Author: Staff

SWAC Spring Meeting Recap: SWAC to make changes to Conference Basketball Tournaments

Staff

Courtesy of the Southwestern Athletic Conference The Southwestern Athletic Conference recently held its annual SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors Spring meeting. A wide range of agenda items were discussed at the meeting, listed below are some of the highlights of new legislation that was passed for the 2024-25 academic year.     The league voted to expand the number of teams that will participate in the SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments from eight to ten teams on both sides for the 2025 tournaments. The 2026 SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball…

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UVI’s Dr. Karen Carty named Gulf Coast Athletic Conference AD of Year

Staff

Courtesy of uvi.prestosports.com University of the Virgin Islands first-year director of athletics Dr. Karen Carty was named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Athletics Director of the Year as announced by GCAC Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes at the league’s year-end business meeting, which was held at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Ark. on June 17-19. “This is one of my favorite times of the year, where we get to recognize the incredible accomplishments and leadership of our student-athletes and member school leadership,” said Baker Barnes. The AD of…

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Grambling Soccer Unveils 2024 schedule

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Courtesy of Curtis Ford, Grambling State Athletics The defending Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion Grambling State University women’s soccer team announced its 2024 schedule. The 2024 slate features 20 games, including two contests against opponents from power conferences.  “We’re looking forward to this season to see if we can continue to compete and grow as a team,” said Head Coach Justin Wagar. “We start out with a challenging slate with seven straight road games to kick off the year including trips to newly added Big 12 foe Arizona State that has…

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Norfolk State’s Premier Wynn qualifies for World Athletics U20 Championships

Staff

Courtesy of Alex Lehmbeck, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Communication Fresh off completing a stellar freshman campaign to begin his collegiate career, Norfolk State track & field student-athlete Premier Wynn has taken his talents to a national stage. The Pennsauken, N.J. native competed at the 2024 USATF U20 Championships earlier this month at Hayward Field, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles to qualify for the World Athletics U20 Championships. Shattering his own personal record, Wynn crossed the finish line in 50.58 seconds, ahead of competitors from North Carolina State, Washington, and Wichita…

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A sit-down with Howard University bowler Aleyana DeBrest

Staff

Courtesy of Howard University Department of Athletics continues its senior spotlight series with rising sophomore advertising major Nala James interviewing recent grad and Philadelphia native Aleyana DeBrest from the women’s bowling team. Q: What inspired you to pursue bowling at a collegiate level?A: Originally, I had no plans of bowling at a collegiate level but after learning Howard had a bowling team during my freshman year, I took a chance and reached out to the captain to see if it was possible for me to join and the rest is history. Q: How did…

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Alabama A&M releases women’s soccer schedule

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Courtesy of Alabama A&M Athletics  The Alabama A&M University head women’s soccer coach Prince Borde announced on Monday the 2024 schedule, which includes eight regular season games at home. “We are excited about the upcoming season,” Borde said. “We have a lot of new players, and they will fit in well with the mixture of veterans we have returning. Last year, we finished the season strong, and we hope to build off that this year. I am truly excited for this team and look forward to the upcoming season.” Of the eight home games, four are…

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Lane College names Harold Rayford as men’s basketball coach

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Courtesy of Lane Athletics Lane College has named Harold Rayford head coach of the Dragons men’s basketball program. “Coach Rayford brings a wealth of knowledge on and off the court to our men’s basketball program,” said Derrick Burroughs, Director of Athletics. “His leadership and coaching experience, along with his relationships throughout all levels of the basketball community, will complement the new chapter of Lane men’s basketball.” Rayford is the founder of Tennessee Preparatory Academy located in Memphis, TN. Since 2015, he has helped over 260 student-athletes reach the collegiate level across…

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SWAC Announces Attendees for 2024 Football Media Day

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Courtesy of the SWAC BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced the student-athletes set to participate in the league’s annual SWAC Football Media Day on Tuesday, July 16 at 10:00 am CST at the Sheraton-Birmingham. All twelve SWAC head football coaches will also be in attendance to address media about the upcoming 2024 football season. A complete listing of the student-athletes slated to be in attendance is listed below. Alabama A&MDonovan Eaglin, Running BackEmari Pait, Defensive Back Alabama State Andrew Body, Quarterback  James Burgess, Defensive Back  Alcorn State Tavarious Griffin, Tight End Malachi Bailey,…

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Johnson C. Smith names Da’Nesha Miller women’s volleyball coach

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Courtesy of Johnson C. Smith athletics After conducting a national search, Johnson C. Smith University Director of Athletics Dr. Denisha Hendricks has named Da’Nesha Miller the new women’s volleyball head coach.  Miller brings a wealth of experience, determination, and enthusiasm to the role, underpinned by a solid six-year background in coaching and a history of building athletes with character and skill. In her most recent position as an assistant coach at Fayetteville State University (FSU), Coach Miller played a pivotal role in the team’s daily operations. She was instrumental in recruiting,…

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SWAC extends contract of Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland through 2032

Staff

Courtesy of the Southwestern Athletic Conference The Southwestern Athletic Conference Councilof Presidents and Chancellors has unanimously approved a contract extension for SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. The extension which will run through 2032 academic year, wasannounced on Friday afternoon. “Over the course of the past five years the SouthwesternAthletic Conference has made significant strides towards becoming one of the most widely recognized and visibleathletic conferences in the country,” said SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors Chairman Quinton T. Ross Jr., Ed.D. “The visionary and dynamic leadership of CommissionerMcClelland has helped propel our conference to prominence on a national stage while also increasing the availability of financial resources that have positively impacted the overall student-athlete experience. We are undoubtedly excited about the continued upward trajectory of our league under his leadership.” McClelland was named the sixth commissioner of the SWACduring the summer of 2018. Since that time the league has significantly increased its visibility and presence on a nationalstage through the broadcasting of conference football and basketball games on ESPN and HBCUGO platforms. Overall viewership of league football events reached a historic highthis past season with fans able to access the vast…

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