Appalachian State University women’s track and field finished up their only home meet of the season at the Ike Belk Track at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers posted 28 top-five finishes en route to a strong day on the track and in the field for the Black and Gold.

Amber Daniel took third in the shot put with a throw of 38-9.00 feet. She placed fifth in the discus (106-6.00) and ninth in the hammer (137-11.00). Samantha Welborn took fifth in the hammer with a throw of 162-8.00, while Jessica Ricks finished 10th (127-6.00).

In the long jump, Darlene Girardeau placed first with a leap of 19-0.00 feet, while Chelsey Hargrave took second (18-5.00), K’Lynn Beal placed fourth (18-2.50), Ila Mumford finished fifth (18-1.00) and Makaila Roberts took sixth (17-9.50).

After finishing second in the long jump, Hargrave placed first in the triple jump with a jump of 42-0.75 feet. Beal finished second (40-5.50) and Mumford took fourth (34-9.00).

Makayla Roten won the high jump after clearing 5-7.25 feet. In the pole vault, Taylor Drummonds finished second with a jump of 12-6.75, while Lainey Hunnicutt took third with the same height.

Hannah Emery finished fifth in the vault with 11-7.00 and Sofia San Miguel finished seventh (11-1.00).

Appalachian State’s 4x100-meter relay team finished first with a time of 45.98. The team consisted of Catherine Crawford, Girardeau, Hargrave and LaBria King.

In the 1,500-meter run, Tristin Van Ord won the event with a time of 4:37.78 with Hana Ratcliffe right behind in second-place with a time of 4:38.05. Elisa Sargent finished fourth (4:40.20), Katie Farina in fifth (4:40.49), Sarah Venable in sixth (4:44.80), Emily Fedders in ninth (5:00.14), Megan Scannell in 10th (5:02.74), Natalie Richardson took 12th (5:12.17), Madison Simmons placed 14th (5:12.98) and Alison Peters took 15th (5:27.75).

Imani Chapman placed first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.28, while Roberts took second with a time of 14.48.

Girardeau won the 100-meter dash (11.85), while King finished in second (11.93). Crawford took first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.11. Spencer finished third in the 800-meter run (2:26.25).

Brooke Brekke finished second in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.21) and 10th in the 200-meter dash (27.53). King took second in the 200 meters with time of 24.42.

In the 4x400-meter relay, the team of Grace Brooks, Kayla Hall, Alison Peters and Ratcliffe finished sixth with a time of 4:30.51.

Appalachian State University men’s track and field wrapped up its only home meet of the season on Saturday with the conclusion of the Mountaineer Meet.

The Mountaineers posted 22 top-five finishes en route to a strong showing on the Ike Belk Track inside Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Jordan Johnson blew away the competition in the long jump with a top jump of 23-10.00 for a first-place finish. That finish qualifies Johnson for Junior Nationals.

Michael Albert finished seventh in the shot put with a throw of 48-4.75, while Nicolas Botett took eighth with a throw of 47-10.75. In the discus, Ellsworth Parham took sixth (149-7.00), while Botett finished seventh (148-5.00), Albert finished eighth (147-2.00), Mason Poteat finished ninth (142-5.00) and Peter Kenn took 11th (137-11.00).

Kenn took second in the hammer (162-3.00), while Albert finished seventh (127-4.00), Botett finished eighth (127-0.00) and Poteat took ninth (121-4.00).

In the high jump, Jordan Dale finished in a tie for first with a jump of 6-8.00, while Cole Finch finished third (6-5.50), Daniel Lauffenburger took fourth (6-3.50) and Nick Hinton took fifth (6-1.50).

Phillip Thomas finished second in the pole vault with a jump of 15-6.25, while Matt Layne took eighth (13-0.75) and Jackson Powers placed 10th (11-1.00).

The Mountaineers’ 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of Will Buckley, Johnson, Elliott Graves and Antonio Marcano Jr., finished first with a time of 41.04.

In the 1,500-meter run, Evan Georges took first with a time of 3:56.00, while Collin Loy took fourth (4:00.64), Michael Flanagan finished fifth (4:01.56) and Ian Foley finished eighth (4:06.70).

