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Huguenot senior hurdles to state champion
Huguenot High School senior Shaunté Harris has a passion for fashion. But if there’s one thing she relishes more than a sporty, chic look, it’s running the high hurdles — an event famous for its thrills — and also its spills. Therefore, don’t be surprised to see Harris wearing distressed denims to school, rather than a trendy shirtdress. “My legs aren’t the nicest,” she says with a wide smile. “I’ve taken plenty of spills, lots of hard falls. My legs have cuts and scratches. It kind of never stops.”
Samantha Cunningham of VSU earns All-CIAA honors
Virginia State University softball slug- ger Samantha Cunningham went out with a bang, or rather a sharp ping from her metal alloy bat. In her final season wearing the Trojans’ orange and blue, the senior third base player from Waukegan, Ill., earned All-CIAA hon- ors while leading the conference in hitting at .467. Cunningham finished with 13 doubles, three home runs, 29 runs batted in and struck Delaware State president, athletes decry search of team bus by Georgia deputies Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. The president of Delaware State University, a historically Black college, accused sheriff’s deputies in Georgia of intimidating and humiliating the university’s women’s lacrosse team when deputies pulled over the athletes’ bus and searched it for drugs. Delaware State University President Tony Allen said he’s “incensed” by the April 20 traffic stop along Interstate 95 south of Savannah as the team returned from a game in Florida. In a letter to students and faculty, Dr. Allen said nothing illegal was found and campus officials were “exploring options for recourse — legal and otherwise.” “We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by,” Dr. Allen said in the letter posted Monday on the university’s social media pages. Liberty County, Ga., Sheriff William Bowman, who is Black, said Tuesday his office is conducting a formal review of the traffic stop. He said deputies had stopped other commercial vehicles the same morning along I-95 and found drugs on a different bus. The team’s chartered bus was stopped because it was traveling in the left lane, which is a violation of Georgia law, he said. The sheriff said deputies decided to search the team’s bus when a drug-sniffing dog “alerted” alongside it. “I do not exercise racial profiling, allow racial profiling or encourage racial profiling,” Sheriff Bowman told reporters. The sheriff added that based on what he already knows, “I believe the stop was legal.” No one was arrested or charged. The sheriff said the bus driver was given a warning. Video posted online by one of the Delaware State lacrosse players shows two white deputies on the bus. One of them tells the bus passengers that possessing marijuana remains illegal in Georgia. “If there is anything in y’all’s luggage, we’re probably going to find it, OK,” the deputy says. “I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but I’m pretty sure you guys’ chaperones are probably going to be disappointed in you if we find any.” The deputy continues : “You guys are on a lacrosse team, correct? If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now. Because if we find it, guess what? We’re not going to be able to help you.” Sydney Anderson, the student who posted the video, wrote in the campus publication The Hornet Newspaper that team members felt there was “underlying racism” behind the search. “The team members were in shock, as they witnessed the of- ficers rambling through their bags,” Ms. Anderson wrote. “They brought the K-9 dog out to sniff their luggage. The cops began tossing underwear and other feminine products, in an attempt to locate narcotics.” Georgia courts have held that the odor of marijuana is enough to give police probable cause to search vehicles without a warrant. The sheriff said he welcomes feedback from the lacrosse team. “We realize that in this current environment, even a traffic stop can be alarming to citizens, especially African-Americans,” Sheriff Bowman said. out only four times in more than 100 plate appearances. Earning second team honors for the Trojans were designated player Macy Beville from nearby Dinwiddie and pitcher Alaijah Pratt from Lusby, Md. Also, Pratt and Desmyn Owens of Lawrenceville made the All-Freshman team. Under first-year Coach Jameshia Smith, VSU finished 20-13 overall and 13-4 in the CIAA. The Trojans’ season ended with a 6-4 loss to Bowie State University on May 7 in the loser’s bracket final of the CIAA Tournament in Glen Allen.
OB Jalon Jones hands Sanders first college coaching victory
With able assistance from former area athlete Jalon Jones, Deion Sanders is 1-0 as a college head football coach at Jackson State University.
VSU falls to Lenoir-Rhyne; now headed to Ohio for Saturday matchup
In search of an offensive spark, Virginia State University is headed to Columbus, Ohio, with a 0-1 record and many questions to be answered.
Trojans veer off track
It will be Senior Day Saturday at Rogers Stadium and the seniors, as well as the underclassmen, figure to have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Havoc blown by U.Va.
Havoc has been dealt a black eye, and now another tough customer packing a punch is headed this way.
VUU’s Kiana Johnson leads CIAA all around the ball
Fueled by transfer Kiana Johnson, the Virginia Union University women’s basketball team has taken off like a rocket. The 5-foot-7 dynamo leads the CIAA in scoring (24.8 points per game), assists (8.2 per game) and steals (4.2 per game) while steering the Lady Panthers to an 8-1 takeoff under first-year Coach AnnMarie Gilbert. Inheriting a squad coming off a 9-18 season, Coach Gilbert felt she needed a quality point guard to jump start her inaugural season on Lombardy Street.
Juwan Carter looking to break records at NSU
Juwan Carter has met Aaron Sparrow and the two men hit it off. Now, with all due respect, Carter hopes to politely erase Sparrow’s name from Norfolk State University’s football record book.
Bittersweet moment celebrates Franco Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickens added something extra to his signal calling Dec. 24 at Three Rivers Stadium. Even the TV viewers could hear him bark “Franco! Fran- co!” prior to the center’s snap.
VCU’s Tillman breaks out with double-doubles
At least on the basketball floor, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Justin Tillman has double the appetite of most others.
Armstrong bracing for bigger opponents
Armstrong High School football Coach McDaniel Anderson says he is searching for a cure for what he calls “the inner city blues.”
Bailey’s VSU performance sparkles with speed
Scoring touchdowns is “no problem, mon” for Upton Bailey.
VCU takes on U.Va. Saturday at Siegel Center
Virginia Commonwealth University basketball has lost its national ranking.
Willie Lanier launches ‘Honey Bear Project’ to upgrade athletic fields at HBCUs
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Wil- lie Lanier, a graduate of Maggie L. Walker High School, has launched an initiative to install modern artifi- cial playing surfaces at nearly three dozen HBCUs.
Richard Bland student is a hoops legacy
One family has treated the Tri-Cities area to three scoops of hoops. Antonio Pua’auli-Pelham represents three generations of basketball excellence in the Tri-Cities area.
Sophomore Taya Robinson drawing collegiate interest
Now there are two good reasons to visit Huguenot High School — to eyeball the sparkling new school and to observe the Falcons’ sophomore basketball star. Few glow brighter with a basketball in her hands than Taya Robinson, a 5-foot-10 tower of talent who has drawn nationwide recruiting attention.
Players of color dominate AL lineup in MLB All-Star Game
Players of color will be front and center at next week’s Major League All-Star Game.
Frank Mason III of Petersburg is semifinalist for coveted Naismith Award
The University of Kansas’ Frank Mason III is flirting with college basketball’s highest individual honor — and his fans can have a voice in the final decision. Mason, who graduated from Petersburg High School in 2012, is one of 10 semifinalists for the coveted James A. Naismith Trophy awarded to college basketball’s most outstanding player. Four finalists will be announced Sunday, March 19.
Coach Penny Hardaway poised to return Memphis to its glory days
Penny Hardaway may the best thing to hit Memphis since Elvis. Quicker than you can say “It’s Now or Never,” Hardaway appears on the verge of returning his alma mater, the University of Memphis, to past glory.
