MEAC Players Picked Up in MLB Draft

\NORFOLK, Virginia -- Five players from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) were taken in the late rounds of the 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft on Wednesday, including the reigning conference Player and Pitcher of the Year.

Norfolk State led the conference with two draft picks.

Player	School	Drafted By	Round Drafted
Demetrius Sims	Bethune-Cookman	Miami Marlins	14th
Noah "Cutter" Dyals	North Carolina A&T State	Atlanta Braves	17th
Aubrey McCarty	Florida A&M	Colorado Rockies	26th
Devin Hemmerich	Norfolk State	Los Angeles Dodgers	26th
Alex Mauricio	Norfolk State	New York Yankees	27th

Sims was a First Team All-MEAC selection this past season, helping Bethune-Cookman win its 19th MEAC championship and advance to the first NCAA regional final in school and conference history. He was also a MEAC All-Tournament Team selection.

Dyals was named First Team All-MEAC, coming out of the bullpen to help the Aggies finish second in the MEAC Southern Division this past season -- after being picked to finish last in a preseason poll. He was 6-0 this season with seven saves and an 0.50 ERA.

McCarty was named Second Team All-MEAC as a utility player this past season.

Hemmerich is the reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-MEAC selection. He was also named to the MEAC All-Tournament Team, and he became Norfolk State's first Div. I All-American, as named by Collegiate Baseball News, after breaking the school record in both career and single-season strikeouts.

Mauricio is the reigning MEAC Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award. He helped the Spartans win their third straight MEAC Northern Division regular-season title and advance to the title round of the MEAC Championship.

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

SWAC to drop football conference championship game after 2017 season to focus on Celebration Bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) today announced that it will forgo its football championship game following the 2017 Toyota SWAC Football Championship.

“With the creation of the Celebration Bowl as a national showcase for HBCU football, the Council of Presidents and Chancellors decided to suspend the championship game format after the 2017 season,” said Commissioner Duer Sharp. “By focusing on the Celebration Bowl, we can continue to grow the AFRCB as an HBCU classic for the teams and fans of both conferences and for HBCU football nationally.”

The championship game will be played on December 2, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The SWAC champion will earn an invitation to play in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on December 16, 2017. Established in 2015 and recognized as one of the premier events in HBCU college football, the Celebration Bowl features the champion of the SWAC versus the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion.

Beginning in 2018, the SWAC football championship title will go to the team with the best regular season conference record. The conference office along with SWAC administrators and coaches will work to solidify a tie-breaker procedure, scheduling and other factors that contribute to dissolving the championship format.

Originally introduced in 1999, the SWAC championship game was originally played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, for 14 years before moving to Houston in 2013.

SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Florida A&M athletics releases annual report

FAMU ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M's athletic department on Tuesday released an annual report detailing the department's expenditures and revenues, as well as its future goals.

The biggest goal is one fans have been asking for: $60 million for an improved Bragg Memorial Stadium.

Other priorities for the department are $11 million for a new field house, $3 million for academic scholarships, $500,000 for athletic transportation, $100,000 for a new health and nutrition program and $150,000 for what's being called a "mobile learning initiative."

The athletic department increased its revenue from $7.4 million in the 2015-16 fiscal year to $8.6 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year. During the same time, the department decreased spending from $10.4 million to $8.5 million.

According to the report, "Fiscal year 2018 athletics revenues are projected to increase by 17% to $9.7 million largely due to an increase in men’s and women’s basketball game guarantees, increased revenue from other Olympic sports, increased football revenue from a new FAMU owned classic football game in Tampa and increased philanthropic fundraising."

CONTINUE READING

Virginia Union Home Football Games To Be Televised

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's first two home football games will be broadcast live on Comcast channel 206 and Verizon channel 466 though an arrangement with WTVR in Richmond, Va.

Virginia Union's home opener against Newberry College will be broadcast on Saturday, September 9, beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET while the Panthers' game against Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, September 16, will be broadcast live beginning at 6:00 p.m.

"CBS-6 is excited about televising Virginia Union's first two home games of the 2017 Football season," said WTVR President and General Manager Stephen Hayes. "Both the Newberry and the Winston-Salem State games will be broadcast live on WTVR 6.3. We are looking forward to cheering the Panthers on this fall!"

Future home games are also being planned for broadcast, and the games will also be streamed live over the Internet. VUU will have a total of five home football games this season, all to be played at Historic Hovey Field.

