BSTM January 2015 Vol. 1 R Simone Biles America’s Next Great Gymnast HBCU Report Hungary’s Judit Polgár WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie U.S.A.’s Brenda Villa Women in Sports Inside Gymnastics - Exercising Photo Gallery - WNBA - LPGA WTA - Chess - Spotlight On Olympic History and Trailblazers HBCU Report South Korea’s Lydia Ko Baseball Hall of Fame Internships Baseball Hall of Fame Internship Program Provides Opportunity of a Lifetime for Youth Development - Applications for 2015 Class of Frank and Peggy Steele Interns Due January 31 (Cooperstown, NY) – The chance to spend the summer in Cooperstown is every baseball fan’s dream. For college students aspiring to land a once-in-a-lifetime summer experience in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2015 internship program, only a handful of weeks remain before applications are due January 31. The 2015 Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development will provide students the chance to join the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum team in a 10-week paid summer internship, offering meaningful, hands-on training in numerous professional career fields for those who are chosen from the hundreds of applications received in Cooperstown each year. To be considered for the program, students must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program at a college or university, having completed at least their sophomore year of studies. Intern positions for 2015 are available in the following fields: Collections, Communications, Curatorial, Development, Digital Strategy, Education-Public Programs, Library Research, Licensing & Sales, Multimedia, Photo Archives, Photography and Special Events. Nineteen internships will be awarded. All applications must be completed online at www.baseballhall.org/intern. In order to complete an application, candidates must attach a cover letter and resume to the online application. Only completed applications will be reviewed for acceptance into the program. Applications must be received no later than Jan. 31, 2015. Now in its 15th year, the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program has welcomed nearly 300 interns in its first 14 years, equipping college students with the knowledge and experience necessary to work in their field of study. For full details on the program, please visit www.baseballhall.org/intern. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend, the Museum observes daily regular hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Museum observes summer hours of 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. from Memorial Day Weekend until the day before Labor Day. Ticket prices are $19.50 for adults (13 and over), $12 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $7 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200. For More Information, Please Contact: Brad Horn, Vice President of Communications and Education 607-547-0287, [email protected] Craig Muder, Director of Communications 607-547-0227, [email protected] INSIDE THIS ISSUE COVER STORY 26 Simone Biles: America’s Next Great Gymnast SPECIALS 8 No Pain No Gain: Annie Macdonald FEATURES PHOTO GALLERY 4 Miles College Steaming Flags’ Flag Corp1 6 Kentucky State University Cheerleaders WNBA 12 Lisa Leslie: Heads 2015 Induction Class into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame LPGA 16 South Korea’s Lydia Ko: Youngest Person Ever to Win a LPGA Tour Event 24 Stacy Lewis: LPGA Tour Player of the Year WTA 18 Sloane Stephens: WTA Tennis Player on the Rise CHESS 32 Judit Polgar: The Strongest Female Chess Player in History OLYMPIC HISTORY AND TRAILBLAZERS 23 Brenda Villa: Female Water Polo Player of the Decade (2000 - 2009) SPOTLIGHT ON: 11 Martha “Pee Wee” Hudson: Tennessee State University Tigerbelle HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUs) 36 37 39 40 41 42 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association [CIAA] Southwestern Athletic Conference [SWAC] Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association [SIAC] Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference [MEAC] Gulf Coast Athletic Conference [GCAC] Other HBCUs BSTM is published digitally, monthly by Black Sports The Magazine, LLC. Principal Office: Washington, D.C. Melvin Bell, Chairman & CEO. EMAIL LIST: We do not make our email list available to anyone, e.g., firms, etc. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS: For 24 hour service, please email us at [email protected] or write us at BSTM, Post Office Box 55477, Washington, D.C. 20040. BSTM and Black Sports The Magazine are registered trademarks of Black Sports The Magazine, LLC and may not be used without permission. WRITE FOR BLACK SPORTS THE MAGAZINE? Would you like to be a part of the BSTM team and write about sports that interest you? If you are interested in writing for us, please e-mail us with some of your ideas. E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.bstmllc.com. Articles and comments appearing in BSTM reflect the opinions of the contributors and are subject to editing. BSTM assumes no responsibility for photos, articles, press releases or unsolicited materials. Decisions as to the editing and publishing of materials are based on space availability and the discretion of the publisher and editor. BSTM assumes no financial responsibility for failure to publish an advertisement, incorrect placement or typographical errors in its publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertising and claims and offers contained within their advertising. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of BSTM. When by-line or attribute is vacant, source of articles and photos are credited to Wikipedia. © Copyright 2004 BSTMLLC Miles College Steam ing Flags’ Flag Corp1 Photo by NBEI Photography Kentucky State Uni Photo by NBEI Photography versity Cheerleaders No Pain No Gain Annie Macdonald By Tony Brooks The definition of pain is the physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury. Associated words are ache, throb, sting and twinge. Gain is defined as obtaining something desired, favorable or profitable. Associated words are secure, acquire, earn and win. With one flip of the calendar page, January 1st has ushered in a new year with the anticipation of obtaining favorable position, earning the wins, breaking through the pain barrier and making good on the gain. Happy New Year sports fans and athletic enthusiasts. Over the course of the next three to four weeks, health club memberships will spike upward in enrollment. You may have to take a number in order to use the exercise equipment, and the sauna may be standing room only as people across the country will attempt to make good on their resolutions of getting in shape, losing weight, dieting and exercising. Resolutions however are often short lived and the pathway to victory quickly becomes a complicated conundrum for those traveling the road of least resistance. The success to overcoming any obstacle starts with Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). PMA must be the weapon of choice and the state of mind long before the physical agility begins. It was Seneca the ancient Roman philosopher and writer who said, “Difficulties strengthen the mind as well as labor does the body.” Nineteenth Century New York writer Christian Nestell Bovee added, “Difficulties, by bracing the mind to overcome them, assist cheerfulness, as exercise assist digestion.” I recently had a chat with an exercise junkie addicted to doing workouts six or seven days a week that included squats and lunges under the watchful eye of a personal trainer all year, every year for the last three decades. Enter from stage left the former fashion model who you could say has “been there, done that and got the T-shirt to prove it.” To learn more about PMA, one only needs to talk to former Ford and Elite agency model Annie Macdonald, who is on the rebound from knee replacement surgery. She has plenty of PMA to share and keeps a portion also in reserve. In her hip pockets are maxims that she draws upon for her own personal encouragement, as well as pass-a-longs to a reading audience. Ms. Macdonald was born in New Mexico and raised in Texas. She worked in New York City during her 13 year modeling career in the 1970s and 80s. With a tall, thin frame and sleek height of five-foot-nine, the green-eyed head turner had been previously featured in sports related media. In a memorable 1970s ad with former Dallas Cowboys six-foot-four, 225-pound tight end Billy Joe DuPree, the two were shown seated at side-by-side white linen clothed dinner tables with their meal portions. Macdonald had a mere artichoke and a glass of white wine daintily set before her. DuPree on the other hand had a feast of barbecued 8 BSTM chicken, pork ribs, crayfish, shrimp, catfish, fried and stewed vegetables, a Perrier and chocolate pie for desert that took up the whole side of his table. In 1978, Macdonald appeared on the Fall Fashion cover of the action catalog Sportpages adorned in saddle-up Western gear. Her career kicked off in the city of Boston, where she was “discovered” by an agency representative, just simply walking down the street. Macdonald is also laid back, Southwestern New Mexico style. After her tour of duty on Madison Avenue in the city that never sleeps with endless parties and demanding work schedules, the dark-haired runway veteran retired in 1987, turned off the high beam lights of New York, and headed back to the roots of her birthplace. Touching down in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she got to a quiet place and quickly discovered she didn’t know how to be quiet. Cannot leave out that Annie Macdonald is Texas Tough too now that she is undergoing physical therapy-rehabilitation and personal workout routines two hours a day, three times a week for the reconstructive knee replacement. Her pain threshold is high, but there have been no public utterances of negativity. Macdonald is laser focused on being positive in the face of physical workouts supervised once again with a personal trainer. Through the grueling gauntlet of knee bends, physical exercises with a new physical therapist to get the knee to a flat spot and then the icing, she also uses meditative processes to guide her to a cognitive place of peace where pain and healing can coexist. The many hours and years she spent on her exercise routines played a role in the wear and tear she has experienced, and has taken its toll, leaving a bone against bone aftermath inside her knee. Of the options to just give up, give in or give it all you got, the first two possibilities simply do not compute, it’s not even a part of her vocabulary. After all, it’s only pain; it’s going to eventually go away. Meanwhile another dose of blood thinner will stop the clotting. At age 62, Annie’s focus now is living for the moment. Taxing down life’s runway, her destination is unknown, it’s one day at a time with no specific agenda other than healing and rehabbing. She has lived a life envied by many; now she shares her inspiration with all. Macdonald has had to slow down her personal workouts of late due to some knee discomfort and doctors orders; however, she says with a giggle, taking three months off will cause her to turn into a middle-aged woman physically speaking. Who was it that said, “Adversity introduces a man to himself”? The same holds true for women. Macdonald has been retired from the glitz, glamour and bright hot lights of the fashion industry since 1987, but was willing to step back into the pages of a magazine once more to share her story of pain and her outlook for what can be gained in this edition of BSTM. I think a fitting quote that sums up her PMA comes from Bostonian author E.E. Hale, “Look up and not down; look forward and not back; look out and not in; and lend a hand.” Tony Brooks is a regular contributor to BSTM and can be reached at [email protected]. January 2015 Photo credit: Anne Staveley Annie Macdonald Women’s Heart Disease 1 in 3 women die from heart disease and stroke every year, but it can be prevented. Although 9 in 10 women have at least one risk factor for developing heart disease, only about half are aware of the issue at all. This new campaign sponsored by American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women works to increase awareness about heart disease and stroke in women and emphasize that they are not just a man’s disease. At GoRedForWomen.org, women can sign up to be members, learn about heart disease, their risk for developing it, and find tools for living heart healthy lives. Sponsor Name: American Heart Association Spotlight On: Martha “Pee Wee” Hudson Tennessee State University Tigerbelle Martha “Pee Wee” Hudson Martha Hudson, Olympic track and field Gold Medal winner and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-American, was born March 21, 1939, in Eastman, Georgia. The oldest of three children of a truck driver and a housewife, Hudson began her athletic career as guard for her elementary school basketball team. She loved to race and often beat the neighborhood boys. At Twin City High School, a physical education teacher noticed Hudson’s natural running ability and encouraged her to concentrate on track instead of basketball. Although her basketball team elected her captain, Hudson began to train and compete for track. At the Tuskegee Relays in Alabama, Hudson, who was only 4 feet 10 inches tall, caught the eye of Edward Stanley Temple, a track coach at Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee, for forty-four years. At Temple’s invitation, Hudson took part in his summer track clinics from 1955 through 1957, outrunning some of the legendary coach’s Tigerbelles. In 1957, she graduated from high school as salutatorian of her class, and she accepted a scholarship to Tennessee State. While at TSU, Hudson (nicknamed “Pee Wee” by a teammate) won the National AAU 100-yard dash, set the 75-yard dash record, and came in second in the 50-yard dash. One of her biggest wins came during the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, BSTM Italy, where she ran the first leg of the 400-meter relay against competitors who were all at least six inches taller than she. Hudson and the three other Tigerbelles on the American relay team won the Gold Medal. Upon returning to the United States, Hudson was treated to a tremendous homecoming. In the TSU auditorium, the mayor of Nashville and the governor of Tennessee welcomed the Gold Medalists. Joking about her stature, Hudson told the large crowd, “I doubt if ever so much depended on so little,” drawing cheers and laughter from the stands. Her hometown in Georgia also honored her by declaring a Martha Hudson Day. Hudson graduated from TSU in 1962 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Hudson competed nationally and internationally for six years. She moved back to Georgia, where she married, raised a family, coached girls’ basketball, and taught for more than thirty years at Upson Lee North Elementary School in Thomaston. She was inducted into the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. (Source: www.georgiaencyclopedia.org) January 2015 11 Lisa Leslie Heads 2015 Induction Class into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and five others will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. The six-member class, the Hall of Fame’s 17th group of inductees, was announced during the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona. The group includes three players and three coaches. They will be inducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 13, 2015. Joining Leslie are former WNBA Houston Comets star Janeth Arcain, former University of Georgia standout Janet Harris, former Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke, former Duke and University of Texas coach Gail Goestenkors and former Oregon City High School coach Brad Smith. Janeth Arcain Janet Harris Kurt Budke Leslie won four Olympic Gold Medals for USA Basketball and two WNBA Championships with the Los Angeles Sparks before retiring in 2009. Arcain, who helped the Comets win four consecutive WNBA Titles, also was a mainstay on the Brazilian National Team. Harris, a three-time Kodak All-American, was the first NCAA woman to tally 2,500 points and 1,250 rebounds. Budke will be honored posthumously. After redefining success at the junior college level, Budke rebuilt Oklahoma State as the Big 12 emerged as one of the nation’s top conferences. Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna died in a plane crash in 2011. Goestenkors built Duke into a national power, guiding the Blue Devils to four Final Four appearances and seven straight seasons with at least 30 victories. Smith, who retired in 2006 with a 629-87 record over 27 seasons, was honored in 2012 with the Morgan Wooten Award for lifetime achievement for coaching high school basketball by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to the Class of 2015, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame will recognize the 1972-74 Immaculata College teams by adding them to the “Trailblazers of the Game” display. The Mighty Macs are the sixth group to be recognized at the Hall, joining the All American Red Heads, Edmonton Grads, the Former Helms/Citizens Savings/Founders Bank, the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens, and the 1976 USA Olympic Team. 12 Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood (born July 7, 1972) is a former American professional women’s basketball player who played in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner. The number seven pick in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft, she followed a superb career at the University of Southern California with seven WNBA All-Star appearances and two WNBA championships over the course of eleven seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, before retiring in 2009. Leslie, a 6’5" center, is the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. She was considered a pioneer and cornerstone of the league during her WNBA career. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. BSTM Gail Goestenkors Brad Smith Leslie was born July 7, 1972, the daughter of Christine Lauren Leslie, who started her own truck driving business and Walter Leslie, a semi-professional basketball player. Lisa’s mother stood 6 feet 5 1/2 inches. Leslie has two sisters: Dionne, who is five years older, and Tiffany, who is eight years younger. Lisa played basketball on an all-boy basketball team in middle school. She also played on an all-girls team with the record 33-1. By the time Leslie was in middle school in California, she had grown to over 6 feet and 1 inch, but never participated in athletic activities besides tether ball and double Dutch. Her dream then was to be a television weather reporter. During the first few weeks of junior high, a classmate begged Leslie to help out the basketball team. On her first day of basketball tryouts, team members were told to split into two groups for layup drills: lefties and righties. Leslie was the only lefty in the lefty group, so from then on, she decided to become right-hand dominant so she would not have to stand in a line by herself. That decision worked to her advantage, as she became ambidextrous. In eighth grade, she transferred to a junior high school without a girls’ basketball team, and joined a boys’ basketball team. Her success there contributed to her confidence in her playing abilities. At 14, before Leslie had even started high school at Morningside, she received more than a hundred college recruiting letters, including some from top Division I programs at the University of January 2015 Lisa Leslie Tennessee and Stanford University. Leslie continued her education in 1986, by enrolling at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She made an immediate impact on the basketball program, starting every game for the girl’s varsity team. She also found time to join the volleyball team and compete in track and field. She ended up being a state qualifier in the 400-meter run and the high jump. By the time she was a sophomore in high school, she was able to dunk the ball in the open court, even though she was not able to palm the ball. She was her team’s leading scorer and rebounder, and led them to the 1989 California State Championship. Leslie was so talented that she was invited to participate on the USA’s Junior World Championship Team. Entering her senior year, she developed into the top player in the country. She led her team to a State championship, averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds per game. Leslie decided to stay close to home, and attend women’s basketball powerhouse, the University of Southern California (USC), from 1990–1994. She graduated from USC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, and later completed her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Leslie played in a total of 120 college games, averaging 20.1 points, hitting 53.4% of her shots, and knocking down 69.8% of her free throws. She set the Pac-10 Conference records for scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, accumulating 2,414 points, 1,214 boards and 321 blocked shots. She also holds the USC single season record for blocked shots (95). During her college career, USC compiled an impressive 89–31 record. They won one Pac-10 Conference Championship, and earned four NCAA Tournament appearances. Leslie was honored with All Pac-10 recognition all four years, as well as becoming the first player in Pac-10 history to obtain First-Team all four years and earn the prestigious Rookie of the Year Award in 1991. She was also honored on the national platform by earning the National Freshman of the Year Award in 1991, and recognition as the nation’s best female basketball player, earning the National Player of the Year Award in 1994. In 1992, 93 and 94, she earned All-American Honors as well. In 1994, she was the winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball. Leslie was named to the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team (now called the U19 team). She was 17 at the time, the youngest player on the USA Team. The Team participated in the second Junior World Championship, held in Bilbao, Spain, in July 1989. The USA Team lost their opening game to South Korea in overtime, then lost a two point game to Australia. After winning their next game against Bulgaria, behind 22 points and nine rebounds from Leslie, the USA Team again fell in a close game, losing by three points to Czechoslovakia. After beating Zaire in their next game, the USA Team played Spain, and fell three points short. Leslie led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and recording 21 blocks over the course of the event. The USA Team finished in seventh place. Leslie was a member of the USA Team competing at the 1991 World University Games held in Sheffield, England. She was the second leading scorer on the USA squad, averaging 13.0 points per game, and helped the Tara VanDerveer coached team to an 8–0 record and the Gold Medal. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1992 14 BSTM Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei for the first time since 1987. The WNBA was incorporated in 1996, and began playing in 1997. Leslie was drafted on January 22nd by the Los Angeles Sparks as part of the Initial Allocation phase of the draft. She helped the Sparks make the playoffs five consecutive times, but the team did not win a WNBA Title until 2001. That year, Leslie was named the 2001 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) by the Women’s Sports Foundation. On July 30, 2002, she became the first woman to dunk the ball in a WNBA game. That same year, she became the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 total career points and contributed to the Sparks winning their second straight World Championship that season. Two seasons later, she became the first player to reach the 4,000-career point milestone. Leslie remains the Sparks’ career scoring and rebounding leader, as well as the all-time league leader in rebounds. On August 11, 2009, she became the first player to score 6,000 points in a career. Earlier that month, she was the first player to reach 10,000 career PRA (points + rebounds + assists), a statistic fundamental to the WNBA “Pick One Challenge” fantasy game. Lisa Leslie announced her retirement effective at the end of the 2009 season on February 4, 2009. The Sparks held a farewell ceremony for her during their final home game of the season in September. She finished holding the league records for points (6,263), rebounds (3,307) and PRA (10,444). In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA. WNBA Honors WNBA Award MVP WNBA Titles Finals MVP All-WNBA First-Team All-WNBA Second-Team All-Star Game MVP All-Star Games All-Decade Team Defensive Player of the Year All-Defensive First-Team All-Defensive Second-Team Player of the Week Years 2001, 2004, 2006 2001, 2002 2001, 2002 1997, 2000–2004, 2006 1998, 1999, 2005 1999, 2001, 2002 1999–2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 1997–2006 2004, 2008 2006 2005 15 (league record) Leslie has made four consecutive Olympic appearances, and has earned four Gold Medals. She was the second female basketball player ever to earn that many Gold Medals, after Teresa Edwards. Leslie has also made appearances with the United States National Women’s Basketball Team, where she won Gold Medals in 1996 and 2000, and has also earned a World Championship. She scored 35 points against Japan in the semifinals of the 1996 Olympics to set an American Olympic women’s scoring record. Leslie is one of seven USA Basketball’s three-time Olympians, and one of two players with four Gold Medals. She led the U.S. Team in scoring during the 2004 Olympic Games. During her third Olympic completion, she became the USA’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker in Olympic competition. Every time she has competed in a major international event, she has compiled double-digit scoring averages. Leslie, at age 20, was also the youngest player to participate at the USA Olympic Trials in 1992. January 2015 Getting Health Insurance Is More Affordable Than You Might Think Visit GETCOVEREDAMERICA.ORG to learn About your health insurance options today. Open enrollment ends February 15, 2015. South Korea’s Lydia Ko Youngest Person Ever to Win a LPGA Tour Event Lydia Ko is a New Zealand professional golfer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she had been the top-ranked woman amateur golfer in the world for 130 weeks, when she announced she was turning professional on October 23, 2013. She became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event and youngest person ever to win an LPGA Tour event. In August 2013, she became the only amateur to win two LPGA Tour events. As an amateur, she never missed a cut in 25 professional tournaments, and by September 2013, had risen to fifth in the Women’s World Golf Rankings in only 23 professional tournaments. with a score of 275 (“13) at the CN Canadian Women’s Open. She surpassed the record set by Lexi Thompson at 16 years and seven months in September 2011. Her win also made her only the fifth amateur to have won an LPGA Tour event, and the first in over 43 years. The 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open was a 72-hole event with a purse of $2 million. The winner’s share of $300,000 went to runner-up Inbee Park, who was three strokes back. Lydia Ko Ko was born Bo-Gyung Ko, April 24, 1997. She began playing golf as a five-year-old, when her mother took her into a pro shop at the Pupuke Golf Club on Auckland’s North Shore (New Zealand) owned by professional Guy Wilson, who continued as her coach until December 22, 2013. Ko was a student at Pinehurst School in Albany, New Zealand. In April 