Cohen, Leonard Highlight 2016 MEAC Preseason Football Teams

NORFOLK, Virginia – North Carolina A&T State running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard was selected as preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

All votes are submitted by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors/football contacts.

Cohen, the two-time defending Player of the Year, led the MEAC in rushing with 977 total yards in 2015. A two-time MEAC Offensive Player of the Week, Cohen led the conference with 122.1 rushing yards per game, carrying the ball 183 times, with nine touchdowns in eight games. He finished first in the MEAC in touchdowns and all-purpose yards (141.1 avg./g). He helped lead the Aggies to a share of the conference title and a win at the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. Cohen rushed for 295 yards for three touchdowns during the nationally televised win over Alcorn State.

Leonard was named to the 2015 All-MEAC First Team, as a linebacker. A one-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, Leonard finished the season recording 70 total tackles, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble, two quarterback hurries, four passes deflected and two breakups. He notched two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 13.5 tackles for a loss. Leonard was second on the team in sacks (5.0) and interceptions.



Listed below are the 2016 Preseason All-MEAC teams:

2016 MEAC Football All-Conference Preseason Teams

First Team Offense
First Team Defense
Second Team Offense
Second Team Defense
Third Team Offense
Third Team Defense

Offensive Player of the Year: Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T State
Defensive Player of the Year: Darius Leonard, South Carolina State

First-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Malcolm Bell	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Richmond, Va.
RB	Tarik Cohen	Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Bunn, N.C.
RB	Michael Jones	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Sarasota, Fla.
WR	Twarn Mixson	r-Sr.	Hampton	Charlotte, N.C.
WR	Jawill Davis	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Miami, Fla.
TE	Ja-Quan Lumas	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Orlando, Fla.
C	Carl Jones	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Nashville, Tenn.
OL	Brandon Parker	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Kannapolis, N.C.
OL*	Javarius Leamon	r-Sr.	South Carolina State	Woodruff, S.C.
OL*	Trevin Huff	r-Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Tallahassee, Fla.
OL	Desmond Cooper	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Stafford, Va.

First-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Marquis Ragland	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Fayetteville, N.C.
DL	Angelo Keyes	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Kinston, N.C.
DL	Curtis Alexander	Sr.	Florida A&M	Quincy, Fla.
DL	Kevin Thompson	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Baltimore, Md.
LB	Darius Leonard	r-Jr.	South Carolina State	Lake View, S.C.
LB	Dayshawn Taylor	r-Jr.	South Carolina State	Lincolnton, Ga.
LB	Jeremy Miles (Thompson)	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.
DB	Jacques Bryant	Sr.	Florida A&M	Tallahassee, Fla.
DB	Diquan Richardson	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Alvin, S.C.
DB	Phillip Henry	r-Sr.	South Carolina State	Manning, S.C.
DB	Delonta Hall	r-Sr.	Morgan State	Fort Washington, Md.
PK	Cody Jones	Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Gastonia, N.C.
P*	Jonathan Cagle	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Pensacola, Fla.
P*	Christian Faber-Kinney	r-Sr.	Hampton	Williamsburg, Va.
RS	Khris Gardin	Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Morganton, N.C.

Second-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Greg Hankerson	Sr.	Norfolk State	Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.
RB	Dorrel McClain	r-So.	North Carolina Central	Cary, N.C.
RB	Orlando Johnson	Sr.	Morgan State	Memphis, Tenn.
WR	Denzel Keyes	Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Kinston, N.C.
WR	Montavious Williams	r-So.	Florida A&M	Tallahassee, Fla.
TE	Justin Chaney	Jr.	Howard	Hammond, La.
C	Phillip Norman	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Sebastian, Fla.
OL	Toree Boyd	Sr.	Howard	Miami, Fla.
OL	Marcus Pettiford	So.	North Carolina A&T State	Durham, N.C.
OL*	Tarrance Wells	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Oxon Hill, Md.
OL*	Keonte Cash	So.	Florida A&M	Miami, Fla.

Second-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Antonio Brown	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Jacksonville, Fla.
DL	Gregtavious Newell	r-Jr.	South Carolina State	Columbia, S.C.
DL	Chris Lee	Jr.	Norfolk State	Woodbridge, Va.
DL*	Todney Evans	r-So.	Bethune-Cookman	Delray Beach, Fla.
DL*	DeMarcus Womack	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Orlando, Fla.
LB*	Jalen Day	r-Sr.	Howard	Winston Salem, N.C.
LB*	Marcus Albert	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	College Park, Ga.
LB	Malik Harris	Jr.	Delaware State	Washington, D.C.
DB*	William Burton	Sr.	Delaware State	Washington Township, N.J.
DB*	Zerius Lockhart	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Auburn, Ala.
DB	Craig Johnson	Sr.	Howard	Brooklyn, N.Y.
DB*	Davanta Reynolds	r-So.	North Carolina Central	Tucker, Ga.
DB*	Sandy Chapman	Sr.	Norfolk State	Raleigh, N.C.
PK	Cameron Marouf	Sr.	Norfolk State	Woodbridge, Va.
P*	Jerome Pettiway	Jr.	South Carolina State	York, S.C.
P*	Colby Blanton	r-So.	Florida A&M	Jacksonville, Fla.
RS	LaVontis Smith	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Maben, Miss.