VUU PANTHERS 2017 Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time
9/2/2017 LIU Post Brookville, NY 1:00 p.m.
9/9/2017 Newberry College Richmond, VA 4:00 p.m.
9/16/2017 Winston­Salem State University Richmond, VA 6:00 p.m.
9/23/2017 * Fayetteville State University Richmond, VA 1:00 p.m.
9/30/2017 * St. Augustine's University Raleigh, NC 1:00 p.m.
10/7/2017 * Lincoln University (Pa.) Lincoln University, PA TBA
10/14/2017 * Chowan University Richmond, VA 1:00 p.m.
10/21/2017 * Bowie State University Bowie, MD 1:00 p.m.
10/28/2017 * Elizabeth City State University Richmond, VA 1:00 p.m.
11/4/2017 * Virginia State University Petersburg, VA 2:00 p.m.
11/11/2017 CIAA Championship TBA TBA

VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Benedict College Launches Redesigned Athletic Website

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Benedict College is proud to once again partner with SIDEARM Sports to unveil the latest redesign of its athletics website, BenedictTigers.com, which was re-launched Tuesday. The new site reaffirms the department's commitment to providing Benedict College fans with a top-of-the-line place to find all the latest news and information for all of the Tigers' 13 varsity programs.

"We are very excited to unveil this new look," said Dennis Switzer, Sports Information Director for Benedict College. "It is fresh and exciting and a destination our students and fans will want to return often. We realize that for many people the first point of contact with Benedict College is our website. And therefore we wanted to put our best foot forward."

Switzer worked with the designers and project managers at SIDEARM Sports on the redesign and will be responsible for uploading new content.

The redesign reinforces Benedict College's continued partnership with SIDEARM Sports, an innovative company that powers the websites of more than 750 colleges, universities, athletic conferences and high schools throughout North America. Benedict is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conferece, which became the first collegiate athletic conference to integrate all its members with the same website company.

The newly redesigned BenedictTigers.com keeps all of your favorite aspects of the previous incarnation, while also providing a fresh new look and enhanced features. The new website includes larger photos, easier navigation between pages, quick access to the department's social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The new BenedictTigers.com site will give Tiger followers a visually appealing, easy-to-use site that provides every bit of information that a Benedict College supporter is looking for. The responsive layout and design to fit the user device on desktop, tablet and mobile so fans will be able to access information easily on the go.

BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Edward Waters Releases 2017 Football Schedule

JACKSONVILLE, Florida --Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Stanley Cromartie has finalized and released the 2017 Edward Waters Tigers football schedule. 

Head Coach Alvin B. Wyatt, Sr. and the Tigers will look to build on the momentum of a strong 2016 finish which saw EWC win three of its last four contests.  The Tigers will be moving to the 20-team Mid-South Conference, the largest college football conference in the country, in 2017 as a football-only member and will have a nine game conference schedule and two non-conference contests.

Edward Waters will be a member of the MSC Sun Division, joining former Sun Conference rivals, Webber International, Warner, Southeastern, Ave Maria and new rival Faulkner, with the winner of the division earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Football Playoffs. A venue for Edward Waters home contests for 2017 will be announced at a later date.

The 2017 slate begins on the road in McKenzie, Tennessee as the Tigers will face new Mid-South Conference opponent Bethel University on August 26th at 1:30pm for the first ever meeting between the two teams. 

After a bye week, September begins with another MSC road contest on the 9th at 6:30pm against another first time opponent, Bluefield College in Bluefield, West Virginia. The Tigers will come home for the first time in 2017 on September 16th against the Phoenix of Cumberland University at 4:30pm, followed by another home date on the 23rd at 4:30pm against the University of the Cumberlands Patriots. 

EWC will wrap up September against MSC Sun Division and longtime foe, Ave Maria on September 30th in Naples, Florida at 12:00pm. This will be the seventh time that the Tigers and Gyrenes will meet on the field, with the series tied 3-3. Edward Waters defeated Ave Maria, 29-19 last season in Jacksonville.

Edward Waters will celebrate Homecoming on October 7th at 3pm against the Glory Eagles of the University of Faith in an exhibition contest. Edward Waters defeated UFaith 45-6 last season and has a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. The Tigers will hit the road once again and return to MSC Sun Division play on October 14th at 1pm in Polk County against the Warriors of Webber International. This is the longest current rivalry for EWC as the Warriors and Tigers have met 12 times on the gridiron, with WIU owning a 9-3 lead in the all-time series. 

