Former Saint Augustine's hurdler earns Olympic berth

EUGENE, Ore. - Former Saint Augustine's College hurdler and current Falcon student Bershawn Jackson gained a berth to the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a convincing victory in the 400-meter hurdles final on Sunday (June 29) at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field. This is the first Olympic berth for Jackson, a Miami, Fla., native who lives and trains in Raleigh, NC, under George Williams, the legendary Saint Augustine's College track and field coach and 2004 U.S. Olympic team coach.

Jackson blitzed the field in the finals, crossing the finish line in 48.17 seconds to beat Kerron Clement (48.36) and Angelo Taylor (48.42), who both are going to the 2008 Olympics as well. The top three finishers advance to the Beijing Games.



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JCSU leader prepares to step away

Photo: Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy.

CHARLOTTE -- Nearly 50 years ago, Johnson C. Smith University’s 12th president set foot on the campus, first as a student and then years later at a leader. Now, Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy says it is time to say good bye. Yancy started at JCSU in 1960, and while at first she was homesick, the school would eventually be her home away from home. Upon graduating in 1964, she knew her time at the university was far from over.

"I left here determined to make Johnson C. Smith University proud of me,” said the first woman to ever be the school’s president. "It was different coming back as interim president. I thought I'd be here for maybe six months because … I figured by September I'd be back in the classroom at Georgia Tech and life would continue. I never expected to be here for 14 years."

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Bentley transferring from St. Augustine's College to Middle Tennessee State University for track

After redshirting a year at an NCAA Division II national track and field power, former Brainerd High School speedster Adrian “Buck” Bentley is heading to a Division I career closer to home.

Bentley signed scholarship papers Monday to run for Middle Tennessee State University. He’s leaving Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C., with 24 credit hours and a grade point average above 2.6. He was majoring in engineering and mathematics, so he was taking some heavyweight courses.

“He always had the academic ability. He struggled about what is necessary to move on,” said Brainerd coach Mary Sparn, noting that Bentley got behind early in high school. “He is a very bright kid. Actually, he’s not a kid anymore — he’s an adult, and he’s proved that.”

Bentley holds Brainerd records for the 100- and 200-meter dashes and is part of the school’s record 4x100 relay. He won the 100 and 400, helped win the 4x100 and finished second in the 200 in the 2007 TSSAA Class A/AA state meet, leading the Panthers to the team championship.

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FSU Turns to Capel for Classic

Fayetteville State University announced Tuesday the inaugural Felton J. Capel Sr. Celebrity Golf Classic, to be held Aug. 3-5 at Whispering Pines. Capel was joined by several FSU officials and other dignitaries at a press conference held at the County Club of Whispering Pines, where the event will take place.

Officials hope the tournament will become an annual event that will help raise money for student scholarships to FSU. CCWP was chosen as the location for the event because it accommodates 250 golfers at a time -- double the capacity of an average course. The club boasts two 18-hole courses.

Organizers have a goal of raising at least $50,000 in the first event, but they believe the event is limited only by the support it can generate.

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Neal inducted into Hall of Fame

Johnson C. Smith University alumnus Fred “Curly” Neal was among eight inductees at the 45th annual North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame held at the North Raleigh Hilton on May 17. Neal became the 253rd member of the prestigious Hall of Fame and joins the likes of other HOF members from the CIAA such as Sam Jones (1969), Dr. Leroy Walker (1975), Clarence “Big House” Gaines (1978), Bobby Vaughan (1992), John McLendon (1994), and George Williams (2000) to name a few.



While at Johnson C. Smith University, Neal earned All-CIAA honors in 1961 and 1963. In his senior year, he averaged 23.1 points per game and led his team to the CIAA title. Neal went on to play in 6,000 games, over 22 years, with the Harlem Globetrotters. He traveled millions of miles, performed in 97 countries as a dribbling sensation. Neal continues to work with the Globetrotters in their Public Relations Department.

