Gold Nuggets are No. 1 in NAIA for second straight week

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 1 in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the second consecutive week.

The Gold Nuggets (15-6) climbed from No. 2 to the top spot a week ago after defeating then-No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett 5-3 in the championship of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group Tournament on April 26. Xavier held on to its ranking on Monday by collecting 12-of-13 first-place votes.

The Gold Nuggets have four victories against teams in this week's top 10.

Xavier is expected to be the top seed for the NAIA National Championship, which will begin May 13 in Mobile, Ala. The NAIA announced Monday that Xavier was one of 24 teams which qualified. Seedings and pairings for the tournament will be revealed by 5 p.m. CDT Tuesday.

The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes and compete in the second round May 14. The championship will be May 17.

Xavier was No. 1 entering the 2013 national tournament before losing in the semifinals.

The NAIA will announce a postseason poll May 21.

The top 25:

1. Xavier
2. Georgia Gwinnett
3. Lindsey Wilson
4. Auburn Montgomery
5. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
6. Brenau
7. SCAD Savannah
8. Vanguard
9. Northwood (Fla.)
10. Oklahoma Baptist
11. Westmont
12. Graceland
13. Coastal Georgia
14. Milligan
15. Concordia (Calif.)
16. Davenport
17. Lewis-Clark State
18. Indiana Wesleyan
19. Cardinal Stritch
20. Northwestern Ohio
21. St. Thomas (Fla.)
22. Marian (Ind.)
23. Olivet Nazarene
24. Campbellsville
25. McPherson

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Freshman Nour Abbes making herself at home at Xavier-New Orleans

COURTESY XULA ATHLETICS

NEW ORLEANS  -- Xavier freshman Nour Abbes rarely celebrates her birthday.

Abbes doesn’t see the point if she can’t enjoy the moment with her family, so far away.

Tennis has taken her from a small clay court in Tunisia, located on the northern tip of Africa, to New Orleans, where at Xavier she is the highest-ranked ITA/NAIA singles player in school history.

The sport, full of time demands, has also stunted opportunities for her to make friends. Since age 9, tournaments and training dominated her childhood social calendar. And now, she’s separated from her three sisters and parents, far from routine for a Tunisian teenager, especially a young woman in her country’s conservative culture.

The Mediterranean Sea never seemed so distant.

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Gold Rush heading to nationals for 6th consecutive year

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MEN'S TENNIS TEAM
ROSTER

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana earned a sixth consecutive bid to the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship by virtue of a No. 9 ranking in the coaches poll Monday.

The Gold Rush (11-11) are one of 24 teams which qualified. Xavier received the fourth of 10 at-large bids.

The national tournament will be played May 13-17 at Mobile, Ala. The NAIA will announce seedings and pairings by 5 p.m. CDT Tuesday.

This is the second time that a Xavier program qualified for a national tournament six consecutive years. Women's basketball did it from 1994-99.

Xavier is No. 9 for the second straight week. The Gold Rush are in the top 25 for the 28th consecutive time and the 31st time in the last 32 polls.

Six Gold Rush victories this season are against ranked NAIA opponents. Two more occurred against NCAA Division I teams.

Xavier was a national quarterfinalist in 2012 and 2013.

The NAIA will announce a postseason poll May 21.

The top 25:

1. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
2. Auburn Montgomery
3. Georgia Gwinnett
4. Vanguard
5. Lindsey Wilson
6. Cumberland
7. Westmont
8. Belhaven
9. Xavier
10. Bethany (Kan.)
11. Concordia (Calif.)
12. Northwestern Ohio
13. Aquinas
14. (tie) Graceland
14. (tie) William Carey
16. Coastal Georgia
17. Bethel (Tenn.)
18. Webber International
19. Davenport
20. Warner
21. Pikeville
22. Lewis-Clark State
23. Olivet Nazarene
24. Northwood (Fla.)
25. Oklahoma Baptist

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold

AAMU James Spady presents Bulldog Football Camps 2014

COURTESY AAMU ATHLETICS

NORMAL, Alabama -- Head football coach James Spady will host his first football camp at Alabama A&M from June 2-5 and June 14.

The June 2-5, events will be traveling camps with four cities and dates already scheduled.

