Category: sports

Lewis, the now retired spiritual leader of the Ravens, didn’t even dance at the event. He didn’t have to. President Barack Obama provided enough of a reminder of why the team deserved to be celebrated on Pennsylvania Avenue.

“You see the resilience in players like Torrey Smith who lost his younger brother in a motorcycle accident the night before the game against the Patriots, but Torrey wanted to play, and he responded with 127 yards and two scores, so we’re so proud of Torrey,” Obama said.

“And then, of course, you can’t think about Baltimore without thinking of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed the two greatest defenders who ever played the game,” the President said as he spoke at length about the team’s ability to overcome adversity.

On the South Lawn at the White House, President Obama praised the team not only for the goal line stand that sealed its second Super Bowl trophy but its charitable work in Baltimore.

“That’s the spirit of the entire team. Last year, this team donated more than $1 million to charitable causes. They helped young people get active through the Play 60 campaign. Over Thanksgiving, they Skyped with a Maryland National Guard unit stationed in Afghanistan,” Obama said. “And today, I’m proud to announce that the Ravens will be donating brand new uniforms for varsity football and girls’ basketball teams at public schools all across Baltimore— that’s a total of 42 teams. We’re glad to have some high school athletes from Baltimore here to celebrate with us here today.”

Courtesy Photo/Baltimore Ravens Instagram

Ravens General Manager, Ozzie Newsome gave President Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, the traditional team jersey emblazoned “MR PRESIDENT” with the number 44 when Super Bowl XLVII Champion Baltimore Ravens were honored at the White House on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. President Obama wished the team luck but warned them that they will face a tough game against his beloved Bears when the team visits Chicago next November.

The president singled out Lewis, the legendary linebacker, for returning from injury to lead the defense in the playoffs— but only after kidding Lewis that he thought his arm injury came from the motivational dance he performed at every home game.

Ravens General Manager, Ozzie Newsome gave President Obama, the 44th president, the traditional team jersey emblazoned “MR PRESIDENT” with the number 44.

President Obama wished the team luck but warned them that they will face a tough game against his beloved Bears when the team visits Chicago next November.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had a final message for the president forecasting next year’s season, “I want you to know that we have plans to come back [to the White House] next year,” he said.

Before we get into this week’s HBCU Round-Up, we would like to take this opportunity to answer an email from Chris in Baltimore:

“I am an avid reader of your newspaper online and I noticed that you have a section on black college sports, which I love because it is something that the newspapers here in town do not cover. But I was curious, what does HBCU stand for?”

Thanks Chris for your email. HBCU stands for— Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Many famous actors, activists and athletes have attended HBCUs: Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Taraji P. Henson, Wanda Sykes, Jesse Jackson, Common, Jerry Rice and Walter Payton just to name a few.

Courtesy NFL

NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice attended an HBCU

Now here is the HBCU Round-Up for this week:

Morgan State Bears: Morgan State University men’s basketball coach Todd Bozeman announced the addition of two players to the Bears roster. Small forward Kyle Thomas, a first-team all-region performer at Milford Mill Academy, and Roosevelt High standout Emmanuel Matey signed with MSU. Thomas (6’5”, 190 pounds) spent a season at Milford Mills where he was a leading contributor to the 2012 3A Baltimore County Championship. He averaged 8.2 points (204), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and shot 63 percent from the field. He was a First Team All-Region, Third Team All-County and was a Baltimore County All-Star Team selection. Matey is a 6-foot guard who helped Roosevelt High win the Prince George’s County Championship and Maryland 4A Championship. In his only season at the Greenbelt school, Matey set school records for assists in a single game and for a season in leading the Raiders to a 27-1 record and their first state title since 2002.

Coppin State Eagles: Coppin State sophomore Melissa Caddle advanced to the quarterfinals in the 400 meters on the opening day of the NCAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Championships on Thursday, May 23, at Irwin Belk Track. Caddle, competing in heat two, finished third in a time of 53.58 to secure one of the 24 berths in the quarterfinals. Caddle will look to earn a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The top 12 finishers from the quarterfinal round will advance to the NCAA Championships on June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.

Howard University Bison: On Friday May 24, Howard University Director of Athletics Louis Perkins named Tennille Adams as the new head women’s basketball coach. Adams comes to Howard with an impressive record, including an integral role in six double-figure winning seasons at Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, Adams was named defensive coordinator (2012-13) and offensive coordinator (2011-12). Prior to her stint at American, Adams spent two years with the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University as an assistant to Patricia Cage-Bibbs, Adams, a standout at the University of Arkansas, began her coaching career in 2004 as an assistant at Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas.

That’s a look at HBCU sports for this week. Questions and comments are welcome. To contact Phinesse Demps, email: pdemps@btimes.com.

BALTIMORE — Welcome to another week of HBCU Round-Up. Here is the latest on HBCU sports:

University of the District of Columbia Firebirds: In track and field, the UDC Firebirds are set to compete in championship events in Colorado on May 23trd-25th. Shauna-Kay Creary and the 4x400M relay team of Kaydian Jones, Jerily Benjamin, Rochelle Nelson and Simone Grant, will represent the University of the District of Columbia at the 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, CO. Creary and the Firebirds 4x400M relay team qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

Delaware State University Hornets: In golf, the first-year Delaware State University women’s golf team made a respectable showing in the inaugural PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship held at the PGA Golf Club May10 to May12, 2013. The Hornets were fourth among eight teams with a three round total of 968. Delaware State’s Aisha Peete shot a team-best 75 in the opening round. Nicole Rafer topped the team with day-two score of 79, while Mengxuan Gai had a final round score of 76 to lead the Hornets.

Coppin State University Eagles: The Mother’s Day event in women’s track and field saw some personal accomplishments: Christina Epps finished seventh in the triple jump on the final day of competition at the 2013 ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Weaver Stadium on the campus of Princeton University. Epps earned a seventh-place finish with a jump of 40-6.25, which ranks as her second-best jump during the outdoor season. The Eagles also received a 17th-place finish from Alexis Easterling in the triple jump as she posted a mark of 37-8.50. Deandra Daniel notched a ninth-place finish in the high jump. She finished in a tie for ninth place by clearing 5-7.25, which is her third-best mark of the outdoor season.

Morgan State Bears: The Morgan State women’s track and field team also competed over the weekend in the 30th ECAC Outdoor Track & Field championship at William Weaver Track & Field Stadium at Princeton University. The Lady Bears finished with two top five finishes in the event finals and scored a total of 14 points to tie Maine for 22nd. The University of Connecticut captured the meet title with 73 points, followed by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (53 points) and host Princeton (51.50), who placed second and third, respectively.

That’s a look at HBCU sports for this week. Please send any questions, comments, or HBCU sports and news to pdemps@btimes.com.

BALTIMORE — Morgan State: Morgan State’s Kimberly Fontaine went 3-for-3 with a game-high 3RBIs and Danielle Lugo added a 3-for-5 performance with two runs scored and 2RBI to lead Morgan State’s softball team to a 12-8 victory over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field. The victory helped the Lady Bears win the weekend series, by taking two of three from the Lady Hawks and moved them into a tie for fifth-place with UMES. Morgan State however, holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over UMES.

Coppin State: Hampton softball’s Gabriel Ziller went 2-for-4 and scored a run, but Bianca Vallejo scored from third on a Coppin State throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning lifting Hampton to a 3-2 victory over the Eagles this past Sunday at Pirate Field.

University of District of Columbia: With some exemplary performances on both days of the inaugural East Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the University of the District of Columbia finished as the runner-up for the team title behind Georgian Court with a score of 162. “I am so proud of the effort we put in during this weekend, I can’t put it into words. I asked a lot of the entire team, ” Track and Field Coach Alton McKenzie said. “Even though we came up short, I’m overwhelmed with pride and joy knowing how much the team stepped up to the challenge and how well we performed during our first ECC Outdoor Championships.

Howard University: In its inaugural season as a Division I Women’s Lacrosse conference, the Atlantic Sun announced the first All-Conference Honors, which includes three Howard University student-athletes. Sophomore attacker Jaymie Cox was a unanimous first team choice, while midfielder Courtney Lackey was named second team and midfielder Victoria Lockhart received “Atlantic Sun Freshman Team” honors.