The Avery County Parks & Recreation is holding league basketball tournaments this week. There are a multitude of groups represented for both girls and boy's as they are broken up into second and third grade, fourth and fifth grade, and finally the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade group. Here is footage from the first and second round of the tournament over the weekend, as the season ended last week. The tournament will continue all this week with the finals set for this Saturday. Avery County Park and Recreation Director Robbie Willis and Athletics Supervisor Teddy Bare have done a tremendous job this season with Avery youth basketball as with all things they have done.
March 2010 Archives
ASU baseball welcomed Western Carolina to Smith Stadium over the weekend for a three-game set. The Mountaineers started the action on Friday, carrying an 18-game home winning streak into the game and finished Friday with a 19-game home winning streak after they beat the Catamounts 11-7 in front of 772 people, which was the second largest crowd in Smith Stadium history. Every member of ASU's starting lineup had at least one hit in the 16-hit barrage, as the Mountaineers torched a Western pitching staff that brought the SoCon's lowest ERA (4.08) and opponents' batting average (.244) into the weekend series. Appalachian fell into a 2-0 hole in the first inning on a two-out, two-run homer by Ollie Goulder but the Mountaineers notched the first of its three three-run innings in the second to take a 3-2 lead. Freshman Tyler Zup-sic provided the inning's big hit with a two-run single to left field. Western Carolina tied it at 3-3 with a single run in the fourth but Jerod Faggart gave ASU the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when he blasted a three-run homer to left center field that made it 6-3. The home run was Faggart's fourth in the past four games and his team-leading sixth of the season. The Catamounts cut the ASU lead to 6-5 in the top of the fifth but the Mountaineers answered with another three-run frame in the bottom of the stanza that made it 9-5. The clubs traded a pair of runs over the game's final four innings but WCU never cut the Appalachian advantage to less than three runs the rest of the way. Mountaineer starter Matt Andress battled through six innings to earn the win and move to 5-1 on the season. Andress surrendered six runs on 10 hits but struck out seven over 103 pitches to move into a tie for second on ASU's all-time wins list with the 22nd victory of his career.
Local citizens in Watauga County have been raising money for a local burn victim. Diana Miller has made a quilt that will be raffled off at a fund raiser on Saturday for burn victim Mike Greer. Raffle tickets for the quilt are $1 each or 6 for $5 and can be picked up at the PHM front gate, POA Office, the Blue Ridge Diner, the dumpster site on Jakes Mountain Road, or bought at the fund raiser. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn at 4:00 PM this Saturday.
The spaghetti dinner fund raiser will be held from Noon until 4:00 PM as well at the Stewart Simmons Volunteer Fire Department located on the left side of Jakes Mountain Road just past the County dumpster site and creek bridge. Suggested donation for the meal, which includes spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert and beverage is $6/person. Vegetarian spaghetti sauce will be available for non-meat eaters. The High Country Cloggers and Elvis will be performing at 3:00 PM, respectively to assist the fund raiser. If you would like to make a direct donation to Mike's medical expense fund, checks can be sent to Powder Horn Mountain POA at 1568 Powder Horn Mountain Road, Deep Gap, NC 28618.
Also, don't forget Mike's Hot Rod Car Show fund raiser at the Deep Gap Fire Department on Sunday, March 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Food, baked goods and t-shirts will be available for purchase. There will be live music by David Scott and the High Country Cloggers will be performing. If you have a hot rod or classic car you would like to enter into the show, please call 828-265-1999 to register, and have your car there by 1:30 PM. Mike's family would like to thank those of you who have already bought raffle tickets or sent donations. There is a chance that Mike will get to come home soon, but he still has a long healing and recovery process ahead of him. Please make sure to keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
The Watauga Pioneers Softball team took to the field in Boone Thursday evening after they had struggled to play a home game with the rough field conditions. The Watauga girl's won in convincing fashion too, 7-4 over West Forsyth. Watauga jumped out to an early 5-1 lead thanks in part to a Hannah Yates three-run home run in the first. Tori Wright pitched well for the Pioneers going seven innings and giving up three earned runs, five hits, and five walks. She didn't strike any Titans players out, but she did add an RBI double to help her cause as Watauga beat West Forsyth for their first win over the Titans. With the win, Watauga now improves to 2-3 on the year.
Well, the Mountaineers wrestling team didn't get the start they were seeking in the NCAA Championships Thursday in Omaha, as all three ASU wrestler's fell in the second round. That leaves just freshman Tony Gravely, who will wrestle in today's wrestle-back second round. Gravely won his first round match over Liberty's Jonathan Childress, but fell to Arizona State's Anthony Robles by a 17-0 technical fall in the second round. Gravely will face No. 7 seed James Nicholson of Old Dominion.
Dylan Temple dropped his second round match, 8-3, to Boise State's Matt Capperson, as he finishes his outstanding junior season with a 22-11 record, five pins and four major decisions. Redshirt sophomore Austin Trotman fell in the second round at 184 to Ohio State's Mike Pucillo, 4-1. Trotman, the SoCon Wrestler of the Year, ends the year at 23-6, with three pins and six major decisions.
The Lady Mountaineers decided to one up the men's basketball team as they picked up their first ever post-season win beating Charleston Southern 62-47 Thursday night in Charleston. After dominating the first period, the Black and Gold saw an 18 point first half advantage dwindle down to two, as Shay Jones drained two free throws to cut into ASU's lead as it was Appalachian that led just 45-43 with 6:45 remaining. However, freshman Ashlen Dewart continued to shine, as she hit a layup and nailed the ensuing free throw. Dewart was stellar the entire game, as that bucket provided a spark, and Appalachian outscored Charleston Southern 15-4 in the final six minutes en route to the win. Dewart was unstoppable in the low post, as she poured in a game-high 18 points, while also hauling in eight rebounds. The Apps now return to the High Country to host the second round of the WBI, as ASU welcomes Fairfield to the Holmes Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Watauga High School has been active in athletics lately as the Watauga varsity baseball team fell Wednesday night 4-3 to rival South Caldwell in 8 innings. The Pioneers return to action on Friday at home vs Fred T Foard. In boy's soccer, Watauga lost 14-5. Will Bridges and Bobby Romminger scored two goals, and Greg hardy added one goal. In boy's tennis, Watauga bounced Providence 5-4. Steve Lake, Mike Smith, and Davis Roberts all won singles matches to improve to 3-0 in conference and 5-1 overall.
The ASU baseball team scored four runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth to down visiting Columbia, 8-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Smith Stadium and extend the nation's longest home winning streak with its 18th straight win. Columbia jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead midway through the contest, but the Mountaineers erased the deficit with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by two-run singles from Wes Hobson and Jeremy Dowdy. Appalachian plated its other four runs in the very next inning to stretch the advantage to 8-3, as once again, Wes Hobson provided the big hit, this time blasting a two-run home run to right center field that capped ASU's scoring. After giving up a run in the seventh, Appalachian's Michael Brogan, Taylor Miller, and Chris Patterson combined to limit the Lions to just one hit over the final 2.1 innings of the ballgame. Freshman Ryne Frankoff surrendered just one run in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen to earn the win in his college debut. Hobson paced the Mountaineers' 13-hit offensive attack by going 3-for-5 with four RBI, raising his batting average to a team-leading .414. He is only 13 hits shy of matching the ASU career record of 260, set just last year by Isaac Harrow. Senior Jerod Faggart and freshmen Hector Crespo, Ryan Stetson, and Tyler Zupcic added two hits apiece for the Apps. Appalachian continues its six-game home-stand and resumes Southern Conference play this weekend when it hosts a three-game series versus arch-rival Western Carolina. Game times are set for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Smith Stadium.
The Lady Mountaineers women's basketball team returns to postseason play for the first time since 1999, and just sixth time in program history tonight when they open Women's Basketball Invitational play at Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. in the Buccaneers' CSU Fieldhouse. Appalachian earned a number one seed in the East Region, with Memphis earning the number one seed in the West. The Black and Gold, which opted to travel for its opening game, will head to Charleston, S.C. to battle Charleston Southern for only the third time in school history. In their last game, the Lady Apps suffered a 66-53 loss to the number two seeded Samford Bulldogs in the semi-finals of the SoCon Tournament. Sophomore point guard Chakeitha Weldon had a stellar outing, as she poured in a career and game-high 21 points, and Anna Freeman chipped in 12 points and six boards. For their efforts, both Weldon and Freeman were named second team all-Tournament. Charleston Southern meanwhile, posted a 17-13 overall and 9-7 Big South record during the 2009-10 season. The fourth-seeded Bucs were bounced from the first round of the Big South Tournament falling 52-44 to Coastal Carolina. CSU captured wins in six of its last nine games and is a stout 12-4 on its home floor this season. The Bucs lead the Big South in three-point field goals made, averaging 9.5 per game. Chalreston Southern, much like App, has a young team with just one senior as well. If the Mountaineers were to win tonight, ASU would return to Boone to take on the winner of the Fairfield/Towson game. The game would take place Sunday March 21 at 2 p.m. in the Holmes Center, and since the Apps are a number one seed in the WBI, ASU would host until the final contest, and then the team with the highest RPI would get to host the championship game.
The ASU men's basketball team recovered from a sluggish start to shoot a blistering 57 percent from the floor and top Harvard, 93-71, in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wednesday at the Holmes Center. Harvard scored the game's first eight points in just over a minute before the Mountaineers responded. ASU's starting five remained in the game for just over two minutes, before Coach Peterson, upset over the lack of execution, put five fresh reserves in the game at the 17:40 mark. The reserves pulled ASU to within three, but Harvard adjusted and extended its lead to as many as 12 points, before the Mountaineers battled back on the heels of a 25-7 run to take a 43-37 lead at the intermission. From there, Appalachian extended the lead to double figures and kept the advantage there for the game's final 13 minutes. The Crimson never pulled any closer than six points. Christian Webster led Harvard with 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench, including 6-for-6 on three point attempts. Donald Sims knocked down a first-half three-pointer to tie the school's single season scoring mark and went on to break it with a team-high 22 points in the game. Semi-automatic now has 702 points for the 2009-10 season. Kellen Brand scored eight points before the intermission and added the first six Mountaineer points of the second half for a total of 14 points, Josh Hunter added 13 points and five rebounds, and Marcus Wright added 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Andre Williamson also came off the bench to chip in 11 points and six boards and two nasty swats.
The win was ASU's 14th at home this season, setting a new Holmes Center wins record., and the squad's 23 wins on the season are tied for the second-most in program history, behind only the 2006-07 team's 25 victories. The Mountaineers look for their second NCAA Division I postseason win on Monday when they head north to Huntington, W. Va. to renew an old SoCon rivalry with Marshall in the quarterfinal round at 7 p.m. The Thundering Herd defeated Western Carolina on Tuesday in its first round game, 90-88. Marshall opened the season on a 15-2 tear and tied for third in Conference USA, but has cooled off at the end of the season. Appalachian has faced Marshall 49 times and trails 32-17 in the all-time series. The squads last met in 2005-06 in Boone, as the Herd won a 64-60 decision.
Well, as many Boone residents found out, the Harlem Globetrotters put on a great show. The greatest show on the road for the last 84 years, took Boone by storm when they played at the Holmes Convocation Center on Tuesday evening. The world famous Globetrotters, including Big Easy Lofton and North Carolina players Cobra Coley, Airport Greenup, Ant Atkinson, and El Gato Melendez dazzled a healthy crowd that was on hand to watch the spectacular show. In the end, the Globetrotters destroyed their arch nemesis the Washington Generals 94-59. Included in the festivities was one of Boone's own as well, as Adam Hicks, the News Director for High Country Radio, starred as a guest General and scored four points in his professional debut. The Globetrotters continue on with their 2010 "Magical Memories" world tour next to Greenville after coming off their most successful year in franchise history with a record-breaking 62 box office records and over two million fans. The Globetrotters will perform nearly 270 shows in over 200 cities in 44 states, the District of Columbia, five Canadian provinces, and Puerto Rico through the first week of May of this year. The Original Harlem Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining over 130 million fans.
The 8th Annual Boone Roundball Classic Basketball Tournament took place this past weekend. From March 12-14, 127 teams played 235 games with four states including: NC, TN, WV, and VA being represented in the basketball tournament. Out of all the competition and the chaos that was 235 games in three days, the Watauga Storm girls 16-under team won the championship, while the Watauga Storm 13-under girl's team finished runner-up, and the Ashe County Lightning finished runner-up in the 12-under girl's championship.
The Lady Mountaineers basketball team has a lot to look forward to with a postseason game on Thursday night at Charleston Southern, but they also have a lot to celebrate after Sam Ramirez was named the Southern Conference Player of the Month for the month of February this week. The player of the month honor is the first for Ramirez in her career and makes her just the second ASU player to win the monthly award since its inception in 2004-05. Ramirez scored in double figures in all nine contests during the month, as she averaged 17.8 points per game and shot a stout 42 percent from behind the arc. She twice eclipsed the 20-point mark, as she matched a career-high 23 points against Western Carolina on February 8 and then set a new career-high, pouring in 25 points to help lead ASU to the season sweep of College of Charleston. The lone upperclassmen for the Black and Gold was also named the SoCon Player of the Week back on February 9, and for her efforts throughout the season, she earned all-SoCon honors by the league's coaches and picked up second-team all-conference accolades by the league's media. After earning the number one seed in the Women's Basketball Invitational, Ramirez and the Apps will now travel to Charleston, S.C. to battle Charleston Southern at 7pm on Thursday in the opening round of WBI action.
Six former Appalachian State University football players auditioned for National Football League scouts on Tuesday during ASU's Pro Day activities. Headlined by Quarterback Armanti Edwards the group also included: Defensive tackle Malcolm Bennett, tight end Tim Frye, defensive back Cortez Gilbert, linebacker Jacque Roman and defensive tackle Anthony Williams. The group worked out for representatives of 10 NFL teams in attendance at the Appalachian Athletics Center, Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility and Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins were the NFL teams on hand to evaluate the former Mountaineers. In addition to the standard "combine" drills, Armanti Edwards participated in on-field activities at quarterback, wide receiver and punt returner during his first full workout for pro scouts. According to he and ASU director of strength and conditioning Mike Kent, Edwards ran the 40-yard dash in the range of 4.4 seconds, attained a 34.5-inch vertical jump and lifted 225 pounds 13 times. The various results compiled by the NFL teams in attendance for their respective organizations' scouting efforts are not available.
Avery High School's Sara Wiseman was selected to take part in the Annual Rhododendron Blue/White all-star basketball game held at TC Roberson High School in Skyland, NC, right outside of Asheville. Wiseman averaged 11.3 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 1.4 assists per game during her final season. She also averaged a double double of 11 ppg and 10 rpg during the state playoffs. She is the sixth Avery Lady Viking to participate in the event in the last five seasons,joining, Cherry Austin (MVP) in 2006, former teammates Kimberly Pitman and Brittney Burleson (2007), Kim Gragg (2008), and Katie Ellis last year. We want to thank Len Murhpy for giving us that story.
After watching the Mountaineer men's basketball team accept an invitation to the CIT, the Lady Mountaineers decided to extend their season by accepting an invitation to play in the Women's Basketball Invitational. The WBI, in its inaugural year, is a postseason tournament comprised of 16 teams, broken up into two regions with eight teams in each respective region. It is a single elimination tournament with the higher seeded team hosting each round. The opening round game will take place either March 18, with the next set of games scheduled to be played on March 20 or 21, third round games set to take place on March 24 or 25 and the championship scheduled for March 28 or 29. Appalachian's postseason bid marks just the sixth time in program history that the Black and Gold will play in a postseason tournament, having made four NCAA Tournament appearances and one WNIT Tournament appearance. The Apps' are 0-7 all-time in the postseason (three games were played in the 1986-87 WNIT). The Lady Apps will play at Charleston Southern, Thursday March 18 at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold earned the No. 1 seed in the East region of the bracket and will be facing the Buccaneers for only the third time in school history. The last time the two team's squared off was during the 1991-92 season when ASU grabbed a resounding 89-55 win. ASU is 2-0 all-time against Charleston Southern. If the Mountaineers win, they will take on the winner of No. 4 Towson against No. 5 Fairfield.
After playing its first 13 games of the season away from home, the Mountaineer baseball team opens a six-game home-stand at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium when it welcomes Columbia for a two-game mid-week series. Game times are set for 3 p.m. today and Wednesday. ASU sports a 16-game winning streak at their home ballpark, which is the longest in all of NCAA Division I. ASU has not lost at Smith Stadium since March 21, 2009 against the dirty birds, Georgia Southern. Despite playing nearly an entire month away from home, ASU jumped out to a 10-0 start and brings an 11-2 overall record into the home opener. The Apps unblemished record came to an end this past weekend at Georgia Southern when they dropped the first two games of their initial Southern Conference series of the season but they rebounded to win a 16-12 slug-fest in Sunday's series finale. Columbia (2-5) comes to town in the middle of a grueling stretch of 10 games in nine days as it canvasses Virginia and the Carolinas during its spring break. Historically, Columbia baseball has changed the landscape of American sports in two major ways. The program produced Lou Gehrig, who starred on the diamond for the Lions in the early 1920s before embarking on his Hall-of-Fame career with the New York Yankees. Additionally, Columbia's baseball contest versus Princeton on May 17, 1939, was the world's first televised sporting event.
Breaking news today has surfaced as Tiger Woods will return to golf at the Masters. The four-time Masters champ might do his first interview before the tournament and if not he will speak to reporters at the Masters. Woods has been out of golf since his Thanksgiving Day dispute with his wife and his much publicized extramarital affairs and sex rehabilitation.
Snow continues to wreak havoc on local high school athletics. Now that we look to be out of the "blizzard of 2010" area schools have had to deal with all of the snow melting accompanied with rain. Watauga High School's athletic events scheduled for Tuesday at Watauga have been moved to Hibriten High School due to poor field conditions because of the rain and melted snow. These include Baseball, Softball, and Soccer. Watauga will host Hibriten for these sports on Friday April 16. In addition to his, the Watauga @ South Caldwell Baseball games scheduled for Friday evening were also canceled due to poor field conditions and have been rescheduled for this Wed., and Friday men's Lacrosse game @ Hickory was canceled due to poor field conditions as well. However, men's golf @ Fred T. Foard is still on for today.
Avery High School's boys and girls basketball seasons came to an earlier than anticipated end this season, but that didn't stop the Vikings from raking in the post-season awards. On the girl's side, Seniors Lauren Avery 12.9 points/game, 6.2 rebounds/game, 2.4 steals/game, 3.3 assists/game, and Sara Wiseman 11.3 points/game, 8.6 rebounds/game, 1.7 steals/game, 1.4 assists/game garnered All-Conference recognition, in addition to junior Katelynn Eudy, who averaged 9.3 points/game, 8 rebounds/game, 2.2 steals/game, 1.8 assists/game during the regular season.
On the boy's end, the group was of course led by junior Dustin Clarke (23.1 points/game, 4.8 assists/game, 6.4 rebounds/game, 3 steals/game), senior Dylan Eppley (10.4 points/game, 5.9 rebounds/game, 1.8 assists/game), and junior Kody Hughes (8.7 points/game, 3.6 rebounds/game, 1.1 assists/game) represent Avery on this year's squad. In addition to the All-Conference nod, Dustin Clarke was also named the Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches and officials. Clarke again averaged 23.1 points, three steals, nearly five assists, and over six rebounds per game, and he was integral part of the Vikings' turnaround season in 2009-10 that witnessed the team's improvement from a three-win squad in '08-'09 to an 11-win team and state playoff qualifier this past season.
In addition to Clarke's award, Avery Vikings head men's basketball coach Bo Manis was named by his peers as the Western Highlands Conference Coach of the Year. Manis took over a squad with three wins in the season before his arrival and has won 14 games over the past two seasons. Manis' Vikings club qualified for the state playoffs and won a state playoff game for the first time since 2006. Both Clarke and Manis will be honored with awards during Avery's athletics banquet this spring. We want to thank Jamie Shell for providing us with that story.
The Lady Mountaineers basketball team was one of 33 winners in the NCAA Division I "Pack the House" Challenge the NCAA announced. "Pack the House" is a national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance. The NCAA Division I women's basketball marketing staffs selected a home game and designated that date as a "Pack the House" game with the goal of setting an attendance record. One winner from each of the 32 conferences and one from a group of independent institutions were named. The NCAA will award prizes and donate $500 to the nonprofit organization of each winning institution's choice. Appalachian State hosted 1,576 fans at its women's basketball game on January 23 against Davidson, one that saw the Black and Gold complete the season sweep of the Wildcats. The 1,576 Mountaineer faithful set a new Holmes Center attendance record for an ASU women's contest. ASU finished the 2009-10 campaign with a 19-12 overall record and 14-6 conference mark. The record is Appalachian's best since the 1995-96 season and the Mountaineers' first winning season since 2005-06.
On the heels of 22 wins and an appearance in the SoCon Tournament championship game, the Mountaineer men's basketball team has earned a bid to play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Mountaineers will host a first-round game on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. against Harvard in the Holmes Center. It is the fourth postseason appearance for Appalachian, as the squad played in the NCAA Tournament in 1979 and 2000, and most recently, in the 2006 National Invitational Tournament. The 16-team CIT is in its second year, as Old Dominion defeated Bradley to win the inaugural title in 2009. ASU has won 10 of its final 12 games on the season and currently sit at 22-12. The Crimson meanwhile are 21-7 and finished 10-4 in the Ivy League as they set record for most wins in program history, most conference wins, most home wins, and most road/neutral wins. it marks the first postseason tournament appearancefor Harvard since the 1945-1946 season. Both programs will be searching for their first ever postseason wins. The first round of games will be played March 16-18, followed by the quarterfinals on March 22. The semifinals are March 24-25 and the final is on March 30. The format for all rounds is single-elimination and all games will be on campus sites.
The Charlotte Bobcats may finally have the missing piece to the puzzle for a playoff run. The Bobcats signed Larry Hughes over the weekend to bolster a depleted back-court. Hughes was a first-round draft pick for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1998, where he played for Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown. He spent just one season at the University of St. Louis before becoming the eighth overall pick by the Sixers. He led the Billikens and Conference USA in scoring, set a school single-season scoring record with 670 points and was selected First Team All-Conference and Freshman of the Year. Hughes was recently waived by Sacramento on Feb. 23 after a trade from New York on Feb. 18. The 6-5 Hughes is in his 12th NBA season, with career averages of 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.2 minutes over 704 games with prior stops in Philadelphia, Golden State, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York. In 45 career playoff games (38 starts), the guard averaged 13.2 points with the Sixers, Wizards and Cavaliers. During Cleveland's run to the NBA Finals in 2006-07, Hughes averaged 14.9 points against eventual champion San Antonio. Hughes has averaged double-figure scoring in 10 of his 11 NBA seasons, including a career-best 22.0 points per game with the Wizards in 2004-05. In that same season, he led the league with 2.89 steals and was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. In 31 games (four starts) played with the Knicks this season, Hughes averaged 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.5 minutes. Hughes will wear jersey #0. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.
Mountaineer baseball puts its undefeated record on the line against a SoCon foe for the first time this weekend when it travels to defending SoCon Tournament champion Georgia Southern for a three-game series. Game times are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at J.I. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. Appalachian (10-0) is one of only six remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I and brings a No. 7 in the latest RPI into the three-game SoCon set. The Mountaineers are just 11-49 all-time versus Georgia Southern but managed their first-ever series victory at venerable Clements Stadium when they took 2-of-3 games from the Eagles in 2008. GSU returned the favor by taking 3-of-4 meetings last season, including 2-of-3 at ASU's Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium and a SoCon Tournament matchup in Greenville, S.C. ASU though, boasts the SoCon's lowest ERA (3.00), fewest doubles (9), home runs (4) and extra-base hits (14) allowed and is a perfect 6-of-6 in save opportunities. The Apps have not trailed after the fourth inning of any game this season. Georgia Southern has struggled to an uncharacteristic 6-7 record, despite playing 11 of its first 13 games at home.
For Mountaineer basketball fans, last weekend was quite the merry-go-round. After defeating the Citadel and the College of Charleston in the SoCon Tournament, the Mountaineers had one of their worst offensive games of the season as they fell to Wofford 56-51 in the SoCon Championship to finish within one win of making the NCAA Tournament. But a solid 22-12 season had given the men's basketball team and their fans a glimmer of hope for post-season play, specifically the NIT. According to numerous sources, Appalachian State has submitted a bid to the NIT to play host for a game at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte. Coach Buzz Peterson of the Mountaineers offered an idea to the NIT saying, "I'm trying to get those guys to think about North Carolina can't play in the Smith Center -- I think they're renovating or something -- so, hey, why don't we go to Bojangles Arena and play North Carolina and sell it out. I think that would be great." Even if the fantasy world match-up can't come true, ASU still has a great chance of making the CBI, or the College Insider Tournament to continue their season. Either way, Coach Peterson and the Mountaineers will be practicing on Saturday and obviously we all will find out where Appalachian has a chance of continuing their season by Monday.
Seats are on sale now for ASU football's 2009 Southern Conference championship banquet, which will be held on Saturday, April 10 at the Holmes Center. Tickets for the event are $75 per person ($50 of which is tax deductible). The event features a social hour, silent auction, dinner and recognition of the five-time-defending SoCon champions. The banquet begins at 4 p.m. with the social hour and silent auction. The auction will feature signed memorabilia from the 2009 championship campaign and an opportunity to travel with the Mountaineers to the 2010 regular-season finale at Florida, among other items. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., followed by the program which will feature head coach Jerry Moore being presented with his Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, a re-presentation of the 2009 Walter Payton Award to quarterback Armanti Edwards and the distribution of the Mountaineers' SoCon championship rings.
As the basketball season winds down, and March Madness begins, the ACC Tournament continues to roll on, with parity being the key once again. Thursday night marked the first night of action for the ACC squads as Boston College and Virginia got it started as Virginia knocked of the Eagles 68-62 to advance. In game number two, Wake Forest, after their impressive win over Clemson in the final regular season game, fell, badly, to Miami 83-62. Wake has now lost five of their last six after starting the season off 18-5 and in second place in the ACC. In game three, Georgia Tech knocked off reeling North Carolina 62-58. Tyler Zeller led UNC with 17 points and 10 bards, but Carolina couldn't find the range down the stretch as Will Graves air-balled a three-pointer in the final minute and UNC fell. The Tar Heels finish the season 16-16 and losers of two straight with an outside shot of making the NIT. Coach Roy Williams has told sources that if the Tar Heels are invited to the NIT, that they will participate in it however. In the final game of the night, NC State pulled off another shocker as they beat Clemson 59-57. The Wolfpack had a double-digit lead, but had to withstand a late Tiger rally to hold on for the win. Clemson, the only original ACC school not to win the ACC Tournament, fell to 16-57 in the event with 43 of those losses coming in its first game.
So it all shapes up like this, Duke plays Virginia today at 12, Virginia Tech plays Miami at 2pm, Maryland plays Georgia Tech at 7pm, and Florida State will play NC State at 9pm to round out the action for Friday.
For Carolina Panther fans, the last week or so has seemed like a fire-sale by the Panthers organization as numerous beloved athletes have been released, but one of those staying around could be the answer to many of the Panthers problems. Matt Moore has officially signed his one-year, $3.043 million tender with the Carolina Panthers, who have declared him the starting quarterback going into training camp. The 25-year-old Moore went 4-1 as a starter with eight touchdowns and two interceptions and a passer rating of 98.5 after Delhomme was sidelined with a broken finger at the end of last season. The Panthers placed the highest possible tender on Moore, meaning a team would have had to surrender first- and third-round draft picks to Carolina to sign the restricted free agent. 
Meanwhile, Moore's mentor and predecessor Jake Delhomme, met this week with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns confirmed the 35-year-old Delhomme spent time at the team's offices in Berea, Ohio. The club's interest in Delhomme seems to indicate a reluctance to hand the starting job back to Brady Quinn, who has struggled as a pro. It's not known if the Browns have offered Delhomme a contract. If he's signed by the club, he could serve as a mentor for Quinn or possibly take over as starter while Cleveland grooms another QB. The Browns currently have 11 draft picks, and it's possible they could use a high one on a college prospect. 
Delhomme went 58-40 in seven seasons as the Panthers' starter and led them to their only Super Bowl appearance. However, he threw 18 interceptions last season and was cut so the Panthers could trim payroll and promote Matt Moore to starter. Delhomme holds almost every Panthers team passing record, and after he was released last week, Delhomme broke down in tears as he said goodbye to Carolina fans. Delhomme will reportedly visit with New Orleans as well this weekend. The Saints are looking for someone to back up Drew Brees, and since Delhomme is from Louisiana and played with the Saints before his tenure with the Panthers, it could be a logical landing spot for him.
Keeping in line with just a few Carolina Panthers players who were released recently that you may want to keep track of, Rhys Lloyd, who handled kickoffs for the Panthers the past two seasons has signed with the Minnesota Vikings. The kickoff specialist led the NFL with 30 touchbacks in 2008 and had 21 touchbacks last year, tied for fourth-most in the league.
Watauga High School has had several programs in action lately. The varsity softball Lady Pioneers team beat Ashe County on Wednesday six to four as Watauga picked up their first win of the season to improve to 1-2. Tori Wright went the distance picking up the win and allowing three runs, while Kayla Kincaid went 2-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Today's golf match at Cedar Rock has been canceled due to inclement weather. The Pioneers boy's tennis team also picked up a win as they beat Hickory 9-0 on Wednesday to improve to a perfect 3-0 in conference and 4-1 overall. The Pioneer varsity baseball team unfortunately suffered a tough loss at the hands of A.C. Reynolds on Wednesday 5-4. Baker Stanley went 3-3 with two runs, Josh Wyant went 2-3 with one run, and Ryan Turner hit a double and had an RBI while pitching five innings of one run ball for Watauga. Watauga's scheduled golf match for today at Cedar Rock has been canceled due to inclement weather.
The Avery Lady Vikings soccer team showed Chase High School the exits as they ran past the Trojans for an 8-0 win in Forest City on Wednesday night. Avery scored in the first minute with Mary Chesnut Smith sending the ball through to forward Melinda Eggers who scored for her second goal of the season, as she also scored the first goal in the first game. In the 8th minute, Smith got her second assist in the game when Katelynn Eudy scored, off a throw-in by Smith. Just three minutes later Elyse Perry connected with Emily Banner who scored the third goal of the game. Twelve minutes later, Mary Chesnut Smith earned her third assist when she crossed the ball from the sideline to the face of the goal where Arden Stanley got her head on the ball to make the score 4-0. Avery tallied a fifth goal for the half in the 28th minute as Banner assisted Perry on a score. Chase struggled the entire half to even get the ball into Avery's defensive half of the field, managing to do so on only a couple of occasions despite Coach Tom Evaul experimenting with various combinations of players and trying the newer players out in a variety of positions. The second half began with a scare for the Chase fans as a strong shot by Smith took out the keeper. Perry was able to get to the loose ball and score for a 6-0 lead before the keeper recovered. She was aided off the field but did return later in the game. Seven minutes later in the 50th minute, Banner assisted Smith on the seventh goal of the game. Smith returned the favor in the 60th minute, assisting Banner for the eighth and final Avery goal of the evening. After the eighth goal, the coach took out most of the starters and those who stayed in played different positions. Junior net minder Mercedes Bentley earned her first career high school shutout, earning the clean sheet with a pair of saves. In all, Chase had only four shots on goal while Avery took 30. Avery returns to on Friday afternoon with a match in Miller's Creek against West Wilkes. I want to thank Jamie Shell of the Avery Journal times for that story.
The Lady Mountaineers golf team continued its spring success with a fourth-place finish at the Don Benbow Invitational this week. The Mountaineers finished with scores of 327-326=653 (+77). Freshman Yue Xu led the team for a second-straight tournament, scoring 79-78=157 (+13) in seventh place. Classmate Kristina Boo was right behind in a tie for 10th at 80-81=161 (+17). Brooke DeHart carded an 84-81=165 (+21) to tie for 19th and Rumbidzai Masamvu tied for 29th at 84-86=170 (+26). Kerri Dice placed 36th with rounds of 85-88=173 (+29). Mimi Burke competed individually and finished 21st at 82-84=166 (+22). Houston Baptist University claimed the team tournament title at 619 (+43) and Houston Baptist's Paige Gibson finished first at 76-77=153 (+9). Appalachian's season rolls on this weekend at the Low Country Intercollegiate at Hilton Head, S.C.'s Moss Creek course.
ASU men's golf was also in action at the Don Bebow Invitational this week as they fired rounds of 297-291=588 (+20) to finish fifth. Dustin Hudson led the Mountaineers with a fourth-place finish at 72-71=143 (+1). Casey Johnson and Jacob Eggers tied for 16th out of 85 golfers with final scores of 146 (+4). Johnson carded a 69 in the second round while Eggest led the Apps on Monday with an even-par 71. Jake Wiesehan shot a 77-76=153 (+11) to tie for 37th and Lance Wheeler tied for 62nd at 80-79=159 (+17). Laval won the tournament with a 573 (+5) and had the top finisher, as Mathieu Gingras finished at 135 (-6). Two Mountaineers competed independently in the event, as Josh Nichols tied for 16th with a 73-73=146 (+4) and Dre Harris was 76th at 78-86=164 (+22). The Apps compete this weekend at the Spring Fling Intercollegiate in Howey in the Hills, Fla., at the Mission Inn Golf Club, where the squad posted a third-place finish in the fall.
The ASU softball games scheduled for this week versus USC Upstate and Charlotte have been postponed due to inclement weather. ASU will now play Charlotte on April 6 at 4 p.m., and the Apps will play USC Upstate on May 6 at 3 p.m. Appalachian will open SoCon play at Samford with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The ASU baseball team also had to deal with inclement weather this week. Wednesday's baseball game between Appalachian and Auburn was canceled due to severe weather in the Auburn area. The undefeated Mountaineers were suppose to take on the 9-2 Tigers at 7:30 on Wednesday with a chance to go 11-0, but they will have to wait until this weekend. The 10-0 ASU baseball squad will open Southern Conference play at defending SoCon Tournament champion Georgia Southern. Game times for the three-game series are set for 7 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at J.I. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. Saturday's first pitch was moved from its original scheduled 2:30 p.m. to accommodate a regional television broadcast on Comcast Sports South.
For the Charlotte Bobcats and their fans, this season has to seem like a roller-coaster ride. The season started off a little rough, then the Bobcats went on a tear and rose to fifth place in the Eastern Conference and then the month of February hit and the Bobcats lost all momentum and stumbled to ninth place in the standing. Now the Bobcats are right where they want to be, in the thick of the playoff hunt after they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-87 on Wednesday night. Gerald Wallace scored 28 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field, Stephen Jackson added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the 'Cats won their fourth straight game to move into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with Toronto and Miami. Boris Diaw contributed 13 points for the Bobcats. Tyson Chandler scored 12, while D.J. Augustin and Tyrus Thomas had 10 apiece for Charlotte, which was 31 for 41 from the free throw line. Fans began leaving the arena and booing before the third quarter even ended as the Bobcats went up by as many as 29. Charlotte shot 59 percent from the field, including 5 for 8 from 3-point territory as the Bobcats improved to just 9-23 on the road and 32-31 overall.
The Cloudland Highlanders used an amazing second half run to beat the Hampton Bulldogs 69-60 on Thursday evening. The win officially makes the 'Landers the Region 1-A champs as they now advance to play at Harriman against the Blue Devils on Monday in the Sectional Contest. Congratulations guys!
Well, as I'm sure many people know the Avery Lady Vikings will be participating in the sectional championship to play Bishop McGuiness tonight at 8:30pm at UNC Greensboro's Fleming Gym. Bishop McGuinness is the four-time defending state 1A champions and they hold an 8-game winning streak in regional play. The Lady Villains are led by Megan Buckland who averages over 19 points, seven boards, four assists, and five steals per game. Avery meanwhile, comes in as the "underdog" at 24-3 after thrilling last second wins over Hiwassee Dam and Robbinsville. The Vikings are led by Lauren Avery and Sara Wiseman. Tickets for the game are $9 for adults and free for children ages five and under. MTN will be at the Avery-Bishop McGuinness contest and we will televise the game in its entirety on Sunday at 7pm. If Avery knocks off the Lady Villains then we will also cover the championship game and keep you updated as to when we will televise that as well.
