McWilliams Named head Coach of Lincoln University Women's Basketball

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – Ayana McWilliams has been named as the next head women's basketball coach at Lincoln University. A press conference was held on Monday (May 2) to announce the hiring.

"We were looking for an individual that could recruit a mixture of talent; would have a terrific work ethic, discipline and high character; as well as display passion for the opportunity to build a successful program here at Lincoln University," said John Moseley, Lincoln University Director of Athletics.

"We found all of that, and more, in Ayana McWilliams. After speaking with coaches that she had worked with in the past, it was clear that her experiences in Division I and Division II had prepared her to become a head coach. Her recruiting resume is impressive at both the D1 and D2 levels, and the success of the teams that she worked with has been tremendous."



McWilliams spent the past five years as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate, an NCAA Division I program. This past season, McWilliams helped lead the Spartans to a program-record 22 victories as well as a berth in the Women's Basketball Invitational tournament, USC Upstate's second postseason trip in the past three years. The Spartans won their first postseason game as a Division I team this spring and advanced all the way to the WBI semifinals.

As a member of USC Upstate's coaching staff, McWilliams helped the Spartans lead the Atlantic Sun Conference in eight statistics, including scoring, rebounding and field goals made. USC Upstate also finished second in the league in steals and third in both blocks and assists.

"I appreciate all the support that I've had to get to this point," McWilliams said. "I'd like to thank (Lincoln University president) Dr. Rome for this opportunity, and for trusting me to help carry on the vision of this college. I'm extremely excited about being a part of the Lincoln University family and even more excited about its future."

Before joining the Spartans, McWilliams spent two years as an assistant coach at Elizabeth City, where she helped turn a team picked last in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's preseason poll finish second and advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament. McWilliams helped the Vikings win the CIAA Northern Division title in 2010-11.

McWilliams, who has also coached at Livingstone and Winston-Salem State, has developed 10 players into all-conference honorees. That includes Tee'Ara Copney, USC Upstate's all-time leading scorer (1,635 points), and Brittany Starling, the first player in USC Upstate history to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

McWilliams played two seasons at East Carolina before transferring to Brevard College, where she is the program's all-time leader in assists (296) and steals (288). McWilliams averaged 16.5 points, the second-most in school history, and was a two-time all-league honoree. McWilliams graduated from Brevard in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and received a master's degree in sports management and sports coaching from the United States Sports Academy in 2011.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
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WSSU stays within family to hire women’s coach

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State has stayed inside the family after hiring L’Tona Lamonte as its women’s basketball coach.

Lamonte, a former two-sport athlete at WSSU who is also a Winston-Salem native, was assistant coach last season at N.C. Central. Before that, she spent two seasons as an assistant at Belmont University and will bring nearly 14 years of experience into her first season as a head coach.

“She’s the perfect fit for what we wanted,” said WSSU athletics director Tonia Walker. “It came down to her belief in Winston-Salem State, her knowledge of the game and her overall personality stood out for us.”

Lamonte, who went by L’Tona Samuels when she was a student at WSSU, is a Reynolds High School graduate. She went to WSSU and played basketball and softball, where in her junior season in 1998 she led Division II in stolen bases. Because of injuries in basketball she went full-time with softball for her final two years at WSSU.



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Shouppe issues challenge to Rattlers after team swept by Miami

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M baseball coach Jamey Shouppe didn’t sleep much Sunday night.

Shouppe said he was perplexed by his team after the Rattlers were swept by No. 3 Miami in Coral Gables. FAMU had its chances to steal a game from one of top teams in the nation, but the Rattlers were repeatedly undone by their own mistakes.

The Rattlers (24-17, 14-4 MEAC) are still in the driver’s seat in the MEAC’s Southern Division, but Shoupe said he was disappointed in his group after a lackluster showing against an ACC title contender.



FAMU’s magic number to ensure the top spot in the Southern Division is four, meaning any combination of four Florida A&M wins and Bethune-Cookman losses (within the MEAC) will guarantee the Rattlers a No. 1 seed in the upcoming MEAC tournament.

“I was just disappointed,” Shouppe said about the team’s series against Miami.

“I think we’re better than that. I had planed on going down there and winning at least one if not more. Miami is a good team, and it’s always difficult to play on the road. I wasn’t pleased at the way we got after it and approached the game.”

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Howard University Bison and Under Armour Join Forces

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Howard University today announces partnership with Under Armour (NYSE: UA), the global leader in performance footwear, apparel and equipment. As part of the partnership, Under Armour will exclusively design and supply apparel and accessories for training and game-day uniforms for all 19 of the University's men's and women's varsity athletics teams.

"I am absolutely thrilled about our new partnership with Under Armour," Howard University Director of Athletics Kery Davis said. "Under Armour is a brand that fits perfectly with the Bison athletics story and culture. Our primary focus at Howard is, of course, our student-athletes, and Under Armour's passion and commitment to high quality and innovation will benefit our student-athletes for years to come. Our entire department is looking forward to a long and mutually productive relationship with the Under Armour team."