The June 14, camp will be a 7 on 7 passing camp and a OL/DL Big Man camp.

Each camp will be conducted by the AAMU coaching staff and provide position specific instruction and technique work. Campers will be given the chance to compete in 1-on-1 and group situations. The AAMU staff has experience on the high school, college and professional levels. Come experience football the Bulldog way, "Smart, Fast & Physical!"

 

Camp Brochure

Camp Waiver

 

One Day Skills Camps

$30 per camper

Huntsville Camp—June 2 @ AAMU Football Complex

Birmingham Camp—June 3 @ Huffman High School

Montgomery Camp—June 4 @ Faulkner University

Mobile Camp—June 5 @ Blount High School

**Locations and Times are subject to change**

Registration for One Day Skills Camps will begin at 8:30am local time. Camps will begin at 10am. Walk-up campers are welcome.

7on7 Passing Camp & OL/DL Big Man Camp Saturday, June 14 @ AAMU Football Complex $225 per team for 7on7. $50 for each additional team. $25 per camper for OL/DL Big Man Camp (capped at $225 per school)

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. local time. Camps will begin at 10 a.m. Lunch will be provided to all campers.

**Camp information and registration forms can also be found at www.aamusports.com. Walk-up campers are welcome.**

WHAT TO BRING TO CAMP
Cleats
Tennis Shoes
Mouthpiece

Registration forms can also be faxed to Coach Matt Sanders at 256-372-5373.

Questions can be directed to Coach Matt Sanders at matthew.sanders@aamu.edu or 256-372-5096.

**All camp attendees are required to complete a camp waiver form. Waiver forms must be completed for participation in the camps.

 

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

SWAC officially moves Baseball Tournament to New Orleans

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Southwestern Athletic Conference has selected the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium as the site for its upcoming 2014 SWAC Baseball Tournament.

The venue, located in Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans, La., is a replacement site after the league decided to move the tournament from LaGrave Field as a result of student-athlete safety concerns. LaGrave Field was host to last year's SWAC postseason tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We would like to apologize to the fans, families, coaches and administrators for the delay and inconvenience the decision of switching venues may present," said SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp. “The health and welfare of the student-athletes will always be our primary concern.”

The tournament will follow its original schedule at the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy and will be held from May 14-18. The championship game on the final day is slated for broadcast on ESPNU.

“We would like to thank the New Orleans Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy for hosting the SWAC Baseball Tournament," Commissioner Sharp added. "We believe the venue will give our fans and student-athletes a great experience. The MLB Urban Youth Academy is a state-of-the-art facility and the SWAC has been tied in with the Urban Youth Academies for several years through MLB's Urban Invitational."

At least one team from the SWAC has been featured in all seven editions of the MLB Urban Invitational, which the annual round-robin collegiate baseball tournament designed by Major League Baseball to place a spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and their baseball programs. The 2014 Urban Invitational featured two schools from the conference (Grambling State and Southern) with the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy serving as one of four sites during the round robin play.

“We are looking forward to hosting the SWAC Tournament, especially as it will give the young Academy participants the experience of witnessing collegiate baseball played at a high level of competition and serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for their future,” said Ben Baroody, Senior Director, Baseball Development, Major League Baseball. “This is a terrific opportunity to not only showcase our facility, but extend our relationship with SWAC, which has been an integral part of our annual Urban Invitational tournaments.” 

ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS MLB URBAN YOUTH ACADEMY

The New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium opened in 2012 replacing a 55-year-old facility that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The new facility has capacity for 650 fans, with a 200-square-foot climate-controlled press box, a public address system and new LED scoreboard. It also features administration facilities, including two 300-square-foot conference rooms. The baseball field also features professional-sized artificial turf with a clay pitcher's mound. Other components include a three-lane batting practice cage outdoors and a two-lane indoor batting practice building. The facility operates in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission on a dynamic youth program that provides free, year -round baseball and softball instruction as well as educational and baseball vocation programming for young people from underserved and urban communities throughout southern Louisiana

 

ABOUT THE SWAC

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), established in 1920, is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., which is comprised of historically black universities in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

 

COURTESY THE SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

 

Shaw Honor Student Arrested For Studying Past Library Hours

RALEIGH, North Carolina  -- Na'eem Wilkins is not someone whose Shaw University classmates would expect to see in handcuffs. But such was the predicament Wilkins, 21, a honor student and drum major for the school band, found himself in after refusing to leave the university library after it closed at 11 p.m.

