(Courtesy ACUSports.com)

TURLOCK, Calif. – For the better part of four years, the ACU Wildcats have leaned on a core group of veterans to lead their team and win championships.

And just as they did in March at the NCAA Division II indoor national championship meet in Albuquerque, N.M., the Wildcats’ “Fab Four” delivered again Saturday at the outdoor championship meet, scoring 60 points between them – including 37 on the final day to deliver yet another team national championship in the long and illustrious history of ACU track and field.

The quartet of seniors Desmond Jackson, Ramon Sparks and Amos Sang and redshirt junior Nick Jones came in together, and except for Jones, they go out with two national championships in their fourth and final season together.

The Wildcats finished with 68 points to top runner-up Adam State (Colo.) by 13 points, while third-place Lincoln (Mo.) finished with 51 points.  On the women’s side, ACU posted its worst-ever finish at the national meet, finishing with just eight points to finish in a tie for 29th place, the first time ACU has ever finished out of the top six at the national outdoor championship meet.

But Saturday’s meet was all about the ACU men and what the Wildcats’ four cornerstones were able to accomplish.  Jackson, Sparks, Sang and Jones have been the catalysts for the Wildcats all season, and Saturday was no different.

Read More: ACUSports.com

(Courtesy ACU Athletics)

ABILENE – The No. 2 ACU Wildcats will open their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships on Saturday hosting No. 8 Central Missouri at Shotwell Stadium. ACU opens the second round of the NCAA Playoffs finishing an 11-0 regular season and Lone Star Conference Championship the second under head coach Chris Thomsen.

The Wildcats (11-0) will host Central Missouri (10-2) who is coming off a first round NCAA Playoff victory over West Texas A&M in Warrensburg, Missouri, 55-35. Both teams will meet for the first time ever on Saturday as the MIAA runner-up Mules will make the trip to Abilene for a 12 p.m. kickoff.

ACU is making their fifth straight appearance in the post-season and looking for their second trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals. The last quarterfinals win for the Wildcats came in 2008 after ACU took an epic 93-68 second round win over West Texas A&M in Abilene. The Wildcats fell in the quarterfinal match up with Northwest Missouri, 45-36 also the last time ACU entered the post-season as the No. 1 seed in Super Region 4.

Read More: ACU Athletics

However, the Wildcats will start with the potentially equally-strong MIAA foe when they visit Washburn.  This game will set the tone for the season while two dates stand out on the calendar.  The first is a trip to LSC opponent Texas A&M – Kingsville in week five before taking on rival West Texas A&M in Canyon in the tenth week.

The team will be led on offense by All-Region & All-LCS South selections FB Justin Andrews and OL Royland Tubbs.  The defense will be led by returning All-Region & All-LSC South stand-out DE Aston Whiteside and All-Region second team selections LB Fred Thompson (All-LSC South second team) and Kevin Washington (All-LSC South first team).

D2 Sports Network predicts the ACU Wildcats will finish the season 10-3 in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.

The Falcons ran away with the men’s competition on the third day, outscoring second-place challenger Abilene Christian 82 to 62. Central Missouri finished third with 38 points.

The Falcons won their 31st NCAA crown overall behind Josh Scott, who won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. Scott also anchored the winning 4×400 relay team and ran on the winning 4×100 squad.

Scott’s time of 45.11 seconds in the 400 is the 10th fastest in Division II history, and the 4×400 team’s time of 3:04.95 was the fastest in Division II this season. It was about two seconds faster than second-place Angelo State.

“This is second greatest achievement in my life,” said Scott, a junior from Winter Haven, Fla., says about his big day. “I can’t describe how happy I feel. Determination was the key to my success. There is no better way to go out.”

The Falcons started the day with five points but victories by Scott and Jason Boyd in the men’s 110 hurdles pushed the Falcons ahead by a comfortable margin about midway through the day. Boyd was the only runner in the 110 to cross the finish line in under 14 seconds (13.99), and Steve Simeus was seventh.

The Falcons sealed the victory in 200 when Scott finished first and teammates Richard Boone and Antonio Abney placed fourth and seventh, respectively. Abney also was fifth in the 400.

“The kids were on point,” legendary head coach George Williams said. “Everything was just so smooth. We didn’t give up anything. I got good performance from all my kids. You don’t win championships with one guy, you win championships with everybody.”

The Falcons set the tone earlier in the day in a near flawless performance in the 4×100 relay. The foursome of Scott, Boyd, Boone and Sean Stuart won easily in 39.75 seconds, the only time in the event under 40 seconds.

After Boyd and Scott both won their respective events, Boone (Fifth Place) and Stuart (Eighth Place) scored in the 100-meter dash to extend the Falcons’ lead to 13 points after 14 events. The Falcons finished strong with Scott winning the 200, and the 4×400 team including Scott, Boyd, Abney and Kelly Fisher racing to victory.

