1997-98 HIGHLIGHTS & MEMORIES
- The women's tennis program officially became a varsity sport at NCCU under the guidance of head coach David Nass.
- The women's basketball team opened the season with a two-game sweep and a championship title in the annual RPM Nissan Lady Eagle Classic. Crystal Cosby was named Most Valuable Player, while Williba Brogdon and Danya Nelson were All-Tournament Team selections.
- For the third consecutive year, the men's basketball team won the First Union Harvest Classic. Senior Michael Hadley was selected as the Classic's Most Valuable Player, while Jomo Lyles-Belton and Warren Bell were named to the All-Tournament Team.
- On December 8, 1997, the Eagle athletic family mourned the loss of Nancy R. Rowland, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions and faithful NCCU sports fan, who epitomized what it means to be an "Eagle."
- Junior Ansel Brown (pictured right) was selected as the "adidas America Scholar-Athlete of the Year," honoring the nation's top academic football player from a Historically Black College or University.
- Senior Nzinga Poteat was recognized as the Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the 1997 CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with two first place performances.
- Senior Elisha Marshall (pictured left) earned All-America recognition for the third consecutive year in the women's 55-meter dash at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.
- Freshman Jimmy Boston was named the "CIAA Rookie of the Year" and Second Team All-South Atlantic Region in men's basketball after averaging 12.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
- The men's tennis team ended a 14-year drought by winning the 1998 CIAA Men's Tennis Championship. The accomplishment was NCCU's first team conference championship since the 1984 women's basketball team.
- Senior Elisha Marshall was selected "CIAA Most Outstanding Track Athlete" at the 1998 CIAA Spring Sports Championships, after running for two CIAA Championship titles - the 100m dash and 200m dash.
- Albert Newkirk turned in a CIAA Championship performance in the men's 400m dash at the 1998 CIAA Spring Sports Championships, and then joined teammates Tavius Walker, Floyd Ingalls and Jemel Balkman to claim the CIAA Championship in the men's 4x100m relay.
- A record number of 41 student-athletes received membership in the NCCU Academic Support Center's "3-Pointers Club" by earning a 3.00 grade point average or better in the Fall 1997 semester. The 41 members make up the largest group of honorees since the "3-Pointers Club" was instituted in the Fall 1994. Among the honorees, six student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA - Danya Nelson, women's basketball; Kevonne Holloway, Alicia Monroe and Dawn Witherspoon, women's tennis; Lisa Hicks, softball; and Ansel Brown, football.
- The Lady Eagle softball team (pictured right) won the 1998 CIAA Softball Championship, the first-ever conference title in softball since the sport was established at NCCU in 1977. Freshman pitcher Lisa Hicks allowed just three runs in two championship victories to earn the CIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player award. Lady Eagles Michelle Harrison, Stephanie Spindler and Sylvia Latson were selected to the CIAA All-Tournament Team.
- The NCCU Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Award was presented to head coach Ingrid Wicker and the Lady Eagle softball team for earning the highest overall team grade point average - 3.24 Team GPA.
- Senior shortstop Michelle Harrison was selected as the 1998 CIAA Softball Player of the Year, after leading the 1998 Lady Eagles in hitting (36-for-64 / .563), doubles (5), home runs (4), runs batted in (35), and stolen bases (14-for-14). Harrison finished with a career batting average of .537 (145-for-270).
- Senior defensive back Buddy Crutchfield signed a two-year N.F.L. contract with the Washington Redskins.
- Senior Elisha Marshall captured the elusive national title in the women's 100-meter dash at the 1998 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois. In four previous attempts at an individual national title during her NCCU indoor and outdoor track career, Marshall finished with two third place and two second place performances. In her fifth attempt on May 24, Marshall ran an 11.81 to earn recognition as the top women's 100m sprinter in the NCAA Division II. Marshall also participated in the finals of the women's 200m dash, earning her sixth career All-America honor with a fourth place finish in a time of 24.28.
- NCCU boasted more student-athletes on the 1997-98 CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team than any other conference institution. The NCCU honorees were Ansel Brown (Football) and Robert Rusher (Tennis) on the First Team; and Michelle Harrison (Softball), Stephanie Spindler (Softball) and Yolanda McDowell (Softball) on the Second Team.
- NCCU is voted in unanimously as a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), the nation's largest collegiate athletic conference with over 292 member colleges and universities ranging from Maine to North Carolina in Divisions I, II and III (April 16).
- Sophomore men's tennis player Robert Rusher was named to the 1998 GTE Academic All-District III Team in the Spring At-Large College Division. Rusher, one of 10 honorees from Division II, III and NAIA schools in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, has a 3.636 grade point average in Biology/Pre-Med.
- On May 11, 1998, NCCU mourned the loss of Anthony Price, an assistant football coach with the Eagle football program since 1995 and a 1980 graduate of NCCU.
1997-98 ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Football
Adrian Jones (First Team All-CIAA)
Ken Hill (First Team All-CIAA)
Trei Oliver (First Team All-CIAA (Punter) / Second Team All-CIAA (DB))
Ansel Brown (Second Team All-CIAA)
Buddy Crutchfield (Second Team All-CIAA)
Joe Darlington (All-CIAA Honorable Mention)
Craig Powell (All-CIAA Honorable Mention)
Willie Hardy (CIAA All-Rookie Team)
D.J. Edmonds (CIAA All-Rookie Team)
Volleyball (Women's)
Rena Armwood (CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Davita Watson (CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Toni Douglas (CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Cross Country (Women's)
Nzinga Poteat (All-CIAA, 4th place, 19:09)
Indoor Track & Field (Women's)
Nzinga Poteat (CIAA Most Outstanding Track Athlete, All-CIAA - 800m Run Champion - 4x400m Relay Champion)
Cheron Clark (All-CIAA - 4x400m Relay Champion)
Erika Moses (All-CIAA - 4x400m Relay Champion)
LaTisha Johnson (All-CIAA - 4x400m Relay Champion)
Indoor Track & Field (Men's)
Reginald Bledsoe (All-CIAA - High Jump, second place)
Basketball (Men's)
Jimmy Boston (CIAA Rookie of the Year, CIAA All-Rookie Team)
Softball
Michelle Harrison (CIAA Player of the Year, First Team All-CIAA, CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Stephanie Spindler (First Team All-CIAA, CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Lisa Hicks (CIAA All-Rookie Team, CIAA Tournament M.V.P.)
Sylvia Latson (CIAA All-Tournament Team)
Outdoor Track & Field (Women's)
Elisha Marshall (CIAA Most Outstanding Track Athlete, CIAA Champion - 100m, CIAA Champion - 200m, All-CIAA - 4x100m Relay))
Cheron Clark (All-CIAA - 400m Dash, All-CIAA - 4x100m Relay)
Nzinga Poteat (All-CIAA - 800m Run, All-CIAA - 4x100m Relay)
Erika Moses (All-CIAA - 4x100m Relay)
Outdoor Track & Field (Men's)
Albert Newkirk (CIAA Champion - 400m Dash, CIAA Champion - 4x100m Relay)
Tavius Walker (CIAA Champion - 4x100m Relay, All-CIAA - 100m Dash)
Floyd Ingalls (CIAA Champion - 4x100m Relay)
Jemel Balkman (CIAA Champion - 4x100m Relay)
Tennis (Men's)
The CIAA does not select an all-conference team in tennis.
ALL-REGION & ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Football
Trei Oliver (Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Region First Team (DB) / Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Region Second Team (Punter))
Adrian Jones (Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Region Second Team (All-Purpose))
Ken Hill (Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Region Second Team)
Indoor Track (Women's)
Elisha Marshall (NCAA Division II All-America - 55m Dash, second place)
Outdoor Track & Field (Women's)
Elisha Marshall (NCAA Division II All-America - 200m Dash, fourth place)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Elisha Marshall (NCAA Div. II National Champion - 100m Dash, first place)
ACADEMIC HONORS
Football
Ansel Brown ("adidas America Scholar Athlete of the Year")
Softball
NCCU "Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Award" (presented to the NCCU team with the highest overall grade point average - 3.24 Team GPA)
Michelle Harrison (CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Second Team)
Stephanie Spindler (CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Second Team)
Yolanda McDowell (CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Second Team)
Men's Tennis
Robert Rusher (GTE Academic All-District III First Team, CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic First Team)
1997-98 RECORDS
SPORT CIAA Won-Lost Pct. | Overall Won-Lost Pct.
Women's Volleyball 12-5 .706 | 16-16 .500
Football 4-3 .571 | 4-7 .364
Women's Basketball 4-12 .250 | 8-19 .296
Men's Basketball 10-6 .625 | 18-8 .692
Softball *** 7-7 .500 | 12-19 .387
Men's Tennis *** 15-1 .938 | 16-6 .727
Women's Tennis -- -- --- | 7-8 .467
*** CIAA Champions