VIEW THE VIDEO REPORT

S.C. State alums know Eckstrom talking out of ignorance

COLUMBIA, South Carolina  --  Nobody had to tell Dr. Horace Goggins – a legendary civil rights figure and the first black candidate for the Rock Hill school board – that a white politician in South Carolina said something stupid about black people.

Again.

This time it was Richard Eckstrom, the state’s comptroller general. Apparently because he is so busy counting money, he has missed decades of achievement by black people.

Eckstrom said this week that students go to S.C. State University in Orangeburg because they can’t get in anywhere else.

That means the predominantly white schools. The schools that, until 50 years ago, by law and custom did not allow blacks.

“South Carolina State was all we had,” said Goggins, who graduated from there in 1950. “We had students as smart then – and now – as any white student. But the whites didn’t want us at their schools.”

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Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/05/01/5924160/sc-state-alums-know-eckstrom-talking.html#storylink=cpy

West Viginia State Tennis Team Falls in Regional Final

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM
2013/14 MOUNTAIN EAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
ROSTER
 

INDIANA, Pennsylvania (May 4)  -- The WVSU women's tennis team came up just short in its bid to qualify for the NCAA "Sweet 16" final round Sunday when it dropped a hard fought 5-3 decision to host Indiana University-Pa.

Senior Cora Berna and sophomore Charlotte Sandy recorded singles wins and the team of senior Andreea Slusarciuc and Brittany Franco won at first doubles to account for the Yellow Jackets' scoring.

The Jackets defeated Slippery Rock 5-1 in the semifinals on Saturday behind wins from Franco, Slusarciuc, and Berna in singles and victories by the Franco/Slusarciuc team and Berna and Nadia Grlj at second doubles. 

This was the seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance for the WVSU women's tennis team. The Jackets ends the season with a 14-6 record. 

COURTESY WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Louis Belt gets 100th career win as Bluefield State wins Atlantic Regional 1 Title

2014 MEN'S TENNIS ATLANTIC REGIONAL 1 CHAMPIONS
 BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE BLUES
 

BLUEFIELD, West Virginia  --  The Bluefield State Men's Tennis team came out on top 5-0 of Shaw University today in Day 2 action of the 2014 NCAA DII Men's Tennis Atlantic 1 Regional here in Bluefield, West Virginia.

The Big Blues came out strong winning all the doubles matches having a 3-0 lead going into the individuals. For Doubles: Sophomore Jacob Carey and Senior Piotr Kruk won 8-5, Sophomore Aziz Yuldashev and Junior Vishwesh Sinha won 8-4, and Junior Connor Pickering and Senior Vlad Catlan won 8-3.

Aziz Yuldashev finished first winning his match 6-1 and 6-1 to give the Big Blues a 4-0 lead. Then, Jacob Carey finished his match 6-2 and 6-2 for the Big Blues victory.

Head Coach Louis Belt got his 100th win on the Men's side for his career at BSC. Congratulations to Coach Belt and the Big Blues!

The Men's Tennis team is now 18-3 and will take on the winner of the Central 2 Regional on May 14th at 4pm in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Shaw Men's Tennis Ends Season With 5-0 Loss To Bluefield State

2013/14 SHAW UNIVERSITY BEARS TENNIS TEAM
ROSTER 

BLUEFIELD, West Virginia (May 5, 2014) -- The Shaw University men's tennis team was swept 5-0 by Bluefield State in the second round of the NCAA tournament in a match played at Bluefield (WV) City Tennis Courts Monday afternoon.

The Bears - the fourth seed in the Atlantic Region - finish their season 15-6, while top seeded Bluefield improves to 18-3 and advances to the Sweet Sixteen.

Bluefield, who beat the Bears 5-1 earlier this season, swept the doubles, with Shaw's Charles Silva and Sergio Cuartas proving to be the most difficult out, losing to Jacob Carey and Piotr Kruk 8-5.

Gafur Sirojiddinov and Andre Monti fell 8-4 in the number two doubles slot, while Bach Tran and Juan Sanchez fell 8-3 at the number three spot.

