The Gulf South Conference announced its Men’s Basketball Player of the Week Awards Presented by TicketSmarter for the 2021-22 season. This week’s awards were for games played between Jan. 3-9.

Player of the Week: James Graham, F – Auburn Montgomery
Graham averaged 20.5 points and 10 rebounds over a pair of wins for Auburn Montgomery last week while shooting 57 percent (15-26) from the floor. The junior forward logged his third double-double of the season with a 13-point, 13-rebound performance while blocking five shots in an 83-81 triple overtime win at Christian Brothers on Thursday, Jan. 6. On the road at Union, Graham accounted for a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc. He also added seven rebounds a block, one steal and an assist in the Warhawks 78-73 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 8

Freshman of the Week: PJay Smith, G/F – Lee
Smith averagd 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists as Lee went 2-0 in GSC competition this week. In a 83-65 road win over Shorter, the freshman dropped four points, dished out three assists and pulled down a rebound in 16 minutes of action. On Jan. 8, he had 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc, while adding five rebounds and two assists as the Flames beat West Alabama, 66-63.

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The Gulf South Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week Awards Presented by TicketSmarter for the 2021-22 season. This week’s awards were for games played between Jan. 3-9.

Player of the Week: Emily Jones, G – Christian Brothers
Jones knocked down nine of her 18 field goals for a 24-point outing as the Lady Bucs took an 84-79 victory over Auburn Montgomery on Thursday, Jan. 6. The sophomore shot 4-of-7 from beind the arc while adding five boards, three assists, two steals and a block against the Warhawks. In an 83-81 loss to Montevallo on Satuday, Jan. 8, Jones shot 50 percent from the floor (8-of-16) as well as a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line on her way to scoring a game-high 26 points. She fill the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots in 37 minutes of action.

Freshman of the Week: Ally Alford, G – Mississippi College
Alford posted a team-high 23 points on 8-for-15 from the floor including 5-of-9 from deep as Mississippi College topped West Georgia, 73-51. The freshman guard also grabbed seven rebounds, which matched her season-high. The Jan. 8 victory was Alford’s fifth time this season leading the team in scoring, the most by any Choctaw, and her fourth game with 20 or more points. The freshman guard ranks third in the GSC in three’s per game (2.5) and fourth in three-point percentage (40.6). The 22-point win marked the largest margin of victory in the series with the UWG.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference Board of Directors has approved a 2021 Spring Championship Series for the sports of soccer and volleyball. Men’s and women’s soccer teams will open their seasons the week of February 11th, while volleyball teams will begin play on March 3rd.
 
“The Spring Championship Series will provide the chance for significant competition for our soccer and volleyball student-athletes,” said GSC Commissioner Matt Wilson. “Administrators and coaches across the league have actively worked towards finding opportunities for the student-athletes who were affected by the cancellation of the fall season, and I’m proud of collaborative effort that has created these events.”
 
Men’s and women’s soccer will include pool play and a final bracket. The GSC men’s soccer teams will be split into two groups of five, and the women’s teams will be split into two groups of six. The pools were developed to facilitate efficient competition opportunities for GSC student-athletes and institutions. 
 
Schools will play one pool game per week and each GSC team will advance to a final tournament, which will conclude with a championship game at a site to be determined.
 
MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE | WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
 
The volleyball format will also include pool play and a final bracket. The GSC volleyball teams will be split into one group of five and one group of six. Similar to soccer, the volleyball pools were developed to facilitate efficient competition opportunities for GSC student-athletes and institutions.
 
Pool play will include a mix of single matches and dual matches. Each GSC team will advance to a final tournament, which will conclude with a championship game at a site to be determined.
 
VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
 
Following NCAA policy, the GSC will collect statistics and results from these spring seasons. Wins and losses will count towards all-time standings and coach records, while teams and student-athletes are eligible for single game records and numbers will count towards career records.
 
Spring Championship Series Championships will not count as official GSC Championships.

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Which women’s basketball teams will win their respective divisions within the league?

VOTE HERE.

Polls close midnight on Dec. 12.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference will postpone competition in basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball until at least January 1.

These sports are identified as high contact risk sports by the NCAA and are subject to significant testing requirements for all student-athletes and “inner bubble” personnel.

Three significant factors helped the conference Board of Directors in determining this course of action:

    1.  Health and safety of student-athletes and campus communities;
    2.  Mandated participation protocols from the NCAA Board of Governors, most notably the requirements related to Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition;
    3.  NCAA Division II Fall Championships cancellation.

Cross Country and Golf competition will be permitted during the fall semester with the GSC Cross Country Championship date potentially moved to better accommodate the calendar. Designated as low contact risk and medium contact risk, these sports feature more manageable testing and monitoring requirements per NCAA medical guidance as well as limited competition opportunities.

All practice, strength and conditioning, team meetings, and other countable athletic related activities (CARA) shall be subject to NCAA rules, NCAA health and safety requirements, and institutional discretion.

In the sports of football, soccer, and volleyball, the conference will evaluate options for spring competition that provide meaningful competition for these student-athletes. A spring season may not feature the use of traditional formats for regular season play or tournaments.

In the sport of basketball, the GSC will work over the next several weeks to outline a calendar for this year’s basketball schedule and tournament. Further, the conference will work through the NCAA governance process to advocate for additional weeks of competition in the spring semester.

There is no change in spring sport competition at this time.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  The Gulf South Conference will delay the start of intercollegiate competition in the fall semester to either the last week of September or the first week of October.
 
The Board of Directors approved the delay on Tuesday afternoon and provided a period of time for institutions to inform their student-athletes. 
 
Administrators from across the league will jointly work on a schedule that fits the timeline for competition in an effort to provide a meaningful fall competition season for conference members. To accommodate this new schedule, soccer, volleyball, and football will exclusively play against conference opponents. 
 
Additionally, a corresponding delay to the beginning of official practices will be instituted. 
 
New schedules and additional details on implementation of the delayed fall season will be distributed by the conference as they are approved by the membership.
 
The conference will continue to monitor the situation and will be prepared to make any further changes prior to the start of practice for the adjusted championship segment.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Simply put, the UWF men’s golf team is the gold standard in the Gulf South Conference and that was reinforced on Tuesday when eight Argonauts and their coach were named to the GSC Men’s Golf All-Decade Team. Chandler Blanchet was named the Golfer of the Decade and Steve Fell was voted the Coach of the Decade.

GSC MEN’S GOLF ALL-DECADE AWARDS (2011-20)
 
Blanchet, Juan Miguel Heredia, Jacob Huizinga, Carlos Rodriguez, and Henry Westmoreland IV were five of the six athletes voted onto the First Team. Christian Bosso was a Second Team choice, while Ryan Black and Otto Bonning were Honorable Mention selections.
 
All eight honorees are among the top 15 of UWF’s career stroke average ranking, including five of the top nine.
 
Blanchet graduated in 2017 after establishing himself as one of the best golfers, not just at UWF and the GSC, but in Division 2 history. The 3-time First Team All-America selection posted a school-record 70.94 stroke average over 139 rounds. Among his 18 UWF records were 13 individual wins, 79 rounds at par or better and 47 of those in the 60s. His 2016-17 season was arguably the best in D2 history as he posted a 68.76 stroke average, won seven of 12 events, including the individual National Championship and was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the National Player of the Year.
 
He ended his college career by being named the 2018 GSC Commissioner’s Award winner while adding to an academic trophy case that included 2017 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America, two CoSIDA Academic All-District, two All-America Scholar honors and three GSC Spring All-Academic plaques.
 
Heredia was a 2-time All-America and 2-time All-GSC from 2012-15. He was named the GSC Freshman of the Year in 2012 after posting a 74.67 stroke average when he joined the team in January. As a junior in 2014, his 203 score at the GSC Tournament established a new championship record. He bookended his career with the 2015 Player of the Year award which followed his third-consecutive GSC All-Tournament honor after finishing in the top 5. Over 109 rounds he fashioned a 73.76 career stroke average. He was also a 2-time GCAA All-America Scholar.
 
Huizinga concluded his career in 2019 following four All-America seasons, including Second Team mention in 2017 and 2018 and Honorable Mention in 2016 and 2019, and a spot on the Freshman All-America Team. He ranks third all-time at UWF with 72.68 stroke average and second with 24 rounds in the 60s. He was a 3-time All-South Region selection and had a pair of individual tourney wins.
 
Rodriguez played form 2009-12 and left UWF ranked third with a 73.2 stroke average. In his two seasons during the decade, he had a 72.09 average over 66 rounds, with All-America honors both years. His 71.3 average in 2012 earned him First Team All-America plaudits and a spot on the GCAA All-Nicklaus Team as one of the top 24 players across all divisions. He was a 3-time GSC All-Tournament Team member, the 2011 GSC Medalist and the 2012 GSC Player of the Year.
 