2014, Ko was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. In the article, eight-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year, Annika Sörenstam, said Ko is “exceptionally talented, mature beyond her years and well liked by golf fans and competitors alike. She is responsible for sparking increased interest in our sport, not just in her native South Korea and adopted homeland of New Zealand, but also among juniors across the globe.” The same month, she advanced to the No. 2 woman professional golfer in the world, when she won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. On January 29, 2012, Ko became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event by winning the Bing Lee/ Samsung Women’s NSW Open on the ALPG Tour. She was 14 at the time, and had placed second in the event the year before. Ko successfully defended her win at the 2013 CN Canadian Open, shooting 265 (“15) for a five-stroke victory over Karine Icher at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton. The $300,000 winner’s share went to Icher. After finishing runner-up to Suzann Pettersen in the Evian Championship in France, Ko announced that she would turn pro in 2014. However, on October 23, 2013, Ko stated in a YouTube video, featuring New Zealand rugby player Israel Dagg, that she was turning professional immediately and would play her first professional tournament in Florida in mid-November. She finished tied for 21st in her pro debut at the 2013 CME Group Titleholders. In October 2013, the LPGA Tour granted Ko’s request to join the LPGA, waiving the Tour’s requirement of members being at least 18 years old. “It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion,” tour commissioner Mike Whan said when he granted Ko’s request. On April 27, 2014, Lydia earned her first LPGA Tour win as a professional and her first win on U.S. soil, by winning the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She celebrated her 17th birthday during this tournament. In July, she won her second tournament of the year, the Marathon Classic. She won the LPGA Rookie of the Year. Amateur Wins o The previous youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event was Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa at age 15 years and 8 months. Her record as the youngest winner of a professional event was broken later in 2012 by 14-year-old Canadian Brooke Henderson, who won the second event on that year’s Canadian Women’s Tour on June 13th. On August 26, 2012, at the age of 15 years and four months, Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event, winning 16 BSTM o o o o o 2011 Australian Women’s Amateur Strokeplay Championship 2011 New Zealand Women’s Amateur Strokeplay Championship 2011 New Zealand Women’s Amateur Matchplay Championship 2012 Australian Women’s Amateur 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur 2012 World Women’s Amateur Golf Championship (top individual) January 2015 Lydia Ko Professional Wins o LPGA Tour (4) Date Aug 26, 2012 Aug 25, 2013 Apr 27, 2014 Jul 20, 2014 o Margin of victory 3 strokes 5 strokes 1 stroke 1 stroke Tournament ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open (as an amateur) Winning score 70-68-68=206 Margin of victory 1 stroke Tournament Bing Lee Samsung Women’s NSW Open (as an amateur) ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open (as an amateur) Winning score 69-64-69=202 Margin of victory 4 strokes 70-68-68=206 1 stroke Tournament Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters Winning score 68-68-69=205 Margin of victory 3 strokes ALPG Tour (2) Date Jan 29, 2012 Feb 10, 2013 o Winning score 68-68-72-67=275 65-69-67-64=265 68-71-68-69=276 67-67-70-65=269 Ladies European Tour (1) Date Feb 10, 2013 o Tournament CN Canadian Women’s Open (as an amateur) CN Canadian Women’s Open (as an amateur) Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Marathon Classic KLPGA Tour (1) Date Dec 8, 2013 Summary Tournament Kraft Nabisco Championship U.S. Women’s Open Women’s British Open LPGA Championship The Evian Championship Totals Wins 0 0 0 0 0 0 2nd 0 0 0 0 1 1 3rd 0 0 0 1 0 1 BSTM Top-5 0 0 0 1 1 2 Top-10 0 0 0 1 2 3 January 2015 Top-25 1 1 1 2 2 7 Events 2 3 3 2 2 12 Cuts made 2 3 3 2 2 12 17 Sloane Stephens WTA Tennis Player on the Rise Sloane Stephens is an American professional tennis player, who was ranked World No. 33 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Stephens has yet to make a WTA Tour singles final, but has reached four semi-finals, most notably at the 2013 Australian Open, in which she defeated Serena Williams. Stephens often stays well behind the baseline, relying on her athleticism to chase and return balls. She is capable of defending against powerfully-hit shots, and occasionally turns defensive shots into offensive shots. Fitness is one of Stephens’ biggest strengths on the tennis court. Stephens was born March 20, 1993, in Plantation, Florida, to Sybil Smith and John Stephens, a professional American football player. John Stephens was killed in a car accident on September 1, 2009, just before the start of the U.S. Open. Stephens attended her father’s funeral in Louisiana, but remained entered in the U.S. Open. Her younger brother, Shawn Farrell, played baseball and football at Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles. Stephens had a breakthrough year in 2008, when she finished the U.S. Open Junior doubles as runner-up alongside partner Mallory Burdette. Later at the Grade A Orange Bowl, she made it to the semi-finals as a wildcard, before losing in three sets to compatriot Christina McHale. She continued her form in 2009, capturing the singles and doubles titles at Grade 1 USTA International Spring Championships. Stephens then traveled to Italy, where she captured the Grade A Italian Open Singles Title. The following week, she participated in her first overseas junior Grand Slam, the French Open. As a qualifier, she reached the semifinals, before losing to eventual champion Kristina Mladenovic. She started playing tennis at the age of nine, at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, in Fresno, California, where her mother and stepfather introduced her to the sport. Two years later, Stephens relocated from Fresno to Boca Raton, Florida, where she began training at the prestigious Evert Tennis Academy. The following month, Stephens A year later at the age of 12, reached the quarter-finals at the Stephens stepped up her junior Wimbledon, before losing training once again by joining the again to Mladenovic. She Nick Saviano High Performance reached a career-high junior Tennis Academy, and switching ranking of world No. 5 on August to online-based home10, 2009. schooling, which allowed her to maximize her time spent on the Seeded fourth at the junior U.S. court. She graduated from high Open, Stephens lost in three school in 2011. Stephens sets to 14th seed Jana Èepelová currently splits time between her in the third round. home in Florida and Los At the 2010 Junior Wimbledon Angeles, where she trains at the Sloane Stephens USTA training center in Carson, Championship, she made it to California. She stated that her favorite surface is clay, when she the quarter-finals of the singles. She won the doubles title with Tímea Babos, winning a tough three-setter in the final. entered the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. She has cited Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Serena Williams as her main inspirations in tennis. She also cited her grandfather as her biggest influence growing up. Stephens is an all-court player. She hits her forehand with a large swing and as a result, the shot can be either a strength or a weakness for her. She sports a powerful two-handed backhand. Cross-court, she tends to hit a very steady ball, often hoping to run around her backhand in order to hit an aggressive forehand. Stephens often finishes points at the net, and is a competent volleyer. In her 2013 Australian Open match against Serena Williams, she won 18 of 20 (90%) net points. She also has a good serve with a very fluid motion. 18 BSTM Stephens played her first professional events on the ITF Circuit in late 2007. In spring 2008, she received a wildcard into her first WTA event, the Sony Ericssson Open in Miami, but lost to Ekaterina Bychkova in the first round. During the summer, she won a small ITF doubles tournament with partner Christina McHale. She received a wildcard into the U.S. Open qualifying rounds, where she defeated seventh-seeded Melinda Czink, but then lost in straight sets to Stefanie Vögele. In 2009, she received another qualifying wildcard into the Sony Ericsson Open, losing in the first round to Akgul Amanmuradova. In the summer, Stephens received another qualifying wildcard into a WTA tournament: the LA Women’s Tennis Championships. January 2015 Sloane Stephens There, she won her first WTA match against Lenka Wienerová, but fell in the second round of qualifying to Anastasia Rodionova. Stephens’ last professional tournament of the 2009 season was the U.S. Open, where she received a qualifying wildcard for the second year in a row. She lost in the first round of qualifying. Stephens qualified for the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, where she defeated Lucie Hradecká in the first round. She then lost against the defending champion, 12th-seeded Vera Zvonareva. Stephens made another run at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she defeated fellow American Jamie Hampton in the first round. In the second round, she lost to World No. 1, and eventual champion, Caroline Wozniacki. The next week, as a wildcard entry, she won both matches at the qualifying stage of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open to qualify for a spot in the main draw. No. 1 and defending champion, Victoria Azarenka. As a result of reaching the semi-finals, Stephens achieved a new career high singles ranking of World No. 17 following the event, making her the youngest player (and the only teenager) in the top 20. Following the Australian Open, Stephens lost opening round matches in Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells, 4th round of the 2013 Sony Open Tennis, 2nd round of the 2013 Family Circle Cup, and the opening round of 2013 Mutua Madrid Open. Stephens broke her losing streak at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by defeating Flavia Pennetta and Kiki Bertens to reach the third round, where she lost to the World No. 2 and two-time defending champion, Maria Sharapova. At the Brussels Open, she reached the quarter-finals. Stephens finished the clay court season by reaching the fourth round of the 2013 French Open for the second consecutive year, before losing to second seed and defending champion, Maria Sharapova. In May 2011, Stephens won the $50,000 2011 Camparini Gioielli Cup. It was her first tournament win on the ITF circuit. Stephens then participated in the qualifying draw of the French Open as the 21st seed. She beat Anastasia Pivovarova in the qualifying competition to qualify for the main draw event. She lost to Elena Baltacha in the first round. Stephens was seeded 17th at the Wimbledon Championships. She reached the quarter-finals for the first time, where she lost in straight sets to fifteenth seed and eventual champion Marion Bartoli. She was defeated in the first round in the 2013 Citi Open, and reached the third round of the 2013 Rogers Cup. At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, she was the 12th seed in qualifying. She lost in the second round to Nina Bratchikova. Following her improved performance at Wimbledon, she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 125 on July 4, 2011. She defeated third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the second round of the 2013 Western & Southern Open, though lost in the next round. Seeded 15th in the 2013 U.S. Open, she lost in the fourth round to eventual champion Serena Williams in straight sets. Being granted a wildcard to the U.S. Open, she won her first main-draw Grand Slam match by beating Réka-Luca Jani in the first round. She backed up this win by beating 23rd seed Shahar Pe’er in the second round. She then lost to former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic. She finished the year ranked World No. 11 and the only woman in top 30 under the age of 22. Stephens ended the year as the youngest player in the year-end top 100 at No. 97. In 2012, Stephens, the teenager had several minor successes: 2nd round lost in the Australian Open, 2nd round lost in the 2012 Indian Wells Masters, 3rd round lost in Miami Masters, 2nd round lost in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, semi-finals lost in the Strasbourg Open (her first trip to the semi-finals of a WTA tournament), 4th round lost in the French Open, 3rd round lost at Wimbledon, semi-finals lost in the Citi Open, and a 3rd round lost in the U.S. Open. Stephens ended the year as the youngest player in the year-end top 50, and the only teenager. She began the year by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2013 Brisbane International, defeating Dominika Cibulková and Sofia Arvidsson before losing to Serena Williams in straight sets in the quarter-finals. The following week, Stephens reached the semi-finals of the 2013 Moorilla Hobart International, where she was seeded eighth. She eventual lost to champion Elena Vesnina in straight sets. Stephens achieved a new career high singles ranking of World No. 25 following the event. At the Australian Open, Stephens was seeded 29th. She reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final, where she defeated World No. 3 and tournament favorite Serena Williams in three sets to reach the semi-finals. There, she lost a next match to the World 20 BSTM In 2014, Stephens was seeded 13th at the Australian Open. She lost in the 4th round to 2nd seed Victoria Azarenka. Following the Australian Open, Stephens competed in Doha and