The Blues finished off the first-to-five win by claiming victories at number one singles with Carey defeating Silva 6-2, 6-2, and Aziz Yuldashev downing Tran 6-1, 6-1 at number three singles.

The loss brings a conclusion to the Shaw career of Silva - the CIAA Tennis Player of the Year - and Monti.

Box Score

COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Shaw Edges Chowan in NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament

COURTESY CHOWAN HAWKS ATHLETICS

BLUEFIELD, West Virginia  (May 4)  --  The Shaw University men's tennis team defeated Chowan University 5-2 on Sunday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament.  The Bears advance to face Bluefield State University on Monday in the Regional Championship match while the Hawks' season ends with a 17-10 overall record with the loss.

Pedro Aiala and Danilo Galovic earned an 8-3 doubles victory over Gafur Sirojiddinov and Andre Monti at the number two position.  Farid Hajizada and Ivan Doubograev came up short in the number one spot after suffering a 9-7 setback to Charles Silva and Sergio Cuartas while Bach Tran and Juan Sanchez edged Tristan Martin and Sasha Kirsanov 9-8 in the third position, allowing the Bears to take a 2-1 lead.  Hajizada and Doubograev end the year 20-5 in doubles play with Martin and Kirsanov finishing the season with a 16-10 mark.

In singles play, Hajizada triumphed over Silva 6-4, 6-3 at the number one position to finish the year with a 23-5 singles record.  Cuartas defeated Aiala 6-3, 6-0 in the number two position while Sanchez topped Carlos Ramirez 6-0, 6-1 in the fourth spot. Galovic fell to Monti in the sixth position resulting in the 5-2 win over Shaw.  Matches in the third and fifth positions remained unfinished using the first-to-five format.

Aiala competed in his final match for the Blue and White on Sunday.  He was a member of two CIAA Runner-up teams while earning All-CIAA honors.

The Hawks finished as CIAA Regular Season Co-Champions in 2014 and were the first team to earn an at-large bid in any sport in school history.

 COURTESY CHOWAN UNIVERSITY HAWKS SPORTS INFORMATION

First Lady's brother Craig Robinson fired as Oregon State basketball coach

COACH CRAIG ROBINSON
A.B., Sociology, Princeton University, 1983
M.B.A., Finance, University of Chicago,
Graduate School of Business, 1992

Robinson has 3 years remaining on his contract and the university is expected to owe him $4.2 million.
 
CORVALLIS, Oregon – Oregon State Athletic Director Bob De Carolis announced today that Head Men’s Basketball Coach Craig Robinson has been relieved of his duties effective immediately, and that a national search for Robinson’s successor has begun.

“I want to thank Coach Robinson and his family for their contributions to Oregon State University,” said De Carolis.  “This was a difficult decision, but after further evaluation, I believe it is in the best interests of our student-athletes, our basketball program and our University.”

Robinson completed his sixth season at the helm of the Beavers in March, compiling an overall record of 94-105; 39-69 in Pac-12 play.

Robinson was hired April 7, 2008 as the 20th head coach in the program’s history.  He arrived in Corvallis after spending two years as the head coach at Brown University.  Prior to Brown, he served as an assistant coach at Northwestern University for six years.

OSU Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis will be available to the media at 1:30 p.m. today -- Monday, May 5 -- in the Gill Coliseum media room (Room 15). The event will also be live-streamed at pac-12.com/videos/oregon-state-university-2

COURTESY OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Opinion: Robinson appears on the surface to be a good match for FAMU.  With $4 million forthcoming from OSU, money may not be his issue ... With Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller signing on as head women's basketball coach at NAIA Division I Langston University last week and former Indiana/UAB Coach Mike Davis raising the profile of Texas Southern basketball, why not FAMU signing a higher division I head coach?  New FAMU athletics director Kellen Winslow has a tough job in finding the right person to re-build Rattler basketball. Go Rattlers!

South Carolina Comptroller General Eckstrom need of a history lesson about S.C. State and HBCUs.

THE ISSUE: Remarks about university and future; OUR OPINION: S.C. State can be proud of its open-door mission.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina  -- South Carolina State University President Thomas Elzey says the words of S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom were misunderstood. Eckstrom says his Wednesday comments were not meant to belittle S.C. State and its students. Plenty of people disagree with both.