The Falcons also gained help from their jumpers. Christopher Copeland placed second in the high jump after facing Virginia State’s Hoova Taylor in a jump-off. Orolando Duffus was eighth in the triple jump after finishing fourth Thursday in the long jump. The combination of the sprinters and jumpers added up to another championship for Coach Williams and the Falcons.

In the women’s events, Barbara Pierre finished second in the 200 in 23.23 and Angelique Smith was seventh in the 400 in 55.17. The 4×400 relay team consisting of Pierre, Smith, Kyra Mobley and Sheena Johns placed third in 3:40.25, and the 4×100 team of Keisha Parris, Pierre, Smith and Johns was fourth in 45.53. The Lady Falcons placed 11th with 21 points in the women’s standings.

The national crown caps a marvelous athletic season for Saint Augustine’s College. The Falcons won seven CIAA championships, seven CIAA highest grade point average awards and the CIAA’s All-Sports Men’s Trophy for best men’s athletic program this season.

– Courtesy SAC Athletics

It’s the second year in a row that Northwest has avenged a season-opening loss against Abilene Christian by beating the Wildcats in the postseason. It was also a bittersweet win for the Bearcat seniors, who improved to 27-1 at Bearcat Stadium. The lone loss was to the Wildcats last season.

Council capped the opening drive of the game with an 8-yard touchdown run. He had three rushing scores on the day and hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bolles in the fourth quarter. Council carried 17 times for 87 yards.

The Wildcats answered with a 29-yard field goal by Morgan Lineberry on their first possession and had third-and-goal from the 1 on their second. Quarterback Mitchell Gale tried to extend the football across the goal line on a sneak, but Northwest linebacker Willie Horn knocked the ball loose and the Bearcats recovered.

Northwest seized the momentum from that play and never gave it back. Two series later, Bolles broke a career-long 71-yard touchdown run that gave the Bearcats a 14-3 lead, which they took into halftime.

Wildcat running back Reggie Brown fumbled on the opening carry of the third quarter and Northwest recovered. Council scored from 1-yard out three plays later and the lead was 21-3. It was 35-3 before Abilene Christian tacked on a late score.

Abilene Christian entered Saturday’s game with the top run defense in the nation, but surrendered a season-high 168 yards to Northwest. It also allowed a season high for points. Northwest outgained Abilene Christian 397-288.

Both teams combined for seven turnovers. The Bearcats sacked Gale six times and recovered three Wildcat fumbles. Bolles threw a career-high three interceptions and lost another possession on a fumbled snap from center. He finished 15-of-20 for 229 yards and a touchdown in his first postseason start.

Northwest wide out Jake Soy caught seven passes for 141 yards – his seventh 100-yard effort this season. Edmund Gates caught eight passes for 102 yards for Abilene Christian.

–Courtesy Northwest Missouri State Athletics

Division II – Second Round

SCOREBOARD:

Super Regional 1

#9 West Liberty 84, Edinboro 63

#22 California (PA) 26, #17 Shippensburg 21

Super Regional 2

#5 North Alabama 41, #21 Arkansas Tech 28

#10 Carson-Newman 56, West Alabama 41

Super Regional 3

#3 Grand Valley State 44, #15 Hillsdale 27

#4 Minnesota-Duluth 42, #6 Nebraska-Kearney 7

Super Regional 4

#1 Central Washington 27, #12 Tarleton State 6

#2 Northwest Missouri State 35, #18 Abilene Christian 10

UWA is now 8-4 on the season and was one of three #6 seeds to win in the playoffs Saturday.  #18 Abilene Christian (9-3) and #15 Hillsdale (10-2) also advanced.  They will travel next week to face #10 Carson-Newman (9-2) who is ranked #2 in SR2.  The winner will face the winner of #5 North Alabama vs. #21 Arkansas Tech.

BRACKET

D2 SCOREBOARD

First Round – NCAA Playoffs

SR1:

#22 California (PA) 42, Fayetteville State 13

Edinboro 31, East Stroudsburg 16

SR2:

#21 Arkansas Tech 41, #11 UNC-Pembroke 13

West Alabama 24, #20 Albany State 22

SR3:

#6 Nebraska-Kearney 35, #16 Saginaw Valley State 20

#15 Hillsdale 27, #8 Minnesota State-Mankato 24 [OT]

SR4:

#18 Abilene Christian 24, #7 Midwestern State 21

#12 Tarleton State 57, #13 Texas A&M-Kingsville 56 [OT]

The Wildcats (7-1 overall, 5-1 in the Lone Star Conference and 2-1 in the LSC South Division) were playing as the No. 1 team in NCAA Divison II for the first time since moving from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 1981.  The Buffaloes improved to 3-5 overall, 3-3 in the LSC and 2-2 in the LSC South.

ACU hadn’t lost a game in the regular season since a 41-31 loss to the Buffs on Oct. 20, 2007.  West Texas A&M, in fact, has beaten ACU in Abilene in each of its last three regular-season trips to Abilene, and all three of them were on ACU Homecoming.

