RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-America Softball teams were announced on Wednesday evening and Conference Carolinas had three student-athletes earn the honor.

Kylie Emanuele of Mount Olive was named to the first team at third base while teammate Courtlynn Cooney Jr. was a third team selection in the outfield. Rikkelle Miller of King was named to the second team at utility.

A 2022 D2CCA First Team All-Region and NFCA All-American selection, Emanuele led Conference Carolinas in hitting this season with a .484 average (77-for-157), a .889 slugging percentage and 82 RBIs. She was named the 2022 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 25 award list. A junior infielder from Corona, Calif., Emanuele finished the season with 21 doubles, two triples and a school record 13 home runs. She also scored 45 times and was 21-for-21 on the bases. Her 82 RBIs lead all of Division II, while her average is third-best and doubles are sixth.

A senior catcher/infielder from Fayetteville, Ga., Miller hit .383 on the season and her solo home run in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship gave the Tornado a 1-0 victory to secure the title. She ranks fourth in the southeast region with 15 home runs, sixth in hits (69), eighth in slugging percentage (.756), 10th in RBIs (49) and 13th in doubles (16). She also owns an OPS of 1.193. Miller was also selected to the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball All-Tournament Team.

A 2022 D2CCA All-Region selection, Cooney was a 2022 Conference Carolinas First Team All-Conference outfielder and hit .442, second on the team for the Trojans and third-most overall in Conference Carolinas. A junior outfielder from Mechanicsville, Md., Cooney led the conference in runs scored (65) and stolen bases (46-of-47). She slugged .553 with a 1.034 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with 11 doubles, five triples and 33 RBIs. She currently ranks fifth in the NCAA in runs scored and stolen bases.

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WINGATE, N.C. – Conference Carolinas placed a region-best 14 student-athletes on the 2022 All-Southeast Region Teams from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released on Thursday.

Conference Carolinas had seven of 15 first-team selections led by 2022 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Marek Chlup who was named first-team outfielder along with Bobby Dixon of UNC Pembroke. John Michael Faile joined teammate Chlup as the first team catcher while Reece Fields also represented the Crusaders as a starting pitcher. Darius Nobles of Francis Marion was the first team first basemen with Jack Casbarro of Mount Olive at second base and Todd Mattox of Francis Marion at third base on the first team.

Seven other student-athletes earned second team recognition in Alden Cottle of Mount Olive (third base), Ben Gobbel of Belmont Abbey (shortstop), outfielders Will Hardee (Francis Marion) and Sean Johnson (Belmont Abbey), designated hitter Leniel Gonzalez (Francis Marion), utility player Ben Ferguson (Belmont Abbey) and starting pitcher Alex Hart of Barton.

In all, 13 of the 15 Conference Carolinas first team All-Conference selections were represented on the All-Region teams. Francis Marion had the second-most selections of any region program with four while top-ranked North Greenville tied defending national champion Wingate with three first-team selections.

The complete NCBWA All-Southeast Region release is available here.

NCBWA All-Southeast Region

First Team

C – John Michael Faile, North Greenville
1B – Darius Nobles, Francis Marion
2B – Jack Casbarro, Mount Olive
3B – Todd Mattox, Francis Marion
SS – Braylin Marine, Newberry
OF – Marek Chlup, North Greenville
OF – Crews Taylor, North Georgia
OF – Bobby Dixon, UNC Pembroke
DH – Drew Yniesta, Lenoir-Rhyne
UT – Mitch Farris, Wingate
SP – Jared Donalson, Georgia Southwestern
SP – Brody McCullough, Wingate
SP – Joshua Lanham, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Reece Fields, North Greenville
RP – Sam Brodersen, Wingate

Second Team

C – Robert Brooks, Columbus State
1B – Steven Minter, Columbus State
2B – Seaver King, Wingate
3B – Alden Cottle, Mount Olive
SS – Ben Gobbel, Belmont Abbey
OF – Nick Brassington, Queens
OF – Will Hardee, Francis Marion
OF – Sean Johnson, Belmont Abbey
DH – Leniel Gonzalez, Francis Marion
UT – Ben Ferguson, Belmont Abbey
SP – Joel Haney, USC Aiken
SP – Alex Hart, Barton
SP – Matt Bradley, Carson-Newman
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
RP – McLain Harris, Young Harris

Player of the Year | Braylin Marine, Newberry
Pitcher of the Year | Jared Donalson, Georgia Southwestern
Coach of the Year | Jeff Gregory, Wingate

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements.  This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season.