Well, while Avery prepares for Bishop McGuiness, Mount Airy will be looking to knock off Western Highlands Conference regular season champs, the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers. Mount Airy enters the game at a stout 27-2 coming off double-digit wins over Albemarle and East Surry. The Lady Bears are led by Elise Chase who averages 14.5 points per game and 1.7 assists per game. Meanwhile, Mitchell comes into the contest at 23-4 with double-digit wins over Swain, Murphy, and East Wilkes. The Lady Mountaineers are led by Lakin Norris who averages over 23 points, four boards, and five steals per game. Mitchell and Mount Airy will tip-off at 7pm at UNC Greensboro's Fleming Gym.
A day after being named to the SoCon All-Conference team by the coaches, Donald Sims was named the Southern Conference Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year by the media this week. The league's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game, Sims scored in double figures in 30 of the Mountaineers' 31 games in the regular season. Heading into this weekend's tournament, he is the national leader in free throw percentage (95.0) and three-pointers made (102). The junior became the first Mountaineer to win SoCon Player of the Week honors three times in a season and joins Charles Payton(1981) and Tyson Patterson(2000) as the third student-athlete in program history to win player of the year honors. He is also just the third player in school history to score 600 points in a season and currently ranks second on ASU's single season list with 631 on the season. He is just one three-pointer shy of Appalachian's single-season record and 11 away from the career record. Sims' top performance of the season came at Davidson on January 9, when the guard set a Belk Arena record with 44 points on 13-of-19 shooting and a 13-of-13 mark at the charity stripe. Also in 2009-10, he became the 29th player in program history to score 1,000 points and finished the regular season ranked 13th with 1410 points through three seasons. The Mountaineers begin their second goal to become SoCon champs on Saturday at 7pm at Bojangles Coliseum against one of the Bulldog teams, either the Citadel or Samford. The Lady Apps, meanwhile, begin their journey on Saturday as well at 11:30am against the winner of the No. 6 Davidson and No. 11 Furman game.
Well for Carolina Panther fans, he was known as a hero and a goat, a winner and a crybaby, an underdog and an over-hyped quarterback. However you saw him, Jake Delhomme was the face of a roller-coaster ride the last seven seasons, and today the Carolina Panthers have sealed the bittersweet fate of number 17 as he was cut by the organization. This news comes just over a year after they gave him a lucrative contract extension only to watch him have his worst season as a pro. It signals that the Panthers intend to go with Matt Moore or someone new at quarterback for the first time since Delhomme burst onto the scene in 2003 and led Carolina to the Super Bowl. Despite committing six turnovers in a playoff loss to Arizona to end the 2008 season, Panthers GM Marty Hurney and coach John Fox were so committed to Delhomme they gave him a new deal in which he's still owed more than $12.5 million in guaranteed money. Delhomme had no legitimate competition in training camp, but then had a miserable 2009 season. After throwing a career-high 18 interceptions, Delhomme was sidelined with a broken finger. Moore came on and had eight touchdown passes and only two interceptions as Carolina won four of its final five games. The Panthers on Wednesday gave him the highest restricted free-agent tender of $3.043 million for one season. Now the 35-year-old Delhomme is out of work, ending his career in Carolina with a 58-40 record as a starter that included a trip to the Super Bowl and an appearance in the NFC championship game after the 2005 season. Delhomme holds almost every team passing record, but cutting him in a season without a salary cap will save some of the hit his contract will have in future years should the cap return.
The Panthers continued to stay busy this week, releasing veteran defensive tackle Damione Lewis in a move that saves $5 million in payroll and further depletes the defensive line. Finances played a decision for Lewis, who was let go a week after the Panthers sided against giving Peppers more than $20 million with the franchise tag. The 32-year-old Lewis had 41 tackles and a half sack in 16 starts last season as he played with numerous other tackles in Carolina's banged-up line. Lewis was signed to a contract extension before the 2008 season, but the deal was restructured last off-season to clear salary-cap space. There was a clause that called for the contract to revert to its old terms if a large bonus wasn't paid this spring. Lewis would have been due $4 million this season and a $1 million roster bonus. The move mow leaves Carolina with no starters from the line that ended last season. Peppers, Tyler Brayton and Hollis Thomas are unrestricted free agents. The Panthers did however offer tenders to restricted free agents Louis Leonard and Tank Tyler on Wednesday, and signed fellow defensive tackle Ed Johnson last month.
ASU volleyball has officially released its 2010 spring schedule. The Black and Gold will play four matches throughout the months of February, March and April. The Mountaineers' first match was scheduled for February 27 at Winthrop with other contests slated for March 20 at Davidson, March 27 at Wake Forest and April 10 at Virginia Tech. ASU returns nine players for the upcoming 2010 campaign and has five newcomers joining the squad. The Mountaineers will release its 2010 fall schedule in the upcoming months.
After hitting .529 (9-for-17) with nine RBI in four games last week, ASU baseball's David Towarnicky has been named the the Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week. He highlighted his stellar week by hitting what proved to be a game-winning three-run home run in the sixth inning of Appalachian's 5-3 win over Marist on Saturday,and he was perfect in 31 fielding chances at first base. In the classroom, Towarnicky sports a perfect 4.0 GPA as a double-major in finance and banking and risk insurance management with a international business minor. He is one of 30 candidates for the prestigious 2010 baseball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors student-athletes for their achievements in four areas of excellence -- classroom, character, community and competition.
The winter storm that impacted much of the state this week has caused a series of changes to ASU's upcoming baseball schedule. Wednesday's game at North Carolina A&Twas postponed and this weekend's series versus Rider that was originally scheduled to be played at ASU's Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium, will instead take place at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory. Game times for this weekend's three-game set versus Rider will remain the same as before with a game Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 1pm. Tickets for the games will cost $5 and ASU season tickets will be honored. A makeup date for Wednesday's game at N.C. A&T is expected to be finalized soon.
Agent 0, Donald Sims, has been named to the Southern Conference Coaches' all-conference team this week after leading the league in scoring, free throw percentage and three-pointers made in the regular season. Wofford's Noah Dahlman and Mike Young took home Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, respectively. Sims was named the league's player of the week three times, including back-to-back weeks in February, and scored in double figures in 30 out of 31 games on the season. He leads the nation in both three point field goals made and free throw percentage. The junior led ASU in scoring 24 times and helped the squad to a 20-11 record and the SoCon North division title. Sims and the Mountaineers face the winner of Friday's first round match-up between The Citadel and Samford for a Saturday meeting at 7 p.m.
Well, after the Clouldand girl's basketball team lost an absolute heart-breaker to Hancock County this week, the Cloudland Highlanders boys basketball team continues to roll. Cloudland advanced to the Region 1-A Championship game, and secured a substate berth on Monday evening with a 65-46 victory over the University High. The 'Landers jumped out to an early 13-2 lead, and when the Jr. Bucs finally got going, the 'Landers had an answer as they led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter. Cloudland took a 29-21 lead going into the half, and the third quarter saw Cloudland take the lead back to double dights and secure the 65-46 victory in the fourth quarter. Logam Morgan had 21 points while Matthew Potter had 20. Hyden had 11 points, and Cody Bullwinkle added nine. On Tuesday night, the Cloudland 'Landers then came from behind against J. Frank White at Chuckey-Doak and were able to beat the Rams and advance to the next round of Region 1-A tournament. The District 1A champs will take on the winner of the Cosby-Hampton game on Thursday evening in the Regional Championship and a berth to substate!
ASU cross country runner Brittney Caudle has been named to the USTFCCA all-academic team this week. Caudle was named SoCon Runner of the Year after a dominant performance at October's championship. She won the individual title by over 20 seconds, in the process becoming Appalachian's first cross country champion on the women's side since Katie Sujkowski in 2003. In addition to her impressive achievements on the course, Caudle carried a 3.65 GPA in the fall semester as an art major. The award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish among the top 15 finishers (or top 10 percent) of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet.
ASU women's basketball coach Darcie Vincent was named SoCon Coach of the Year as well as three Lady Apps were named to the SoCon Coaches All-Conference Team. Sam Ramirez was named to the all-conference team and freshmen standouts Anna Freeman and Ashlen Dewart earned all-freshman team honors as well for ASU. Vincent became just the second coach in Appalachian State women's basketball history to win the award, as Linda Robinson was the only other coach to receive the award. Robinson was named Coach of the Year four times during her career, with the last time coming during the 1995-96 season. In just her second year at helm, Vincent has the led the program to a complete turnaround. After finishing 9-22 overall and 7-13 in the SoCon a season ago and ending the season eighth in the standings, ASU finished the 2009-10 regular season tied for second in the conference, with an 18-11 mark and a stout 14-6 league record. The turnaround is tied for the best in school history, at a +10 game margin. The 18 overall wins and the 14 conference victories are the most in a season since 1995-96. It is also the first time since 2005-06 the program has posted a winning record. The 2009-10 Mountaineers' set a single season block record, having compiled 190 on the season, and set a new school and SoCon single game block record, tallying 17 swats against Elon on January 2. The squad also tied a Holmes Center record with eight home wins and tied Georgia Southern for the best road conference record during the season, at 8-2. ASU begins SoCon tournament play Saturday March 6, as the Mountaineers await the winner of the No. 6 Davidson, No. 11 Furman contest. Appalachian will square off against one of the two teams in the Bojangles Coliseum at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Austin Trotman continues to rake in the honors this year for the ASU wrestling team as he was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year, while Savva Kostis added to the awards for the Mountaineers as he joined Trotman in earning all-conference honors. Trotman becomes the fifth ever Mountaineer and the second-ever sophomore to win wrestler of the year, joining Travis Drake, who won the award as a sophomore in 2001 and again in 2002. Trotman went 21-4 on year and 5-0 in conference action. He began the year at 174 pounds, but moved up to 184 to begin the new year. After losing his first match, he has not lost since, winning 13-straight matches. Trotman is currently ranked No. 19 in the 184 pound weight class. Kostis finished the regular-season 20-15 and was also unblemished in SoCon matches. The sophomore leads ASU with nine pins and also had two major decisions. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Jacob Earp was named to the conference all-freshman team. Earp was 12-11 overall with two pins and three major decisions. ASU is back in action this weekend when they travel to Davidson to compete in the Southern Conference Tournament.
Already in the midst of the best start to a season in school history, ASU baseball looks to move to 7-0 when it travels to longtime in-state rival North Carolina A&T today at 3 p.m. at historic War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro. Appalachian is the Southern Conference's only remaining undefeated team and received votes in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association college baseball poll. Right-hander Taylor Miller has the opportunity to run his record to 3-0 when he takes the mound for the Mountaineers today. Miller has won decisions in both of his appearances on the young season -- a start at Gardner-Webb last Tuesday and in relief on Saturday versus Marist and has allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work. With another victory on Wednesday, the junior would match his win total from the entire 2009 campaign. While pitching has been the story through two weeks for the Apps, their offense isn't far behind. Appalachian is providing its pitchers with more than nine runs a game. In all, ASU has outscored its opponents by a whopping 56-12 so far this season. Appalachian has won four-straight in the series and has not lost at War Memorial Stadium since 2006.
Two-time NCAA champion Mary Jayne Harrelson has been selected for induction to the Southern Conference Hall of Fame according to the SoCon. Harrelson is the first and only individual NCAA champion in Appalachian athletics history, having claimed crowns in the 1500-meter run at the 1999 and 2001 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The six-time all-American was also the national runner-up in the 800-meter run in 2001 and was named the NCAA's Woman of the Year for the state of North Carolina that same year. On the conference level, Harrelson won 23 combined individual championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. For her efforts, she was twice named the SoCon's Female Athlete of the Year (1999 and 2001), as well as the league's 1997 Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year and 1999 Outdoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Performer. She also helped ASU to the SoCon's 1999 outdoor and 2001 indoor championships. Following her time at ASU, Harrelson enjoyed a successful professional career, highlighted by winning a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the 2003 Pan-American Games. She also finished second in the mile and 800 meters at the 2002 U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships and fifth in the 1500 meters at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. Harrelson is the third Mountaineer selected for induction in the SoCon Hall of Fame. Last year, women's track and field's Melissa Morrison-Howard and women's basketball's Valorie Whiteside were enshrined as part of the Hall of Fame's inaugural class.
The ASU softball team has gotten off to a torrid 7-3 start and that's largely due to the play of McKenzie Phillips who was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for all games from February 22-28 this week. The ASU second baseman had three multi-hit games over the weekend to help ASU to a 4-1 record at the North Carolina A&T Invitational. She started the weekend with two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base in a 12-1 win over Hampton. She continued her strong weekend with a 3-for-3 performance with three runs, four RBI and two stolen bases in a 14-6 win over Maryland Eastern-Shore, and then had her second-straight three-hit game in the 10-0 win over Coppin State with two runs scored, an RBI and two more stolen bases. For the season, Phillips leads ASU with a .433 batting average and is tied for the team lead with 11 runs scored and eight stolen bases. Phillips and ASU are back in action on Friday, March 5 when they play Maine at the Stetson Invitational.
After recording the most strikeouts by an ASU pitcher in 13 years during last Friday's 13-4 win over Niagara, Matt Andress has been named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week. Andress struck out 12 Purple Eagles in just six innings of work during the first game of the North vs. South Challenge at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C. The 12 strikeouts were the most by an Appalachian pitcher since Dan Stutzman fanned 12 against Marshall on March 15, 1997. In addition to the 12 Ks, Andress allowed only one run on four hits over his six innings to move to 2-0 on the young season. His only blemish was a wind-aided solo home run surrendered in the second inning. The right-handed senior is just one win shy of matching his total from a season ago. Andress is the ace of an ASU staff that has compiled a 1.83 ERA and .202 opposing batting average through six games this season. The Mountaineers' 6-0 start is their best since 1991 and marks the first time in school history that ASU has defeated six-consecutive NCAA Division I opponents to open a season. Appalachian returns to action on Wednesday at North Carolina A&T (3 p.m.) before hosting Rider this weekend at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. Game times for the three-game home-opening series versus Rider are set for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
In the final game ever played in Lentz-Eggers Gym, the Pioneers lost 93-78 to West Charlotte in the sectional championship game. It was Watauga's first trip to the Sweet 16 in 39 years. The last time they did it was back in 1971 when Carter Lentz led WHS to 20 wins and the Western Regionals. Lentz was honored before Friday night's game for his accomplishments and former coaches and players were also on hand for the ceremony as Lentz took in the sights of the last game at the gym named after him. The Pioneers meanwhile played well at the start as they held the lead for the entire first quarter, and even built a seven-point advantage against the highly-favored Lions. Junior Will Koppenhaver led the charge as he poured in 11 points to give Watauga the 16-14 lead after the first. But West Charlotte came to life in the second period and took control. The Lions outscored WHS 32-8 in the period thanks to a 10-0 run sparked by senior J.T. Terrell that put Watauga on the ropes. Terrell, who led all scorers with 39 points, including eight threes, was fouled by Casey Quinn on a three-point shot with 2.7 seconds left in the first half. And following that call, the WHS bench was assessed a technical foul. Terrell made three of five free-throws, and on the ensuing possession, he buried a long-range three from 25 feet away to put the Lions up by 24 at the break. The Pioneers made a couple of runs in the second half, but they never got any closer than 13 points as the Lions, behind three straight 3-point baskets by Terrell, pushed their lead to a game-high 29 points with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Watauga pulled within 67-44 to close out the third, and eventually rallied to within 74-61 when Calhoun hit two free throws with 4:11 left. But Jacoby Davis answered with a 3-pointer and then two free throws to help the Lions take a 79-62 lead and stop the rally. Watauga's Will Koppenhaver scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 10 boards before fouling out late in the fourth. Senior Josh Coffey, playing his final game for the Pioneers, had 18 points with 15 coming in the second half. Brandon Calhoun, playing his final game as well, finished with 11, Damian Edwards finished with nine, and Jake Pifer came off the bench to score eight. Watauga finishes with a 16-9 record for the season.
The Avery Lady Vikings traveled to Robbinsville for the sectional finals of the state playoffs on Friday and were able to squeak out a 68-67 overtime win over the Black Knights. Avery was down 34-32 at the half, but rallied to tie it up at 61 apiece and send it into overtime where they were able to pull out the win. The Lady Vikes now move on to the NCHSAA Regionals to face the 20-7 Bishop McGuiness Villains on Friday at 8:30pm at UNC-Greensboro's Fleming Gym. The winner of that game will square off in the regional championship on Saturday, March 6th at 4:00 p.m. Congratulations to the Lady Vikings on a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over a great Robbinsville team!
The ASU men's and women's track and field teams were back in action as they participated in the SoCon Indoor Championships over the weekend. The Mountaineer men won their second straight SoCon Indoor championship, and seventh since 2000 by holding off rival Western Carolina by a count of 209-207. Malcolm Styers completed a sweep of the throwing events for the second year in a row. After claiming the shot put crown, the Styers had a career-best toss of 60-10 to claim the weight throw title. Matt Boruff earned all-conference honors for the Mountaineers with a second-place finish. Boruff tallied a first-place effort in the 60m hurdles and a second-place finish in the pole vault. Boruff also took home runner-up honors in the 60m hurdles. Landon Powell and John Svoboda earned all-SoCon recognition in the 60m dash with second and third place finishes. Svoboda also claimed a second-place finish in the 200m. In the 400m dash, Svoboda claimed yet another second-place finish with a season-best time of 49.15. He was joined on the medal stand by Nick Zeller, who earned all-SoCon recognition with a career-best time of 49.18 to finish third. Graduate student Patrick Morgan claimed a conference title in the mile run with a 4:13.70 effort. Alex Taylor also earned all-conference honors with a season-best time of 4:14.84 to finish third. Brandon Hudgins took home a conference championship for the Mountaineers in the 800m run with a season-best effort of 1:54.14. The 4x400m relay team of Nick Zeller, Tyler Combs, Landon Powell, and John Svoboda posted a time of 3:20.47 to earn second place and secure the team championship.
The ASU women's track and field team meanwhile, took home second place at the 2010 SoCon Indoor Championships. Despite several strong individual performances, the Mountaineers could not maintain their day one lead and were overtaken by Western Carolina, 174.5 points to 122. Ashley McKiver claimed her first individual conference championship for the Mountaineers in the 60m dash. Julie Ward earned a second-consecutive indoor pole vault title for the Apps. Ward cleared 11-7.75 on her first attempt, to edge teammate Ashley Beale who cleared the height on her second attempt. Beale also took home all-conference honors for her second-place performance. Danielle Thorpe also scored a second consecutive SoCon crown in the triple jump. Kiara Crutchfield earned all-conference honors in the 60m hurdles with a career-best time of 8.83 to finish third. Trinity Foreman won the 3000m conference championship for the Mountaineers in route to being named SoCon freshman of the year for her efforts. Gayshawna Watkins also collected her second all-conference honor for the Mountaineers. After claiming a third-place finish in the shot put, Watkins followed with another third-place spot in the weight throw with a toss of 50-01.25 as she was also named to the all-freshman team. The Mountaineers will enjoy a few weeks rest before returning to action for the beginning of the outdoor season March 19 at the Wake Forest Invitational.
The Lady Mountaineers basketball team couldn't overcome a late first-half run and strong play from Georgia Southern as they fell to the Eagles on Saturday 77-73. Facing a 70-63 deficit with under two minutes to play, the Black and Gold went on a 7-1 run to make it a one point game as Anna Freeman drained two free throws to make the score 71-70. Unfortunately, ASU's effort came up short, as Georgia Southern continued its brilliance at the free throw line as J'Lisia Ogburn hit two and Jessica Geiger nailed two as well in the waning minutes of play. After facing a seven-point deficit with 17.2 seconds left on the clock, Sam Ramirez drilled her third trey of the game but it was too little too late, as Georgia Southern was able to come away with the win. Ogburn scored a game-high 22 points for the Eagles. Chakeitha Weldon finished the contest with a career-high 19 points, while also dishing out five assists and recording three steals and Ashlen Dewart had 21 points and six boards for the Apps. The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Mountaineers and drops ASU to 18-11 on the season and 14-6 in league action, giving ASU a third place spot in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament. ASU Automatically earns a first-round bye and will play Saturday March 6, 30 minutes after the opening contest that day which begins at 9 a.m. The Mountaineers' will take on the winner of the No.6 Davidson and No. 11 Furman game.
It was Senior Day at the Holmes Center on Saturday as all five seniors for the men's basketball team started and got honored for their accomplishments before the game and the seniors went out on top as they defeated Samford 82-68. After missing five of their first six shots, ASU regrouped to take a 14-point lead late in the first half. ASU's large early lead was short-lived as Samford rattled off 11-straight points to end the half trailing by just three points at 41-38. Samford cut the score to one point on each of its first two possessions of the second half, but Isaac Butts responded with buckets on the next trip down the floor. Appalachian stretched the lead back to 10 points midway through the half before one final push from the Bulldogs cut the lead down to just three points two minutes later. ASU responded with an 8-0 run and never let Samford any closer than eight points for the remainder of the game. In their final regular season games in Black and Gold, Kellen Brand had 18, Ryann Abraham scored five, Tyler Webb finished with two boards, AJ Highsmith had three points in his first career start, and Josh Hunter finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. In addition to his 27 minutes on the court during the contest, Hunter performed the national anthem beforehand as well. Donald Sims led the Mountaineers with a game-high 25 points, Jeremi Booth added 15, and Ike Butts had eight points and seven boards. The win gives the Mountaineers 20 victories on the season as the squad heads to the SoCon Tournament for a Saturday evening contest against the winner of Friday's opening round contest between The Citadel and the North Division's fifth seed.
