Happy Track-iversary (Blog-iversary?)

It's a few days early by the calendar, but not by the event: it's the three-year anniversary for Big South SHOUT!

See, I'm writing this (in first-person no less--feels more appropriate) from the press deck of the Clemson University Indoor Track & Field facility, just like we did the very first official post of SHOUT in 2008. That first post, "Taking a LEAP," hit February 29th, 2008...making the "leap" a forced pun on the launch of the blog and the calendar's Leap Day...and it used the same clip art photo seen below...

The wheel keeps turning...that was my first stint streaming from the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships--and I'm now on my fourth. Back then the event was a joint meet held along with the Southern Conference. Since then, the SoCon and Big South have gone back to staging separate events (although on consecutive days), which greatly simplifies the process--as many events as we see in a meet like this, imagine even more sessions and double the athletes. Separate events means a little more in rent for each league, but a less hectic process. And of course, I'll be handling the video streaming for it all on the Big South Network again this year.

It's also the fourth year for the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships, where I was last week...sweltering (and streaming of course) in the oppressive humidity in the otherwise very nice Gabrielsen Natatorium at the University of Georgia. Those four years have been on the move--Huntersville-NC, Athens-GA, Knoxville-TN, and back to Athens-GA. Those three-day meets can drag at times, but you can't deny the skills of the student-athletes who come out and give their all--some very impressive displays in the pool and the diving well. They come to compete from four different conferences, none of which have their own championship events: Big South, SoCon, MEAC, and the Atlantic Sun. Big South news of note from the CCSA: Gardner-Webb had an impressive dual finish, taking second for the men and third for the women (congrats), and Liberty's women finished 6th--which is an impressive performance for a first-year program, making the upper half of the field.

Anyway, it's all part of the annual gauntlet of championships and travel: swimming, track, men's basketball, women's basketball (and board meetings) in consecutive weeks, after which we can fully embrace the spring sports...which have already begun. Such a busy time, but it's all part of the wheel that turns in collegiate athletics every year.

So Happy Blog-iversary, SHOUT fans, here's a SHOUT-out to you!
Yours truly,
Mark Bryant
Big South Conference

Talkin' Baseball (?)...and Plenty More

Okay Big South peeps, this weekend still seems simple enough on its face: Conference match-ups for men's and women's basketball take center stage, right? Sure, but it's not that simple any more, certainly not beyond this weekend anyway.

Here's the deal--Saturday has a full line-up of men's hoops, with five games tipping off throughout the day, plus a quartet of women's games also hitting the court. But January is coming to a close and February is coming in fast, so those games get the most buzz right now, but it's just the tip of an athletics iceberg that will culminate with a parade of championships in the spring.

Put another way, the tennis teams are facing off against out-of-conference foes right now, while the golf teams are rolling out their tournaments, and, most notably, the indoor track and field squads are making lots of noise in various meets around the region. How much noise? Good enough for the men to make the USTFCCCA (it's the governing body, don't worry about the alphabet soup, just go with it) top ten for ALL conferences in the country! The Big South ranked eighth, coming in behind only the six large power/BCS leagues, plus the Mountain West Conference.

Is that all, you ask? Well, noooo...although not under the "Big South Sports" umbrella, don't forget about the wrestling competition happening out there right now for some schools (VMI, Liberty, and GWU all wrestle...catch the VMI-Citadel competition streaming tonight on the Big South Network). Then there's the swimming and diving, which has been growing, with Liberty joining GWU, VMI, and Radford in the pool. All have been actively competing and await the CCSA Championships in February, featuring the swimming schools from four regional conferences that do not have enough participants to stage their own individual championship meets.

And then there's this...baseball and softball practice. Seriously, the ball-and-bat sports will hit their respective diamonds soon, and there's a sizable and eager fan base waiting for play to begin. The preseason polls were released this last week, and it probably does not shock anyone following the sports to see that Coastal Carolina had the nod for tops in baseball and Radford the same for softball. In fact, both are getting a little national attention as well.

For baseball, Coastal not only won the top spot in the coaches' vote, but did so unanimously! The Chants will start the season ranked 24th nationally, and will be watched closely to see how they follow last year's Super Regional finish. For softball, Radford will not begin ranked, but the Highlanders have votes in the national preseason polls, so they are not far off the radar.

Interestingly enough, Liberty lurks just behind the leaders in both sports in the preseason count. The Flames matched CCU baseball's unanimous first-place prediction by collecting a unanimous set of second-place votes. It seems clear that the Big South's baseball skippers agree that the 2011 season begins where the 2010 season left off: with Coastal ruling the roost but Liberty burning it up right behind. It wasn't unanimous for softball, but it was nearly as decisive, as the softball coaches made the Radford-Liberty duo a clear one-two.

For those already wanting to get their hands on for spring streaming packages on the Big South Network (presented by State Farm), good news: those packages will be available starting February 1st at BigSouthSports.com. Individual games will be available for order soon after that.


Okay, okay, let's get back to the whole HOOPS thing!

Opposite poles? Matter and anti-matter? Call it what you like, but the still blistering-hot Coastal Carolina Chanticleers play at ice-cold Radford Saturday. It's the upset of the year within the Conference if the 1-9 Highlanders stop the 10-0 Chants and their 17-game win streak, "but that's why they play the games"...

As amazing as the Coastal run has been (and it has been stellar), don't overlook the fact that the Liberty Flames have paced CCU every step of the way. The only loss for the 9-1 Flames was to Coastal Carolina, and it will be very interesting to see if that's still the case when these teams meet again: February 3rd in Conway. First, LU will have to dispatch a pesky GWU squad that has shown some resilience after a huge losing skid.

