Chowan Golf Claims 2016 CIAA Championship Title

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Chowan University men's golf team captured the 2016 CIAA Championship crown on Friday afternoon. The Hawks edged Livingstone College by six strokes with a two-day total team score of 634 to claim the program's first CIAA Championship title.

Head Coach Mike Ordnung noted, "The team fought hard in very tough conditions on a difficult course. After last year's runner-up finish, the team worked especially hard to prepare for this moment. I would like to thank my assistant coach and mother, Ellen Ordnung, for putting together this great team and allowing me to guide them to a CIAA Championship." Assistant Coach Ordnung added, "Today was about learning how to win and understanding the value of every shot you make in tournament play. This was a great team win because each player contributed to the victory either through yesterday's performance, or today's, and it all came down to the final putt."

Chowan shot a 315 in the opening round of play, and carded a 319 on Friday. Livingstone College finished runner-up with a two-day round score of 640. Fayetteville State University finished in third place (642) followed by Virginia Union University (669), Elizabeth City State University (689), and Virginia State University (765) in fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. The Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith carded a two-day total of 814 for a seventh place finish. Saint Augustine's University finished in eighth place with a two-round team score of 972.

Phillip Harrison of Livingstone College carded a 73 in the opening round of play and followed with a 78 in the second round to secure individual low medalist honors (151). Jared Chinn of Fayetteville State and Dejuan Powell of Johnson C. Smith finished one-stroke behind (152) to finish tied for second place individually.

Jordan Francis led the Hawks with a team-low second round score of 78. He finished in fifth place individually in the 40-player field with a two-round score of 155. Steven Rhinard shot a 78 on Thursday and carded an 82 for the Hawks on Friday. He concluded play at the CIAA Championship tied for seventh with a two-round score of 160. Rich Edwards finished one stroke behind Rhinard and in ninth place individually. After carding an 85 in the opening round, Edwards showed resilience in the final day of play, carding a 76 for Chowan.

Billy Britton rounded out the scoring for Chowan. He carded an 83 for the Hawks in the final round of play after shooting an 80 on Thursday. Britton's two-day total of 163 was good for 11th place. Christian Fleetwood and Ryan Baker finished in 15th and 20th place overall. Fleetwood posted a two-day score of 166. He carded an opening round score of 80 and followed with an 86 on Friday. Baker shaved ten-strokes off his first round score (90) to card an 80 in the final round.

The field for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament will be announced via press release by the NCAA on Friday, April 22nd. Release time is slated for 6pm.

COURTESY CHOWAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Xavier Basketball's Dannton Jackson Accepts Assistant Coach Position at Alabama-Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Dannton Jackson, the winningest coach in Xavier men's basketball history, has resigned to take a position as an assistant coach at Alabama-Birmingham, Jackson confirmed Friday.

Jackson, 46, is joining the staff of Rob Ehsan, who was promoted to head coach April 4. Jackson had a 290-130 record in 13 seasons at NAIA Xavier, including 21-13 this past season. He said the chance to join Ehsan at an up-and-coming NCAA Division I program was too hard to pass up.

"I had no intentions of leaving Xavier, but I think UAB is a very good situation," said Jackson, who spent 27 years at Xavier as a student-athlete, assistant coach or head coach. "Rob is an unbelievable guy. (UAB) went 26-7 last year, and they have everybody returning. Those are the things that intrigue me, along with the challenges of the (D-I) level."

The Blazers won the Conference USA regular-season championship after claiming the conference tournament title in 2015. Xavier lost to rival Dillard in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament championship game.

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Former 4-Star Wide Receiver Tony Upchurch To Transfer From LSU to TSU

HOUSTON, Texas -- After two years in Baton Rouge, Tony Upchurch will transfer from LSU. Upchurch, a former four-star wide receiver recruit who was eventually moved to fullback after redshirting in 2014, played in eight games for the Tigers but did not record any stats. He has already updated his Twitter bio to reflect his new school, Texas Southern, which competes in the FCS as a member of the SWAC.



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HHCA’s Ziaira Doe signs to play basketball at Alabama State

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina -- As recently as a month ago, Ziaira Doe wasn’t entirely sure whether she wanted to continue pursuing basketball in college. An Air Force career also intrigued her, and she was studying her options.

On Monday, Hilton Head Christian’s cornerstone unveiled her decision.

Yeah, she’s playing ball.

Doe signed a national letter-of-intent to play for Alabama State, where she’ll join a Lady Hornets squad coming off an NCAA Tournament berth after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown.

“It’s really a blessing,” said Doe, the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year this season. “I’m extremely happy that came along. And I can still serve in the Air Force (afterward) if I want to pursue that.”

Doe scored more than 1,900 points during her HHCA career, including a 24.3 average this season as the lone regular back from the Eagles’ 2015 state championship team. HHCA wound up getting as far as the SCISA Class AA semifinals.

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Livingstone turns the page in spring football game

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- It’s only mid-April, but already the 2016 Livingstone football team is a hard story to tell.

Fourth-year coach Daryl Williams and his staff have spent the past three weeks studying the forrest instead of the trees, trying to picture what the Blue Bears will look like in September.

“Good things and bad things,” Williams told his team Saturday at Alumni Memorial Stadium, moments after Livingstone concluded its spring camp with a lively Blue-Black scrimmage. “But I like where we are. It’s just a matter of trusting the system until we put everything together.”

The system has some big shoes to fill. Livingstone has waved good-bye to do-it-all quarterback Drew Powell, receiver/returner Jalen Hendricks and kicker Leonardo Manzo — players who steered the Blue Bears to their first winning season since 1998. A promising core returned this spring for a spirited, getting-to-know-you period.

“We’re working on chemistry,” offensive lineman William Odomes said. “BuCt it’s there. From January until right now, the chemistry has improved tremendously. We’ve got parts to replace, big parts. But I know what to expect from every teammate.”

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Benedict Men Win SIAC Track Championship, Women Are Runners-Up

ROCK HILL. South Carolina – The Benedict College men's track & field team won its first SIAC championship on Saturday, while the Lady Tigers finished second at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Complex at Winthrop University.

The men earned 86.5 points on the final day of events to finish with 193.5 points. Morehouse finished in second with 171 points, while Albany State finished third with 147.5 points. Benedict head coach Frank Hyland was named the Most Outstanding Coach of the men's championship.

The Lady Tigers stormed past Clark Atlanta, which started the day in second place, and held off a hard-charging Claflin team for second place. Benedict earned 101 points on Saturday for 170 total points. Albany State won the championship with 196 points, while Claflin finished third with 155 points.

Benedict finished first and second in the men's 100-meter dash as Andre Watson won with a time of 10.87, while Oshane Burrell was second with a time of 10.93.

The Tigers picked up 18 points in the men's 5,000-meter run as Dessie Demlew won with a time of 15:15.31, while teammate Haregot Gebreyesus was third with a time of 16:20.95 and Ediberto Crisanto was seventh. Crisanto also earned two points with a seventh-place finish in the pole vault.

Demlew finished second in the 1,500-meter run, while Geovanni West was fourth. Alvaro Perdomo finished seventh. West also finished sixth in the 800-meter run.

The Tigers picked up 11 points in the men's 400-meter dash as Lennox Williams finished third with a time of 46.58, while Antonio Locklin Jr. was fourth with a time of 46.75.

Benedict had three runners in the men's 200-meter finals and earned eight points. Williams was fifth, Watson was sixth and Burrell was eighth.

Benedict finished third in the men's 4x400-meter relay race and NaQuan Adams finished third in the high jump.

For the Lady Tigers, Jenella John was named the women's track co-MVP. She won the 1,500-meter run and 800-meter run and finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run and ran the final leg of the 4x400-meter relay race, helping Benedict to a third-place finish.

Karel Ziketh won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.42, was second in the 100-meter dash and finished fourth in the 200-meter dash.

Stephanie Rhoden was second in the 400-meter dash, while Lea Tshikaya finished fourth. Rhoden also finished sixth in the 200-meter dash.

Astacia Watkins finished third in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 21:03.88.

Ruddesha Strachan earned points with a seventh-place finish in the 1,500-meter run and a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run.

Lea Tshikaya was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles, while Princess Hammett was fifth.

Benedict finished third in the women's 4x100-meter relay race.

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

N.C. A&T Eliminated By Ladyjacks At NCAA Tourney

NORTH BRUNSWICK, New Jersey – North Carolina A&T fell behind 0-2 twice on Saturday. The first time it happened things didn’t turn out so bad. The second time it happened things didn’t turn out so well.

N.C. A&T was eliminated Saturday from national championship contention in the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes. Stephen F. Austin, the 2015 runner-up at the NCAA championships, swept the Aggies 4-0 (233-180, 199-149, 236-170, 190-168) in a best-of-seven baker play format. As a result of having a total pinfall of 8,552 for the tournament the Aggies finished third nationally.

“That’s not bad for our first time here,” said interim head coach Linda Grace. “Stephen F. Austin and Nebraska have been here a few times, so I’m proud of the way the ladies performed. The fact we made it to Saturday surprised a few people.”

The Ladyjacks got off to a blazing start, posting strikes in the first five frames of Game 1. N.C. A&T failed to pick up spares in two early frames leaving themselves with a huge deficit to overcome. N.C. A&T had a better start to Game 2, but the Ladyjacks’ 3, 4 and 5 bowlers were strong all four games, particularly late. Meanwhile the Aggies top two – All-Americans MacKenzie Robinson (junior) and Emily Strombeck (senior) – were not able to match their scoring.

“We’ve been down 0-2 before but we’re normally knocking down pins and picking up spares on a pretty good pace, so we never get too worried about it,” said Grace. “This time (SFA) got hot early, we were not bowling well early and then we started having a case of the nerves. We started pressing and it became an avalanche from there.”

N.C. A&T sidestepped an avalanche in their first best of seven on Saturday. The Aggies dropped the first two games to Sam Houston State, but the Bearkats had to post a 237 to overcome the Aggies’ 223. The Bearkats posted a 205 to win Game 2 before slowing down considerably in Game 3 with a 147 that was easily surpassed by the Aggies 213. Despite their dismal Game 3, the Bearkats had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead by knocking down eight pins in the final frame.

They knocked down six to help the Aggies tie the series at 2-2 with a 197-196 win. The Aggies cruised to victory in the final two games to advance to the semis against SFA.

“We really bowled well that entire match,” said Grace. “I was hoping it would carry over, but it just didn’t. I really wanted to win this title for Strombeck. Her decision to come to A&T got all of this started, so I wanted to see her to walk away with a USBC and NCAA national championship.”

Strombeck, one of the most decorated athletes in N.C. A&T history, will get another chance to win a USBC national title when she and her teammates defend their 2015 USBC title at the Intercollegiate Team Championships, April 20-23 in Wichita, Kan. The Aggies head into the tournament 84-44 on the season.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State Lady Rams capture 12th SIAC Championship

ROCK HILL, South Carolina - The Albany State women's track & field team used a mixture of veterans and valuable newcomers to run away from the SIAC competition. After all 21 events concluded at the 2016 SIAC Women's Track and Field Championships, ASU finished the final day with a flurry to claim its 12^th SIAC title in school history.

The Lady Rams generated 196 points to edge out defending champion Benedict, which scored 170 points. Claflin (155) finished in third place, followed by Clark Atlanta (112), Paine (63.5), Kentucky State (52), Central State (16), Miles (14), Tuskegee (12), Stillman (11) and Fort Valley State (7.5).

On the final day, Albany State received solid performances to pull away from the field. In the running events, Ebone Cobb won the 100-meter title with a time of 12.24. Aaliyah Howard also helped highlight the Lady Rams run to the championship. She finished first in the 5000-meter run after clocking in at 20:48.50.

ASU's two relay teams also made valuable contributions. The 4x400 –meter relay team comprised of Cobb, My'keese Edwards, Irrion Conaler and Yasmine Reynolds won the event with a time of 3:46.75. The 4x100-meter team, which includes Cobb, Reynolds, De'ja Goodine and Elizabeth Folsome, placed second with a 47.86 clip.

In other track action, Philicia Batton (15.30) placed third in the 100-meter hurdles, while Reynolds (57.54) finished third in the 400-meter dash. Conaler took second place honors in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.68.

In the 200-meter dash, Reynolds and Cobb finished in second and third place. Reynolds clocked in at 24.54, and Cobb's time registered at 24.62.

Sophomore Anaiah Hopewell recorded the top finish for Albany State in the field events. She earned second place in the pole vault at a height of 7.1 feet.

Albany State head coach Kenneth Taylor received the SIAC Coach of the Year award. Since taking over the women's program in 2006, Taylor has led the Lady Rams to eight of the last 11 SIAC championships.

2016 SIAC Track & Field Championship Final Results

COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

A&T Blue & Gold Game Ends In A Tie

Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -- North Carolina A&T stepped back on the football field in competition for the first time in five months on Saturday in the Aggies annual Blue & Gold Spring Game at Aggie Stadium with a few constants. N.C. A&T’s defense is really good. The offense is still a work in progress and the Aggies will have a pretty good quarterback battle on their hands when the practice starts in August.

Five months after winning their second straight MEAC title, the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl and the school’s third Black College Football National Championship, the Blue & Gold finished in a 14-14 tie. The Blue team featured the Aggies first-team offense and second-team defense while the Gold played with the first-team defense and second-team offense. Both Aggie defenses looked superb even though the Gold did not have to face All-American running back Tarik Cohen who did not play. Without Cohen, the Aggies did had a touchdown on the ground as rising sophomore Keevin Thompson scored on an 18-yard touchdown run for Gold.

Defensively, rising junior outside linebacker Jeremy Taylor and rising sophomore Kiaundric Richardson were swarming to the ball all day for the Gold. Meanwhile rising junior defensive back Jerome Beatty and rising senior Tyree Andrews had some good pursuits to the football for Gold.

“I think it starts with the defensive staff. Everybody is on the same page and have been on the same page defensively as far as what we try to do and how we try to do things,” said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway about an Aggies defense that has been one of the best in FCS play since he arrived in Greensboro in 2011. “I think (defensive coordinator Sam Washington) does a good job with the staff in making sure they know exactly how we want things done.”

There was some offense on Saturday. Rising senior Denzel Keyes looks primed to improve on his second-team All-MEAC season from 2015. Keyes, who became a huge threat inside the opponents’ 20-yard line with his 6-foot-4 frame and leaping ability, looked at little more diverse on Saturday. There were times on Saturday when Keyes looked difficult for smaller defensive backs to deal with in the open field. His day was capped off by a 50-yard touchdown pass from rising senior quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro for the Blue.

“He’s got to have a big year for us,” said Broadway about Keyes. “His batting average needs to be a little bit better than it is right now because we threw quite a few balls to him last season, and he could not come up with enough of them. My challenge to him would be to improve his hitting. He was a good hitter last year. We need him to be a great hitter.” 

Rising sophomore quarterback Lamar Raynard had two touchdown tosses, a 26-yarder to Virginia Tech transfer Carlis Parker (for Blue) and an 84-yard bomb to rising sophomore receiver Malik Wilson (for Gold).

Raynard started the 2015 season as the starter before rising sophomore Kylil Carter emerged late in the season with a game-winning touchdown pass at S.C. State along with significant playing time in the Aggies remaining three games. The Aggies also have Bamiro and they signed a quarterback during National Signing Day. N.C. A&T played three different QBs last year.

“They all have things that they can do and it’s going to be a heckuva battle come fall,” said Broadway. “I may just have to see how much they progress over the course of the summer. All three of those guys can throw, and all three of them are working hard so it’s going to be a challenge to see which one of them can rise to the top”

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Seniors leading the buy-in at Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Shortly after Tony Hughes arrived at Jackson State, he asked All-SWAC defensive end Javancy Jones if he was all in regarding his commitment to the program.

Jones told the Tigers' newly-minted coach yes.

Hughes felt Jones' buy-in to his approach has permeated throughout the program during spring practice, which concluded with the Blue and White Game on Saturday.

"The program is built on the commitment of the players," Hughes said. "The most important players in the program are the seniors. If the seniors buy into the program, then it will work. I would have to say whether it's Javancy and Dan (Williams), two of our top players, they bought into the program. Now the younger players see that and the younger players will follow the seniors."

Jones and Williams are playing for their fourth coach in four years, which includes Derrick McCall's stint as the interim coach last fall. They started their careers off as members of the 2013 team, which nearly won a SWAC title, but haven't enjoyed a winning record since their freshman season.



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XU produces 6 team season bests at Southeastern meet

HAMMOND, La. — One week before the conference championships, Xavier University of Louisiana produced six team season bests Saturday at the Southeastern Invitational track and field meet.
     
Lowering XU season marks were:
     •  Chelsea James in the women's 100-meter dash (12.23 seconds, 11th place).
     •  Kayla Quincy in the women's 200 (25.31, 11th).
     •  Tylor Row in the women's 100 hurdles (15.68, 11th).
     •  Ethan Gipson in the men's 100 (11.25, 25th) and 200 (22.97, 23rd).
     •  Erwin Simmons in the men's 400 hurdles (1:05.89, 14th).
     
For the second time this season in the 400, Quincy met the NAIA's B-qualifying standard for next month's national meet. She ran eighth in 57.35.
     
Next Saturday (April 23), Xavier and SUNO will play host to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. Admission is free. Xavier's women will seek their fourth consecutive team title and fifth in six years. The meet will begin at 8:45 a.m. The bulk of the running events will start at 1 p.m., and presentation of team trophies will begin at 5:15 p.m.
     
Here are all of Xavier's results from the Southeastern Invitational:

Women
     100: Chelsea James, 11th in 12.23; Martina Wright, 22nd in 12.58; Alexis Milton, 26th in 12.72
     200: Kayla Quincy, 11th in 25.31; Clarke Allen, 25th in 26.04; Alexis Milton, 32nd in 26.24; Kailey Williams, tied for 33rd in 26.27; Janelle Jones, 36th in 26.62; Martina Wright, 40th in 26.95
     400: Kayla Quincy, 8th in 57.35; Clarke Allen, 12th in 59.05; Janelle Jones, 20th in 1:00.44; Terri Cunningham, 27th in 1:02.68
     800: Ky'Reon McBride, did not finish
     100 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 17th in 15.68
     400 Relay: Chelsea James, Destini Thomas, Alexis Milton, Martina Wright, 8th in 48.98
     Long Jump: Katelyn McMorris, 21st in 4.85 meters (15 feet, 11 inches); Dorian Hill, 26th in 4.54 meters (14 feet, 10 3/4 inches)

Men
     100: Ethan Gipson, 25th in 11.25
     200: Ethan Gipson, 23rd in 22.97; Langston Adams, 29th in 23.52
     110 Hurdles: Erwin Simmons, did not finish
     400 Hurdles: Erwin Simmons, 14th in 1:05.89
     Long Jump: Christopher Kennie, 15th in 6.15 meters (20 feet, 2 1/4 inches); Keairez Coleman, 16th in 5.94 meters (19 feet, 6 inches)

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gathright is All-Louisiana for 3rd consecutive season

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Whitney Gathright has done it again.
     
Gathright, a 5-foot-4 senior point guard from New Orleans and a graduate of John Curtis Christian School, was named second-team All-Louisiana in women's basketball late Friday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. It's the third consecutive season that Gathright is All-Louisiana; she made the third team as a sophomore and junior.
     
Gathright received two votes for Player of the Year and finished fifth in that voting. Xavier's Bo Browder received one vote for Coach of the Year.
     
Gathright led the Gold Nuggets in scoring for the third consecutive season. She averaged 14.4 points and led her team with 150 assists and 73 steals. Her 184 free throws and 226 attempts are XU season records. She finished her career in the top 10 of nine XU categories, including first in made free throws (463) and free-throw percentage (.782) and second in 3-point accuracy (.366).
     
Gathright is the second Xavier player to reach 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a career. Her 1,414 points in four seasons rank seventh all-time at XU.
     
Other honors this season for Gathright included WBCA NAIA All-America first team, NAIA Division I All-America third team, Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament MVP for second time in three years, first-team All-GCAC for third straight year, Louisiana Co-Player of the Month (November) and GCAC Player of the Week twice.
     
A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel of sports media and publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, which consists of student-athletes from NCAA Division I and NAIA members. The Gold Nuggets never have produced a first-team selection; Gathright is the program's first second-team player since Brittany Powell in 2009-10. Gathright is the second Gold Nugget chosen All-Louisiana three times. Jarryn Cleaves (third team in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08) was the first.
     
Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 22-12 in 2015-16, won the GCAC Tournament for the sixth time in 11 seasons and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship.

2015-16 All-Louisiana Women's Basketball Team

FIRST TEAM Brandi Wingate, senior, Louisiana Tech  Keke Veal, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette Kolby Morgan, sophomore, Tulane Janelle Perez, senior, Northwestern State Jalyn Johnson, senior, McNeese State SECOND TEAM Whitney Gathright, senior, Xavier Alexis Hyder, junior, LSU Reagan Maricle, senior, LSU-Alexandria Kourtney Pennywell, junior, LSU-Shreveport Alayshia Hunter, senior, Louisiana-Monroe THIRD TEAM Shakyla Hill, freshman, Grambling Randi Brown, sophomore, New Orleans Allison Baggett, senior, McNeese State Taylor Maricle, senior, LSU-Alexandria Kia Wilridge, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Brandi Wingate, Louisiana Tech    Voting:  Wingate 10, Veal 6, Morgan 5, Perez 3, Gathright 2, Hyder 1 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:  Alexis Hyder, LSU  Voting:  Hyder 17, Brooke Pumroy (Louisiana Tech) 8, Quianna Tucker (LSU-Shreveport) 2 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:  Shakyla Hill, Grambling    Voting:  Hill 20, Cassidy Barrios (Nicholls State) 5, Megan Worry (Loyola) 2 COACH OF THE YEAR:  Garry Brodhead, Louisiana-Lafayette    Voting:  Brodhead 11, Lisa Stockton (Tulane) 9, Kellie Kennedy (Loyola) 4, Nadine Domond (Grambling) 2, Bo Browder (Xavier) 1 HONORABLE MENTION Liann McCarthy, senior, Nicholls State; Briana Oglesby, senior, Loyola; Pearl Paulo, senior, LSU-Alexandria; Nanna Pool, senior, Southeastern Louisiana; Brooke Pumroy, senior, Louisiana Tech; Quiana Tucker, junior, LSU-Shreveport; Leslie Vorpahl, junior, Tulane Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

FAMU men’s tennis recovers after 2014 suspension

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Around this time in 2015, Florida A&M tennis coach Carl Goodman was happy just to watch his team take the court.

FAMU’s tennis team had been suspended in June 2014 by then-Athletic Director Kellen Winslow, who said the move was a cost-saving measure. Goodman said his group stayed together through adversity, and was ready to play when D’Wayne Robinson, the school’s interim athletic director at the time, reinstated the team in January 2015.

It didn’t take long for the team to return to form.

The Rattlers battled rival Bethune-Cookman on Saturday for an outright MEAC Southern Division title. The Rattlers lost 4-3, but are still 3-1 in conference play heading into the MEAC tournament, which is starts April 21 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

“It’s been a long, long, long journey with a lot of hard work,” Goodman said.

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Possible Patriots Draft Target, DL Javon Hargrave

BOSTON, Massachusetts -- As the 2016 NFL Draft draws closer BOSprofile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar that we feel would be a great fit.

The Patriots have a need at defensive tackle following the release of Dominique Easley this week. More specifically the team again has a need for an interior defensive lineman that is good against the run but can penetrate into the backfield as well as pressure the quarterback and collapse the pocket.

The team brought in a trio of big-bodied run stuffers in Frank Kearse, Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn which will help the run defense that suffered the loss of both Akiem Hicks and Sealver Siliga during the off-season. Now the team must try to replace the interior pocket push of Easley and Hicks.



The team used a nice rotation last year of rookie Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Hicks and Easley during 2015. With Chris Jones being released on Friday along with Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, don’t rule out his returning this season, he’s provided a bit of pocket push at times and Brown in his second season will be looked to, to add some production there as well. Jones’ contract will probably get re-done at a more team friendly cap hit. On the roster right now the team has DTs Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn, Frank Kearse and Joe Vellano.

The Patriots will look to the draft to find some depth for a big man that can push the pocket, penetrate inside and provide run support as well.

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Norfolk State nose tackle deals with major losses

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Walter Brantley IV has had a terrible spring.

He’s missed assignments, forgotten play calls and has, at times, appeared lost in a haze at practice.

But his coaches and teammates at Norfolk State understand and empathize with the hulking nose tackle.

In ways most of them can’t possibly comprehend, Brantley has had a terrible year.

Last May, just a few days apart, both of Brantley’s grandmothers died.

On Jan. 23, his paternal grandfather, Walter Brantley II, died of what players say they believe was heartache from the loss of his wife after a 26th year of dialysis treatment.

And then on Feb. 22, a crushing, final blow: Walter Brantley III, a popular and outgoing barber in Hampton who, his son said, “never missed a game, ever” died of congestive heart failure at 47.

So it’s easy for his peers to pardon the occasional moments when the friendly rising sophomore from Phoebus High thinks he sees his late father standing on the sidelines mid-play, only to forget exactly what he’s trying to accomplish in the present.

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Williams signs with Norfolk State

SANBORN, New York -- Niagara County Community College sophomore Kyle Williams signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his basketball and academic endeavors at NCAA Division I Norfolk State University on Friday.

Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard, was a second team All-Region III selection this past winter after averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game. The sharp-shooter knocked down 55 3-pointers in just 18 games of action.

"We're very excited for Kyle to receive this opportunity," NCCC head coach Bill Beilein said. "He's worked extremely hard to get to this point. We look forward to seeing him continue to grow on and off the court at Norfolk State."

COURTESY NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Why GSU treated end of spring as if it was week after Bayou Classic

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Broderick Fobbs is always on the prowl to find ways to prepare his Grambling football team for a Southwestern Athletic Conference title run.

His latest move involved extending spring practice by almost a week following last weekend's spring game.

Instead of ending the spring like almost every college program in the country, Fobbs held four additional practices concluding with Friday's session at Eddie Robinson Stadium.

As for the reasoning behind it, Grambling missed out on several practices during last month's flood, so instead of trying to cram them all in before the April 9 game, Fobbs purposely extended the spring by six more days to simulate the week after the Bayou Classic.

"It is it's normally the biggest game of the year. When you play in (the Bayou Classic) and then you have a championship game the following week, the toughest thing is to play very well, receive all of the pats on the back and then put that behind you so you can get refocused on Sunday and practice the right way for the championship week," Fobbs told ...

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North Marion's Mackey to play football at FAMU

Cameron Mackey

North Marion High School

Sport: Football

Position: Running back/slot receiver

Individual accolades: Cameron Mackey is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedy offensive weapon who rushed for 1,032 yards on 110 carries with 10 touchdowns during his senior season at North Marion. As a receiver, Mackey caught 19 balls for 267 yards and one TD. The Star-Banner first-teamer returned three kickoffs for touchdowns and was second on the Colts in total yards with 1,521.

Most memorable moment: Mackey talks about the Colts' 65-58 loss to Green Cove Springs Clay in the Region 2-5A semifinals. In that game, Mackey rushed for 131 yards and helped put the Colts in position for what could have been the game-tying score in the final seconds. He also scored on runs of 6 and 44 yards and on a 2-point conversion. "We were down 15-0 and came back and fought the whole game," Mackey said. "Unfortunately though, we came up a little short."

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY

NCAA level: Division I

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North Carolina A&T Bowling Arrives In New Jersey Ready to Win

The N.C. A&T bowling goes selfie Wednesday afternoon at Brunswick Zone Carolier.  try to win the school's first-ever NCAA national championship.

NORTH BRUNSWICK, North Carolina – Please forgive senior Emily Strombeck if she is just a little confident and proud to be a North Carolina A&T Aggie competing at the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships to be played at Brunswick Zone Carolier Thursday-Saturday.

When Strombeck arrived in Greensboro from Durham N.C. A&T had won only 32 times in 141 tries over the previous two seasons. Strombeck, who comes from a family of bowlers, certainly had other college options. Instead of choosing those other options, she decided to be the cornerstone of a once proud program that had fallen on hard times.

Four years later she has a resume that makes her the undisputed greatest bowler in school history with four first-team all-conference recognitions, the MEAC Rookie of the Year award in 2012-13, N.C. A&T Female Freshman of the Year honor, MEAC Bowler of the Year as a sophomore and junior, N.C. A&T Female Athlete of the Year as a sophomore and junior and she is a two-time National Tenpin Coaches Association All-American.

After Strombeck came fellow All-American MacKenzie Robinson and Kristin Shinn. Sophomore Kori Smith came two years after Strombeck. All of sudden the Aggies had the nucleus for a championship team – a national championship team. The Aggies won the 2015 were crowned national champions at the Intercollegiate Team Championships sponsored by the USBC. As the Aggies arrived in New Jersey on Wednesday in an effort to win the university’s first-ever NCAA national championship, Strombeck sounded like a lady gladly telling the nation the Aggies are no longer that team she signed up for in 2012.

“When I got here the program was really going through a tough spot,” said Strombeck Wednesday at a press conference. “My freshman year we just wanted to get to .500 to show the program was viable. My freshman year we got to .500 (49-48) and it just took off from there.”

Therefore, Strombeck and her teammates aren’t willing to take a back seat to any of the other seven teams at the NCAA championships.

“It helps to know we’ve played all the teams that are here this year, and we have beat all the teams who are here this year,” said Strombeck. “It’s not like we’re going to come in here the eighth seed and scared of everyone. That’s not the case. We’re going to be ready to bowl.”

N.C. A&T is ranked eighth in the nation by NTCA. They come in with a school-record 79 wins to go along with 38 losses. The Aggies are the eighth seed behind No. 1 Nebraska followed by Arkansas State, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, McKendree and Central Missouri. The Aggies have nine wins against the field including a 3-1 record against No. 3 seed Vanderbilt.

Competition begins with qualifying rounds in which each team bowls one five-person regular team game against each of the other seven participating teams. Teams will be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record during the qualifying rounds. At the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, teams will then compete in best-of-seven Baker matches in the double elimination tournament.

In the Baker format, each of the five team members, in order, bowls a complete frame until a complete (10-frame) game is bowled. A Baker match tied at 3½ a piece after seven games will be decided by a tiebreaker using the Modified Baker format.

“When I came in four years ago we only had five people and no one knew who we really were and what our program was about,” said Strombeck. “It took us a good two years to rebuild which is what I came here to do. My goal before I left here was to compete for an NCAA title, so I’m really happy we accomplished that goal. Now we want to win it.”

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Running point for one of college basketball's biggest events

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jacqueline McWilliams landed her dream job four years ago when she became the first female commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

The CIAA conference, based in Charlotte, N.C., consists of 12 Division II historically black colleges and universities. The annual CIAA basketball tournament, the largest of 16 CIAA championships in a variety of sports, features 22 men’s and women’s games in the same week. It generates more than $55 million in economic impact for the city of Charlotte, totaling more than $325 million in the 11 years the tournament has been in the city.

Williams, 47, earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Hampton University, where she played basketball and volleyball. She earned a master’s in sports management and administration from Temple University, and went on to work as a college coach and administrator for the NCAA. Williams is on several boards, including the NCAA, the National Association of Collegiate Women in Athletic Administration and Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards.

I spoke with Williams about how she got the job, learning to say no and the mentor who taught her to always move up.

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Nuggets remain 15th in NAIA; Alcorn visits Thursday

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is one of 14 teams whose ranking in Tuesday's NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll is the same as two weeks ago.
     
The Gold Nuggets (8-11) remained 15th. It's their 36th consecutive appearance in the top 25 and their 81st in the last 91 polls dating to Feb. 25, 2004.
     
Xavier will play its final home dual of the season at noon Thursday at XU Tennis Center against NCAA Division I's Alcorn State. Honored in a prematch ceremony will be seniors Vashni Balleste, Brion Flowers and Jana van der Walt.
     
Alcorn will be the Gold Nuggets' seventh NCAA DI opponent this season.
     
The national rankings are the NAIA's sixth of the season. Defending national champion Auburn Montgomery received 8-of-14 first-place votes and remained No. 1. Two points behind AUM is Georgia Gwinnett, which received the remainder of the first-place votes. The top six teams are the same as the previous poll.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 10) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Auburn Montgomery (8) 16-3 369 1 2 Georgia Gwinnett (6) 11-2 367 2 3 Lindsey Wilson 12-4 350 3 4 SCAD Savannah 14-1 337 4 5 Cardinal Stritch 11-1 325 5 6 Brenau 14-4 315 6 7 Westmont 7-7 289 8 8 Middle Georgia 13-6 285 7 9 Indiana Wesleyan 26-6 283 9 10 Arizona Christian 16-3 256 10 11-tie William Woods 10-2 236 18 11-tie Davenport 17-5 236 16 13 Keiser 10-7 230 12 14 William Carey 10-10 219 13 15 Xavier 8-11 210 15 16 Cumberland 9-7 204 14 17 Northwestern Ohio 8-7 202 11 18 Olivet Nazarene 3-4 179 17 19 Lewis-Clark State 7-13 152 19 20 St. Thomas (Fla.) 8-7 144 20 21 LSU-Alexandria 8-5 138 22 22 McPherson 6-4 123 21 23 SCAD Atlanta 8-3 104 23 24 Mobile 10-5 102 24 25 Marian (Ind.) 14-6 74 25   Dropped from rankings:  none      Others receiving votes:  Georgetown (Ky.) 73, Southeastern (Fla.) 50, Ottawa 43, Reinhardt 40, San Diego Christian 12, Evangel 11, Asbury 10, Texas Wesleyan 8, Campbellsville 6, Dalton State 4, Morningside 3, Southwestern (Kan.) 3