Graves took first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.61 and Andrew Spear finished second with a time of 14.79. In the 100-meter dash, Buckley took first with a time of 10.46, while Marcano Jr. finished second with a time of 10.60.

Ryan Hastings won the 400-meter dash (47.36) and Josh Hanna finished third (48.50). Jaxon Roberts finished fifth (50.69) and Powers took 11th (55.88).

Sean Doyle finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.31. Spear won the 400-meter hurdles (53.45) and Graves finished second (53.59).

In the 200-meter dash, Jabari Johnson finished first with a time of 22.06, while Hanna took second (22.32) and Roberts placed eighth (23.64).

The Mountaineers’ 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Hanna, Hastings, Spear and Brandon Smith finished first with a time of 3:25.59.

Despite holding a one-run lead for the first three innings, Appalachian State University baseball was unable to overcome an 11-hit day for Arkansas State, falling 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at Smith Stadium.

The Mountaineers (18-25, 7-13 Sun Belt) dropped just their third game in their last eight while the Red Wolves (21-21, 9-11 Sun Belt) snapped their four-game losing streak.

Appalachian got on the board in the first inning when back-to-back singles by Matt Vernon (Advance, N.C./Davie County (Florence-Darlington Tech)) and Jason Curtis (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge) allowed Tyler Stroup (Thomasville, N.C./East Forsyth) to get a sacrifice fly, bringing in Vernon, to get the 1-0 lead.

Both teams went scoreless as pitchers dueled until the fourth inning when Arkansas State was able to plate four runs off four hits to take the lead.

Trying to work themselves back into the game, the Black and Gold scored one run in the six, after Avery Jackson (Ether, N.C./East Montgomery) and Brian Bauk (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury) drew walks. To bring home Jackson, Bradley Davis (Woodruff, S.C./Woodruff) continued his impressive week at the plate by singling up the middle to get one of his team-high two RBI on the day.

A-State would score one in the seventh, but Appalachian continued to threaten in the eighth as Jackson and Conner Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reagan) hit back-to-back leadoff singles before Jackson hit a chopper down the right field line to plate one. The Apps forced a pitching change with the winning run at the plate and runners on first at second, but they would be unable to claw any closer on the day.

Southpaw Colin Schmid (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) took his usual Saturday start and went 4.0 innings before Matt Schaeffer (Port St. Lucie, Fla./John Carroll Catholic (Tallahassee C.C.)) provided relief. Schaeffer went 2.1 innings allowing just one hit and one run, striking out three before Tristan Helms (Aberdeen, N.C./Pinecrest) and Sean Mason (Austin, Texas/McNeil) finished off the game.

Mason finished with two strikeouts and allowed just two hits in his 2.1 innings of work.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (46-11), ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, was eliminated from the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship with a pair of losses to Carson-Newman (42-11) and Coker (41-16) by scores of 1-0 and 4-3, respectively, Saturday at Byerly Park.

The Eagles and Cobras will play for the league championship on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Carson-Newman 1, Lenoir-Rhyne 0

The Eagles’ broke a scoreless tie when Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) came through with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out as Carson-Newman advanced to the title game.

Carson-Newman’s Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) threw a two-hit shutout to lead the Eagles. Rinus improved to 25-5 after striking out nine while freshman Sydney Miller (East Bend, N.C.) suffered the loss despite allowing one unearned run.

Coker 4, Lenoir-Rhyne 3

The Cobras’ Tayler Barcomb (St. George, S.C.) hit a two-run home run as Coker was able to hold on and beat Lenoir-Rhyne to advance to the finals on Sunday.

Lenoir-Rhyne lost despite solo home runs from senior catcher Sarah Kenley (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore outfielder Erin Boone (Creedmoor, N.C.).

For Coker, Augusta Jackson (Kingsland, Ga.) improved to 8-2 after taking the win while Christine Carver (Waxhaw, N.C.) pitched the final three innings for her fourth save of the year. Miller (14-7) was tagged with the defeat.

Lenoir-Rhyne, ranked fifth in the region, will now wait and see if it advances to the NCAA Division II Playoffs which begins with the Southeast Region Tournament (Friday, May 12 – Sunday, May 14).

For the first time in school history, Appalachian State University softball snatches a Sun Belt Conference series victory downing UTA in a doubleheader, 2-0 and 3-2, on Saturday, April 29 at the Sywassink/Lloyd Family Softball Stadium in Boone.

“I thought that we threw very well today,” said head coach Janice Savage. “I thought Vanessa pitched great in the first game and Kenzie came in and closed it out. I thought Kenzie gutted it out a lot in game two, especially going the full seven. We made it interesting there in the seventh inning in the second game, but I was proud to see us close it out and finish the game. I would like to see fewer errors tomorrow, but I am excited for us to get back on the field.”

Appalachian State (14-30, 2-18 SBC) snapped an 18-game skid on Saturday and picked up their first conference win since edging the Mavs (25-22,11-12 SBC 4-3) 4-3 on April 3, 2016. The Black and Gold also seized their first conference series win since App downed Furman in 2014. Also, game one’s 2-0 victory is the first time the Mountaineers shut out a Sun Belt foe since joining the conference in 2015.

Game One: App State 2, UTA 0

App State’s tough pitching and sound defensive performance silenced the Mavs in game one, as Megan Walker’s (Raleigh, N.C./Middle Creek) two-run RBI was enough to down the Mavericks 2-0.

A pitcher’s duel dominated the first two and a half innings until Keri White (Hampstead, N.C./Topsail) smacked out the first hit of the game. Right after that, Sidney Russell (Lincolnton, N.C./North Lincoln) drew a two-out walk to put two on for the Mountaineers. After an illegal pitch had advanced the runners to third and second, Walker knocked the freshmen home to end the third up by two.

At the top of the sixth, the Mavs put up their best offensive inning threatening to score with two on base, but a flyout stranded the pair to end the inning.

With three outs left to take game one, Longanecker neutralized UTA’s offense retiring the batters in order to blank the Mavericks, 2-0.

White highlighted the offense with a perfect 2-for-2 output and scored one run.

Ciocatto (2-10) set the tone for the Apps in the circle limiting the Mavs to one hit and one walk. Then at the top of the sixth, Longanecker came in relief for the save holding the Mavs to two hits and did not give up any walks.

Game Two: App State 3, UTA 2

Despite a seventh inning rally by the Mavericks, Taylor Riverburgh’s (Rocky Point, N.C./Heide Trask) two-run RBI in the fourth was enough to hold off UTA to extend App State’s win streak against the Mavs to three-straight games.

App State jumped on the board first off a sac. fly by Haley Stewart (Belmont, N.C./South Point) for the early 1-0 lead at the end of the second.

At the top of the third, the Mavericks were eager to take the lead with two runners in scoring position, but Longanecker pulled the Apps out of the tight situation with a strikeout.

In the fourth, Heather Josey (Statesville, N.C./North Iredell) opened the bottom half crashing out a single through the left side, and Ally Walters (Orange City, Fla./University) and Stewart loaded the bases drawing back-to-back walks. After Maddy Bloom (Princeton Junction, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro North), who pinch ran for Josey, was tagged out heading home on a fielder’s choice, Rivenburgh pinched in and paved the way for two to dash home for the 3-0 advantage.

Down by three, UTA was in dire need of striking up something offensively and cut App State’s lead to 3-2 scoring off two consecutive RBI at the top of the seventh, but Longanecker’s cat-like reflexes stopped UTA from scoring again, throwing the batter out at first to edge the Mavs, 3-2.

Four ladies crashed out hits in game two and Longanecker (9-11) pitched her seventh complete game in 7.0 innings and struck out two in the process.

Several members of the Lenoir-Rhyne University Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Teams competed at the Mountaineer Outdoor Open Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Paiton Fair (Newton, N.C.) finished second in the women’s 400-meter dash with a time of 56.35 seconds while freshman Annelle Grealis (Gastonia, N.C.) was runner-up in the women’s high jump (4’9”).

In the men’s competition, sophomore C.J. Williams (Oakland, Tenn.) placed third in the 200-meter dash (22.42).

Lenoir-Rhyne next competes in the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on Wednesday, May 3, in Lynchburg, Va.