Other games for the men this weekend: Asheville at VMI -- two contenders trying to sort out the seeds behind the leaders, CSU at HPU -- Panthers trying to salvage a rougher season than expected vs. Buccaneers in that contender mix, and Winthrop at PC -- Eagles fighting for position and Blue Hose trying to play perpetual spoiler.

On the women's side, there are four Saturday games and four Monday games, but for the fans of recent Big South history and rivalry, there's only one game to watch for: Liberty at Gardner-Webb, Monday night (1/31, 7pm, on Big South Network). The Flames and Bulldogs are two of the three teams (along with RU) in a tight race for first, but that's just a bonus in what has become one of those rapidly intensifying rivalries...which tends to happen when you battle for the title a couple times, yeah? Conference competition at its best.

By the way, speaking of championships, did you know the Advance Auto Parts Big South Conference Basketball Championships have their own official Facebook page now? It's true. You now have a perfect companion to the Big South Facebook page (covering all Conference news) with the "Advance Championship" page, updating the races in the standings and the pursuit of records, plus the promotions, contests, events, and fans of Big South basketball. Go now and "like" both pages if you haven't already!

While I'm shilling, go follow us on Twitter, please...

For my final shameless plug, don't forget to browse through items at the Big South Online Store. If you haven't tried it yet, you will be surprised by the variety and quality of items available for you to order for your favorite school or for the Big South Conference. It's the best across-the-board merchandise for the Big South membership that you'll find anywhere--and right now (through the weekend), they're running a 15% discount special on personalized team basketball jerseys...go--what are you waiting for? After all, I'm done.

Have a good weekend, everybody...SHOUT--out.

Wrapping Up--or Starting Over?

Truth is (regarding the title question), it's a little of both...when a season draws to a close, it's easy to think of it in terms of reviews, wraps, and retrospectives--and there's always a need for that kind of thing--but it remains a fact of the modern athletics industry (collegiate or professional) that there is no longer an "off-season"...only PRE-season.

When we last left SHOUT at the previous post, we were in the thick of the Conference Baseball Championship Tournament. Since then, top-seeded Coastal Carolina did indeed take that title, albeit with somewhat more drama than an undefeated Big South season would imply. Liberty fought CCU for that crown, and although the Flames had a good overall record, they wound up on the outside of the NCAA bubble looking in...

As for the Chanticleers, they hosted the Myrtle Beach Regional, which saw the ouster of NC State, Stony Brook (our football associate member--hello, Seawolves!), and Coastal nemesis College of Charleston. The CCU-CoC duels wound up being wild rides with high scores, multiple ties, lead changes, extra innings, arguments, and more thrills. In the end, the Chants survived and kept their #4 national seed (a first for the Big South) alive into the Super Regionals to face another Palmetto State rival: South Carolina.

Many of you are aware, but here's the quick rehash so we're all on the same page: many years ago, Coastal was part of the USC system and was under that umbrella. The familiarity between the two led to a similarity between mascots and a sharing of team colors (since dispatched and replaced by CCU). The relationship shifted when the kids wanted to move out of the house, so to speak, as Coastal broke from the USC network and went on its own. Aside from the exceptionally rare forced/accidental pairing (not set scheduling), the two had not met in competition since. Voila, instant subtext for the Super Regional. Add in a little grousing from the Gamecock faithful on how ticket selling was handled, and you know you've got some bitterness off the field.

Meanwhile, on the field, you had two of the nation's top teams squaring off, and the match-up was indeed a quality one. The games had plenty of intrigue, as many of CCU's post-season efforts did. Unfortunately for Coastal, the "dream season" would end with a two-game exit against USC rather than with a trip to Omaha. A shame, really, but after all, it was still a tremendous season--and only eight squads get to make that trek to Rosenblatt Stadium.

But it's not ALL baseball, not with the conclusion to the Outdoor Track & Field season happening in grand fashion at the NCAA Championships in Eugene. Seven Big South student-athletes competed at the event, all doing their programs proud, but none more so than Liberty running star Sam Chelanga. The distance specialist dominated the 10K race to claim HIS SECOND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR (going with his individual title in cross country). Before coming back to Liberty, he had a shot at another giant win, but finished the meet with a runner-up finish in the 5K...so close and yet...

We naturally salute Chelanga for that feat and for being the Big South Conference Male Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year, along with his female counterpart for the OTFAY honor: UNC Asheville's Natalie Pearson. Great seasons for both competitors and well-deserved honors also--so consider our SHOUT-out just the icing on the cake, okay?

Yeah, so there's the wrap-up...now what?

Well, since you asked...would you believe we're already more than halfway through June?
The month began with the annual Big South Spring Meetings, where lots of policy adjustments and decisions affecting the coming year are made. A number of other meetings dot the summer schedule, but the tent pole holding everything up between the end of one academic-athletic calendar and the next is Football Media Day. You may not believe it, but that's mere weeks from now, just over a month--on July 29th, and then it's full speed into fall sports...oh my...anyway, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the Dads out there...SHOUT--out!

Championships-A-PLENTAY

Many Southerners know that if you ever find yourself in Spartanburg, SC, and you need a major burger-and-fried-stuff fix, the Beacon Drive In is the place to be. Those not traveling much through the region may know the Beacon from its appearance on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Either way, you need to know how to order right away. Yep, it's one of THOSE places--first-timers better learn quick that you don't hold up the line, because you need to "CALL IT!" A hallmark of ordering at the Beacon is getting your burger A-PLENTAY (that's "plenty" with proper inflection, of course), meaning virtually buried in an avalanche of fries and onion rings. You get what you came for--and then some.

Hence the appropriate title for this post, because we know it's time for spring championships--and boy do we have an overflowing plate of stuff we can sink our teeth into today!

Let's take this chronologically...

It had been a month since the basketball tournaments for the Big South, but the silence ended last week, starting with the Women's Golf Championship. Charleston Southern's women logged the best showing at The Patriot Golf Club in Ninety-Six, SC, bringing back the first Big South Championship for the Bucs in anything this year. The kudos for CSU don't just end with the trophy--after all, the Bucs beat the Championship record score by eight strokes (881) and became the first team in event history to record team scores under 300 each day. AND CSU senior Olivia Jordan-Higgins brought was the individual medalist. Nice finish all around.

Before the men would get their crack at The Patriot, we turned to the CSU campus, site of the 2010 Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships. With a talented roster of competitors from all across the Big South, the OTF Championships nonetheless came down to one team on top, and the Flames burned brightest. Liberty won both the men's and women's titles, and in so doing, completed an unprecedented sweep of all the "running" titles: Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track, all for both Men's and Women's Championships. Call it the "double triple" as they are at LU, or just call it dominance. Coastal's women's team gave Liberty a major challenge, and even held the team lead for a while, but it was not to be this time. As for the men, Liberty led wire-to-wire there. Interestingly, while the Men's Top Performers in Track (Evans Kigen) and Field (Clarence Powell) came from Liberty, the Women's Top Performers in Track (Ikeiylah Brown) and Field (Brittany Connor) came from Coastal Carolina.

This week began with the Men's Golf Championship, and it's a familiar refrain in the Big South to announce Coastal Carolina as the team champion for men's golf, so that result comes as no real surprise to anyone. Take in these impressive numbers: CCU has now won seven titles in a row and 12 of 14. The Chants were pushed by CSU and Liberty, but could not be caught. Given all that, perhaps it's of some interest that the individual medalist was not a Chanticleer: Liberty's Robert Karlsson had the best score for the tournament.

AND NOW another title tilt is happening, even as I write and share these thoughts with you. The Big South Men's & Women's Tennis Championships began this morning from the campus of Radford University, where the hosting men's team enters with the top seed, while Charleston Southern has that honor on the women's side. So by Saturday afternoon, we're scheduled to have two more champions crowned.

That's if the weather holds, of course...we just got through nine days staging four outdoor championship events with nothing more than a fog delay one morning and some breezes, so the luck so far has been quite good (bringing the law of averages into play, quite possibly). It may be a race against rain come Saturday, but we're hoping all is well for tennis to run on schedule.

Once tennis concludes, that just leaves softball and baseball to finish out the "pennant races" of their seasons and stage their May tourneys, which will close out the 2009-10 season.

As far as title-winners this year, looking back on it, we find a very favorable run for LU:

Championships won (14 total)--
7.5 Liberty (M/W XC, M/W ITF, M/W OTF, WBB, FB-tie)
2.0 Winthrop (MSOC, MBB)
2.0 Coastal Carolina (VB, MG)
1.0 High Point (WSOC)
1.0 Charleston Southern (WG)
0.5 (Associate Member Stony Brook: FB-tie)

And with only four left to crown, nobody can catch Liberty on this list...as for Sasser Cup, there are a number of other factors involved, but no one can doubt LU would be a favorite to repeat.

In other news, HPU is streaming their Spring Athletic Banquet tonight (4/22). It's available on the Big South Network, just like these other games I'm going to talk about in the video (although the banquet is the only one of those events that you can watch for free)...here's the guide for this week--with one note--ADD IN the Saturday-Sunday games for Coastal Carolina at VMI baseball:



So that's it for today...until next time-- "CAALLLLLLL IT!" SHOUT--out.

Big Games & Championships, Good Times...

So you've been waiting for your SHOUT...(okay, okay, at least play along).
It's here, it's time, let the embloggination begin...(no, it's not a word, nor is it mine, but I liked it, so I'm throwing it in there).

First off, a happy SHOUT-out to the ranked Big South baseball teams for pulling off a tremendous Daily Double on Tuesday night against another pair of ranked teams: VMI downed Virginia and Coastal Carolina defeated North Carolina.

Now, the actual rankings depend on your poll of preference. This week, I could easily produce different lists that placed Virginia at number 1, 2, 3, or 4. Regardless, we're talking about a top-flight team right now, yes? For the sake of argument, we're calling UVa a #1 team--one that came into Lexington and got a good beating by the Keydets, 12-3. Very impressive...VMI holds the #26 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, but could get some increased consideration with that victory.

Meanwhile, Coastal is in the # 9 - 12 area of the rankings, while UNC holds a spot about ten places down from that, so by rank this was not an upset. Nonetheless, props to the Chants for completing the ACC two-fer by the Big South teams this week--and again, not a close one, with a 12-4 final score.

That was a big night for the Big South--after all, that group would make a heckuva regional lineup, wouldn't it? I know it would not go down that way, but CCU, UNC, VMI, & UVa would make for some great ballgames. Perhaps down the road we'll see Virginia and Coastal each hosting their opponent from this week in a regional of their own...but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

A Big South Championship was decided this week, and it was a good one for the folks of Charleston Southern--winner in women's golf. CSU led the event after day one, after day two, and most importantly, after day three. Bucs golfer Olivia Jordan-Higgins also brought a title back to Charleston as the individual medalist. CSU had not broken through with a championship in any sport last year nor so far this year until taking the crown for women's golf.

But the Buccaneers did not stop there this past week, clinching the Regular Season Championship for women's tennis as well, as they cruised through a spectacular season. We'll see next week if they can add another event win with the Tennis Championships at Radford's campus.

And while we're talking about Charleston Southern, that also happens to be the host site for the 2010 Big South Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, happening right now at CSU. The leading teams after the first day of competition were Liberty for the men and Coastal Carolina for the women. Not coincidentally, those squads were the winners of those titles a year ago and now seek the repeat. At the same time, there will be added intrigue on the women's side, where LU will be trying to get past the strong CCU team in an effort at a remarkable sweep. Liberty holds the current titles for M/W Cross Country and M/W Indoor Track -- so taking both sides at outdoor would complete a powerful cycle (something I believe they've referred to as a "double-triple crown"). We shall see...

Right on the heels of outdoor track comes the championship tourney for men's golf and then men's and women's tennis next weekend. We'll have more on those events in SHOUT next week, of course...and beyond that, we've got softball and baseball in May

Here's your guide to what's streaming on the Big South Network...



Hey there--not following us on Twitter or a fan on Facebook yet? What are you waiting for? We've got hundreds who've already joined the fun, but we're still missing you!

Have a great weekend, one and all--get out to some games if you can (and if you can't, then catch some at the Big South Network). Thanks....SHOUT--out...

Take Me to Your Leaders

Time for your Friendly Neighborhood Spring Sports Update...

Under the yellow haze of pollen, the races are taking shape across the Big South Conference (all standings based on play as of 4/8/10).

First let's slide into baseball:

With two teams ranked in the top 30, the Big South has earned plenty of respect--thanks to the performances of Coastal Carolina and VMI. Interestingly, those two teams are not alone in the tangle for the top of the Conference baseball standings--Gardner-Webb has squeezed in there as well. Those are the only three clubs that can boast both a winning record in Big South play and a winnning record overall: Coastal (5-0 / 24-5), GWU (5-1 / 15-13), and VMI (7-2 / 25-5). By the way, an interesting schedule twist next Tuesday has created a Big South-SoCon showdown night, with Elon at Liberty, The Citadel at Coastal Carolina, and App. St. at High Point, all at 6pm.

Next let's take a swing at softball:

Like the baseball standings, the field of contenders with winning records in Conference and overall is a narrow one. For softball, that upper-echelon group is only a duo: Radford and Liberty. The Highlanders are 8-1 / 22-10 and the Flames are 4-2 / 19-10. The Championship is just over a month away now at Coastal Carolina--and I've just learned that your writer here will be your announcer there for the streamed games in the first two days of that event.

Time to serve up some women's tennis:

While I can list four programs that have run off winning records in the Big South and overall, only one is truly the leader here: Charleston Southern. CSU has raced out to a 7-0 / 15-1 start and has mounted a legitimate threat to Winthrop's grip on the sport in the Conference. Winthrop (3-1 / 9-8) is among the schools in that winning group, along with Coastal Carolina (3-1 / 15-4) and Radford (3-2 / 12-4), but there's a lot of catching up to do if the Bucs are to be overtaken by anybody else before the Championship at Radford in just two weeks.

And on the other side of the net for men's tennis:

Out of all these leader groups, men's tennis is the one that includes an aberration--a team at the top in Conference NOT sporting a winning record overall, and that's Winthrop (3-0 / 7-10). The other squads in contention do not have that issue: Radford (3-0 / 10-9), CCU (3-1 / 12-6), and Liberty (2-1 / 10-7). RU is of course the team that's owned this title for a while, but it's clear that they will have some quality opposition when the Highlanders take the home court in an effort to defend their crown later this month.

In the other spring sports, golf is approaching its finish...the Women's Golf Championship tees off Monday at The Patriot Golf Club in Ninety-Six, SC. The Palmetto State is not only the home of the course, but also the top three seeds: Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, and Winthrop. There's a certain deja vu to that, since Coastal and CSU finished 1-2 in this event a year ago. Men's golf has an additional week before teeing off that championship.


While the next Big South Championship will be awarded in women's golf, the next one you can watch on the Big South Network is the 2010 Big South Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Charleston Southern. Given the level of competition seen across the Conference this year, I would expect some remarkable times/heights/distances from the participating student-athletes. Team-wise, keep your eyes on the Liberty contingent. The Flames took home the hardware for men's and women's cross country in the fall and for men's and women's indoor track in the winter...meaning LU seeks a remarkable "double triple crown"--winning for men and women in all three running/track-related sports. It would be an incredible feat, but they'll have to beat the field next week to pull it off, and that won't be easy.

Okay, feel caught up on the spring goings-on?

Good, let's talk football!

No, seriously, just for a minute--never too early. Surely you know spring football has been going strong for weeks, and now is the time when the spring games start popping up everywhere. Lots of those intrasquad scrimmages will be played this Saturday, particularly across the South. Among them, the Presbyterian College Blue Hose, and I am proud to announce that the Big South Network will have its first-ever April football event with the live streaming of the PC Spring Game (4/10, 10am). You can order it through BigSouthSports.com--but you better catch it live, because this one won't be saved in the archives!

Speaking of the "BSN" -- here's the story on what will be streaming this week, including that football game from PC...

That's all for now, folks. Not expecting a new entry tomorrow, so I'll wish you a good weekend now...SHOUT--out!

Championships On My Mind

I'm sitting here at the Clemson Indoor Track to close out February--much like a year ago...and also like two years ago, when we posted the very FIRST Big South SHOUT from this exact place!

So it's time for the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships (presented by UCS and Penguin Sport Wash). Should be a good two days here--all streamed live on the Big South Network.

Today also marks the close of the men's basketball regular season, and tourney play starts TUESDAY (quick turn-around...are you ready?) at four host sites: Coastal, Radford, Winthrop, and one to be determined (either Asheville or High Point). Semi's will follow at Coastal Carolina (top seed) and the finals will be next Saturday at the highest surviving seed.

The women's event is right around the corner too, with all games to be played at HPU.

Here's another friendly reminder (and/or shameless plug!):

Thanks for following--and enjoy this big weekend in the Big South!

SHOUT--out...

The Need for Speed, and Other Quick Hits

You know, we can all talk about fast as if we know what we're talking about, but TRUE speed--WORLD CLASS velocity is something very few know personally. Obviously Usain Bolt is on intimate terms with a level of fast that neither you nor I would ever approach without wheels (and a motor)...but why do I bring this up to start SHOUT today?

Because they know F-A-S-T at Charleston Southern, folks!

I used the words "world class" above, and that's exactly what we have to salute here: the fastest time in the world this season for the 4x200 meter relay.


The speedsters in question (pictured at right) are Javon Young (Swainsboro, Ga.), Levi Brooks (Barnesville, Ga.), Cornelius Tyler (Silvania, Ga.) and Dantwan Spreads (Decatur, Ga.). Collectively, the four have been named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Men's Indoor Track Athletes of the Week. Read this from BigSouthSports.com and marvel at what these Buccaneers did:

The Charleston Southern quartet ran the world's fastest time this season in the 4x200-meter relay as they clocked in at 1:25.47 at the New Balance Invitational over the weekend. The time was the second-fastest time in collegiate history and the fifth fastest time in American history. The team won the event by more than two seconds and just missed the all-time collegiate record by 0.4 seconds.


Crazy good? Ubetcha.
What more can I say? Here's a rousing SHOUT-out to Javon, Levi, Cornelius, and Dantwan!


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Moving on: Hoooooooooops!


It's another men's basketball Thursday, with much at stake entering the season's final weeks...

VMI at GWU -- you scoff, thinking these teams are near the bottom right now, but barring significant change, one of these teams will fail to make the Big South Championship field of eight--and neither one wants to be that team.

CCU at HPU -- it's the leader trying to maintain position visiting a hopeful trying to earn a home game in the postseason, making it a very meaningful game for both squads.

CSU at RU -- and here's another match-up of a team outside the top four seeds (first round hosts) against a team near the top, but this time it's the visitor that has ground to make up.

LU at UNCA -- now we're talking about a battle, because this game has the teams currently in 4th and 5th, separated at the moment by a half-game that represents the difference between being the home team or the road team in the 4v5 game of the Championship Tournament.

The men then go around again with a full slate of five Conference match-ups on Saturday--and once more with another five games on Tuesday...only a handful of Big South games remain for these teams once we hit the weekend, so each time on the court will feel magnified in significance.

For the women, Gardner-Webb still holds the top spot after fending off Liberty's challenge, but these two teams could well meet again when the Championship wraps up in High Point next month.

And also in basketball news, we have THREE games on TV on the same day this Saturday, a rare feat: get the details here.
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Bonus SHOUT-outs to two former Big South stars and "Best of the Best" honorees:
- Dustin Johnson, CCU golf, for making the current cover of GolfWeek;
- Reggie Williams, VMI basketball, for making the NBDL All-Star Game.

By the way, Dustin's "Best of the Best" story holds the lead over any other video at the BigSouthSports YouTube channel, with more than double the views of the next clip (Katie Feenstra).

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Under five feet of snow? Think spring...after all, it's baseball season.

Well, almost. We're just a week away from playing ball. Hard to believe, but true.


And the video streaming packages for baseball and softball are now available at the Big South Network.

Speaking of which, find this week's video guide here (since the video wouldn't seem to load into Blogger again).

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And last, but FAR from least today: the NEW & IMPROVED www.BigSouthSports.com !!!

The mother ship of the Big South's online world has a whole new look and feel. It was a long time coming, a long time in development, and we hope you feel it was all worth it. Please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions, experiences from the site with us (here or via our Twitter or Facebook or any way you like)!

Thanks for being part of the Big South Family. We hope you enjoy the upcoming games and seasons--and encourage you to share your experiences with us. And that's SHOUT--out!

Saluting the Most Superlative

I'll admit, there are a lot of honors, awards, and lists out there...it's fair to say that many superlatives get handed out in sports, both before and after seasons--best this, most that, top-of-the-other...but with that said, here are two titles that should get your attention: Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The winners of THESE awards have been recognized as the top performers across all the Big South teams in all of the Conference sports. They have proven themselves as the best in competition and in academics, and deserve their moment of applause, so let's do it.........

Let's start with the men (the reason will be evident in a moment):

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Aaron Linn, Gardner-Webb men's basketball. An ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in 2009, Linn graduated from Gardner-Webb with a 4.00 grade-point average (!) in finance. Linn earned All-Conference Second-Team honors in 2008-09 and ranked among Conference leaders in free throw percentage (5th, .780), steals (4th, 1.97), field goal percentage (10th, .425), and assists (11th, 3.00). He scored in double figures 16 times in his last 18 starts of the season. There's no doubt Aaron Linn was a stellar contributor on the court and in class, and we congratulate him on this honor.

Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year: Sam Chelanga, Liberty men's track/cross country. In a year with several outstanding candidates (other finalists included Rashad Jennings, Martin Sayer, Artsiom Parakhouski, and Cody Wheeler), Chelanga outran the field. His accomplishments in distance running, both in track & field competition and in cross country, are almost too numerous to list (for all the details, read the article here), but let's give the summary version: a multiple All-American, national runner-up at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championship and also in the 5K final at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, NCAA 10K record-holder (27:28.48 on 4/24/09), and record-holder many times over at the school and Conference levels. He was voted the Big South Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year and was the Conference’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Chelanga captured individual Big South titles in cross country, the indoor mile and the outdoor 1,500 and 5K. And yes, that really is the short version--such an outstanding year for this brightly-burning Liberty Flame! With Chelanga following Josh McDougal, that's four years running (pun intended) for LU winning the Bagwell Award.

Okay, NOW to the women's honors...and an extra-special salute, because the top Athlete and the top Scholar-Athlete are one and the same: Megan Frazee, Liberty women's basketball. What can you say about an athlete who has proven herself the best among her peers in athletic competition and a remarkable leader in academic endeavors? On the way to earning back-to-back Athlete of the Year awards, Frazee was voted both the Big South Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and the Tournament MVP for a second consecutive year. In addition, she was a First-Team All-Big South selection for the third-straight year, and capped her senior season by being named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. Frazee was one of just three players in the nation to rank in the Top 25 in both scoring and rebounding, and she scored in double figures in a school-record and nation-leading (at the time the streak was broken) 68 consecutive games. She is currently playing in the WNBA for the San Antonio Silver Stars after being selected with the No. 14 pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. All that, along with graduating from Liberty University with a 3.92 average in kinesiology to demonstrate her classroom acumen, makes Megan Frazee one of the Big South's great student-athlete performers--not just from this year, but from Conference history.

We offer hearty congratulations and a major SHOUT-out to Aaron Linn, Sam Chelanga, and Megan Frazee! Bravo!

Behold the Power of Friday

So it's a Friday in June at the offices of the Big South Conference...what's going on?

Well, to be perfectly honest, not a whole lot. It's funny--there's a fairly narrow window of relative quiet between one year and the next, and we're in that space right now.

We run on a fiscal year and event calendar of July-June, so naturally there's some year-end wrap-up stuff, a little housekeeping and a little bookkeeping going on, as one would expect...plus there are early preps for the year to come already in motion, but they're not yet up to full speed.

The phones don't ring and the e-mails don't flood the inbox quite the way they do with sports in-season. This time-frame is also when the vacations happen, so the office may be reduced in staff on any given day (like say, today).

All that said, the wheel does keep spinning--those slow preparations will start to pick up speed, particularly after the 4th of July, and the countdown to the fall will begin in earnest, especially with late July and the arrival of Football Media Days. It won't be long before the buzz is in the air again and the days overflow with activity once more (even when you know it's coming, it always seems like a switch gets thrown somewhere and you're off and running).

Nonetheless, a narrow window of relative quiet is better than no window at all...one must find peace wherever/whenever one can (careful, approaching zen)...

Enough musings, here are two real news-notes for you:

Track & Field Athletes of the Year were announced today--
The Men's Award is shared by Liberty's Sam Chelanga and VMI's Donnie Cowart.

The Women's Award goes to the Charleston Southern 4x100 relay team (Dionne Gibson, Jessica Thomas, Misha Morris and Gabrielle Houston).

Look for lots of talk about Big South Women's Basketball this year, with the "Fantastic Fan Program" and support in the form of a grant from the NCAA!

Quick rant--where are our comments and feedback? C'mon, let us know you're out there!!! I know we could try to get more attention by throwing in some popular search terms, like "Next on Big South SHOUT: Lindsay Lohan tweets live updates on the Iranian election, Megan Fox visits Conan O'Brien to discuss Transformers, and the cast of Twilight tests the new iPhone before debating PETA's stance on Obama vs. the fly"...but we're not stooping to that level here, no sir!

Okay everybody, remember to follow us on Twitter--and have a great weekend!

Big Night, Big Year, Big South

Well, we've made it to the next day...whew!
What am I talking about THIS time? Let's jump back to Thursday night and review...


The Big South Conference 2009 Awards & 25th Anniversary Dinner--a gathering of not only VIPs from all the Big South member institutions and sponsorship partners, but also of great student-athletes and coaches from the full span of Conference history! It was a special night at McBryde Hall on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.


The Sunbelt Rentals Scholarships were formally awarded.
The Christenberry Award and Graduate Fellowship recipients were recognized.


Then came the major yearly awards--the All-Sports Trophies: Liberty won the Men's, Coastal Carolina won the Women's, and Liberty earned the Sasser Cup for overall sports performance. The Flames had a sensational year, pulling down Conference championships in men's cross country, men's track (indoor and outdoor), football, volleyball, and women's basketball. In addition, LU also notched five runner-up finishes. A sensational season, congratulations to Liberty University!


But as amazing as those honors and awards are, they only served as preamble to the highlight of the night: a salute to the 25th Anniversary "Best of the Best," followed by the announcement of the Top Ten Countdown for the "Best of the Best" through a special video--this one right here, as a matter of fact...

In summation (or for those who don't have a few spare minutes to watch):

10-Martin Sayer, Radford tennis--player of the year all four of his seasons
9-UNCA MBB 2003--first-ever NCAA MBB tourney win for the Big South
8-LU Track & Field--dominant winner of vast majority of Conference titles
7-Coastal Carolina Baseball--nationally prominent and still on a long run of success
6-Josh McDougal, Liberty track--distance sensation, National Champion, 14-time All-American
5-Katie Feenstra, Liberty WBB--among nation's best players, engine for title run
4-Radford WBB Dynasty--the Highlanders were virtually untouchable for a decade
3-CCU Men's Soccer/Joseph Ngwenya--great player and team to Sweet 16
2-Winthrop MBB 2007--knock off Notre Dame in NCAA tourney, go to 2nd round
1-Libery WBB Dynasty--10 straight Big South titles & Sweet 16 berth!!!

There you have it--a fantastic night for the Big South...

Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina Baseball is at the Chapel Hill Regional, just starting against Kansas--AND several Big South student-athletes are at the East Regional for NCAA Track & Field. Good luck to all our remaining competitors!

Have a great weekend, everybody...

Parade of Champions

Why use words when we have pictures (and links, too) to salute the winners today?
Here are the five Big South Conference 2009 team champions crowned in the last week--congratulations to you all!!!





WOMEN'S GOLF:
COASTAL CAROLINA








MEN'S TENNIS:
RADFORD










WOMEN'S TENNIS:
WINTHROP







MEN'S OUTDOOR
TRACK & FIELD:
LIBERTY







WOMEN'S OUTDOOR
TRACK & FIELD:
COASTAL CAROLINA

Weekender Quick Hits

Not going to take much of your time, but here are some things to chew on for this weekend...

SOFTBALL -- The Big South's top two teams right now will face off in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU this Sunday at 2pm, when Winthrop visits Radford...get the details at this link.

TENNIS & TRACK -- It's a good time so far for the favorites/top seeds/defending champions. For tennis, last year's winners have each clinched spots in their respective finals: Radford for the men and Winthrop for the women. At track & field, the defending outdoor champs (and indoor winners) each hold leads on the rest of the group: Liberty for the men and Coastal Carolina for the women. Come late Saturday afternoon, we'll have four more champions with their titles in hand--will it be a series of repeats or will someone else break through?

GOLF -- Congratulations to Coastal Carolina, Big South Women's Golf Champions for 2009! They settled that title on Wednesday afternoon. By next Wednesday afternoon, we'll know if the men can make it a CCU sweep on the links...the Chanticleers will be the favorite among the field, but anything can happen once the ball starts rolling, so stay tuned.

BASEBALL -- The final month of the season begins, and that turns every Conference series into crunch time. This weekend we have two full series (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) being streamed on The Big South EDGE: Coastal Carolina at High Point and Winthrop at Liberty, both of which could have significant impacts on the standings...good thing you don't have to miss any of the action thanks to the video streaming, right? Look into the Baseball Weekly Pass, which would allow you to get all six of those games for the price of two!

Okay, folks, that's all for now--have a great weekend (and good luck to your favorite Big South teams)!

Behind the Scenes: Chauncy & Big Stuff

Not to keep anyone in suspense any longer--time for more from our trip through the dance videos of our Big South mascots. Today we take in a pair from the Palmetto State: Coastal Carolina's Chauncy and Winthrop's Big Stuff (and after that, we'll hit the weekly On The EDGE review)...enjoy!

Coastal Carolina...

Winthrop...

And now...another edition of "On The EDGE"...here we go:

Don't forget--CHAMPIONSHIP TIME is back:
Women's Golf April 13-15,
Outdoor Track & Field (Men/Women): April 16-18,
Tennis (Men/Women): April 16-18,
Men's Golf: April 20-22.
Best of luck to all the competitors!!!

And Then There Was One...

The post-season fortunes of the Big South hoopsters have not been good ones (an understatement, I'm afraid).


Lopsided losses have befallen Radford on the men's side (to UNC), plus Liberty and Winthrop (to Louisville and Georgetown, respectively) on the women's side. The closest of those three games had a 20-point gap, so no "almost" this year.


Meanwhile, it may be a first-year event, but the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) is the home of the Big South's last team standing. Liberty's men's team knocked off Rider at Lynchburg in the opener for the Flames, and they get to host again tonight--James Madison comes in for a quarterfinal match-up, 7pm tip-off. And don't worry, if you can't make it to the Vines Center, we'll bring the Vines to you on The Big South EDGE!


Enough basketball talk for the moment--Big South BASEBALL is in full swing. Conference series have already begun and there are some early storylines to watch. Coastal Carolina (18-4 / 3-2) is a known commodity, ranked and rolling for the most part, but the Chants got upended in a weekend series by Winthrop, making the Eagles (14-7 / 5-1) a team to watch as well. And don't leave Liberty (15-5 / 4-1) out of that discussion either. Although their overall records aren't as stellar, there are still three additional teams with winning records in Big South play early on: CSU, VMI, and GWU.


Baseball is not alone in the spring action...while you were watching basketball, other seasons have been gaining steam: softball is settling into the thick of its schedule now and the championships are just weeks away for tennis, golf, and outdoor track & field!


DEADLINE ALERT--have you been voting for your "Best of the Best" selections? Your time is running out! The scheduled conclusion for the "BoB" voting window is Wednesday, March 25th, so get over there and make your vote count. Remember, you can vote just once per day, but as many days as you like--so that gives you three more opportunities as of this posting! We'll combine the fan voting with the Big South's 25th Anniversary Committee ballots and reveal the results at the conclusion of the athletic calendar in May.

FYI, we did a little housekeeping and updated the blog-roll on the right...the outdated ones have been removed and new ones added in their spots--and probably more coming soon...


Keep your ears open for the next SHOUT from the Big South Conference!

Lost and Found Department

You can always tell when things have gotten a little extra-busy around the Big South Conference, because SHOUT goes offline for longer periods every so often (beyond just a mere handful of days). In this case it's over two weeks...sorry about that...but the disappearing act is over: time to SHOUT with the Big South!

In the "down" time, it's been a fury of championship programs and championship events for me, but I hope to use the upcoming days as opportunities to offer some first-hand accounts of events and personal insight into what's going on.

It would be nice to offer more details around recent items, but I'm not foolish enough to promise we'll cover everything--so here's a rundown of quick hits:

--Bravo, Dustin Johnson...the Coastal Carolina alum and "Best of the Best" honoree won his second PGA Tour event with a west coast victory (a strong performance in a rain-shortened event).

--Trading Places...not the movie, but the basketball standings: VMI hit a rough patch after leading the men's hoopsters most of the season--and while the Keydets skidded into a losing streak, the Highlanders surged along with an impressive run of wins to put Radford on top for good. RU has earned the regular season title and top seed for the Championship!

--Home Sweet Home...the four host teams for the men's basketball quarterfinals have been established (even if all the seeding has not come together yet): Radford, VMI, Liberty, and UNC Asheville will all begin their paths to the title on their home floors.

--Eternal Flames...will anyone stop the Liberty women's basketball squad or will they just keep this up forever? LU is undefeated in Conference play, sitting at 12-0 with the regular season title and top seed already clinched. Including non-conference contests, Liberty has won 15 straight.

--King of the Mountain...a salute to Coastal Carolina baseball--the Chanticleers defeated #1 North Carolina this week!

--The Water's Fine...Big South members Radford, VMI, and Gardner-Webb participated in the 12-team Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championships last week. The CCSA is a joint venture of four conferences (Big South, SoCon, A-Sun, MEAC) for an overall swimming and diving championship meet. I was there for all three days (at the Gabrielsen Natatorium of the University of Georgia in Athens), and yes, I hope to put up some pictures and tales from the event soon--meanwhile, big congrats go out to the overall men's champions from College of Charleston and women's champions from Florida Gulf Coast University!

--It Keeps You Runnin'...the 2009 New Balance Big South Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships have arrived. The full meet will be video streamed on The EDGE, of course, and that's where yours truly comes in--I'll be here in Clemson for all the events over the two-day meet. You can find the schedule of events and link to the results at the Big South's Championship page.

And hey--we also did On The EDGE Viewer's Guides for last week and this week...obviously last week's didn't make it to SHOUT, although if you're really curious (and I doubt anyone's that curious), you can still find it in the On Demand section of The EDGE. This week's is--right here:

Lots and lots going on across the Big South Conference these days--be sure you're keeping an eye on www.BigSouthSports.com and checking on SHOUT plus our YouTube channel BigSouthSports!

As always, thanks for reading. We hope you enjoy what SHOUT has to offer and keep coming back for more...this week marks a milestone for the Big South Conference blog--more on that to come very soon!

Check Your Calendars!

What season IS this?

Yes, we're in the middle of basketball season with a good chunk of winter still ahead of us (not because of any groundhogs, mind you, but because of cold hard facts--emphasis on cold)...but Charleston Southern has a home SOFTBALL game this afternoon, plus a doubleheader Saturday. Baseball games are right around the corner as well, and don't forget that the tennis and golf seasons have launched! Track is still on the indoor side, but that championship is later this month and then they will also hit the great outdoors.

Whew! Guess there's a lot going on out there these days. Next thing, I suppose we'll be saying that the Quiz Bowl is here too...um, actually, yes. Once a year, the Big South Conference sponsors an academic competition among its athletic members--and that showdown is this weekend (Saturday the 7th, starting at 9am). The event will be held at Gardner-Webb University and will be streamed live on The EDGE. Liberty has won all three previous meetings, but last year's event was only decided by a tie-breaker after a three-way knot including LU, GWU, and VMI.

Speaking of streaming, here's the latest video update on the events you can find at the Online Video Source of the Big South Conference:

So let's talk about that hoops stuff for a moment...in men's play, VMI took an upset home loss against UNC Asheville this week--that, combined with Radford's win the same night, ended VMI's run with sole ownership of first place. As of this writing, the Keydets and the Highlanders are both 9-2 in the Big South. They share another interesting stat: both teams have taken their losses at home and are undefeated on the road in Conference play so far this year.

On the women's side, Liberty remains spotless in Big South games: 8-0. The range in the standings is as wide as possible, given that Presbyterian is at the opposite end of the spectrum at 0-8, still seeking its first Big South Conference victory. PC has lost 14 in a row overall this year. Three teams are deadlocked in the middle of the standings, as UNC Asheville, Coastal Carolina, and Winthrop are all 4-4 heading into the weekend.

And hey, you haven't been seeing double (or more) lately...the Holmes twins from VMI are just about everywhere! Travis and Chavis Holmes, the best point-producing twins in college hoops, have been media stars: interview on ESPN2 "First Take", item in ESPN The Magazine, feature article in Sports Illustrated, and countless write-ups in papers across the region. Bravo! T&C Holmes have earned the attention and they have handled it well.

Keep up with the latest on the Big South Conference here at the Big South SHOUT, at BigSouthSports.com or at YouTube/BigSouthSports--thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Of Superlatives and Seasons...

Here at SHOUT, we praise many athletes and programs that succeed on and off the field...but today's post is a little different--this isn't just about success, this is about being the BEST.

This week the Big South Conference released the results of its annual balloting held to recognize the Conference Athletes of the Year (Male and Female) and Scholar-Athletes of the Year (also Male & Female awards).

Out of all the student-athletes in the league, that's four tremendous honorees to salute--and in this case, two schools to credit for helping them develop into stars in competition and in class.

First, the 2007-2008 Scholar-Athletes of the Year--both from Coastal Carolina University:

Felicitas Mensing of Neuhausen, Germany, graduated CCU in three years with a 4.0 in mathematics...she also won the Bob McCloskey Insurance Big South Conference Graduate Fellowship this year (an award she will apply to her upcoming grad studies at Minnesota).

Jack Leasure of Rochester, New York, graduated this spring with a 3.85 average in history...he is the only player to win the title of Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year three times--and on the court he set the Conference mark for three-pointers in one season (411).

Now let's turn our attention to the 2007-2008 Big South Athletes of the Year--both from Liberty University:

Megan Frazee of Xenia, Ohio, had an amazing season for the red-hot Flames, earning the titles of Big South Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Conference Championship Tournament MVP as a junior. Frazee becomes the first Liberty student and/or women's basketball player to win the Women's AoY honor since Katie Feenstra did so three years ago.

Josh McDougal of Peru, NY, has made winning almost look easy on his path to being the Big South's most-decorated runner ever (14-time All-American)--peaking this season with the 2007 NCAA National Cross Country Championship. You can run out of superlatives trying to describe the collegiate record of this guy...suffice to say he has now won the Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year award THREE CONSECUTIVE TIMES, a first in the nine-year history of the award.

And as tremendous as all those past accomplishments are, I must confess I'm already looking ahead. You see, some folks may think this is the "off season"...well in truth, there's no such thing. Next week is Big South Football Media Day and the launch of our 25th Anniversary Season. As I write this, I'm sitting in an edit suite at WTVI-TV in Charlotte, NC, producing the 2008 Football Preview Video--so I'm in gridiron mode right now. They'll hit the field in about six weeks, so snap your chinstraps and get ready for the change of seasons: not summer to fall, but summer to FOOTBALL...and volleyball, soccer, and still more! Hang on, folks, we're in for some fun this year, and that's a promise--talk to you again soon...