43086 asu sports annual report

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

ATHLETICS 2013-14 ANNUAL REPORT

LETTER FROM THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Greetings Hornet Nation!

The 2013-14 season was the best in the history of the long and storied history of Alabama State University Athletics. This past year, Alabama State claimed the Commissioner’s Cup Trophy for the first time as the best all-around sports program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Combined with our student athletes winning the women’s and men’s all-sports trophies, ASU Swept The SWAC! I am once again proud to submit the Alabama State University Athletics Report, documenting many of the laudable achievements of the past year. Our studentathletes and coaches, along with many others behind the scenes, are to be saluted and congratulated for accomplishments in the classroom and in competition.

More than 170 student-athletes in each semester earned at least a 3.0 GPA. Of that total, 18 student-athletes achieved a 4.0 GPA during the fall of 2013, with 34 attaining perfect GPA status in the spring of 2014. Our student-athletes continue to graduate, as 40 received degrees during the past year.

MELVIN HINES

ASU teams combined to win 10 division, regular season, or conference championships. Our Lady Hornets’ track program continued its dynastic run by winning its third straight triple crown, sweeping the conference cross country (third straight title), indoor track (sixth straight), and outdoor track (fifth straight) championships for the third straight year. The men’s golf (third straight) and women’s golf (second straight) programs again repeated as SWAC Champions.

ASU’s volleyball program won both the division title and conference title for the first time in school history.

Interim Athletic Director

The women’s soccer, bowling, and baseball programs each won division or regular season titles this past season, and joined with men’s cross country, men’s indoor track, men’s basketball and men’s tennis to give ASU seven runner-up finishes this past season.

ASU Athletics continues to reach fans on mobile platforms. More than two million pages of content and video were viewed via bamastatesports.com in the past year. More than 60 athletics contests were streamed over the internet, bringing games to more than 23,000 fans around the world. With the addition Instagram and GooglePlus to our social media platforms, we continue to broaden the reach of Hornet Athletics.

We are grateful to ASU President Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, the Board of Trustees, and other leaders for their support of our programs. Hornet Nation continues to rise as one, and together we exemplify “Opportunity Is Here” at Alabama State University.

GO HORNETS!!

Melvin Hines II Interim Athletic Director 1 2

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2013-14 HIGHLIGHTS

We’re building champions — in the classroom and in competition.

At Alabama State University, we measure victories by our student-athletes’ successes both on and off the field.

The Alabama State University athletics program won the 2013-14 Commissioner’s Cup Award, symbolic of the best all-around sports program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It’s the first time Alabama State has won the Commissioner’s Cup, as ASU swept all three conference awards for the first time ever. For the second straight year, the Lady Hornets won the women’s all-sports trophy, while the Hornets won the men’s all-sports trophy for the first time in school history.

2013-14 Highlights Academic Achievements ■ 172 student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 GPA with 18 earning 4.0 GPAs (Fall 2013) ■ 171 student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 GPA with 34 earning 4.0 GPAs (Spring 2014) ■ 40 student-athletes graduated in 2013-14 (21 in the fall, 19 in the spring)

Overall Achievements ■ A SU won the SWAC’s Commissioner’s Cup for the first time in school history, winning six SWAC titles ■ Hornet Athletics swept all three conference awards, winning the Women’s All-Sports Trophy for second straight year and Men’s All-Sports Trophy for first time ever ■ Women’s and men’s golf program won SWAC title in same season for second straight year ■ Of the 18 athletics teams, 13 finished in first or second place in the SWAC Standings

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WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHTS

■ Women’s teams won four SWAC Championships:

■ Cross Cross Country (3rd consecutive)

■ Indoor Track (6th consecutive)

■ Outdoor Track (5th consecutive)

■ Women’s Golf (2nd straight, 3rd in 4 years)

