rather have my hand in two boxes than just one so you try to win every game you can,” Holmes said Saturday at the Bonaventure Resort and Spa, where the FAMU National Alumni Association held its annual conference.
“If you win the (MEAC); yes, you’re in. But if you fall short; maybe a tied game or something like that but you win all those non-conference games it helps. So it’s best to concentrate on winning every game.”
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — The Sept. 21 matchup against Ohio State aside, coach Earl Holmes would like his FAMU football team to win its first four games – all against non-conference opponents.
Holmes’ reasoning is simple. Non-conference victories would carry a lot of weight in FAMU’s case for a postseason berth if the Rattlers would make an impressive run in conference play.
Especially if they do so and don’t finish as champions of MEAC.
“I’d rather have my hand in two boxes than just one so you try to win every game you can,” Holmes said Saturday at the Bonaventure Resort and Spa, where the FAMU National Alumni Association held its annual conference.
“If you win the (MEAC); yes, you’re in. But if you fall short; maybe a tied game or something like that but you win all those non-conference games it helps. So it’s best to concentrate on winning every game.”
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Dawson headed to Fayetteville State
KINSTON, North Carolina -- For Josh Dawson going to Fayetteville to play basketball every year came to be expected.
It’ll now be his home for the next four.
Dawson, Kinston’s energetic point guard who guided the Vikings to back-to-back state titles, has signed to play at Fayetteville State.
The reigning two-time area player of the year said he chose the Broncos over several schools because they were the ones who seemed to want him most.
“They kept coming back and coming back, and since Day 1 they’ve been here,” Dawson said. “They were just showing that they really care about me a lot.”
When the 6-foot-1 guard graduates next month, he will leave Kinston as its most decorated athlete in terms of team state titles won. He’s the only Vikings athlete to ever win three state titles in a four-year span, and the 2011 team his sophomore year came one win shy of playing for a fourth championship.
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It’ll now be his home for the next four.
Dawson, Kinston’s energetic point guard who guided the Vikings to back-to-back state titles, has signed to play at Fayetteville State.
The reigning two-time area player of the year said he chose the Broncos over several schools because they were the ones who seemed to want him most.
“They kept coming back and coming back, and since Day 1 they’ve been here,” Dawson said. “They were just showing that they really care about me a lot.”
When the 6-foot-1 guard graduates next month, he will leave Kinston as its most decorated athlete in terms of team state titles won. He’s the only Vikings athlete to ever win three state titles in a four-year span, and the 2011 team his sophomore year came one win shy of playing for a fourth championship.
CONTINUE READING
Prairie View bounces Southern baseball from SWAC tournament
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Southern baseball team’s worn-out pitching staff came apart and its batters squandered scoring opportunities Friday as Prairie View A&M eliminated the Jaguars from the SWAC tournament with an 11-4 victory.SU, the top seed out of the West Division, was playing its third game in 28 hours and coming off a deflating, 10-9 loss to Alabama State after the Jaguars had led 9-3 in the eighth inning. That contest ended at 1:15 a.m. Friday; the Jaguars arrived later in the morning for a scheduled noon game that didn’t begin until 1:45 p.m.
“What happened today had a lot to do with what happened 24 hours ago, when we gave up six runs and lost a game (to Alabama State),” Southern coach Roger Cador said.
Once Friday’s game did start, the Jaguars (21-23) never led. The first three Panthers reached base in the first inning, then cleanup hitter Greg Salcido grounded out for the first of his four RBIs.
SWAC West No. 3 seed Prairie View (25-26) knocked Southern starter Daniel Garcia (4-5) from the game with two more runs in the second. He allowed four hits, two walks and three runs in 1.2 innings.
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William Carey eliminates Gold Nuggets in NAIA semifinals
The Lady Crusaders (14-8), seeded fifth, upset the top-seeded Gold Nuggets (19-8), who were trying to become the first XU team in any sport to reach the championship round of an NAIA national tournament.
Sophomore Carola Orna won in doubles and singles to lead William Carey, a 5-1 loser at home to Xavier on April 5. William Carey entered that regular-season dual ranked second, and Xavier was sixth. The April victory helped move the Nuggets to the No. 1 ranking in the final three coaches polls entering the tournament.
"Today the roles were reversed," XU coach Alan Green said. "William Carey had the mindset we had on April 5. Today we weren't fighting back, and we were letting them do whatever they wanted to do with us."
The Lady Crusaders swept all three doubles matches -- including Orna and Maja Vuzem's 8-6 victory against Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers, No. 1 in the ITA NAIA rankings -- and won at the first and sixth singles flights. Orna, ranked 20th in singles, beat sixth-ranked Howell 6-4, 7-5 to end the match.
Of the four unfinished singles matches, William Carey led in all four.
"I don't want to take anything away from William Carey," Green said. "They came out way ready to play. Their coaches did a great job getting them ready. They took over the match from the very first ball toss in doubles to the very end. William Carey was not to be denied. That's what we were up against."
Sarah-Maria Spruch and Julia Angerman gave the Lady Crusaders a 1-0 lead with an 8-2 victory against Simone-Alyse Ewell and Amber Brown. Anastasiya Zviahintseva and Malin Collin made it 2-0 with their 8-5 decision over Amanda Materre and Olivia West.
Collin, the other Lady Crusader to win in doubles and singles, defeated Jordyn Goody 6-1, 6-1.
"We got way down in all three doubles matches, then climbed back into two of them, but William Carey closed those out," Green said. "In singles, we showed signs of life on courts 1-5 by playing well in the second sets."
William Carey will play second-seeded and defending champion Auburn Montgomery for the championship at 1 p.m. Saturday. The men's championship will match Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and Auburn Montgomery at 9 a.m. Xavier -- including the Gold Rush, eliminated in Thursday's quarterfinals -- will watch it all before traveling home.
"I want them to see what they should have been doing or could have been doing," Green said of his women. "They've got to absorb every aspect of this tournament. Today they saw how much it hurts. Tomorrow we'll see the champion and how they act and feel."
The Gold Nuggets entered the semifinals with a school-record 11-dual winning streak, a 16-0 record this season against NAIA opponents and a 12-0 record against ranked NAIA opponents.
"I told our women we had a really great season," Green said. "There was nothing to hang their heads down about. They were all crying. We have to feel this kind of disappointment before we can become a national champion.
"Most champions go through this, so this is our process."
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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