NCCU Mack: ‘There has to be more to life than football.’

DURHAM, North Carolina  --  North Carolina Central football coach Jerry Mack wants more than just championship rings. He wants well-rounded, well-educated student-athletes.

That was the message Mack recently gave at a Durham Sports Club luncheon.

Mack said NFL contracts are hard to come by at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly Division I-AA), so it is imperative that student-athletes place more emphasis on the student rather than the athlete.

“Let’s face it, we won’t have many players going to the NFL, so there has to be more to life than football,” he said. “I want to develop the entire student-athlete. I want them to leave with a championship ring and a degree in hand to become productive citizens.”

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Miami Eliminates B-CU in NCAA Regional Rematch, 10-0

CORAL GABLES, Florida --  Bethune-Cookman’s history-making run in the 2014 NCAA postseason ended on Sunday afternoon at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, as host Miami (43-18) drove up a 10-0 win over the Wildcats (27-33) in their second meeting in the Coral Gables Regional.

“I told them how proud I was, especially of the fact we had a losing record going in to our conference tournament, and it would’ve been very easy to quit,” Head Coach Jason Beverlin said. “But our seniors really took things over and did a great job leading.”

“We swept through of conference tournament, and winning a game in our Regional is a big deal for our program as well. It’s definitely pushing the bar up. That’s the goal every year; to make the program better, which they did a great job of,” Beverlin added.



Miami left fielder Tyler Palmer put the Hurricanes on the board early, scoring from third on a throwing error by Matt Noble at second base in the first inning, reaching base on a one-out single through the left side.

Starter Gabriel Hernandez found challenges in halting the Miami hitters early, who broke from a Regional slump. In the second, consecutive singles from Johnny Ruiz and Willie Abreu paid off for the Hurricanes, as both crossed the plate on a pair of two-out RBI singles for Ryan Kennedy and Dale Carey.

Facing a 3-0 deficit, Michael Austin entered in relief and quieted the Miami offense through the next three frames to give the Wildcats an opportunity to get the bats going. Leaving one runner on base in the sixth, Austin yielded to senior Scott Garner, making his second appearance in the Regional against Miami.

The Hurricanes would score in the sixth, eighth and ninth frames, highlighted by a pair of home runs by designated hitter Zach Collins, who tallied five runs on the two shots to put the game out of reach for the Wildcats, extending the lead to 10-0.

Throwing two innings in his final appearance in the Maroon and Gold, Hernandez (1-4) took the loss, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He wraps his B-CU career with a 19-10 record in 57 games. Garner also concluded his final game for the Wildcats with a 20-15 record.

For the Hurricanes, Bryan Radziewski (8-2) earned the win, throwing his first complete game of the season, allowing three hits and striking out nine.

Matt Noble, Zach Olszewski and Bryant Munoz each registered hits for the Wildcats.

To reach Sunday’s elimination game, the Wildcats defeated the Columbia Lions, 6-5, earning the first Regional victory for the Bethune-Cookman program since 2002, reaching the NCAA postseason after winning B-CU’s 17th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship.

“We just came together as a team, everyone started to trust each other and we saw the overall goal for the season and what to work for,” Garner said of the strong finish. “Once we got the goals defined, it was easier to come together and work together as a team.”

For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feeds, @CookmanBaseball or @BCUathletics, or "Like Us" on Facebook at BCUathletics.

To join the conversation on social media, be sure to tag your B-CU-related posts with the official hashtag of B-CU Athletics, #HailWildcats.

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COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

JSU Tigers eliminated from Lafayette Regional by Louisiana

PHOTO COURTESY: SWAC.ORG

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana  -- The Jackson State baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA Lafayette Regional Sunday evening at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, falling 11-1 to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Gary Thomas and Charles Tillery each recorded two hits for JSU.  Jace Conrad led UL with three hits and six RBIs.

The game was delayed for three hours and 12 minutes when lightning strikes were spotted around the stadium in the bottom of the fourth inning. Prior to the weather delay, the Tigers trailed Louisiana 8-1. Starting pitcher Chris Wingard struggled with his command in the first inning, leading the Cajuns first score of the game. UL scored when Caleb Adams scored Ryan Leonards on a sacrifice fly to center field.

 “They (Ragin’ Cajuns) are an outstanding team,” said JSU head coach Omar Johnson. “We played hard, but we walked too many people. They took advantage of our mistakes. We left a pitch up in the second inning and they hit the ball out of the park. You have to give them all of the credit. They made play after play.”