Third-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Larry Brihm, Jr.	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Delray Beach, Fla.
RB	Dondre Brown	Jr.	South Carolina State	Varnville, S.C.
RB*	Gerard Johnson	Sr.	Norfolk State	Richmond, Va.
RB*	Dwayne Garrett	r-Sr.	Hampton	Phoenix, Ariz.
WR	Frank Brown	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
WR	Aris Scott	Sr.	Delaware State	Harrisburg, Pa.
TE	Willie Gillus	r-Jr.	Morgan State	Suffolk, Va.
C	Darriel Mack	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Cilo, S.C.
OL	Donovan Johnson	Sr.	Hampton	Clifton, Md.
OL	Joshua Miles	Jr.	Morgan State	Baltimore, Md.
OL	Ryan Gould	Jr.	Hampton	Clemmons, S.C.
OL	Chuka Ezeuzoh	So.	Delaware State	Wilmington, Del.

 Third-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Malik Hampton-Prioleau	Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Bossier City, La.
DL	Jai Franklin	Jr.	Morgan State	Clinton, Md.
DL*	Walter Brantley	So.	Norfolk State	Hampton, Va.
DL*	Ja’Quan Smith	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Miramar, Fla.
LB	Marquis Smith	Sr.	Savannah State	Prince Georges County, Md.
LB*	Rashawn Barrett	Sr.	Delaware State	Montclair, N.J.
LB*	Trenton Bridges	r-So.	Bethune-Cookman	Deland, Fla.
DB	Tard McCoy	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T State	Delray Beach, Fla.
DB	Myles Morris	r-Sr.	Hampton	Greensboro, N.C.
DB	Arthur Williams	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Sebring, Fla.
DB	Devondre Powell	Jr.	South Carolina State	Miami, Fla.
PK*	Uriel Hernandez	So.	Bethune-Cookman	Homestead, Fla.
PK*	Tyler Scandrett	Jr.	South Carolina State	Barnesville, Ga.
P	John Barron	Sr.	Savannah State	Marietta, Ga.
RS	Marcus Taylor	So.	Norfolk State	Highland Springs, Va.

*denotes tie

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

North Carolina A&T State Picked To Win 2016 MEAC Football Title

NORFOLK, Virginia -- North Carolina A&T State received 13 first-place votes, to receive the first place ranking in the conference’s preseason poll for the 2016 MEAC Football season.

All three teams (North Carolina A&T State, Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina Central) that earned a share of the conference title last year rounded out the first three spots of this year’s preseason predicted order of finish.

2016 MEAC FOOTBALL
PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Rank	School	Points
1.	North Carolina A&T State (13)	489
2.	Bethune-Cookman (3)	447
3.	North Carolina Central (4)	388
4.	South Carolina State	351
5.	Hampton (1)	265
6.	Norfolk State	239
7.	Morgan State	192
8.	Florida A&M	164
9.	Delaware State (1)	121
10.	Howard	90
11.	Savannah State	48

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

XU's Bruins, Guarino, Salwan are ITA Scholar-Athletes

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has a trio of Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athletes for the second consecutive year. Earning that honor for 2015-16 were Sha'Nel Bruins and Tess Guarino on the women's team and Karan Salwan on the men's. The ITA announced the awards this past week.

ITA Scholar-Athletes must be varsity letterwinners and have a 3.50 GPA for the most recent academic year.

Bruins, from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, was an XU junior this past season. Guarino was a freshman from Billere, France. Salwan was a junior from New Delhi, India, and a graduate of Modern School.

Xavier's men ranked second and the women 19th in the 2016 NAIA postseason coaches polls. The Gold Rush were the first XU team in any sport to reach the championship round of an NAIA national tournament.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush will have largest freshman class in 5 years

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's cross country has signed three high school seniors to scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. It'll be the largest Gold Rush freshman class in five years.
     
The signees are:
     •  Robert Clayton of Woodland Hills, Calif., and Chaminade College Preparatory High School.
     •  Clydarius Everett of Meridian, Miss., and Meridian High School.
     •  Oji Wells of Florissant, Mo., and Hazelwood Central High School.
     
