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ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Norfolk State University captured the Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award, while Florida A&M University captured the Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award, the conference announced on Wednesday.
The All-Sports Award are indicators of the overall strengths of the conference's men's and women's athletic programs. Each institution was presented with a $20,000 check during a reception at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Wednesday evening.
“I would like to congratulate Norfolk State University including President Eddie Moore, Director of Athletics Marty Miller, and the administrators, coaches, student-athletes and support staff for winning the 2017 Talmadge Layman Hill Men's All-Sports Award,” said MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas. “I also extend congratulations to Florida A&M University and Interim President Dr. Larry Robinson, Director of Athletics Milton Overton and all of the outstanding individuals including staff, coaches and student-athletes who were involved in winning the Mary McLeod Bethune Award.”
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was recognized during the reception as the 2017 recipient of the MEAC Highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for the eighth straight year. In addition to the recognition, MDES was presented a check for $25,000 from the conference. MDES' 81-percent GSR is the highest among MEAC institutions spanning the 2006-09 cohorts.
Florida A&M, which shared the Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award last academic year, won the award outright for the first time since 2001. The Lady Rattlers have won the award a total of 10 times since its inception in 1987 and has won it in consecutive years for the first time since a nine-year streak from 1993-2001.
The Lady Rattlers totaled 95.5 points in the all-sports tally, highlighted by their fifth consecutive conference championship in cross country and fourth straight softball championship. Florida A&M also captured divisional titles in volleyball and softball while finishing second in indoor track & field.
North Carolina A&T State placed second with 90 points, followed by Bethune-Cookman (83.5), Hampton (82.5) and Norfolk State (76.5).
Norfolk State won the Talmadge Layman Hill Men's All-Sports Award for the 11th time in school history and its first title since winning nine straight from 2005-13. The Spartans won a divisional title in baseball and finished second in cross country, indoor track & field, basketball and tennis.
Bethune-Cookman finished second with 78 points, with North Caro
lina A&T State third with 75 points. North Carolina Central and Hampton tied for fourth with 72 points apiece.
Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 14 points for champions or first place regular season finishes. The second-place team receives 12 points. Tied teams split the point total.
GULF SHORES, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana earned a pair of All-America honors as a result of top-8 finishes Saturday at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The Gold Nuggets' Ariane Williams placed seventh in the 400-meter dash in 57.11 seconds. About two hours later, Williams, Ry-Anne Riley, Tramaine Shannon — in her final collegiate meet — and Clarke Allen finished eighth in the 1,600 relay in 3:56.31. It was the second straight year that the XULA women were All-America in this relay. Allen ran the anchor leg both years. The Gold Nuggets set a school record of 3:49.76 during Friday qualifying. XULA's other competitor on the meet's final day was Keairez Coleman, who finished 17th out of 25 in the men's triple jump. His best mark was 14.15 meters — 46 feet, 5 1/4 inches — and it was the third straight meet that the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion surpassed 46 feet. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
GULF SHORES, Alabama — Ariane Williams will be as busy Saturday as she was Friday.
The Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore qualified for finals in two events at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The Gonzales, La., resident — a graduate of East Ascension High School and a transfer from NCAA Division I Southeastern Louisiana — recorded the seventh-fastest time in the women's 400-meter dash, 57.31 seconds. Then she helped the 1,600 relay team qualify in a school-record 3:49.76.
"It was a pretty good day," Williams said. "It was better than I thought it would be. I didn't think my time was good enough in the 400, but I got in. I can definitely run a faster time tomorrow, run a better pace."
The Gold Nuggets broke the school record of 3:49.87 set in the 2016 preliminaries. Allen, a junior from Mendenhall, Miss., and a graduate of Mendenhall High School, ran anchor on that team, too.
XULA in the finals will chase city and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rival SUNO, which posted the fastest times in both events. Williams was about 2 1/2 seconds behind Shadae Hylton of the Lady Knights in the 400, and the Nuggets were about five seconds behind SUNO in the relay.
"It's going to be neck-and-neck tomorrow," Williams said. "I've got faith in my girls. We can do this."
For Williams, recovery from Friday will consist of pasta, water, an ice bath and 8-9 hours of sleep. "I'll be good to go," she said.
(L) Dr. RENEE GORDON, (C) Dr. MARCELLA CARNES, (R) Dr. SHANNON ANDERSON
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), minority women comprise fewer than 1 in 10 scientists and engineers in the United States. Studies from researchers around the world reveal that one antidote to this disparity is to ensure there are more role models in underrepresented communities.
Three Florida A&M University (FAMU) female doctoral students, who are also best friends, recently received their doctorates in engineering. They endured setbacks, including the loss of a classmate and overcame financial hurdles to ensure that they join the next generation of engineering leaders who will help close that gap.