■ Volleyball (1st ever) ■ Women’s Track Program won 3rd straight SWAC Triple Crown (Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track Championships in same season) ■ Volleyball won SWAC Eastern Division and Regular Season Titles, and participated in NCAA Tournament (all program firsts) ■ Soccer won first SWAC Eastern Division title and finished second overall (program firsts) ■ Nationally ranked Bowling team won first SWAC Regular Season title and finished second overall (program firsts) ■ Women’s tennis advanced to SWAC Tournament semifinals 3 2

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MEN’S HIGHLIGHTS

■ Men’s cross country and indoor track teams both finished second in SWAC ■ Men’s basketball tied for second in SWAC; played in CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament ■ Men’s tennis finished second in SWAC ■ Baseball set school record for wins, won SWAC Eastern Division title for first time since 1994, and finished second overall in SWAC for first time ■ Football won eight games for second time in three seasons and posted its fourth straight winning season 4 2

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FALL SPORTS

FOOTBALL

For the second time in the last three years, football posted eight victories in a season, finishing 7-2 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play for the third straight season. For the first time since 1998, the Hornets won both the State Farm Magic City Classic and the Turkey Day Classic in the same season.

ASU battled back from an 0-2 start against two of the FCS’ best (10th-ranked Jacksonville St., twotime East Division champ Jackson St.) to win six straight games and eight of its final 10. RB Isaiah Crowell, who signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns, was one of five Hornets to earn first-team All-SWAC honors, along with conference Newcomer of the Year Kourtney Berry, Edmund Davis, Derrick Billups, and Bobby Wenzig. Alabama State had nine players named to the all-conference team, as Robert Roquemore, Carlton Jones, Myles Everett, and Edward Mosley earned second-team honors.

SOCCER

Alabama State won its first division title while finishing as the SWAC runners-up for the first time in school history. The Lady Hornets set a school record for wins while going undefeated against SWAC teams during the regular season. After a 3-6 start, including a pair of overtime losses, ASU went on a roll, winning 11 consecutive games en route to the championship match. The Lady Hornets allowed only 12 goals in the final 12 contests of the season. Freshman Aaliyah Lewis, who led the SWAC in scoring, was named Offensive Player of the Year, while her twin sister Ariela was named Freshman of the Year. Junior Goalkeeper Kylee Hathaway was named the Defensive Player of the Year. All three players earned first-team All-SWAC honors along with Anastasia McCleary and Iita Pienimaki. Samantha Bruno earned second-team all-conference honors.

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VOLLEYBALL

The Lady Hornets won the first SWAC title in program history, capped off by a dramatic five-set win over arch-rival Alabama A&M in the tournament championship match.

The title earned Alabama State its first NCAA Tournament appearance against the University of Washington.

Alabama State won 25 games during the season, including going undefeated in eight conference matches in winning the Eastern Division title. In sweeping the East, the Lady Hornets went undefeated against recent champions Alabama A&M and Jackson State, the latter eliminated on its home court by ASU. The SWAC Champions peaked at the right time, winning 20 its final 24 matches. The final steps to the title are always the toughest, as Alabama State played three five-set matches during its five SWAC Tournament contests. The Lady Hornets won their four games in the tournament all after dropping the first set.

Five players earned All-SWAC honors, four of them on the first team, with two Player of the Year selections. Amber Bennett won SWAC Player of the Year honors, while Luiza Griz repeated as Defensive Player/Libero of the Year. The duo earned first-team AllSWAC honors along with Tiara Kelley and Myla Marshall. Rachel Smith, the eventual SWAC Tournament MVP. 6 2

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FALL SPORTS CONTINUED

CROSS COUNTRY

Alabama State entered the 2013 season with an experienced two time defending champion women’s squad with a solo senior in Soyong Smith and a young male team with seven newcomers.

Even with the youth, it did not hinder both teams from having stellar seasons as the women won their third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference title, while the men finished in second place.

Head Coach Ritchie Beene was once again named the SWAC Women’s Coach of the Year.

The Lady Hornets had six top-ten finishes among their eight meets, including first place finishes at Birmingham Southern Invite and the SWAC Championship to end the season.

By winning the SWAC Championship, which was their fourth in the past five years, the Lady Hornets picked up the automatic berth in the NCAA South Region Championship, which included nationally ranked teams from Alabama, Vanderbilt, Florida State and Florida.

The duo of Artrailia Lesane and Paige Rankin led the women’s campaign this season. The duo earned first-team All-SWAC honors. Lesane had four top-ten finishes including a first place finish at the Birmingham Southern Invitational, while Rankin had six top-ten finishes including second place finishes at the Struts Opener, Birmingham Southern Invite and SWAC Championship.

Tatiana Etienne and Kimberly Wedderburn joined LeSane and Rankin in earning first-team AllSWAC honors, as Alabama State earned six of 10 all-conference selections. Smith and Shantia Wilson earned second-team All-SWAC honors.

The men’s second place finish at the SWAC Championship completed the season which saw them improve each week. The 2013 SWAC finish was a big improvement finishing three places better than in 2012 when they finished fifth.

The men’s team also had six top-ten finishes in their seven meets, including a first place finish at the Birmingham Southern Invite and three second place finishes at the Struts Opener, Coach “O” Classic, and the SWAC Championship to finish off the season.

Brandon Coombs had three top-10 finishes for the men and earned first-team All-SWAC honors.

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WINTER SPORTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BOWLING

The Lady Hornets posted its highest win total since 2004, and defeated the top three teams in the SWAC during the second half of league play during a seven-game winning streak. ASU lost six games by single digits, including two in overtime. Senior Quentori Alford was a first-team All-SWAC performer and was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. She averaged seven points, was third in the conference in rebounding at more than eight per game, and led the SWAC with 63 blocked shots, helping Alabama State lead the SWAC in field goal percentage defense and rebounding. Nakiya Smith earned second-team AllSWAC honors, averaging nearly 13 points and three rebounds per game.

The Alabama State bowling team won its first SWAC Regular Season title and finished as the SWAC runner up in 2014. For the second straight year, the program was ranked nationally and posted wins against eventual national champion Sam Houston and runner up Stephen F. Austin. The Lady Hornets again excelled in the classroom, ranking third in the nation in team GPA with five players earning Academic AllAmerica honors. Head Coach Andrew Chatmon earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Danielle Walker was named SWAC Player of the Year and earned first-team allconference honors along with Kaila Ryan and Briana Wells.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Hornets were SWAC title contenders through the season, finishing tied for second in regular season play and advancing to the SWAC Tournament semifinals. Their 19-win season earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Hornets earned quality non-conference wins over Jacksonville State, Chicago State, and Western Illinois. Among the 12 conference wins, Alabama State beat eventual tournament champ Texas Southern and swept SWAC tournament runner-up Prairie View. Jamel Waters earned second-team All-SWAC honors after ranking fifth in the SWAC in scoring (14.1 ppg), led the SWAC and was 12th nationally in assists (6.1 apg) and third in the conference in steals (1.8 spg).

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WINTER SPORTS CONTINUED INDOOR TRACK

The Lady Hornets earned their sixth consecutive indoor title easily outdistancing second place Texas Southern at the 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor Championship, as the men fell to Grambling by two points finishing in second.

Head Coach Ritchie Beene received the SWAC Women’s Coach of the Year Award.

ASU opened up its season in early December with 20 of its athletes finishing in the top 10 at the Birmingham Southern Icebreaker Invitational heading into the Christmas Break.

After coming off the break mentally and physically ready and focused they competed and earned 19 top-15 finishes at the UAB Blazer Invitational and 15 top five finishes at the Niswonger Invitational throughout the month of January.

After a much need bye week the Hornets came back for the final stretch of their season leading up to the indoor championship showcased by them excelling at the Tennessee State Invitational, pulling away with 25 top-five finishes, and a combined 19 top-ten finishes at both the Cupid Classic and Samford Invitational to close out their regular season.

At the Indoor Championship several individual titles were won by the Hornets as senior Latrice Lee won the 60m (7.59) and 200m (24.59), Sophomore Alexis Ferebee captured gold in the 400m dash with a time of 55.27 and Quinta Collier won the pole vault event (2.81m).

Freshman Tatiana Etienne who had a very productive first collegiate season not only won the 800m run but, also set a personal best and new SWAC record of 2:12.21 in the event.

The women’s 4x400m relay who were among the best all season set a new school and SWAC record with the team of Kimberly Wedderburn, Santina Williams, Etienne and Jerrica Mahone winning in 3:43.73.

The men’s indoor championship was much closer as the Hornets finished second, but were only two points out of achieving a crown of their own losing out to Grambling 98-96.

For the men Christopher Amisial defended his crown as he placed first in the pole vault with a vault of 4.15m and Lee Thrasher who had a strong season for the Hornets placed first in the weight throw (18.28m).

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SPRING SPORTS

BASEBALL

The Alabama State baseball team won its first SWAC Eastern Division title in 20 years en route to setting a school record for wins for the second straight year. The Hornets won 37 games in 2014, 21 in league play in winning every conference series for the first time ever. Among the milestone triumphs were victories over Auburn, #4-ranked Miami, South Alabama, and Pacific in non-conference play. Alabama State, which finished as the conference runners-up for the first time in school history, had three players, all first-team All-SWAC selections, selected in the Major League Baseball draft, the most in one draft in program history. SS Emmanuel Marrero, the SWAC Player of the Year, was selected in the 7th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

OF Richard Amion was drafted in 19th round by the San Francisco Giants, and C Richard Gonzalez was selected in the 29th round by the Houston Astros. Also, 1B Dexter Price was signed to a free-agent contract by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Joseph Camacho, one of six first-team all-conference selections, earned SWAC Pitcher of the Year honors. DH Waldyvan Estrada and 2B Einar Muniz also earned first team honors, while P T.J. Renda was named second-team All-SWAC. Estrada was also named to ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region Team.

SOFTBALL

The Lady Hornets posted its highest win total since 2007 and extended their streak to six straight years of winning at least one post-season game. Alabama State also posted its highest conference win total since 2010 as the program won nearly 60 percent of its games over the final two months of the season.

Meagan Dixon led the SWAC in batting average (.476) and home runs (14) in earning SWAC Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year honors, and winning two national stats titles (slugging pct, runs per game).

She earned first-team All-SWAC honors along with teammate Kendall Core.

TENNIS

The ASU tennis teams again took steps toward championship glory, as the men’s team finished second in the SWAC for the first time in the history of the program, while the women finished tied for third. The men’s team finished second in the conference during the regular season, and advanced to the title match with a win over 2013 SWAC champ Prairie View. Dylan Cleary and Jarred Thompson earned first-team All-SWAC honors in doubles. The women improved by seven wins over last season’s total, highlighted by an upset win over Prairie View in the tournament quarterfinals. The doubles team of Irina Cvijovic and Brankica Orlovic earned second-team All-SWAC honors.

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SPRING SPORTS CONTINUED

GOLF

The Alabama State men’s and women’s golf programs both repeated as Southwestern Athletic Conference champions in 2013-14.

It was the third consecutive championship for the men’s program, and the second straight and third in four years for the women’s program.

The men’s team posted six tournament wins during the season, winning three times each in the fall and the spring. Along with winning the SWAC title, the Hornets successfully defending their titles in the ASU Fall Golf Classic and Black College Hall of Fame Tournament, and Greater Alexandria Invitational. The men also won tournament titles in the Murray State Invitational and the FAMU Invitational.

Branson Ferrier won SWAC MVP and low medalist honors for the second straight year. Yann Pfeiffer and Francis Berthiaume joined Ferrier in earning first-team All-SWAC honors. Ian Mmbando earned second-team All-SWAC honors.

The men finished third in the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship for the second straight year. In individual play, Robert Grant won his second straight title.

The Hornets completed the season in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year in Auburn, Ala. The Lady Hornets won five tournaments during the past year. In addition to the SWAC title, Alabama State successfully defended its titles in the ASU Fall Invitational, Greater Alexandria Invitational, FAMU Invitational and the Women’s Collegiate Championship.

Janelle Kraakman won SWAC MVP and low medalist honors for the second straight year. Dismary Marquez earned freshman low medalist honors, as the duo joined Brooklyn Kraakman, Mia Campbell and Shannon Spinuzzi all earned first-team All-SWAC honors. Sylvia Masango earned second-team All-SWAC honors.

The women completed the season in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year in Tallahassee, Fla. 1 1 2

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SPRING SPORTS CONTINUED

OUTDOOR TRACK

The women’s outdoor track team completed the third straight triple crown for the Alabama State women’s program by winning its fifth straight SWAC Championship. The men’s team finished a strong campaign with a fifth-place finish.

Head Coach Ritchie Beene was named SWAC Coach of the Year.

Highlighted by several key meets throughout the season including strong team performances at the Texas Southern Relays, Florida Relays, and Seminoles Invitational saw Alabama State rise and compete head on with some of the best in the nation, each program (men and women’s) excelled all outdoor season ending with a trip to the 2014 NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla.

Alexis Ferebee and Santina Williams had stellar seasons, as Ferebee swept the 100 and 200 meter races at the Outdoor Championships running personal best times of 11.52 (100m) and 23.83 (200m) leading her to qualify for the NCAA East regional in two individual events. Williams who improved vastly in her second season not only won the 400 meter dash at the outdoor championship (54.68) but qualified as well for the regional meet in the 400 meter dash.

Both ladies, along with Kimberly Wedderburn and Tatiana Etienne, whom also individually won the 800 meter crown at the championship (2:10.21), were all a part of the successful women’s 4x400 meter relay team. The relay which finished the season ranked 19th overall after a strong finish at the NCAA East Regional along with an outdoor championship relay victory and school record time of 3:34.

Artrailia Lesane also, had an impressive outdoor season as she finished ranked in the nation for the women’s 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:30.87 giving her the all-time school record as well.

On the men’s side, Devauntay Brown led the way for the men closing out his season with a personal best leap of 6’9” to win the conference title.

Lee Thrasher ended his career with an impressive first place finish in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 176’9”.

Roshaine Byfield finished third in the shot put, Devin O’Neal third in the 400 meter dash, and Justin Davis fifth in the 200 meter dash.

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FACILITIES SOFTBALL COMPLEX

BASEBALL COMPLEX

SOCCER COMPLEX

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THE NEW ASU STADIUM A new era in Alabama State University football began on Thanksgiving Day 2012 with the official opening of The New ASU Stadium, a 26,500seat on-campus facility which now serves as the new home for Hornet Football. The multi-purpose facility has a synthetic turf playing surface and is among the best state-of-the-art stadiums in the country. It is complete with 20 suites, loge and club seating and multiple locker rooms.

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The ASU Athletics Department is one of the shining examples of why “It’s a Great Time to Be a Hornet!”

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT…

ASU Athletics

From stellar student-athletes to state-of-the-art facilities, ASU Athletics is building champions and becoming a leader in Division I athletics.

Great Students

Alabama State University has more than 300 studentathletes competing in 18 Division I Championship sports.

The diverse population of student-athletes hails from 15 countries around the world.

Great Coaches

Nearly all of ASU’s head coaches have won at least one championship as a student-athlete, professional athlete or head coach. Among our roster of head coaches are seven who competed in the ASU Black and Gold.

Great Facilities

In the last three years, Alabama State University has invested nearly $80 million in athletics facilities. ASU opened brand new stadiums for baseball, softball, soccer and football, in addition to a new football operations facility and upgraded locker rooms for women’s and men’s basketball.

Division I Program

Alabama State University offers 18 NCAA programs:

Men’s Sports ■ Baseball ■ Basketball ■ Cross Country ■ Football ■ Golf ■ Tennis ■ Indoor Track ■ Outdoor Track

Women’s Sports ■ Basketball ■ Bowling ■ Cross Country ■ Golf ■ Tennis ■ Indoor Track ■ Outdoor Track ■ Soccer ■ Softball ■ Volleyball 2 2

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