Clayton was a member of Chaminade's 1,600-meter relay team which placed third in the California Interscholastic Federation state meet in June. During seventh grade he qualified for the Junior Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles. At 6 feet 4 inches, Clayton is the tallest distance runner during Joseph Moses' 12 seasons as head coach. Clayton will major in computer science at Xavier.
     
Everett was Meridian's second-fastest finisher at the 2015 Class 6A state meet. He finished 42nd overall and helped the Wildcats finish 11th in the team standings. As a junior in outdoor track and field, he was a district and regional champion at 1,600 and 3,200 meters. His best times include 17:32.15 for the cross country 5K, 11:05.12 in the 3,200 and 5:01.88 in the 1,600. Everett will major in biomedical engineering.
    
Wells — his first name is pronounced oh-gee — qualified for Missouri's outdoor state meet in the 800 and the 1,600 relay his senior year. As a junior and sophomore he qualified for state in the 3,200 relay. He achieved three best times his senior year: 1:57.91 in the 800, 4:45.46 in the 1,600 and, in cross country, 17:59.81 for the 5K. Wells will be a biology/pre-medical major and is interested in studying physical therapy.
     
Clayton, Everett and Wells also will compete for Xavier in outdoor track and field during the spring.
     
The first Xavier meet of the 2016 cross country season will be the Xavier Big Easy Opener Aug. 26 at City Park in New Orleans. Joining the signees will be returning runnersChristopher August, Ammiel Williams and Darrick Williams.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Jacksonville Jaguars to honor former Jackson State star

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Former All-SWAC and Jackson State wide receiver Jimmy Smith will become the sixth and newest member of the Pride of the Jaguars when he is inducted on December 11, 2016 by the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. The team’s owner Shad Khan made the announcement.

Prior to being selected in the second round of 1992 the NFL Draft to the Dallas Cowboys, Smith registered 42 receptions for 894 yards and nine touchdowns for JSU. In his final season with Tigers, he hauled in 43 catches for 801 yards and three touchdowns. Smith finished his college career with 110 receptions, 2,073 yards and 16 touchdowns. The two time Super Bowl Champion graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and in 2011, he was named to the Jackson State University All-Century team.

Smith is one of just three players to play more than ten seasons for the Jaguars, from 1995-2005, still owns 11 team records 10 years after his retirement in 2006.

A five-time Pro Bowl performer, Smith was a key to the Jaguars’ early success when the team earned four straight playoff appearances from 1996-99 and played in eight postseason games including two AFC Championship games. He was the Jaguars’ leading receiver seven times and was voted to the AFC Pro Bowl team five consecutive years from 1997-2001.



Smith joined the Jaguars as a free agent in 1995, and over the next 11 seasons he produced marks for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns that still stand today. His 171 games played and 150 games started both rank second in team history, and his 11 seasons played is tied for second along with Josh Scobee and Fred Taylor behind Brad Meester’s 14 seasons. All of that was accomplished despite the fact that Smith did not become a starter until midway through the 1996 season.

Among the Jaguars records Smith still holds are team marks for receptions in a career (862) and season (116); receiving yards in a career (12,287), season (1,636) and game (291); receiving TDs in a career (67) and game (3); consecutive games with a reception (80); highest average yards per reception (14.3); and 100- (46) and 200- (2) yard receiving games.

In addition, Smith still ranks second in team history in all-purpose yards (12,875) and yards from scrimmage (12,286), third for TDs scored (69), and fourth for points scored in a career (418).

The current members of the Pride of the Jaguars are OT Tony Boselli, who was inducted in 2006, former owners Wayne and Delores Weaver (2012), RB Fred Taylor (2012), and QB Mark Brunell (2013).

On the December day of Smith’s induction, the Jaguars are scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings in a 1 p.m. game at EverBank Field.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Rankin: ASU-Alcorn State winner takes SWAC East

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --First things first.

Alabama State coach Brian Jenkins says he’s not thinking about facing two-time defending conference champion Alcorn State right now.

“I’ve got UTSA,” said Jenkins at SWAC Media Day this month in Birmingham as the Hornets open the 2016 season Sept. 3 at FBS school Texas-San Antonio. “Now Alcorn is a phenomenal football team, but to put my focus on Alcorn right now would be a disrespect to the team we have to play first.”

I can respect that, but the outcome of the Sept. 10 matchup in Lorman, Miss., will likely determine the SWAC East representative in the Dec. 3 league title game in Houston.

Alcorn State was picked to win the division. ASU finished second in the voting by the league’s head coach and sports information directors. The Hornets have lost two straight to the Braves, but this is the year to pull off the upset and take the early driver’s seat to play for a conference championship.

