Bulldogs Football Receives CIAA Honors for Win Against Virginia Union

HAMPTON, Va. - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the conference Sports Information Directors have released the Week 7 Player / Coach of the Week honors and the Bulldogs are represented by Christopher Townsend, Mario Diaz-Aviles and Head Coach Damon Wilson.

Townsend led the Bulldogs in tackles for the fourth straight game, racking up a game-high 11 (which included 2.5 TFL's) vs. Virginia Union and intercepted one pass, returning it for a 39-yard touchdown and was voted CIAA Linebacker of the Week. Diaz-Aviles, the CIAA Special Teams Player of the Week, was 2-for-2 in PATs against Virginia Union and was also a perfect 2-for-2 in field goals which included the game winning 41-yard FG to defeat the Virginia Union Panthers. Wilson and the Bulldogs knocked off the (then) co-division leading Panthers of Virginia Union 20-17 in overtime by a score of 20-17 and was named CIAA Coach of the Week.

The Bulldogs travel to The Lincoln University on Saturday (November 1st). Game time is 1 pm in Lincoln Stadium.CLICK HERE to follow the game via live stats.

Curtis Pumphrey Named BOXTOROW National Player of the Week

FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. - Bowie State defensive back Curtis Pumphrey has been named the MELD-App BOXTOROW National Player of the Week. Pumphrey, a redshirt-junior from Laurel, Md., recorded seven tackles, two interceptions, a pass breakup and a forced fumble in the Bulldogs 20-17 overtime victory over Virginia Union.

Pumphrey is featured on boxtorow.com as the MELD-App BOXTOROW National Player of the Week and will also appear as a guest on the national sports talk show FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW with Donal Ware.

FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW airs on 38 radio stations around the country including WHUR 96.3 HD2, Saturdays 8-9 a.m. and on SiriusXM Channel 142 Saturdays 12 - 1 p.m. ET. For a list of radio stations that carry the show go to http://www.boxtorow.com/affiliates.php

FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW airs in markets such as Washington, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands/Puerto Rico, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Austin, Raleigh, Hampton Roads, VA, New Orleans, Nashville, and Greensboro, NC to name a few.

FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW has been on the air since August 20, 2005.

Bowie State Suffers 3-1 Volleyball Setback to Virginia Union on Senior Night

BOWIE, Md. (October 27, 2014) - Bowie State University volleyball started strong but faded fast, suffering a 3-1 Senior Night setback to Virginia Union University. The loss sets the Lady Bulldogs overall season record at 6-20 overall, 3-12 on the conference and 1-8 in the division.

After the Lady Bulldogs captured a 25-22 first set win, the Lady Panthers regrouped to win three straight by scores of 25-17, 25-12 and 25-14 to earn the divisional win and sweep the season series on Monday evening.

Junior Yaje Ngundam (Bowie, Md.) and sophomore India Mason (New Orleans, La.) paced Bowie State with nine and eight kills respectively. Ngundam tallied a team-high 15 digs and redshirt junior Marissa Martinez (Albuquerque, N.M.) added 14 digs. Sophomore Amy Harvey (Laurel, Md.) recorded a team-high 23 assists.

Virginia Union (10-14, 9-5 CIAA, 5-3 North) was led by Kristin Madison (Fayetteville, N.C.) with a match-high 18 kills while Ellie Parsons picked up a match-high 23 digs for the Lady Panthers. Esha Atkins (Killeen, Texas) and Chelsea Beaudoin (Upper Marlboro, Md.) recorded 11 and 10 digs respectively. Atkins also paced both teams with a match-high 29 assists.

The Lady Bulldogs will be idle until they host Cheyney University at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 4^th in Bowie State’s A.C. Jordan Arena.

Lady Bulldogs Place Third at Hampton Road Collegiate Invitational

NORFOLK, Va. - The Bowie State University bowling team competed in the Hampton Roads Collegiate Invitational on Saturday and Sunday with the Lady Bulldogs finishing third overall out of the six teams competing in the tournament. Saturday featured a traditional team scoring format while Baker play took place on Sunday. RESULTS ATTACHED

Host Norfolk State University won the invitational after turning in a perfect 10-0 record over the course of two days.  Elizabeth City State University finished in second place with a 6-4 record while Bowie State University, also 6-4, finished in third place after total pinfall and Baker play.