Westmoreland was one of just six players in the decade to earn at least three All-GSC mentions, while putting himself on the First Team his final two years in 2017 and 2018. He ranks third in program history with a 72.25 stroke average and with 21 rounds in the 60s. His 56 rounds at par or better are second all-time, which includes 21 out of 39 in 2017-18 when he registered a 71.18 average to rank fourth in single-season history. His 5-1 record in NCAA Championship Match Play events is a program record.
 
Bosso capped a 5-year collegiate career with a 71.92 stroke average and three wins in 13 events as a senior in 2018-19. His career average of 73.23 ranks eighth all time as an Argonaut. He was a 2-time All-America, All-South Region, All-GSC, All-America Scholar and GSC Spring All-Academic selection while paying on four GSC title teams and two NCAA South/Southeast Regional championship squads.
 
Black was a 2-time All-South Region recipient and a 4-time First Team All-GSC from 2009-12. His 73.78 stroke average is 15th at UWF after ranking seventh at the end of his career. He joined Rodriguez on UWF teams that won the 2011 GSC title, was the 2012 runner-up and advanced to a pair of NCAA Regionals.
 
Bonning played from 2008-11 and was a First Team All-GSC player in his final two seasons, which included a 72.21 average, GSC Player of the Year and Third Team All-America honors as a senior. His 341 career birdies set the school record and is currently fifth, while his 11 eagles were second and are now fourth. The 3-time All-South Region honoree compiled a 73.45 stroke average while in Pensacola.
 
Fell repeats as the Coach of the Decade after earning the award back in 2010. From 2011-20, the Pensacola native has led UWF to the NCAA Championship Match Play four times – finishing second, third twice and fourth in the last four championships. The Argos have won two of its record five NCAA Regional titles this decade while totaling 37 overall titles and eight of nine GSC crowns. 2017 was a banner year for Fell as he was named the GCAA National Coach of the Year and inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame.
 
In the last 10 years, his players have combined to win 20 All-America awards, 25 All-South Region honors and 28 All-GSC mentions. He has mentored five GSC Medalists, six GSC Players of the Year, here GSC Freshmen of the Year, three GSC Top Ten Award recipients and a GSC Commissioner’s Award winner.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference is proud to announce the GSC All-Decade Awards for women’s basketball. The awards factor in the years 2011-20 and were jointly selected by institutional personnel, coaches, and league administrators.

The complete list of honorees, along with a description of their accomplishments, can be found at the following link:

GSC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-DECADE AWARDS (2011-20)

Delta State’s Veronica Walker has been named the GSC Player of the Decade. Walker is a three-time GSC Player of the Year, winning the honor in 2010, 2011, and 2012. She has been recognized as an All-American on multiple occasions and was the 2012 Daktronics South Region Player of the Year. Overall, she ranks fourth in the GSC in career points, fourth in career blocks, and ninth in league history in career rebounds. In 2010, Walker was named GSC Second Team All-Decade.

Union’s Mark Campbell has been named the GSC Coach of the Decade. In the six years that the Lady Bulldogs have been eligible for conference awards, Campbell has been named GSC Coach of the Year three times. Union won three GSC Titles in that time and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the six seasons, including a run to the Final Four in 2018. In 2019, Campbell became the fastest coach in all of college basketball, men or women, to reach 600 career wins.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference is proud to announce the GSC All-Decade Awards for men’s basketball. The awards factor in the years 2011-20 and were jointly selected by institutional personnel, coaches, and league administrators.
 
The complete list of honorees, along with a description of their accomplishments, can be found at the following link:

GSC MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-DECADE AWARDS (2011-20)
 
Alabama Huntsville’s Josh Magette has been named the GSC Player of the Decade. Magette is a three-time all-conference selection and was named the GSC Co-Player of the Year in 2012. On the national level, Magette earned multiple All-American honors and was named the 2012 Daktronics South Region Player of the Year. Magette was at his best in the postseason, guiding UAH to back-to-back Elite Eights, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the South Regional each time. He was also the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 GSC Championship. Magette was recently named to the GSC Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
 
Magette’s coach Lennie Acuff has been named the GSC Coach of the Decade. Acuff was named the GSC Coach of the Year four times in the decade and NABC District Coach of the Year three times. He led the Chargers to Elite Eight twice (2011 and 2012) to go along with five appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. UAH advanced to the conference title game six times in the decade under Acuff and won three GSC Championships.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UWF volleyball program won 268 matches and had a .768 winning percentage in the past decade with some of the best players in Gulf South Conference history. The program was rewarded for its sustained level of success as eight student-athletes were named to the GSC Volleyball Team of the Decade, with Autumn Duyn and Melissa Wolter being named Player and Coach of the Decade, respectively, on Thursday.

Duyn was joined on the First Team by Lindsay Homme, Jordyn Poppen and Monique StCyr. The Second Team saw Jenny Bellairs, Rachel Neblett and Kathryn Torre voted onto the list and Corisha Smith was named to the Honorable Mention group.

From 2011-15, Duyn established herself as one of the top players in league history, earning two AVCA All-America honors and a combined six AVCA and D2CCA All-Region nods. She was a 4-time First Team All-GSC, making her one of just seven in league history and the only one of the 2010s. She was named the 2012 GSC Player of the Year and 2011 & 2012 GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The Venice, Fla. native is one of just three players in UWF history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Duyn was a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-American and a 3-time GSC Fall All-Academic choice. She capped her amazing career with the 2016 GSC Commissioner’s Award.

Homme was the first of four 2-time AVCA All-Americas in the decade for the Argonauts. She was a 3-time All-Region and 3-time First Team All-GSC honoree. A middle blocker from Willowbrook, Illinois, she is the program’s all-time leader in total blocks with 354 from 2009-13. She is the only 2-time GSC Player of the Year in UWF history. Homme earned a pair of spots on the GSC All-Tournament Team in 2011 and 2013, and was the 2013 GSC Tournament MOP.

Poppen is the most recent All-America honoree for Wolter, earning two certificates in 2018 and 2019, while also being named the 2019 AVCA South Region and GSC Player of the Year. She was named to four All-Region teams in her final three seasons, was a 3-time First Team All-GSC and the 2019 GSC Tournament MOP. An outside hitter out of Aurora, Illinois, she ranks fifth all-time at UWF with 1,254 kills. Her 450 kills in 2019 are also fifth in single-season history. She was named a 2020 Commissioner’s Award Finalist and recipient of the GSC Top Ten Award.

StCyr will go down as one of the top setters in GSC history. From 2014-17, she collected a school-record 4,650 assists which also ranks ninth in GSC history and had a school-record 167 service aces. A left-hander from Williamsburg, Va., she was named AVCA All-America as a senior in 2017. StCyr also earned four All-Region awards and had three of her four All-GSC accolades on the First Team.

In three seasons from 2011-13, Bellairs was a force at the net where she finished with 291 total blocks. She was voted All-America, All-Region and All-GSC in 2013 after finishing second in the league with 121 blocks and second on the team with 301. The Osage, Iowa native is the only 3-time GSC All-Tournament Team selection in program history.

Neblett was a 2017 AVCA & D2CCA All-America and All-Region performer after hitting .415 to rank seventh all-time in GSC history and the highest since 2002. She was a 2-time All-GSC pick and the 2017 GSC Tournament MOP. The middle blocker from Austin, Texas is the UWF career record holder with a .357 attack pct.

Torre was a 2-time AVCA All-America and AVCA First Team All-Region selection in her career from 2015-16. The middle blocker from Highland, Ill. earned All-GSC honors both seasons as an Argo and left as the career attack pct. leader at .340 before Neblett passed her a year later.

Smith capped a 4-year career in 2016 with AVCA All-America and All-Region honors. She was a 2-time All-GSC pick and a 2016 GSC All-Tournament Team member from Inwood, W.Va. who left UWF fifth in program history with 1,016 Kills.

Wolter has made UWF the dominant program in the GSC and one of the most respected in the nation. From 2010-19, the Argonauts went 268-81 overall and 154-12 in GSC regular-season matches. UWF won nine regular-season titles and with three undefeated seasons. The success didn’t stop in the postseason as UWF went 16-3 in GSC Tournament play and were 7-2 in championship matches. Wolter’s teams made the NCAA Tournament every year of the decade and have an active streak of 14-consecutive appearances.

UWF had five honorees on the 2000-09 GSC All-Decade Team, led by First Team selection Luciana Rapach. Naiara Fernandes, Patricia Gandolfo, Madeline Gonzalez and Kristy Krause were named to the Second Team.

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