Amid the university’s plea for financial help before the State Budget and Control Board, Eckstrom diverted the focus and created a furor when he spoke about S.C. State and his position on support for and survival of the Orangeburg institution.

Eckstrom made the comments in expressing his hesitancy to provide the university a loan out of concerns about S.C. State’s ability to pay the money back.

“It’s servicing a student body that doesn’t have the ability to bail the university out,” Eckstrom said. “These aren’t kids that are coming from wealthy parents, from wealthy connections in the community. These are kids that are going there because they can’t get into these other schools.”

“They can’t afford it,” Eckstrom said. “So what we’re saying is the university can bail itself out?”



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2014 AT&T Nation's Football Classic® Tickets Now On Sale!

Howard University and Morehouse College meet in annual game at RFK Stadium; Student Section tickets available at campus locations.

Washington, D.C. -- Countdown to the Battle in the Capital! Events DC announced today that tickets for the 4th annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic®  went on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2 at Ticketmaster, the Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium and the Morehouse College Bookstore. The Howard Bison meet the Morehouse Maroon Tigers at RFK Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. “The AT&T Nation’s Football Classic has become an exciting black college sports experience that has lived up to the hype each year with competitive games and thrilling finishes,” said Erik A. Moses, managing director of Events DC Sports and Entertainment Division. “This year will be no different, and we look forward to seeing waves of maroon and blue in the stands at game time.” For the first time, Student Section tickets will be sold at Campus locations only. Ticket prices are as follows (plus applicable fees): Student Section tickets - $15 (sold at campus locations only; school ID must be presented) Lower Bowl tickets - $25 Mezzanine tickets - $50 Suites & Group Sales for 20 and more begin June 1. The Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (2455 Sixth Street, NW. Washington, DC 20059). The Morehouse College Bookstore is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (830 Westview Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30314). For more information on the AT&T Nation’s Football Classic, please visit www.nationsfootballclassic.com.                                                    About the AT&T Nation's Football Classic® The AT&T Nation's Football Classic® is a black college football game held annually at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. This year, the game features Morehouse College versus Howard University. Organized by Events DC, the AT&T Nation's Football Classic® was created to celebrate the passion and tradition of the college football experience, recognize the history of service to others by the students, faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities, highlight the unity of African American culture, and honor the heritage and excellence of these proud institutions.

ABOUT HOWARD Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 30 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University's Web site at www.howard.edu.

Paulette Brown, First Black Woman President-Elect of Powerful American Bar Association

PAULETTE BROWN, J.D.
ABA President-Elect Nominee
Biography

Baltimore Native, Howard University Graduate to Take Office in August 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  This August, another glass ceiling will be shattered when Paulette Brown begins her term as president-elect of the American Bar Association and becomes the first Black woman to ever ascend to the position.

Brown will serve as president-elect for one year before taking over as president in August 2015.

Brown was raised in northwest Baltimore as the daughter of two working parents, Wilbur and Thelma Brown, who protected her and kept her so focused on her school work that she said she had never even heard of marijuana until she reached college.

Brown entered Howard University as a freshman with the intention of becoming a social worker, knowing that she wanted to help people. Far from her mind was the possibility of leading the 400,000-member ABA, which sets standards for lawyers and law schools throughout the country.

“It never occurred to me,” said Brown.

Over the course of that first year at Howard, however, she realized law, not social work, was her true vocation. After graduating from Howard, Brown received her law degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law, and has been practicing law since 1976. She is a partner in a New Jersey law firm where she specializes in labor law, employment law and commercial litigation.

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Hampton University to install artificial turf at Armstrong Stadium

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton University will install synthetic turf at Armstrong Stadium later this spring and the field will be ready well in advance of the 2014 football season.

"A huge deal," HU coach Connell Maynor said. He said a new, state-of-the-art turf field is a recruiting tool and will allow the team to practice outside in bad weather.

Poor conditions forced the Pirates indoors on several occasions last season, because both Armstrong Stadium and the practice field behind the stadium have natural grass surfaces.



