Thursday, May 1, 2008

FCS (1-AA) Football: A major road to the NFL

When Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was taken as the 16th pick of the NFL draft on Saturday, it was a fitting culmination of a journey that began on what might have looked like a bumpy, unpaved road to nowhere. Rodgers-Cromartie wasn't on the college radar when he was graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School in 2004. He decided to play for Tennessee State University, a Division I-AA program in Nashville.

Not a bad choice. Division I-AA may not be the big time, but it has a long history of pumping star players into the NFL. Many of the cornerbacks that signed with Division I-A schools that year will be watching Rodgers-Cromartie play football on Sunday this fall.

Doesn't matter where you play your college ball. As the list of Division I-AA alumni in the NFL proves, talent is a difficult secret to keep.

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Bethune-Cookman Corrals USF Bulls, 10-3

Photo: BCU Coach Mervyl Melendez.

Wildcats improve winning streak to five games

Tampa, Fla. - José Lozada was 4-for-5 at the plate including a homerun to push Bethune-Cookman University past the University of South Florida, 10-3 on Wednesday night in a non-conference baseball contest at Red McEwen Field in Tampa, Fla.

After dropping a month's worth of midweek contests, B-CU (30-17) is back in full gear as they were in the beginning of the year ... injury free, and looking to roll into the upcoming Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament as the three-time defending champs. And they look every part the champs of old, if not better.

Junior pitcher Chris Chapman toed the rubber on Wednesday for the Wildcats and he was a stud--as preseason reports predicted, as he limited the Bulls of USF (25-21) to just three runs on seven hits in six frames on the bump. He evened his record at 2-2 on the campaign.

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MEAC Track and Field Championships Return to Morgan State May 1-3

BALTIMORE, Md. - Morgan State University will host the 2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Track and Field Outdoor championships this weekend at Hughes Stadium on Thursday, May 1 through Saturday, May 3 at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Morgan State. The championships will host some of the best athletes in the country as 51 individual, and 9 relays are nationally ranked.

On the men’s side, Norfolk State will try to pursue its third straight outdoor title and fifth overall. The Spartans are led by Marlon Woods, whose leap of 7-feet in the long jump ranks him in the top five, while his jump of 25-feet in the high jump ranks 10th in the nation. Woods is also ranked in the top five in the triple jump. Also headlining the men’s individual events will be North Carolina A&T’s Calesio Newman, who is ranked fifth and seventh nationally and #1 ranked in the MEAC in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

The women’s team title is going to be a cat fight as favored Hampton will compete for its third straight MEAC Outdoor title and sixth overall, however North Carolina A&T, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Morgan State are all capable of dethroning the champs. The premier events should be the women’s 100 hurdles, as the top five competitors are only separated by 2/10 of a second, the 400, and the 4x400 relay, which the host Lady Bears are currently No. 1 ranked.

Thursday’s competition will begin at 10 a.m. with the women’s heptathlon and the men’s decathlon events. Friday’s competition will begin at 10 a.m. with the conclusion of the women’s heptathlon and men’s decathlon events and will continue with field events along with the 5,000m run. Semifinal races will wrap up Friday’s action.

The MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will resume on Saturday at 10 a.m. on the field with the men’s and women’s triple jump, men’s shot put, men’s pole vault and women’s discus. Teams will move back to the track for the 110m hurdles, 400m, 100m, 800m, 400m hurdles, 200m, and 3,000m steeple chase finals. The championship will conclude with the women’s and men’s 4x400m relays. In case of rain, Sunday, May 4, has been designated as the rain date. A complete schedule of events is available on http://www.meacsports.com/ .

Admission for the 2008 MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships is $3 for children, students and senior citizens and $5 for adults. Tickets may be purchased at the Hughes Stadium box office the day of the event.

This release is courtesy of the Morgan State track and field office and meacsports.com

HU wins nationally televised softball game during sweep

In softball Wednesday, Hampton University swept host Norfolk State 5-4 and 10-7 on a day in which Game 1 was televised nationally on ESPNU.

Game 1 winner Amanda Black pitched a complete game and went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI for HU (28-15), which scored the winning run on a throwing error in the sixth inning. HU's Angela Balser was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

In Game 2, HU had several offensive contributors and overcame a 5-2 deficit with a five-run fifth. Poquoson's Evelyn Garcia was 1-for-2 with a run and two RBI, Britta Davis was 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, and Tiffa Brents was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI.

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Coppin State Earns Split With Georgetown, Lose 14-2, Win 10-8

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University baseball team split a doubleheader with Coppin State on Wednesday, losing the first game, 10-8, and winning the second contest, 14-2, at Shirley Povich Field. The Hoyas fought back from a six-run deficit to make things interesting late in game one and used a nine-run second inning to coast in game two. Sophomore Billy Concannon earned his first win as a Hoya and eight players recorded multi-hit games during the nightcap.

Game 1
Trailing 8-2 going into the top of the seventh inning, the Hoyas mounted a comeback that almost saw them draw even. With one out, junior Greg Pustizzi singled to left field and sophomore Tom Elliott was hit by a pitch. After a fielder's choice resulted in the second out, sophomore Chip Malt singled to right field to bring home one run, while an errant throw by the Coppin State rightfielder resulted in a second run crossing the plate.

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Update: MEAC/SWAC - NFL Free Agent Signings

Photo: Morgan State University All-American RB, Chad Simpson signs a free agent contract with the Colts.

The 2008 NFL Draft is not an exact science; the reason for all the free agency signings after the big two day draft party. Like always, the majority of the MEAC and SWAC players that are provided an opportunity to make the league are picked up on the cheap at the day after signing party. This year is no different than prior years, with the exception that a few of these players will make the final rosters.

The 2008 free agent signings that will be reporting to mini-camps are:

Jacksonville Jaguars
Clyde Edwards, WR; Grambling State University
Brian Witherspoon, CB, Stillman College**

Arizona Cardinals
Thaddeus Coleman, T, Mississippi Valley State University
Jason Banks, DT, Grambling State University

Seattle Seahawks
DeMichael Dizer, CB, Grambling State University

Dallas Cowboys
Marcus Dixon, DE, Hampton University

Indianapolis Colts
Curtis Johnson, DE, Clark-Atlanta University**
Chad Simpson, RB/KR, Morgan State University

Cleveland Browns
James Lee, OT, South Carolina State University
DeShawn Baker, RB, South Carolina State University

Detroit Lions
Rudy Hardie, DE, Howard University
Bobbie Williams, DB, Bethune Cookman University
Jeremy Breath, OL, Delaware State University

Philadelphia Eagles
Shaheer McBride, WR, Delaware State University

Buffalo Bills
Jason Jones, WR, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff

St. Louis Rams
Vernon Bryant, DT, Hampton University

Washington Redskins
Bryan Wilson, LB, Morgan State University

Tennessee Titans
Eddie Williams, WR, Lane College**

San Diego Chargers
Lamar Divens, DT, Tennessee State University

New York Giants
Kelly Rouse, DE, Delaware State University

Cincinnati Bengals
Russell Reeves, LB, Delaware State University

New Orleans Saints
Cleve McCoy, WR, South Carolina State University
(Has contract offer from Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a QB, his college position. CFL Team approved tryout with Saints).

2008 NFL - HBCU Draft Picks

Arizona Cardinals
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State University
1st Round, #16

Miami Dolphins
Kendall Langford, DE, Hampton University
3rd Round, #66

Tennessee Titans
William Hayes, DE, Winston Salem State University
4th Round, #103

Minnesota Vikings
Jaymar Johnson, WR/KR, Jackson State University
6th Round, #193

Cleveland Browns
Alex Hall, DE/OLB, Saint Augustine's College*
7th Round, #231

* CIAA
**SIAC

DSU players to attend NFL minicamps

DOVER, Delaware -- Kelly Rouse, meet Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. And welcome to the NFL. Rouse, a former Delaware State defensive end, has an imposing task ahead -- making an impression on the Super Bowl champion New York Giants at next week's minicamp.

"Anytime you're going to camp, it's tough," Rouse said, "but I'm going to a Super Bowl team where there's a Pro Bowler [Umenyiora] and future Hall of Famer [Strahan] ahead of you. I just have to stay humble and get it done."

Rouse was among three former DSU players to be invited Tuesday to NFL minicamps. Linebacker Russell Reeves is heading to the Cincinnati Bengals and offensive lineman Jeremy Breath will get a shot with the Detroit Lions. Wide receiver Shaheer McBride signed a free-agent contract Monday with the Eagles and will report to minicamp Friday.

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