Category: US COLLEGE

Mike Strachan Puts Up Record Setting Numbers For The Golden Eagles

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Mike Strachan

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#MIKE Strachan has put up record setting numbers on the football field for the University of Charleston Golden Eagles through just seven games thus far this season.

#The redshirt junior wide receiver currently leads the Mountain East Conference in nearly every receiving category and is among the leaders in all of NCAA Division II.

#Strachan has at least one touchdown catch in six of the seven games this season, including three catches for 47 yards and one touchdown in a 42-7 loss to the Frostburg Bobcats to drop the Golden Eagles to 4-3.

#On the season, Strachan has totalled 58 receptions for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns – all career highs and conference leading numbers. He also averages 8.3 catches and 126.4 yards per game.

#He is also ranked second in all of Division II in receptions, yards and tied atop the leaders with his 11 touchdowns.

#He opened the season with nine receptions, 157 yards and two touchdowns against FAIR. He followed with a career high 13 receptions, 146 yards and a touchdown against Urbana. He caught eight passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns against WVWC and followed with his only game this season without a score – five catches and 61 yards against FBS Division I Valparaiso. He rebounded with a pair of record setting weeks.

#Strachan caught eight passes for 87 yards and a career high three touchdowns against Wheeling. Against Notre Dame College, he posted 12 receptions for a career high 207 yards and two touchdowns.Charleston has four games remaining on the regular season schedule beginning with Glenville State College, Saturday, October 26.

#Last season was a breakout year for the 6’5” 225 pound wideout.

#Strachan finished as the only player in the MEC to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark.

#On the season, he totalled 48 receptions for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the conference in receiving yards, was third in both average yards per catch at 21 and average yards per game at 91.5. His touchdown total finished fourth.

#Strachan had five games of over 100 yards receiving, including a season high 166 yards against Fairfield and season high eight receptions against Notre Dame College.

#He was a redshirt in his true freshman season and saw the first playing time of his collegiate career the following season when he finished with just one reception.

#Strachan continues to be a two-sport star for UC and is the defending conference champion in the 200m, 400m, and 4x400m relay.

Top Junior Female Tennis Player Sydney Clarke Graduates

Sydney Clarke

Sydney Clarke

As of Monday, June 15, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#With most students here and abroad not able to have the graduation they expected from high school or college because of the COVID-19 pandemic, top junior female player Sydney Clarke is basking in the fact that she accomplished the feat at Windsor School.

#Clarke, along with 24 of her classmates, enjoyed the ceremony on Saturday under a big tent on the school’s grounds, surrounded by close family members as they endured the social distancing.

#“It’s exciting. I finally graduated from high school, so that is a big accomplishment,” said Clarke, who spent the past three years after transferring from CR Walker Secondary High School.

#“It’s only motivation moving forward as I go on to UAB (University of Alabama Birmingham) so that I can do the same when I get there.”

#The 18-year-old shared the special moment with her parents Bernard and Shayvon Clarke and younger sister, Sarai, whom she has inspired to play tennis as well. Also sharing in the occasion was her Windsor coach Richele LeSaldo and BLTA coach Michael Butler.

#“I feel very lucky because many people either had to cancel their graduation, or do it virtually or do drive through graduation,” Clarke said. “But I feel very lucky and grateful that we were able to have our family there at the ceremony instead of doing it virtually.”

#In a short, but exciting ceremony, Clarke said she was proud to walk in and listen to a few speeches before they were presented with their awards. She earned the top honours for achieving outstanding performance.

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Sydney Clarke (front) wearing a mask during her graduation ceremony. Photo: Montez Kerr

#With the Bahamas Government expected to open the border for international travel on July 1, Clarke is eager to get ready to travel to Birmingham, Alabama to begin her freshman year on an athletic scholarship to play.

#“I’m really excited to get to UAB and begin my courses,” said Clarke, who intends to pursue a degree in business. “So I’m just really excited to build a path to graduate and become an alumni of UAB. “Tennis wise, due to COVID-19 with the tournaments on hold, we will just be training, trying to stay in shape. I’m told that the season will be cut short, so when I get there, I just have to be ready to get to work because I won’t have much time.”

#And with the close-knit family she has, Clarke said she knows that she will miss being around everybody, including Windsor School and the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association and the National Tennis Centre.

#“When I was at Windsor, I was glad that on the weekends, I could go home to see my parents and play some tennis at the National Tennis Centre,” Clarke said. “So it’s gonna be a challenge getting used to everything in my new environment, but I feel I can handle it.

