Tuesday, May 31, 2016

from THE EDITOR Dwight Floyd: Summation of Life & Leadership of FAMU's Past Presidents, Series Part 3: William H.A. Howard, Acting [1922-1924]

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- In 1872, William H. A. Howard was born in Columbus, Georgia. Howard graduated from the Georgia Industrial School (now Savannah State University) and taught there under the direction of Nathan B. Young. Recruited by President Young to teach at FAMC, Howard had a stellar 20-year career becoming Dean of Mechanical Arts and innovator of FAMC’s military training program. By all accounts Howard was a loyal friend to Nathan B. Young before being selected by the Board of Control to take over as acting president.

Synopsis

Though it appears that Howard was completely loyal to Young, rumors spread that he undermined Young before taking the job. Teachers resigned from their positions, and until advised otherwise by Young the alumni association pushed to have him return.

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Xavier's Kitto repeats as Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete


NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Brent Kitto earned his second postseason academic honor in five days when he was announced Monday as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete in men's track and field.

Kitto, a senior distance runner for the Gold Rush in 2016, is a repeat recipient of the award. A pharmacy major from Chalmette, La., and a graduate of Holy Cross School, Kitto is among 301 from 104 schools in men's track and field to receive the NAIA honor this season. Kitto is the only representative of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference or Louisiana.

To qualify for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, student-athletes are nominated by their institution, must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved junior academic status.

Kitto was announced Thursday as Academic All-District 2 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He will learn June 21 if he made the Academic All-America® team.

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

COUNT TO 100: “Point and Drive” Documentary Comes to FAMU


WATCH IN 720p HD, WIDE SCREEN

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Get in step with the FAMU Marching 100 during a screening of the marching band’s documentary “Point and Drive” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the FAMU Band Rehearsal Hall, 206 Foster-Tanner Music Building on campus. It will kick off with a splashy red carpet arrival at 6:30 p.m., and the screening will be followed by a discussion with producer-director Brandi Mitchell, FAMU alum. The doc focuses on the legendary William P. Foster, who ran the band during its glory days from 1946 to 1998. Tickets at the door are $25 general public, $15 college students and $10 for members of the Marching 100. For more, visit www.pointanddrivemovie.com.



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N.C. State, East Carolina Transfers Among 3 New Norfolk State Spartan Football Recruits

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State head football coach Latrell Scott continued to enhance his incoming recruiting class with the addition of three more players, including a pair of Division I FBS transfers. Scott announced Tuesday the signing of three North Carolina natives: N.C. State transfer defensive tackle Deshaywn Middleton, East Carolina transfer defensive back Cody Purdie and high school athlete Johnathan Spencer.

Middleton (6-2, 305) will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at NSU after spending two seasons, including a redshirt year, at N.C. State. Middleton redshirted the 2014 season for the Wolfpack and did not see any game action in 2015.



A native of Winston-Salem, N.C. and a product of Parkland High School, Middleton was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals, Scout and 247 Sports coming out of high school. Scout, Rivals and ESPN all ranked him among the top 100 high school defensive tackles nationally in the class of 2014. Middleton was a first-team All-Piedmont Triad Conference selection and an All-Northwest honoree at Parkland. He registered six sacks and 30 tackles despite being limited to 4.5 games as a senior. Middleton recorded 45 tackles, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles as a junior.

"We expect Deshaywn to be able to make an immediate impact along our revamped defensive line," Scott said. "We feel he will fit well into the scheme we want to run and he has the talent to be a big difference maker for us in the MEAC."



Purdie (5-11, 190) will have two years of eligibility left after playing in four games each of the last two seasons at ECU. Purdie made one tackle in four games last season, and notched a pair of stops in four games as a true freshman in 2014.

A native of New Bern, N.C., Purdie was a standout defensive player and running back at New Bern High School. A two-star recruit according to 247 Sports, Purdie helped lead New Bern to the North Carolina state 4A title as a junior, logging 143 tackles, 20 for loss, and 10 sacks as a linebacker that season. He made his biggest contributions as a senior at the running back position, rushing for a team-high 1,317 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"Cody has good speed and is a physical defensive back. He'll get a look at corner and safety for us after playing both positions at ECU," Scott said. "He was a two-way starter on a state championship team in high school, which speaks to his athleticism."



Spencer (5-11, 180) was a standout defensive back, receiver and special teams player at Middle Creek High School in Apex, N.C. Spencer was a first-team All-Southwest Wake Athletic Conference performer at both defensive back and receiver. He was chosen as conference Offensive Player of the Year and was also chosen Co-Special Teams Player of the Year as a return specialist. Spencer led Middle Creek to a 14-1 record, the conference championship and an appearance in the state 4A semifinals. He had two touchdowns covering at least 90 yards in one game last fall, recording a 95-yard TD reception and a 100-yard interception return for a score in a game against Cary High School.

"Johnathan is a dynamic athlete," Scott said. "He has the ability to be a two-way player for us and has the potential to help us in the return game, as well."

Middleton, Purdie and Spencer join an incoming recruiting class
that now stands at 22 players as of Tuesday.

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

Monday, May 30, 2016

Lincoln BlueTigers McCarthy Wins National Title in 100M Hurdles!

CHRISDALE MCCARTHY
5-9" FRESHMAN
HOMETOWN: ST. CATHERINE JAMAICA
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY 
NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 100m HURDLES
BRADENTON, Florida -- Chrisdale McCarthy won the national title in the 100m hurdles, highlighting Lincoln's performance at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The three-day meet, hosted by the University of Tampa and IMG Academy, was held from Thursday through Saturday (May 26-28).