JSU scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the first. Gary Thomas doubled to left field to get on base and Desmond Russell sent him to third base on a sacrifice bunt. Tilur Smith got hit by a pitch to get on base and Thomas scored on a throwing error, tying the score at 1-1.

“I’m proud of our team, and of the way we competed. We dealt with some adversity and our guys responded. Louisiana-La­fayette is the real deal, and a very good team.”

The Cajuns broke the game open with a five run second inning. With the bases loaded Jake Conrad a grand slam to at the top of the inning, making the score 5-1. UL scored another run in the inning.

JSU (32-25) finished with eight hits and a RBI. Chris Wingard (2-2) pitched 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on one hit.

UL added the final three runs of the game in the seventh inning. The Cajuns scored their 11 runs on nine hits and had 10 RBIs.

JSU Quotes:
Head Coach Omar Johnson
On their mindset going into the rain delay: “Definitely frustrated being down. Rain delays are tough on pitchers, and the how the NCAA has rain delays set up is to protect the student-athlete. You have to learn how to play this time of year because you have to play every inning and every pitch. You don’t get a half­time in baseball, and I guess that was our halftime. Our opponent was really good today.”

On the perception of the program after the weekend: “It’s a big win [on Friday]. There were some things done that haven’t been done since 1993, back-to-back conference championships. Then we had our first ever win against the No. 1 team in the country, and a regional win. It says a lot about the players, and all the adversity and resolve they showed. It says a lot. I’m proud of our players. They compete well. They showed up and gave their best.”

On the team being able to deal with the adversity: “We’ve had a lot of players that had success on differ­ent levels. When players expect to win, a lot of times when you get into championship situations they will respond. We’re fortunate to put a group of guys together to do that.”

On being the fourth seed: “One thing I didn’t say that and I should have, they [Louisiana-Lafayette] put on a first class regional. This was first class, and the atmosphere is awesome. They tried their best to accom­modate us in every way. Respect is earned. They didn’t try to overlook us, and no one tried to down play anything we’ve done.”

On winning when some say JSU couldn’t: “It feels great to be able to do that. It feels great to be able to put a group of kids together who can play at this level. Those guys (Ragin’ Cajuns) are good. Mississippi State is good. You have to put together a good group to be able to compete with these guys. The speed of the game changes at different levels, and you have to be able to keep up with the speed of the game.”

On Louisiana-Lafayette using the bunt: “They are not a one-dimensional team. The key is if the third base­man is behind the bag, it is a bunt situation. They read some keys to the game and were able to put some pressure on. They are an outstanding team."

JSU SS Gary Thomas Quotes
On the season, the run to the regional and the win over Ragin’ Cajuns on Friday: “It means a lot. It is very special to do it against the No. 1 team in the country. It feels good to make history.”
On what the nation knows about JSU’s program: “That we’re no pushover. Every team we play, we play as if they’re the best team in the nation.”

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All-Louisiana honors for XU's Montrel, Abbes, Chaouat

Nour Abbes

                                          Nour Abbes

  

Kyle Montrel

Kevin Chaouat

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Kyle Montrel and Nour Abbes are first-team selections on the 2013-14 All-Louisiana tennis teams announced late Saturday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, and Kevin Chaouat of the Gold Rush is the men's Newcomer of the Year.
     
Montrel, a sophomore from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, is a repeat first-team selection. Abbes, from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah, is the first XU freshman female to be chosen All-Louisiana. Chaouat, a sophomore from Sarcelles, France, is the Gold Rush's third state Newcomer of the Year in five seasons.
     
Montrel was 16-10 in singles and 19-7 in doubles to help the Gold Rush defeat seven top-25 NAIA teams and two from NCAA Division I. He was selected the ITA/NAIA South Region Player to Watch earlier this month.
     
Abbes was 17-0 in singles — including victories against All-Louisiana first-teamers Klaudia Gawlik of McNeese State and Renee Villarreal of Southeastern Louisiana — and 16-2 in doubles. She won her final 12 doubles matches with Simone-Alyse Ewell as her partner and earned postseason top-10 ITA individual rankings in singles (No. 2) and doubles (No. 9).
     
Chaouat, a transfer from Embry-Riddle (Fla.), was 9-8 in singles and 17-10 in doubles. He teamed with Tushar Mandlekar to win 14 of their last 19 doubles matches, with eight of those victories against ranked NAIA schools and two against NCAA Division I.
     