#“I know that I will be even more excited whenever I get a chance to come home and spend some time with everybody. But I’m looking forward to moving on from high school to college.”

#Before graduating, Clarke completed her junior year as the top female tennis player in the country last year.

#In December, she earned her second spot on the team to represent the Bahamas at the Fed Cup tournament.

#But with the Fed Cup on hold because of COVID-19, there’s no telling if Clarke will be able to come home from school to participate, if the event is not held before she heads to Alabama.

Smith To Make Move To Big 10

As of Monday, June 15, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#SPRINT hurdler Oscar Smith will make the move to the Big 10 when he transfers to a new programme.

#Buckeyes Track and Field announced via Twitter that Smith will join the Ohio State programme for the upcoming Fall campaign following a COVID-19 pandemic shortened freshman season with the Kansas State Wildcats.

#In his lone season with the Wildcats, Smith ran an indoor season’s best of 7.81 seconds in the 60m hurdles in the prelims at the Razorback invitational in February. The time ranked No.4 all time on the school’s top 10 list. He eventually went on to finish eighth in the final in 7.86.

#At the Tyson Invitational he finished third in the 60m hurdles in 8.09.

#Smith was also a member of the 4x400m relay team that turned in a season’s best time of 3:27.09 at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.

#According to his feature on the Wildcats’ athletic website, he made his Kansas State debut with a time of 8.02. The following day he ran a time of 7.87 and in his first race of 2020, posted a time of 7.98.

#He credited his training and quick adjustment to the NCAA Division I level for his early success.

#“It was pretty intense when I first started, but as we inched into indoor season it started to settle down, started to get more specific with my event, and I think I’m handling it well now,” he said in February. “I think I’ve gotten significantly faster. I’ve improved my form over the hurdles, especially with the hurdles going up three inches. I think I’ve improved in that division of it.”

#Smith joins a Buckeyes men’s programme that finished fifth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes claimed 10 top-eight finishes and collected four medals.

#He becomes the second Bahamian sprinter to transfer to the Buckeyes in as many years following Devine Parker’s transfer from the Kentucky Wildcats. Parker earned All-America honours in her first season at Ohio State.

#Locally, Smith was a member of the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine. He was a 2018 CARIFTA bronze medallist and a 2018 World Junior semi-finalist in the 110m hurdles.

Sprinter Resias Is Seeking Financial Support

As of Friday, June 12, 2020

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Cliff Resias has been hoping to get on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s subvention to elite athletes since graduating from Southeastern Louisiana last year.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITHOUT any success in securing any financial support from the Bahamas Government, sprinter Cliff Resias is forced to come home from the United States of America to redirect his career as he prepares for the 2020 Olympic Games.

#Since graduating from Southeastern Louisiana last year, Resias was hoping that he would have gotten on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s subvention to elite athletes.

#But with only the support from his parents, Tamika Evans and Cliff Resias Sr, along with his coach Bernard Newbold, Resias Jr said it’s not sufficient to sustain him in the United States.

#Still in Louisiana, Resias had to put his training on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic and now he’s waiting until July when the border opens to make the trek back home.

#“If I can get the financial support, I can go back to Arkansas and continue my training with coach Bernard,” Resias said. “I was never on subvention. Before I graduated, I was trying to get on it. After I graduated, I continued and a whole year went without any word from the ministry.”

#Despite not getting any financial support from the government, Resias said he intends to continue running track because he loves it.

#“I can only do what I can do. I can’t do everything,” he said. “I can only do so much with the help from my parents and with coach Bernard’s help. He’s been helping me out as best as he could.”

#Since his graduation from SLU on May 19, 2019, Resias has been training and competing for the Bahamas. He made the team that competed at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in August where he failed to advance out of the preliminaries of the 200m, placing sixth in his heat in 21.74 seconds.

#Resias also led off the Bahamas men’s 4 x 200m relay team that included Stephen Newbold, Anthony Adderley and Rico Moultrie at the Worth Athletics’ fourth World Relays in Yokohama, Japan in February.

#The team, however, got disqualified. Resias, Newbold, Adderley and Shavez Hart advanced out of the preliminary rounds with the sixth fastest time after placing second in their heat.

#In his last season for SLU at the 2018 outdoor season, Resias captured the 200 in 21.23 at the Louisiana Classics and was on the second-place 4 x 100m relay that ran 41.32. He also helped their 4 x 200m relay set a school record with a second-place time of 1:26.78 at the McNeese Cowboy Relays and was also on the winning 4 x 100m relay team that ran 40.69 and 4 x 400 that did 3:18.57.

#During that indoor season, Resias was fourth in the 200 (21.79) and fifth in the 60 (6.85) at the Samford Open. He also got eighth in the 60 (6.96) at the KMS Invitational and broke a 17-year-old school record with a second-place time of 6.72 seconds in the 60 at the LSU Purple Tiger.

#He was training up until the coronavirus pandemic put a damper on sports throughout the United States in March, shutting down all sporting facilities and training sites. During that time, Resias said he’s not been able to work out, which made his stay in Louisiana that more difficult.

#“My parents couldn’t really send me any money because the banks were closed, so the only person I really had to rely on was coach Bernard,” Resias said. “I really want to thank him for all of the assistance that he gave me because it was really hard for me.”

#In addition to that, Resias said he didn’t get his Optional Practical Training (OPT) card, which denied him the opportunity to secure a job while in the USA. He noted that with all of the social unrest and protests over the death of American George Floyd in Minneapolis, he’s tried to stay away from everything and not get involved in it.

#Newbold, who had formed the RK Athletics Track Club in the US last January to help Resias, Maverick Bowleg, Andre Colebrooke and Ashley Riley to prepare for the 2019 World Championships, said he’s done all he could to try and get Resias on the subvention programme, but nothing has happened and it has made it difficult for him to continue his training.

#“We’ve been trying since last year trying to get him on subvention. We followed all of the procedures like all of the other athletes,” said Newbold, now in his second year of his masters degree programme at the University of Central Arkansas in College Student Personnel Administration.

#“We’re thankful for the assistance that we got for him from Mr (Harrison) Petty to help him train and to travel to competition. But we sent in his resume and indicated that he was no longer a collegiate athlete and was now on the pro circuit. Then we found out in August that the ministry was not putting any new athletes on subvention because the BAAA didn’t submit their list in time for consideration.”

#Once again in February, Newbold said he resubmitted Resias’ information to the BAAA so that he could be considered in this year’s subvention list, but now they are told that the current athletes on the list are going to be cut by at least 20 percent.

#“It’s just a tough one,” Newbold said. “He was in Arkansas with me training earlier this year, but after the Covid-19 outbreak and the state began shutting down, he went back to Louisiana. We were hoping it was only temporary, but it’s still going on, so it’s tough.

#“He couldn’t train because all public spaces were locked down and then we found out that there were no more meets, so we called it a season. We just have to see how we can get him some funding so he can be relocated here in Arkansas and see how best that can work and to pursue the legal challenges to get him on the job force, if that is possible.”

#The 23-year-old Resias, who came into SLU after attending Iowa Western Community College where he was an All-American and regional champion on the 4 x 100m team, was a Carfita, BAISS and GSSSA 100 champion while competing for CV Bethel up until 2014 when he graduated.

#Having posted personal best times of 6.82 in the 60m, 10.20 in the 100, a wind-aided 21.58 in the 200m and 50.89 in the 400m, Resias said he’s not yet ready to give up on his dream of being a professional athlete and competing for the Bahamas in the Olympic Games.

#With the Olympics delayed from July 24 to August 9, 2020 to July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, Resias said he’s more committed to getting ready to compete in the 100m and possibly on the men’s 4 x 100m relay team, if they qualify.

#“If it works out, it works out, but if it doesn’t work out, then I would have to move on and find something to do in the job market,” he said. “Even though I may not be on subvention, I still want to try and achieve that goal of competing at the Olympics.

#“I know that I am close, so I’m not about to give up right now. If I wasn’t that close to qualifying, I would give up. I could use the subvention, but I don’t want to let that discourage me from trying to qualify for the Olympics. Hopefully everything will work out in my favor.”

Sands helps recruit two Bahamians to Northern Colorado

June 15, 2020

Simba French

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Four-time Olympian “Superman” Leevan Sands, an assistant coach with the Northern Colorado Bears, has helped in the addition of a couple of Bahamians to the school’s roster for the fall semester. Legendary Bahamian athlete Sands is preparing to start his second year with the institution in Greeley, Colorado, USA.

The two athletes he successfully recruited to the school are local standouts Wendira Moss and Craiesha Johnson. Moss is expected to run the 200 and 400 meters (m), and Johnson is expected to compete in the 400m and 400m hurdles while at the University of Northern Colorado.

