Saint Augustine's Shaw brings home NCAA title, Makes Daddy Proud

 David Shaw Jr. won his first individual national championship
on Friday in the triple jump at the NCAA Division II Outdoor
Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Michigan. The 
St. Pauls native leaped a career-best 51 feet, 11 inches
 on his first jump to claim the title.
CIAA |Contributed photo

ST. PAULS, North Carolina — On Friday afternoon, David Shaw Sr. was sitting in his backyard, waiting to receive a call from his son, D.J., who was competing at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Michigan.

When Shaw Sr. finally got the call from his 22-year-old son, there was a brief moment of silence on the other end.

“He sort of paused on me,” Shaw Sr. said. “Then finally he went to laughing and said, ‘Daddy, I won nationals.’

“We probably talked about 20 more minutes and I couldn’t have been prouder.”

David Shaw Jr., or D.J. as he’s commonly known, won the D2 men’s national championship in the triple jump at Grand Valley State University, his first individual title as a member of the Saint Augustine’s University track and field team.

“I couldn’t believe it, it was one of the best feelings ever,” said D.J., who leaped a career-best 51 feet, 11 inches on his first jump to claim the victory. “All I could do was thank God for opportunity. It’s every college athlete’s dream to win a national title.”

The St. Pauls native secured 10 points for the Falcons en route to the school’s third consecutive national team championship on Saturday, making D.J. a five-time national champion. The win also gave legendary coach George Williams his 36th national title, which is the most NCAA track and field championships for any coach, regardless of division.

Shaw Sr., a legendary track coach in his own right after 33 seasons at St. Pauls High School, ran track for Williams at Saint Augustine’s. That made his son’s national title even more special.

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UMES Recognized for MEAC's Highest Graduation Success Rate for 6th Straight Year

MIAMI, Florida -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has been recognized by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for having the league's highest graduation success rate (GSR) for the sixth consecutive year. UMES earned an 88% Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes that competed from 2004 to 2007.

It is a great honor to win this award for the sixth straight athletic season," said UMES athletic director Keith Davidson. "It shows how successful our athletic program has truly been. The graduation success our student-athletes have had shows the quality of people we are recruiting and that the university is doing its part in preparing student-athletes for life after college."

UMES earned the highest GSR among MEAC members from 1999-2002, with a 77% GPR, and 2000-2003, with an 84% GSR. In 2001-2004 they had a 90% GSR, in the 2002-2005 and 2003-2006 cohort, they posted an 89% rate both years.

The GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions as well as those transferring into those schools, according to the NCAA. The rate was created to reflect mobility of college students in graduation data.

In addition to the recognition, UMES was presented a check for $25,000 from the MEAC for the achievement.

At the reception where UMES was recognized, the conference also announced the All-Sports Award winners. Hampton University won its 14th-straight Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award while Bethune-Cookman University won its second straight Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award.

The All-Sports Award highlights the overall strengths of the conference's men's and women's athletic programs. Each winning institution was presented with a $20,000 check during a reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in South Beach, Miami on Wednesday evening, May 27.

With the resurgence of men's basketball and baseball, and strong outings from track and field, including the men's cross-country championship, the Hawk's men's teams skyrocketed up the standings for the Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award. UMES took second place overall to the Wildcats, posting 75 total points, trailing the 86.2 amassed by Bethune-Cookman. The Hawks scored in double figures in all three track disciplines, baseball and basketball, posting no sport tally worse than eight points. The conference awards 14 points for a first-place finish, second earns 12 points and so on down the line. Tied teams split the totals. UMES and Bethune-Cookman were the only two programs to amass more than 69 points.

Last season the men were fifth overall and in 2012-13 they were last at 13th, showing the leaps the program has made in just a short period of time.

On the women's side the Hawks took seventh overall in a more closely contested category. They tallied 73.5 points, getting double figure production from cross-country, volleyball and bowling, who won their eighth MEAC title in March. No UMES program scored lower than 6.5 points meaning no program finished worse than eighth place out of the 13 conference schools. They missed sixth place by just 1.5 points. Hampton won with 94 points.

"I think this speaks to the commitment of our department in all of our core values. Academics is the priority and we have shown that year in and year out. Now athletics are taking shape and we are seeing meaningful progress across the board in all of our sports," said Davidson. "Those two areas along with our efforts in the community are what are key for us to producing student-athletes who are productive members of society beyond their time in Princess Anne."

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton University and Bethune-Cookman selected as the MEAC 2015 All-Sports Award Winners

2014-2015 Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award: Bethune-Cookman

MIAMI, Florida -- Hampton University won its 14th consecutive Mary McLeod Bethune Women’s All-Sports Award and Bethune-Cookman recorded its second straight Talmadge Layman Hill Men’s Award, the conference announced on Wednesday.

The All-Sports Award highlights the overall strengths of the conference’s men’s and women’s athletic programs. Each institution was presented with a $20,000 check during a reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in South Beach, Miami on Wednesday evening.

“I would like to congratulate Bethune-Cookman University including President Dr. Edison Jackson, Director of Athletics Lynn Thompson, and the administrators, coaches, student-athletes and support staff for winning the 2015 Talmadge Layman Hill Award,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. “I also extend congratulations to Hampton University and President Dr. William R. Harvey, Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall and all of the outstanding individuals including staff, coaches and student-athletes who were involved in the women’s programs winning the Mary McLeod Bethune Award.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was recognized during the reception as the 2014 recipient of the MEAC Highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for the sixth straight year. In addition to the recognition, UMES was presented a check for $25,000. UMES’ 88-percent GSR is the highest among MEAC institutions spanning the 2004-07 cohorts.

