Lenoir-Rhyne University Head Men's Basketball Coach Everick Sullivan has announced the program's first signee for the upcoming 2017-18 campaign in Emmanuel Wembi.

Wembi has been a standout for Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) for the past two years, leading the program to a combined 42-20 mark.

Wembi (6-8, 220, Center) averaged 11.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 57 percent from the field for the Red Hawks this year and leading the squad to a third consecutive berth in the Region X Quarterfinals.

Wembi was also one of three players in the region to average a double-double for the year and was the region's second-best defensive rebounder (8.2). Wembi is a graduate of Rocky River High School in Mint Hill, N.C.

Appalachian State University women’s tennis suffered a tightly-contested 4-3 setback on Thursday afternoon to No. 7 seed and archrival Georgia Southern in the first round of the 2017 Sun Belt Tennis Championship held in New Orleans at City Park Tennis Courts.

You couldn’t have asked for a more exciting match where both of App’s doubles wins were decided by two points and three of the six singles matches went to three sets. App was close once again as all three first round losses since joining the league have been decided by one point.

Trailing 3-2 during the match with their backs against the wall, the Mountaineers tied up the match thanks to Megan Mullen’s (Lake Norman, N.C./Mooresville) hard-fought three-set win over Monsey, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 as the No. 6 in the lineup.

Once again, it came down to Heidi Swope (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) and her counterpart in the match-deciding point. After winning the match for the Black and Gold in the previous matchup against Georgia Southern, Swope played valiantly against Giulia Riepe, but fell in three sets 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 2-6.

With App leading 1-0 going into singles play, the Eagles would capture the first two singles matches to take a 2-1 lead. Gabrielle Wreder (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian) fell to Emilia Bujan, 6-7 (2-7), 2-6 before Rebecca Morse (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Cypress Creek) suffered a 2-6, 5-7 setback to Arianna de Winter.

But the Apps, as they did all day, battled to tie up the match at 2-apiece following Taylor Bygrave’s (Monto, Australia/Miami Gold Coast) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 triumph over Mariana Ranzahuer. Melissa Machado (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) was defeated in three sets to Truscott in another close match 6-3, 2-6, 1-6. It would come down to the last pair of matches in an exciting way.

The Mountaineers captured two of three doubles matches in exciting fashion to take a 1-0 lead going into singles. After Swope and McKayla Zupan (Wilmington, N.C./Hoggard) fell to Mariana Ranzahuer and Lindsay Truscott, 2-6. App came back in the next two matches with Mullen and Wreder earning a hard-fought 7-5 win against De Winter/Riepe.

The clinching doubles match was down to Machado and Bygrave, as they gave App the doubles win in a clutch triumph over Bujan and Monsey by a score of 7-5.

App’s season has concluded while GASO will advance to the quarterfinal match against No. 2 seed South Alabama on Friday.

The Mountaineers will return six of their nine student-athletes including four of their top five wins leaders in singles play in Bygrave, Swope, Machado and Morse.

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced an exciting new endeavor as it has teamed with Advanced-Online to launch the official online store for Bears’ apparel and collectibles at shoplrbears.com.

The website offers a wide variety of Lenoir-Rhyne clothing including T-shirts, sweatshirts, polos, shorts and hats including items from the official brand of the Bears, Under Armour. In addition, certain items can be customized to feature the sport of your choice.

The site also features collectibles ranging from flags and wall decals to jewelry and watches, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Lenoir-Rhyne University.

“This is a great opportunity for Lenoir-Rhyne to promote Bear Nation beyond the local community.” Deputy Athletics Director Brent Heaberlin said in a statement. “Giving our fans and alumni easy access to the gear they want is a big step forward in expanding our brand.”

Advanced-Online partners with over 80 corporations, 20 Greek organizations, and 150 colleges assisting them in producing client-centered solutions. Unlike any other e-commerce solutions on the market today, our stores require no inventory. Product availability is shown in real time and items ship within 24 hours.

Advanced-Online has teamed with such schools as Wake Forest University, Baylor University, Ball State and Coastal Carolina.

The Lander Baseball Team (19-25) picked up a 7-1 win over Lenoir-Rhyne (21-23) Wednesday evening at Dolny Stadium.

The Bearcats, who avenged an earlier loss to the Bears, were led by Carson Jones (Asheville, N.C.) with a three-run home run and four runs batted in.