As mentioned, Sands is embarking on his second year at Northern Colorado after some years of running his own club in Auburn, Alabama. Moss was his first recruit and he looks forward to signing more Bahamians in the future.

“Wendira signed from the end of last year. When I first decided to take the job that was like my number one goal – to look out for my fellow Bahamian junior athletes first. Wendira is one of the top quarter-milers for The Bahamas in high school. She was one of my first signees which was big for the school. I know more will follow,” he said. “My number one goal is to give Bahamian junior athletes more opportunities to pursue an education abroad. It is my number one goal to give people from my country an opportunity to improve themselves as track athletes and in the educational field as well.”

The altitude at Northern Colorado is just about 5,000 feet above sea level, and it gets extremely cold. Despite that, Johnson is excited to be on the roster.

“I am very ecstatic. I chose that college because I wanted a new start, meaning a new environment with a different weather. As a child I always wanted to live in a cold place and going to this university would be living a childhood dream,” Johnson said. She just graduated from Queen’s College this past Friday and she is hoping to not just add to the program with her talent but to bring her joyful spirit as well. She intends to major in biology.

Johnson’s personal best time in the 400m hurdles is 1:02.65 – a time she ran in March at the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Track and Field Championships. In the 400m, she has a best time of 57.99 seconds.

Several schools reached out to Moss, but Northern Colorado was her choice because they had the academic major she wanted to pursue – criminology and criminal justice/forensic science.

“Northern Colorado was the only school I looked at who had forensic science and biochemistry on the academic program. Also, the school is 5,000 feet above sea level and training in that atmosphere as a 400m female athlete would help me to run faster and easier when I do get to compete at sea level. In addition, I didn’t want to go to a school that is popular or to a school that has a lot of students. I wanted to go to a school that I could help build up academically and also on the track,” Moss said.

Moss, a former CARIFTA athlete, said that the students and coaches there made her feel like family when she visited the campus. Her personal best time in the 200m is 24.13 seconds and in the 400m she has a personal best of 54.94. Moss left St. John’s College as a double champion, winning the BAISS 200 and 400m titles in March. This past season, she was hoping to lower her times, but was unable to do so. Nevertheless, she is optimistic about her freshman year as she hopes to run “spectacular” times and to do well in her class while remaining injury-free.

Sands said the head coach for the Bears, Wayne Angel, is very experienced and has coached several Olympians in the 400m and 400m hurdles.

Sands said he was familiar with Johnson’s coach Everette Fraser. He said he had an opportunity to see Moss train and said she reminded him of former Bahamian Olympic quarter-miler Avard Moncur with long strides. He said that Johnson has a lot of potential although she just started running the 400m hurdles. He said he is looking forward to both athletes dropping their times.

Having Sands there means a lot, said Moss and Johnson. For Johnson, she knows that she will be in good hands. Moss said Sands being there means she will have someone to talk to and make her feel safe.

The two competed against each other in the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Junior Track and Field Championships when Moss ran for T.A. Thompson Junior High School and Johnson for C.H. Reeves. Johnson said she is happy to have Moss there with her.

“It’s amazing because me and Wendira have been friends from grade eight where we competed against each other in GSSSA and we have grown closer over the years, so it’s great having someone like her around to encourage and push me,” Johnson said.

Moss said it is amazing to have a fellow athlete there who she knows.

Bahamian national record holder Sands just wrapped up his first season at Northern Colorado, helping out in the triple, long and high jumps. He helped several jumpers to obtain personal best leaps and one of his triple jumpers made school history by winning silver at the conference indoor championships.

The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sands was looking forward to seeing his athletes in the outdoor season, but will now have to wait for next season.

Locally, Moss is coached by her father Randy Moss at Galaxy Invaders Track Club. Johnson trains under coaches Everette Johnson and Wynsome Cash at Fast Forward Track Club.

The Bears competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I in the Big Sky conference.

Lashann Signs With Sig To Make Next Move In Europe

Lashann Higgs

Lashann Higgs

As of Wednesday, June 10, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Although she didn’t get to fulfill her dream of being the next Bahamian to become a member of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) fraternity, Lashann Higgs is not letting the disappointment get the best of her professional basketball career.

#Higgs, a 5-foot, 9-inch guard from Harbour Island, Eleuthera, graduated from the University of Texas last year, but returned for her senior season with the Longhorns women’s basketball team after coming back from a torn ACL in her left knee in November, 2018.

#She has signed a contract with Sports International Group, Inc. (SIG) to market her next move in Europe. No deal has been completed yet, but she is working vigorously between Austin and Houston, Texas with coach John Lucas and Mark Martinis in a group of professional and collegiate players.

#“I guess everyone’s path is different, but I am still trying to achieve every part of my goals and aspirations,” said Higgs, who is leaning more towards playing for a team in Spain. “I just have to take another path to get to the WNBA and see where it leads me.

#“If it’s the WNBA then great, but if it’s not, I still have to move on with my career. I just have to be appreciative of what I have. It could have been worse, but I’m still playing basketball.”

#The education major said as a youngster growing up in Harbour Island, she only envisioned getting the opportunity to pursue a basketball career. She achieved her goal by playing in 137 games with 52 as a starter. She left the University of Texas ranked as the seventh all-time in the Longhorns’ history for games played and 28th in career points scored with a total of 1,288.

#Higgs, who averaged 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, said since the NCAA was forced to shut down their season prior to the start of COVID-19 in March, she followed the guidelines for the state with curfews and social distancing.

#“They just opened up the state about two and-a-half weeks ago with limitations and so I’ve been going to more gyms to train,” said Higgs, who also took advantage of training at home during the lockdowns.

#Now, the state is joining the rest of the country in mourning the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, which has skyrocketed a nation-wide protest because of racism against blacks. Floyd was buried in Houston on Tuesday.

#The 24-year-old Higgs, who has seen some of the social unrest but has decided not to participate, said it’s time for the nation to heal. “Blacks will continue to fight for what is right and try to educate people about what they are going through,” she said. “I think we just need to show people that we are no different from any other people just by looking at the colour of our skin.

#“Being a black person, it does something to your soul, but we have to end this type of treatment of black people, regardless to where you are, in the Bahamas or in the United States. We just need to be more compassionate towards each other because it’s only causing hatred and discord amongst each other.”

#Coming off her red shirt senior year because of the injury, Higgs was in Kansas City, Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament when the Longhorns’ season was halted. When they returned to Austin, they were preparing for the NCAA Tournament, but that was also called off due to COVID-19, ending her collegiate career.

#“It was disappointing, but you just have to move on and work with what you have,” she said. I’m really grateful to be able to attend college and to live out my dream to play basketball,” said Higgs.

#“I had a pretty successful career, but with everything in life, you have your ups and downs, but it’s just what you do with it.”

#As she went through her final season, Higgs started in 10 of their 30 games, averaging 20.8 minutes per game. She led the Longhorns in field-goal percentage with a 45.1 per cent (110-of-224) clip and she scored in double figures on 14 occasions during the season.

#Higgs, who attended Cedar Ridge High School after leaving the Bahamas, lost her mother Romilly Higgs in 2013 due to cervical cancer. She has been adopted by George Henderson, an assistant coach with the Longhorns and his wife, Jackie Washington, who played at Abilene Christian and was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

#As she moves forward, Higgs said she just wants to play as long as she can and along the way try to be a mentor or trainer to the younger basketball players in the Bahamas and in the US.

#To the Bahamian people, including her father Michael Higgs and family members who are still on Harbour Island and Grand Bahama, as we go through the COVID-19 experience, Higgs offered these few words of encouragement.

#“Continue to trust in God, continue to stay safe and continue to fight. It will all get better in a matter of time,” Higgs said.

Mcphee-Mccuin One Of Several Rebels In Unity Walk

As of Tuesday, June 9, 2020

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YOLETTE McPhee-McCuin

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#YOLETTE McPhee-McCuin was one of several leaders of Ole Miss Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protests against police brutality continue across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

#It was a show of solidarity for Ole Miss athletics as their unity walk coincided with protests across the globe in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd.

#“As athletes and coaches we know how important it is to be believed in. Whether we are cheered on by a sold out stadium or looked up to by one small child, the belief of others in us, their support of us, and their love for us makes a huge difference in the scoreboards that push us to be great. We are here today, realising that a handful of minds, and only a little more than a handful of our time cannot just be a photo op,” McPhee-McCuin. “We, black and white are the beneficiaries of the struggle for black freedom – a struggle born generations ago by black people who loved a nation that long considered them at best, second class citizens. And whether through generations of tilling the soil of this state, or through mid-20th century boycotts, sit-ins, or voter registration, generations of black Mississippians sacrificed their own freedoms not just for Freedom Summer, but for the freedoms we enjoy when as athletes and coaches, we run onto the gridiron in the fall, when we hit the hardwood in the spring, and when we blaze the track in the summer too.”

#McPhee-McCuin was one of several speakers to address the rally alongside athletic director Keith Carter, football head coach Lane Kiffin and Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

#“As athletes and coaches, we who believe in freedom cannot rest on the euphoria of history making seasons or even championships. Banners and rings, while wonderful, do not keep black athletes or coaches, our families or our friends, safe from the fear of race based discrimination. They most certainly do not keep us safe from the threat of race-based emotional and physical violence. Black sporting achievement, and black coaching achievement, whether as the first best, regularly but point to scoreboards across the nation and world,” she said.

#“Today we gather here, to put a point on the scoreboard for justice. Today we gather here to honour freedom seekers past in solidarity with those justice seekers present. Today, we gather here to say unapologetically, Black Lives Matter.”

#Participants wore t-shirts with the word “UNITY” on the front. Others carried signs ranging from “BLACK LIVES MATTER” to “SILENCE IS NOT OK” to “I AM GEORGE FLOYD.”

#In her two years at the helm leading the Rebels’ McPhee-McCuin has undertaken a rebuilding project. At 16-45, the Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads, 12 of which have come in SEC play.

#Headed into next season, the Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign.

#The state of Mississippi and the Ole Miss campus has been a flashpoint of racial tension during the Civil Rights movement and beyond.

#In 1962, James Meredith was the first black student admitted to a then segregated Ole Miss. Riots ensued between white segregationists and federal and state forces. Two civilians, one a French journalist, were killed during the night, and over 300 people were injured. In 2002 Ole Miss honoured the 40th anniversary of Meredith’s admission with numerous events. A statue of him was installed on campus in his honour.

#The Ole Miss campus is also home to a Confederate monument that has recently become the source of controversy. The statue, which has been on the campus since 1906, was vandalised on May 30 with the words “spiritual genocide” spray painted on each side.

#According to the Associated Press, “the state College Board has delayed acting on a recommendation by university administrators, student leaders and faculty leaders to move the statue from a central spot on campus to a Civil War cemetery that is still on campus but in a secluded location.”

Justin Pinder Looking Forward To Graduation

Justin Pinder

Justin Pinder

As of Tuesday, June 9, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and now the protest for the late George Floyd in the United States, former St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine and CARIFTA champion Justin Pinder has been taking it all in stride in Richmond, Virginia.

#The 22-year-old son of George and Jillian Pinder was hoping to graduate in May, but he said he was advised that the actual ceremony has been pushed back to the end of the year when it will be combined with those graduating in December.

#“I like it because even though it’s right after graduation, you still get the ceremony where you can go on stage in front of your family and friends,” said Pinder, who will graduate with his degree in business management. “I’m glad that they are doing it then, rather than not doing it at all.”

#Still in Norfolk where he was working at Vision Works – a company that sells prescription eyeglasses – while completing his studies, Pinder was also training for the 2020 Olympic Games, which has now been postponed from July 24 to August 9, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan until July 23 to August 8, 2021.

#Although his athletic eligibility for the Spartans ended last year, Pinder was still able to train at NSU under head coach Kenneth Giles.

#“I didn’t get to finish my classes on campus, so I had to do them online,” said Pinder about how he managed to deal with the coronavirus. “So far, it affected my job because they closed our store and I’m still waiting on when they will reopen again.

#“I was training at Norfolk with my college coach to get ready for the Olympics, now I have to switch up my whole plans. But my plan is to still train to qualify for the Olympics.”

#With Virginia being one of the areas known for its racism in the United States, Pinder said he’s situated in the south in Norfolk, where the conditions are not as bad as it is in Richmond, which is about an hour away from him where all of the protests for Floyd are taking place.

#“I think it’s the right thing they are doing,” said Pinder about the protests being dubbed ‘Black Lives Matter.’ “Everything people are doing is a reaction. Everything happened because of the murder of George Floyd. But I stand with them in what they are doing. It’s long overdue.”

#Last year, Pinder experienced his final season at NSU, running a leg on the Spartans’ winning 4 x 400m relay team at the VMI Keydet Invitational and the third-place team at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

#He also clocked a season-best 400m time of 49.42 in a fourth-place finish at the JDL DMR Invitational; was ninth in the 400m at the MEAC Indoor Championships and ran on NSU’s third-place 4 x 400m and DMR (distance medley relay) teams at the conference indoor meet.

