NCCU’S LAST SEASON IN DIVISION II IS MOST SUCCESSFUL ONE
Eagles Rank 24th in U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Final Standings
North Carolina Central University’s final season of Division II competition proved to be its most successful one, as the Eagles placed 24th in the final 2006-07 standings of the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup, the prestigious award presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.
NCCU earned a total of 430.50 points during the 2006-07 campaign, its best ever finish in the Directors’ Cup standings, improving upon the 294 points and 42nd place finish from 2005-06.
In 2006-07, NCCU won four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) team championships and participated in nine NCAA Division II Championship events. In the fall, the women’s cross country team made history by becoming the first HBCU to win a regional championship, then placed 23rd at the national meet. The Lady Eagles began their historic run by repeating as CIAA champions. The football team earned a No. 1 seed in the regional playoffs after posting a perfect regular season of 11-0 and winning its second straight conference title. The Eagles were also declared the 2006 Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Football National Champions, the school’s first such title in the 33 years SBN Sports Network has conducted the poll. The women’s volleyball team made its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA regional playoffs after three-peating as league champions and ending its run in the CIAA by defeating 48 consecutive conference opponents (dating back to 2004).
In the winter, the men’s indoor track and field team claimed the school’s best team finish at the indoor national championships with a third-place performance, while the women’s team placed 21st. The women’s basketball team won its first conference championship in 23 years before advancing to the regional semifinals for the second straight season. The Lady Eagles also finished tied atop the final Black College Sports Page rankings to earn a share of the 2007 BCSP Women’s Basketball Black College National Championship and posted school records in wins (26) and consecutive victories (19).
In the spring, the men’s outdoor track and field team placed seventh at the national championship meet, while the women’s team placed 31st. The softball team earned the program’s first ever at-large bid to the NCAA post-season after winning 31 games in the regular season, including an unblemished 20-0 conference record and the CIAA regular-season crown.
In other spring action, the NCCU baseball team, returning to the diamond for the first time in 32 years, won the CIAA regular-season title and recorded 21 overall victories.
Several individual accomplishments also highlighted the 2006-07 season. NCCU freshman Brandon Jones took home a national title in the junior men's 800-meter run during the 2006 Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. Jones then competed in the 2006 IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, China. Four student-athletes were voted as CIAA Rookie of the Year, including Jori Nwachukwu (women’s basketball), Stadford Brown (football), Michelle Ishida (softball) and Justin Goodson (baseball). NCCU freshman Ashley Cooke captured the individual conference title by winning the 2006 CIAA Women’s Cross Country Championship. NCCU junior Shari Matthews was selected as the 2006 NCAA Division II Daktronics Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year. Matthews led the nation in kills and service aces, and broke the NCAA Division II record for kills in a season with 974. NCCU freshman quarterback Stadford Brown was voted as the SBN Sports Black College Offensive Player of the Year. Brown, the 2006 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year and CIAA Rookie of the Year, topped the conference in passing yards per game (214.8), total passing yards (2,577), passing touchdowns (26), and passing efficiency (141.5). Brown’s 26 passing touchdowns set a new single-season school record and a new CIAA standard for freshmen. NCCU sophomore Christopher Davis won the national championship in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.72 seconds. NCCU senior forward Cassie King was selected to the 2007 NCAA Division II Kodak/WBCA All-America Team, claiming Honorable Mention status for the third consecutive season. The school’s all-time leading scorer, King’s 2,150 career points ranks fourth all-time in the CIAA, while her 1,076 career rebounds ranks seventh in league history. King is only the second player in CIAA history and 15th player in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history to amass more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. NCCU senior Hakeem Mohammed posted a career-best time of 45.37 seconds in his specialty event, the 400-meter dash, to win the national title during the final day of the 2007 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Charlotte, N.C. His mark was the fastest time at the NCAA championship since 1998. Two NCCU student-athletes, senior volleyball setter Latoya Tate and sophomore track and field throwing specialist Chanel Raynor, were selected to the 10th annual CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team as First-Team honorees.
For the fifth time in the past eight years, NCCU received the Loretta Taylor All-Sports Trophy, recognizing the top all-around women's program in the CIAA.
NCCU Director of Athletics Bill Hayes was recognized as the conference's top athletic administrator when he was presented with the 2007 Jeanette A. Lee Athletic Administration Award. Four NCCU coaches were also presented with awards as the CIAA Coach of the Year in their respective sports. NCCU's honorees were Georgette Crawford-Crooks for women's volleyball, Michael Lawson for women's cross country, Joli Robinson for women's basketball, and Henry White for baseball.
