(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

(Courtesy Ron Besser/GoArgos.com)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The West Florida women’s soccer team moved up one spot to No. 6 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/HendrickCars.com national poll released on Tuesday.  After winning a third straight Gulf South Conference title over the weekend, the Argonauts will begin their quest for the NCAA Division II national title on Sunday, Nov. 14.

Saint Rose stayed undefeated at 21-0 and held onto the top spot in the national poll, followed by Central Missouri at No. 2.  After winning the Sunshine State Conference title, Tampa moved up to No. 17, and the Spartans will play their first round game at UWF on Friday against North Alabama.  After losing to Tampa in the quarterfinals of the SSC Tournament, Rollins fell out of the national poll but will still start the NCAA Tournament as the top seed in the region.

Senior Shakira Duncan (Kingston, Jamaica/Darton), the GSC Player of the Year and GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, leads NCAA Division II in goals (1.5) and points (3.55) per game.  The reigning Daktronics National Player of the Year is trying to repeat as the national scoring champion, a feat that has happened twice in the last 10 years (Missy Gregg of Christian Brothers in 2001-02, Katy Tafler of Grand Valley State in 2006-07).

UWF will receive a first round bye in the NCAA Tournament, and on Sunday the Argonauts will face the winner of Friday’s Tampa vs. North Alabama game.  The first round game between UT and UNA will be at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12, with the winner advancing to play UWF on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m.

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

Chico State had wrested the lead away from Florida Southern on Thursday, but one day later, the Moccasins grabbed it back. Only one stroke separated the two teams going into the final round, and the Mocs made up the difference right away and never surrendered the lead once they had it. Matt Stauch had a lot to do with that, as the senior birdied two of his first three holes and added another one on #6 that put him at three-under for the round. The Mocs also got a birdie from Jude Eustaquio on his first hole that officially put them ahead to stay.

Stauch continued to carry the Mocs the rest of the day, and it was fitting that his birdie putt on 18 was the final punch that allowed Florida Southern to celebrate its 12th national championship overall, the fifth under current head coach Doug Gordin, and their first since 2000. No other team has won more than six national championships at the Division II level.

Florida Southern was never far from first place at any point in the tournament, but Nova Southeastern and Chico State each had their day at the top of the standings. In the end, the Sharks really weren’t a factor, and the Mocs’ final round score of 307 was enough to widen the gap between them and Chico State. Central Missouri made it interesting though, with three eagles on the back nine that got them within five strokes; but the Mules finished ahead of Florida Southern and could only watch as the Moccasins did what they had to do.

The Mocs ended up having to count 81’s from both Eustaqio and Peter Creighton, but Chico State had a pair of 80’s to nearly balance it out. It was the first time all week Florida Southern counted a score over 80, and only the second time Chico State had to do it. Still, Creighton made his presence felt earlier with back-to-back rounds of 75 to start the tournament, and Eustaqio picked the Mocs up with a 72 in round two before his one-under par on the back nine Wednesday helped keep the Mocs within striking distance at the end of round three.

Where the Mocs really made up ground on Friday was with Shelton Smith and Stauch. Smith shot a two-over par 74 and Stauch finished with a 71. That was a total of 11 strokes better than Chico State’s top two counters and dead even with the top two from Central Missouri, which also had to count an 80.

The Moccasins didn’t count Danny Evelyn’s 82, but like Eustaqio and Creighton, Evelyn was part of the reason Florida Southern was even within striking distance going into Friday. His 73 on Thursday was the Mocs’ best score of the day and helped keep them within one shot of the lead.

The final round was historic before it ever began. Due to impending thunderstorms in the afternoon, the Division II Men’s Golf Committee utilized the administrative cut option under NCAA guidelines, and trimmed the field from 20 teams to 15, giving them a better chance of completing a full round. Also making the cut were the top seven golfers not on one of the 15 remaining teams, and tee times were adjusted to ensure an earlier finish.

It was the first time on record the NCAA was forced to use that option, and put schools like Florida Southern in a dangerous position. If the final round was not completed in its entirety, the score would revert back to the end of the third round, and Chico State would be crowned national champion.

Fortunately for the Moccasins, that didn’t happen. The round was completed, though higher winds than the first three days certainly played a role in Friday’s scores. Florida Southern, Chico State, Nova Southeastern and Western New Mexico, four of the top five teams entering the final round, all had their highest scores of the tournament.

