CIAA Announces Football Championship Extension
Through 2024 Bri Funte Charlotte, NC (December 11, 2018) - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Board of Directors voted last week to extend its agreement with the City of Salem and Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) as hosts of the CIAA Football Championship through the 2024 season. Salem Football Stadium has served as the site for the event for the past three years. “The City of Salem and VBR have been great hosts for the CIAA Football Championship and we appreciate their enthusiasm and support,” Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said. “The Salem team, led by Carey Harveycutter, have proven time and again their expertise in running successful championships and identify key partnerships that support the pillars of the CIAA. The level of hospitality, financial commitment, and operational support we receive from the city has been outstanding.” The Board reviewed several factors in its decision to remain in Salem, including facility use and staffing, team support, opportunities for community engagement, and involvement of the local business community. The City of Salem is very excited to be selected by the CIAA to continue hosting their football championship,” said Director of Tourism Carey Harveycutter. “The event is much more than just a football game with the summer events and the pregame tailgate party. We look forward to a mutually successful run.” Salem has been the site for multiple conference events this year, first hosting the CIAA Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country Championship in October. In November, in addition to football, Salem hosted the CIAA Volleyball Championships, allowing student-athletes and fans access to both events. Salem will be the site for the 2019 Softball Championship which will take place in May. The CIAA’s partnership with Salem extends beyond just the athletic events and highlights the CIAA's mission including Tradition, Leadership and Community. Since the inception of the partnership, the CIAA has hosted its football media day activities and summer administrative meetings in Salem. The conference has offered a free football clinic to area youth conducted by the CIAA coaches and student-athletes. In 2017, there were 250 youth clinic attendees. During the 2017 Football Championship, the CIAA also hosted a High School Education Day program, introducing area junior and senior students to the CIAA membership and even offering on-site college admittance. This year, the CIAA teamed up with Salem and the NCAA to sponsor Readers Become Leaders, an initiative focused on reaching elementary students, primarily third graders, on the importance of reading |
 Bulldogs Crowned 2018 CIAA Football Champions Sat 11/10/2018, 5:17 PM Bri Funte Salem, VA (November 10, 2018) – From opening kick-off the Bowie State University Bulldogs never looked back, claiming their first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Football Championship in a 30-10 rout of Fayetteville State University on a blistering afternoon at Salem Football Stadium. THE BASICS FINAL | Bowie State 30, Fayetteville State 10 RECORDS | Bowie State 9-3, Fayetteville State 6-3 LOCATION | Salem, VA (Salem Stadium) INSIDE THE BOXSCORE Bowie State senior quarterback Amir Hall won Nationwide Most Valuable Player with four total touchdowns, 180 yards passing, and 139 yards rushing. Hall tied a CIAA Championship record three rushing touchdowns. Stevie Green of Fayetteville State was Nationwide MVP for the Broncos after posting 135 yards rushing. HOW IT HAPPENED First Quarter: Bowie State gained the momentum early as the Bulldogs forced a fumble on the opening kick-off. The Bulldogs started the drive at the Fayetteville State 25-yard line. Chrishon Springs recorded a tackle for loss before forcing a turnover on downs. Fayetteville State’s Stevie Green tallied four rushes on the drive for 21 yards before the Bulldogs forced a punt. Bowie State methodically moved the ball down the field following the punt on a 13 play, 87-yard drive to score the opening touchdown of the contest. Amir Hall completed 4-5 passes for 40 yards on the drive before calling his own number from 14 yards out. Gene Carson added the extra point for the early 7-0 with 3:11 remaining in the quarter. Fayetteville State was unable to get the offense moving as BSU’s Oluwaleke Ajenifuja forced the strip sack and the recovery to give the Bulldogs’ offense the ball at the 19-yd line. Hall posted his second rushing touchdown of the contest on a 6-yard scamper to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead. The Bulldogs defense would force their third turnover of the quarter as Thomas Riddick picked off Collyn Anderson’s pass. Second Quarter: Bowie State was unable to convert on fourth-and-seven to hand the ball back to Fayetteville State. Stevie Green gave the Broncos some momentum with a 20-yard rush to take the ball to midfield. Stevie Green continued to carry the offense, breaking two tackles on a swing pass for 18-yards. The Broncos would get on the board with 8:13 remaining in the quarter with a 28-yard field goal by David Lamb. The teams settled in during the middle of the quarter before Hall broke off an 80-yd run to put the Bulldogs up 21-3 with 3:55 remaining in the half. The half would close with Bowie State leading Fayetteville State 21-3 as the Broncos would commit their fourth turnover in the contest as Oluwake Ajenifuja recovered a fumble to end the drive. Third Quarter: Bowie State set up shop after Jordan Crockett gave the Bulldogs excellent field position following the second half kick-off. Hall would connect with Montez Clay and Lansana Sesay on the drive to break the all-time CIAA passing yards record. The Bulldogs would settle for the chip-shot field goal to extend their lead to 24-3. After a punt by the Broncos, Bowie State continued to extend their lead to 30-3 as Amir Hall found Daryl Jasper on the post pattern for the 13-yd touchdown. Fayetteville State’s Brandon Smith would block the extra point. Taylor Johnson for Bowie State would force a punt after sacking Anderson on third-and-long. Fourth Quarter: Hall found Maurice Williams on a screen pass for 39-yards before being stopped inside the five yard line. FSU’s defense led by Xavier Thompson forced an interception on fourth down in the endzone. On the first play of the drive, Green broke off a 55-yd run to put the Broncos in Bowie State territory. Donshel Jetton rushed for 23-yards to put Fayetteville State inside the redzone. Xeavier Bullock led the Broncos to a scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Person-Boyd in the back of the endzone. David Lamb converted the extra point to close the gap to 30-10 with 9:45 remaining in the contest. Anderson looked to mount one final scoring drive for the Broncos starting the drive with a 26-yard quarterback keeper with 3:53 remaining in the contest. Penalties would stall the drive as Anderson’s pass to Jalen Gavin was not enough on fourth down. Bowie State would wrap up the contest in victory formation. CIAA football teams await playoff selections with the NCAA regional announcement on Sunday, November 11. For the official selections, visit NCAA.com or follow the league on Twitter. |
 NCCU’s
Ianovale Named to Google Cloud Academic All-America Team2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Volleyball Team DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina Central University senior libero Erika Ianovale has been voted to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America® Volleyball Team, which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  Ianovale
made Third Team and is just one of 22 honorees to be selected Google
Cloud Academic All-America® Volleyball Team out of student-athletes
from 336 NCAA Division I volleyball programs. She is the only award
winner from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Ianovale is
the 10th NCCU student-athlete to earn this distinction (sixth in the
modern DI era) and first-ever from the volleyball program. “It’s fantastic,” said NCCU third-year head coach Jody Brown. “Erika is a super hard worker. She is an extremely intelligent young lady, who is very focused on her career. She has been carrying 18 hours ever since she came here. She is multilingual – fluent in three or four languages. She has been exactly what we have been looking for in regards to being a mature student-athlete. We have been thrilled to have her both on the court and off the court.” Ianovale boasts a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) as a mass communication major at NCCU. She transferred in after earning an Associate of Arts degree from State College of Florida. The Dean's and President's List award winner is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, Public Relations Student Society of America and the social media committee of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Ianovale, who is concentrating on public relations and is working on a minor in Spanish, plans to work in the United States for a few years with a multinational or international corporation dealing with other countries and cultures. Ianovale, who was born in Milan, Italy, but resides in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was named the NCCU Student-Athlete of the Month in September. She is one of just two Lady Eagles to play in all 91 sets this season for NCCU. The repositioned libero finished her final season ranked sixth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with 3.51 digs per set. She switched positions from outside hitter as a junior to libero in her final season. Ianovale immediately made an impact on defense and posted double-digit digs in 20 of 25 matches. “It just speaks volumes to the level of commitment she has for the things she chooses to do,” said Brown when asked about her ability to perform well at a new position. Ianovale supplied a season-high 25 digs in a 3-2 win over Jackson State University. Her 15 digs against Bethune-Cookman University helped the Lady Eagles upset the preseason favorites in the Southern Division in NCCU's league opener. “Erika has been a great role model and leader for us, both on and off the court,” said Brown. “Her maturity and commitment to her team and academics has really stood out and will be the backbone of her future success.” To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at their current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games and they are not eligible until they have completed one full calendar year at their current institution and has reached at least sophomore athletic eligibility. |
| NCCU’s White Named NCCSIA All-State Volleyball Team Kevin Buczek 2018 NCCSIA University Division All-State Women’s Volleyball Teams  MOUNT
OLIVE, N.C. — North Carolina Central University senior middle
blocker Whitney White was voted to the 2018 University Division
All-State Women’s Volleyball Teams as announced by the North
Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) Tuesday.