An LSWA panel of sports information directors selected the teams.
     
Montrel and Abbes were named to their second All-America teams of the season on Friday.
     
Xavier's women were 17-7, reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship for the second consecutive year and ranked third in the NAIA postseason coaches poll. The XU men were 13-12, reached the national quarterfinals for the third straight year and ranked eighth in the postseason.

2013-14 All-Louisiana Tennis
WOMEN
FIRST TEAM
Klara Vyskocilova, senior, Tulane
Klaudia Gawlik, sophomore, McNeese State
Renee Villarreal, sophomore, Southeastern Louisiana
Natayla Krutova, sophomore, Northwestern State
Sara Castellano, freshman, McNeese State
Nour Abbes, freshman, Xavier

SECOND TEAM
Alexandra Starkova, sophomore, Louisiana Tech
Joana Vale Costa, freshman, LSU
Medy Blankvoort, senior, Louisiana-Monroe
Julia Kral, freshman, McNeese State
Noel Scott, junior, LSU
Soledad Calderon Arroyo, sophomore, New Orleans

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Klara Vyskocilova, Tulane
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Noel Scott, LSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Sara Castellano, McNeese State
COACH OF THE YEAR: (tie) Chad Camper, Louisiana Tech; Danielle Steinberg, McNeese State

MEN
FIRST TEAM
Dominik Koepfer, sophomore, Tulane
Chris Simpson, junior, LSU
Nico Mertens, sophomore, Nicholls State
Rick de Groot, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette
Jao Chi-San, freshman, Tulane
Kyle Montrel, sophomore, Xavier

SECOND TEAM
Hunter Johnson, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette
Partha Adavelly, freshman, Nicholls State
Justin Butsch, freshman, LSU
Sebastian Ray, freshman, Tulane
Jake Wynan, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette
Edgar Lopez, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Chaouat, Xavier
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jao Chi-San, Tulane
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mark Jeffrey, Louisiana-Lafayette

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Jefferson City Celebrates Lincoln's University National Championship (VIDEO)

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  --  Jefferson City celebrated the Lincoln women's track & field team's 2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship at a rally on May 29, 2014.



COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATION

Jackson State’s Russell leaves Mississippi State coach Cohen impressed

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana  – He threw a complete game for the ninth time this season. He allowed just three runs off seven hits to Southeastern Conference power Mississippi State. He earned the heartfelt respect of Bulldogs coach John Cohen.

About the only thing Jackson State starting pitcher/utilityman Desmond Russell didn’t do Saturday night at the NCAA Lafayette Regional was win.

But after Mississippi State won the winner’s-bracket game 3-1 behind the combined three-hit pitching of Jonathan Holder and Ben Bracewell, even Cohen was thinking maybe Russell should have.

“He deserved to win a ballgame,” Cohen said of the senior righty. “He was just outstanding. We just got some timely hits, and they didn’t.”

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XU Nuggets to be honored Monday in Louisiana House resolution

Xavier's women's tennis team has been ranked No. 1 five times during the
 past two seasons in the NAIA coaches poll.

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana House of Representatives will honor the 2013-14 Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis team with a resolution on Monday.
    
The resolution, authored by Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, will commend the Gold Nuggets for their season accomplishments, which include:
    
•  Reaching the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship for the second consecutive year. Women's tennis is the only XU program to reach the NAIA's national semifinals.
    
•  Finishing 17-7, winning the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament and, for the second straight year, ranking third in the NAIA Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll. Five of the Nuggets' victories were against teams in the postseason top 10, including 2014 national champion Georgia Gwinnett and Auburn Montgomery, the champion from 2011-13. Xavier defeated Georgia Gwinnett and AUM when both opponents were ranked No. 1.
    
•  Earning the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA coaches polls of April 29 and May 4.
    
•  Producing four Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA All-Americans: Nour Abbes, Simone-Alyse Ewell, Brion Flowers and Kourtney Howell. Abbes also received the Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player Award at the NAIA National Championship, and she was chosen Wilson/ITA NAIA Women's National and Region IV Rookie of the Year.
    
Coach Alan Green, team members and XU Director of Athletics and Recreation Jason Horn will be in attendance for the reading of the resolution on the House floor at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge (address: 900 North Third Street, zip code 70802). The reading is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

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