Texas Southern Lady Tigers Golf wins first SWAC Title in school history

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana – The Texas Southern women's golf team claimed their first SWAC Women's Golf Championship in program history by shooting a 307-329-636 to wrap up play on Tuesday at the Links on the Bayou in Alexandria, La.

The Lady Tigers broke up a four-year title run by Alabama State, who had also taken the SWAC Women's Golf Championship in five in the previous six seasons.

Jackson State finished as runners up with a 349-338-687 followed by Prairie View A&M in third place (369-351-720) and Alcorn State in fourth (378-370-748).

Texas Southern's Amber Kuykendall shot even-under-par 71-73-144 to pace the Lady Tigers.

TSU teammate Jalyn Joseph was awarded the SWAC Women's Golf Freshman of the Year award after firing a 75-84-159.

Amber Kuykendall and Joseph were each named to the All-Conference First Team.

Texas Southern head coach Hank Stewart was named the SWAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year after guiding the Lady Tigers to their championship.

2017 SWAC Women's Golf All-Conference Team

First Team
Chanelle Avaricio, Alabama State
Amber Kuykendall, Texas Southern
Dismary Marquez, Alabama State
Makalia Brown, Jackson State
Jalyn Joseph, Texas Southern

Second Team
Saidah Bodden, Alabama State
Destani Burbank, Texas Southern
Tasita Garcia, Jackson State
Hillary Washington, Texas Southern
Keelin Floyd, Jackson State

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ASU signee Ross brings scoring punch

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Jacoby Ross looks the part.

Watched a couple of YouTube videos of the Alabama State signee this weekend.

He has some handle, can shoot it from deep and get to the rim. Didn't see much mid-range game, but you can see why he averaged 23 points for American Basketball Institute.



Ross showed the ability to play off the ball a little bit and shake free for shots. Understand these are highlights, but the Alexandria, La., native looks like a talent who could help ASU right away.

"It's an honor to be able to go to college and to get my school paid for in the game that I like to play," said Ross in an interview with KALB-TV out of Alexandria. "They're like another home to me. They said they're going to take care of me and I was going to be the leader and that captain of the team. So I'm just going to take on that role and do my part."

The 5-foot, 10-inch point guard averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals while at Peabody Magnet High where he played for his grandfather, Charles Smith.

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Savannah State athletics move to NCAA Division II

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Savannah State University (SSU) President Cheryl D. Dozier today announced the intent to classify all athletics programs from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division II, "pending approval by the NCAA. The announcement also signals the end of SSU’s membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after the transition," the University reports today.

"This decision was made after months of discussion and deliberation in an effort to put SSU’s athletics programs in the best position fiscally, academically and athletically. This move allows SSU athletics to remain in competition and carry on their traditions," an SSU spokesperson says.

The administration "has maintained that fiscal responsibility for the betterment of students and the institution is priority. Senior administrators are in ongoing communication with the NCAA and the MEAC to create and coordinate a plan to have the most efficient transition," the University reports.

“While I am extremely proud of the progress our athletes and coaches have made at the Division I Level, it is not financially feasible for us to continue,” said Dozier. Additional details about the transition plan will be released in the coming months.

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S.C. State football has competitive 20-17 spring game

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- For the most part, the play in South Carolina State’s spring football game on Saturday was just as good as the amazing weather fans and football recruits in the stands enjoyed.

While the defense stood strong most of the game, the offense showed signs of improvement through spring workouts and posted touchdown runs by two different quarterbacks, as the White team (offense) took a 20-17 win against the Garnet team (defense).

PHOTO GALLERY: S.C. State football spring game 2017

Even with the Bulldogs not playing a few returning starters on defense, there was one forced fumble and fumble recovery against the offense and one tipped pass that was intercepted.

All in all, the game on Willie E. Jeffries Field was a strong finish to the spring workout schedule for S.C. State and head coach Buddy Pough’s team.

“We feel like we got a lot done in developing some depth this spring,” Pough said. “We’re still working on ways to run the ball better and run it more often.

“All of our quarterbacks had their moments today and they had their boneheaded moments too. We’ve got the chance to throw the ball around a little bit, but that’s going to depend on our offensive line continuing to improve.”



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XULA Richard wins on road vs. NCAA Division II's #3 player

PENSACOLA, Florida — Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis freshman Antoine Richard defeated one of the best players in NCAA Division II Saturday in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) decision against West Florida senior Alex Peyrot.

Richard — a left-hander from Laval, Quebec, a graduate of Le Tremplin and the ITA's fourth-ranked NAIA singles player — won for the ninth time in 13 decisions this semester and stretched his win streak to six. Richard ended the 8-match win streak of Peyrot, who is third-ranked in NCAA D2.

"I just needed to stay focused throughout the match and keep fighting," said Richard, who won in three sets for the second time this week. "I felt good in the tiebreaker, felt fresh. I had been training well recently."

The victory gave Richard a split for the day with Peyrot, who teamed with Pedro Dumont for an 8-5 doubles victory against Richard and Moses Micheal.

West Florida won both dual matches against XULA, topping the Gold Rush 7-2 and the Gold Nuggets 9-0. West Florida's men (23-1) are ranked first in NCAA D2, and its women (20-6) are ranked sixth.

Karan Salwan scored the other XULA victory when his singles opponent, Warren Kuhn, retired because of an injury with Kuhn leading 6-3, 1-3. The Gold Rush (10-5), ranked second in the NAIA, lost to a top-10 D2 team for the second straight day. So did the Gold Nuggets (6-13), who are ranked ninth and have dropped six straight overall.