ACU held a shaky 14-12 lead at halftime, but saw that lead disappear with 5:05 left in the third quarter when running back Flemming capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive when caught an 8-yard pass from Taylor Harris, giving the Buffs an 18-14 lead.

The Wildcats, however, answered quickly, moving 74 yards on 11 plays to regain the lead at 21-18 when Daryl Richardson scored from four yards out.

After the ACU defense forced a punt, the Wildcat offense went back to work trying to put the game away.  Instead, on third-and-18 from his own 27, redshirt freshman quarterback  Mitchell Gale was intercepted by Caleb Randolph, who returned the ball to the ACU 29.

Flemming handled the ball on the first and last plays of the drive as he capped the drive with a 4-yard run to give the Buffs a 25-21 lead with 7:49 to play.

The Wildcats then went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Buffs, who had their own chance to put the game away.

And the Buffs, unlike the Wildcats, delivered.

Taking over on their own 23 with 6:08 to play, the Buffs went after the ACU defense as Harris completed passes of eight and nine yards to Flemming and Brittan Golden, respectively, on the first two plays.  Flemming then ripped off runs of 34 and 11 yards to mmove the ball to the ACU 15 with 3:59 to play.

On third-and-4 from the ACU 9-yard line, Harris threw incomplete for Tyson Williams, but the play was nullified by a pass interference penalty on ACU’s DuMaurier Jordan, giving the Buffs a first-and-goal at the ACU 5-yard line.  Three plays later, Harris hit Flemming for a 6-yard score to make it a 32-21 game with 2:10 remaining.

The WT defense — which allowed 810 yards and 93 points to the Wildcats on the same Shotwell Stadium turf last November in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs — recorded three straight sacks of Gale on ACU’s final possession to put an end to the game and ACU’s stint atop the NCAA Division II poll.

Harris finished 34 of 48 for 358 yards and two scores, whle Flemming ran for 72 yards and two scores and caught eight passes for 101 yards and two more touchdowns.

Richardson ran for 101 yards and two scores to lead all ballcarriers in the game.

–Courtesy ACU Athletics

TOP 25 SCOREBOARD:

West Texas A&M 32, #1 Abilene Christian 21

#2 North Alabama 34, Delta State 24 (Thursday)

#3 Central Wash 23, Western Oregon 21

#4 Bloomsburg 28, Cheyney 6

#5 Northwest Missouri State 45, Emporia State 12

#6 Minnesota State -Mankato 59, MSU-Moorhead 14

#22 Midwestern State 38, #7 Texas A&M-Kingsville 7

#8 Grand Valley State 38, #18 Findlay 13

#9 Minn-Duluth 31, St Cloud State 7

#10 Albany State 32, Clark-Atlanta 29 (OT)

#11 Charleston (WV) 34, North Greenville 7

California (PA) 38, #12 Edinboro 14

#13 Tarleton State 30, East New Mexico 20

#15 Missouri Western 36, #14 Central Missouri 21

#16 Nebraska-Kearney 65, West New Mexico 30

#20 Washburn 55, Pittsburg State 3

#21 West Liberty 31, Shepherd 30

Hillsdale 28, #23 Northern Michigan 17

#24 Wayne State (NE) 48, Winona State 25

#25 Carson-Newman 17, Lenoir-Rhyne 13

• First NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 2006.

• First unbeaten regular season since 1950 in 2008.

• First outright Lone Star Conference championship since 1973 in 2008.

• First Harlon Hill Award winner from ACU in 2008.

On Monday he added a new accomplishment to the list when the Wildcats ascended to the nation’s No. 1 ranking.

The Wildcats moved from No. 2 in the nation to No. 1 in Monday’s American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) poll after a 38-14 win over then-No. 23 Angelo State on Saturday and previous No. 1 Grand Valley State’s 27-24 upset loss against previously unranked Hillsdale (Mich.).

The 7-0 Wildcats claimed the No. 1 spot in the land with 621 votes, including 23 first-place votes.  Unbeaten North Alabama moved up one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 after a 50-3 win over North Greenville (S.C.) last Thursday.  The Lions picked up two first-place votes and 600 total points.

ACU is the first Lone Star Conference team to ever be ranked No. 1 in the nation by the AFCA and only the third LSC team to ever be voted No. 1 in the NCAA Division II poll, joining Central Oklahoma (last three regular-season polls of 1998) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (last two regular-season polls of 1996).  The AFCA didn’t begin publishing a poll until 2000.

Prior to Monday’s No. 1 ranking by the AFCA, the last time the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the nation in football was Sept. 20, 1978, when they were the nation’s top-ranked NAIA Division I football team.  ACU was ranked No. 1 at the end of the 1973 and 1977 seasons when the Wildcats won NAIA Division I national championships.  The Wildcats were also ranked No. 1 on Aug. 28, 1978, and Sept. 20, 1978.

FULL STORY

--Courtesy ACU Athletics