Lander took control with three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings while Jones' round-tripper came in the fifth frame. Mason Dodd (Augusta, Ga.) also drove in three runs for the Bearcats, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Lenoir-Rhyne junior outfielder Marcus Shoemaker (Colfax, N.C.) drove in the Bears' lone run in the fifth inning. The Bears, however, suffered their fourth straight setback.

On the mound, Tripper Ergle (Blythewood, S.C.) (1-3) pitched four innings in relief to pick up his first win of the year while Lenoir-Rhyne junior Matt Sullivan (Bristol, Va.) (1-2) was tagged with the loss.

Lenoir-Rhyne returns to South Atlantic Conference play this Friday against Newberry on the road beginning at 6:00 p.m., in Newberry, S.C.

Lenoir-Rhyne University's Iulia Ponomareva has been named to the 2017 All-South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Singles Second Team, league officials earlier today as part of its annual awards.

Ponomareva, a sophomore from Smolensk, RUSSIA, went 12-9 on the year including a 7-4 mark in league play as a competitor at No. 1 or No. 2 singles. This past fall, Ponomareva was the Bears' first-ever regionally-ranked player.

Lenoir-Rhyne, under first-year mentor Tom Rees, finished 9-12 on the season including a 3-8 mark in conference action.

2017 All-South Atlantic Conference
Women's Tennis Honors

First-Team Doubles
Laura Dean/Rebecca Bruning, Anderson
Franziska Funke/Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Elizabeth Williamson/Amanda Carrillo, Newberry

Second-Team Doubles
Carlotta Nassi/Marta Gonzalez, Queens
Maria Garcia/Oroma Womendu, Wingate
Sydney Homan/Andrea Ernera, Wignate

Honorable Mention Doubles
Johanna Delisse/Julia Loos, Lincoln Memorial
Layla Tanik/Claudia DeAndreis, Wingate
Alisa Liashova/Klara Vuckovic, Carson-Newman

First-Team Singles
Carlotta Nassi, Queens
Elizabeth Williamson, Newberry
Laura Dean, Anderson
Rebecca Bruning, Anderson
Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Franziska Funke, Tusculum

Second-Team Singles
Claudia De Andreis, Wingate
Elena Pellegrini, Wingate
Marta Gonzalez, Queens
Ivey Welborn, Anderson
Iulia Ponomareva, Lenoir-Rhyne
Amanda Carrillo, Newberry

Honorable Mention Singles
Marta Pinol, Lincoln Memorial
Ali Harris, Carsion-Newman
Annie McCullough, Tusculum
Caroline Nielsen, Queens
Jill Corsato Owsianka, Carson-Newman
Melissa Laing, Queens

Player Of The Year
Carlotta Nassi, Queens

Freshman Of The Year
Katarina Majorova, Tusculum

Coach Of The Year
Michael Cabana, Wingate

The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (43-8, 15-3) remained tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a doubleheader sweep of Queens (20-27, 6-14), 6-1 and 4-2, Wednesday afternoon at Bears Field. The Bears, ranked No. 16 in NCAA Division II, also ran their winning streak to 13 games.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Queens 1

The Bears held a 2-1 advantage before taking control with a four-run fifth inning highlighted by a two-run single from senior first baseman Sydney Landreth (Disputanta, Va.).

Lenoir-Rhyne junior second baseman Madison Poe (Siler City, N.C.) hit the game-winning RBI double while freshman Sydney Miller (East Bend, N.C.) garnered the win after holding the Royals scoreless after coming in relief in the third inning.

Queens’ Sydney Ditto (Mooresville, N.C.) and Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore outfielder Erin Boone (Creedmoor, N.C.) both hit home runs to lead off their first innings, respectively, while the Royals’ Courtney Pearson (Candler, N.C.) (14-16) was tagged with the loss.

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Queens 2

Boone helped the Bears break a scoreless tie with a two-run single as part of a three-run second inning as Lenoir-Rhyne held on to beat Queens and earn a sweep.

Junior shortstop Madison Carter (Bessemer City, N.C.) scored twice while Miller (13-4) picked up the win for the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Ty Triplett (Valdese, N.C.) came on in relief to earn her first save of the year.

For Queens, Kelly Winter (Jacksonville, Fla.) had an RBI double while Evie Scott (Eden, N.C.) (6-7) was tagged with the setback.

Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Carson-Newman – the Eagles are tied for first place in the league standings with the Bears – in a conference doubleheader showdown as part of Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

Catawba Valley Easter Classic:
Alexander Central: 10
Newton-Conover: 0

Hickory: 2
St. Stephens: 1 (Championship)

Causby Classic:
Bandys: 8
East Burke: 1

Draughn: 5
Freedom: 2

R-S Central: 7
Patton: 0 (Championship)

Mingo Bay Classic:
Maiden: 11
Bishop Grimes: 1

Shelby Classic:
Crest: 12
South Caldwell: 2

The Hickory Crawdads lost their third straight game to the West Virginia Power in an 8-5 loss at L.P. Frans Stadium Wednesday night.

For the Crawdads, Yeyson Yrizarri homered and doubled, scoring a couple of runs while also driving home two. Franklin Rollin tripled and singled, also stealing two bases.

Sandy Santos and Logan Ratledge scored on an error in the fifth inning to help the West Virginia Power secure the win. The error gave the Power a 5-4 lead.

The Power later added single runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings to secure the victory.

Hickory missed a scoring opportunity in the sixth, when Brallan Perez flew out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Stephen Alemais hit two solo homers for West Virginia.

West Virginia starter Luis Escobar (2-0) picked up the win despite allowing four runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. Opposing starter Jonathan Hernandez (0-2) took the loss in the South Atlantic League game after a rough outing in which he allowed five runs and seven hits over four innings.

The Crawdads fall to 5-9 on the first half of the season. Hickory will go on the road to Kannapolis on Thursday.

Appalachian State fired a program record 3-under 285 in the final round to tie for third at the 2017 Sun Belt Women’s Golf Championships on Wednesday at the Fighting Joe Course.

Sophomore Joliana Elias’ (Jamestown, N.C.) and freshman Melany Chong (Missasauga, Ontario) both fired 2-under 70s as App State notched its best conference tournament finish since playing against a full field in either the Southern Conference or the Sun Belt.

Troy captured the team title at 878 (+14), holding off Georgia State (+19) down the stretch. App State and Texas State both tied for third at 886 (+22) for the week. App’s 285 (-3) was six shots better than any other team in the field in the final round. Arkansas State (+36) took fifth.

“I’m beyond proud of these ladies,” App State head coach Heather Brown said following the round. “They stuck to the process of preparation all last week and, especially our game plan these last three days. Now the result speaks for itself.”

Elias and Chong were flawless down the stretch, as Elias nabbed her first top five in taking third place at 1-under for the week. She finished five shots back of Texas State’s Sasikarn Somboonsup and one shot behind Troy’s Fatima Cano. Elias opened with five consecutive pars before a bogey on No. 6, but played her final 12 holes at 3-under with three birdies and no bogeys. Chong played her final 16 holes without a bogey to shoot a career-best 70 (-2) and finished tied for 12th at 6-over. She birdied the par-3 18th to finish her best collegiate event to date.

“Jo certainly lead the way,” Brown added of Elias. “She stayed patient and played within herself. I’m happy for her great showing and she had a great team to back her up. Today's record score represents the hard work of all of the players in and out of the (lineup). “Congratulations to these girls on a strong finish, especially the seniors.”

Seniors Hannah Craver (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Emily Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) both finished out their career on high note with the school record and with strong rounds. Stinson made four birdies in an even-par round of 72 to finish tied for 24th, while Craver closed out with a 73 (+1) to tie for 17th. Craver holed out on the par-4 fourth for an eagle to get her round going. Junior Savanna Wood (Boone, N.C.) had a pair of birdies in her round of 82 (+10) to take 40th overall.

The 285 (-3) was seven shots better than App’s previous best round, a 292 (+4) at the Winthrop Intercollegiate in 2012-13.

1 Troy 878  (+14) 
2 Georgia State  883  (+19) 
T3 Texas State 886  (+22) 
T3 Appalachian State 886  (+22) 
5 Arkansas State  900  (+36) 
T6 Little Rock  901  (+37) 
T6 South Alabama 901  (+37) 
8 Georgia Southern 916  (+52) 
9 Coastal Carolina 919  (+55) 
10 ULM 949  (+85)

Appalachian State individual scores: 
3 Joliana Elias 73 72 70 215
T12 Melany Chong 76 76 70 222
T17 Hannah Craver 75 75 73 223
T24 Emily Stinson 76 79 72 227
40 Savanna Wood 75 80 82 237

Appalachian State University wrestling had four student-athletes named to the 2017 NWCA All-Academic individual team, the association announced on Tuesday.

The NWCA All-Academic team annually recognizes the top 30 teams in the country with the highest team grade point averages. The Mountaineers as a team finished No. 29 with a 3.107 overall GPA.

“I’m proud of our team and staff for a continual commitment to academics,” head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “These four Academic All-Americans represent our program well both on and off the mat. The 2016-17 season has been a tremendous success in all facets for our program.”

Redshirt senior and mainstay 125-pounder Vito Pasone (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./E.L. Meyers) made the list as he continues his education at Appalachian, getting a master’s degree in teaching. SoCon all-conference selection Pasone went 14-7 on the season and 10-3 in duals – undefeated in league action. This year, the senior has seven bonus point victories, including a string of three straight over a group that included nationally ranked opponents. His 89 career victories place him eighth all-time at Appalachian. Pasone was able to take third place at the SoCon Tournament after battling back from an early loss to down Gardner-Webb and getting a technical fall in the final match.

Sophomore Matt Zovistoski (Paramus, N.J./St. Joseph Regional) made the list as a staunch 149-pounder while he works toward a degree in biology. Zovistoski battled for two huge victories in the NCAA Tournament against NC State’s Sam Speno and Oregon State’s Joey Delgado after finishing the season with a 23-8 record, including eight bonus point victories before being crowned champion at 149 pounds in the SoCon Tournament.

Redshirt junior 165-pounder Forrest Przybysz (Jefferson, Ga./Jefferson) continues to excel both on and off the mat as he works toward a degree in economics, getting his name on the NWCA All-Academic list for the second-straight year. Przybysz finished the regular season 22-12 overall and with an ever-dominant 11-5 duals record and 11 bonus point victories on the season. Continuing the end streak, he made quick work of SIUE’s Clayton Bass to start the 165-pound weight class before getting the narrow 1-0 decision win over Chattanooga’s Justin Lampe to proceed to the first place match. Facing Campbell’s Quentin Perez, Przybysz fell 8-4 to garner second place honors.

Redshirt senior Denzel Dejournette (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) made the list for the third consecutive year while finishing eighth in the nation in the heavyweight division, working toward a master’s degree in exercise science. The two-time SoCon Wrestler of the Year entered the tournament with a 23-5 overall record to go along with an undefeated in SoCon action at 6-0. Dejournette had 10 bonus point victories and two seven-match win streaks on the season. The senior was also named SoCon Wrestler of the Year this year. In the conference tournament, he made quick work of his opponents, getting a 30-second pin to start things off before a 20-4 technical fall put him in the championship match where he won 7-4.

Lenoir-Rhyne University's Hamed Gandouz has been named to the 2017 All-South Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Singles Second Team, league officials announced today.

Gandouz, a sophomore from Hammam Sousse, TUNISIA, went 11-4 in singles play this season including a 6-3 mark in conference, all at first singles.

In addition, junior Tomas Hons (Valasske Mezirici, CZECH REPUBLIC) garnered honorable mention all-league accolades in singles play as well for the Bears. Hons went 12-6 in singles action this year including four wins against South Atlantic Conference opponents.

Lenoir-Rhyne went 11-10 on the season – 4-7 in league play – under first-year mentor Tom Rees.

2017 All-South Atlantic Conference
Men's Tennis Honors

First-Team Doubles
Josh DuToit/Daniel Belsito, Wingate
Nicolas Ascarrunz/Jeffrey Dayton Anderson
Paolo Bompieri/Andor Vas, Queens (T)
Joao Pedro Oliveira/Gabriel Dabdab, Carson-Newman (T)

Second-Team Doubles
Tyler Schofer/Amir Zari, Wingate (T)
Sebastian Meum/Giovanni Setti, Queens (T)
Edison Ambarzumjan/Joran Monosky, Newberry (T)
Xavier Marti/Josh Peress, Lincoln Memorial (T)

Honorable Mention Doubles
Yago Fernandez/David Siegle, Tusculum

First-Team Singles
Jules Athalis, Queens
Filippo Pezzoli, Wingate
Edison Ambarzumjan, Newberry
Ignacio Bidegain, Anderson
Joao Pedro Oliveira, Carson-Newman
Paolo Bompieri, Queens

Second-Team Singles
Daniel Belsito, Wingate
Xavier Marti, Lincoln Memorial
Tomas Kmetko, Tusculum
Hamed Gandouz, Lenoir-Rhyne
Theo Dessacs, Wingate
Yago Fernandez, Tusculum (T)
Jordan Monosky, Newberry (T)

Honorable Mention Singles
Agustin Aran Martin, Queens
Nicolas Ascarrunz, Anderson
Juan Carracedo, Anderson
Michael Patch, Catawba
Tomas Hons, Lenoir-Rhyne

Player Of The Year
Jules Athalis, Queens

Freshman Of The Year
Paolo Bompieri, Queens

Coach Of The Year
Billy Boykin, Queens

Led behind a career-high seven strikeouts by senior Matt Schaeffer (Port St. Lucie, Fla./John Carroll Catholic (Tallahassee C.C.)) and three multi-hit efforts at the plate, Appalachian State University baseball ended its road trip with a 7-5 victory over Radford on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers (14-23) once again used slugging to get their runs, while pitching took care of the Highlanders’ (16-20) at-bats.

Right-handed Schaeffer provided relief in the second inning and went 5.0 innings on the night – his longest appearance of the season. Getting his second decision win of the season, he allowed just two hits and one unearned run while fanning seven, which obliterated his previous career high of three punchouts that he threw most recently against NC Central in his first career start in Charlotte, N.C. at BB&T Ballpark on March 14.

On the other side of things, the Black and Gold continued their hot hitting of late, increasing their number of home runs in the past three games to eight total. Conner Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reagan) went 2-for-5 and had his third jack in the last three games to keep his bat hot, while Avery Jackson (Ether, N.C./East Montgomery) had his second homer in the same timespan while going 2-for-4 on the day as well.

Matt Vernon (Advance, N.C./Davie County (Florence-Darlington Tech)) also got in on the derby, launching a two-RBI shot to left field in the fourth inning.

Appalachian got on the board first in the second when Colin Schmid (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) shot one of his two hits on the evening to center field for a double, which led to him being brought across the plate by Jackson on a single through the middle.

The Highlanders started the seesaw by retaking the lead in the second, but the Diamond Apps would tie things up in the third as Drake Zupcic (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) singled to left field before a Stroup walk and a Leonard bullet through the gap brought home Zupcic.

The lead would be momentarily short-lived as Radford took the lead in the bottom of the third before the Mountaineer offensive engine revved up. In the fourth, Jackson started things off with a leadoff bomb to left field. Then, after a Brian Bauk (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury) walk, Vernon followed it up with his home run of the game to go up two.

App State then capitalized on a Tyler Stroup (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson) walk in the top of the fifth when Leonard went yard to go extend the lead.

After starting pitcher Bobby Hampton (Pikeville, N.C./C.B. Aycock) and Schaeffer, Dallas DeVrieze (Moline, N.C./Moline) and Reed Howell (Goldsboro, N.C./Rosewood) came in to finish the final 2.2 innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out four.

The Mountaineers now return home from a five-game road trip to a seven-game homestand beginning this weekend against Georgia State. First pitch for Game One is scheduled for Friday, April 21 at 6 p.m.

Catawba Valley Easter Classic:
Fred T. Foard: 3
Bunker Hill: 2

Hickory: 4
Newton-Conover: 2

St. Stephens: 7
Alexander Central: 6

West Lincoln: 10
Hibriten: 4

Causby Classic:
Bandys: 11
Chase: 1

East Burke: 5
West Caldwell: 3

Patton: 4
Draughn: 3

R-S Central: 8
Freedom: 3

Mingo Bay Classic:
Maiden: 2
Watertown NY: 0

Jose Almonte went one-for-three with a run scored and a walk and Ricardo Valencia had a double and scored a run, but the Hickory Crawdads dropped their second straight game to the West Virginia Power 8-3 at home on Tuesday.

The Power were led by Carlos Munoz who hit a two-run home run and had two hits, driving in three.

West Virginia went up 4-0 in the fifth after Hunter Owen hit an RBI single and then scored on a two-run home run by Munoz.

Blake Cederlind (1-0) got the win in relief while Hickory starter Demarcus Evans (0-2) took the loss in the South Atlantic League game.

The Crawdads fall to 5-8 on the season. They wrap up the series against West Virginia at 6pm Wednesday at home before going on the road to Kannapolis on Thursday.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Women’s Lacrosse Team (10-6) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 15-10 triumph over Saint Leo (6-10) Tuesday afternoon at University Turf Stadium.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior attacker Torrey Schwitkis (San Diego, Calif.) led the way with a team-high three goals while sophomore attacker Gabby Sousa (Delran, N.J.) and freshman attacker Cathleen Gaffney (Allentown, Pa.) both scored twice in the victory.

Kelsey Burns (Colts Neck, N.J.) led all scorers with five goals for the Lions despite the loss.

The game was tied at 6-6 entering intermission before the Bears took control by scoring the first four goals of the second half. Sousa, who has a team-leading 41 goals on the year now, scored the game-winner just 1:12 into the second half.

Junior All-American goalkeeper Ines Flueck (Coppell, Texas) earned the win after stopping six shots for the Bears, who held the edge in shots (30-21) and ground balls (24-19) in the victory. Saint Leo’s Erin Davis (Rehoboth Beach, Fla.) suffered the loss in goal despite making five saves.

Lenoir-Rhyne returns home to face Catawba in a South Atlantic Conference game on Saturday beginning at 4:00 p.m., as part of Senior Day.

Sophomore Joliana Elias’ (Jamestown, N.C.) fired a career-low 72 and is tied for fourth to lift Appalachian State to fifth place in the 10-team field through two rounds at the 2017 Sun Belt Women’s Golf Championships. App fired a team-302 to climb one spot in Tuesday’s second round on the Fighting Joe Course in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Elias had three birdies including chipping in on the par-3 18th to go with five bogeys and move into position for a top five finish. She is 1-over for the week and trails Troy’s Fatima Cano (-4) by five for the overall lead.

App State’s 302 (+14) pairs with Monday’s 299 (+11) for the two lowest rounds the Mountaineers have fired in the Sun Belt Championships in their third year in the Sun Belt.

App State (+25) is five shots behind Little Rock (+20) for fourth and leads Arkansas State (+30) by five and South Alabama (+33) by eight. Troy (+11) leads Georgia State (+13) for the overall team lead.

“The course played a bit tougher today,” App head coach Heather Brown said. “We did a good job of staying in it mentally and scrambled to put up a decent number for today. Our mindset has been chip away with pars and we will continue that game plan tomorrow.”

Senior Hannah Craver (Winston-Salem, N.C.) is in the Top 20 following a solid 75 (+3). She had a birdie and 14 pars and sits at 6-over for the week, 10 off the pace.

Freshman Melany Chong (Missasauga, Ontario) is tied for 21st at 8-over after a second consecutive 76 (+4). She had two birdies to offset a double bogey on No. 1.

Junior Savanna Wood (Boone, N.C.) and senior Emily Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) are both tied for 33rd. Stinson carded a 79 (+7) and Wood had an 80 on Tuesday. Both are 11-over for the tournament.

App State will tee off beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday morning for the final round. The Mountaineers will play with Little Rock and Arkansas State.

Longtime Appalachian State University head men’s golf coach Bill Dicus announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the 2016-17 season. Dicus is in his 26th year at Appalachian State and his 22nd at the helm of the men’s golf program. Dicus also coached the women’s program for 17 seasons.

Dicus has guided App State to six team tournament championships and eleven individual medalist honors, leading the Mountaineer program for nearly a quarter century in the golf-rich Southern and Sun Belt Conferences.

“Appalachian State is grateful to Bill for his dedication and commitment to the program and the university,” App State director of athletics Doug Gillin said on Tuesday. “His teams resembled what it means to be an Appalachian student-athlete both on the course and in the classroom. Congratulations both Bill and his wife Pepi on his retirement.”

Dicus coached the Mountaineers to a pair of fourth-place finishes during their time in the highly-competitive SoCon and coached some of the best golfers in App State history. Former Apps Casey Johnson, Josh Nichols, and Bern Gregory were all two-time medalists during Dicus’ tenure. Casey Komline was a two-time All-Southern Conference performer in 2012 and 2013. He Ranks first with the lowest career stroke average at 74.0 with 69 total rounds and has three of the four lowest season averages in program history.

In his final season in Boone, the Mountaineers continue to set records. App’s 279 at the Donald Ross Invitational at Mimosa Hills in the fall was the second-lowest round in program history. He has the Apps playing their best golf of the season heading into the 2017 Sun Belt Championships. Currently the 2016-17 team has a head-to-head record of 64-50-4, ensuring the Mountaineers 18th winning record in the last 21 seasons. The team stroke average of 293 is 14 strokes lower than his first team in 1995.

The Mountaineers are coming off a win over No. 24 South Carolina last week, in addition to wins over Ohio State and VCU at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate outside of Charlotte. Prior to that event, App was 22-3 in back-to-back tournaments with a second-place and a third-place finish. The team- 282 (-6) earlier this month at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational was tied for the seventh-lowest round in program history and was matched again a week later at Irish Creek.

The Mountaineers will compete in the 2017 Sun Belt Men’s Golf Championships in Sandestin, Fla. Play runs Sun.-Tues. (April 23-25) for the 54-hole event. Seeds will be announced later this week with the winner earning an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship field in May.

While at Appalachian, he also coached the women’s team for 17 seasons. The Mountaineers placed second in the SoCon three times, placing behind only national-power Furman.

Dicus also coached the SoCon’s Freshman of the Year, Kelly Clements, in 1996 and two All-SoCon performers, Merryll McElwain (1994-96) and Brittany Winterton (1997).

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Dicus is a class A member of the PGA of America. He received a Bachelor of Science from Campbell University. In addition to his duties at App State, Dicus served nine years as the head golf professional at Linville Ridge Country Club in Linville, N.C., one of the premier courses in North Carolina. He left Linville Ridge in 1999 to become the Director of Golf at Appalachian full time. The Dicus family is heavily involved in charity work throughout the High Country, as well.

Dicus and his wife, Pepi, reside in Boone.

Due to inclement weather headed towards the Boone area tomorrow, Appalachian State University softball’s midweek doubleheader with North Carolina Central University has been postponed to a further date that has yet to be determined.

The twin bill with instate rival NCCU was initially scheduled for tomorrow, April 19 with first pitch set at 4 p.m.

Appalachian State University men’s tennis (12-8) will be seeded seventh in the 2017 Sun Belt Championship held in New Orleans at City Park Tennis Courts, as the league announced the bracket on Tuesday.

The Mountaineers will face No. 2 seed and 47th-ranked South Alabama on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in the first round. In all three seasons in the Sun Belt, the Apps have played South Alabama in the tournament as the lower seed.

The Black and Gold suffered a 4-1 setback in the semifinal matchup last season to USA after recording their first-ever Sun Belt Tournament win in the first round, stunning No. 3 seed and then-defending SBC Tournament Champion, Troy.

Appalachian finished the season 12-8 while finishing the year with a 9-3 mark after a 3-5 start. App State has four student-athletes with at least 12 victories led by Scott Webster (Perth, Austraila/Scotch College), who has 14 singles wins. Webster and Milo Bargeron (Chislehurst, England/Bullerswood) lead the team with a 9-2 mark in doubles action.

USA finished the year with an impressive 21-5 mark while going into the tournament on a four-match win streak. USA fell in the Sun Belt Tournament Final last season, 4-1, to UT Arlington.

Appalachian State University (5-18) will face rival No. 7 seed Georgia Southern as the 10th seed in the first round of the 2017 Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Championship, as the league announced the bracket on Tuesday.

First serve will take place at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on Thursday with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal match against No. 2 seed South Alabama on Friday at 12:30 p.m. (ET).

App has come close to its first Sun Belt Tournament win, losing both first round matches by a point including last season’s 4-3 setback to then-No. 8 seed UL Monroe. The Mountaineers hope to get over the hump this season with an experienced squad that had five student-athletes involved in the match against the Warhawks.

The Mountaineers and Eagles will be no strangers to each other as archrivals and having most recently matched up against each other on April 9. App won a thrilling 4-3 match in Statesboro thanks to Heidi Swope (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) and McKayla Zupan (Wilmington, N.C./Hoggard) capturing the doubles point while three Mountaineers won three-set singles matches including Swope’s match-clinching win as the No. 1.

Georgia Southern finished the season with a 10-11 mark and a 0-5 record in Sun Belt play. The Eagles have lost their last four matches going into the tournament. Last season, GASO lost in the first round to then-No. 5 seed Troy, 4-1.