On April 29, Miami native and Fulbright Scholar Renee Gordon received her doctorate of philosophy in mechanical engineering; Miami Beach native and Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership awardee Shannon Anderson received her doctorate of philosophy in civil engineering, with a concentration in environmental engineering; and Birmingham, Alabama native and NSF International Research Experiences grantee Marcella Carnes received her doctorate of philosophy in civil engineering with a concentration in structures.
Each earned their doctorate degrees under the guidance of FAMU’s School of Graduate Studies and Research and through support as participants in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Title III Funding Program. They are considering next steps including job offers and research opportunities. In the meantime, Gordon and Anderson will spend the summer teaching and helping to recruit the next generation of engineering students, while Carnes prepares for her wedding.
“We realize that we’re breaking barriers when it comes to minorities and also women in STEM fields,” Gordon said. “I feel like it’s really important for our young Black and Brown boys and girls to know that they can aspire to be whatever they want to be including engineers.”
Carnes added, “I feel proud to be an African-American woman in the STEM fields. There’s not that many of us (women). We’ve been challenged because STEM is male dominated, (but) we are examples of the things that you can set your mind toward and finish. We are no longer ‘Hidden Figures.’ We have definitely been revealed.”
In addition to inspiring the next generation to break barriers, the trio wants to encourage them to pursue careers that will improve our way of life. They say the best place to develop a career that makes a difference is at FAMU.
“Not only did we receive the financial support, but we also received emotional support; we received the bond that we share in this community and a family that’s striving to achieve the same goal. We have a shoulder to lean on when we feel like we can’t move on,” said Carnes, who also enjoyed unique opportunities when she studied abroad in Poland as a part of a program that allowed her to study civil engineering at campuses in four countries.
Gordon expressed the important role that mentors like her major professor Peter Kalu, Ph.D., and the engineering school’s Title III Director Reginald Perry, Ph.D., played in her successful matriculation.
“FAMU’s programs have been a tremendous help in assisting us both academically and professionally. The faculty and staff have been amazing,” she said.
Gordon also recalled a time when FAMU’s Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., personally stepped in to help her complete an important component of her research experience.
“I had an abstract and paper accepted for presentation at a conference in Cape Town, South Africa, and I went to different departments looking for support for travel there. It was such a huge opportunity. I told Dr. Robinson what I needed, and without batting an eye he said ‘yes, ‘ and it was done,” she said. “Through that opportunity, I was able to receive a Fulbright fellowship, and it was life-changing. I spent seven to eight months in Nigeria conducting research and teaching collegiate level students.”
Anderson, who completed two engineering fellowships in California, including the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium Summer Fellowship at the University of California, explained how her experience at FAMU empowered her to embrace her culture and who she is as a scholar.
“The most important thing that FAMU has taught me is confidence in myself. My education process from middle school all the way up to my bachelor’s was at predominantly White institutions where I felt like the odd one out in honors classes, gifted classes and Advanced Placement classes,” she said. “At FAMU, I felt like ‘I am actually supposed to be here, ‘ and everyone is on equal footing, not just skin color wise but also education wise.”
The women agree that confidence helped the trio work through system crashes, equipment failure, multiple trials and errors, and even with overcoming tragedy, as they all worked toward the finish line of their education.
In 2014, they suddenly lost colleague Tarra M. Beach, an environmental engineering doctoral candidate. She passed away before she received her doctorate. Her goal was to “contribute to the sustainability of the environment and work on STEM education with underrepresented children.”
“She would have been the first woman to graduate with her engineering Ph.D., from the Title III program at FAMU. So, we were next in line to just follow her example, her dedication, her passion and drive,” Anderson said.
Beach’s legacy helped motivate the young women to complete their goals.
“Losing Tarra was very hard. She was driven toward education. She was so close to finishing and to know someone worked that hard and not necessarily reaped that benefit was emotionally draining for us,” Carnes said. “But it also let us know we are blessed to be here and that we can move on. Her legacy is that she believed in education and through us, and all women, she is here. Through our eyes, she has her Ph.D., because she was such a scholar.”
Gordon explained the loss of Beach and earning a degree in a field where women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented taught her and her friends the lesson of a lifetime: nothing is impossible when you persevere.
“It was tough, but we had each other. We stayed connected. Just keep on going. Be determined. Be persistent,” Gordon said.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Spring practice starts in 60 days, so it’s as good a time as any to start looking forward to the 2017 football season.
Several SWAC teams were close to breaking through last year, and seven of the 10 teams in the league could have made the conference championship by swinging the outcome of just two games.