Dubai, falling in the first round of both tournaments. She regained form at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Seeded 17th, Stephens’ run was ended in the quarter-finals by veteran Flavia Pennetta. At the Sony Open Tennis, she defeated Zarina Diyas in the second round before slumping to a 1-6, 0-6 loss to Caroline Wozniacki. Stephens began her clay-court season in Charleston, South, Carolina, seeded 4th. She lost in the 2nd round. She then traveled to Colombia to compete in the Copa Colsanitas, but suffered another opening-match loss to World No. 129 Mariana Duque 3-6, 3-6. She played at the Mutua Madrid Open as the 16th seed, recording three-set victories. She ended up losing to the reigning Australian Open champion Li Na in the third round. Her next tournament in Rome was less successful, bowing out to countrywoman Varvara Lepchenko in the second round. Stephens elected to play at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, in which she received a wildcard as the top seed. However, she was unable to pick up form and lost to World No. 108 Julia Görges in their first round encounter. At the French Open, she went down to 4th seed Simona Halep 4-6, 3-6 in the 4th round. Despite the loss, her achievement in reaching the fourth round was particularly significant, as it marked the 6th consecutive grand slam second week. Stephens kicked off the grass court season in Birmingham, England. She lost in the 4th round to 9th seeded Zhang Shuai. In Eastbourne, England, she lost the 2 nd round to Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 3-6. Stephens was seeded 18th at Wimbledon, but suffered a first round loss to World No. 109 Maria Kirilenko. January 2015 Her loss to the Russian snapped her Grand Slam second week streak, as she had not previously lost before the 4th round since the 2012 U.S. Open. Following Wimbledon, Stephens began her U.S. Open Series campaign at the Citi Open, but was defeated in the first round by Christina McHale. She would next compete in Montreal and Cincinnati, losing in the second and third rounds, respectively. At the U.S. Open, she was seeded 21st and easily beat Annika Beck in the first round. She did, however, lose to world No. 96 Johanna Larsson in the second round, committing 63 errors in the process. Sloane Stephens Want to Advertise with us? BSTM For Ad Rates Call: 202-882-9444 or Email: [email protected] Read about Mo’ne at www.bstmllc.com 1st Girl to win a shut-out in Postseason Little League World Series History Your Monthly Sports Website! Welcome to BSTM Current Issue of BSTM Photo of the Month BSTM Store Read Previous Issues Special Editions HBCU Sports BSTM Forum Sports News Sports Medicine Join BSTM’s Email Listing BSTM Poll BSTM Financial Advice Sports History BSTM on Facebook www.bstmllc.com / www.blacksportsthemagazine.com Brenda Villa Female Water Polo Player of the Decade (2000-2009) Brenda Villa is an accomplished American water polo player. She is the most decorated athlete in the world of women’s water polo, named by the FINA Aquatics World Magazine. Villa was born April 18, 1980. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and she speaks fluent Spanish. A three-time All-American at Stanford University, Villa graduated in 2003, with a Degree in Political Science. Brenda Villa Villa started swimming with a club team, Commerce Aquatics, at the age of six, and followed her brother into water polo at eight years old. She made the girls Junior Olympic Team while in high school. At Bell Gardens High School, Villa played with the boys’ water polo team because her school did not have a girls’ team. She went on to become a 4-time 1st-Team All-League, 4-Time 1st-Team All-C.I.F. and 4-Time All-American. She came to Stanford in 1998, as the program’s most heralded recruit. Redshirted in 1999 and 2000 to train for the Olympics, she scored 69 goals her freshman year (2001), and was named the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Player of the Year. In the three seasons, Villa played for Stanford University, she scored 172 goals. In 2002, she led her Stanford team with 60 goals to win the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship. They had finished second the previous season, the first year the competition was held. Villa was awarded the 2002 Peter J. Cutino Award as the top Female College Water Polo Player in the United States. Villa has been on Team USA since 1998. Although the shortest player on the U.S. National Women’s Water Polo Team at 5’4", Villa has been a prolific scorer at the international level. She scored 10 goals for Team USA at the 2003 Pan American Games, which qualified the team for the 2004 Summer Olympics. As a 20-year-old, she led the U.S. Team with nine goals at the Sydney Olympics, where the Americans took the Silver Medal. She had a team-high 13 goals to lead the U.S. to Gold at the 2003 FINA Water Polo World Championship. In June 2004, Villa scored the first goal in overtime, her third of the game, and another in a penalty shootout, to propel the U.S. Team past Hungary and win the Gold Medal at the Women’s Water Polo World League Super Finals. She was the U.S. Women’s Team top scorer with 7 goals in 5 games at the 2004 Athens Olympics, earning a Bronze Medal. Villa was team captain of the 2005 U.S. National Team coached by two-time Olympian Heather Moody, winning a Silver Medal at the FINA World Championship in Montreal, Canada. the whole tournament, helping Team USA achieve first place, naming them the 2007 FINA World Champions. In 2008, at the China Summer Olympic Games, she and the American Team lost 8-9 in the championship game to the Netherlands, and took home the Silver Medal. In June 2009, Villa was named to the USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team for the 2009 FINA World Championships. In 2005, Villa became assistant coach of the Women’s Water Polo Team at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California. The Falcons ended the season with a 21-11 record, a new school record for most wins in a season. She is now playing professionally for the Italian power team Geymonat Orizzonte in Catania, Sicily, which won the LEN Women’s Champions’ Cup in 2005 and 2006. In 2010, she became the head coach at Castilleja High School for girls’ water polo in Palo Alto, California. In March 2007, Villa led the USA Women’s National Water Polo Team in Melbourne, Australia, at the 2007 FINA World Water Polo Championships. Villa scored a total of 11 goals throughout Along with some of her teammates from the 2000 Olympic Team, Villa has a small tattoo of the Olympic rings, located on top of her right foot. BSTM In the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, she and the American Team won 8-5 in the championship game to Spain, and took home the Gold Medal, the Americans’ first in 4 Olympics water polo competitions. January 2015 23 Stacy Lewis LPGA Tour Player of the Year Stacy Lewis is an American professional golfer on the U.S. based LPGA Tour. She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women’s British Open in 2013. She was ranked number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings for four weeks in 2013. Lewis reclaimed the position in June 2014 with a victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic for another 21 weeks. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Lewis grew up in Texas at The Woodlands outside of Houston, and graduated from The Woodlands High School in 2003. Suffering from scoliosis, which was diagnosed at age 11 and treated by a spinal fusion when she was in high school, Lewis missed her first collegiate golf season recovering from the surgery. Lewis was a decorated amateur and a four-time All-American at the University of Arkansas. She redshirted her first year while recovering from her back surgery. As a redshirt freshman in 2005, she won the Southeastern Conference Tournament and was named SEC Freshman Golfer of the Year. In 2006, she won the Women’s Western Amateur. Stacy Lewis In her 2007 season, though a back injury kept her out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament, Lewis won the NCAA Division I Championship. She was selected Golf Digest Amateur of the Year. She also received the National Golf Coaches Association Dinah Shore Trophy. Following her college season, she won the 92nd Women’s Southern Amateur. She finished second in individual play in leading the U.S. team to a victory at the Copa de las Americas. Lewis qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open in North Carolina, shot 78-73 in the tournament and missed the cut by three strokes to finish tied for 93rd. Two months later, Lewis finished first in the 2007 LPGA NW Arkansas Championship, a professional LPGA Tournament. Due to rain, the tournament was shortened to one round and her win was declared unofficial. In her senior season in 2008, Lewis again won the SEC Tournament. She was selected SEC Golfer of the Year and SEC Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Team for the second time and NGCA All-America for the fourth time. Lewis graduated from Arkansas in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree 24 BSTM in Finance and Accounting. As a member of U.S. Curtis Cup Team in 2008, Lewis became the first player ever to go 5–0 in a single Curtis Cup. The 2008 edition was held at the Old Course at St . Andrews in Scotland in late May and early June. It was her last competition as an amateur. The U.S. won 13 to 7 for a sixth consecutive victory over Great Britain & Ireland. Following the Curtis Cup victory, Lewis turned professional, prior to competing in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open. She won medalist honors in the Garland, Texas, sectional on June 9 to qualify for her first tournament as a professional. She was tied for ninth after 36 holes and shot a 67 (“6) in the third round to lead the field, but a final round 78 (+5) left her tied for third, five strokes behind winner Inbee Park. She competed in seven events on the LPGA tour in 2008, with two top-10 finishes. She earned over $247,000. Before 2009, Lewis was not a member of the LPGA Tour or any other professional golf tour. She was eligible to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, after successfully competing in the sanctioned qualifying process. She then tried to earn her LPGA Tour card in 2008, through the use of sponsor’s exemptions, but was not successful. As a result, she went to sectional qualifying in September in California, and advanced to the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in Florida in December, an event which garnered considerably more press coverage than normal, due to the presence of Michelle Wie. Lewis finished as the medalist for the five-round event, three shots ahead of the field and six in front of Wie, who finished in a tie for 7th place. Lewis’s first official professional victory came at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a major, where she led the field for the first two rounds, and then held off current world number 1 and defending champion Yani Tseng to win by three strokes. She made her Solheim Cup debut in 2011, qualifying second for the U.S. Team behind Cristie Kerr. Lewis’s endorsement deals include Mizuno Corporation golf clubs and Fila golf apparel. She signed a sponsorship deal with KPMG in 2012. In 2012, Lewis won four tournaments, and became the first American player to win the LPGA Player of the Year Award since January 2015 Stacy Lewis Beth Daniel in 1994. She won three times in 2013, and after her win at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Arizona on March 17, Lewis unseated Yani Tseng as the #1 ranked woman golfer in the world. Inbee Park overtook the number one position four weeks later on April 15. Lewis won her second major title at Women’s British Open in August at St. Andrews with a score of 280 (“8), two strokes ahead of runners-up Na Yeon Choi and Hee Young Park. In 2014, Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout on May 4 for her ninth official victory on tour, six strokes ahead of runner-up Meena Lee. Four weeks later, she won the ShopRite LPGA Classic and reclaimed the top position in the world rankings. A week after a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, Lewis won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on June 29. She would go on to win her second LPGA Player of the Year Award, her second in a three year span. She would also win her second consecutive Vare Trophy for the season’s lowest scoring average. Professional wins (13) LPGA Tour wins (11) Tournament Winning Score Margin of Victory 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LPGA NW Arkansas Championship (as an amateur) Kraft Nabisco Championship Mobile Bay LPGA Classic ShopRite LPGA Classic Navistar LPGA Classic Mizuno Classic HSBC Women’s Champions RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup 65 275 271 201 270 205 273 265 1 3 1 4 2 1 1 3 8 9 10 Women’s British Open North Texas LPGA Shootout ShopRite LPGA Classic 280 268 197 2 strokes 6 strokes 6 strokes No. - BSTM stroke strokes stroke strokes strokes stroke stroke strokes January 2015 Runner(s)-up Katherine Hull, Teresa Lu, Kristy McPherson Yani Tseng Lexi Thompson Katherine Hull Lexi Thompson Bo-Mee Lee Na Yeon Choi Ai Miyazato Hee Young Park Na Yeon Choi Meena Lee Christina Kim Lydia Ko, Angela Stanford Winner’s Share n/a $300,000 $187,500 $225,000 $195,000 $180,000 $210,000 $225,000 $402,584 $195,000 $225,000 25 Simone Biles America’s Next Great Gymnast Simone Arianne Biles is an American artistic gymnast. She is a two-time World All-Around Champion (2013 and 2014), two-time World Floor Champion (2013 and 2014), the 2014 World Beam Champion, and a member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Team at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She is also a two-time U.S. National All-Around Champion (2013 and 2014). and eighth on uneven bars. In late July, she competed at the