Xavier goes 1-1 in Big Easy Blastoff volleyball

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
2015/16 WOMEN'S VOLLEY TEAM
ROSTER
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NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana women's volleyball split its two matches Friday in the Big Easy Blastoff at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Nuggets defeated Mississippi Valley State 26-24, 25-17, 25-16 in the tournament's opening match, then lost 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 25-14 to Mobile in the final match of the day.

Xavier (1-1) will play Saturday at 9 a.m. against NAIA No. 19 Wayland Baptist and 3 p.m. against Faulkner. Admission is free.

The Gold Nuggets' Jodi Hill hit .600 with 10 kills and four aces against Mississippi Valley, and Taylor Reuther had eight kills and nine digs in her first match since 2013. The victory was Xavier's first against an NCAA Division I opponent since 2011.



Against Mobile, freshman Ruby Hunt-Thompson had 14 kills, and CeCe Williams had 11.

In the other matches, Wayland Baptist defeated Mobile 24-26, 26-24, 27-25, 27-25, Mobile beat Mississippi Valley 25-13, 25-13, 25-18, and Wayland Baptist defeated Faulkner 25-17, 23-25, 28-26, 25-17. Wayland Baptist, 6-0 this season, was the only team to finish unbeaten Friday.

In Saturday's other matches, Mississippi Valley will play Faulkner at 11 a.m., Wayland Baptist will play Loyola at 1 p.m., and Mississippi Valley will meet Loyola at 5 p.m.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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XU's Jackson wins women's race at Big Easy Opener

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
2015/16  WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
ROSTER
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NEW ORLEANS— Xavier University of Louisiana's Zahri Jackson ran two miles in 14 minutes, 27.3 seconds Friday to win the women's division of the Big Easy Opener cross country meet at City Park.

Jackson, a fifth-year senior, earned her fourth collegiate victory and her first since winning her second straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference title in 2012.

Freshman teammate Brianna Pace, in her collegiate debut, was second in 14:48.0. XU senior Briana Simms was third in 14:56.3.

The Gold Nuggets outscored city rival Dillard 17-45 to win the team title.

Power Miler Track Club scored 15 points to win the men's division. Xavier was second with 61 points, and Dillard was third with 64.

Power Miler's Drew Haro ran 5,000 meters in 15:56.9 to finish first. The first collegiate men's finisher was Xavier junior Christopher August, in eighth place at 17:03.6. Brent Kitto was the second Gold Rush finisher, placing 11th in 17:22.9.

The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will compete next Friday in the Southern Miss Invitational at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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JSU Tigers’ Cook settling in at center

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Off the field, Jackson State junior center Markus Cook has spent enough time studying to compile a 3.3 grade-point average as a special education major.

On the field, Cook, who has hopes of becoming a coach someday, has to put in his fair share of studying, too. He’s had to learn defensive fronts and tendencies, protection calls and the rest of his fellow linemen’s assignments.

It’s that kind of preparation that has turned Cook into one of the more steady presences along the Tigers’ offensive line during the first few weeks of practice.

“His consistency through camp (stood out), there was a good battle between he and Alem (Amores at center) but he’s been the more consistent guy making calls …,” offensive line coach Steven Aycock said.

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Benedict Season Opener Selected As Part of SIAC TV Package With ASPiRE Network

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will broadcast four SIAC football games on ASPiRE Network for the upcoming 2015 football season, including Benedict College's season-opener.

"We are pleased to have SIAC football games on the ASPiRE Network this fall," said SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. "This partnership will provide our fans with multiple opportunities to follow our exceptional SIAC football programs and student-athletes throughout the season."

The SIAC football broadcast schedule will debut on ASPiRE on September 5th when Benedict College hosts Livingstone College in the annual Palmetto Capital City Classic in Columbia, South Carolina. The game kicks off at 4:30 p.m.

ASPiRE is available in the Columbia area on Time Warner Cable channel 185. For other areas, please check with your local cable provider. ASPiRE is not available on either satellite service – DISH and DirecTV.

In addition, ASPiRE will broadcast the Morehouse College against Tuskegee University at the historic A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus, Georgia for the 80th annual Tuskegee/Morehouse Classic on October 10th.

ASPiRE will also broadcast games during the final two weeks of the season starting on November 7, with the 26th annual Fountain City Classic game between Albany State University and Fort Valley State University at AJ McClung Stadium in Columbus, Georgia, and the 2015 SIAC Football Championship Game between the East and West Division Champions at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday, November 14.

The upcoming games include:

Saturday, September 5 – Livingstone College at Benedict College. 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 10 – Morehouse College vs. Tuskegee University. 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7– Albany State University vs. Fort Valley State University. 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14 – SIAC Football Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

About ASPiRE
ASPiRE is a television network that celebrates the groundbreaking achievements of African-Americans. ASPiRE offers a diverse programming mix of movies, series and specials featuring music, comedy, drama, faith/inspiration, theater/performing arts, lifestyle and news/information. The network was launched June 27, 2012 by Magic Johnson Enterprises, which acts as a catalyst for driving unparalleled business results for its partners and fosters community/economic empowerment by making available high-quality entertainment, products and services that answer the demands of ethnically diverse urban communities. ASPiRE is available in over 20 million homes in 22 of the top 25 African-American markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.aspire.tv, facebook.com/aspireTV and on Twitter @tvASPiRE.