"Howard University is an institution built on the highest values of academic excellence, and we are extremely proud to be teaming up with one of the most vibrant, distinctive and historic programs in the country to help elevate the performance of all Bison student-athletes with innovative apparel," said Ryan Kuehl, Vice President, Sports Marketing, Under Armour.

This new affiliation further expands Under Armour's leadership in providing proven performance benefits to college athletes on all playing fields. Howard University is the brand's first HBCU partnership.

About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.uabiz.com.

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, two Marshall Scholars, 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.

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TSU Men’s Basketball Adds Delano Spencer to Recruiting Class

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State men’s basketball Head Coach Dana Ford added to this year’s recruiting class with the signing of Delano Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) to a financial aid agreement. Spencer will have two years of eligibility at TSU beginning in the 2016-17 season.

"We got better today," Ford said. "I think Delano will be an immediate impact guy for us. His ability to score and handle the ball gives us the opportunity to play different lineups.

"He has spent the last two years playing for coach Jay Herkelman at Coffeyville Community College, so we know he's coming to us well versed in relation to playing winning basketball."

Spencer played his first two collegiate seasons at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. The 6’3 guard was one of the top scorers in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, earning Honorable Mention All-Conference accolades. As a sophomore, the Atlanta, Ga. native led Coffeyville and ranked fifth in the conference with 17.8 points per game. He shot 43.0 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

During his freshman season, Spencer averaged 10.2 points to go with 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Throughout his junior college career, he put up double-digit points on 37 occasions, including 27 as a sophomore. His best offensive performance came on a 33-point scoring effort in a win over Redlands Community College during his sophomore season.

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Tuskegee faces North Alabama in opening round of region play

TUSKEGEE, Alabama -- The Tuskegee University softball team will be making their third consecutive regional appearance this week, facing a familiar opponent in the University of North Alabama in the opening round of the tournament.

Tuskegee (24-29), the eighth seed in the South Region, faces top-seeded North Alabama (49-5) in the opening round game. The two met earlier this season, in the opening tournament, with North Alabama winning that contest.

The three-time defending SIAC champion Lady Golden Tigers head in to the tournament winning their last six contests, and 14 of their last 16 games. Freshman Kaylin Finch, the SIAC Player of the Year, leads Tuskegee at the plate and on the mound. She is hitting .392 this season with nine homeruns and 40 runs batted in on the season, while also posting an 11-11 mark on the mound with a 3.42 earned run average.

Sharde Thomas, the SIAC Utility Player of the Year, continues to be one of the top hitters in the country posting a .507 batting average this season. She has 17 extra base hits on the season and leads the team with 14 stolen bases. Seniors Kenyah Smith and Chante Warner – a Second Team All-SIAC selection - are near the top of the team in hitting this season, hitting .320 and .316 respectively.

SIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Karisa Foye, is hitting .307 following the tournament and is 6-5 on the mound with a 3.07 earned run average – winning her last five outings.

North Alabama leads the country in homeruns and are slugging over .600 as a team; while also averaging 7.5 runs per game. They have nine players hitting over .300, and four players with double-digit homeruns on the year.

Brooklyn Clark, the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year, leads the team in hitting at .486 with 15 homeruns and 74 runs batted in. On the mound, North Alabama is led by Hillary Carpenter (23-3, 1.79 ERA) and Raven Cole (24-1, 2.01 ERA) this season.

The two teams will play the final game of the first session at 4:30 pm on Thursday in Florence (Ala.).

For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram (@MyTUAthletics) and like us on Facebook.

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Auburn lands MEAC star LaRon Smith via transfer

AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn has landed another transfer -- Bethune Cookman big man LaRon Smith. He told ESPN he just committed to the Tigers. Shot-blocker.

At first glance, this is a pretty big get for the Tigers and head coach Bruce Pearl. Smith is 6-foot-8, 215 pounds and hails from Palm Bay, Fla. He’s played three years of college basketball, last season playing for Bethune-Cookman.

He averaged 7.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and an incredible three blocks a game for the Wildcats, an output that won him MEAC defensive player of the year honors in 2015-16.

“I look forward to getting a guard’s shot, thinking he’s going to get to the lane easy and have an easy bucket, and then I swipe it,” Smith said via Chris Boyle of The Daytona Beach News Journal. “That’s better to me than dunking the ball.”

Auburn basketball is looking to make some noise under Pearl, and it’s a pickup like this that could go a long way. Pearl is undoubtedly one of the more recognizable coaches in college hoops, but even the big names need to have success on the recruiting trail in order to find success on the court.

For what it’s worth, this is Pearl’s second transfer commit in two days and third in just over a week, so the Tigers are on the right track. Yesterday, the Auburn landed Presbyterian transfer DeSean Murray. Purdue grad transfer Ronnie Johnson also recently committed to Auburn, according to Ryan Black of 247Sports.

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