Morgan State University took home fourth place with a 4-6 record on the weekend while Howard University finished fifth with a 3-7 mark.  Chowan University finished 1-9 over the course of two days to earn a sixth place finish.

Sophomore Sierra Davis (Dayton, Ohio) paced the Lady Bulldogs with a 177.75 average after knocking down 711 pinson Saturday.  Senior Shayla Lightfoot (Henrico, Va.) had a total pinfall count of 876 in five matches for a 175.20 average.  Junior Keyandra Bankston (Ft. Belvoir, Va.) followed with a 174.60 average and 873 total pins. Junior Ashley Wade (Richmond, Va.) competed for the Lady Bulldogs as well and tallied pins for a 147.00 average. 

Senior Ambrianna Bankston and freshman Makyra Bankston also competed over the weekend for the Lady Bulldogs averaging 143.00 and 128.00 respectively in four games each.

Norfolk State edged Bowie State (880-865) in the Lady Bulldogs first match of the weekend. The Lady Bulldogs responded with back-to-back wins over Chowan (832-600) and Morgan State (812-773) in traditional scoring matches. Elizabeth City State and Howard topped Bowie State in the final two traditional matches, beating the Lady Bulldogs 854-777 and 778-722 respectively.

The Lady Bulldogs recorded a 4-1 record in Sunday’s (10/26) Baker System matches, claiming wins over Elizabeth City State (1100-1062), Chowan (712-510), Howard (1011-933) and Morgan State (972-793). Bowie State’s lone Baker loss came against Norfolk State (1021-979).

Bowie State returns to action on November 7^th when they travel to Midlothian, Virginia to compete in the first CIAA Event of the season hosted by Virginia Union University. 

ECC Coaches Predict a Three-Peat for Bridgeport Men's Basketball

Coaches Predict a Three-Peat for Bridgeport Men's Basketball
Daemen's Beverly and Dowling's Davis Share Preseason Player of the Year Honor

Central Islip, N.Y. – The University of Bridgeport men’s basketball team has been selected by the coaches of the East Coast Conference to win their third straight ECC title during the 2014-15 season. The league’s coaches also selected Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili HS) of Daemen and Darien Davis (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood HS) of Dowling as the Co-Preseason Player of the Year.

After taking home a second straight ECC title and third in five seasons during the 2013-14 campaign, Bridgeport received five first place votes and 113 points to top the preseason poll. The Purple Knights received the top spot in the poll despite returning only one of their top seven scorers from last year's roster (Ernest Rouse - 8.6 points per game).

LIU Post is the runner up in the poll with 107 points and two first place votes. In stark contrast to Bridgeport, the Pioneers return all but one player from a roster that posted a 17-12 record a season ago.

Daemen finishes the top three with two first place and 88 points. The Wildcats were winners of the ECC Regular Season Championship in their debut season in the conference, but were ineligible to advance to the ECC Championship as NCAA Provisional Members. Despite their high perch in the poll, Daemen is still not eligible for ECC or NCAA post-season play once again this year, in their third and final season in the transition from being NAIA members to NCAA Division II.

Dowling, who was the top seed in last year's ECC Championship, and District of Columbia round out the first place vote recipients, with one apiece.

Beverly and Davis share the honor of Preseason Player of the Year after outstanding junior campaigns last season. Beverly, a First Team All-Conference selection and the conference's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, helped guide Daemen to the top spot in the league standings as a force in the paint. The 6-7 forward poured in 18.9 ppg on 57.3 percent shooting from the field and was the only player in the conference to average double digit rebounds, pulling down 10.0 per game. Beverly swatted away 111 shots to average 4.0 blocks per game, as well. Both totals rank in the top-five in ECC history for a single-season.

Davis was a dynamic scorer for the Golden Lions, averaging 20.9 ppg to become the first player to top the 20 point mark at Dowling since the 2001-02 season. Davis, who joined Beverly as a First Team All-Conference honoree and was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Second Team, shot 48.4 percent from the field. He also finished in the top 10 in the conference in field goals made (194), three-point field goal percentage (37.6), free throws made (133), steals (55), and steals per game (2.0).

2014-2015 ECC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Team                                       Pts.                      Last Year’s Record
1. Bridgeport (5)                        113                      18-11 (14-6 ECC)
2. LIU Post (2)                          107                      17-12 (12-8 ECC)
3. Daemen (2)                           88                        21-7 (17-3 ECC)
4. St. Thomas Aquinas              76                        15-14 (9-11 ECC)
5. Dowling (1)                           75                         22-7 (16-4 ECC)
6. Queens                                62                         9-18 (9-11 ECC)
7. Molloy                                  56                         17-13 (13-7 ECC)
8. NYIT                                    54                         10-16 (8-12 ECC)
9. District of Columbia (1)          42                          3-23 (1-19 ECC)
10. Roberts Wesleyan               37                         13-16 (8-12 ECC)
11. Mercy                                 16                          3-23 (3-17 ECC)

( ) - First Place Votes

Co-Preseason Player of the Year – Gerald Beverly, Daemen (6-7, Sr., F, Rochester, N.Y.)
Co-Preseason Player of the Year – Darien Davis, Dowling (6-3, Sr., G, Middle Island, N.Y.)

UDC Tops ECC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

UDC Tops ECC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
LIU Post's Williams Tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year

Central Islip, N.Y. – University of the District of Columbia, winners of last year's ECC Women's Basketball Championship, have been selected as favorites to do so once again in a vote by the conference's coaches. Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y./Copiague HS), a senior guard from LIU Post, was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year.

UDC finished last season with a 21-8 record on the way to winning the first ECC Championship in program history. They also made a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons since joining the ECC. The 2014-15 edition of the Firebirds has eight returning players on the roster, including All-Conference First Team picks Denikka Brent (Chesapeake, Va.) and Telisha Turner (Wilmington, Del.).

LIU Post finished narrowly behind UDC in the poll with four first place votes and 111 points. The Pioneers had near unprecedented success in 2013-14, winning an ECC Regular Season Championship and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first-time ever. Their win total of 24 was the second highest mark in program history, as well.

Queens College wraps up the top three with 89 points. The Knights, three years removed from a one win campaign, finished last season with 20 wins. NYIT, who comes in at fourth in the poll, received the final first place vote.

Williams receives the preseason honor after earning the ECC Player of the Year award last season. In 31 games, Williams ranked second in the ECC by pouring in 19.7 points per game and added 5.6 rebounds per game. She also finished in the top 10 in the ECC in three point field goals made (60), offensive rebounds (80), and steals (44). In addition, Williams put up historically good statistics by leading the ECC with 610 points and 228 free throws made. Her point total was the eighth highest single-season tally in ECC history while her free throw mark smashed the previous record of 210 set by Philadelphia University's Darlene Hildebrand during the 1994-95 season.

2014-2015 ECC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Team                                            Pts.                         Last Year’s Record
1. District of Columbia (6)               116                          21-8 (15-5 ECC)
2. LIU Post (4)                               111                          24-7 (18-2 ECC)
3. Queens                                      89                           20-8 (15-5 ECC)
4. NYIT (1)                                     85                           18-10 (13-7 ECC)
5. Roberts Wesleyan                      72                            15-14 (10-10 ECC)
6. Molloy                                        70                            14-14 (11-9 ECC)
7. St. Thomas Aquinas                    61                           12-13 (8-12 ECC)
8. Dowling                                      38                           10-16 (9-11 ECC)
9. Bridgeport                                   31                            7-19 (5-15 ECC)
10. Daemen                                    30                            8-18 (5-15 ECC)
11. Mercy                                       23                            2-24 (1-19 ECC)

( ) - First Place Votes

Preseason Player of the Year – Chelsea Williams, LIU Post (5-7, Sr., G, Copiague, N.Y.)

East Coast Conference Players of the Week

This week's East Coast Conference Player of the Week awards are listed below. More information is available in the weekly reports that are attached. 

Men's Soccer

Offensive Player of the Week: Jose Herrera, Dowling College (Sterling, Va./Park View HS)

Defensive Player of the Week: Chris Friedl, Dowling College (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Comsewogue HS)

Rookie of the Week: Liam Haycock, University of the District of Columbia (Stafford, England/Codsall Community HS)

Honor Roll: Ever Alvarez, University of the District of Columbia (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge Senior HS); Alberto Ruiz, NYIT (Zaragoa, Spain/Tersiano del Pilar)

Women's Soccer

Offensive Player of the Week: Bella Mitrevski, Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili HS)

Defensive Player of the Week: Lauren Bellone, LIU Post (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip HS)

Rookie of the Week: Vanessa Cordoba, NYIT (Bogota, Colombia/Colegio Panamericano)

Honor Roll: Sam Bernieri, Molloy College (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist HS); Kelly McQuail, Dowling College (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur HS);Susanne Vistnes, LIU Post (Randaberg, Norway/Wang Topidrett)

Volleyball

Player of the Week: Kendall Havener, Roberts Wesleyan College (Alpine, Calif./Granite Hills HS)

Setter of the Week: Kayla Dillman, Dowling College (Rochester, N.Y./Victor HS)

Rookie of the Week: Courtney Taylor, Roberts Wesleyan College (Spring, Texas/Klein HS)

Honor Roll: Sam Berna, Molloy College (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa HS); Kate Brock, NYIT (River Edge, N.J./River Dell HS); Sarah Rosa, University of Bridgeport (Itajuba, Brazil/Winthrop University);  Brenna White, Mercy College (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas HS)

Men's Cross Country

Runner of the Week: Vincent Vazquez, St. Thomas Aquinquinas College (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland HS)

Rookie of the Week: Asaad Jeffrey, St. Thomas Aquinas College (Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland HS)

Honor Roll: None

Women's Cross Country

Runner of the Week: Rachel Prutsman, Roberts Wesleyan College (Arcade, N.Y./Pioneer HS)

Rookie of the Week: Kristen Borriello, St. Thomas Aquinas College (Montgomery, N.Y./Valley Central HS)

Honor Roll: Alina Sotnikova, University of Bridgeport (Riga, Latvia)

Top 10 Immune Boosters for Cancer – and Other Diseases, Too

With millions of people sitting in harm’s way for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, people who fall prey often find themselves asking, “Why me?”

One reason is a weak immune system. The immune system declines with age, and many of us hurry things along with bad habits. But fortunately, a wide range of foods and supplements can bring your immunity roaring back. Here are the ten best we’ve come across in the nine years we’ve been at this. . .

Continued 

Bulldogs Upend Virginia Union 20-17 on Diaz-Aviles 41-Yard Overtime Field Goal

 

RICHMOND, Va. (October 25, 2014) – Bowie State University senior Mario Diaz-Aviles (Washington, D.C.) booted a 41 yard field goal in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a thrilling 20-17 victory over the Panthers of Virginia Union University. The win moves the Bowie State record to 3-5 overall (3-2 in the CIAA) while the Panthers record goes to 6-2 overall (4-1 in the CIAA).

Bulldogs graduate student Matthew Goggans (Pine Grove, Calif.) came off the bench to lead Bowie State’s offense with 110 passing yards, completing 12-of-34 and had one interception. Redshirt senior Keith Brown (Temple Hills, Md.) rushed for a game-high 49 yards and redshirt junior Kendall Jefferson (Temple Hills, Md.) added 32 rushing yards.

Junior Garry Cropper (Odenton, Md.) led Bowie State in reception yards with 49 on three receptions. Graduate student Christopher Townsend (Washington, D.C.) recorded a game-high 11 tackles for the Bulldogs while his brother Kevaugn Townsend (Fort Washington, Md.) tallied nine tackles.

Virginia Union’s third string quarterback Dane James came off the bench to pace the Panthers offense with 149 passing yards, completing 14-of-29 passes but was intercepted twice and sacked four times. The Panthers defense was led by Darrell Lamb’s nine total tackles followed by Dominique Roane and Charles Davis with eight each.

The Panthers scored the first points of the afternoon via a school record 51-yard field goal by Troy Krepich for the early 3-0 Virginia Union first quarter lead.

With 3:42 left in the second quarter, Bowie State redshirt junior Kendall Jefferson (Temple Hills, Md.) scampered around the left end for a two yard score. Diaz-Aviles added the extra point, giving the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead, capping off a 10-play, 35 yard drive.

VUU’s Panthers respond with a 38-yard Dane James to Jussie York pass and catch for six. Krepich converted the PAT to shift the advantage back over to Virginia Union at 10-7 with 2:20 left in second quarter and stayed that way into halftime. Yussie hauled in seven receptions for a game-high 103 yards and Lennworth Lennon had eight receptions for 93 yards.

Bowie State junior Curtis Pumphrey (Laurel, Md.) forced a Panthers fumble which was recovered by Christopher Townsend and returned 36 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown at the 11:55 mark of the third quarter. The Diaz-Aviles extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead.

Virginia Union’s Jerome Robinson busted up the middle for a 15-yard rushing touchdown and the Krepich point after made the score 17-14 at the 6:12 mark of the third.

The Bulldogs missed a huge scoring opportunity early in the fourth quarter when Bennett was intercepted in the Virginia Union end zone.  The Panthers pushed the ball down to the BSU 13 yard line but came away empty.

Bowie State’s Diaz-Aviles tied the game at 17-all at the 4:04 mark of the fourth quarter via a 27-yard field goal.

Both teams had opportunities in the final minutes of regulation but couldn’t score, sending the game into overtime. With four seconds remaining in regulation, Virginia Union’s Krepich could have been the hero, but missed a 37-yard field goal as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, Virginia Union went on offense first but saw their first two plays result into back-to-back sacks with the third play being an interception by Pumphrey, his second of the game.

Following Pumphrey’s pick, Bowie State got their first overtime opportunity with their first two plays netting a minus five yard. On third and 15 from the Panthers 30 yard line, Goggans scrambled and rushed for six yards to the VUU 24 yard line, setting up Diaz-Aviles for the game winning field goal.

The Bulldogs will play their final road contest of the season on a Saturday (November 1^st) traveling to The Lincoln University for a 1 pm

Bowie State 20 - Virginia Union 17 (OT) (FOOTBALL FINAL)

RICHMOND, Va. (October 25, 2014) - Bowie State University senior Mario Diaz-Aviles booted a 41 yard field goal in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a thrilling 20-17 victory over the Panthers of Virginia Union University. The win moves the Bowie State record to 3-5 overall (3-2 in the CIAA) while the Panthers record goes to 6-2 overall (4-1 in the CIAA).

Scoring Summary (Final)
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS 2014
Bowie State vs Virginia Union (Oct 25, 2014 at Richmond, VA)Bowie State (3-5,3-2) vs. Virginia Union (6-2,4-1)
Date: Oct 25, 2014 • Site: Richmond, VA  • Stadium: Hovey Field  •  Attendance: 7013

Score by Quarters	1	2	3	4	OT	Score
Bowie State	0	7	7	3	3	20
Virginia Union	3	7	7	0	0	17

SCORING SUMMARY				BSU -VUU
1st	08:54	VUU	KREPICH,Troy 50 yd field goal
			4 plays, 1 yard, TOP 1:21	0 - 3
2nd	03:42	BSU	JEFFERSON,Kendall 2 yd run (DIAZ-AVILES,Mario kick)
			10 plays, 35 yards, TOP 2:57	7 - 3
	02:20	VUU	YORK,Jussie 38 yd pass from JAMES,Dane (KREPICH,Troy kick)
			4 plays, 42 yards, TOP 1:11	7 - 10
3rd	11:55	BSU	TOWNSEND,Christopher 36 yd fumble recovery (DIAZ-AVILES,Mario kick)
				14 - 10
	06:12	VUU	ROBINSON,Jerome 15 yd run (KREPICH,Troy kick)
			4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 1:04	14 - 17
4th	04:04	BSU	DIAZ-AVILES,Mario 27 yd field goal
			13 plays, 62 yards, TOP 3:29	17 - 17
OT	15:00	BSU	DIAZ-AVILES,Mario 41 yd field goal
			4 plays, 1 yard, TOP 0:00	20 - 17

Kickoff time: 1:00 pm  • End of Game: 4:39 pm  • Total elapsed time: 3:39 Referee: R. Straughter  •  Umpire: Derek Hatten  •  Linesman: A. Randolph  •  Line judge: Sean Cherry  •  Back judge: Eric Monroe  •  Field judge: Steven Craig  •  Side judge: Chris Agers  •  Alternate: VUU Sports Info •  Temperature: 66  • Wind: WSW 3mph • Weather: Sunny