Bruce Jackson to direct Stillman defense

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  -- Bruce Jackson, who headed the Greene County High School program for six seasons, is back for his second stint as an assistant football coach at Stillman College.

Jackson, 34, has been working through spring drills as the defensive coordinator on head coach Teddy Keaton’s staff. Keaton said former defensive coordinator Dedrick Dodge became the head coach at his alma mater, Mulberry High School in Florida.

“Right now this is a wonderful opportunity, an opportunity I basically dreamed about,” Jackson said. “I’m happy to be a part of the Stillman Nation. I want to help Coach Keaton reach his goals. He’s got some good kids, and it’s headed in the right direction. I think it’s a perfect fit for me right now.

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NSU Announces Additions of Hill-Eley, Gregory to Football Coaching Staff

COURTESY NORFOLK STATE ATHLETICS

 

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- Norfolk State University football coach Pete Adrian announced Friday the hiring of long-time coaching veterans and Virginia natives Donald Hill-Eley and Gordon "Greg" Gregory as assistant coaches.

Both coaches will work on the offensive side of the ball for NSU. Hill-Eley, the former head coach at Morgan State, will serve as the Spartans' offensive coordinator and receivers coach. Gregory, who has 30 years coaching experience at FCS and FBS schools, will serve as quarterbacks coach for the Spartans.

"I'm very excited about adding so much quality and experience on the offensive side of the ball," Adrian said. "Adding two former head coaches and offensive coordinators should help strengthen our offensive unit. Our players can't wait to get to work (next week) in spring practice."

Hill-Eley recently completed a 12-year stint as head coach at Morgan State from 2002-13. The Suffolk, Virginia native is the third-winningest coach in Bears' history, having led MSU to its first four winning seasons since 1979. He began his career in Baltimore by finishing one game out of first place in the MEAC standings in 2002, and went 6-5 overall in 2003 to secure the school's first back-to-back winning seasons since 1970-71. This past season, the Bears tied for third with a 5-3 mark in MEAC play. MSU had the MEAC's No. 3 rushing offense last fall, averaging 182.8 yards per game.

"I'm excited to be a part of the NSU community and get back closer to home," Hill-Eley said. "I grew up hearing about the green and gold, so this is an opportunity to make an investment in a great program."

Several MSU players reached the professional ranks after playing for Hill-Eley, including tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and running back Chad Simpson. Shiancoe played with four different NFL franchises between 2003-13. Simpson played three years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts following the 2009 season. Most recently, he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Prior to coaching at Morgan State, Hill-Eley helped Hampton win two MEAC titles and a black college national championship during his tenure as offensive coordinator from 1997-2000. Hill-Eley also has professional coaching experience, as he worked on the staff of three Grey Cup championship teams in the CFL from 1995-97.

The 44-year old Hill-Eley is a 1991 graduate of Virginia Union.

Gregory, who was born in Suffolk and raised in Richmond, served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Hill-Eley on the Morgan State staff last season. Prior to joining the Bears, Gregory has served as offensive coordinator at South Alabama (2009-11), South Florida (2007-08), Ohio University (2001-03), the University of Richmond (2000) and Army (1989-97). He was also head coach at Missouri Southern from 1998-99.

"I'm very excited to be here," Gregory said. "NSU has been one of the upper echelon programs in the MEAC for some time now. We need to improve at every position, but if we can do that, we think we can put ourselves in the hunt for a championship."

At FCS start-up South Alabama, Gregory's offensive charges averaged at least 400 yards and 40 points per game in two of his three years there.

Gregory worked as an assistant at USF from 2005-08 and served as offensive coordinator in his last two seasons there. One of his protégés at USF was quarterback Matt Grothe, who ranked in the top 30 in the nation in total offense in 2007 and 2008. The Bulls averaged over 400 yards of total offense per game in those two seasons, went 17-9 and made two bowl appearances. Gregory was on staff for the first four bowl berths in USF history.

With Gregory on staff, the University of Richmond won the 2000 Atlantic 10 football championship and finished the year 10-3, which included a first-round Division I FCS (I-AA at the time) playoff victory over Youngstown State.

Prior to serving at UR, Gregory spent 16 seasons in various capacities at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., including serving as offensive coordinator from 1989-97. Army made the first four bowl appearances and led the nation in rushing four times during his tenure with the program. Gregory also coached an NFL draftee in quarterback Ron McAda.

A three-year letterwinning quarterback at Richmond, Gregory, 56, earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from UR in 1980.

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications

COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Van Norden Stepping Down as UMES Head Volleyball Coach

Coach Millicent Van Norden
Courtesy UMES Athletics

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland  -- Millicent Van Norden, who just completed her first season as head coach of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and her 12th as a head coach, announced that she is leaving the Hawks to return home to Louisiana to be closer to her family and coach volleyball locally.

Last season Van Norden inherited a team with essentially just one returning player and competed well, establishing a 3-21 record and going 2-10 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play. Numerous players earned academic and conference playing accolades throughout the season\ under her tutelage. She is now 179-227 overall and 62-47 in conference play as a head coach at five different schools. She twice won Coach of the Year honors.

Prior to coming to UMES she was an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. She previously served as a head coach at MEAC foes Coppin State, North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State as well as SWAC school and her alma mater, Alcorn State.

"We thank Coach Van Norden for her time here," said Director of Athletics Keith Davidson. "We are grateful to her for coming here and working us out of a tough situation. She not only was able to field a team, but was able to field a competitive team of young ladies with high character. We are sorry to see her go but understand the importance of family and wish her well in her future endeavors."

UMES will begin immediately searching to find her successor.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION 

XU's Abbes, Soifer selected GCAC Players of the Week

Nour Abbes

Nikita Soifer

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes and Nikita Soifer were chosen Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for March 17-23.
    
Abbes, from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah, is the first XU women's tennis freshman to win the GCAC award three times in one season. She earned her most recent honor after going 4-0 in doubles and 3-0 in singles, all on the road. Abbes defeated ITA No. 13 Jessica Worring of Graceland and ITA No. 28 Sarah Bernos of Lindsey Wilson in straight sets on consecutive days.
    
Abbes has yet to lose a collegiate singles match; she's 10-0 and ranked fourth among NAIA singles players and 15th in doubles (with Kourtney Howell) by the ITA.
    
Soifer, from Beer Sheva, Israel, and a graduate of Hof Hasharon School, was 3-0 in singles and 3-1 in doubles. He defeated ITA No. 23 Jose Daniele Razo Torres of Graceland and Lindsey Wilson's Raul Mendez, No. 16 in the ITA East Region, on consecutive days.
   
The ITA ranks Soifer 40th in singles and 12th (with Kyle Montrel) in doubles. This is Soifer's first GCAC weekly award of the season and the second of his career. Soifer is the fifth Gold Rush player to be honored in 2014.
     
Next duals for XU's men and women will be April 5 at 2 p.m. against Auburn Montgomery at the XU Tennis Center. AUM's men are ranked second in the NAIA, and the women are third. Xavier's men are seventh in the NAIA, and the women are second.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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PVAMU's Jatzlau Named FCS ADA Academic All-American

Travis Jatzlau

CLEVELAND, Ohio  -- Prairie View A&M junior punter Travis Jatzlau was recently named to the 16th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

Football players from all Football Championship Subdivision institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. He must have reached his second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. He must also have participated in 50 percent of the games pl

ayed at his designated position.

 

Jatzlau, who was also honored during the 2013 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Student Leadership Awards Dinner for his work in the classroom, is a three-year starter for the Panthers and has been named to the Prairie View A&M University Honor Roll for three consecutive years.

 

Complete FCS ADA All-Star Team Listing

 

COURTESY PRAIRE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State Hornets Open Five-Game Homestand Against North Carolina Central Eagles

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  The Alabama State baseball team will open a five-game homestand by hosting North Carolina Central in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

The Hornets (21-8) and Eagles of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference are scheduled to play Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Bamastatesports.com will have live stats of all three games.

Alabama State completed the first half of the schedule with 21 wins in its first 29 contests, the best start in school history. The Hornets punctuated their 12-1 start in the SWAC's Eastern Division by sweeping a three-game series at defending champion Jackson State last weekend.

"I have seen the resiliency, drive and motivation that this group of players has," said head coach Mervyl Melendez of his team, which has posted an 11-5 road record this season. "It's good to see when things get tough, they get tougher. They've been a work in progress for the past two years, and it's finally coming to fruition that the things we've been working on they are accomplishing."

Often times, success is athletics is measured in numbers, and that is the case with Hornets' baseball, which entered the week ranked nationally in the Top 30 statistically in 15 team categories and in 17 individual categories. Among the top 10 rankings, Alabama State leads the nation in hits (296), ranks third in triples (14) and fifth in runs (210). SS Emmanuel Marrero leads the nation in triples (seven), and is second in RBI (35), and CF Richard Amion leads the nation in runs scored (40).

"I've said it many times – individual awards don't win championships – but, by playing well, playing as a team, and working extremely hard, the by-products of that are team and individual achievements," Melendez said. "We're all for those, as long as the team achievements come first, and the goals and expectations we have are met on a daily basis. It's good to see because you are doing things the right way and working hard, and we have those accolades to go along with them."

This weekend, the Hornets open a five-game homestand with a weekend set against North Carolina Central. The Eagles are new members to the MEAC, as Melendez did not face them during his tenure as head coach at Bethune-Cookman.

"It's going to be very important for us to play well and continue to play our brand of baseball," Melendez said. "What we've done well is play very good defense, and hit when it counts. We want to see our pitching staff be a little more consistent. We're throwing strikes, but not necessarily controlling the strike zone. We have to pitch a little bit better, and I'm looking forward to seeing what adjustments our staff will make."

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Coaches: Fuller a natural fit on Jackson State's D-line

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Assistant coach Derrick McCall stepped out of his film session and went over to the Jackson State defensive coaches.

He had to get something off his mind.

“Man, I think we made the right decision,” McCall said.

He was talking about moving Ronald Fuller from tight end to defensive end.

Once the Tigers’ coaching staff was assembled in early February, McCall met with the program’s new defensive coordinator Derrick Burroughs, suggesting Fuller would be best suited on the defensive side of the football.

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