McCarthy captured the national title in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.49. Two other Blue Tigers turned in individual All-American performances, with Jhevere Hall taking third in the 800m (2:05.98) and Kimberly Bailey placing seventh in the 200m (24.01). Earlier this week, Diana Cauldwell also earned All-American honors in both the triple jump and the long jump.

The highlight of Saturday for the Lincoln men came in the 4x100m relay, as the foursome of Roberto SmithMiguel Barton,Roger Blake and Stephen Rose took second with a time of 39.77. Sedeekie Edie also competed in the triple jump on Saturday, finishing 16th with a distance of 14.66m.

The Lincoln women finished with 25 points and came in 10th place overall out of 59 programs. The LU men scored eight points and tied for 29th out of 69 programs. A total of eight Blue Tigers earned first team All-American honors this week.


Complete 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship Results

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

SWAC Champion Alabama State Hornets To Face Florida State In Tallahassee Regional

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The 2016 SWAC Champion Alabama State baseball team will face Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional Friday at 5 p.m. CT.

The Hornets (38-15), the fourth-seed in the region, will face top-seeded Florida State (37-20) in one of two opening round games on Friday at Dick Howser Stadium/Mike Martin Field. #2-seed Southern Miss (40-18) will face #3-seed South Alabama (40-20) at 11 a.m. Friday in the double elimination tournament. Every Hornets game will be broadcast live on bamastatesports.com, with Friday's game also video streamed live on ESPN3.com.

This will be the second straight year the Hornets and Seminoles will play on the baseball diamond. FSU defeated Alabama State 8-7 on March 25 in Tallahassee.



"Going to a place that we are familiar with definitely gives us an advantage," said Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez, who makes his 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth in the Tallahassee Regional. "We know the environment, as we played there last year. We played very well against Florida State. Traditionally, we have played very well against them, but we don't want to just play well. We want to win. South Alabama has a very good team. We're not familiar with Southern Miss, although we know they are a very good team. We're going down their thinking about ourselves, and the things we need to do to win."

Tickets for the 2016 NCAA Baseball Tallahassee Regional will go on sale to the public at 2 p.m. CT today at www.seminoles.com. Phone and walk-up orders begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning by calling 888-378-6653 or visiting the main Seminole Ticket Office located at Doak Campbell Stadium, University Center C.

Regional tournament passes are available for $55 for reserved seats and $40 for general admission seats. Individual game tickets will go on-sale beginning Friday, June 3. Individual game prices are $18 for reserved (if available) and $12 for adult general admission and $8 for youth general admission (ages 5-18). Children aged 4 and under are free with a paying adult.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

B-CU Wildcats Draws No. 1 Florida in NCAA Tournament Opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — It was announced during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show on Monday, May 30, that Bethune-Cookman will travel to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional for its appearance in the 2016 Division I Baseball Championship. Joining the Wildcats in the Regional will be host Florida, Connecticut and Georgia Tech with action taking place at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Bethune-Cookman (29-25) earned the automatic qualification to the NCAA Baseball Championships after winning its 18th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. For the Wildcats, this will mark the program’s 15th appearance in an NCAA Regional, not including three (3) NCAA play-in appearances. It also marks the fifth time in school history that Bethune-Cookman will travel to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, with the last being a visit in 2012 – the first NCAA postseason appearance under current head coach Jason Beverlin.

The Wildcats enter the weekend having won their last six games, as well as seven of their last 10 overall. Included in the three losses on the spin were decisions at top-ranked Florida (May 3) and third-ranked Miami (May 10). Bethune-Cookman enters having also won seven of their last eight series overall, with the lone exception being a three-game setback at Ohio State (April 1-3).



Bethune-Cookman will open the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional against the No. 1 national seed and host Florida Gators. Under the direction of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, the top-seeded Gators enter the weekend with a record of 47-13, and finished as runner-up at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships over the weekend in Hoover, Alabama.

First pitch for the Wildcats and Gators is scheduled for Friday, June 3, at 6 p.m.

For ticket information, please visit FloridaGators.com.

Second-seeded Georgia Tech (36-23) will meet third-seeded UConn (37-23) earlier in the day at 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets earned an at-large bid to the tournament, while the Huskies won the American Athletic Conference Tournament to earn an automatic bid.

The Regional continues through Sunday, with a final game to be played Monday night, if necessary. The winner of the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional will meet the winner from the Tallahassee [Fla.] Regional the following weekend in a Super Regional, best-of-three series. The eight Super Regional winners advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The top eight national seeds are Florida, Louisville, Miami, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Clemson and LSU.

Each of the 16 Regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The Regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 29, to Monday, June 1 (if necessary). Selection of the eight Super Regional Hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/cws, Monday, June 1 at approximately 11 p.m. (ET).

The 70th Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 18, at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.



2016 NCAA Gainesville Regional Schedule

Friday, June 3
Game 1: 1 p.m. - No. 3 UConn vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
Game 2: 6 p.m. - No. 4 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 1 FLORIDA (SEC Network)

Saturday, June 4
Game 3: TBA - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Game 4: TBA - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (SEC Network/ESPN3)

Sunday, June 5
Game 5: TBA - Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Game 6: TBA - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (SEC Network/ESPN3)

Monday, June 6
Game 7: (if necessary) – TBA - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (SEC Network/ESPN3)

Follow Bethune-Cookman Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BCUDiamondCats) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/BCUBaseball) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year, via the social media outlets or www.BCUathletics.com.

COURTESY BETHUNE COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION