UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
CIAA CROSS COUNTRY TITLES: The 2007 CIAA Cross Country Championships represented the old and the new on Thursday, Oct. 18, at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Conference powerhouse Saint Augustine's won another CIAA title, this time in the women's race. Meanwhile, Virginia State won its first ever CIAA men's championship, snapping Saint Aug's two-year reign. Saint Augustine's runners swept both individual crowns. Erica Young won the women's 5K race in 20.08.9, and Ken Samoei won the men's 8K race in 25.05.7. The Lady Falcons, who placed five runners in the top 10, scored 26 points to win their 15th CIAA women's championship and first since 2004. Virginia State placed second with 60 points followed by Shaw with 72 points and Bowie State with 91 points. VSU placed five runners in the top 11 to win the men's crown with 40 points. Shaw finished second with 71 points, one point ahead of Saint Aug's, which finished third with 72 points. In the women's race, Young defeated teammate Sharona Brown, who was second in 20.26.0. Denise Lewis of Fayetteville State was third in 20.54.7, Brittney Griffin of Saint Augustine's was fourth in 20.58.3 and Shamika Patton of Bowie State was fifth in 21.41. In the men's individual race, Samoei beat Geoffrey Langat of Virginia Union (25.48.1). George Smith of Saint Augustine's was third in 26.10.3, Daryl Sander of Bowie State was fourth in 26.58.4 and Sederick Green of Virginia State was fifth in 27.06.5.
Jackson State, Prairie View picked to repeat in 2007-08 SWAC Basketball
Grambling State placed three players on the men's preseason all-conference basketball team but was picked to finish behind defending champion Jackson State as the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's basketball preseason honors for the upcoming 2007-08 season last week. In voting from the league's head coaches and sports information directors, Grambling finished tied with Arkansas-Pine Bluff for second. UAPB forward William Byrd was chosen as preseason player of the year with Alabama A&M shot blocker extraordinaire Mickell Gladness as the league's top defender.
Byrd led the Golden Lions in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), blocks (2.52 bpg) and steals (1.32 spg). Gladness led the nation in blocked shots and earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with being named first-team all-conference. The 6-foot-11, 205-pound senior from Sylacauga, Ala., set the NCAA single-game record for blocks with 16 against Texas Southern and finished the season averaging 6.3 per game.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1) Jackson State 2) Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jackson State 4) Mississippi Valley State 5) Southern 6) Alabama A&M 7) Alcorn State 8) Alabama State 9) Texas Southern 10) Prairie View
MEN
First-Team
Andre Ratliff, 5-10, Sr., G, Grambling State; Stanford Speech, 6-2, Sr., G. Miss.
Valley St.; Mickell Gladness, 6-11, Sr., C. Alabama A&M; William Byrd, 6-7, Sr., F,
Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Jacques Jones, 6-8, Sr., F, Texas Southern
Second-Team
Andrew Hayles, 6-5, Jr., G, Alabama State; Trant Simpson, 5-10, So., G, Alabama A&M; Jamal Breaux, 6-7, Jr., C, Grambling State; Anthony Williams, 6-7, Sr., F, Grambling State; Grant Maxey, 6-7, So., F, Jackson State
Defending champion Prairie View A&M, which posted its first winning season ever (19-13) en route to winning its first SWAC tournament title, was picked to repeat. Prairie View sophomore center Gaati Werema, who led the league in rebounds (10.0) and was fourth in scoring (14.8 ppg.) is the preseason pick for player of the year. Alabama A&M guard Christian Malone was chosen as the top defender.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1) Prairie View A&M 2) Jackson State 3) Alabama A&M 4) Arkansas-Pine Bluff 5) Alcorn State 6) Southern 7) Alabama State 8) Grambling State 9) Mississippi Valley State 10) Texas Southern
WOMEN
First Team
LaSharee Christian, Sr., G, Jackson State; Shavonne Smith, Sr., G, Prairie
View; Gaati Werema, So., F, Prairie View; Portia WIlson, Jr., F, Miss. Valley
State; Fredreika Lewis, R-Jr, F, Southern;
Second Team
Christian Malone, Sr., G, Alabama A&M; Arica Green, Jr., G, Ark-PB; Felicia Drummond, Sr., F, Alabama A&M; Shantawnee Collins, Jr., F, Alcorn State; Ashlee Norwood, Sr., C, Texas Southern
© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.