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A man who changed VSU

ETTRICK — Over the past 15 years, the view from the office window of Virginia State University President Eddie N. Moore Jr. has changed. From the third floor, he can look out over the front lawn of Virginia Hall and out to the growing and changing city of Petersburg. Behind him is an equally growing and changing campus.

When asked about his pending retirement at the close of his 17th year, the 61-year-old Moore showed no signs of slowing down. “I feel like I can do my best work over the next two years,” he said.

Earlier this year, the VSU Board of Visitors voted to extend Moore’s tenure for six months — to June 30, 2010 — to allow the enlarged board to become acclimated to their role and the presidential search. Moore said he will not seek an extension to the contract.

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NSU assistant to become head coach at St. Augustine’s College

Photo: Falcons new head basketball coach Lonnie Blow.

Lonnie Blow, Jr., an assistant basketball coach at Norfolk State, is leaving to become the head coach at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, a Division II school.
Blow, 48, spent the past two seasons working under former Spartans coach Dwight Freeman and current coach Anthony Evans.

“It’s going to be tough leaving Norfolk State,” Blow said. “We worked really hard and we have the left the program headed in the right direction. But I’m pretty excited. This is a great opportunity for me.”

Blow, who has been an assistant at Hampton University and a head coach at Granby High School, will be introduced today at a press conference in Raleigh.

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Former Fayetteville State athletic director Marshall dies

J.D. Marshall was neither a great athlete nor a graduate of Fayetteville State. But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful and beloved figures ever associated with the Broncos’ athletic department.

His leadership and innovation during the 1980s helped FSU become a leader in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. His work with the NCAA Division II Football Committee helped bring his school to the national forefront and earn him a place in the Hall of Fame he helped create.

After battling illness for the past several years, Marshall died Tuesday at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. He was 78.

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JCSU Softball Eliminated from Championships, Fall to Virginia State 9-8

Nicole Villarreal and Allycia Watanabe Named to All-Tournament Team

The Johnson C. Smith University softball team were eliminated from the 2008 CIAA Softball Championships. Playing their third game in one day, JCSU fell to Virginia State 9-8 in semi-finals.

JCSU started the tournament on Thursday, April 17th posting a 1-1 record. They defeated Virginia Union 7-5 but fell to Bowie State 7-3 sending them to the loser's bracket.

On Friday, the team defeated Shaw University (7-3) and Fayetteville State University (8-5), eliminating both teams from the tournament. Unfortunately for the Golden Bulls, the team would have to face Virginia State University in their third game of the day. A win would send JCSU to the championship game for the first time since 2002.

VSU jumped out early (7-0), but JCSU rallied in the second to cut the lead to one (7-6). JCSU eventually tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.

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Scholarship signings from around the CIAA and SIAC

First Team All State wide receiver Emmett Brown has accepted the scholarship offer tendered by Elizabeth City State University. Brown, who was also invited to play in the Virginia Coach’s Association All Star Game in Hampton this July gained 842 yards and scored 12 touchdowns his senior year. His Powhatan High School record 57 receptions this year destroyed the old record of 49.

Taron Hampton will be showing off his running back skills at Virginia State University in Petersburg. As a First Team All Region running back, Hampton carried the ball 163 times for 1360 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final year at Powhatan. Hampton played at PHS for only two years, having transferred from Cumberland County, which makes his 3243 career yard totals at PHS an outstanding achievement. Even more impressive is his school record of 55 touchdowns scored in that two year period. He broke Lee Goode’s record of 54 which Goode set over four seasons.

“This is a kid we’ve been watching since his junior year,” said Virginia State Head Coach Andrew Faison. “He’s what we call a second level back, a complete back. He can run between the tackles but has great speed. Actually he’s a lot faster than the guy we have starting now.”

Florida A&M University High School senior Troy Curry inked with Benedict College (Columbia, S.C.) to play running back or wide receiver for the football squad. "I had a lot of people looking at me, but there was just something about Benedict College," said Curry, who played both defensive back and receiver for the 2007 Florida Class 1B state runner-up. "I just felt comfortable and at home there. They have brand-new facilities and it's just a nice homey place." (from Tallahassee Democrat)

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