The DSU Hornets Summer Wrap-Up

Dear Summer,

Summer 2009 was the year of making moves and starting over as we prepared for the 2009-2010 Hornets Sports season. Even though our Hornet Athletes have taken the summer break to train, take summer classes, jobs/internship, family and others, there were some summer headlines there were taken place on the campus of Delaware State University.

Lady Hornets Bowling

June 30 will be the most shocking day ever. After winning the MEAC Championship back in March and going to their first ever NCAA appearance, Kim Terrell-Kearney announced that she will be stepping down as the head coach of Lady Hornets Bowling. I was asking myself why did she step down? The answered is simple she accepted the job to work at United States of Bowling Congress in Arlington, Texas.

Kim told dsuhornets.com that it was very tough decision to leave Delaware State because of the wonderful student athletes and staff, plus she was privileged to work with the Lady Hornets for two years.

Terrell-Kearney guided the Hornets to a school-record 119 wins and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship Tournament this past season. The Hornets advanced to the national semifinals, two wins shy of reaching the national championship. Named the 2008-09 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach-of-the-Year, Terrell-Kearney also captured the bowling team’s first MEAC Tournament championship in March.

Kim has a very good resume as a coach and as a professional bowler. The Hornet family will miss Kim Terrell-Kearney. Is the lady hornets bowling program in trouble? We don't know but they are currently looking for a new head coach before the new season starts this winter.

Hornets Baseball

On June 10th, former Hornets pitcher Dan Perkins was selected the 27th Round draft pick by the Colorado Rockies. He was sixth Hornets player to be drafted to Major League Baseball since 1991 and the first since 2004. Welcome to the big leagues Rocky Mountian Perkins. (New nickname I made up).

Three days before the students begin their first day of classes head coach J.P. Blandin named former Delaware Blue Hen Scott Shockley as their new outfielders coach while assisting in hitting instructions with Assistant Coach Mike August. A great move for Hornets baseball.

Men's Outdoor Track & Field

Even though Alston Bolt may have dominate the summer breaking world records, the Hornets Track & Field took over the month of June. From Donte Holmes All-American recognition, advancing to the NCAA track Nationals, coach Bell's First State Track honorship, to Leslie Murray's accomplishment in the NCAA's and Nationals the men's outdoor track & field is gaining momentum for next season.

Lady Hornets Softball

Softball Jeff Savage signed Penn State transfer Janelle Lukens to compete for Lady Hornets for the 2010 softball season. She will bring a Big Ten experience and should be a team leader for the Lady Hornets. Lady Hornets is expecting to sign five new players before the upcoming season.

Lady Hornets Basketball

Head Coach Ed Davis has signed four new players to join the Lady Hornets family: Guard/Forward Crystal Pitt, forward Kianna D’Oliveira, guard Jamarra Robinson, and center Uchechi Ahaiwe. These ladies will bring a greater bench production for the lady hornets for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

Also the new lady hornets schedule is out with 14 home games and some big non-conference games including being in L.A. for the Women of Troy Classic tournament playing USC. This will be a tough year but I think the lady hornets will pull through but they still have Hampton in their heads from the MEAC Tournament back in March.

Men's Basketball

Head coach Greg Jackson Sr. has wanted the Hornets to play the toughest non-conference games ever and this year will be no different from last year and the previous years. They will be playing 21 teams from nine different conferences. Here's some good news though the Hornets will begin the 2009-2010 season with five straight home games November 14-December 1. A lot of momentum heading towards their always brutal non-conference schedule. Mark your calenders for December 1 when the Hornets will play the Blue Hens of the University of Delaware at home. What an early Christmas present!!!

Delaware State Football

After 19 days of training camp the Hornets are ready for their first game against Joe Taylor and Florida A&M. But before the hornets prepared to look at game film they will begin the season 0-1. Why? Because of ESPN and other sports writers criticize the Hornets Football team for playing Michigan instead of the conference rival North Carolina A&T. The scheduling started back in the spring when Norfolk refuse to change the date with Delaware State and A&T didn't want to swap dates either forcing the Hornets to forfeit.

Finally we have a new Athletic Director back in April and his name is Derek Carter from Bowie State University. I wish him the best of luck on turing Athletic Department into a promising future without conflict.

Well Summer it was a great off season now the real season begins with fall sports. Until then see you again in Summer 2010 with more off season headlines.

Sincerely,
Clarence Varnado III
P.S. HORNETS!!!

Lady Hornets Bowling MEAC Champions

Congratulations to the Lady Hornets Bowling team for becoming the 2009 MEAC Bowling Champions.

The lady hornets took take of business against FAMU, Bethune-Cookman and the defending champion UMES.

In the NCAA Bowling tournament, the lady hornets were one step closer for reaching the national championship round but they eliminated in the semi finals by Nebraska.

Give the lady hornets credit for winning the MEAC championship in a feat that was unaccomplished last season. Next year the lady hornets will be stronger than ever first by defending the MEAC Championship and second getting back to the NCAA Bowling tournament and capturing it's very first National Championship.

The End of Hornets Wrestling

April 27 was the toughest decision for the Hornets' Athletic Department. The Hornets wrestling program has come to untimely end. According to Acting Director of Athletics Candy Young Saunders, she told reporters that concerns of financial viability, academic deficiencies, and lack of improvement with the APR at a Division I level.

I understand about the APR scores even though they made a perfect score the last two years, Delaware State needs to sources to bring money on equestrian, this sport, soccer, track & field, and bowling. Yes we are in economic recession, but the athletic department has got to do a better job with their money.

I feel bad that the wrestling program has got to go because the program has been in this up and running since the 1950's. In the last four years, there have have many coaching changes and the program fail to recover.

As for wrestlers here at DSU, they will transfer to other schools and keep their scholarships.

Men's & Women's Tennis Elimamated from the MEAC Tournament

On April 17, the men and lady hornets tennis team were looking to become the MEAC Tennis champions. Unfortunately, they were at the losing ends by the MEAC favorites.

On the ladies side, the lady hornets were taking on the Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M. The lady hornets competed well but it was too much FAMU at the end of day as DSU lost three of their four singles matches and two doubles contests. Polina Razborova posted the lone win for the lady defeating FAMU's Latreece Olagbegi 6-4, 6-0 in the second singles match.

Razborova's teammates Anna Kovtun, Cassandra Newton, and Hannah Adewumi each fell in straight sets. There were two streaks that ended: Adewumi's 16 single match winning streak (fall and spring seasons) was snapped and the lady hornets three match win streak has also ended.
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As for the men's tennis team they got their hands as they took on four time defending champion South Carliona State University. The Hornets were looking for an upset in the MEAC tournament. However, the Bulldogs are looking towards to become five time champions and no show no signs of rust as the hornets were shut out 5-0 in singles and double matches.

Both men and lady hornets tennis teams finished with winning records and looking forward toward next with some unfinished business.

The Recap of Hornets Baseball So Far

The Hornets baseball had the longest home stead in the programs history, 14 straight games. Instead of playing great baseball with a winning record, the hornets played with no sense of urgency as they conclude their home stead at 4-10. The reason behind a disappointing home stead is pitching and and their offensive bats to scored runs.

Heartbreak and Controversy Dooms the Lady Hornets

March 12 will be the date the lady hornets basketball will let them stinging and searching for answers. During the quarterfinals of the Delaware State-Hampton game, the lady hornets were ready for a fight and hoping to get one step closer to their goal.

Delaware State, the number three seed knew that they had very few wins against the lady pirates in the series.

When I was watching the game on meacsports.com it was a great ball game. Both teams had a series of runs. In the first half the lady hornets took a 20-13 lead until Hampton scored 21 straight points (before halftime and starting the second half) to take a double digit lead.

Head Coach Ed Davis and the lady hornets were almost in panic mode but they manage to climbed back in the game with their offense. With less than seven minutes in regulation, the lady hornets went on a 13-2 spurt to tied the game and retake the lead.

That's when the game went down to the nitty gritty:

Hampton's Ashlee Finley tied the game at 52 a piece by hitting two free throws followed by a lady hornet put back to regain the lead at 54-52.

Keyhana Wakefield tied the game at 54 on a pair of free throws with 20.9 seconds and two seconds later, Quanneisha Perry gave the lead Hampton right back.

On the lady hornets final possession, Keyhana put the petal to the metal with a strong move to the basket for the bucket to the tied the game.

That's when things when horribly wrong:
Hampton threw a long pass down court to Sherelle Leslie to hit the game-winning shot with 0.8 seconds left. The hornets defense did not recovered on that possession. After the basket was scored, a Hampton player storm out of her bench area and on to the court and circle around her coach.

I don't know if the referees saw it or not but a technical foul should be called so the lady hornets will shoot free throws and tied the game to forced overtime. Instead the lady hornets got cheated and heartbroken with some 808's from an echo Kayne West.

The lady hornets had the defense but they need more offense in order to win games and the championship. Not only does defense wins games but offense wins as well.

Hornets Visit to Winston-Salem a One Night Stay

The Hornets were eliminated before the game even started. On Tuesday, the Hornets were playing the Hampton Pirates in hopes of getting a fresh start. Instead they were dismissed from the start of tip-off.

Before the game started the hornets were short-handed because Marcus Neal was suspended for the game for a altercation during shoot-around and Arturo Dubois was already dismissed from the team three weeks ago.

More problems begin to set in when the hornets could not get out Hampton's 2-3 defense zone all night as the hornets shot a miserable 26%. The hornets offensive could not find any rhythm in making shot as Donald Johnson put up Jashua Bluntt like numbers from the conference championship round by shooting 1-10 from the field for two points.

Not only did the hornets score 16 in the first half but the smae number of points in the second half.

It was the lowest scoring game in the 37 year history of the MEAC Tournament and the lowest scoring for the Hornets this season. It's been a dissapointing end to the hornets season but Greg Jackson says in his final interview, "We will be back better than ever." I hope Greg Jackson knows what he is doing.