Here’s a look at the five SWAC teams that have the most to prove, given the lay of the land.
5. Alabama A&M: The Bulldogs got off to a miserable 1-5 start last year that included a win over Mississippi Valley and losses to Prairie View, Southern, Texas Southern and Alcorn State. But they won three out of their final four SWAC games, and are hoping to carry that momentum over into this season. If A&M coach James Spady can find a way to get his team to pick off a couple of games early (they lost to Texas Southern 34-31 last year, for example) they could make a serious run at their first East title since 2011.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana track and field standout Drew Chatters earned an academic honor for the second straight day when she was named Friday as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete for 2016-17. Chatters, a junior from Lake Charles, La., and a graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School, is a biology / pre-medical major. She is a 3-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion in the javelin and holds school and GCAC meet records in that event. 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. Chatters was announced Thursday as Academic All-District 2 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She made that team for the second consecutive year. Chatters will learn June 20 if she made the Academic All-America team. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
LEXINGTON, Kentucky – North Carolina A&T will roll into the NCAA Division I Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., in record fashion after completing a historic NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round for a historically black college or university institution.
The Aggies will send 13 of the school-record 20 athletes they sent to the East Prelims to the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, June 7-10 for the NCAA championships. Over the past three days, the Aggies have taken down numerous school records. Saturday was another superb day of qualifying. The Aggies will have more representation than any other North Carolina institution at the NCAA championships in two weeks. They will also send more athletes to the NCAA nationals than any other HBCU in history.
The men's 4x100 meter relay team consisting of seniors Chris Belcher, Caleb Gabriel and junior Rodney Rower and freshman Jaylen Mitchell nearly took the top qualifying time for the East to Oregon with them, but were defeated by a narrow margin by Auburn (38.74) and LSU (38.75) to finish third in 38.76. The top 12 times advance to NCAA nationals. The foursome's time broke the school record of 39.44, set during this season's MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at N.C. A&T's Irwin Belk Track. It was the same runners save for junior Joel Thomas ran instead of Mitchell.
“Man, they looked awesome today,” said N.C. A&T director of track and field programs, Duane Ross. “They were right there until the end, but LSU got us at the line.”
The women's 4x1 was also impressive. Junior India Brown, sophomores Yakira Love and Kayla White and freshman Taliyah Townsend sprinted to a school record as they qualified for nationals with the 10th-best time (44.01). The previous record was established at the 2017 Aggie Invitational when the same runners except Love ran on Friday instead of Tori Ray. One more Aggies relay team saw success on Saturday when the 4x4 team qualified for nationals with a school-record time. Senior Dorian Claggett, junior Dajuan Harding, sophomore Justin Hamilton and freshman Najee Reams completed the 4x4 in 3:06.14 to be the 11th team out of 12 to qualify. They finished ahead of Clemson and Florida State to qualify. Saturday's 4x4 team out did itself as the same four guys held the previous record which was 3:07.32 recorded at the 2017 MEAC outdoor championships.
Belcher and Brown will represent the Aggies in three different events in Eugene. Both qualified on the men's and women's side in the 200 meters. A day after running the fastest qualifying time to reach the quarterfinals with a school-record 20.06, Belcher qualified for nationals in 20.31. Brown also pulled off a trifecta by finishing her 200m race in 22.92 to break her own school record of 22.98 recorded at the Tom Jones Memorial hosted by the University of Florida on April 28.
There were mixed reviews for the Aggies in the hurdles on Saturday. Kayla White is headed to nationals in the 100-meter hurdles as she qualified in 13.18 a day after breaking the school record by running 12.94. White broke an 8-year old record set by Loreal Smith at 12.97. White will try to become the Aggies first All-American in the 100mh since Smith in 2009. White had the sixth-fastest qualifying time on Saturday. The Aggies 110mh participants on Saturday – sophomore Michael Dickson and senior TeQuille Jackson – failed to qualify as both men could not reach the Top-12.
N.C. A&T's representation at the NCAA championships will be off the track as well. Sophomore Lasheon Strozier qualified in the men's triple jump with a personal-record 51-feet, 10 ½-inch jump. It surpassed his previous best which was 51-feet, 10-inches at the Duke Invitational on April 21. Strozier will be the first Aggies triple jumper since Brandon Via in 2006 to compete at NCAA nationals.
“This year we did a good job of putting them in meets where they saw some of the same competition they saw this weekend,” said Ross. “Our administration fully backed us in taking them down to (the University of) Florida and Georgia and putting them against tough competition so that when they are competing at regionals, when they are competing at nationals, it's nothing new.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Norfolk State University captured the Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award, while Florida A&M University captured the Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award, the conference announced on Wednesday.