Cover Girl Classic in Chicago, Illinois. Biles placed fifth on balance beam and floor exercise. In August, she competed at the Visa Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Biles tied seventh on vault. Biles was the 2012 Junior National Champion on vault, and also won a Bronze Medal in the all-around competition. In May, 2012, Biles competed at the American Classic in Huntsville, Texas. She placed first all-around. She also placed first on vault, tied for 2nd on floor exercise, placed 3rd on balance beam and 4th on uneven bars. She competed at the 2013 American Cup, an FIG World Cup event. She and Katelyn Ohashi were named as replacements for Elizabeth Price and Kyla Ross, both of whom withdrew from the competition roster due to injuries. The competition served as the debut of both gymnasts as senior international elites, where Ohashi won Gold and Biles took Silver. Simone Biles continued her first senior year with wins in Italy, Germany, and Hartford, Connecticut, at the National Championships before winning two Gold Medals, one Silver and one Bronze at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. She was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. Because her mother was unable to care for her and her siblings, Simone’s grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, adopted Simone and her sister Adria. She has two brothers, Ronald and Adam. She is a homeschooled 12th grader, and will graduate in 2015. Biles trains about 30 hours per week. In 2014, she and her primary coach, Aimee Boorman, left Bannon’s Gymnastix in order to train at World Champions Centre (WCC), a gym founded and owned by Simone’s parents. Simone trained briefly at Aim Athletics prior to WCC obtaining its own temporary training space, while the final facility is under construction. She verbally committed to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as her college choice on August 4, 2014, announcing her decision on social network Twitter. She will defer enrollment until after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Biles is also the first African-American to be World All-Around Champion. In early July, 2011, Biles began her elite career by competing at the American Classic in Huntsville, Texas. She placed third allaround, first on vault and balance beam, fourth on floor exercise 26 BSTM In late May, Biles competed at the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois. She finished first all-around with a score of 58.150. Biles also finished first on vault, second on floor exercise and sixth on balance beam. In June, she competed at the Visa Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Biles finished third all-around. She also finished first on vault and sixth on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Following the 2012 Visa Championships, Biles was named to the USA Junior National Team. In March 2013, Biles began her senior career. She competed at the American Cup in Worcester, Massachusetts. She finished second all-around, earning the Silver Medal behind American teammate, Katelyn Ohashi. In April, Biles competed at the 2013 City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She and her teammates helped USA win the team title. Biles also took the all-around (vault, balance beam, and floor exercise titles). In July, Biles competed at the Secret U.S. Classic (the qualifying meet for the National Championships). She won no medals, and dropped out of the vault competition after tweaking her ankle on the floor exercise. She did, however, qualify for the 2013 P&G Championships. In August, Biles competed at the 2013 P&G Championships. She was crowned the National Champion ahead of 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Kyla Ross. Biles also won Silver on floor exercise, Silver on the vault behind McKayla Maroney, Silver on the beam behind Kyla Ross, and Silver on the uneven bars. Following the P&G Championships, Biles was named to the January 2015 Simone Biles Simone Biles USA Senior National Team, and was invited to the qualifying camp for the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Texas. She was named to the USA World Championships Team. In October 2013, Biles competed at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. She dominated the qualifying round, where she qualified in the top position to the all-around with a score of 60.133. She also qualified second in the vault final with a 15.550, sixth in the uneven bars final with a 14.800, fifth in the balance beam final with a 14.400 and first in the floor final with a 15.033. Biles became the first American gymnast to qualify to the all-around and all four event finals since Shannon Miller in 1991 and the first female gymnast to do so since Aliya Mustafina in 2010. In the all-around, Biles started on vault, where she performed an Amanar vault (15.850). On bars, she had a dynamic and powerful routine with a stuck full-in dismount (14.700). On beam, she had a couple of wobbles, but still performed well (14.433). She was in second after the third rotation, but scored a 15.233 on floor for her routine, which was highlighted with a tucked double double, a double layout half-out, a two and a half twist to a front layout and a tucked full-in dismount. She won the Women’s All-Around competition with a score of 60.216, almost a point ahead of Kyla Ross, who took Silver, and almost a point and a half better than the Bronze Medalist, the 2010 World All-Around Champion Aliya Mustafina. Biles became the seventh American female gymnast to win the World All-Around Title, after Kim Zmeskal, Miller, Chellsie Memmel, Shawn Johnson, Bridget Sloan, and Jordyn Wieber. BSTM She also became the first African-American to win the World AllAround Title. She went on to win Silver in the vault final with a final average of 15.595 (she scored 15.933 for her Amanar and 15.258 for her laid-out Podkopayeva) behind defending World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist McKayla Maroney, a Bronze Medal on the balance beam with a 14.333, behind Mustafina and Ross, and Gold on the floor exercise, with a score of 15.000, ahead of Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari and Romania’s Larisa Lordache. She also qualified for the uneven bars final, where she finished fourth with a score of 14.716. Biles left Antwerp with two Gold Medals, a Silver and a Bronze. She became the first female American gymnast to win four medals at a single World Championships since Rebecca Bross in 2010, and the first to win a medal on three individual events since Nastia Liukin in 2005. In early January 2014, it was announced that Biles would be competing at the 2014 AT&T American Cup. The competition would be held on March 1, 2014 in Greensboro, North Carolina. However, on February 23, 2014, it was announced that she had withdrawn from the competition due to a shoulder injury. In February, news surfaced that Biles would move to another gym with her coach, Aimee Boorman. The gym was to be a brand new venture, World Champions Centre, owned by Biles’ parents. Biles traveled with Team USA to the Pacific Rim Championships in Richmond, Canada, in April and completed one day of Podium Training, but withdrew due to aggravating her shoulder injury. Her replacement was Peyton Ernst. January 2015 29 In August, she competed at the 2014 Secret U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois, which was her first competition of the 2014 season. She won the all-around with a score of 61.700. She also took home 3 Golds on vault, beam (tied with Kyla Ross) and floor. She finished 4th on the uneven bars. On August 23, Biles won the all-around at the 2014 P&G Championships for the second consecutive year with a 2-day total of 122.550, 4.250 points ahead of Kyla Ross. She ended up falling from the balance beam in the final rotation, but had a large enough lead to win her second National All-Around Title. She also took home 2 Golds on vault (31.025) and floor (31.150). She tied for the Silver on balance beam with Alyssa Baumann (30.300) behind Kyla Ross despite falling from the beam. She finished 4th on the uneven bars (29.300). She was also named a member of the 2014-2015 Senior National Team for the second year in a row. On September 17, Biles was named to compete at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. In October, Biles competed at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning. In qualifying, she had a mistake on one of her pirouettes on uneven bars, but still put together a solid performance. She helped the American women qualify in first place in the team final, ahead of China and Russia. Biles qualified first in the all-around with a score of 59.599, as well as first in the vault final with a 15.450 (she scored a 15.800 and a 15.100, respectively), first in the balance beam final with a 15.133, and first in the floor final with a 15.366. She was the only female gymnast to score above a 15.000 on beam and floor and one of only two gymnast to qualify in three event finals (the other being Aliya Mustafina of Russia). In the team final, Biles competed on vault, beam and floor. She contributed a 15.866 on vault and a 14.966 on beam. She helped the American women win their second consecutive World Team Title, scoring 179.280 and beating China by a landslide of almost seven points. As the final competitor on floor, Biles only needed a 8.682 to secure the Gold. She hit a clean routine and received a 15.375. In the all-around, Biles started on vault by performing an Amanar vault (15.866). On bars, she performed a clean routine that scored over a point higher than in qualification (14.533). On beam, she had a couple of errors, but still posted a good score (14.766). On her final event, floor, Biles had a stylish and bouncy routine that highlighted a tucked double double, a double layout half-out (the Biles), a double layout and a tucked full-in dismount. Her floor routine scored a 15.066. She won her second straight all-around World Title with a score of 60.231, ahead of Romania’s Larisa Lordache and teammate Kyla Ross. Biles is the first American female gymnast to retain her World AllAround Title since Shannon Miller (1993 and 1994) and only the second American gymnast to ever do so. This also gave Biles her fourth World Gold Medal and the Americans their third straight World all-around victory. In the vault final, Biles won the Silver Medal by a small margin with an average of 15.554 (15.900 and 15.208, respectively) behind North Korea’s Hong Un-Jong. Her American teammate Mykayla Skinner won the Bronze Medal. Simone Biles Judit Polgár The Strongest Female Chess Player in History Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so, breaking the record previously held by former World Champion Bobby Fischer. She is the only woman to qualify for a World Championship Tournament, having done so in 2005. She is the first, and to date, only woman to have surpassed the 2700 Elo rating barrier, reaching a career peak rating of 2735 and peak World Ranking of #8, both achieved in 2005. She has been the #1 rated woman in the world since 1989 (when she was 12 years old). She has won or shared first in the chess tournaments of Hastings 1993, Madrid 1994, León 1996, U.S. Open 1998, Hoogeveen 1999, Siegman 1999, Japfa 2000, and the Najdorf Memorial 2000. Judit Polgár Polgár is the only woman to have won a game from a reigning world number one player, and has defeated ten current or former world champions in either rapid or classical chess: Magnus Carlsen, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Boris Spassky, VasilySmyslov, Veselin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand, Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Khalifman, and RustamKasimdzhanov. On August 13, 2014, she announced her retirement from competitive chess. Polgár was born on July 23, 1976, in Budapest, to a Hungarian Jewish family. Polgár and her two older sisters, Grandmaster Susan and International Master Sofia, were part of an educational experiment carried out by their father László Polgár, in an attempt to prove that children could make exceptional achievements if trained in a specialist subject from a very early age. “Geniuses are made, not born,” was László’s thesis. He and his wife Klára educated their three daughters at home, with chess as the specialist subject. László also taught his three daughters the international language Esperanto. They received resistance from Hungarian authorities as home-schooling was not a “socialist” approach. They also received criticism at the time from some western commentators for depriving the sisters of a normal childhood. However, by most reports the girls appeared happy and well-adjusted. Traditionally, chess had been a male-dominated activity, and women were often seen as weaker players, thus advancing the idea of a Women’s World Champion. However, from the beginning, László was against the idea that his daughters had to participate in female-only events. “Women are able to achieve results similar, in fields of intellectual activities, to that of men,” he wrote. “Chess is a form of intellectual activity, so this applies to chess. Accordingly, we reject any kind of discrimination in this 32 BSTM respect.” This put the Polgárs in conflict with the Hungarian Chess Federation of the day, whose policy was for women to play in women-only tournaments. Polgár’s older sister, Susan, first fought the bureaucracy by playing in men’s tournaments and refusing to play in women’s tournaments. Susan Polgár, when she was a 15-year-old International Master, said, “in 1985 that it was due to this conflict that she had not been awarded the Grandmaster title despite having made the norm eleven times.” Polgár has rarely played in women’sspecific tournaments or divisions, and has never competed for the Women’s World Championship. “I always say that women should have the self-confidence that they are as good as male players, but only if they are willing to work and