About the Mid-eastern athletic conference HAMPTON PREVIEW COACHES PIRATES MEAC OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS POSTSEASON SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS The MEAC has enjoyed tremendous athletic success over the years. In 2008, Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) defeated Arkansas State 4-2 to win the NCAA Bowling National Championship, a first for the conference and institution. With the victory, Lady Hawks’ Head Coach Sharon Brummell became the first female head coach to win an NCAA bowling title. The Lady Hawks repeated the feat in 2011 to win the team’s second NCAA title. During the same season, UMES won the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC), becoming the first team to win two national championships during the same season. In 2012, UMES captured their third NCAA bowling championship title in five years with a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Lady Hawks became the second team in NCAA bowling history to win three championships and the first to make four appearances in the championship finale. In men’s basketball, UMES became the first historically black college/university (HBCU) to participate in the 1974 National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Hawks defeated Manhattan, 84-81, in the first round before falling to Jacksonville by two points in the second round. Before the Jacksonville loss, UMES had the best record in the nation at 27-1. That same year, Morgan State won the NCAA College Division II National Championship and junior center Marvin “The Human Eraser” Webster was named the Division II Player of the Year. Howard became the first MEAC team to play in the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship in 1981. The Bison faced Wyoming and fell 78-43 in the first round. Coppin State, Hampton and Norfolk State each made history in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament with first-round victories. The No. 15 seeded Coppin State Eagles defeated No. 2 South Carolina in 1997, and No. 15 seeded Hampton defeated No. 2 Iowa State in 2001. ESPN Sports Center ranked both victories ranked among the Top 10 greatest tournament upsets of all time. In 2012, Norfolk State became the fifth team in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament history and the third MEAC team to defeat a number two seed (Missouri). In women’s basketball, South Carolina State won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Division II National Championship in 1979. In 1982, Howard became the first MEAC women’s team to participate in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. South Carolina State earned the conference’s bid in 1983 and became the first MEAC team, men or women, to win an opening-round game in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. In 2010, The North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies defeated Wake Forest and Charlotte before falling to Miami in the third round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). North Carolina A&T became the first MEAC team and historically black college/university to win two consecutive basketball games in a national postseason tournament. The No. 13 Hampton Lady Pirates faced No. 4 Kentucky in the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. The 13th seed was the highest seed earned by a MEAC women’s basketball program since the inception of the 64-team bracket in 1994. In football, the MEAC was instrumental in constructing the Freedom Bowl All-Star Classic, the Heritage Bowl and the Gold Bowl. Prior to Division I competition, the MEAC competed in the Gold Bowl, held in Richmond, Va., which matched the MEAC champion against the champion of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). South Carolina State represented the MEAC in 1976 and 1979, winning both outings over Winston-Salem State and Norfolk State respectively. In addition to the 1976 and 1979 crowns, South Carolina State won MEAC football titles in 1974-78, 1980-83, 1994, 2004, 2008 and 2009. They were also named co-champions along with Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M during the 2010 season. During the 1981 and 1982 seasons, South Carolina State reached the second round of the Division I-AA championships. In 2003, Florida A&M became the first MEAC school to win a volleyball match in the NCAA tournament, with a first-round win over Winthrop. One year later, the Lady Rattlers became the first historically black college/university to rank in the Top 25 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll. On the track, Hampton’s Francenca McCorory set an American record in the 400m dash with a time of 50.54 and defended her national indoor title at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships. McCorory was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Athlete of the Year for the 2010 Indoor Track and Field season. In outdoor track and field, North Carolina Central won the first three MEAC men’s titles. The quartet of Melvin Bassett, Robert Ouko, Julius Sang and Larry Black set the world record in the sprint medley relay with a time of 38.19 in the Penn Relays. Black was also a member of the relay team that matched the world record in the 1972 Olympics. After winning the conference title, the 1974 Eagles placed fourth at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. MEAC women began outdoor track and field conference competition in 1980. In 1982, South Carolina State won the AIAW Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championship. The MEAC has showcased over 22 athletes in the Olympics and 10 have earned medals during the Summer Games. No. 72 South Carolina State’s women’s tennis team became the first MEAC team to finish the season ranked in the 2005 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I final poll. In 2012, SCSU’s Maria Craciun became the first tennis player in MEAC and school history to receive a berth to the NCAA Individual Singles Championship. In softball, Bethune-Cookman earned the conference’s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Softball Championship in 2005. The Lady Wildcats defeated Florida, Central Florida and South Florida in the Florida Regional to become the first MEAC school to win an NCAA Division I Softball Regional. Bethune-Cookman ended the 2005 season with the conference’s first-ever rankings in the final softball polls, reaching No. 18 in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches poll and No. 23 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com Poll. Florida A&M was the first MEAC baseball team to advance to NCAA postseason play in 1994. The Rattlers took on Southeastern Louisiana in a best of three play-in series, falling after two games, 11-10 and 8-7. During the 2002 campaign, Bethune-Cookman advanced to the Gainesville Regional and became the first MEAC baseball team to win in the NCAA tournament with a 7-4 victory over Florida International. The Wildcats had previously lost to Florida in their first game 13-1, and the team was eliminated from the regional with a 21-10 loss in its second matchup against the Gators. hamptonpirates.com 2013 Hampton Football 83
Hampton Football Media Guide 2013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above