#During the outdoor season, Pinder also ran on NSU’s winning sprint medley relay and fourth-place 4 x 400 relay team at the Colonial Relays; placed eighth in the 400m and ninth in the 200m (PR, 21.62) at the Virginia Grand Prix (48.32); finished 10th in the 400m at the MEAC Outdoor Championships in a season-best time of 47.50 and also ran legs on the 4 x 100m (sixth place) and 4 x 400m (fourth place) at the conference outdoor meet.

#Pinder also performed for the Spartans during the 2017-18, 20-16-17 and 2015-16 indoor and outdoor seasons where he established a name for himself at NSU.

#During his tenure, Pinder produced lifetime achievements of 49.27 seconds in the 400m and 1:59.83 in the 800m indoors. Outdoors, he established personal best times of 22.36 in the 200m and 47.28 in the 400m to go along with 1:52 he ran in the 800m before he entered college.

#“When I came here, I was about 17 going on 18. I was so young,” Pinder said. “The adjustment here was pretty rough because that first year, the school had just come off a suspension by the NCAA and so everything was new, especially for those of us coming in.

#“I don’t think it was until my junior year that things finally started to click for me. I was able to make the adjustment. There were some injuries, but that comes with sports. I was able to survive and get through it year by year.”

#As for his academic pursuits, Pinder admitted that it was just as hard because there were some courses that were easy, compared to what he experienced at SAC and vice versa, there were some courses that were harder at NSU.

#“I had to realise that it was college,” he noted. “I had to really become more responsible. It wasn’t a problem. Once I got to know my professors and the American style of teaching, everything worked out for me. It was so much easier.”

#Prior to going to college, Pinder won the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools championships in the 400, 800, 1,500 and both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relay teams in his senior year for the Big Red Machine.

#That same year, while representing the Bahamas at the 2015 CARIFTA Games in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, Pinder captured the silver medal in the under-20 boys’ 800m.

#The year before, Pinder won the BAISS title in the 800 and 4 x 400m relay; was the national champion in the 400 and 800 and ran as a member of the under-18 boys’ silver medal 4 x 400m relay team that included Kinard Rolle, Samson Colebrook and Henry Delauze at CARIFTA in Fort-de-France, Martinique.

#Now that he’s done with college, Pinder said his aim is to make his first senior national team and although the Olympics is the biggest stage of all, he’s confident that with the right training in Norfolk, he can achieve that goal. “Everything was going good with my college coach before everything shut down,” Pinder said. “We’re just waiting for everything to start back up again so that we can resume our training.”

#And like he did at CARIFTA, the top junior regional competition, Pinder hopes that he can carry the Bahamian colours in the 400m and as a member of the men’s 4 x 400 relay team. He admits there will be a lot of pressure competing against world champion Steven Gardiner for a spot on the team. “I feel like it’s wide open on the track. Outside of Stevie and Shaunae (Miller-Uibo on the women’s side), who are the most recognisable names, there’s a lot of room for a lot of our athletes who haven’t reached that pinnacle yet to get to that spotlight level that they’re on,” Pinder said.

#When it’s all said and done, Pinder is hoping that his name will be one of the next ones called.

Bahamian trio earn All-American DII honors

June 9, 2020

Simba French

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A pair of Bahamian hurdlers and a triple jumper earned their spots on the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Indoor All-America Honors List for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II (DII) track and field season in 2020.

The three Bahamian collegians are Denisha Cartwright, Shyrone Kemp and Jahmaal Wilson.

Considering the NCAA DII Indoor Championships was canceled due to the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USTFCCCA adopted a provision criteria. The criteria stated that for individual events, athletes must have been listed on the start lists for their respective events at the NCAAs. In the relay events, the four runners who produced the time for the championships would be approved for the All-America list. The alternates were left off.

The championships were slated for March 13-14 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.

Cartwright earned two honors for her performances in the 60 meters (m) hurdles and the 60m dash. It was a great start to the freshman’s collegiate career.

The Central State University Marauders athlete finished with a season’s best time of 8.49 seconds in the 60m hurdles. She accomplished that in a win at the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Big Meet Invite in February. That time was also the fastest time in the NCAA DII in that event.

In the 60m dash, the former CARIFTA athlete was superb, running a season’s best time of 7.48 seconds at the same meet she ran her season’s best time in the hurdles.

Cartwright also earned the USTFCCCA South Region Athlete of the Year Award. She was on the verge of making history as the first Marauders female athlete to compete in multiple events at the NCAA DII Indoor Championships.

The former Temple Christian School athlete also had a personal and school best of 24.49 seconds in the 200m at the GVSU meet.

Kemp was instrumental for the Minnesota State University at Moorhead Dragons in the pit, qualifying for the championships in the triple jump event. The sophomore broke his school’s 43-year-old record in the triple jump, leaping a personal best 15.17 meters (m) – 49’ 9-1/4” – to be ranked at number nine in the NCAA DII. He recorded that distance at the South Dakota State University Indoor Classic back in February. The Grand Bahamian finished first in that event at that meet.

Before being named an All-American, Kemp was the Dragons’ Male Newcomer of the Year for the impact he had on the program this past season. Kemp was busy during the season, also taking part in the 60m dash, the high jump and the long jump. His season’s best in the long jump was 7.15m (23’ 5-1/2”), which was done at the Northern Sun Indoor Track and Field Championships in February. He had a season’s best leap of 2.09m (6’ 10-1/4”) in the high jump at that same meet. On the track, he ran his only 60m race in 7.25 seconds at the Beaver Invite Meet in January. He false-started his other 60m race in December 2019.

Kemp has represented The Bahamas quite a few times as a junior athlete.

Wilson, a freshman at the West Texas A&M, received the honor for the 60m hurdles. His season’s best time of a speedy 8.02 seconds was done at the New Mexico Team Open in early February to finish fifth. That time was also ranked at number 16 in NCAA DII competition.

At the Lone Star Conference Championships, Wilson finished sixth in the final with a time of 8.26 seconds, after running 8.11 seconds in the preliminaries.

The freshman has been performing at a high level. He also ran the 60m this past season, and his season’s best was 6.95 seconds, which was done at the 2020 Power 5 Meet in January. He finished first in that event.

The trio had a great year and will look to return stronger next year after having their seasons shortened due to the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 716 honors were handed out to student-athletes from 117 institutions.

Kentucky Returning To Bahamas In 2016 To Play Arizona State

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

#THE University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is slated to play Arizona State University in a regular season game in Nassau on November 28, 2016.

#The game will be played in the 3,800-seat Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, the site of the yearly Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

#The game against the Sun Devils will mark Kentucky’s return to the Bahamas after a successful “Big Blue Bahamas” six-game foreign tour by the Wildcats in the capital last summer.

#“We are thrilled to return to the Bahamas in 2016 to play Arizona State,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. “The Bahamas brings back a lot of good memories for our team. It was there we built the foundation for our unforgettable 2014-15 season. I have a ton of respect for coach Bobby Hurley and believe he’s going to take Arizona State to the next level. A great opponent coupled with a beautiful setting after the holiday weekend should make this an unbelievable trip for our fans.”

#“We look forward to a great matchup with Kentucky in a place where Arizona State has never played next November,” said Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley. “It is important for our programme to play high-level competition early in the season while at the same time gaining exposure for our players. It will be another great learning experience for our team in a place that is becoming popular in the college basketball world with regards to early-season games. The list of teams playing in Atlantis increases every year, and we are glad to be part of it.”

#Kentucky leads the all-time series between the schools 3-0. This season, UK will host ASU on December 12 in Lexington’s Rupp Arena.

#Last season, the Wildcats became the first team in NCAA history to begin a season 38-0 before falling in the NCAA Final Four national semi-final game to Wisconsin.

#Calipari became the third coach in history to take his school to four Final Fours in a five-season span, and the Wildcats head coach will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September as a member of the Class of 2015.

#Hurley was named the Sun Devils head coach in April after two seasons at Buffalo, where the Bulls were 42-20, despite playing 29 road games.

#In 2014-15, Hurley led Buffalo to a school-record-tying 23 victories, the Bulls’ first Mid-American Conference title and first NCAA Tournament berth.

#The Sun Devils were 18-16 last season and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

#“Having Kentucky play a regular-season game at the Atlantis, especially against a quality non-conference opponent such as Arizona State, is another tremendous opportunity for the Bahamas to play host to more great college basketball,” said Lea Miller, president of Complete Sports Management.

#“We were proud to bring Kentucky to Nassau for their foreign tour last summer. The quality of the Wildcats’ experience during the tour led them to consider a return to the Bahamas, and we are thrilled to have this game occur in November 2016.”