take it seriously as much as male players,” she said. While László Polgár has been credited with being an excellent chess coach, the Polgárs had also employed professional chess players to train their daughters, including Hungarian champion IM Tibor Florian, GM Pal Benko and Russian GM Alexander Chernin. Susan Polgár, the eldest of the sisters, 5½ years older than Sophia and 7 years older than Judit, was the first of the sisters to achieve prominence in chess by winning tournaments and by 1986, she was the world’s toprated female chess player. Initially, being the youngest, Judit was separated from her sisters while they were in training. However, this only served to increase Judit’s curiosity. After learning the rules, they discovered Judit was able to find solutions to the problems they were studying, and she began to be invited into the group. One evening Susan was studying an endgame with their trainer, a strong International Master. Unable to find the solution they woke Judit, who was asleep in bed, and carried her into the training room. Still half asleep, Judit showed them how to solve the problem, after which they put her back to bed. László Polgár’s experiment would produce a family of one international master and two grandmasters, and would strengthen the argument for nurture over nature, but also prove women could be grandmasters of chess. Trained in her early years by her sister Susan, who ultimately became Women’s World Champion, Judit Polgár was a prodigy from an early age. At age five she defeated a family friend without looking at the board. After the game the friend joked, “You are good at chess, but I’m a good cook.” Judit replied, “Do you cook without looking at the stove?” However, according to Susan, Judit was not the sister with the most talent, explaining “Judit was a slow starter, but very hard-working.” Polgár described herself at that age as “obsessive” about chess. She first defeated an International Master, DolfiDrimer, at age 10, and a grandmaster, Lev Gutman, at age 11. Judit started playing in tournaments at six years old and by age January 2015 Judit Polgár nine her rating with the Hungarian Chess Federation was 2080. She was a member of the chess club in Budapest, where she would get experience from master level players. In 1984, in Budapest, Sophia and Judit, at the time nine and seven years of age respectively, played two games of blindfold chess against two masters, which they won. At one point, the girls complained that one of their opponents was playing too slowly, and suggested a clock should be used. In April 1986, nine-year-old Judit played in her first rated tournament in the U.S., finishing first in the unrated section of BSTM the New York Open, winning $1,000. All three Polgár sisters competed. Susan, 16, competed in the grandmaster section, and had a victory against GM Walter Browne. Sophia, 11, finished second in her section, but Judit gathered most of the attention in the tournament. Grandmasters would drop by to watch the serious, quiet child playing. She won her first seven games before drawing the final game. Although the unrated section had many of the weaker players in the Open, it also had players of expert strength, who were foreign to the United States and had not been rated yet. Milorad Boskovic related a conversation with Judit’s sixth-round opponent, a Yugoslav player he knew to be a January 2015 33 strong expert, “He told me he took some chances in the game because he couldn’t believe she was going to attack so well.” Not able to speak English, her mother translated, as she told a reporter her goal was to be a chess professional. When the reporter asked her if she would be world champion one day, Judit answered, “I will try.” In late 1986, ten-year-old Judit defeated 52-year-old Romanian IM DolfiDrimer in the Adsteam Lidums International Tournament in Adelaide, Australia. Edmar Mednis said he played his best game of the tournament against Judit. “I was careful in that game”, he said. “Grandmasters don’t like to lose to 10-year-old girls, because then we make the front page of all the papers.” In 1988, Judit and her sisters, along with Ildikó Mádl, represented Hungary in the Women’s section of the 28th Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki. The International Chess Federation would not permit the Polgárs to play against men in team competitions. Prior to the tournament, Eduard Gufeld, Soviet GM and team coach for the Soviet women’s team, dismissed the Polgárs. “I believe that these girls are going to lose a good part of their quickly acquired image in the 28th Olympiad,” he said. “Afterward, we are going to know if the Hungarian sisters are geniuses or just women!” However, Hungary’s women’s team won the championship, which marked the first time it was not won by the Soviet Union. Judit played board 2, and finished the tournament with the highest score of 12½–½ to win the individual Gold Medal. She also won the brilliancy prize for her game against Pavlina Angelova. Also in 1988, Polgár won the under-12 “Boys” section of the World Youth Chess and Peace Festival in Timisoara, Romania. In October 1988, Polgár finished first in a 10-player round-robin tournament in London, scoring 7–2, for a half point lead over Israeli GM Yair Kraidman. In 1988, she made her first International Master norm in the International B section of the New York Open, and by November 1988, she was awarded the IM Title, at the time the youngest ever to have achieved the distinction. Both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov were 14 when they were awarded the Title. Polgár was 12. It was during this time that former World Champion Mikhail Tal said Polgár had the potential to win the men’s World Championship. Judit was asked about playing against boys instead of the girls’ section of tournaments. “These other girls are not serious about chess”, she said. “I practice five or six hours a day. But they get distracted by cooking and work around the house.” By age 12, she was rated 2555, which was 35 rating points ahead of the Women’s World Champion Maia Chiburdanidze. Judit’s quiet and modest demeanour at the board contrasted with the intensity of her playing style. David Norwood, British GM, in recalling Judit beating him when he was an established player, and she was just a child, described her as, “this cute little auburn-haired monster who crushed you.” British journalist Dominic Lawson wrote about 12-year-old Judit’s “killer” eyes, and how she would stare at her opponent. “The irises are so grey so dark they are almost indistinguishable from the pupils. Set against her long red hair, the effect is striking.” Before age 13, she had broken into the top 100 players in the world and the British Chess Magazine declared, “Judit Polgár’s recent results make the performances of Fischer and Kasparov at a similar age pale by comparison.” British GM Nigel Short called Judit “one of the three or four greatest chess prodigies in history.” The other great chess prodigies being Paul Morphy, José Capablanca and Samuel Reshevsky. However, not everyone was as enthusiastic, and she also had to face prejudice because of her sex. “She has fantastic chess talent,” said Kasparov. “But BSTM she is, after all, a woman. It all comes down to the imperfections of the feminine psyche. No woman can sustain a prolonged battle.” However, Kasparov revised that opinion later in life, writing that “the Polgars showed that there are no inherent limitations to their aptitude—an idea that many male players refused to accept until they had unceremoniously been crushed by a twelve-yearold with a ponytail.” In 1989, Polgár tied with Boris Gelfand for third in the OHRA Open in Amsterdam. By now, numerous books and articles had been written about the Polgár sisters, making them famous, even outside of the world of chess. In 1989, American President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara met with the Polgárs during their visit to Hungary. Although not released until 1996, in 1990, a documentary about children playing chess, Chess Kids, featuring Polgár was filmed. The documentary did not include an interview with Polgár, as her father required payment. In 1990, Judit won the Boys section of the under-14 in the World Youth Chess Festival in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Also in 1990, Judit and her sisters represented Hungary on the Olympic Women’s Team, winning the Gold Medal. As of 2013, it is the last women-only tournament in which Judit would ever participate. In October 1991, Judit finished with 5½–3½, tied for third to fifth position with ZoltánRibli and John Nunn, at a tournament in Vienna. While having a solid understanding of positional play, Polgár excels in tactics, and is known for an aggressive playing style, striving to maximize the initiative and actively pursuing complications. The former World Champion Garry Kasparov wrote that, based upon her games, “if to ‘play like a girl’ meant anything in chess, it would mean relentless aggression.” In her youth, she was especially popular with the fans due to her willingness to employ wild gambits and attacks. As a teenager, Polgár has been credited with contributing to the popularity of the opening variation King’s Bishop’s Gambit. Polgár prefers aggressive openings, playing 1.e4 as White and the Sicilian or King’s Indian Defense with black, but she has also said her opening choices will also depend upon her trainer. Jennifer Shahade, writer and two-time U.S. women’s chess champion, suggested that the influence of Polgár as a role model may be one of the reasons women play more aggressive chess than men. Describing an individual encounter with Polgár, former U.S. Champion Joel Benjamin said, “It was all-out war for five hours. I was totally exhausted. She is a tiger at the chessboard. She absolutely has a killer instinct. You make one mistake, and she goes right for the throat.” Polgár is especially adept at faster time controls. When she was still a youth, Der Spiegel wrote of her, “her tactical thunderstorms during blitz games have confounded many opponents, who are rated higher.” Polgár has spoken of appreciating the psychological aspect of chess. She has stated preferring to learn an opponent’s style so she can play intentionally against him rather than playing “objective” chess. In her 2002 victory over Kasparov, she deliberately chose a line Kasparov used against Vladimir Kramnik, employing the strategy of forcing the opponent to “play against himself.” Kasparov’s response was inadequate, and he soon found himself in an inferior position. In an interview regarding playing against computers, she said, “Chess is 30 to 40% psychology. You don’t have this when you play a computer. I can’t confuse it.” January 2015 35 CIAA Bowie State University, MD - Chowan University, NC - Elizabeth City State University, NC Fayetteville State University, NC - Johnson C. Smith University, NC - Lincoln University, PA Livingstone College, NC - St. Augustine’s University, NC - St. Paul’s College, VA - Shaw University, NC Virginia State University, VA - Virginia Union University, VA - Winston-Salem State University, NC ECSU Names Interim Head Basketball Coaches Elizabeth City State University has announced their head basketball coaches for the 2014-2015 school year. Ron Woodard and Alico Dunk and will serve as interim head coaches for the ECSU basketball teams this fall. Coach Woodard will be at the helm of the Lady Vikings’ program, while Coach Dunk will take over the on the men’s side. Woodard brings a wealth of knowledge to the Lady Vikings’ program. He compiled a 120-92 record 11 seasons as the head men’s basketball coach at Claflin University (Orangeburg, SC). He guided the program from the NAIA ranks, where Claflin won the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 2005, to Division II where in their first season of eligibility, the Panthers won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title (2009). During their transition year from NAIA to NCAA Division II (2007-08), Woodard’s club posted the best record of any HBCU team with a 24-2 mark. “I’m happy to be here and am thankful for the chance to be a head coach in the CIAA”, says Woodard. “I look forward to an exciting year of Lady Viking basketball keeping in mind that our athletes are students first. Making sure that we stay focused in the classroom is very important to the overall success of our program.” He was named Coach of the Year in both the EIAC and SIAC, and has previously served as an assistant coach at North Carolina Central and Kentucky State. He was graduate assistant at his alma mater, Norfolk State University. After five seasons and a record of 83-56 at the helm of the Lady Viking program, Alico Dunk will assume head coaching duties for the Vikings. Previously he spent sixth seasons as an assistant coach for the ECSU men’s basketball team, including 2007 CIAA Tournament Champions. “I would like to thank athletic administration for this great opportunity”, states Dunk. “It is an honor to build on the solid foundation that has made ECSU one of the top programs in the CIAA. Our student-athletes will be equally dedicated to both success in the classroom and competitiveness on the court.” During his five year stint as coach of the women’s team, Coach Dunk built an impressive résumé. Under his guidance, the Lady Vikings won the CIAA Northern Division twice, and he was tabbed as the 2013 CIAA Coach of the Year after leading ECSU to the best record in school history of (24-4, CIAA 15-1). FSU Athletics Named Jacqlyn Stickley Head Softball Coach Fayetteville State University Athletics named Jacqlyn Stickley the head softball coach for the upcoming 2014-15 season. Stickley will lead the Lady Broncos’ softball program after serving one season as an assistant coach for FSU softball. “My goal is to enhance and sustain the program to a championship caliber, as well as help these student-athletes become their very best as people and