Last year's scheduled meeting in Jacksonville was cancelled due to the affects of Hurricane Matthew. EWC will return to Jacksonville on October 21st at 4:30pm against MSC Sun Division opponent Warner University. Warner and EWC have played each other three previous times with the Tigers enjoying a 2-1 series advantage. The Royals picked up their first ever victory over EWC last season in Lake Wales, beating the Tigers 42-21. October will close with the purple and orange stepping out of conference for another exhibition contest on the 28th against the Disciples of the University of God's Chosen. EWC and UGC last played in 2015 with the Tigers demolishing the Disciples, 57-8.

November will feature two MSC Sun Division games to close out the regular season. On the 4th, EWC will play its final home contest of 2017 against the Sun Conference Champion Southeastern University Fire at 4pm in Jacksonville for Senior Day. The Tigers will be looking for their first ever victory over the Fire as they have been unsuccessful in three previous tries. 

The 2017 regular season will close on November 11th at 1:30pm in Alabama's state capital, Montgomery as Edward Waters will take on the Eagles of Faulkner University. This will be the first time the EWC and Faulkner have met since 2007 when the Tigers defeated the Eagles, 28-21 in Montgomery.

2017 Edward Waters Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time	Location
Aug. 26	*Bethel	1:30pm	McKenzie, TN
Sept. 2	OPEN DATE
Sept. 9	*Bluefield	6:00pm	Bluefield, WV
Sept. 16	*Cumberland	4:30pm	Jacksonville, FL
Sept. 23	*Univ. of the Cumberlands	4:30pm	Jacksonville, FL
Sept. 30	*Ave Maria	12:00pm	Naples, FL
Oct. 7	^Univ. of Faith (Homecoming 2017)	3:00pm	Jacksonville, FL
Oct. 14	*Webber International	1:00pm	Lake Wales, FL
Oct. 21	*Warner	4:30pm	Jacksonville, FL
Oct. 28	^Univ. of God's Chosen	12:00pm	Jacksonville, FL
Nov. 4	*Southeastern	7:00pm	Jacksonville, FL
Nov. 11	*Faulkner	1:30pm	Montgomery, AL

*Mid-South Conference Contest

^Exhibition Contest (Does Not Count Against 2017 Record)

Schedule Subject To Change

EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Edward Waters Unveils New Athletics Website

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- -The Edward Waters College Department of Athletics is pleased to unveil its new website for athletics, EWCTigerPride.com.  EWC has partnered with SIDHelp, a leader in college athletics website design based in Montgomery, Alabama, to create a one-of-a-kind website access and inside information on each of the College's 10 varsity sports programs.

"This is something that has been a long time coming for our department." remarked Assistant Sports Information Director, Joshua C. Jackson. "For years, our student-athletes, coaches and fans of Tiger Nation have clamored for a number of years and for this day to finally come around is really exciting for our department and our institution."

Jackson along with Senior Women's Administrator Charmaine Wilson and athletics consultant George Selmont worked closely with the designers and developers at SIDHelp to create a site that best represents Edward Waters Athletics. Jackson along with a select group of students from the Mass Communications Department will be responsible for updating the site on a frequent basis.

"We're pleased to give our Mass Communications students an outlet to display their sports writing skills as well." Jackson said.

SIDHelp manages a large number of fellow Gulf Coast Athletic Conference schools including Dillard, Tougaloo, Philander Smith, and Talladega, as well as several NAIA institutions. "The fact that SIDHelp manages several of our fellow GCAC and NAIA institutions made this a no-brainer for us." remarked Jackson. "They have a track record of producing great work, and we are thrilled to be among their list of clients."

"This is an exciting time to be a part of Tiger Nation!" remarked Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Stanley B. Cromartie. "Our College President, Dr. Nathaniel Glover has challenged us to go from good to GREAT and with the unveiling of our new website, this shows our commitment to taking our program to the next level."

The all-new EWCTigerPride.com also provides easy navigation to the department's social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter and soon will provide an opportunity for Tiger Nation to donate directly to the department, via a "Donate Now" page. The site can not only be easily accessed via desktop or laptop, but can also be accessed for those on-the-go via mobile device or tablet.

EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION