The 2002-03 athletic year was quite an interesting year for the Southern University athletic program. The winner of 24 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships, the program was highlighted by Jaguar athletes who showcased their talent throughout the country and the world.
SU even has a new sport: soccer. Due to Title IX mandates, soccer has kicked in the door at Southern and head coach Naraine is set to make a statement.
The SUBR administration and the athletic department is spearheading a massive $22.5 million renovation and expansion project for the facilities that are to be completed by 2004.
The renovations of A.W. Mumford are coming along, including the new drainage, irrigation system and new turf for the football field. According to Chancellor Edward Jackson, the F.G. Clark Activity Center is ready and all that is needed is the fire marshal’s inspection.
“Progress is good,” said Jackson. “The building is essentially ready and we could know by Wednesday if we can hold spring commencement.”
The expansion of the newly erected Lee-Hines Field is progressing to the second of the three phrases proposed.
Here is total wrap-up of the 2002-03 sports program. As you will see, the Jaguar Nation and the rest of the world will see what Southern University has in store.
BASEBALL
With a 42-5 overall record and 28-1 conference record this year, head coach Roger Cador’s squad has won the championship 11 of the past 15 years and is ready to defend their crown.
Solid pitching has been an issue of the Jags all season, but senior pitcher Dewon Day has been waiting for this moment all year and the Jackson State University transfer with the 2.10 earned run average is ready.
Arguably, it would be unfair to mention the Jags without mentioning the sensational play of junior Rickie Weeks. The second baseman has a .511 batting average, a .978 slugging percentage with 12 homers and has stolen 21 bases without being tagged out once.
“Rickie is just phenomenal,” said Cador. “He is a talented kid…he does what he has to do and that is play-and he plays hard and smart…We are surely going to miss such a talented player when he leaves.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Faced with their second straight 20-loss season, the Jags went 9-20 last season and not only did they have a losing season, but they also lost a coach when Ben Jobe officially retired earlier this year.
On Monday, SUBR Chancellor Edward Jackson recommended Central State University head coach Michael Grant take the helm of the team. Over six years, Grant’s record is 102-84 and his Marauders finished last season at 17-15.
“I am very excited about coming to Southern and I thank the chancellor and (SU Athletic Director) Floyd Kerr,” said Grant. “I appreciate them having enough confidence in me to select and recommend me to the board.”
Not to be forgotten is the fact that sophomore forwards Peter Cipriano, Jerrid Campbell and guard Tim Johnson will be returning.
Cipriano averaged 8.9 rebounds per game; Campbell averaged 8 rebounds per game and Johnson averaged 11.8 points per game.
With the signing of two recruits and a recommendation of a new coach, the Jags should be on a road to recovery.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Southern University Lady Jaguar basketball team continued to establish themselves as a strong contender in the SWAC conference, by ending the season 17-8 overall and 13-5 in conference action.
The Lady Jaguars finished their run with a 62-50 loss to Alcorn State University in the first round of the SWAC tournament.
This was also the final season for seniors Ruth Buck, Angela Bullock, Tremesha Colbert, Felicia Gray, Cherise Sims, and Tommie Walden. Four of these six seniors were starters for third year coach Sandy Pugh.
Increasing height along with quickness appears to be what Pugh is looking for in establishing next year’s women’s squad. With the signing 6-5 Fredreika Lewis of Beaumont, Texas and two 6-3 players in LaToya James of Seale, Ala., and Sade Rhodes of New Orleans, the Lady Jaguars are filling their roster with talent.
Pugh also signed 5-10 Talesha Dokes.
“She is exactly what we need to offset the big bodies, she gives us flexibility,” said Pugh in an Advocate interview. “I love 5-10, 5-11 athletes. They create so many problems with their quickness and size.”
BOWLING
The Lady Jags bowling team, under the coaching of Karen Couvillion, won the 2003 SWAC Championships and finished the season with a perfect record of 10-0.
The team dominated the 2003 All-SWAC Team with six bowlers and after the championships, won a berth in the IBC Sectionals. The Lady Jags were ranked 24th in the nation going into the tourney and ended with a fifth place finish.
The team is going to see most of its bowlers return, including junior Leigh Buickerood. Buickerood dominated the All-SWAC list with a 194. bowling average and four bowlers joined her on the First Team. Buickerood and three other bowlers received All-American honors also.
FOOTBALL
Head coach Pete Richardson is heading into his tenth year as the leader of a Jaguar squad that overcame multiple injuries last season to avert a losing season, and defeated Grambling State University in the 2002 State Farm Bayou Classic.
The Jaguars ended the season 6-6 and some of their quality senior players including wide receiver Michael Hayes (who signed with the New England Patriots as a free-agent) and running back Victor Ike.
However, the Jags gained a plethora of new energy on the team, including 19 signees, a volunteer running backs coach and a new linebacker coach.
GOLF (MEN/WOMEN)
This year SU Women’s Golf team won the SWAC Championships to defeat defending champs Jackson State, unseating the Tigers after JSU had retained the championship for 16 years.
“I am excited that the entire team is returning next year and we definitely want to repeat the goal as conference champs,” said, Willie Williams, men’s head coach and women’s coach.
The team has won eight out of nine tournaments this year and last week they won the National Women Collegiate on April 24-27 in Atlanta.
Freshman Brittany Brian was excited to win the championship at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Atlanta where she began playing Golf as a kid and is currently employed.
The men’s golf team placed sixth overall in the SWAC championship. The team will lose senior standouts Brian Njoroge who placed second in the conference championship and Peter Ndungu also.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Although the program has started off with only four scholarships, newly appointed soccer coach Rohan Naraine has 18 players listed on his preliminary roster and has plenty of plans for Southern’s newest team.
The new season will start in August and Naraine expects to play every team in the SWAC at least once and two other schools on the East Coast.
“I am truly excited about this,” said Naraine. “Everyone I meet is showing support and these girls will be able to say that they made history. I plan on Southern being an top soccer school in the near future.”
SOFTBALL
Since its inception seven years ago, the Southern University softball team (37-109 overall) has claimed one Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship (1999) and according to head coach Nancy Marshall, she is optimistic about her program.
The team finished this season 14-6 in the conference and 16-14 overall. Their second place finish earned them a berth in this year’s SWAC Tourney, which will be held at Lady Jaguar Field starting today.
TENNIS (MEN/WOMEN)
The Southern University men’s and women’s tennis team achieved another successful season by winning the SWAC championship and earning an automatic bid the NCAA Regional playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Head coach Jeff Conyers was named SWAC Coach of the Year for both teams.
In a season that started out very slowly for both teams, Southern was able to achieve success despite their overall record.
The men earned a record of 11-15 overall, but finished 9-0 in conference, while the women’s team finished 13-12 and 9-0 in conference.
“We are better players than our record shows,” said sophomore Kelli Nabors in describing their SWAC championship victory. ” We came out on top.”
Both teams have players making significant impacts, including Ariana Marshall, Tania Hicks, David Ensignia and Alex Hildalgo. Conyers names these four as a few players to watch on both sides.
With the majority of both teams returning, it is likely the Jaguars will lose some players to academic eligibility.
TRACK & FIELD (CROSS-COUNTRY, INDOOR, OUTDOOR)
Southern University’s cross-country team is striving hard to become a strongly recognized sport.
Often times you can see the team’s continuous effort to improve just by walking around. These are the young men and women seen running steadily across campus and sometimes over “The Hump.”
In a season where the men’s team held on to the title of SWAC champs, the Jaguars received strong performances from Darnell Parker, Charles Moon, and Clary Reed, all of who finished the championship meet in the top ten.
The women’s team finished fifth in the meet, but was able to see some glimpses of hope with strong finishes from Rayala Hunt and Erikka Thomas.
The indoor track and field teams finished their respective seasons in bittersweet fashion.
The men’s team was able to defend the title of SWAC champs, while the women persevered to a final placing of fourth
The men’s dominance in the meet was proof of how strong the team has been all season especially in field events.
Senior long jumper Brian Johnson added another mark for Southern in the NCAA Indoor Championship as he set a NCAA record and recorded the third longest jump in the world of 27 feet 2 inches.
Johnson will be a key loss to head men and women’s track coach Johnny Thomas.
The women’s team despite their fourth place finishing was quite impressive in their end of season performance.
The men and women’s outdoor track and field season is far from over.
The Jags are coming fresh off of victories in the Davenport-Milburn Pelican State Relays.
The Lady Jags won first place by scoring 48, while the men’s team tied for first with Grambling State with a score of 53.
This weekend both Jaguar teams will travel to Mississippi Valley State to begin competition in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship
The outdoor event should be a follow-up to the Jaguars’ performance in indoor competition, an outing that led Southern’s men team to repeat as SWAC champions.
VOLLEYBALL
Throughout the 2002 volleyball season, junior player of the year Mayumi Takeuchi led Southern University women’s team to a second place ranking in the western division of the SWAC.
Takeuchi was named SWAC Player of the Week twice and also named to the first team All-SWAC team. In 24 matches, she averaged 7.1 kills a game, 4.71 digs a match with 1.92 blocks a game.
The Lady Jaguars ended the season with a record of 14-16 during the regular season and 6-2 in Conference. The Lady Jags will lose senior first team All-SWAC Kashana Bridges this year with hopes of returning next year to capture the SWAC trophy from Alabama A&M.
