Fakler, Jackson collect their fifth GCAC awards of season

Kwame Jackson

Catherine Fakler

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana juniors Catherine Fakler and Kwame Jackson, the individual champions Saturday at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Champions, are the GCAC Runners of the Week for Oct. 21-27.

It's more of the same for both runners, who tied XU season records with their fifth GCAC weekly awards of 2013. Jackson has nine career GCAC awards, and Fakler has seven.

Fakler set a school record of 18 minutes, 8.32 seconds at 5,000 meters to win the women's GCAC title by more than 90 seconds. Jackson then won the men's race for the second time in three years. His 8K time was 27:15.84, and he won by nearly 20 seconds.

Xavier won both GCAC team championships for the eighth consecutive year.

Fakler is from Phoenix, Ariz., and a graduate of Xavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School. Jackson is from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School.

Fakler matched the five GCAC awards of Zahri Jackson, Kwame's younger sister, from 2011. Kwame Jackson shares the XU men's record with Mark Dotson (2009) and Matt Pieri (2010).

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Delaware State Return Home to Face the Howard Bison

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL - Game 9
HORNETS (3-5; 3-2 MEAC)
vs.
HOWARD BISON (3-5; 2-3 MEAC)
SAT., NOV. 2, 2013 - 2:00 p.m.
ALUMNI STADIUM - DOVER, DELAWARE
HALL OF FAME DAY

THE GAME
Delaware State welcomes long-time rival Howard University to Alumni Stadium for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest. The Hornets (3-5 overall; 3-2 MEAC) are trying to rebound from a 30-7 loss to Hampton last weekend.



DSU trailed 10-0 before capping off a 15-play, 90-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cory Murphy to Milton Williams III to pull to within 10-7 with 49 seconds left in the second quarter. The Hornets were outscored 20-0 in the second half.

Hampton used two big plays, a 79-yard run and 75-yard pass, to highlight its second half scoring.
Delaware State receiver Malik Golson topped all players with nine receptions for 80 yards in the contest. The nine catches tied his career high. DSU defensive backs J.R. Robinson and Joe Boyd had interceptions in the contest, the second of the season for each.

Howard (3-5; 2-3) brings a two-game win streak into the contest. The Bison are coming off a 28-14 homecoming victory over Morgan State last Saturday. Howard’s defense forced four turnovers and Charles Philyaw rushed for three touchdowns to highlight the win. The Bison scored on their first possession when Philyaw capped off an 18-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He also scored on a seven-yard run in the third quarter and a four-yard run with 1:07 left to play. Howard racked.

THE SERIES
The Hornets and Bison are meeting for the 56th consecutive year and 70th time overall, making it Delaware State's oldest rivalry. Howard won last year’s meting 41-34 to snap a five –game DSU win streak in the series. The Hornets led by 21 points early in the third quarter but was outscored 38-10 the rest of the way in a 41-34 loss to the Bison in the 2012 meeting in Washington, D.C.  The last time the teams met at Alumni Stadium, Delaware State scored the winning touchdown with 2:18 left to play in a 39-36 victory in 2011. The Hornets hold a 35-33-1 lead in the all-time series.

 

HORNETS DROP IN MEAC RACE
Delaware State is still alive in the 2013 MEAC championship race, although last week’s loss to Hampton was a serious blow to the Hornets’ title hopes, DSU is currently fourth place in the current MEAC standings with a 3-2 league record, 

 

Defending champ Bethune-Cookman hoods the top spot with a 4-0 mark, Hampton and South Carolina State are tied for second at 3-1.

 

There’s a logjam behind the Hornets for fifth place. No. Carolina Central, Morgan State and Norfolk State are tied for fifth at 2-2. 

Delaware State, a charter member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), is in its 43^th season of league play. The Hornets have an all-time record of 127-146-1 in MEAC contests.

 

Delaware State has won or shared six MEAC championships. The Hornets claimed outright MEAC titles in 1985, 1989 and 2007, while sharing the crown in 1987, 1988 and 1991. Delaware State was tied for third place in the MEAC with a 5-3 mark in 2012. 

