South Carolina HBCU Sports

February 03, 2023
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*Three SC State Bulldogs on Their Way to Super Bowl LVII*

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Three South Carolina State University alumni are Super Bowl bound.

Both NFL conference championship teams – the NFC's Philadelphia Eagles and the AFC's Kansas City Chiefs -- have SC State Bulldogs in the mix, and one of them will be on the gridiron when the teams clash at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, at Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12.

"Javon Hargrave, Eric Dickerson and Ted Crews offer more proof that anywhere you want to go in life, you can get there from South Carolina State University," SC State President Alexander Conyers said. "Our beloved university will once again be well represented on the world's largest stage, the Super Bowl. All of Bulldog Nation is proud to have these successful alumni in our ranks."

Javon Hargrave is a defensive tackle for the Eagles. He played four seasons for Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough at SC State, collecting 143 solo tackles, 67 assists and 37 sacks from 2012-2015. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Hargrave in the third round -- 89th overall pick -- of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played four seasons for the Steelers before signing a three-year contract worth $39 million with the Eagles.

On the Eagles' sideline will be Eric Dickerson, offensive quality control coach. A 2016 graduate of SC State with a political science degree, Dickerson was a four-year starter and two-year captain on the offensive line, helping the Bulldogs to conference championships in 2013 and 2014. Dickerson started his coaching career in 2017 at his alma mater coaching tight ends and fullbacks. He then spent three years at Duke as a football analyst, working on special teams, as well as with the wide receivers and tight ends on offense, before joining the Eagles as a defensive assistant in 2021.

On the other side will be NFL media relations veteran Ted Crews. He is a 1999 SC State graduate who rose through the NFL's ranks to become the Chiefs' executive vice president of communications in 2021 after originally joining the franchise as the vice president of communications in 2012. Crews serves as the Kansas City's primary contact and spokesperson for the team's communications efforts for both football and business operations. Crews received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from SC State in 2014.

Super Bowl LVII will air live on Fox beginning at 6:30 on Feb. 12.

*Anderson Named CIAA Men's Indoor Track & Field Runner of the Week*

Claflin University junior Chandar Anderson was recognized as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Coca Cola Men's Indoor Track & Field Runner of the Week. He took home the honor after a terrific performance at the Carolina Challenge.

While at the indoor track & field meet, Anderson ran one of the best times of the season. In the men's 400m dash, he ran a 48.97, the top time in the CIAA. The time was close to the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying time of 48.59, which Anderson will look to reach before the season is over.

The Panthers will return to action on Friday, February 3rd when the team returns to the Carolina Indoor Track & Field facility to take part in the South Carolina Invitational. For more information on Panthers track & field, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.

*Benedict's Lewis, McNeal Named To SIAC Preseason Softball Team*

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced its 2023 Softball Preseason Teams as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

The 2023 preseason team represents nine programs and returns 22 of the 28 players from the 2022 Softball All-Conference Teams.

Benedict placed a pair of players on the second team. Shortstop Deyonce Lewis, a second-team All-Conference selection at the end of the 2022 season, returns as a second team selection. Outfield Taylor McNeal was also named to the second team.

Lewis hit a team-best .432 last season for the Lady Tigers and scored 65 runs, helping to lead Benedict to the NCAA Division II statistical leader for runs scored per game. She had a team-best 17 doubles and a slugging percentage of .712. She was successful in all 30 stolen base attempts.

McNeal was second on the team with a .421 batting average. She scored 56 runs and stole 29 bases.

Benedict opens the 2023 season on Feb. 6 with a doubleheader at Columbia College starting at 1 p.m. The home opener will be Feb. 10 against St. Augustine's at 1 p.m.

Defending SIAC champions, Tuskegee (29-13, 18-1 SIAC) placed six returners on this year's preseason team, including 2022 Utility Player of the Year and starting pitcher Kaeley Roldan and last years' SIAC Player of the Year and third base Kendra Gibbons.

Spring Hill (27-17, 16-3 SIAC) placed six selections on this year's preseason team. Lane (26-16, 7-12 SIAC) picked up five preseason selections. Albany State landed four student-athletes on the league's preseason team after finishing 35-9 overall and 16-3 in conference play last season. The Golden Bears of Miles College (14-25-1, 9-9 SIAC) placed two on the preseason squad. Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, and Savannah State collected one selection each to round out this year's preseason team.

*Claflin Men's and Women's Basketball to be Featured in Five Broadcasted Games*

ORANGEBURG, SC - As the 2022-23 season heats up, the Claflin University men's and women's basketball teams will have five games broadcast through HBCU Go and the Black College Sports Broadcasting Network (BCSN).

Games broadcasted through HBCU Go will stream through the HBCU Go app as well as on the HBCU Go channel on their Roku TV station. Games broadcast through BCSN will be televised live. See below for a list of stations and their locations.

The Lady Panthers and Panthers will both have a pair of games broadcast through HBCU Go. The Lady Panthers' and Panthers' games at Fayetteville State on January 26thwill open Claflin games on the schedule. The teams' doubleheader at Winston-Salem State on will also be broadcast on HBCU Go.
The Panthers men's basketball team will have one remaining game broadcast on the BCSN as their February 4th home game against Livingstone will be broadcast on the network.

For more information on Lady Panthers and Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.

*Allen Ladies Knock Off Division Leader Savannah State*

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Allen University Women's basketball team played shutdown defense in the second half as they held on late to knock off East Division leader Savannah State 59-52 from Adams Gym Monday evening for their second straight win.

A competitive first quarter saw Allen get down early by eight as they trailed SSU 16-8 midway through the first. However, Allen would then amp up their play and finish the opening quarter on a 12-1 run to take a 20-17 lead into the 2nd frame. In quarter #2, AU would get off to a good start going on a 8-2 run to start and take their biggest lead of the game at 28-19 with 6 minutes to play in the half. However, Savannah would then find their stroke and finish the half on a 12-0 run as the Lady Tigers would take a 31-28 lead into the break.

A back-and-forth third quarter saw Allen trailing by one with two minutes to play before ending the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 48-42 going into the final quarter. Allen outscored the Tigers 20-11 in the third. The AU women would then extend their lead to nine (53-44) at the 5:20 mark of the fourth, but SSU could only get as close as four points the rest of the way as AU pulled off their second straight quality win. AU held SSU to just 30 percent shooting overall and only 16 percent from three while Allen shot 43 percent from the floor.

The win improves Allen to 11-9 overall and 7-8 in the conference as they remain tied for third with rival Benedict. SSU falls to second place in the East at 10-5 and 14-6 overall.

Junior transfer guard Keyshuna Fair led the Yellow Jackets with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting while adding 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Freshman forward Talayah Boxley also had a nice game recording a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds with a block while fellow freshman guard Ananda Mayhew also contributed a season-high 7 points with 3 steals and 3 rebounds.

Guards Kayla Pope and Destinee Jamison-Whitfield each led the team with four assists apiece while Jamison-Whitfield also led the team in steals with four. Senior forward Cardrina Nolen also registered 5 points and 6 rebounds while junior forward Jaida Reddin added 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block for the Lady Jackets.