UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
NCAA TRACK FINALISTS: Seven black college individuals and one relay team have qualified for the NCAA Div I Track and Field Men's and Women's Champion-ships to be held June 8-11 at the Alex Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, California.
HBCUs sent athletes to three different regional meets
with three individuals winning their events. The top five
individuals and top three relay teams from each regional advanced to
the nationals.
In the Midwest Regional in Norman, Oklahoma, Texas Southern sprinter Tremedia Brice won the women's 200 meter dash (23.07) and finished second in the 100 meter dash (11.33) to qualify for the nationals in two events. She is the only female from an HBCU to qualify for the nationals. Her teammate, Marcus Harris qualified by finishing second in the high jump with a leap of 7'1" (2.16m).
Jackson State hurdler Michael Tinsley won the 400 meter hurdles (49.05) at the Mideast Regionals in Bloomington, Indiana. He then joined Cori Cloyd, Terry Estwick and Joel Williams anchoring the JSU 4x400 meter relay team in qualifying for the nationals in a third place finish (3.04.7) in the event.
At the East Regionals in New York City, Florida A&M half-miler Kevin Hicks advanced as he won the men's 800 meter run in 1:49.38. Also qualifying were FAMU's Kerry Dixon who finished third in he high jump, North Carolina A&T's Everett Bruce, who finished fourth in the triple jump (15.57m) and Savannah State's Eric Keddo, who finished fifth in the 110 meter hurdles (14.00).
BASEBALL REGIONALS: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T State will face Clemson University (39-21) in the NCAA Regional Baseball Tournament beginning Friday, June 3 at Kingsmore Stadium. The Clemson Regional will include two games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and one game on Monday (if necessary). The other teams in the regional are Oral Roberts (40-18) and College of Charleston (47-13).
The Aggies (27-25) earned the MEAC automatic bid after defeating Norfolk State in the MEAC Championship on May 1, claiming its first title since the 1993 season and its third overall.
Clemson was one of 16 teams selected on Sunday night to play host to the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Tulane (50-9), the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament, will host the regional involving Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Southern (29-16) in New Orleans beginning Friday. The other teams in that region are Alabama (38-20) and UL-Lafayette (47-17). Southern is making its seventh appearance in the tournament.
After an 0-6 start, the Jaguars won 17 of its last 21 games. That run has included a win at nationally ranked LSU earlier this month and then coming out of the losers bracket to win its eighth SWAC tournament in the last 10 seasons.
B-CC BOWS IN SOFTBALL: Bethune-Cookman's historic run for a national softball championship was finally stopped short by the No. 4 seed University of Texas in a 6-1 loss in the best-of-three super regional playoff series Saturday at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas. Texas handed the Lady Wildcats their first defeat in a 1-0 decision Friday that was decided in the final inning. Lady Wildcat ace Lauren McCoy (20-13) started both games for B-CC and allowed only the one run on seven hits in the first game. She gave up three hits and two runs in 3.1 innings of work on Saturday. Texas all-American pitcher Cat Osterman (28-6) struck out 20 Lady Wildcats in the first game. Bethune-Cookman finished the season with their first regional win, first regional crown, first trip to the super regionals and the first MEAC team to receive an at-large berth into the regional playoffs. With the win, Texas advanced to the 2005 College World Series for the third time in the program's nine-year history.
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