Lady Hawks take home SSAC Softball Championship, beat Lee 6-2

It took five games and four days to do it, but the Shorter College Lady Hawks softball team can now call themselves the conference champions. On Saturday night, following a three-hour rain delay, the Lady Hawks beat the Lee University Lady Flames, 6-2, to be crowned champs and receive the automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship beginning May 14.

This is the second straight year that the Lady Hawks have won the conference championship. Shorter entered into the tournament as the No. 3 seed, and beat No. 1 Brenau in the winner's bracket championship, and had to face No. 2 seed Lee three times.

"Just like any other tournament, you have to stay in the winner's bracket to have the best chance in the championship," said head coach Melanie Carter. "We really hit when we needed to, and our bats were the difference for us."

"It was do or die this weekend for us," said four-year senior Kali Milford, who played third base for the Lady Hawks in all five tournament games. "We knew our two choices were to win and make it to Nationals, or to go home in tears - and I'm glad to get the win."

The Lady Hawks wasted no time in proving their strength in the championship game, scoring two runs to open the first inning. Dandi Ammons hit an RBI single to shallow right-center field to score Amanda Albertson, and Amanda Rogers was walked to score Libby Munson.

Shorter doubled their lead in the third inning. Hannah Strength hit a fielder's choice to score Munson, an Elisabeth Barber scored the fourth run of the game on a error from Lee.

After Lee scored their only run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a solo home run from Caitlin Haley, the Lady Hawks added two insurance runs in the sixth inning. Ammons doubled to score Tiffany Adams, and an RBI single from Barber finished the game in Shorter's favor 6-1.

Munson (21-5), who was also named the Tournament MVP, was the winning pitcher in the game, pitched seven innings for six hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out six. Lee's Brittany Rowe (3-2) got the loss.

"After the rain delay, coach told me to make sure I was ready to end it," said Munson. "My adrenaline was going and I knew we weren't going to let them win."

Shorter now waits for the official word from the NAIA to see the championship field for the National Championship, and the eventual pool placement in their third straight trip to Decatur, Ala.

"If we keep playing the way we did this weekend, I know we will be a contender at Nationals," added Munson.

"We look to prove that we belong there," added head coach Carter. "This is the first time in three years that we haven't been waiting for an at-large spot. We played as a team and really came together these past few days, and we're looking forward to doing it again at Nationals."

Ammons was the hitting leader for Shorter in the championship game, going 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, while Barber was 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI.

In the first game, Lee forced the final, if-needed game with a 5-4 victory over the Lady Hawks.

The Lady Flames got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a one-run sacrifice fly to left field.

In the fourth inning, Shorter tied it up with an Amanda Rogers solo home run, and took the lead in the next inning with an RBI single from Libby Munson scoring Tiffany Adams to make it 2-1.

Lee then scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, which proved too much for the Lady Hawks to recover from. Two runs from Shorter in the top of the sixth inning ended the game 5-4.

Amanda Albertson was 2-for-4 in the game and Adams was 2-for-2 with a triple and a run.

Munson picked up the loss in relief, going two inning for five hits, three earned runs and a strikeout, while Lee's Caitlin Beshears (6-2) got the win.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia

Shorter football announces 2009 schedule

The Shorter College Hawks football team has released their schedule for the 2009 season, playing six games at Barron Stadium in Rome, with five games away.

Shorter will travel first to NCAA Div. II Lenoir-Rhyne University on Sat., Aug. 29, in Hickory, N.C., for a 7 p.m. kick-off. This is the third time the Hawks have faced a Div. II opponent, having last faced North Greenville University last season in a 37-21 win, and previously Stillman College in 2007 in a close 24-27 loss. The Bears were 3-8 last season with wins over Concord University, West Virginia Tech, and Brevard College.

Following a two-week break, Shorter will continue play against another NCAA team in the first home game of the season at Barron Stadium. They will repeat the annual Battle for the Governor's Cup as they take on the Div. III LaGrange College Panthers on Sept. 12 tentatively scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Panthers are the defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions after producing a 9-1 regular season record (the only loss coming in their 28-23 game against Shorter) that earned the team a bid to the NCAA Division III Football national playoffs.

The Hawks' first Mid-South Conference match-up follows as Pikeville College comes to Rome for Shorter's second home game, which kicks off at Barron Stadium at 1:30 p.m. Last season, the Hawks held Pikeville to a scoreless second half, winning 52-17 in Pikeville, Ky.

On Sept. 26, Shorter will face the Faulkner University Eagles in Montgomery, Ala., in their first conference divisional game of the season. The Hawks opened their home football season in style last year against Faulkner, breaking then-three team records and one individual record, in a 42-0 victory.

Shorter returns home the following week for a non-divisional conference game against Campbellsville University on Oct. 3 at 1:30 p.m. The Hawks had 370 yards rushing yards against the Bulldogs last season, highlighted by a 98-yard run from A.J. Cooley, winning 24-14.

One of the toughest tests for the Hawks comes on Oct. 10 on the road against Lambuth University - a competition the Hawks lost last year on a last-second touchdown from the Eagles, 42-38. On Oct. 17, Shorter will face the newest member of the Mid-South Conference, Kentucky Christian University, at 1:30 p.m. for their fourth home game at Barron Stadium.

The Hawks will face Union College (Ky.) in Barboursville, Ky., on Oct. 24, in what is sure to be a tough rematch following last season's close 33-27 win over the nationally-ranked Bulldogs.

Three divisional conference games mark the end of the regular season. Shorter will face Cumberland (Tenn.) on Oct. 31 at Barron Stadium, before traveling to Belhaven on Nov. 7. Last season, Shorter won both games, beating Cumberland 27-24, and shutting out Belhaven in the final home game at Barron Stadium, 35-0.

The Hawks will conclude the regular season at home on Nov. 14 against Bethel College. Last year's contest between the two proved to be the deciding match-up for the Mid-South Conference Western Division Championship - as the Hawks won 7-0.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Shorter Lady Hawks Basketball Enter NAIA Top 25 Poll

Fueled by the 70-63 win over conference foe and nationally-ranked Lee University, Shorter College broke into the NAIA Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Poll at No. 24, the NAIA announced Monday.

This is the fifth regular-season edition of the Coaches' Poll, and the first time Shorter has been ranked after receiving votes in last week's poll.

Shorter (12-5, 7-1) beat the nationally-ranked then-#5 Lee University Lady Flames on the road, 70-63, to gain sole possession of first place in the tough Southern States Athletic Conference.

Nicole Frechette had 18 points (and a team-leading 10 rebounds) in the win was awarded SSAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week earlier in the day.

The road game was the fourth straight for the Lady Hawks as they head into their game next Thursday at cross-town rival Berry College. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. at Berry's Cage Center.

From the NAIA:

For the second straight week Union (Tenn.) received all first place votes to stay No. 1 the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Lady Bulldogs earned 312 total points and were a unanimous pick for the fourth time this season.

The next three spots also remained the same for second consecutive week. No. 2 Vanguard (Calif.) held its spot with 300 points while Oklahoma City remained at No. 3 with 294 points and Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) stayed at No. 4 with 283 points.

No. 6 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) remained in its spot with 256 points. Saint Xavier (Ill.) moved up two spots from last week to No. 7 with 250 points and Oklahoma Baptist jumped to No. 9 from No. 13 with 235 points. Columbia (Mo.) rounded out the top-10 after moving up a spot with 220 points.

No. 24 Shorter (Ga.) and No. 25 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) both made their debut in the top-25 this week.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Shorter College Has Played Instrumental Role In NAIA Football Championship

In the past few years, teamwork and the relationships it nurtures have become a common trait and blessing for Shorter College’s athletic program.

But when the 53rd annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship kicks off Saturday at Barron Stadium, the event culminates a total team effort by the entire faculty, staff and student body at Shorter – from the Sheffield-Thompson Administration Building to the Winthrop-King Athletic Centre.

“It’s meant a lot to Shorter to participate in an event of this magnitude and to work with the great representatives from Rome and Floyd County,” Shorter President Dr. Harold E. Newman said about the game that will pit Carroll College from Helena, Mont., the defending national champion, against the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

“I’m really proud of the hundreds of hours our staff has invested into this game,” he added. “It makes you appreciate the amount talent the college has.”

Shorter’s involvement in the national championship is one that started nearly two years ago when Shorter Athletic Director Bill Peterson and Head Football Coach Phil Jones planted the seed for the game, eventually coming up with a proposal that involved Shorter, Rome and Floyd County.

By the summer of 2007, a bid to host the game in 2008 and 2009 was finally submitted to the NAIA, which sent a delegation that made a site visit and evaluate what the hosts – Shorter, Rome and Floyd County – had to offer. Following a long and patient wait, the NAIA made its decision and last January the announcement was made by Shorter.

“I don’t think anyone knew how intense and comprehensive it would be,” Peterson said about the challenges the Rome Host Committee, which was established to tackle the logistics, has faced. “It was more than we anticipated. But everyone had a solid heart and enthusiasm. Now we’re so close to the finish line we know we can make it a great event.”

Peterson wound up becoming the co-chair of the event with Rome attorney Bob Berry and was joined by his peers at Shorter on being a part of the host committee that represented an entire spectrum of the entire community.

Naturally, Jones took an active part and will be handling Football Operations for the game, one that the Hawks came close to playing in when Jones’ football team earned its first-ever postseason berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Two other staff members in Shorter’s athletic department, Director of Operations/Athletics Ricci Lattanzi and Sports Information Director Grant Kersey, joined the Host Committee with Lattanzi in charge of Game Day Operations and Kersey being named the NAIA’s Media Coordinator.

The host committee, however, benefited from the services provided by Shorter’s wealth of individual assets to round out the team.

Melissa Hickman and Gina McDaniel, professors in Shorter’s School of Business Administration, serve as Co-Chair for Ticket Sales; Dawn Tolbert, the college’s Director of Public Relations, fills the same role for the committee; Shorter’s Web manager Dana Thompson created and updates the championship game Web site; Ken Fincher, Shorter’s Vice-President for Institutional Development, plays a key role in the sponsorship plans for the game; and Rachel Rogers, who recently became Shorter’s Director of Athletic Development, has become a member of the host committee helping with the events planned.

“It’s been a good opportunity to show the community and others Shorter College’s strengths and the things we are capable of doing,” Fincher said, “and we want to be a good neighbor and support the community.

“This game shines a light on what we do and on all of Shorter’s teams, the athletes and the coaches we have. And we’ve had a lot of members of the Alumni Association asking how they can help, and the rank and file at Shorter College is really excited about this game.”

“It has helped us get to know the people who we’ve respected here even better,” Peterson pointed out, “and respect them even more.

“It’s been a great effort by Shorter and from everyone in the community. I know everyone who has been a part of it are glad they were involved with it. It’s a good feeling.”

The game itself caps what will be a busy week of events that begins with the arrival of the two teams Wednesday and includes two banquets to be held at The Forum in downtown Rome.

On Thursday morning the Fellowship of Christian Athletics Champions of Character breakfast, sponsored by Chick-Fil-A, will be held with Dr. Nelson Price, chairman of the Shorter Board of Trustees, delivering the invocation, and former Air Force Academy Fisher DeBerry serving as the guest speaker.

And on Friday the NAIA Banquet of Champions will take place with the two teams and this year’s top players being honored.

“There are so many firsts going on,” said Fincher. “It’s been somewhat thrilling to be a part of it. But the one thing we always come back to is that the game is for the young men and the teams who are playing for a championship.”

Jim O'Hara

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Five from Shorter's Hawks and Lady Hawks Soccer Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes

The 2008 Daktronics-NAIA Men's and Women's Soccer Scholar-Athletes have been announced with over 200 student-athletes receiving the honor from each sport. Over 100 schools are represented on each of prestigious lists, with Shorter College having five total athletes: Kyle Timberlake from the men's side, and Mallory Barnes, Renee Glenfield, Jessica Hoskinson and Sarah Locklear from the women's side.

In order to be a recipient of the NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athlete award, one must fulfill these requirements: the recipient must be a junior or above in academic standing; has been in attendance at the nominating institution a minimum of one full year of attendance; has a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) at the time of nomination at the nominating institution; has been certified as eligible.

These student-athletes were officially submitted from individual schools to the NAIA-MSCA Scholar-Athlete Coordinator.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Shorter College Hawks Football Secures Playoff Spot Nov. 22

All along, the odds were against them. But today, the Shorter College Hawks football team has been given a reason to celebrate, as their season will continue on to next week with a berth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' (NAIA) National Football Championship playoffs.

When the national poll was released on Sunday morning, Shorter had jumped seven spots to No. 12 - the highest ranked team in the Mid-South Western Division and good for the conference's automatic playoff berth. The Hawks will travel to another Mid-South school for their first playoff game in history on Sat. Nov. 22 at 12 p.m. - the No. 8-ranked and Mid-South Eastern Division champions, the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky.

"It's hard to know where to start," said Shorter head coach Phil Jones. " It's extremely exciting for us. The initial response is gratefulness to the Lord, as we seek to glorify him in everything we do. We're grateful for Shorter College, President [Harold] Newman, the staff, the students, the faculty - everyone.

"These coaches have meshed their lives with this program and given so much," he added. "We're excited to go from this moment into these national playoffs."

On Saturday, the Hawks also received a share of the Mid-South Conference Western Division title with a win over Bethel College, 7-0.

The match-up with the University of the Cumberlands will be the third meeting between the two teams, having last played on Sept. 23, 2006 - a game the Hawks won 27-7.

The Mid-South Conference has four member schools making the playoffs: Shorter, Union College, University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), and Lambuth University.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Shorter Hawks Cross Country Repeats as SSAC Champions

It's hard to get better than first, but the Shorter College men's cross country team found a way on Saturday as they took the top spot in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament at Stonebridge Golf Course with a perfect score of 15. The Hawks took all five of the top spots to advance to the National Tournament in two weeks.

"Getting a perfect score was our 'great' goal for today and it's awesome to see that realized," said head coach Jay Stephenson. "They have done everything I've asked of them and it's an exciting day for this team."

Shorter's Martin Hernandez took first place in the 8k race, with a time of 24:59.06, to repeat as the SSAC Runner of the Year. Jared Carson followed close behind in second with a 25:05.99, and in third was Josh Carson with a 25:45.09.

Cyrus Wakaba took fourth with a 25:47.15, and Steven Rich rounded out the top five with a 25:47.97.

All five of the above runners were also named to the SSAC All-Conference team.

"There is no doubt of the talent on this team and the drive they have to finish on top," added Stephenson. "We're looking forward to our next race in two weeks."

Stephenson also received honors of his own, as he was named the SSAC Coach of the Year, following the Hawks' first place finish.

Lee University finished in second with 51 points, with runners Will Jayroe and Chad Dean both being the 6th and 7th members of the All-Conference team. Berry College took third place with 61 points.

Other Shorter runners in the race were Ben Anthony (9th - 26:14.73), Brenton Widener (19th - 27:45.90), Therron Smith (21st - 28:01.70), Josh Giannoni (25th - 28:37.03), Allen O'Neal (29th - 29:27.08) and Alex Compton (32nd - 29:44.44)

The Hawks will now repeat their trip to the NAIA National Championship in two weeks as the SSAC Champion, held in Kenosha, Wis., at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page