competitors,” said Stickley. During her time as the Lady Broncos’ assistant coach, Stickley utilized her playing experiences to develop the FSU pitchers and catchers. “Coach Stickley has a strong understanding of collegiate softball and a great rapport with our student-athletes,” said Athletic Director Dr. E. McLean. “I’m confident that she will be essential component as we continue to advance Fayetteville State softball.” The Lincoln (PA), Virginia Union Win CIAA Cross Country Championships The Lincoln (PA) University women and the Virginia Union University men captured conference titles at the 2014 CIAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park. It was the first title for both universities since at least 1975. The Lincoln (PA) edged Winston-Salem State University by one point (59-60) to claim the women’s 5K crown. Shaw University was third with 95 points. In the men’s 8K race, Virginia Union scored 26 points and Bowie State University was second with 63 points. Virginia State University placed third with 95 points. The top three men’s and women’s squads received team awards. Taylor-Ashley Bean of Virginia State repeated as the individual women’s 5K champion with a time of 19:27.57. Jazmina ParisMorris of Shaw was second in 19:32.74 and Shana Brown of The Lincoln (PA) finished third in 19:33.25. Bean headed the women’s All-CIAA Team, which included Paris-Morris of Shaw and Brown of The Lincoln (PA). The other all-conference members are Merideth Alexander of Shaw, Danisha Wiggins and Tametris Morrison of Winston-Salem State, Alexis Cubbage and Sarah Gray of The Lincoln (PA), Fanta Fofana of Saint Augustine’s University, Domenique Julius-Williams of Johnson C. Smith University. Chick Ndjami of Bowie State is the men’s individual 8K champion with a time of 26:11.75. Kyle Edwards of The Lincoln (PA) was second in 26:12.90 and Donovan Mundy of Virginia Union placed third in 26:14.12. Ndjami led the men’s All-CIAA squad, which included Edwards of The Lincoln (PA) and Mundy of Virginia Union. The other AllCIAA members are Franck Charles, Deandre Horton, Emmanuel Nelfrard and Luis Neives of Virginia Union, Christopher Henry of Virginia State, Marcus Nelson of Shaw and Jalen RobinsonMcCoy of Saint Augustine’s University. Each men’s and women’s All-CIAA member received an individual award. Copyright (c) 1997 - 2006 The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 36 BSTM January 2015 SWAC Alabama A&M University, AL - Alabama-State University, AL - Alcorn State University, MS Arkansas-Pine Bluff College, AR - Grambling State University, LA - Jackson State University, MS Mississippi Valley State University, MS - Prairie View A&M University, TX Southern University, LA - Texas Southern University, TX Olympic Standout Named Grambling Women’s Coach Grambling State University announced the hiring of Nadine Domond to become the new head women’s basketball coach. Domond became a Division I college basketball standout at the University of Iowa, and was selected into the USA Team, where she earned a Silver Medal. She later became a player for the WNBA. She was the 19th overall pick of the New York Liberty in the 1998 WNBA draft and played in nine games with the Sacramento Monarchs in 1998. Domond was a four-time AllState high school player. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and a Parade High School AllAmerican. Domond was the number one point guard in the country during her high school senior year. She was a graduate assistant coach at Hampton University for the 2002-2003 season, and served as assistant coach for the 2003-2004 s e a s o n . D o m o n d coached the N o r t h r o p Grumman Apprentice School Women’s Basketball Program from 2005-2007. In 2005-2006, the team finished third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships with a 17-11 record. The next year, the team finished 18-8 as Domond served as associate head coach. Steiner-Wilcoxson to Lead Alabama State Softball Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson, who led AuburnMontgomery (AUM) to the 2014 national championship, has been named head softball coach at Alabama State University, announced by Interim Athletic Director Melvin Hines. In six seasons at AUM, Steiner-Wilcoxson led the Warhawks to three consecutive NAIA Tournament appearances and the first national championship in program history. AUM won at least 30 games every season, including 40 or more victories in the past three seasons. Steiner-Wilcoxson compiled a 234-97-2 record at AUM. Last season, Steiner-Wilcoxson led the Warhawks to a 44-7 record, including a school-record 24-game winning streak. AUM won the Southern States Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 25-1 record, as she earned SSAC Coach of the Year accolades for the second time in her career. During her tenure, AUM was ranked in the NAIA Coaches’ Top25 Poll for 44 consecutive weeks, including 22 straight weeks inside the top 10. In the NAIA postseason poll following the 2012 season, AUM entered the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 7 to close out the season. The Warhawks spent the past two seasons ranked in the Top 10 and were the unanimous No. 1 selection in the 2014 postseason edition. Prior to AUM, Steiner-Wilcoxson had a threeyear stint at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga., where she launched the Eagles’ softball program in 2005. At Reinhardt, she compiled an 84-80 overall record, including a 55-31 record in conference games. In her second year at the helm at Reinhardt, Steiner-Wilcoxson was named the 2006 Southern States Athletic Conference Softball Coach of the Year following her team’s third-place finish in the SSAC regular season and runner-up finish at the conference tournament. The Eagles were ranked No. 21 in the final NAIA poll that year and posted a third-place finish at the Region XIII tournament. Grambling State Named Walker Men’s Basketball Head Coach Grambling State University has announced the hiring of Shawn Walker to become the new head men’s basketball coach. Walker spent the last 12 years as head coach at Elizabeth City State, where he compiled a record of 196-172, which includes three appearances in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Title game, and winning the conference tournament in 2007. It was ECSU’s first basketball crown in 26 years. in 1993 and 1994. During his collegiate career, he scored 1,461 points and was NCAA Division II statistical champion in FT% (1992) and 3-point field goal % (1993 & 1994). He set school season records for most three-point field goals (105) and best three-point field goal percentage (.485). His junior year (1992-1993) he set the record for most three-point field goal attempts (219). All three of those records still stand today. In 2008, he was voted the CIAA Coach of the Year for leading ECSU to its first 20-win season since 1999. He followed that up with another 20-win season, the first time an ECSU team had accomplished that since it was done three straight years (197073). Walker is a graduate of ECSU, and is only the third coach in CIAA history to lead his alma mater to a conference championship. A native of Roper, NC, Walker was an All-CIAA guard for the Vikings Walker graduated from ECSU in December 1994 with two degrees, one in Biology and one in Health/Physical Education. In 1998, he obtained a Masters in Athletic Administration from Slippery Rock (PA) University. While at Slippery Rock, Walker served as a graduate assistant during 1995-1996 season. In 1996, he returned to his alma mater as the assistant men’s coach for the Vikings. That season saw the Vikings advance to the Elite Eight. Copyright©200106Southwestern Athletic Conference BSTM January 2015 37 High Blood Pressure Approximately 78 million Americans, 1 in 3 adults, have high blood pressure, but only half of these individuals have their condition under control. Maintaining healthy blood pressure is a vital component of cardiovascular health, as untreated high blood pressure puts individuals at high risk for stroke and heart attack. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the consequences of living with high blood pressure. Audiences are encouraged to get their blood pressure to a healthy range and to learn how at Heart.org/BloodPressure. Sponsor Name: American Heart Association, American Stroke Association SIAC Albany State University, GA - Benedict College, SC - Claflin University, SC - Clark Atlanta University, GA Central State University, OH - Fort Valley State University, GA - Kentucky State University, KY Lane College, TN - Lemoyne Owen College, TN - Miles College, AL - Morehouse College, GA Paine College, GA - Stillman College, AL - Tuskegee University, AL Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton Inducted into Naismith HOF SIAC basketball star, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, a standout at Xavier University (LA) in the 1940s and NBA pioneer was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Clifton led the Gold Rush in 1942-43 to a 15-3 record and an appearance in the championship game of the SIAC Tournament, suffering a 43-42 loss to South Carolina State. Clifton is the first from XU player to be inducted and joined Alonzo Mourning, David Stern, Mitch Richmond, Gary Williams, Nat Clifton, Nolan Richardson, Bob Leonard, Sarunas Marciulionis, Guy Rodgers, and the Immaculata University’s AIAW national championship teams of the early 1970s. He is widely known as one of the African-Americans to integrate the NBA. On May 24, 1950, Clifton became the second African-American player to sign an NBA contract. He played his first game for the New York Knicks four days after the debut of Washington Capitols’s Earl Lloyd, the first Black player to appear in an NBA game. In his first season, Clifton helped lead the team to its first-ever appearance in the NBA finals, losing in game seven. During his eight seasons in the NBA, Clifton averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1957 NBA All-Star Team and at age 34, became the oldest player in NBA history to be named an All-Star. In 1957, Clifton was part of a multi-player trade between the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons, but after one season in Detroit he retired from basketball. For his professional career spanning the NBA and ABL, he scored 5,444 points, hauled in 4,469 rebounds and dished out 1,369 assists. He passed in 1990 at the age of 65. SIAC Remembered ASU and NBA star Caldwell Jones The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference joined Albany State University and the NBA in the passing of hoops legend Caldwell Jones. Jones passed away on Sunday, September 21st. He was 64 years old.. he led the ABA in blocked shots. He also played in the 1975 ABA All-Star Game. Jones then made his move to the NBA, and became a member of the high-powered Philadelphia 76ers teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Playing alongside Julius Erving and a host of other stars, he was known as a defensive specialist because of his rebounding, shot blocking and pesky position defense. He played for ASU from 19691973. During that time, he tallied a total 2,237 points and almost 2,000 rebounds. The Golden Rams garnered a four-year record of 80-31, and won the 1973 SIAC Men’s Basketball Championship with the 7’2 Jones playing center. During his senior season, he played for his brother Oliver, who had taken over as head coach. The team finished with a 23-6 record. He was a two-time selection to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team. Jones’ hustle, rebounding and defense helped him produce a 17-year professional basketball career. As a result of his stellar play at ASU, Jones was selected 32nd overall in the second round of the 1973 NBA draft. For the first three years of his professional career, he played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the San Diego Conquistadors (1973-1975), San Diego Sails (ABA), Kentucky Colonels (1975) and Spirits of St. Louis (1975-1976). During the 1973-74 season, From 1982-1990, he played for the Houston Rockets (19821984), Chicago Bulls (1984-1985), Portland Trail Blazers (19851989) and San Antonio Spurs (1989-1990). As a Houston Rocket, Jones received the opportunity to play with his brother Major. During his career, he gathered 10,241 points, 10,685 rebounds and 2,297 blocks. @Copyright 2004 thesiac.com BSTM January 2015 39 MEAC Bethune Cookman University, FL - Coppin State University, MD - Delaware State University, DE Florida A&M University, FL - Hampton University, VA - Howard University, DC University of Maryland Eastern Shore, MD - Morgan State University, MD - Norfolk State University, VA North Carolina A&T State University, NC North Carolina Central University, NC Savannah State University, FL - South Carolina State University, SC CSU’S Christina Epps Named 2014 MEAC Woman of the Year Coppin State University’s Christina Epps was named the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Woman of the Year, the conference announced. Epps was to be awarded the honor during a special on-campus event to be announced at a later time. The award, selected annually by the MEAC Senior Woman Administrators, celebrates the achievements of senior female student-athletes who have excelled in academic, athletics, service and leadership. “The MEAC family congratulates Coppin State’s Christina Epps for receiving the honor of Woman of the Year,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. “Throughout her collegiate career, Miss Epps has exemplified academic and athletic excellence and has displayed an impressive resume of service and leadership for Coppin State and the MEAC. Further, her commitment to her community should be applauded and valued. We salute Miss Epps and support her efforts of representing the MEAC in the NCAA Woman of the Year process.” Epps was a four-time All-MEAC student-athlete in track and field, and is a six-time triple jump champion in the conference. She is the current Coppin State triple jump record holder and was selected as the institution’s MVP in track and field and received the Athlete of the Year Award. She served as team captain from 2012-2014, and was the SAAC President from 2013-2014. Foundation, Hash Tag Lunchbag, Samuel Ogle Middle School, Druid Hill Parks and Recreation. She has also contributed her time to the Special Olympics Association Track Meet (2010-11) and the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Elementary Middle School Annual 5k Fun Run and Walk (2010). Epps graduated in 2014 with a 3.30 grade point average in Psychology. She amassed many academic accomplishments before departing CSU, including the Dean’s List four straight years, induction into the Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society and the Psi Chi International Honor Society. She was also selected as a USTFCCCA Academic All-American in 2011 and 2012, and selected to the MEAC Commissioner’s Academic Team for four straight years. Epps represented the MEAC as its nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 24th year, the award is unique because it recognizes not only the athletic achievements of outstanding young women, but also their academic achievements, community service and leadership. Off the track, Epps volunteered with Windsor Hills Elementary/ Middle School, Bare Your Chest for Breast Cancer, Chris Canty Maryland Eastern Shore senior bowler Mega Buja was the 2014 MEAC Woman of the Year runner-up. UMES Golfers Named to the 2014 GCAA All-Academic Team The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) men’s golf team was named to the 2014 Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Academic Team, presented by Farmers Insurance. submit the GPAs for each player on its official squad list for the academic year. The student-athletes recognized included Sedrick Bailey; Norman Blanco; Paul Cecil; Michael Ferguson; Richard Fleming; Bryan Martin; Kevin Odell; Keun Park; Jon Seward; Christopher Toney; and recent 2014 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar Michael Veverka. Maryland Eastern Shore and Alabama State University (ASU) were the lone Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) representatives to make this year’s GCAA All-Academic Team. Additionally, the Hornets were one of 11 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I institutions to receive President’s Special Recognition status, earning a 3.5 GPA or better as a team. “Our student-athletes are self-disciplined and self-motivated,” said UMES Men’s Golf head coach Marshall Cropper. “Their work ethic begins at an early age. They know what needs to be done and I’m here to guide them.” For more HBCU sports go to: A total of 141 teams submitted 3.00 grade-point-averages (GPAs) or higher to earn All-Academic Team recognition. To be eligible for GCAA All-Academic Team honors, a college or university must www.blacksportsthemagazine.com or www.bstmllc.com © Copyright 2005 meacsports.com 40 BSTM January 2015 GCAC Dillard University, LA - Edward Waters College, FL - Fisk University, TN Philander Smith College, AR - Southern University at New Orleans, LA - Talladega College, AL Tougaloo College, MS - Xavier University of Louisiana, LA GCAC Has 7 Named 2014 Daktronics NAIA Volleyball Scholar Athletes The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced that 455 volleyball student-athletes have been named 2014 Daktronics - NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Concordia (Nebraska) leads all institutions with 10 individuals on the list. In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and must have achieved a junior academic status. The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference had seven student-athletes selected for recognition: Dillard University o Mercedes Chevis, Sr., Houston, TX. o Keylantra Taylor, Sr., Houston, TX. Philander Smith College o Brianna White, Jr., Bryant, AR. o Zyra Wright, Jr., Dallas, TX. Xavier University o Chinedu Echebelem, Sr., Dallas, TX. o Jodi Hell, Jr., Prairieville, LA. o Franziska Pirkl, Jr., Munich, Germany Nour Abbes Leads Seven from Xavier in ITA Preseason Rankings Led by sensational sophomore Nour Abbes, Xavier University of Louisiana placed seven in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association National NAIA Rankings of the 2014-15 season. Abbes is No. 1 in women’s singles after winning the NAIA division of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in October and finishing second in the “Super Bowl” playoff. Abbes is seventh in doubles with teammate Carmen Nelson. Abbes and Nelson were South Regional runner-up in September. This is the first time the Gold Nuggets have held the top spot in a USTA/ITA player ranking since Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers were No. 1 in doubles on April 17, 2013. Flowers is 32nd on the new singles list. For the second time in XU men’s history and the first time since 2011, the Gold Rush have three nationally ranked singles players. Kyle Montrel is 13th, Nikita Soifer is 47th, and Tushar Mandlekar is 48th. Nour Abbes Mandlekar is 21st in doubles with Kevin Chaouat. In the women’s South Region rankings, Abbes is first, and Flowers is 14th. Abbes and Nelson are third in doubles. In the South Region men’s rankings, Montrel is sixth, Soifer is 15th, and Mandlekar is 16th. The doubles team of Chaouat and Mandlekar is sixth. Player rankings in the spring will be announced March 11th, April 15th and May 27th. The NAIA’s preseason team rankings will be revealed Jan. 28th, followed by the first regular-season polls Feb. 18th. XU Sweeps SUNO for 4th Straight GCAC Tourney Title Xavier University of Louisiana remains entrenched as the ruler of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women’s volleyball. The Gold Nuggets won their fourth consecutive GCAC Tournament Championship, beating SUNO 25-9, 25-19, 25-17 at XU’s Convocation Center in a matchup of city rivals and the top two seeds. Xavier (20-5) earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship. Tournament MVP CeCe Williams’ second career double-double, 12 kills and 16 digs, led the Gold Nuggets to their 59th consecutive victory against GCAC opponents. Williams, a junior outside hitter, also had two assists and a block. “This award would not have been possible without my teammates,” Williams said. “Everyone played a part in this championship. Joining Williams on the seven-member all-tournament team were teammates Claudia Haywood, Franziska Pirkl and Jodi Hill. Haywood had nine kills and four blocks. Pirkl produced her second straight double-double, 25 assists and 14 digs, and had a block and three kills. Hill had eight kills, three blocks and hit .438. GCAC Player of the Year Chinedu Echebelem had eight kills and 19 digs for the Gold Nuggets, who clinched their fourth consecutive regular-season championship two weeks ago. “Staying unified was one of our biggest goals. It was all about staying together, playing as a team and finishing as a team. We were unified, smart and efficient, and it was powerful.” Copyright (c) 2013 The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference BSTM January 2015 41 Other HBCUs Featured This Month Starks Inducted into National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Former Tennessee State University (TSU) head men’s golf coach, Catana Starks was selected to the 2014 Class of Honorees inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. The ceremony was part of the 29th annual NBCA Hall of Fame Alumni Weekend in Atlanta, GA. When Tennessee State University joined the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference in 1986, then-Athletic Director Bill Thomas traded the University’s swimming program for a men’s golf team and called on the leadership of Dr. Catana Starks to guide the program. Starks, who holds a Bachelor’s (’69), Master’s (’73) and Doctorate (’80) degree from TSU, then made history, becoming the only AfricanAmerican female to have coached a men’s golf team in the country. In 2005, Starks led the Tigers to a win in the National Minority Championship, a tournament for golf teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It was the first time TSU had won the tournament, and it also was Starks’ last year coaching. 2014 National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Honorees Under her guidance, the team also produced the first AfricanAmerican men’s head coach for Michigan State University (Sam Puryear), a top swing coach of professional golfers in Canada, including Tiger Woods (Sean Foley) and an All-American who is a member of the European Tour (Robert Dinwiddie). Recently, Academy Award Nominee Taraji P. Henson portrayed Starks in a movie based on the golf coach’s career at Tennessee State called “From the Rough.” The movie was released nationally on April 25, 2014. The National Black College Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the development and growth of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through scholarships, internships, training and technical assistance, alumni recognition and programs to encourage humanitarian involvement. o Athletics - Dr. Catana Starks, Tennessee State University o Community Service - Hardy K. Dorsey, Sr., Lincoln University (MO) o Education - Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr., North Carolina A&T State University o Entertainment - Will Packer, Florida A&M University o Faith & Theology - Bishop Dale C. Bronner, Morehouse College o Government/Law - Mayor Edna Branch Jackson, Savannah State University o Life Time Achievement - Dr. Ruth Simmons, Dillard University & Dr. Gladys Hope Franklin White, Hampton University o Medicine - Dr. Haywood L. Brown, North Carolina A&T State University o Science - Dr. Cora B. Marrett, Virginia Union University o Chairman’s Award - Dr. C. T. Vivian Coach York Named Top 100 Coaches Cheyney University Head Women’s Bowling Coach John York was selected as one of the Top 100 Coaches in the nation by Bowler’s Journal International for 2014. on the evaluations of resumes and achievements, both past and present, of the thousands of applications sent in from all over the country by youth, high school, collegiate, and pro shop professionals. Bowler’s Journal International is the longest-running sports monthly magazine in America, now celebrating its 101st year, and is considered to be bowling’s premier magazine. Bowler’s Journal International first began compiling this list in 2006, and has continued to do so each year since. For York, this marks the third time he has cracked the prestigious list, making it in both 2010 and 2012. The selections by the magazine are based 42 BSTM January 2015 Announces 2015 Basketball Broadcast Schedule Games and Times are Subject to Change 1-Jan 3-Jan 3-Jan 5-Jan 5-Jan 8-Jan 10-Jan 10-Jan 17-Jan 18-Jan 19-Jan 19-Jan 21-Jan 24-Jan 24-Jan 28-Jan 31-Jan 31-Jan JANUARY Thu. Sat. Sat. Mon. Mon. Thu. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sun. Mon. Mon. Wed. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. FEBRUARY Mon. Sat. Sat. Mon. Sat. Sat. Sat. Mon. Mon. Sat. Sat. Mon. 2-Feb 7-Feb 7-Feb 9-Feb 14-Feb 14-Feb 14-Feb 16-Feb 16-Feb 21-Feb 21-Feb 23-Feb 2/24-2/28 28-Feb Sat. 28-Feb Sat. MARCH 03/2-03/07 2-Mar Mon. 2-Mar Mon. 5-Mar Thu. 5-Mar Thu. 3/10-3/14 Livingstone @ Bowie State (DH) Winston-Salem @ Lincoln (DH) Grambling @ Ala. State (DH) Jackson State @ Ala. State (DH) WSSU @ Bowie State (DH) Fay. State @ Lincoln (DH) Morgan State @ Delaware State(DH) Va. State @ Livingstone (DH) Lincoln @ Bowie State (DH) Va. State @ Va. Union NCCU @ Hampton (DH) Bethune @Morgan State (DH) Va. Union @ Bowie State (DH) Lincoln @ Va. Union (DH) Alcorn State @ Ala. State (DH) Va. State @ Bowie State (DH) Livingstone @ WSSU Morgan State @ Howard (DH) Bowie, MD Lincoln, PA Montgomery, AL Montgomery, AL Bowie, MD Lincoln, PA Dover, DE Salisbury, NC Bowie, MD Richmond, VA Hampton, VA Baltimore, MD Bowie, MD Richmond, VA Montgomery, AL Bowie, MD Winston-Salem,NC Washington, DC 5:30/7:30p 5:30/7:30p 4p/6p 6:30/8:30p 5:30/7:30p 5:30/7:30p 2p/4p TBA 1p/4p 7:00p 6p/8p 5:30/7:30p 5:30/7:30p 2p/4p 4p/6p 5:30/7:30p 2p/4p 2p/4p Morgan State @ Coppin (DH) Baltimore, MD 5:30/7:30p NCCU @ NCCU @ N.C. A&T (DH) Greensboro, NC 4p/6p Bowie State @ Lincoln (DH) Lincoln, PA 2p/4p Mississippi Valley @ ASU (DH) Montgomery, AL 6:30/8:30p Shaw @ St. Augustine (DH) Raleigh, NC 2p/4p Delaware State@ UMES (DH) Princess Anne, MD 2p/4p AAMU @ ASU Montgomery, AL 6pm Hampton @ Morgan State (DH) Baltimore, MD 5:30/7:30p Coppin @ Delaware State (DH) Dover, DE 5:30/7:30p Morgan State & NCCU (DH) Durham, NC 4p/6p Virginia State @ Lincoln (DH) Lincoln, PA 2p/4p Morgan State @ N.C. A&T (DH) Greensboro, NC 5:30/7:30p CIAA CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - CHARLOTTE, NC Coppin State @ Morgan (DH) Baltimore, MD 2p/4p Hampton @ Howard (DH) Washington, DC 5p/7p SIAC CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - BIRMINGHAM, AL Norfolk State @ Howard (DH) Washington, DC 5:30/7:30p Prairie View @ ASU (DH) Montgomery, AL 6:30/8:30p N.C. A&T @ NCCU (DH) Durham, NC 5:30/7:30p Morgan State @ UMES (DH) Princess Anne, MD 5:30/7:30p SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - HOUSTON, TX About Heritage Sports Radio Network Founded in 2006, HSRN was created to provide a sports voice for the HBCU community. For over 100 years, HBCUs have participated in collegiate athletics with little to no media coverage. Stars like Walter Payton, Doug Williams and Michael Strahan are just a few of the many superstars who were HBCU athletes. There are approximately 7 million fans of HBCU sports who were media orphans in search of a home. HSRN is the only national radio network dedicated to HBCU sports. Our goal is to fuse the greats of the past with the stars of today to showcase the significance of this unique colorful and underserved sports community.
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