Gordin’s assessment of the course early in the week proved to be correct too, as he called it one of the most difficult he’s seen in Division II golf. It was the first time since 1995 the national champion had a final score over 1,200. Florida Southern finished with a 4-day total of 1,206.

While Central Missouri was seven shots behind and Chico State eight back, defending national champion Sonoma State was in fourth place with a 10-stroke deficit. Barry, which had been ranked #1 in the country entering the finals, finished fifth with a margin of 12 strokes, and Nova Southeastern was sixth, 20 strokes behind Florida Southern.

The individual champion was individual qualifier Cyril Bouniol of Abilene Christian who was the only golfer in the field to break par. Holding on to his lead from Thursday, Bouniol shot a three-under 285 for the tournament, six strokes better than Justin Yoder of Central Missouri. Florida Southern’s Matt Stauch was third with a 293, trailing the Bouniol by eight shots.

Shelton Smith was tied for eighth with a 299, Jude Eustaquio tied for 30th with a 310, and both Danny Evelyn and Peter Creighton tied for 41st with scores of 312.

– Courtesy Florida Southern Athletics

The Jaguars climbed to No. 1 Tuesday in the 14th NABC/Coaches Poll of the 2009-10 season, according to a release from the NABC national office in Kansas City, Mo.

In their sixth season under head coach Dip Metress, the Jaguars wrapped up the 2009-10 regular season on Saturday, Feb. 27 with an 82-55 Senior Night victory over Lander. They extended their home winning streak to 28 straight and have now won 24 or more games in each of the last four seasons.

ASU (25-2) hosts Armstrong Atlantic State (12-15) in the quarterfinals of the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m., in Christenberry Fieldhouse. The winner advances to Saturday’s 6:00 p.m., tourney semifinal at USC Aiken’s Convocation Center.

The No. 1 ranking matches the highest in school history for any of ASU’s 11 varsity sports. The Jags originally earned the top spot in the national rankings – the first in the program’s 45 years of existence — on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The ranking also marked the first time in the Peach Belt Conference’s 20-year history that a men’s basketball team has been ranked No. 1 in the nation.

ASU has now cracked the top five of the national rankings 17 times under head coach Dip Metress. The Jags have appeared in the top 25 for a school-record 49 consecutive weeks, dating back to the 2006-07 campaign. The Jags have been ranked in the top 20 for 38 consecutive weeks and have appeared among the nation’s top 10 in 31 of the last 33 polls.

ASU is one of two Peach Belt Conference members to appear in the national rankings. Georgia College & State moved up from No. 17 to No. 14.

NABC/Coaches Poll
(as of Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010)
					Record  Pts.  Pvs.
1.  AUGUSTA STATE (4)			25-2 	194 	3
2.  Arkansas Tech (4) 			26-1 	187 	1
3.  Kentucky Wesleyan 			28-3 	179 	4
4.  Central Missouri 			25-2 	177 	2
5.  Indiana (Pa.) 			25-2 	170 	6
6.  Midwestern State (Texas) 		25-2 	163 	7
7.  Valdosta State (Ga.) 		24-3 	152 	8
8.  Minnesota State 			24-3 	142 	5
9.  Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 		22-3 	136 	9
10. West Liberty (W.Va.) 		25-1 	127 	12
11. Southern Indiana 			24-3 	124 	10
12. Florida Southern 			24-3 	115 	11
13. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 		22-5 	107 	15
14. Georgia College & State 		22-4 	91 	17
15. Augustana (S.D.) 			22-5 	80 	19
16. Stonehill (Mass.) 			23-4 	75 	18
17. Rollins (Fla.) 			22-5 	63 	13
18. West Virginia State 		24-3 	53 	21
19. Bentley (Mass.) 			22-5 	43 	14
20. Clark Atlanta (Ga.) 		22-5 	42 	20
21. Western Washington 			24-5 	40 	24
22. Drury (Mo.) 			23-5 	33 	22
23. Mesa State (Colo.) 			22-4 	31 	23
24. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 		22-5 	29 	16
25. Central Oklahoma 			22-5 	15 	NR

Dropped out: Kutztown (25)
Others receiving votes: Metropolitan State (Colo.) 11, Bellarmine (Ky.) 6, Mount Olive (N.C.) 5, St.
Augustine’s (N.C.) 5, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 4, Kutztown (Pa.) 1.
*Records are through games of Feb. 28, 2010; previous ranking is from Feb. 23 poll.