Yanio Perez hit a two-run home run and had three hits, driving in three as the Hickory Crawdads beat the Columbia Fireflies 11-7 on Friday.

Hickory took the lead in the first when it exploded for six runs, including a three-run home run by Yeyson Yrizarri.

After Columbia scored two runs in the second on a home run by Desmond Lindsay, the Fireflies cut into the deficit in the third inning when Dash Winningham hit an RBI single, scoring Gene Cone.

The Crawdads later added two runs in the third and fourth innings and one in the fifth to secure the victory.

Kaleb Fontenot (1-0) got the win in relief while Columbia starter Blake Taylor (0-4) took the loss in the South Atlantic League game.

Hickory improved to 4-1 against Columbia this season.

Conner Leonard's (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reagan) 4-for-5 outing and Dallas DeVrieze (Moline, Ill./Moline) struck out four to help Appalachian State University baseball take down Arkansas State in Game One, 7-6, on Friday night at Smith Stadium.

The Mountaineers (18-24, 7-12 Sun Belt) improved to 6-2 in their last eight games while handing the Red Wolves (20-21, 8-11 Sun Belt) their fourth-straight loss.

In a wild first inning that cumulatively took 46 minutes to complete, A-State drew first blood, placing two unearned runs up on the board off two errors by the Mountaineers. Unpersuaded from the task at hand, however, App State started its time at the plate with Matt Vernon (Advance, N.C./Davie County (Florence-Darlington Tech)) getting one of his two doubles on the day, this time down the left field line, and a Tyler Stroup (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson) single up the middle to bring in the first run.

Vernon’s two doubles on Friday give him five extra-base hits in the past eight games.

Stroup then moved to second on an error by the Red Wolves before Leonard got his first hit of the night, a shot to right field, followed up by Brian Bauk (Salisbury, N.C.) getting his first RBI on the night with a shot up the middle. Chandler Seagle (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) then joined the party with a single to left field that brought in Leonard before a Jared McCarver (Alvarado, Texas/Alvarado) single to center field brought home Bauk to end the inning.

Appalachian then extended its lead in the second inning, as Jason Curtis (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge) knocked a bullet to center field before Avery Jackson (Ether, N.C./East Montgomery) walked and Leonard once again singled to right field. Bauk then got a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk that brought in Curtis.

Bauk’s two RBI on Friday give him a team-high eight games with multiple-RBI for the season.

A Calev Grubbs (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) single and wild pitch advancement to second gave Vernon the opportunity to double down the left field line again, bringing Grubbs home in the fifth to give App a 6-4 lead. The final run on the night for Appalachian was scored one inning later when back-to-back singles by Jackson and Leonard led off the sixth before Jackson was brought home despite a 4-6-3 double play.

The Red Wolves would continue to keep things interested, scoring one run in the seventh and eighth innings, but the Mountaineers pitching staff kept A-State at bay as they hung on for the win.

Travis Holden (Advance, N.C./West Forsyth) got the usual Friday night, going 3.2 innings and allowing just three hits, two earned runs and striking out four batters on the night. DeVrieze provided the bulk of the relief out of the bullpen, going 2.2 innings and allowing just two hits along with his four strikeouts.

Reed Howell (Goldsboro, N.C./Rosewood) went 1.2 innings, getting two punchouts and allowing two runs before Matt Brill (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) closed the final inning of the game to get his fourth save of the season, striking out two batters in the ninth.

The Queens University of Charlotte Women’s Lacrosse Team (15-3), ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II, advanced to its fourth straight South Atlantic Conference Championship game with an 18-8 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne (11-8) Friday afternoon in the semifinals at the Royals Athletic Complex.

The Royals, the three-time defending league regular season and tournament champions, will play in the final game on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

Ally Blood (Jarretsville, Md.) and Alexandra Bruder (Ocean City, Md.) both scored four goals to lead the Royals, who won their third straight game. Queens held a 4-3 advantage midway through the first half before tallying four straight scores just before intermission to take control. Lenoir-Rhyne couldn’t get any closer than four goals the rest of the way.