White was selected to the Second Team after having an outstanding final season for the Lady Eagles. She is one of only two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) players to make either team out of the 14 student-athletes honored. The product of South Boston, Virginia, averaged 2.02 kills and 1.00 blocks per game with a team-best .241 hitting percentage. White posted double-digit kills in seven matches, including a season-best 17 kills against Bethune-Cookman University. She also posted seven blocks in two matches in showdowns against South Carolina State University and Alabama State University. White ranked second in the MEAC in blocking and eighth in the league in hitting accuracy.  In
her career, White played in 100 matches for the maroon and gray and
finished with 657 kills and 268 blocks for averages of 1.91 kills
and 0.78 blocks per set. She was a reliable attacker as a middle
blocker, who tallied a cumulative .217 hitting percentage on over
1,700 swings. White moved into NCCU’s NCAA Division I era record book (since 2007) with her 268 blocks ranking second overall and her 657 kills ranking third best. Nominations were submitted by North Carolina sports information professionals and voted on by NCCSIA members. Founded in 2002, the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of North Carolina. The purpose of the organization is to promote collegiate athletics at all schools. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of responsibility lies within sports information. NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the University (Division I) and College (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, softball and baseball. |
WSSU’s Cobb Named to 2018 NCCSIA College Division All-State Team Rams junior earns all-state honor after great season Trevin Goodwin MOUNT OLIVE, NC – Winston-Salem State University
junior outside hitter Ytae Cobb will need to make room on her trophy
case as she was named to the 2018 North Carolina Collegiate Sports
Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division All-State
Volleyball Team, Tuesday afternoon. She earned the second team honor
after being one of the top players on the Rams and in the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). |
| Howard’s Kaplan Claims CCSA Weekly Honors Again Senior swimmer acknowledged for record-breaking weekend  (Photo Credit – Howard Athletics) Derek W. Bryant CHARLOTTE, N.C. (December 4, 2018) – The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) unveiled its weekly honors where Howard University senior KaSandra Kaplan (Detroit) earned CCSA Women’s Swimmer of the Week for the second time this season. The announcement came Tuesday afternoon. At the H2ounds Invitational, hosted by Loyola (Md.), Kaplan set four school records while placing third in four different events. Individually, the Detroit product posted a new school mark in the women’s 200 Breaststroke (2:23.65). She also recorded a 52.13 split in the 400 Free relay, followed by a 27.52 split in the 200 Medley relay and a 57.51 split in the 400 Medley relay. Her contributions in the 400 Free relay, 200 Medley relay, and 400 Medley relay were all record setting. On the men’s side, NJIT freshman’s Kai Legband was named the CCSA Men’s Swimmer of the Week and teammate Avery Bechtel took home CCSA Men’s Diver of the Week. To view this week’s honorees, please Click Here. After the New Year, Coach Nicholas Askew and the Bison return to Baltimore for a duel meet against UMBC. First race starts 2 p.m. For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com. |
Hawks Men's Hoops Wrap Up 2018 With Three Games Evann Carpenter |
| Slow Start Hinders the Hawks against the
Pirates Injuries Continue To Hurt The Shore Ralan Wardlaw |
| Howard Men’s Hoops Knocks Off Local Foe American Three Bison scored 20 points in the victory \  (Photo Credit – Lawrence Johnson) WASHINGTON (December 8, 2018) – Coach Kevin Nickelberry and the Howard University Men’s Basketball team held on to knock off crosstown rival American (AU), 85-83, inside Burr Gymnasium. With the victory, HU improved to 6-3 overall while the Eagles dropped to 5-3 on the season. Three Bison scored 20 points, led by redshirt junior Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) registered a double-double, 21 points and 10 dimes, while third-year guard Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) added 20 points in the win. “It all came together tonight,” said Nickelberry. “RJ [Cole], CJ [Williams], and Chad [Lott] took over and we depended on those guys. They played very well together.” Howard attacked the rim at will, scoring 44 points inside the paint while reaching the charity stripe 22 times. Overall, HU shot nearly 58-percent (33-of-57) from the floor, including 