--Courtesy ASU Athletics

The Jennies will head into regional play ranked fourth in the latest AVCA D-II Coaches Poll, and are 32-4 after capturing their first MIAA championship since 2000, and first stand alone title since 1999. The 32 wins is the most for UCM since 1996.

–Courtesy UCM Athletics

Atlantic Region
Hosted by California University of Pennsylvania, California, Pennsylvania – November 19-21
No. 1 California (Pennsylvania) (32-4) vs. No. 8 Chowan (27-8)
No. 2 Lock Haven (31-5) vs. No. 7 Mercyhurst (18-11)
No. 3 Clarion (24-8) vs. No. 6 Edinboro (22-12)
No. 4 Gannon (22-9) vs. No. 5 Wheeling Jesuit (32-5)

Central Region
Hosted by Concordia University, St. Paul, St. Paul, Minnesota – November 19-21
No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul (31-0) vs. No. 8 Colorado School of Mines (21-9)
No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State (25-7) vs. No. 7 Metropolitan State (24-6)
No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney (31-2) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (22-8)
No. 4 Wayne State Nebraska (28-7) vs. No. 5 Minnesota State Mankato (25-6)

East Region
Hosted by Dowling College, Oakdale, New York – November 19-21
No. 1 Dowling (26-6) vs. No. 8 Georgian Court (26-9)
No. 2 New Haven (24-5) vs. No. 7 Pace (17-11)
No. 3 Bridgeport (31-6) vs. No. 6 Massachusetts-Lowell (22-9)
No. 4 Adelphi (27-9) vs. No. 5 Bentley (17-12)

Midwest Region
Hosted by University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana – November 19-21
No. 1 Indianapolis (32-1) vs. No. 8 Michigan Tech (14-14)
No. 2 Lewis (27-4) vs. No. 7 Ferris State (18-11)
No. 3 Saginaw Valley State (21-9) vs. No. 6 Grand Valley State (16-12)
No. 4 Northern Michigan (18-11) vs. No. 5 Hillsdale (23-7)

South Region
Hosted by University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida – November 19-21
No. 1 Tampa (28-2) vs. No. 8 Albany State (Georgia) (20-7)
No. 2 Saint Leo (27-3) vs. No. 7 North Alabama (18-13)
No. 3 West Florida (19-12) vs. No. 6 Lynn (20-11)
No. 4 Eckerd (18-11) vs. Nova Southeastern (19-10)

South Central Region
Hosted by University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri – November 19-21
No. 1 Central Missouri (32-4) vs. No. 8 Dallas Baptist (20-16)
No. 2 Washburn (32-4) vs. No. 7 Nebraska-Omaha (20-13)
No. 3 West Texas A&M (31-3) vs. No. 6 Truman (24-12)
No. 4 Emporia State (29-5) vs. No. 5 Pittsburg State (24-10)

Southeast Region
Hosted by Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina – November 20-22
No. 1 Wingate (34-1) vs. No. 8 Tusculum (17-14)
No. 2 Flagler (30-8) vs. No. 7 Lees-McRae (28-5)
No. 3 Armstrong Atlantic State (25-8) vs. No. 6 Lincoln Memorial (21-9)
No. 4 Carson-Newman (22-9) vs. No. 5 Catawba (17-11)

West Region
Hosted by California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California – November 19-21
No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (28-1) vs. No. 8 Seattle Pacific (16-11)
No. 2 UC San Diego (28-2) vs. No. 7 San Francisco State (20-10)
No. 3 Sonoma State (22-7) vs. No. 6 Cal State L.A. (21-8)
No. 4 Hawaii Hilo (25-1) vs. No. 5 Alaska Anchorage (22-6)

FULL RELEASE

–Courtesy NCAA

The Jennies (24-3, 10-1) out-hit UNO (17-6, 7-3) in the first game, .306 to .175. It was a closely played game with eight ties and five lead changes. UCM went on a 5-1 run to win the set 25-18, orchestrated by setter Caitlin Pankratz’s back-to-back kills and two assists.