Lenoir-Rhyne was led by sophomore attacker Gabby Sousa (Delran, N.J.) and freshman midfielder Frances Williams (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) with two goals each in the losing effort. Sousa finished the year with a team-high 50 goals and 58 points.

Queens held the advantage in both shots taken (38-16) and ground balls (25-18) while Chase Brokaw (Sykesville, Md.) picked up the win in goal after making five saves. Lenoir-Rhyne junior All-American goalkeeper Ines Flueck (Coppell, Texas) suffered the loss despite stopping 12 shots on the afternoon.

Appalachian State University volleyball and head coach Matt Ginipro announced the addition of Sydney Hinds (Wake Forest, N.C./Heritage/UAB) to the 2017 roster on Friday.

Hinds, a defensive specialist, recently transferred from UAB to Appalachian State and will be eligible for her junior season this upcoming fall for the Mountaineers 2017 campaign.

Hinds appeared in 30 matches in 2016, seeing action in 105 sets. She finished third on the team with 203 digs and posted a career-high 14 digs against Sun Belt foe Troy and also against Memphis.

As a freshman, Hinds made 18 appearances and played in 31 sets. She started one match against Gardner-Webb and for the season totaled two kills, four assists, eight service aces and 32 digs.

Hinds graduated from Heritage High School in Wake Forest, N.C. and totaled 1,818 digs, averaging 7.1 digs per set as a junior and senior. She earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior and senior and second-team honors as a freshman and sophomore.

She was named Heritage High School Female Athlete of the Year three years in a row from 2012-14.

HEAD COACH MATT GINIPRO
“It’s great when good players just walk into your office and say they’d like to be a part of your program. I’m excited that Sydney did just that. She’s coming with a great background from Triangle, a club we have had several players from, and Division I experience at UAB. I’m looking forward to seeing how she strengthens our ball control group.”

Lenoir-Rhyne University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Everick Sullivan has announced the addition of Mason Hawks to the 2017-18 recruiting class for the Bears. Hawks is the third student-athlete the squad has signed for next year.

Hawks, a three-time all-league honoree, led North Surry High School (Mount Airy, N.C.) to the state championship this year. Hawks is a 5-11 point guard.

In addition, Hawks was named the 2015-16 Western Piedmont 2A Conference Player Of The Year and finished his career with over 1,500 points and 500 assists. Hawks also averaged over 20 points and six assists per contest and has been selected to play in the East-West All-Star Game.

Hawks joins R.J. Gunn (Columbia, S.C./Irmo High School) and Emmanuel Wembi (Mint Hill, N.C./Catawba Valley Community College) so far in this year’s recruiting class for the Bears.

For the second straight game, the Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (46-9) won a 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship game with a walk-off home run as the Bears downed Newberry (32-15), 3-2, Friday morning at Byerly Park.

Junior third baseman Mackenzie Cates (Efland, N.C.) hit a walk-off home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning for the Bears, ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II and the second seed in the league tournament. The Wolves are seeded third.

Lenoir-Rhyne continues in the winner’s bracket and will face top-seeded Carson-Newman (41-11) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Eagles defeated Coker (38-16) by an 11-3 score in six innings Friday afternoon. Carson-Newman and LR shared the 2017 SAC Regular Season Championship.

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Brandi Parks (Roaring River, N.C.) improved to 21-2 on the year after earning the win in relief while senior outfielder Dakota Keller (Mooresboro, N.C.) hit a two-run home run for the Bears as well. Parks allowed just one unearned run in seven innings while striking out three batters.

Appalachian State University women's basketball head coach Angel Elderkin is proud to announce the signing of four student-athletes to the 2017-18 signing class.

Elderkin and the staff brings in four highly-talented commits that will look to make an immediate impact to the Mountaineer program, including two in Tierra Wilson and Dominique Jeffery who were rated by ESPN as three-star recruits. Lainey Gosnell also highlights the class as she was a successful multi-sport athlete who dominated on the court in four seasons. Maya Calder will add toughness and scoring down low in the post for App next season.

“We are really excited to welcome these young women into our Appalachian State Family,” stated Elderkin. “Each of our signees bring a different but valuable skill set to our program. We are not only excited to get them on the court but, we are also excited for them to impact our community." The four freshmen will join eight returning Mountaineers for the 2017-18 campaign.

Tierra Wilson | 5'8 | Guard | Winston-Salem, N.C. | RJ Reynolds High School
Rated by ESPN as a three-star recruit. “Lead-guard with a scorer's mentality; smooth off the bounce with mid range game to the arc; half-court manager - (ESPN)”. Wilson earned one varsity letter under the helm of Jonathon Gainey at RJ Reynolds. Wilson endured a solid high school career where she averaged 20 points, four assists, four rebounds and five steals per game en route to 1,180 career points. She was named Central Piedmont All-Conference in back-to-back seasons in 2014-15/2015-16 while earning the CPC Conference Player of the Year Honor in 2015-16. She was also named RJ Reynolds' Most Valuable Player for two-straight seasons and the Most Outstanding Player in 2015-16. She showed her defensive prowess as Wilson led her team in steals in 2014-15, receiving the steals title before being named the team's Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16. This season, Wilson was named to the Lowe's Roundup Classic All-Tournament team after a superb showing at the tournament. Wilson is just as successful off the court as she received a North Carolina High School Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award in 2015-16. The future Mountaineer played for Carolina All-Stars Bond under Porsche Jones in AAU. Born on Christmas in 1998, Wilson is the daughter of Timothy and Lisa Wilson. She has two brothers, William and Malik, and one sister, Tianna. Her cousin, Ashley Porter, played basketball at Johnson C. Smith University. She intends to major in exercise science at App State and plans to attend pharmacy school after graduation.

Elderkin on Wilson
“Tierra is an outstanding point guard with a passion for playing both sides of the basketball. We are excited for Tierra to infuse our program with her competitive spirit and her work ethic.”

Lainey Gosnell | 6'1 | Small/Power Forward| Demorest, Ga. | Habersham Central High School
Becoming just the second female athlete ever at Habersham Central to sign a Division I scholarship, Gosnell was nothing short of successful in high school as a multi-sport athlete in basketball, volleyball and track and field. She went on to earn 10 varsity letters including four in basketball and volleyball. Not only was she recognized for basketball, but she also showcased her athleticism in track and field where she was invited to the Super 5 Camp all four seasons for premiere track and field athletes, and won the “Daylight to Midnight” for the best work ethic at the camp in her sophomore season. She broke the school record in the high jump at 5'4. In volleyball, she was named first-team all-region all four seasons while earning Channel 32's Blitz Player of the Year after posting 342 kills, 244 digs, 112 solo block and 31 aces in her final volleyball season. The stretch forward that can get it done on both ends of the floor led Habersham in scoring and rebounding averaging no less than 17.0 points and nine rebounds per game all four years. Her impressive numbers resulted in four Most Valuable Player Awards, four-straight seasons of being selected to the Gainesville Times All-Area team. In addition, her excellent production on the court led to all-region recognition all four seasons including a Region 6A All-First Team selection in her sophomore and junior years and a Region 8A Player of the Year Award in her senior season. In her sophomore season, she posted her first double-double with 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. She racked up more awards after a second-straight year averaging a double-double scoring 18.9 points and grabbing 10.8 rebounds per game. She made the AJC Honorable Mention All-State team for her efforts and was awarded her first of two-straight Channel 32 Blitz Player of the Year Awards. In her final season, she didn't disappoint being named to the AJC All-State Team after turning in career bests of 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds along with 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. She was later named to the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) All-State First Team and the GACA North-South All-Star Game. Gosnell broke the single-season scoring mark with 590 points, becoming Habersham's all-time leading scorer with 2,008-career points. She helped the team win 16 games en route to just the fourth-ever appearance in the GACA State Tournament.Gosnell played her AAU ball for Peak Performance under Bosco McAfee in 2015 and EOTO under Ken Hoffmann in 2016. Born on Aug. 31, 1998, Gosnell is the daughter of Jeff and Connie Gosnell. She has one younger brother, Logan, and will major in exercise science at App.

Elderkin on Gosnell
“Lainey is an incredible athlete with the versatility to play multiple positions in our system. She will provide us with instant offense with her ability to rebound the basketball and stretch the defense from behind the arc.”

Maya Calder | 6'0 | Forward | Landover, Md. | National Christian Academy
A hard-nosed rebounder that doesn't take a play off. Calder is a native of Maryland and played under the tutelage of Henry Anglin at national powerhouse, National Christian Academy. Calder had a breakout senior season where she nearly averaged a double-double at 10.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. In 31 games, she grabbed at least 10 boards in 17 contests including a career-best 18 boards to go along with 13 points. Her best performances of the season came in a 28-point, 13-rebound performance. Averaging 11 points for her career, Calder was also named the Most Valuable Player at the Rose Classic in New York. At the Nike EYBL playing with some of the premiere high school talent from across the country, she recorded the highest offensive rebound percentage at 15.9 percent and the highest defensive rebound percentage at 23 percent. Calder played her AAU ball with the Fairfax Stars under Coach Aggie. Born on Jan. 6, 1999, Calder is the daughter of Antoinette and has six siblings, Marlon, Mickesha, Zoey, Keana, Kevin and Kevion. She intends to major in business and finance at Appalachian.

Elderkin on Calder
“Maya bring us a level of toughness and work ethic in the paint that we are really excited about. She has an unbelievable knack for rebounding the basketball and will provide us great depth in the post."

Dominique Jeffery | 6'1 | Forward | Tallahassee, Fla. | FAMU DRS
A two-year starter and team captain, Jeffery has been lauded by numerous scouting sites including a three-star grade by ESPN. “Versatile perimeter prospect competes on glass; brings developing offensive game; defends, traps, active in passing lanes (ESPN).” She averaged 13.4 points, 9.4 rebounds 2.6 steals,1.4 blocks and 1.3 assists per game at FAMU DRS. Jeffery helped the Rattlers reel off three state championships after a dominating run to the tournament. She scored eight points, corralled 11 off the glass and came away with four steals in the finals. She played her travel ball with Essence Girls Basketball under Kimberly Davis Powell. Born on Sept. 10, 1998, Jeffery is the daughter of Eugene and Dorinda Jeffery and has one sister, De'Ja.

Elderkin on Jeffery
“Dominique is an outstanding scorer who is super competitive. Her skill set to score inside/out will allow us to play her multiple positions in our system. Her winning mindset will help us continue to build our culture.”

Quinn Kuhn from Lenoir-Rhyne was named the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Men's Lacrosse Elite 18 honoree. This is a new award for the SAC and honors the student-athlete with the top cumulative grade-point average based on a minimum of 48 credit hours who is competing at the final site of each of the Conference's 18 team championship sports

Kuhn, a sophomore from Buffalo, N.Y. carries a 3.89 GPA as a management major.

On the field, Kuhn finished the regular season with four goals and six caused turnovers for the Bears. He put 61 percent of his shots on frame to go along with eight ground balls.

The Queens Men’s Lacrosse Team (10-6) scored with three seconds left in the first overtime to take down No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne (12-2), 10-9, in the semifinals of the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship Thursday at the Royals Athletic Complex.

The Royals’ Duncan Smith (Chittenango, N.Y.) scored as time was running out in the first overtime as Queens rallied from a 9-7 deficit with just under two minutes left in the fourth period to take the victory and advance to the league championship game.

Queens, who avenged an earlier loss to top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in the regular season, will now compete in the finals against the winner of Tusculum and Wingate on Saturday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. The Royals were seeded fourth in the tournament.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior attacker Mike Hanlon (Haymarket, Va.) scored three goals while junior midfielder Ben Corrigan (Alpharetta, Ga.) and freshman midfielder Eric Dickinson (Charlotte, N.C.) both scored twice as the Bears saw their 12-game winning streak snapped.

Dickinson leads the league in goals scored (49) while both Dickinson and Hanlon rank first in the conference in points scored with 66. Junior Ryan Crompton (Frederick, Va.) suffered the loss in goal despite making 13 saves for the Bears, who held a 48-38 advantage in shots taken.

For Queens, Justin Swick (Easton, Pa.) finished with three goals while goalkeeper Anthony Valenza (Mount Airy, Md.) made 17 stops in the win.

Lenoir-Rhyne, ranked second in the latest regional rankings, will wait and see if it earns a bid to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time in school history. The top four teams in each region make the playoffs.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (45-9), ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, won a thrilling 5-4 contest over Tusculum (27-24) in the opening round of the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship Thursday afternoon at Byerly Park.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior catcher Sarah Kenley (Charlotte, N.C.), the league player of the year, hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs to help the Bears advance in the tournament. The Bears forced extra innings after scoring a run on an illegal pitch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Lenoir-Rhyne, the second seed in the tournament, will take on third-seeded Newberry (32-16) on Friday at 10:00 a.m., while seventh-seeded Tusculum will face the number six seed, Wingate (25-24), on Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m., as well. The Wolves bested the Bulldogs in eight innings by a 3-2 score in their opening round contest.

Lenoir-Rhyne junior second baseman Madison Poe (Siler City, N.C.) had a two-run single while freshman pitcher Sydney Miller (East Bend, N.C.) improved to 14-5 with the victory.

The Pioneers rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a four-run sixth inning highlighted by a two-run single from Erica Hester (Kings Mountain, N.C.) but Taylor Plemons (Knoxville, Tenn.) fell to 12-13 after taking the setback.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team (22-26) ended its season on a high note with a 10-2 victory over No. 21 UNC Pembroke (35-12) Wednesday night at Bears Field. In addition, the Bears snapped the Braves' 14-game winning streak.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior Thomas St. Clair (Winston-Salem, N.C.), who was named the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Pitcher Of The Year earlier in the day, improved to 10-4 after picking up the win.

St. Clair struck out five batters to increase his league-leading total to 116 while junior outfielder Marcus Shoemaker (Colfax, N.C.) tied a school record with three doubles as the Bears ran off 10 straight runs to take the win.

Shoemaker's two-run double in the bottom of the second inning proved to be the game-winning hit while Lenoir-Rhyne then put the contest away with a five-run fourth inning.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior designated hitter Josh Kent (Winston-Salem, N.C.) added a two-run double as the Bears ended the year by snapping a seven-game losing streak as well.

For UNC Pembroke, Hank Simpson (Holly Springs, N.C.) fell to 4-1 after taking the loss while Nick Debo (Durham, N.C.) had a run-scoring double in the losing effort.

North Piedmont Conference:
Alexander Central: 10
Statesville: 0

Northwestern Conference:
Hickory: 6
Patton: 2

St. Stephens: 8
Freedom: 7

South Caldwell: 3
Fred T. Foard: 2

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Crest: 14
East Burke: 8

East Rutherford: 5
Draughn: 1

Southern District 7:
Lincolnton: 3
West Caldwell: 1

Maiden: 6
East Lincoln: 2

North Piedmont Conference:
Alexander Central: 17, 16
Statesville: 0, 0

Northwestern Conference:
Hibriten: 16
Hickory: 1

Southern District 7:
Bandys: 6
East Lincoln: 3

Newton-Conover: 2
Bunker Hill: 0

Non-conference:
Stuart Cramer: 7
Patton: 6

North Piedmont Conference:
Alexander Central: 9
Statesville: 0

Northwestern Conference:
St. Stephens: 2
Freedom: 0

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Crest: 3
East Burke: 0

East Rutherford: 10
Draughn: 1

Southern District 7:
Newton-Conover: 4
West Lincoln: 0

Ryan Hastings (Matthews, N.C./Porter Ridge) became a three-time Sun Belt Conference Track Athlete of the Week, announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.

After being announced Athlete of the Week last Friday, Hastings topped his performance in the 800-meter run on day one of the Duke Invitational with a time of 1:48.02 to break his own program record. The time was also a Duke Invite meet and facility record.

Only once before this season had someone posted a sub-1:50.00 time in the 800 meters, but now Hastings has accomplished that feat twice. His performance in the 800 last Friday is tops in the Sun Belt by over two seconds, while also ranking 28th in the country and 18th in the East Region.

Hastings was also a member of the fifth-place finishing 4x400-meter relay team that finished with a time of 3:21.18.