ABOUT THE SIAC:
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC sponsors six women's sports and seven men's sports. Last year 388,787 fans attended SIAC football games as the SIAC once again led NCAA Division II in average football attendance for twenty-third time out of the past twenty-five years.

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Coppin State alum Stephanie Ready named first full-time female NBA game analyst

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- FOX Sports Southeast announced that Coppin State alum Stephanie Ready will make the move from the Charlotte Hornets sidelines to the broadcast booth with Eric Collins and Dell Curry, becoming the first full-time female NBA game analyst.

Ready has been a fixture with the Charlotte Hornets. She will be entering her 12th season with the Hornets telecasts. She was previously the host of Hornets LIVE! and an in-game sideline reporter.

"I've had a love affair with the game of basketball for as long as I can remember, both as a player and a coach," Ready said. "I'm honored and excited to be able to share my passion for this sport with our audience. FOX Sports and the Hornets have always taken pride in being innovative and forward-thinking. I'm extremely proud to be a part of history."



Prior to her broadcasting career, Ready was an assistant coach in the WNBA and the NBA D-League, making her the first woman to coach a men's professional sports team. Ready also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men's basketball program under former head coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell. At the time, Ready was the first female to hold the position of full-time recruiting assistant on an NCAA Division I men's basketball staff.

Ready was also a part-time sideline reporter for The NBA on TNT during the 2006 and 2007 NBA Playoffs, and the WNBA Playoffs on ESPN2 during 2006. Also in 2006 and 2007, Ready worked as a sideline reporter during the first and second rounds of the Women's Final Four of college basketball for ESPN2.

"I'm excited about it," Ready said about becoming the first full-time female NBA game analyst. "I look back at my career and the careers of other ladies who are in the same industry and I think of Ann Meyers, who is with the Phoenix Suns organization. She's a vice president there, so she's on the executive staff but she also is a television analyst. She's been on their broadcasts for a while, just not on a full-time basis because, as I said, she's an executive as well. She has proven herself and proven to people out there who might be a little more narrow-minded, that women are perfectly capable of doing the same jobs in this industry that men can do."

A native of Takoma Park, Maryland, by the time she graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Ready was ranked in the top-10 on the career women's basketball list at Coppin State in steals (second), assists (fourth), points (eighth) and rebounds (tenth).

The following is courtesy of Matt Rochinski of hornets.com, who caught up with Ready to discuss her historic move.

On making the move to the Hornets broadcast booth:
I am thrilled – I'm over the moon with excitement. When I was a coach and considered getting into television, this was the job that I wanted. This was the reason that I got into sports broadcasting, because I wanted to be a game analyst. Even though I've done it all these years – some college games and some NBA games on a fill in basis – this will be the first time I get to focus primarily on the job that I love the most in television. I couldn't be more excited.

CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW HERE FROM NBA.COM

COURTESY COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Smith Named Chowan Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach

MURFREESBORO, North Carolina -- The Chowan University Athletic Department along with Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Melissa Nakasuji announced the addition of Kyle Smith on Wednesday afternoon. Smith enters his first season with the Hawks and serves as the Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach. He noted, "I am so excited to be part of a developing program and am thankful to Coach Nakasuji for bringing me in at such an exciting time".

Prior to joining the staff at Chowan, Smith served as the Women's Lacrosse Coach and Program Director at Otay Ranch High School in California during the 2014-15 season. While serving in that capacity, Smith was responsible for the development and supervision of the varsity and junior varsity programs. Under Smith's direction, the Otay varsity lacrosse team posted a 19-2 overall record and made an appearance in the Division 2 State Semi Finals. The team had four First Team All-Conference recipients and four Second Team All-Conference honorees. That same season, the program enjoyed an 11-game win streak and a Mesa Conference Championship.

Smith also gained experience as the Assistant Coach and Vice President of the Black Widow LAX Women's Lacrosse Club. As part of the organization, Smith organized practice and tournament schedules, developed practice plans and was an integral part of player recruitment and skill development and budget management.

Additionally, Smith served as an Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator for the Olympian High School men's varsity lacrosse program in 2014. After the program posted a 4-16 record in their inaugural season, Smith helped guide the team to a 13-7 record the following season including a Semi-Final playoff appearance in the state's Division 2 playoff. Smith also coached the South Bay Outlaws Boy's Lacrosse Club for three seasons.

Smith has a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Western Michigan University and gained Professional Trainer/Nutritional Specialist Certifications from the International Sports Science Association in Carpenteria, California.

The Chesterfield, Michigan native currently resides in Murfreesboro with his wife, Kelly.

COURTESY CHOWAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Norfolk State Spartan Fan Fest is Aug. 29

NORFOLK, Virginia --  The Norfolk State University Department of Athletics will host Spartan Fan Fest beginning at noon on Saturday, Aug. 29.

The event, which is free and open to the public, begins with the Spartan football team's final preseason intrasquad scrimmage at noon at William "Dick" Price Stadium. Following the scrimmage, fans will have the opportunity to meet the football coaches and players, get autographs, play games, shop from vendors on site, and purchase their football season tickets and game-day parking passes. Football pocket schedules and posters will also be available for pickup.

Also at the Fan Fest, parents will be able to register their children for the 2015-16 Spartan Youth Club. Kids in attendance can also take advantage of face painting and back-to-school giveaways. Concessions will be available and a DJ will also be on location.

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION