St. Aug Hosts WSSU At O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium Saturday

Raleigh, North Carolina - Saint Augustine's College will host Winston-Salem State University in a CIAA Southern Division football game Saturday (Oct. 8) at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on North Carolina Central University's campus in Durham, N.C. Game time is 1:30 p.m.

The Falcons (2-3 overall, 1-2 CIAA) are shooting for their second consecutive win over the unbeaten Rams (5-0, 4-0 CIAA), ranked 16th in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll. In 2010, the Falcons won a 40-35 thriller in Winston-Salem, N.C., en route to a record 9-2 season and a Pioneer Bowl title. The Rams were undefeated and nationally-ranked at the time.

The Falcons are 2-0 at home in Durham, N.C., this season. They are averaging 32 points in home games.

Tickets are $20 for the general public. They can be purchased online at www.saintaugfalcons.com and www.st-aug.edu. Gates open at 11:30 a.m.



By Saint Augustine's College Sports Information Office

Blocked kick saves FSU Broncos' win over Saint Augustine's

Fayetteville, North Carolina - Fayetteville State's Austin Turner kicked the go-ahead field goal and the special teams blocked Saint Augustine's ensuing 25-yard attempt Saturday night. That's what it took for the Broncos to claim their first win of the season, a 31-28 overtime thriller at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium.

"Under all of the adversity that we faced tonight, I told my players they had no idea how much they accomplished tonight," Broncos coach Kenny Phillips said. "They didn't complain about mistakes and just played football."

The Broncos (1-4, 1-1 CIAA) overcame an early 14-point deficit and six turnovers for the victory.
"It doesn't matter where you start the game, but how you end it," Turner said.

Saint Augustine's (2-3, 1-1) scored on the third play of the game when Teddy Bacote connected with Jamian Smith for a 62-yard touchdown.



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Saint Augustine's rips Catawba, 30-5

DURHAM, NC — It’s not easy to rush for minus-24 yards and still win easily, but Saint Augustine’s showed the world how it’s done on the steamy field turf of Durham County Stadium. Catawba entered a new season with high hopes, but exited Saturday’s opener with an 0-1 mark. Saint Augustine’s picked off four passes and ripped the Indians 30-5.

“We made too many simple mistakes and missed too many assignments,” safety L.J. McCray said. “That let them keep momentum the whole game.” Catawba’s awful outing merged bad luck (three of those four picks were deflections) with bad timing and bad execution.

“We looked like absolute garbage,” said disappointed Catawba coach Chip Hester, who wasn’t in a sugar-coating mood. “We looked like an inexperienced, bad football team, and that’s not to take away anything from Saint Aug’s because they looked good.”

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St. Aug's star looks to MLB draft

Rashaad Ingram

RALEIGH, NC -- When Rashaad Ingram stepped on first base, opposing infielders adjusted their stances and automatically anticipated a steal. Everyone knew the 6-foot speedster from St. Augustine's intended on taking an extra base. Or two. Or three.

Coaches tried signaling. Pitchers tried pitch-outs. Catchers tried throwing him out.

"No offense to any catcher out there," Ingram said. "They really don't have a chance. ... I'm stealing off the pitcher. I'm reading moves. It's something that comes natural to me." Ingram gave teams plenty of chances to throw him out in four seasons with the Falcons. Few ever caught him in the act, allowing the senior to finish his collegiate career with 186 stolen bases in 206 attempts.

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SAC Falcons thrilled with new track

Falcons Coach George Williams

RALEIGH, NC -- George Williams studied the stop watch tied around his neck during a track and field practice last week. Every so often, the legendary St. Augustine's track and field coach glanced at the sprinters barreling down the straight. "Turn it on," he instructed.

It was mostly a familiar scene for the former U.S. Olympic coach, who has led the school's women's and men's track and field teams to 31 national titles during his 35-year career at St. Aug's. Yet last Wednesday there was something significantly different about practice.

For the first time in three years, the Falcons were jogging, sprinting and jumping on their home track. They had been without a home facility while construction was completed on the state-of-the-art George Williams Athletic Complex. Student-athletes used the new facility - which is scheduled for official completion in late September - for the first time last Monday. The complex features a nine-lane track, an artificial turf football field and a custom scoreboard.


Videographer: StAugCollege; Beyond the Dream (Facility to be completed Sept. 2011)

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Pierce leads Saint Augustine's Falcon in CIAA finale

Joe Pierce is putting the finishing touches on a career that began with shoulder pads, but ended with spikes aluminum. “I was recruited for football,” said Pierce, a graduate of Wetumpka High (near Montgomery, AL). “It didn’t work out, so I tried out for baseball. Ever since then, that’s all I’ve been playing.”

Pierce capped his senior season at Division II Saint Augustine College with commanding performance during the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association baseball tournament. The senior Falcon was one of five chosen as part of the All-Tournament team.

“This was a pretty good year for us,” said Pierce. “We started off slow, but got everything together.” The No. 2 seeded Falcons (36-18) dropped back-to-back games (7-6, 3-0) to conference newcomer Winston-Salem.

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Saint Augustine's Falcons Release 2011 Football Schedule

Raleigh, N.C. - Five home games highlight the 2011 Saint Augustine's College football schedule which was released Tuesday.

The Falcons are looking to build off last season's 9-2 record and second-place finish in the CIAA's Southern Division. They capped the 2010 year by defeating Fort Valley State 20-9 to take home the Pioneer Bowl title. The nine victories set a modern school record for season wins.

Led by Head Coach Michael Costa, the Falcons host Catawba in the season opener on Sept. 3. They hit the road the next two weeks with games against New Haven on Sept. 10 and Saint Paul's on Sept. 17. The contest versus Saint Paul's kicks off the CIAA portion of the schedule.

The Falcons return home Sept. 24 to play Lincoln (Pa.) before hitting the road again to visit Fayetteville State on Oct. 1. They finish the second half of their schedule with three of the final five games at home starting with Winston-Salem State on Oct. 8. The Falcons step out of conference for the final time during the season for an Oct. 15 matchup against West Georgia.

The homecoming game will be Oct. 22 against Johnson C. Smith followed by an Oct. 29 home contest against Livingstone. The Falcons wrap up the regular season against crosstown nemesis Shaw on Nov. 5 at Durham County Stadium, which is the host site of the CIAA Championship Game on Nov. 12.

2011 Saint Augustine's College Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
9/3/11	CATAWBA	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
9/10/11	at New Haven	West Haven, CT	1:00 p.m.
9/17/11	*at Saint Paul's	Lawrenceville, VA	1:00 p.m.
9/24/11	*LINCOLN (PA.)	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
10/1/11	*at Fayetteville State	Fayetteville, NC	6:00 p.m.
10/8/11	*WINSTON-SALEM STATE	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
10/15/11	at West Georgia	Carrollton, GA	2:00 p.m.
10/22/11	*JOHNSON C. SMITH#	RALEIGH, NC	2:00 p.m.
10/29/11	*LIVINGSTONE	RALEIGH, NC	1:30 p.m.
11/5/11	*at Shaw	Durham, NC	1:00 p.m.
11/12/11	CIAA Championship	Durham, NC	1:00 p.m.

*CIAA Games

# - Homecoming


By Saint Augustine's College Sports Information Office
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WSSU wins CIAA tournament

PETERSBURG, Va. -- Winston-Salem State defeated St. Augustine's twice Saturday, 7-6 and 3-0, to win the CIAA tournament championship and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

WSSU (30-19) had to win the first game to force the second in the double-elimination tournament after losing 3-2 to St. Aug's in Thursday's opener. The Rams took a 7-2 lead in the first game, then survived a four-run rally by the Falcons (36-18).

Reliever John Markley struck out Kevin White with the tying run on third and the winning run on second to end the game, and Andrew Smith went 3 for 5. In the second game, Markley (5-3) pitched seven shutout innings, and Brice Rivenbark pitched the last two for his second save of the year. Markley allowed three hits, struck out four and walked three.

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Saint Augustine's Sikes had season to remember

Allison Sikes, CIAA MVP

CHARLOTTE, N.C -- Allison Sikes grabbed the neckline of her dark blue basketball jersey and brought it to the side of her face. She used the rough polyester to wipe the tears that rolled down her cheek.

The senior from Hermitage High School had just played the final game of her career at Saint Augustine's College. She scored a game-high 22 points, but the Falcons had fallen to Shaw 74-65 in the CIAA semifinals in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month.

Shaw advanced to the Final Four. The Bears lost to Clayton State, which plays Michigan Tech today in the NCAA Division II championship game.

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Sikes Earns All-Region Honor

CIAA player of the year Allison Sikes of Saint Augustine's College earned another women's basketball award Wednesday. She was named to the Daktronics All-Region second team.

Sikes is the only CIAA player on either the first or second team. A 5-10 senior swing player from Richmond, Va., Sikes led the Lady Falcons to the CIAA Tournament semifinals for the second time in three years last week. She averaged 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds this season.

Her scoring average led the team and ranked second in the CIAA. SIkes was also the conference leader in steals (3.1 spg).

The Lady Falcons finished 19-11 overall under the leadership of Sikes, who is believed to be the second Lady Falcon to win CIAA MVP. Sikes is the third Lady Falcon in school history to make the All-CIAA team three consecutive years. The Lady Falcons won 70 games during the four-year career of Sikes, who was the 2008 CIAA rookie of the year.

A psychology major, Sikes also produces in the classroom. She was named to the CoSIDA All-Region academic team in February for the second straight year.

By Saint Augustine's College Sports Information Office
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Saint Augustine's Kindred, Benson Named CIAA Rookies of the Year

Saint Augustine’s College swept the CIAA basketball rookie of the year awards Tuesday for the second time in four seasons.

Freshman guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) was named the men’s top rookie and freshman center Umeka Benson (Charlotte, N.C.) was voted the women’s best rookie Tuesday by the CIAA-Sports Information Directors Association. The last time a CIAA school produced two rookie of year winners in the same year was 2008 when Allison Sikes (women) and Hayward Fain (men) of Saint Augustine’s College took freshman honors.

Both Kindred and Benson were also named to their respective All-CIAA rookie teams. Redshirt freshman Chris Johnson (Hampton, Va.) of the Falcons joined Kindred on the men’s rookie squad.

Kindred was a unanimous choice for men’s rookie of the year. A 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard, Kindred leads CIAA freshmen in scoring (13.2 ppg) and is also the Falcons’ best rebounder (5.0 rpg). He shoots 44 percent from the floor and has scored in double figures 17 of 25 games including five games of 20 or more points. His play this season was reflected in the voting for CIAA rookie of the week which he won a league-high seven times.

“This is a great honor for Joel, the basketball program, Saint Augustine’s College and the community,” said Ken Spencer, the first-year head men’s coach at Saint Augustine’s College. “He is the type of player I want to bring in. Joel represents the basketball program well on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”

Kindred is the first Falcon to win the honor since Fain in 2008. He played high school ball last season in Raleigh, N.C., at Word of God Academy, which produced NBA rookie standout John Wall. Current Falcon assistant coach Erasto Hatchett was Kindred’s head coach at Word of God.

“I am thankful for winning the award,” Kindred said. “I thank the coaches, my teammates, my brothers and my mom for pushing me.”

Kindred is the younger brother of former Falcon high jump standout Joe Kindred, a track and field All-American and national Division II champion who won national field performer of the year honors. Joel’s brother Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) also plays for the Falcons’ basketball team.

Benson is the latest Lady Falcon to win the rookie honor since Keyona Bryant (2009) and Sikes (2008), making it three out of four seasons a Lady Falcon has claimed the award. A 6-0 center, Benson leads CIAA freshmen in scoring (10.0 ppg) and ranks second among CIAA rookies in rebounding (8.6 rpg). She debuted with 21 points against Davis & Elkins in the season opener and went on to reach double figures in points 10 times and rebounds eight times. A tenacious and athletic player in the paint, Benson has tallied four double-doubles for the Lady Falcons, who are 17-9 overall and tied for second in the CIAA’s Southern Division with one regular-season game to play.

“I am so excited for Umeka,” said Rachel Bullard, the first-year women’s head coach at Saint Augustine’s College. “She has worked very hard and has grown as a person and player throughout the year. What an awesome honor for her and the team.”

Benson plays her best against top-level competition. She had 10 points and 15 rebounds on Nov. 13, 2010, against West Liberty, currently ranked second in the Atlantic Region. Benson had 16 points and 14 rebounds on Feb. 12 in the first meeting against Johnson C. Smith. In the rematch Monday, Benson put up 12 points and 10 rebounds against JCSU, ranked seventh regionally and 24th nationally. The Lady Falcons won both games against JCSU, which is located in Benson's hometown of Charlotte, N.C.

“I am excited and caught off guard about receiving rookie of the year,” Benson said. “I am grateful to my team because I could not have won this award without them. I give thanks to my family, coaches and Saint Augustine’s College. We are looking forward to the CIAA Tournament.”

Johnson rebounded from knee injury last season to become a contributor for the Falcons. A 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward, Johnson averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes of action. His rebounding average is fourth-best on the Falcons, and he is the team’s second-best offensive rebounder.

Johnson scored a season-high 14 points in a January win over Shaw. He pulled down 11 rebounds against Armstrong Atlantic State in December 2010.

The rookies of the year and All-CIAA rookie teams will be recognized at the league’s Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tip Off Ceremonies on Feb. 27 and March 1 in Charlotte, N.C.

By Sports Information Office
Saint Augustine's College

2010-2011 Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Rookie Teams

Umeka Benson

Women:
Umeka Benson Saint Augustine's College - CIAA Women's Rookie of the Year

Umeka Benson Saint Augustine's College C 6-0 Charlotte, NC
Alisha Hardley Saint Paul's College F/C 6-0 Stafford, VA
Racquel Davis Johnson C. Smith University F 6-0 Bamberg, Germany
Leslie Slayton Virginia Union University G 5-5 Clinton, MD
Cynthia Johnson Lincoln University (PA) PG 5-7 Randallstown, MD

Joel Kindred

Men:
Joel Kindred Saint Augustine's College - CIAA Men's Rookie of the Year

Joel Kindred Saint Augustine's College G 6-4 Raleigh, NC
Chris Johnson Saint Augustine's College G/F 6-5 Hampton, VA
Tyrell Tate Fayetteville State University F 6-5 Raleigh, NC
Rasheem King Bowie State University F 6-4 Brooklyn, NY
James Theus Virginia Union University G 6-4 Portsmouth, VA

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

Fort Valley & St. Augustine's to Tangle in Pioneer Bowl

Fort Valley State and St. Augustine's will tangle in the 12th annual Pioneer Bowl, the CIAA and SIAC announced. The Wildcats (8-2), ranked no. 22 in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, and the Falcons (8-2) will meet Dec. 4 at A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus, Georgia at 1 p.m.

This will be the first appearance for both schools in the Pioneer Bowl, which pits the CIAA and SIAC against each other in the only sanctioned bowl game between HBCU conferences.

Saint Augustine's will play in Pioneer Bowl

St. Augustine’s will represent the CIAA in the Pioneer Bowl in Columbus, Ga. on Dec. 4, conference commissioner Leon Kerry said Tuesday.

“I went right down the rankings and after Shaw was in the playoffs the invitation went to St. Aug’s and if they turned it down then it was going to be Winston-Salem State,” Kerry said by telephone.

St. Aug’s went 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the CIAA, with its only loss to Shaw, the eventual CIAA champion. Shaw (9-2) will represent the CIAA in the Division II playoffs and will open Saturday at Shepherd (W.Va.).

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CIAA: Run on the Right Track‎

Maybe it’s time to reassess the pecking order in black college sports. I know most of us will argue until we’re blue in the face that it should be what I refer to as the “barber shop sports” of football and basketball. Those are the games folks talk about at the shop, as in, “My team is gonna stomp your alma mater, and we’ll smoke your band at halftime, too.” It makes for animated debates, but HBCUs, don’t produce hoops and football national champions, let alone a consistent pipeline of NBA or NFL talent any more. Track and field does.

Saint Augustine’s College dominated the sprints to claim the NCAA Division II men’s track and field title last week at Johnson C. Smith University, the 31st national title in the school’s history. “The kids were on point,” Falcons head coach George Williams said. “Everything was just so smooth. We didn’t give up anything. I got good performance from all my kids. You don’t win championships with one guy, you win championships with everybody.”

That’s why black college track and field has been able to hold its own since southern white colleges were desegregated in the late 1960s while blue-chip football and basketball players opted for pro farm clubs in the ACC, SEC and Pac-10. Saint Augustine’s is the platinum standard and can hang with the best of Division I, but the Falcons have company. Lincoln University (Mo.) is a Division II national power; Lincoln University(Pa.) is one of the best programs in Division III and joins the CIAA next year. That league will be loaded, to say the least, with St. Aug’s and JCSU on the upswing.

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Saint Augustine’s College Wins CIAA All-Sports Men’s Trophy

Saint Augustine's College athletic director George Williams.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Saint Augustine’s College capped an outstanding athletic year by winning the C.H. Williams All-Sports Trophy on Tuesday at the 2010 CIAA Coaches of the Year Award Program at the Crabtree Valley Marriott. The award is given to the season’s best men’s athletic program in the CIAA.

“It is another significant achievement by an institution which believes in academics first, athletics second and then a controlled social life,” said George Williams, athletic director and acclaimed head track and field coach at Saint Augustine’s College.

The Falcons earned the honor by winning CIAA titles in baseball, men’s basketball, and men’s indoor and outdoor track and field. In addition to their four league crowns, the Falcons finished second in men’s cross country, third in the Western Division in football, fourth in men’s golf and tied for third in men’s tennis. The winner of the Williams Trophy is based on the championship place finishes for each sponsored sport.

Three coaches and one student-athlete from Saint Augustine’s College also were recognized during the banquet. Williams was honored for winning four CIAA coach of the year awards – men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field and women’s cross country. Head coaches Lonnie Blow, Jr. received the CIAA coach of the year plaque for men’s basketball and Charles Whitaker accepted his plaque for CIAA baseball coach of the year. Blow is in his second year of coaching and Whitaker is a first-year head coach at Saint Augustine’s College.

The Falcons' Orolando Duffus was the winner of the CIAA male scholar-athlete of the year award. Duffus, a junior from St. Catherine, Jamaica, is an NCAA Division II All-American jumper in track and field and has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.96 in business administration.

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