2014-2015 Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award: Hampton

Hampton’s women’s programs totaled 94 points in the All-Sports tally. The Lady Pirates won conference titles in Indoor Track and Field and Women’s Basketball. Hampton also finished second as conference runners-up in Outdoor Track and Field.

Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M finished tied for second place with 88.5 points. This is the third straight year that the Lady Rattlers athletic programs have finished second in the tally. North Carolina A&T State finished third (78 points) and Norfolk State edged out Morgan State by five-tenths of a point to finish fourth respectively.

Bethune-Cookman continues to strengthen its men’s programs, totaling 86.2 points to secure its second overall All-Sports trophy. The Wildcats earned a share of the football title and finished first in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. B-CU also garnered runners-up finishes in men’s tennis, golf and baseball.

Maryland Eastern Shore finished second on the men’s side with 75 total points and North Carolina A&T State and North Carolina Central finished tied for third with 68.7 total points. Hampton concluded the season fourth (63.5) and Florida A&M (62) rounded out the top five finishers.

Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 14 points for champions or first place regular season finishes. The second place team receives 12 points. Tied teams split the point total.

The Mary McLeod Bethune and Talmadge Layman Hill Awards

The Mary McLeod Bethune Award, named after the founder of Bethune-Cookman College, awards the top overall women’s athletic program during the course of one full academic year. The first Mary McLeod Bethune award was giving in 1987 to Delaware State University. Hampton leads all MEAC schools with 14 Women’s Awards. The men’s All-Sports Award is named after the late Talmadge Layman Hill, a former player and coach at Morgan State, and former Chairman of the MEAC Steering and Planning Committee, as well as the conference’s first President. Howard University was the recipient of the first Talmadge Layman Hill Award in 1972. South Carolina State holds the men’s record with 11 awards from 1973-84.


COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Culver column: FAMU's baseball turnaround shows athletic program's potential

GAINESVILLE, Florida -- Like it or not, right now, Florida A&M's baseball team is the flagship program of the school.

The Rattlers, MEAC champions for the first time since 1994, are in the middle of a baseball renaissance. After back-to-back seven-win seasons, Florida A&M is 49-49 since the 2013-14 season with a MEAC title and a 4-3 win over the Florida Gators.

Let's just think about that for a second.

The baseball team is .500 over the last two years. No other team in FAMU's athletic program can match it. No other team can say it brought down a nationally-ranked program. No other team has 16 members of the 2015 MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team.

The wins and academics were there last season, and now the national spotlight is there, too.

That's not to say the softball and women's track programs — both MEAC champions — are not feathers in FAMU's cap. They're strong teams and have been strong teams for awhile.



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5 benefits from FAMU's regional berth

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M head coach said tallying wins over his first two season as head coach has helped immensely with recruiting after the Rattlers had to suffer through back-to-back seven-win seasons before he arrived.

1. Recruiting

The Rattlers are 49-49 with a MEAC title — the team's first since 1994 — with Shouppe at the helm.

"Players want to be a part of a winning culture," Shouppe said.



"We've been able to turn the tide a little bit and start winning a few more ball games. We don't have a whole lot of scholarship money for this year to recruit with. But we're getting some walk-ons, kids that want to be part of what we're trying to do, that are coming to the program.

"Those walk-ons may be better than some of the kids we've got on scholarship."

Before leaving for the NCAA tournament, Shouppe told members of the 220 Quarterback Club, a group of FAMU sports enthusiasts, had had more recruits visiting the school in the coming weeks.

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Florida, FAU, South Florida, Florida A&M: Gainesville Regional Preview

COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS

4. Florida A&M Rattlers (23-23, MEAC automatic)

Florida A&M comes into the Gainesville Regional at the MEAC Champion with a 23-23 record. The Rattlers finished 15-9 in the conference to receive a regional bid for the first time in program history. Head coach coach Jamey Shouppe will have his hands full with an opening game against a national power in Florida, a game with David and Goliath overtones.

FAMU hit .261 as a team, hit 20 home runs and stole 47 bases in 58 attempts, led by Jared Walker (.324/.444/.423) and Marlon Gibbs (.311, 30 RBI, 15 SB).

Having seen FAMU earlier this year in a three game series against USF, don’t be surprised to see coach Shouppe make frequent pitching changes with nine pitchers on the roster that have logged 21 innings or more.

FAMU has an opportunity to measure their program against four of Florida’s more established programs.

Top Hitters:

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Grambling women’s hoops hit with APR penalties

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Just when Grambling’s men’s basketball team found its way out of an Academic Progress Rating mess that has hindered the program for the past several years, the women’s hoops team was hit with APR penalties of their own Wednesday.

The NCAA announced the Lady Tigers are among 13 teams hit with Level One APR penalties, which is described as losing “four hours and one day of practice time per week in season.”

Grambling’s APR had been going strong with recent marks of 956 in 2012-13, 977 in 2011-12 and 972 in 2010-11, but that number dipped to 918 in 2013-14. Teams are subject to penalty with anything below 930.

“We’re coming up with a game plan to be able to address these issues so they don’t come up with these issues in the future,” Grambling coach Nadine Domond said. “At the end of the day, this matters and we want to make sure we’re not in that situation.”

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