Here is the Watch List of the Top 100 Players to be considered for the award:

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A total of 36 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.

Eight nominees hail from Super Region 1, eight from Super Region 2, 13 from Super Region 3 and seven from Super Region 4.

The sports information directors at the 165 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 36 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, November 29.

The winner of the 2021 award will be announced on Friday, December 17 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 13, 2022.

The sports information directors at their respective schools nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.

The group of 36 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, 10 running backs, six wide receivers, five linebackers and one defensive line- men and one corner back.

The list features 17 seniors, 12 juniors, six sophomores and one freshman. One nominee – Harding’s Cole Chancey – returns after advancing to the finalist stage in 2019.

The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill – the former Uni- versity of North Alabama standout – who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.

SUPER REGIONAL 1

Tyson Bagent
Cedie Dashiell II
Connor Degenhardt
Guam Lee
Henry Litwin
Jermal Martin, Jr.
Tywan Pearce
Tyler Tate

SUPER REGIONAL 2

Austin Reed
Ivory Durham
Senika McKie
Bryce Witt
Harrison Frost
Dwayne McGee
Tyriq Martin
Calil Wilkins

SUPER REGIONAL 3

Jared Bernhardt
Cooper Callis
Cole Chancey
Evan Chohon
Toriano Clinton
TJ Cole
L’liott Curry
TJ Davis
Preston Haire
Al McKeller
Cade Peterson
Cody Schrader
Drew Seers

SUPER REGIONAL 4

Brandon Alt
Danny Kittner
Michael Zeman
Dillon Sterling-Cole
Thuro Reisdorfer
Jaylin Parnell
Ali Mohamed

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COMMERCE, Texas – Top-ranked UWF scored 21 unanswered points and held No. 21/13 Texas A&M Commerce to 67 yards of total offense after halftime in a 35-17 win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
 
UWF (3-0) had 434 yards of total offense with a 6.5 yards per play average. A&M Commerce (1-2) finished with 231 yards of offense.
 
Austin Reed threw for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while leading the Argonauts to scoring drives on five of their eight possessions before ending the game in victory formation inside the Lions’ 10-yard line.
 
Shomari Mason powered an aggressive rushing attack with 94 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Jervon Newton and Anthony Johnson, Jr. each ran for a score as the trio combined for 169 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per rush. Seven of UWF’s 12 live ball first downs in the second half were on the ground.
 
The UWF defense was stout all game long but put on a clinic in the second half. In addition to limiting A&M Commerce to 231 yards of total offense on the night, they sacked Jaiave Magalei five times and forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter. Trent Archie had eight tackles and two sacks, while Stephon Williams had eight stops and a sack as well.
 
The Lions played deliberate, ball control offense in the first half, using 17:53 of time of possession to build a 17-14 lead, including taking advantage of a muffed punt in the final minute of the half that led to a field goal. But UWF’s defense forced A&M Commerce to punt after drives of six and three plays, allowing the explosive Argo offense to get going.
 
Reed led scoring drives of eight plays, five plays and five plays while building the big lead. Newton and Mason each got to the end zone and David Durden was untouched as he caught a 19-yard crossing route in the end zone.
 
The win extended the UWF winning streak to a record nine games, while establishing new benchmarks for consecutive road wins and consecutive wins over ranked opponents, both of which are now at six games apiece. It was also the team’s fifth-straight road win over a ranked team as they improved to 10-5 all-time on the road against top-25 opponents.
 
UWF returns home next week for its first game at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2021. The Argos will play host to the University of Fort Lauderdale (0-2) at 6 p.m. Tailgate lots at Community Maritime Park open at 2 p.m. and stadium gates open at 5 p.m.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday, United Soccer Coaches released the association’s preseason college rankings, sponsored by Verizon, for men’s and women’s soccer in all divisions of NCAA and junior college competition.

Defending men’s national champions Marshall University and 2020 runners-up Florida State sit atop the polls in NCAA Division I to kickoff the 2021 campaign.

At the NCAA Division II level, University of Charleston is No. 1 on the men’s poll and Flagler College is No. 1 on the women’s poll.

Tufts University claims the top spot on the men’s poll at the NCAA Division III level. On the women’s side, Messiah College is in the No. 1 spot.

Iowa Western Community College and Tyler Junior College sit in the No. 1 spots in the Junior College Division I men’s and women’s polls respectively.

At the Junior College Division II level, Southwestern Community College of Baltimore County-Essex is No. 1 on the men’s poll and Phoenix College is No. 1 on the women’s poll.

In NJCAA Division III, Dallas College-Richland claimed the top spot on the men’s poll, while Dallas College-Brookhaven claims the No. 1 on the women’s poll.

United Soccer Coaches Rankings – Aug. 4, 2021

United Soccer Coaches college rankings, released every Tuesday during the regular season, are an indicator of the week-to-week status of qualified programs and in no way should be used as a guide or indicator of eligibility for championship selection. To be eligible for consideration in United Soccer Coaches college rankings, a school must be a member of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program.

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2021 Preseason Division II Volleyball Top 25

1. Nebraska-Kearney
2. Angelo State
3. Cal State San Bernadino
4. Hillsdale
5. Tampa
6. Gannon
7. Lynn
8. Lewis
9. Concordia-St. Paul
10. MSU Denver
11. Molloy
12. Colorado Mesa
13. Oklahoma Baptist
14. Wingate
15. Regis
16. Washburn
17. Minnesota Duluth
18. Carson-Newman
19. Harding
20. Michigan Tech
21. Wheeling
22. Missouri-St. Louis
23. Colorado School of Mines
24. Western Washington
25. Central Missouri

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1. West Florida
2. Ferris State
3. Minnesota State
4. Northwest Missouri State
5. Slippery Rock
6. Lenoir-Rhyne
7. Valdosta State
8. Texas A&M-Commerce
9. Colorado School of Mines
10. Ouachita Baptist
11. CSU-Pueblo
12. Indianapolis
13. Shepard
14. Harding
15. Bowie State
16. Notre Dame (Ohio)
17. Tiffin
18. Wingate
19. Central Missouri
20. Kutztown
21. Indiana (Pa.)
22. Fort Hays State
23. Angelo State
24. Carson-Newman
25. Miles

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in its 155-year history, Edward Waters University (EWU) has become a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The exciting news chronicling EWU’s inclusion as a new member of America’s premiere collegiate athletic association at the Division II level was shared during a university press conference Monday afternoon.

Relatedly, EWU has also officially accepted an invitation to become a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after an 86-year separation. Edward Waters was previously a member of the SIAC from 1930-1935. Notably, Monday’s historic announcement distinctively marks Edward Waters University as the only NCAA Division II Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the State of Florida.

“This incredibly significant achievement is yet another important milestone in our continued ascendancy and transformation towards becoming one of America’s “best-in-class” higher educational institutions of choice,” said EWU President and CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.

“Today’s announcement is demonstrable evidence of our progress in realizing our Eminence 2025 strategic vision and aim towards advancing our overall institutional brand and comprehensively raising our collective competitive profile through the platform of athletics,” Dr. Faison said. “This is a truly watershed moment for our entire university community, athletics program and our dynamic student-athletes.”

As a new NCAA Division II member, Edward Waters will begin the first year of a three-year provisional process in August. When all benchmarks are met, the University will be eligible for full membership in the NCAA in August of 2024. Nevertheless, the recent announcement and acceptance of EWU by the NCAA into the NCAA transitional process affords the university and its student-athletes the ability to compete at the NCAA Division II level in all sports effective immediately (i.e., Fall 2021).   

“Our diligent work in this process has brought us to this historic moment in the long and storied history of EWU Athletics,” remarked Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant. “We are overjoyed to be accepted as a provisional member of the NCAA Division II and even more so excited to be returning home to the SIAC.

“The opportunities for success for our athletic programs are endless and we look forward to working with and competing against such storied programs in the conference.”

The addition of Edward Waters will increase the SIAC’s membership to 15 institutions. The conference’s current membership includes Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University.

“We are pleased to welcome back Edward Waters University as a member institution of the SIAC and congratulate President Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., Athletic Director Paul Bryant and the entire EWU community as they make their transition into NCAA membership.” remarked SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore.

The SIAC sponsors 14 championship sports, including six women’s sports (Basketball, Cross Country, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball) and eight men’s sports (Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball).

As the second oldest historically black college and university athletic conference, the SIAC has one of the most storied histories in all of the NCAA. Many of the conference’s former athletes and coaches have transcended to larger-than-life characters that continue to be monumental in the world of sports. Furthermore, the chronicles of many SIAC programs have been vital to the foundation of American society.

The SIAC has a rich history on the gridiron, as some of the biggest names in college and professional sports began their careers in the conference. Headlining the list are Pro Football Hall of Famers “Bullet” Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), David “Deacon” Jones (South Carolina State), Larry Little (Bethune-Cookman), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State), John Stallworth (Alabama A&M) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State). Overall, the conference has produced more than 300 NFL players.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – Commissioner Chris Colvin has announced the hiring of Zachary Shore as Assistant Commissioner for Communications.

Shore joins the Conference Carolinas office after spending the last five years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Marketing at Madonna University in Michigan.

Shore will be the chief communications contact for the conference and work in partnership with Assistant Commissioner for External Relations Brian Hand. Shore will also serve as the primary liaison with the member institution communications contacts.

“We are thrilled to have Zach joining our team at the Conference Carolinas office,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “Zach has a true passion for everything that he does and that was readily apparent during the interview process. We were looking for someone to help us provide vision and strategic leadership that aligned fully with the conference’s mission, vision, brand and strategic initiatives, and we fully believe that Zach’s unique background and experiences will allow us to continue to enhance the historic but always growing Conference Carolinas brand.”

Shore served as the primary media contact for all 22 Madonna athletic teams. He also identified and supervised all of the staff in the athletic communications department, which included the hiring of graduate assistants and a full-time assistant. Shore helped raise over $350,000 over his time at Madonna and he was in charge of a social media calendar that saw a 50 percent increase in fan engagement.

In addition, Shore served on the CoSIDA Academic All-America committee, the NAIA-SIDA Publications Committee and the NAIA Bowling Selection Committee. Shore also oversaw “The Madonna Athletics Network” that produced over 100 live events via streaming services.

Prior to this time at Madonna, Shore also served as the Sports Information Director at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho and as the Sports Information Director at Indiana Tech. He was the primary media contact for the NAIA World Series while at Lewis-Clark and he was the NAIA Track & Field National Championship Coordinator while at Indiana Tech.

During the 2012-13 academic year, Shore worked with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and The Sun Conference as an intern.

Shore is a 2010 graduate of Olivet Nazarene University where he received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Sports Management. He earned his Master of Arts at Lakeland University in 2012. He will be joined in Greenville by his wife, Kellie.

“My wife and I are thrilled to be joining Conference Carolinas and the Greenville community,” Shore said. “I’m excited to learn from the experienced staff, help build the Conference Carolinas brand and tell the stories of our member institutions and their incredible student-athletes. I’m looking forward to the new challenges ahead and want to thank Commissioner Colvin and his staff for giving me this opportunity.”

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