"You can't expect a football team to go out and win a football game, not practicing outside and having to practice inside in the gym," Maynor said. "That's going to be huge for our football program and the direction we're trying to take it, where we won't miss a practice."

Installation will begin after graduation, May 11, and is expected to be complete by the end of ...

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Details on HU coach Maynor's movie roles

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- New Hampton University football coach Connell Maynor is a colorful character with a successful track record and a thousand stories. Some of the best are from his movie extra work on “Any Given Sunday” and “Remember the Titans.”

Maynor’s movie work was mentioned in the lengthy profile in Sunday’s newspaper and on the website, but details and quotes were omitted for reasons of space and story flow.

Maynor played quarterback for the Orlando Predators of the Arena League in 1999 when teammate and fellow quarterback Pat O’Hara told him of a pro football movie being cast in south Florida: the big-budget flick by famed director Oliver Stone, “Any Given Sunday.”

O’Hara previously worked on “The Waterboy,” and the same guy casting for football players from the Adam Sandler movie needed extras for Stone’s movie.

The football casting guy told O’Hara that they needed a ...

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ASU Hornets Lose Finale At Miami

CORAL GABLES, Florida – The Alabama State baseball team fell to 4^th-ranked Miami 6-3 Sunday at Alex Rodriguez Park in the final game of the three-game weekend series.

The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when Alabama State (34-19) scored first. Cesar Rivera singled down the left field line, and Waldyvan Estrada walked to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt by Richard Gonzalez moved the runners to second and third, Emmanuel Marrero laid down a bunt back to the right side of the infield. Rivera beat the throw home and Estrada scored when the ball got past the catcher for a 2-0 lead as Marrero advanced to second base. Dexter Price's single up the middle scored Marrero and gave the Hornets a 3-0 lead.

However, in the bottom of the fourth, Miami (34-14) took advantage of two walks, a hit batter and an Alabama State error to score four runs on two hits to take the lead. The Hurricanes added a pair of runs in the sixth inning for the final margin.

Richard Gonzalez, Derron Simmons and Raul Perez joined Rivera and Price with one hit each for Alabama State, who had five on the day.

The Hornets return to action May 14 in the SWAC Tournament.

 

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JCSU Signs North Rowan Graduate Malik Ford

SPENCER, North Carolina — As North Rowan graduate Malik Ford picked up a pen to sign with Johnson C. Smith, coach Andrew Mitchell raved about Ford being not just a possible next-level guy but a possible watch-him-on-TV guy.

 

When Mitchell used Malik Ford and Scottie Pippen in the same sentence no one in the North media center laughed, because no one doubts Mitchell’s basketball knowledge and no one who has seen Ford play can deny that there’s some serious stuff there.            

“Malik has been trying to make his decision for a while and when he decided on Johnson C. Smith, I told him that if he’ll make up his mind not to get outworked by anyone, if he works hard every day, he can go as far as he wants to go,” Mitchell said. “With all my heart, I believe that.”

In other words, Ford, who graduated from North in 2013 and played this past season at Thomasville Prep, has potential and to have potential is both a blessing and a burden that comes with huge expectations.

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2014 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Champions

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -- The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats won the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University.

The Wildcats tallied 132 points to win their first MEAC Men’s Outdoor title. North Carolina A&T followed in second place with 101 points, while Hampton finished third with 89 points.

Maryland Eastern Shore’s Dillon Simon tallied 22 points to earn the Outstanding Field Athlete award. Simon won gold in the discus throw and shot put to garner the honor. Hampton’s Chidi Okezie was named the Outstanding Runner. Okezie won the 200m dash, with a time of 20.73, and the 400m dash in 46.61.

Bethune-Cookman’s Donald Cooper was selected the Men’s Track and Field Outstanding Coach for the first time.

“It was a hard fought battle and a lot of great competition from all teams,” Cooper said. “This has been one of the best MEAC (Championships) that I have been at, and our team persevered.”

Maryland Eastern Shore won the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:08.18 as Coppin State placed second (3:10.11) and Morgan State finished third (3:10.90). In the 4x100, North Carolina A&T took gold at 40.27. Savannah State finished second (40.64) and Maryland Eastern Shore placed third (40.83).