Emma Kranendonk, the only Gold Nugget to win a set, lost 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 to regionally ranked Paula Coyos.

The Gold Nuggets will play their home finale at 1 p.m. Saturday against NAIA No. 11 LSU-Alexandria. Dual matches Tuesday at the University of New Orleans were postponed for the Gold Rush and canceled for the Gold Nuggets. The Rush instead will visit UNO April 24 or 25, and the women's dual was dropped at the request of UNO coach Burzis Kanga.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Rush, Nuggets fall to top-10 teams from Georgia

Results:  Men   •   Women

PENSACOLA, Florida — Moses Micheal was a double winner Friday for Xavier University of Louisiana, but Columbus State rallied to earn a 5-3 men's tennis dual-match decision that snapped the Gold Rush win streak at five.

In the women's dual, Columbus State beat XULA 5-0.

All four teams are top-10 nationally. XULA's men (10-4) are ranked second in the NAIA, and the women (6-12) are ninth. Columbus State's men (17-3) are ninth in NCAA Division II, and its women (18-2) are seventh.

Micheal and Antoine Richard rallied to beat KP Pannu and Maciej Kierkus 9-7 — the only XULA doubles victory of the day — and Micheal gave the Gold Rush a 3-2 lead against the Georgia team when he beat Zach Whaanga, regionally ranked in singles, 6-3, 6-3 on the second court.

But the Cougars then rattled off three straight singles victories, and Paul Sprengelmeijer clinched with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 decision against Karan Salwan at No. 3.

The other Gold Rush victory was on the fourth court, where Catalin Fifea cruised past Matei Avram 6-3, 6-2 and improved his singles win streak to nine. Fifea has not dropped a singles set in nearly two months.

"I was really impressed with Catalin Fifea and Moses Micheal in singles," XULA coach Alan Green said. "Fifea has been rock-solid all year, and Moses is getting better each day."

Micheal won in doubles and singles for the second consecutive day. Prior to Thursday, the freshman from Kaduna, Nigeria, had been a double winner in only 1-of-12 duals.

Friday was the first time in 34 duals that Salwan failed to win in doubles or singles. The only other time he was shut out was in the 2016 opener at Louisiana-Lafayette — his first dual match with the Gold Rush. Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar's 8-1 loss to Whaanga and Avram was the largest margin of defeat by a Gold Rush doubles team in a dual this season.

The Gold Nuggets dropped their fifth straight dual, and the Lady Cougars won their sixth in a row and 16th in their last 17. XULA's best efforts were at No. 1 doubles, where newly paired Charlene Goreau and Emma Kranendonk lost 8-5 to fifth-ranked Beatriz Leon and Beatriz Lopez, and at No. 6 singles, where Sha'Nel Bruins was tied at 5 in the first set with Saravinder Pannu (KP's older sister) when the dual was clinched and halted.

Goreau and Kranendonk trailed 2-0 and 5-3 before rallying to tie their match at 5.

XULA will play more NCAA D2 top-10 teams at 10 a.m. Saturday: West Florida's top-ranked men and No. 7 women. Venue will be the same as Friday — West Florida's Ralph "Skeeter" Carson Tennis Complex.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Coppin State Women's Basketball Signs Downs & Corbie For 2017-18 Season

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Coppin State women's basketball head coach DeWayne Burroughs announced the signing of guards Camille Downs and Tsahai Corbie on Wednesday, April 12th. Downs and Corbie will join the Eagles women's basketball program for the 2017-18 season.

"With the signing of both Camille Downs and Tsahai Corbie along with Nadia Davidson, we are looking for immediate success and taking the program to another level in the upcoming 2017-18 season," Burroughs comments.

Camille Downs is a 5-7 guard from Stafford, VA who attended Colonial Forge High School. She led the Eagles to a 25-6 overall record as a senior in 2016-17 averaging 12.2 points per game along with 3.4 steals. Colonial Forge won the first women's basketball championship in school and county history with a 52-38 victory over the Oakton Cougars. Downs scored 21 points including all 14 of her team's first quarter points. She finished with nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks to go along with her game-high 21 points.

"Camille is very versatile on the court. She will be a great addition to our team since she can play the lead guard position all the way through to the power forward. Camille finds a way to score the basketball and you can see her love for the game every time she plays. I believe that she will come in and be an immediate impact."

Tsahai Corbie is a 5-7 guard from Brooklyn, NY who attended South Shore High School. Corbie was named the Girls PSAL MVP at the 2017 NYC Mayor's Cup and is ranked as a three-star recruit by ESPN. She won three PSAL Basketball Championships (2015, 2016, 2017), was named the 2017 PSAL MVP and earned the PSAL Basketball Champion Academic Achievement Award in 2015 for the highest GPA on the team. Corbie also garnered the Conrad McCrae AAU Tournament Student-Athlete Award in 2016, National Honor Society Inductee in April of 2015 and 2016, the Victory Collegiate Instagram Founders High Climbers Award in 2016, the Victory Collegiate Michael Jordan Student Athlete Academic Award in 2015 and also won the Rose Classic Super Jam Basketball Sportsmanship Award in 2015.

"Tsahai is a threat from long range and can shoot the three-pointer well. On the court she can play anywhere from the lead guard to a small forward. She is an all-around player that can score, rebound, assist and is always looking to make her teammates better. In addition she plays with a very high IQ for the game and loves to play the game and looks like she is having fun."

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