50-percent (2-of-4) from beyond the arc. After allowing the Eagles to shoot 53-percent (16-of-30) in the first 20 minutes, HU clamped down defensively and held American to under 35-percent (11-of-32) after intermission. With under a minute remaining, Howard sealed the victory with clutch free throws from Cole, Williams, and sophomore Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.). Second-year forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) made his presence felt off the bench, registering a season-best 12 boards, six points, and four blocks in 24 minutes of action. For AU, they had four Eagles reach double-figures. Sam Iorio recorded a team-high 24 points while Sa’eed Nelson netted 23 points in a losing effort. “We had this game circled on our calendar,” Coach Nickelberry stated. “They beat us last year and we knew they were better. They beat some good teams this year, but we also beat some good teams.” Before Saturday’s contest, the HU family took a moment of silence to honor long-time public announcer Shellie Bowers, Jr. for his contributions to the university for over the past three decades. This past week, the voice of Bison athletics suddenly passed away. Howard stays in the D.C. area for another crosstown matchup against George Washington. Game-time is scheduled for 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com. |
| Big Fourth Quarter Lifts Rams to 81-69 Win Over USC-Aiken WSSU scores 32 fourth quarter points to take second straight win Trevin Goodwin WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (3-5) got their second straight win when the team took an 81-69 win over the USC-Aiken Pacers (5-3). The Rams utilized a blazing fourth quarter to take the win. The Rams took the win behind a great effort at both ends of the court. The team’s high-pressure defense along with its up-tempo offense proved to be too much for the Pacers to keep up with. As a team, the Rams shot a solid 38.7% (24-of-62) from the floor, including a scorching hot second half with 53.6% (15-of-28) in the second half. The team also shot an impressive 82.4% (28-of-34) from the free throw line as well. WSSU sophomore guard Teara Johnson led the way for the Rams with a career-high 33 points in the game with two rebounds. She went 15-for-16 from the free throw line. Freshman guard Amaya Tucker added 19 points with five rebounds and a steal. The Rams struggled early in each quarter of the first half, but the team had late comeback efforts in each quarter to take a lead at the end of the first half. In the first quarter, both teams struggled early with the Rams and the Pacers combining for just 15 points in the first four minutes of the play. A jumper from Johnson left the Rams trailing, 7-8 with 4:06 left in the first quarter. The two teams soon kicked things into gear when a Johnson three-point play with 3:31 left gave the Rams their first lead of the game, 9-8 with 3:31 left in the first quarter. The Rams went ahead 17-13 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Rams pushed their lead to as many as seven points, 25-18 after a lay-up from sophomore forward Laichelle Sparrow with 3:43 left in the second quarter. Things soon got tougher for the Rams as the team allowed the Pacers to tie the game, 25-25 with 2:33 left in the second quarter. However, a Johnson three-pointer with just two seconds left in the second quarter left the Rams on top, 28-27 at the end of the first half. There was less drama in the second half as the Rams overcame some early struggles in the second quarter to go on to claim the win. The Rams could not find a way to keep up with the Pacers through much of the third quarter. The Rams found themselves trailing, 48-41 with 2:35 left in the third quarter. It was then that the Rams began their comeback effort. The team ended the third quarter with a three-point play from freshman guard Hailey Gipson with three seconds left that kept the Rams trailing, 52-49 at the end of the third quarter. It was in the fourth quarter when the Rams took things over as they held the Pacers to just 17 points while scoring 32 points. The Rams opened the fourth quarter with a 17-7 run as a lay-up from Sparrow gave the Rams a 59-58 lead that the team would never let get go of. The team pus their lead to six points, 70-64 with 1:13 left to play. The play was the one that put the game away for the Rams as the team hit 10-of-11 free throws in the final minute, including eight from Johnson in the final minute to claim the win. With the win the Rams improve to 3-5 on the season. The team will hit the road for their next action as they open Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play at #8 Virginia Union. For more information on Rams women’s basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com. |