CONTINUE READING

MSU Farrier adds three to coaching staff

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Morgan State interim head football coach Fred T. Farrier has added three more assistants to his staff.

Ernest T. Jones is the associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator, Antonio James is the defensive line coach, and Mitch Browning is the offensive line coach.

"I'm happy to announce the hiring of Ernest, Mitch and Antonio," Farrier said in a statement. "I'm excited about putting this staff together for the 2016 season. I think any time you hire people to your staff that it is an opportunity to improve the program and leave an impact on your student-athletes."

"As interim coach, I have one opportunity to try to get this right. I think the hires we made and moving some guys around will make an immediate impact on our program."

Jones was previously the head coach at ASA Miami, a two-year college that started its first football season in 2015. He has also spent time at UConn, Notre Dame, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, Concordia, Oberlin, Kentucky State, and has served as head coach for his alma mater Alcorn State.

"Ernest brings a wealth of experience to the program," said Farrier. "He has been a head coach twice and coached at premiere BCS programs. He has recruited all over the country and coached in a BCS national championship game. I look forward to the contributions he will make as a coach, mentor and a recruiter as we work to move the program forward. I believe his recruiting ties and acumen will help us elevate our national recruiting profile.

James joins the Bears after spending time as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Michigan. Prior to joining U-M, James coached the defensive line and outside linebackers at Urbana High School from 2011-13. He was a four-year letterman on the defensive line at the University of Illinois (2006-09), and helped lead the Fighting Illini to the 2008 Rose Bowl Game.

"Antonio comes highly recommended from a number of highly regarded coaches and coaches I trust," explained Farrier. "He has played and coached in the Big Ten and understands the role he has to play to assist our players to get better. He is eager to make an impact on our young men and I can't wait to see that carry over to the young men on our team."

Browning has been the offensive line coach at Rutgers for the past two seasons. He has 35 years of coaching experience, including stops at six BCS programs and appearances in 12 previous bowl games (seven in 10 years at Minnesota). Browning has recruited 20 players during his career that played in the NFL, including first round draft picks Dana Stubblefield and Laurence Maroney.

"Mitch has coached at the highest levels of college football and been an offensive coordinator at the BCS level," Farrier said. "He has coached in multiple bowl games and prepared many of his pupils for professional football. I look forward to his contributions to our staff room and the impact he will make on his position group. He has recruited guys from all over the country and I look forward to him developing our offensive line."

Farrier also made an additional change to his staff when he moved Travis Manger from offensive line coach to quarterbacks and recruiting coordinator.

"He has experience coaching offensive skill positions and I think he can better impact our program coaching our quarterbacks," said Farrier. "He is very bright and hard working and I think he can assist us in a big way as recruiting coordinator. He develops strong relationships with his players and I look forward to working with him in this new role as we move forward and the contributions he will make."

Farrier's staff also includes: assistant head coach/running backs coach Ken Lucas, defensive coordinator Mike Fanoga, and special teams/tight ends coach Benton Harold.

Morgan State opens its 2016 season with a home-opener against Holy Cross on Sept. 3 before traveling to take on Marshall on Sept. 10. The Bears 2016 schedule features five home games in Hughes Stadium, including a meeting with MEAC co-champion Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 5 in Baltimore.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all MSU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/MorganStBears. You can also become a fan of the Bears on Facebook at Facebook.com/MorganStateBears.

2016 MSU FOOTBALL TICKETS CAN BE YOURS! For ticket information click here.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Xavier Rush, Nuggets will run at 2 SEC-hosted meets in 2016

NEW ORLEANS — For the first time in 13 years, Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's cross country teams will compete in a pair of meets at SEC schools.

The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Invitational Sept. 17 and to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the University of Alabama's Crimson Classic Oct. 14.

Joseph Moses, beginning his 12th season as head coach, announced Tuesday the 2016 schedule of the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets. The first meet will be the third annual Xavier Big Easy Opener Aug. 26 at City Park, about four miles from the XU campus.

Xavier will compete Sept. 2 and Oct. 7 in meets at NCAA Division II's Mississippi College. The other XU local appearance will be Sept. 10 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival at Lafreniere Park in suburban Metairie, La.

The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships will return in late October after a year's absence. Date and venue of the meet have not been determined. Xavier was the GCAC men's and women's team champion nine consecutive seasons (2006-14).

"We are excited about the 2016 season and our schedule," Moses said. "Our runners are excited about competing in the large SEC meets. The LSU and Alabama meets will help us prepare well for the GCAC and NAIA championships."

The GCAC team champions will qualify automatically for the NAIA National Championships Nov. 19. Charlotte, N.C., will be the site of that meet for the second consecutive year.

Xavier University of Louisiana 2016 Men's and Women's Cross Country Schedule Friday, Aug. 26 XAVIER BIG EASY OPENER, City Park, 5:30 p.m. women, 6 p.m. men Friday, Sept. 2 Mississippi College Season Opener, Clinton, Miss., 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival, Metairie, La., 7:50 a.m. men, 8:25 a.m. women Saturday, Sept. 17 LSU Invitational, Baton Rouge, La., 7:30 a.m. men, 8:20 a.m. women Friday, Oct. 7 Watson Ford Invitational, Clinton, Miss., 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 Crimson Classic, Tuscaloosa, Ala., TBA TBA Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships, site TBA Saturday, Nov. 19 NAIA National Championships, Charlotte, N.C., 10:30 a.m. EST women, 11:45 a.m. EST men Home meets in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS      All times are Central except where noted      Schedules are subject to change

XU schedule has 5 NAIA tourney teams in 1st 7 matches

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's 2016 volleyball schedule will include five 2015 NAIA national tournament teams among the first seven opponents, plus a school-record 10 matches in August.

Fourth-year coach Hannah Lawing — who is 65-22 with the Gold Nuggets and has won three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships apiece — announced Monday the schedule, which consists of 30 regular-season matches, 12 at home.

Xavier (19-8 overall, 11-1 GCAC in 2015) will open the season with matches against NAIA tourney qualifiers Wayland Baptist, Our Lady of the Lake and Evangel in OLLU's Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The Aug. 19 matches against Wayland Baptist and OLLU will be Xavier's earliest-ever season opener.

The following week, Xavier will play two more NAIA tourney qualifiers: Aug. 26 against Coastal Georgia and Aug. 27 against Missouri Baptist in the STU Invitational at Miami Gardens, Fla. Missouri Baptist was the national runner-up a year ago.

"We have tried very hard with this schedule to play more matches, especially those against nationally competitive teams, and to play more pre-conference tournaments," Lawing said. "We'll play a lot of August matches because we're trying to push our girls from the start and hold ourselves to a higher standard."

The Gold Nuggets will play a pair of Aug. 30 matches at city rival Loyola — against St. Thomas (Texas) and Loyola — before playing their home opener at 11 a.m. Sept. 2 against William Carey in the second annual Big Easy Blastoff. William Carey is a longtime NAIA member but in its first season of intercollegiate volleyball.

The other Big Easy Blastoff teams will be Southwest (N.M.) and Pikeville.

"In all we'll play nine times against first-time opponents, which was another scheduling goal," Lawing said.

Additional non-conference highlights include a pair of matches apiece against Mobile and Spring Hill. During the past two seasons, Mobile was 63-10, and Spring Hill was 49-14. Spring Hill will visit Xavier Sept. 15, and Mobile will visit Oct. 15 on Senior Day.

Xavier's first of 12 GCAC regular-season matches will start at 5 p.m. Sept. 6 at Tougaloo. The Gold Nuggets' first GCAC home match will start at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 against Philander Smith.

Xavier will play host to SUNO at 6 p.m. Sept. 29 and to Dillard at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 in a Dig Pink match. Both are city and GCAC rivals. SUNO is a five-time GCAC Tournament runner-up in the last six seasons.

The regular-season finale will start at 7 o'clock Halloween evening at home against Tougaloo. It will be Fan Appreciation Night, and there will be a costume contest.

The GCAC Tournament will be played the first or second weekend of November at Dillard's Dent Hall.

NOTES: This will be the ninth season of XU intercollegiate volleyball and the fourth season of matches at the Convocation Center . . . In the previous eight seasons combined, Xavier played 26 times in August, four times a year ago . . . In the 2015 NAIA postseason coaches poll, Missouri Baptist ranked second, Evangel 16th and Coastal Georgia 20th. OLLU, Wayland Baptist and Mobile were among others receiving votes . . . The preseason top 25 will be announced Aug. 16, and the first regular-season rankings will be unveiled Sept. 6 . . . Xavier is scheduled to play seven more regular-season matches than it did in 2015 . . . Xavier seeks a sixth straight GCAC regular-season and tournament championship apiece, along with a sixth straight NAIA National Championship berth . . . Including tournaments, Xavier has won 72 of its last 73 matches against GCAC opponents.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2016 Women's Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 19 (Fri.):  Wayland Baptist, 9 a.m. (Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic, San Antonio, Texas)
Aug. 19 (Fri.):  at Our Lady of the Lake, 1 p.m. (Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic, San Antonio, Texas)
Aug. 20 (Sat.):  Evangel, 11 a.m. (Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic, San Antonio, Texas)
Aug. 20 (Sat.):  Tennessee Wesleyan, 1 p.m. (Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic, San Antonio, Texas)
Aug. 26 (Fri.):  at St. Thomas (Fla.), noon EDT (STU Invitational, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Aug. 26 (Fri.):  Coastal Georgia, 4 p.m. EDT (STU Invitational, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Aug. 27 (Sat.):  Missouri Baptist, 10 a.m. EDT (STU Invitational, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Aug. 27 (Sat.):  Indiana Tech, 4 p.m. EDT (STU Invitational, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Aug. 30 (Tue.):  St. Thomas (Texas) (at Loyola [La.]'s The Den), 5 p.m.
Aug. 30 (Tue.):  at Loyola (La.), 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 (Fri.):  WILLIAM CAREY, 11 a.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Sept. 2 (Fri.):  PIKEVILLE, 5 p.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Sept. 3 (Sat.):  SOUTHWEST (N.M), 11 a.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Sept. 6 (Tue.)  •  at Tougaloo, 5 p.m.
Sept. 10 (Sat.)  •  at Edward Waters, noon EDT
Sept. 12 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH, 5 p.m.
Sept. 15 (Thu.):  SPRING HILL, 6 p.m.
Sept. 22 (Thu.)  •  at Dillard, 6 p.m.
Sept. 23 (Fri.):  FAULKNER, 3 p.m.
Sept. 24 (Sat.)  at Mobile,3 p.m.
Sept. 29 (Thu.):  •  SUNO, 6 p.m.
Oct. 1 (Sat.):  •  TALLADEGA, 1 p.m.
Oct. 2 (Sun.):  •  EDWARD WATERS, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 (Sat.)  •  at Philander Smith, 1 p.m.
Oct. 13 (Thu.):  •  DILLARD, 6 p.m. (Dig Pink Match)
Oct. 15 (Sat.):  MOBILE, 3 p.m. (Senior Day)
Oct. 20 (Thu.)  •  at SUNO, 6 p.m.
Oct. 24 (Mon.)  at Spring Hill, 6 p.m.
Oct. 29 (Sat.)  •  at Talladega, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31 (Mon.):  •  TOUGALOO, 7 p.m. (Fan Appreciation/Costume Contest)
TBA:  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, New Orleans (at Dillard's Dent Hall)
Nov. 19 (Sat.):  NAIA National Championship opening round at campus sites, TBA
Nov. 29-Dec. 3 (Tue.-Sat.):  NAIA National Championship final site at Sioux City, Iowa, TBA

Home matches in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
All times are Central except where noted
Schedules are subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Tickets on sale for Savannah Invitational basketball tournament

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Tickets on sale for Savannah Invitational

The Savannah Sports Council has announced that tickets are on sale for the Savannah Invitational, which features six women’s and eight men’s college basketball teams Nov. 22-26 at the Savannah Civic Center.

Participating women’s teams and conferences, which are scheduled to play Nov. 22-24, are Auburn (SEC), Ball State (MAC), East Carolina (AAC), Marist (MAAC), North Carolina A&T (MEAC) and West Virginia (Big 12).

Participating men’s teams and conferences, which are scheduled to play Nov. 25-26, are Akron (MAC), the U.S. Air Force Academy (MWC), East Carolina (AAC), , Georgia Southern (Sun Belt), Mercer (Southern), Radford (Big South) and Stetson (Atlantic Sun).
Florida A&M (MEAC)

Tickets may be purchased at SavannahInvitational.com or by calling the Savannah Civic Center box office at 912-651-6556.

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UMES women will face the Terps again in 2016-17

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- For the second straight season, the University of Maryland's women's basketball team will face the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks.

The Terps released their non-conference slate for the 2016-17 season on Wednesday, July 20 and it includes a Nov. 16 meeting with Fred Batchelor's side in College Park. The time of the game has not been set. It is the second game on the Terps' schedule.

The Terps and the Hawks met last season in Princess Anne and Maryland handed UMES its largest margin of defeat in history, with Brenda Frese’s side winning by 76 points. This will be the fourth time that the Terps and Hawks have met in women’s basketball – Maryland has won every contest.

Maryland was 31-4 last season and won the Big Ten title before falling in the NCAA tournament to Washington. The Hawks took a six-game winning streak into the MEAC tournament, but fell in the first round.

UMES has not released its non-conference women’s basketball schedule. The men’s schedule hasn’t been released either, but George Washington and UTEP have released men’s basketball slates that include match-ups with the Hawks.

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Haynes repays Alcorn State for its trust

LORMAN, Mississippi -- On the day she graduated from Meridian Community College, Norianna Haynes learned of news that would drastically change her life for the foreseeable future.

Haynes was a standout basketball player at Northeast Lauderdale High School and later helped lead the Lady Eagles to an NJCAA Region 23 Championship in during the 2011-12 season. At the time of her graduation from MCC, Haynes held scholarship offers from a number of Division 1 women’s college basketball programs.

But on her graduation day, she found out she was six months pregnant.



“I didn’t have any symptoms,” Haynes, 24, recalled. “I played basketball, and I didn’t feel it. The doctor told me that with me playing a lot, I was at high risk. I had to let the schools know. When I told certain schools, they kind of fell back and told me basically I couldn’t give (them my all) because of me being pregnant.”

The pregnancy sidelined Haynes for a year, and also prompted a number of Division 1 programs to alter the conditions of their scholarships. The full-ride offers became partial offers. Haynes said the situation was difficult to accept at the time.

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Texas Southern coach Mike Davis is shooting for more than just a SWAC championship

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern head coach Mike Davis is not afraid of a battle. You would think that after his team’s 1-11 start last year against a loaded non-conference schedule -- featuring losses to Syracuse, Baylor and Mississippi State -- that the Tigers would have folded up shop early last year.

But although his team got off to a rough start, it righted the ship against its SWAC conference foes, going 16-2 and ending within one game of the NCAA tournament.

You would think after faltering out of the blocks to start, that perhaps this year Davis would consider a different strategy moving forward for the Tigers. Not so.

Once again, Davis has his Tigers pitted against a formidable list of non-conference opponents to start 2016-17, including road games against Arizona, Louisville, Baylor, Cincinnati and TCU among others.

"I’m trying to build a team that has no relax time," Davis said. "My whole mindset is to go and play as many teams as we can on the road and never play a home game in non-conference."

He feels that having his players compete in those hostile environments would help reap some long-term benefits for his players, not to mention the checks that pour in from playing so many guarantees.

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Walter Payton remembered on his 62nd birthday

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Sneak away from the monotony of your work day today and do a Google video search for Walter Payton. You won’t be disappointed.

Monday would have been his 62nd birthday, after all, and you deserve some “you” time.

The Walter Payton-style running back — bruising, durable, workhorse — is indeed a thing of the past. It’s why we loved Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, whose style most resembled that of “Sweetness” — a back who punished defenders, who initiated contact and who perfected the shoulder dip.



Mike Ditka, who coached the former Jackson State University star during the last half of an illustrious 13-year NFL career, called him “’the very best football player I’ve ever seen, period, at any position.”

Payton’s son, Jarrett, admitted in 2011 that it’s not always easy to be the son of a famous person — particularly in sports. But he embraces the legacy his father left behind. “It’s truly an honor,” said Jarrett Payton, who proudly champions the two awards in his dad’s honor: the Walter Payton Achievement Award, which is affiliated with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, given annually by the NFL honoring a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field.

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XULA Gold Nuggets introduce three new distance runners

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Thursday the addition of three student-athletes to its women's cross country program for the 2016-17 academic year. Signed to scholarships were:

• Alexis McDaniel of Biloxi, Miss., and Biloxi High School.
• Taylor Price of Missouri City, Texas, and Ridge Point High School.
• Imani Walker of St. Louis and Parkway North High School.

All will be freshmen and also will compete in outdoor track and field during the spring.
McDaniel was Biloxi's fastest finisher at the 2015 Class 6A state meet. She finished 38th overall and helped her team finish 17th in the team standings. As a junior in 2014, McDaniel placed 56th at the state meet and helped Biloxi finish 12th. She will be a pre-pharmacy major at Xavier.

Price was a national champion at the 2014 USATF Junior Olympics, winning the 3,000-meter run in the 15-16 age group for her club team, the Houston Visions. At Ridge Point she was sixth in the 1,600 at the 5A state outdoor track meet this year, and this past fall she was the Region III-5A individual champion in cross country. Price's best 5K time is 18 minutes, 8.72 seconds, a school record she set while winning the 2014 district meet. Price's XU major will be biomedical science.

Walker was a four-time conference outdoor track champion in the 800 and holds the school record at 2:19.97. She has produced a pair of top-six finishes at the AAU Junior Olympics, including fifth place in 2012. Walker will major in kinesiology
.

Also joining the cross country roster will be sophomore Maliya Vaughan, who competed in track this past season. There will be three returning letterwinners: Chinyere Jones, Dionysia Love and Brianna Pace. The Gold Nuggets will run their first meet of the season in late August. Xavier will release the 2016 schedule soon.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Larry Smith set to represent Alcorn in MS Sports Hall of Fame

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Larry Smith wasn’t gifted with natural-born scoring ability, so he knew there were other things he had to do in order to stay on the basketball court.

“It was a situation where if I wanted to get playing time, I needed to find a way to acquire playing time,” Smith said. “I felt if I pound the glass, rebound the ball and play great defense and did those little things, the playing time will come.”

Those little things added up to a stellar career, which stretched from Simmons High School to Alcorn State and a 13-year career in the NBA for the Rolling Fork native.

The next stop for Smith is the BancorpSouth Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame where he’ll be inducted Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Center.

“I think he’s one of Mississippi’s all-time basketball greats,” Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame historian Rick Cleveland said. “By any definition he should be in there. He was a great basketball player in college, and was a really solid player in the pros.”

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Alcorn State Athletics Names Robbie Kleinmuntz Director of Sports Information

Robbie Kleinmuntz, SID 

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Robbie Kleinmuntz comes to Alcorn after spending three seasons as assistant director of Media Relations at the University of Louisiana Monroe. He publicized a men's basketball program that shot up to the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings after back-to-back 20-win seasons and a pair of postseason appearances.

In June 2016, Kleinmuntz's 2015 Women's Soccer Media Guide won first-place in the state of Louisiana for Olympic sports by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) and second-place nationally in the Women's Soccer University category by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Kleinmuntz also finished second in the CoSIDA Spring-At Large category for his 2015-16 Track & Field Media Guide, and second for Feature Story of the Year in 2014-15 by the LSWA.

Prior to ULM, Kleinmuntz served as communications assistant at the Sun Belt Conference office, and sports information graduate assistant at Northwestern State University. He experienced working as the primary contact for soccer, volleyball, softball, tennis and swimming and diving during those stints. Kleinmuntz also worked as an athletics media relations student intern at the University of Pittsburgh for two years.

While in Pittsburgh, Kleinmuntz wrote for the school newspaper, The Pitt News, as a sports writer and interned for the Pittsburgh Sports Report newspaper. He worked in the Media Relations Department when the men's basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation on two separate occasions.

Kleinmuntz earned his bachelor's degree as a double major in journalism and history from Pittsburgh in 2010, and his master's degree in sports administration from Northwestern State University in 2012.

He is the son of Ira and Leslie Kleinmuntz and has two younger brothers, Michael and Sam. Kleinmuntz is an avid Pittsburgh sports fan.

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Grambling’s dominace in question this season

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- The dominance that Grambling displayed in the Southwest Athletic Conference in 2015 is somewhat in question at the start of this season.

Grambling, which ran the table through its league schedule last year and then reached the SWAC championship game, has a quarterback issue and a need to improve a defense that allowed 35 points per game, a matter which helped the Tigers finish last in the conference in pass defense.

Coaches and league sports information directors have picked Grambling to finish second in the West Division behind Prairie View A&M. The Tigers received 35 points, six behind Prairie View and three in front of third-place Southern.

The Tigers finished 9-3 overall in 2015 behind quarterback Jonathan Williams, who passed for just over 3,000 yards, an accomplishment that was second best in the SWAC.

There’s quarterback potential help on the way however, as Grambling has Ole Miss transfer
Devante Kincade as a replacement. Kincade injured his foot last year and was not available for any of the Tigers’ spring football workouts.

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Southern looks to break out of the pack this season

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- It could be somewhat of an enigmatic 2016 football season for Southern University.

The Jaguars have plenty offensive experience returning including running back Lenard Tillery, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

There is also a new synthetic turf that will grace the Jaguars’ playing field at 28,500-seat A.W. Mumford Stadium for the start of 2016. The turf, paid for by the SU System Foundation, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Louisiana Superdome Management and UBU Sports, will be unveiled at the home opener Sept. 17 against Alabama State.



Those factors should be enough to encourage the Jaguar Nation, as Southern enters this year picked third in the West Division behind projected leader Prairie View A&M and second place Grambling.

That’s the same place the Jags finished last season, despite having one of the nation’s best offenses.

However, for the second straight season, Southern begins a regular season with a problem, as league sanctions due to academic issues prevented the Jaguars from having spring football.

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Ellenwood ready to tackle FAMU athletics issues after joining leadership team

Joyce Ellenwood,
 Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Compliance Services
(COURTESY PHOTO: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Joyce Ellenwood is ready to take on the challenges that come with being the head of compliance in Florida A&M’s athletic department.

Ellenwood, who last month was named associate athletic director for compliance and academic services, has a list of things she wants to tackle while on the job.

First, she wants Florida A&M’s entire community to know compliance isn’t 100-percent an athletics issue.

“Ensuring our documents are in place, ensuring we’re following rules and regulations, ensuring we’re educating the university community,” she said.

“Compliance with NCAA rules is a FAMU community effort. It’s a campus-wide effort. It’s not just an athletic focus. Of course, we have our student-athletes, we have our coaches, we have our athletics staff that is responsible for knowing and abiding by NCAA rules, but we also want to make sure the campus community is also educated.”

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