Central spotted the Mavericks a 4-0 lead to begin the second set. Piontek’s squad committed only three attacking errors in the set, five fewer than the Mavericks. The Jens also managed five blocks compared to one for UNO. With the score 19-18 Jens, a Paula Harris kill would lead them to another late run (5-0) to win 25-18.

The next Jennies lead would not come until the first point of the fourth set. Defensively they allowed Nebraska-Omaha to hit .333 and .300 in the third and fourth sets respectively, also allowing a match-high 16 kills in each. Nebraska-Omaha would control the pace of the game until midway through the fourth set when the Jens tied the score 10-10. Despite the improved play, the Mavs tied the match 2-2.

The Jens attacked an efficient .348 while holding the lead through the entire deciding set. A crowd rousing solo block by Harris put the Jens up 10-6. Despite two UNO timeouts, UCM continued to score forcing the Mavericks to side-out each time they won the serve.

Huffman led the team in kills (19) on her way to her eighth double-double of the season adding 16 digs. Rachel Fister totaled 35 digs, leading the team, while Kelsey Ortwerth pitched in 14. Pankratz also had a double-double in assists (50), and digs (10). Fister also led the way with three service aces.

–Courtesy UCM Athletics

REGIONAL RANKINGS

Quote from Grand Valley State Athletics Director Tim Selgo:

“While we’re very proud of all the competitive success of all our student-athletes, we’re proud of them in other ways as well. This past semester, 59.6 percent of our student-athletes achieved a three-point grade point average or better and have accumulated a total of 3,200 community service hours. Our competitive success is due in large part to the outstanding conference we compete in. In this year’s Directors’ Cup standings, four our conference members finished in the top 20.”

Minnesota State-Mankato, Central Missouri, Abilene Christian and Indianapolis rounded out the Top 5.

–Courtesy NACDA.com

With the 2009 NCAA Championship title, Nebraska has captured five national titles (three NCAA and two IBC) since the program was elevated to varsity status in the 1997-98 season.

Junior Cassandra Leuthold, anchor for the NU team, was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2009 Championships.

The Huskers are no strangers to Central, as the two teams met in both 2004 and 2005 at the NCAA finals. NU prevailed in both years for its first two NCAA Championship titles.

Nebraska commanded the lead early in the first game with a 200-185 win over Central. However, NU left several open frames in the second game and fell, 198-149, to the Jennies. The Huskers picked up momentum again in the third game with a 201-168 win over UCM.

In the fourth game, freshmen Danielle van der Meer and Valerie Calberry came out strong in the eighth and ninth frames with two strikes in a row, setting Central Missouri down 31 pins as Leuthold entered the 10th frame. The Huskers defeated UCM in the fourth, 201-177, and led Central 3-1 heading into the fifth game.

The Huskers came out swinging in the fifth game, as sophomore Katie Ann Sopp rolled her third strike in five frames. Van der Meer and Calberry earned two more strikes for the Huskers in the third and fourth frames. Nebraska held tight to the momentum and defeated UCM, 190-135, in game five for the title.

–Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Top-ranked Findlay moved one step closer to a record-setting season in NCAA Division II annals via a 67-65 Elite Eight semifinal victory against Central Missouri tonight at the MassMutual Center. The Oilers (35-0) now have a chance to become the first 36-0 club and only the fourth team to ever capture a national championship with an unblemished record. The last time that occurred was in 1996 when Fort Hays State (KS) finished 34-0.

Findlay will now meet Cal Poly Pomona (25-7) in Saturday’s title game. CBS Sports will air the contest live, which is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 pm. The Broncos advanced with a 74-70 victory against Augusta State in tonight’s other semifinal.

This one did come easy. The Oilers led for only one minute up until the 7:15 mark of the second half, but Central Missouri (30-5) turned the ball over and missed a shot in the final 30 seconds to allow Findlay to hang on for the victory.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Findlay Athletics

Cal Poly Pomona Defeats Augusta State, Advances To First NCAA Final Ever

Students watch the Broncos defeat Augusta State 70 in the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II basketball tournament.

For the first time in Cal Poly Pomona history, the men’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Division II championship game after a thrilling 74-70 victory over Augusta State on Thursday. The Broncos (25-7) will play in the finals on Saturday, March 28, against the winner of the Findlay-Central Missouri State game.

The game will be televised at a viewing party in the Bronco Student Center’s Ursa Minor Suite. The game will also be broadcast on CBS Channel 2. Tip-off is at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time).