 

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern developing receiver depth to complement Lee Doss

HOUSTON, Texas  -- The Southern receiving corps is perhaps best known for the work of Lee Doss.

It’s easy to understand why Doss is the face of the group. He’s a senior.

He’s an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection. In two games earlier this season, he scored five touchdowns.

And defenses have rightfully shifted their attention to the playmaking wideout.

Yet the Jaguars are about more than just Doss. They have having a plethora of young, upcoming talent in the cupboard.



Newcomers Willie Quinn and Randall Menard and sophomores Justin Morgan, Nico Talbert and Mike Jones have benefited from the attention Doss has drawn this season, providing big plays on the perimeter Southern.

“We have a great group of kids that just want to come out and compete,” wide receivers coach Chris Coleman said. “Those guys have come in and taken their God-given abilities and maximized it through film study and through repetitions on the practice field, and buying into what the coaches are teaching.”

Quinn’s effect was apparent early this season, when he managed to haul in touchdown passes in of the first three game.

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New Alabama State assistant makes debut

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- When Alabama State tips off the 2013-14 season against Huntingdon College in an exhibition game tonight at the Acadome, they’ll be a new face on the Hornet bench.

Michael Curry, an assistant on former Troy coach Don Maestri’s staff for seven years, will replace longtime assistant Courtney Stephens.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have coach Curry join our staff,” Hornets coach Lewis Jackson said. “He’s been good for us. He has a lot of contacts and works well with the student-athletes. We’re excited to have him in the program.”

Jackson made the decision to replace Stephens at the end of the 2012-13 season but withheld comment because of his long friendship with the former Hornet player.

“Coach Stephens had been a real blessing for us,” Jackson said. “He’s been with our team since I’ve been here and has done a lot for the program. We just felt it was the right time for a coaching change to get some new blood in here. But he was a great guy who did a lot for the program.”



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Video: Southern coach Dawson Odums' Tuesday press conference

Texas Southern Men's Basketball adds two non-conference home games to upcoming schedule

COACH MIKE DAVIS
MEN'S BASKETBALL
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

HOUSTON, Texas  -- The Texas Southern University men's basketball program has announced the addition of two non-conference home games for the upcoming 2013-14 season.

Texas Southern will host Norfolk State (Nov. 9) and Wiley College (Nov. 11) at the H&PE Arena in what should prove to be two highly entertaining contest. Tip-off for TSU's game against versus the Spartans is slated for 5:00 pm while the Tigers game versus the Wildcats has been scheduled for a 7:00 pm start.

"We're really excited about having the opportunity to host Norfolk State this upcoming season," said TSU head coach Mike Davis. "Norfolk State has established themselves as a perennial power at the Division I level and they will pose a great challenge for our team. We're also looking forward to hosting Wiley College that following Monday. The additions of both of these games to our upcoming schedule will give our fans a chance to see some quality non-conference basketball on our home court."

With the additions of Norfolk State and Wiley College the Tigers upcoming 2013-14 slate will feature a total of 12 non-conference home games followed by 18 league match-ups against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents. For all of the latest breaking news regarding Texas Southern men's basketball please continue to visit www.tsuball.com. 

TSU Men's Basketball Schedule

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hope is theme for GSU

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  After a tumultuous and rather chaotic start to the year, homecoming can’t come soon enough for Grambling’s football program.

Pick any negative adjective to describe the Tigers’ season and it would fit perfectly like a puzzle piece.

It all started when legendary player and coach Doug Williams was fired. Then the team went on a five-game losing streak, boycotted practice, got the interim coach removed and forfeited a game.
Yet the players and coaches still have something to prove, and what better stage to do that in front of one of the largest crowds of the season — this Saturday at home against Mississippi Valley State.

“There’s no better time to win it than on homecoming in front of your home alumni, the alumni in California, Georgia, Dallas area,” interim coach Dennis Winston said. “We just want to win the football game for everybody and ourselves and want to represent Grambling State University the best we can.”

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