In the Steeplechase, Florida A&M’s Deon Clifford, who was the Indoor Outstanding Field Athlete, captured gold with a time of 9:25.44. Teammate Elias Chesire placed second (9:28.91).

Men’s Team Results

1. Bethune-Cookman               132 points

2. North Carolina A&T           101 points

3. Hampton                              89 points

4. Maryland Eastern Shore       79 points

5. Florida A&M                       58 points

5. Howard                                58 points

7. Coppin State                         55 points

8. Morgan State                        52 points

9. South Carolina State             50 points

10. Savannah State                  49 points

11. Delaware State                   12 points
12. North Carolina Central       3 points

** Norfolk State men ineligible for postseason

2014 MEAC TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS

Men:
All-MEAC First Team
 

Dillon Simon, Maryland Eastern Shore (DT); Rico Taylor, Maryland Eastern Shore (HJ); Elias Chesire, Florida A&M (5000m); Nnamdi Davis, Bethune-Cookman (Decathlon); Kenneth Fisher, Bethune-Cookman (LJ); Dillon Simon, Maryland Eastern Shore (SP); Keenan Smith, N.C. A&T (TJ); Desmond Lawrence, North Carolina A&T (4x100, 100m); Darryl Williams, North Carolina A&T (4x100); Caleb Gabriel, North Carolina A&T (4x100); Marquis Noble, North Carolina A&T (4x100); Cameron Hall, Savannah State (110mH); Giovani Mowatt, Howard (1500m); Chidi Okezie, Hampton (400m, 200m); Dolphurs Hayes, Savannah State (PV); Edose Ibadin, Hampton (800m); Rajae Gayle, Howard (JT); Barry Bethea, South Carolina State (400mH); Deon Clifford, Florida A&M (3000 SC); Javon Spencer, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x400); Ramone Waite, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x400); Orwell Maylor, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x400); Aaron Chatmon, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x400).  

All-MEAC Second Team
 

Emmanuel Stewart, Morgan State (DT); Ed’Ricus Williams, Bethune-Cookman (HJ); Deon Clifford, Florida A&M (5000m); Keron Stoute, Bethune-Cookman (Decathlon); Nicholas Williams, Bethune-Cookman (LJ); Sulaiman Fared, Hampton (SP); Laquan Howard, Bethune-Cookman (TJ); Cameron Hall, Savannah State (4x1000); Kenshard Hamilton, Savannah State (4x100); Antwuan Poole, Savannah State (4x100); Justin Leggett, Savannah State (4x100); Tremayne Banks, Bethune-Cookman (110mH); Paris Reddick-Simmons, Hampton (1500m); Je’von Hutchinson, Hampton (400m); Darryl Williams, North Carolina A&T (100m); Robert Mercer, Howard (PV); Mark London, Coppin State (800m, 4x400); Stefano Nardini, Hampton (JT); Joshua Peoples, North Carolina A&T (200m); Lemaar Shakir, Savannah State (400mH); Elias Chesire, Florida A&M (3000 SC); Kester Chase, Coppin State (4x400); Donell Taylor, Coppin State (4x400); Rosen Daniel, Coppin State (4x400).
 

All-MEAC Third Team
 

Xavier Molette, South Carolina State (DT); Michael Tiller, Bethune-Cookman (HJ); Khalil Rmidi Kinini, Maryland Eastern Shore (5000m); Emmanuel Price, Hampton (Decathlon); Shane Green, Coppin State (LJ); Jefferson Butler, Morgan State (SP); Shane Green, Coppin State (TJ); Rico Taylor, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x100); Javon Spencer, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x100); Aaron Chatmon, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x100, 400m); Ramone Waite, Maryland Eastern Shore (4x100); Wallace Spencer, Howard (110mH); Khalil Rmidi Kinini (1500m); Kenshard Hamilton, Savannah State (100m); Timothy Jackson, Savannah State (PV); Onyx Johnson, Morgan State (800m, 4x400); Emmanuel Stewart, Morgan State (JT); Desmond Lawrence, North Carolina A&T (200m); Dennis Pugh, Florida A&M (400mH); Darren White, North Carolina A&T (3000 SC); Haneef Hardy, Morgan State (4x400); Joel Roberson, Morgan State (4x400); Evan Johnson, Morgan State (4x400)

 

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS