Orange Men’s Lacrosse

A year after Orange and East Chapel Hill met in the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Semifinals, the Panthers and the Wildcats met again on Wednesday night. This time, the Panthers convincingly defeated the Wildcats 14-11 at Dave Thaden Stadium. It was the first-time ever that the Panthers defeated the Wildcats in lacrosse. Orange sophomore Connor Kruse scored five goals and four assists as the Panthers improved to 2-0. Junior Jake Wimsatt had seven faceoff wins and added three goals and an assist. Orange Coach Chandler Zirkle, who played football and lacrosse at East Chapel Hill, savored the victory for his team. Josh Crabtree added three goals for Orange. The Panthers won’t get much of a break. On Friday night, they face Pinecrest at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough at 7 PM. Orange starts its Central/Mid Carolina Conference schedule on Tuesday against Western Alamance in Hillsborough.

Braden Homsey: Former Orange wrestler Braden Homsey captured the 197-pound championship at the Pete Wilson-Wheaton Invitational in Whealton, Illinois for the Division III Ferrum College wrestling team on Saturday. In the championship match, Homsey handily disposed of Danny Lingen of the University of Chicago 18-5. To open the tournament, Homsey scored an 15-0 technical fall over Reid McNeill of Concardia University of Wisconsin. In the second round, Homsey defeated Warren Gentile of Mount Union 10-3. Homsey outscored Nathanie Armstrong of Mount St. Joseph 13-10 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Homsey pinned Wheaton Univeristy’s Jackson Punzel in 7:00. Homsey is now 17-1 in his senior season. Ferrum finished fourth in the team standings with 87 points. Homsey leads Ferrum in wins.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond men’s basketball team defeated Rhode Island 70-63 at Ryan Center in Kingston, RI on Tuesday. Crabtree came off the bench to play seven minutes. He scored one point off 1-of-2 shooting from the free throw line. Crabtree also grabbed two rebounds. On Saturday, VCU defeated Richmond 64-62 at the Robins Center in the battle of Richmond. Crabtree did not play. Richmond is 13-8 overall, 4-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team continues to roll along. The Flyers have now won seven in a row. On Wednesday, the Flyers edged Central Carolina Community College 80-79 in Sanford. In a wild game, the Flyers trailed by double-digits in both halves, but fought back to take an 80-72 lead with a minute remaining. McMullin came off the bench to score 13 points in 18 minutes. He shot 4-of-8 from the field and drained his only 3-point attempt. McMullin also had four rebounds, all offensive. On Friday, Sandhills defeated the Montreat College junior varsity squad 113-59. McMullin led the Flyers with 21 points, though he played 16 minutes. He shot 8-of-11 from the field. McMullin also had four rebounds. The Flyers, who are ranked #14 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III poll, will face Oxford College at Emory University in Atlanta later today (Sunday).

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State men’s indoor track & field team competed in the Bob Pollock Meet in Clemson, SC on Friday and Saturday. Davis finished sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 15.27 meters. On Friday, Davis competed in the long jump. His best leap was 7.01 meters, good enough for a 17th place finish. N.C. State will continue its season on Friday in the Camel City Invitational in Winston-Salem.

Dylan Boyer: The spring sports season will start next week with the opening of men’s lacrosse season. The Division II Queen’s University lacrosse team will start its season against Lees-McCrae at the Queen’s Sports Complex in Charlotte on Friday night. Last season, Boyer played in ten games for the Royals, starting one. Boyer scored five goals and recorded four assists. Boyer played for Orange coach Chandler Zirkle and was a member of the 2018 Panther team that advanced to the second round of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Queen’s was selected to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll, garnering 85 points. Lenoir-Rhyne was picked to finish first with Wingate selected second. Queens is #17 in the Nike-USA Lacrosse Division II Preseason poll.

Keshawn Thompson: It was a showdown between a former Orange Panther and a former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. The Campbell Fighting Camels, featuring former Orange linebacker Keshawn Thompson, faced off against the Elon Phoenix, which included former Cedar Ridge linebacker Adam Chnupa. The Phoenix defeated the Camels 24-23. For the second week in a row, Thompson led Campbell in tackles with nine. Last week, Thompson was honorable mention for Big South weekly football honors. Campbell is 0-2. They will face Presbyterian on Saturday in Buies Creek.

Adam Chnupa: Elon is now 1-1 after the victory over Campbell. Chnupa played special teams for the Phoenix in the win. Elon will travel to Appalachian State on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: In N.C. State’s loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS, Wilson suffered a shoulder injury. Wilson did register his first sack of the season. He finished with three tackles. There’s no word yet on whether Wilson will miss any action. Mississippi State defeated N.C. State 24-10. The Wolfpack were deprived of its first road win against an SEC team since 1977.

Trenton Gill: Former Cedar Ridge punter Trenton Gill was too busy for the Wolfpack’s liking against Mississippi State. Gill had seven punts on Saturday night. He averaged 43.6 yards per punt. His longest was 55 yards. One of the punts was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Wolfpack will host Furman on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Rodney Brooks: After missing the opening game of the season for the Division II Livingstone Blue Bears, former Orange quarterback/defensive back Rodney Brooks made his season debut on Saturday. Savannah State, an FCS team, crushed Livingstone 50-6 at Theodore Wright Stadium in Savannah, GA. Brooks, a safety, had four tackles.

Bryse Wilson: On Sunday at PNC Park, the Washington Nationals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Wilson suffered the loss for the Bucs. In four-and-one-third innings, Wilson surrendered five runs off seven hits and two walks. Luis Garcia, Alex Avila and Lane Thomas honored off of Wilson, who is now 2-7 this season with a 4.97 ERA. The Pirates travel to Miami next weekend.

Kayla Hodges: After a tight loss to N.C. State, the Elon women’s soccer team rebounded with consecutive wins last week. On Thursday, the Phoenix defeated Gardner-Webb 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. Hodges started and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, the Phoenix defeated American University at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. Once again, Hodges played the duration of the game and fired one of Elon’s ten shots against the Eagles. Through seven games, Hodges is tied for the team lead with two goals. Elon faces Furman on Friday in its final nonconference game of the year.

Brittany Daley: Emory University’s women’s soccer routed Greensboro College 6-0 in Atlanta on Saturday. Daley played all 90 minutes at centerback for Greensboro. The Pride will travel to Bridgewater on Wednesday.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team has won two in a row. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated Ferrum 3-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Rogers started at wingback for Peace. On Wednesday, Peace defeated Johnson & Wales University 2-0 in Charlotte. It was Rogers’ 40th game for Peace. The Pacers are 2-2. They will travel to Brevard on Wednesday.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team won two out of three matches over the weekend. On Friday, Christopher Newport defeated the Avenging Angels 3-1 on scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-23 and 25-12 at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh. For the first time this season, Lucas didn’t start for Meredith. She did finish with two kills, 14 assists and five digs. The Avenging Angels won both of its matches on Saturday. They opened with a sweep of Guilford on scores of 25-17, 25-8 and 25-22 at the Hermann Athletic Center in Raleigh. Lucas came off the bench and had 16 assists and one dig. Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1. Lucas led the Avenging Angels with 25 assists and seven digs. Meredith is 5-3 and will play a doubleheader against Brevard and Maryville on Friday in Brevard.

Kayla Hodges: After being a regular starter for the Elon women’s soccer team’s first Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship team last spring, Kayla Hodges scored her first college goal in the Phoenix’s season-opener against George Washington. In the 55th minute, Hodges scored off a corner kick when she chipped one in the net off an assist from Lily Harkes. Hodges, who started as a defensive midfielder, played 84 minutes as the Phoenix won 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. On Sunday, UNC Greensboro defeated Elon 1-0 at Rudd Field. Hodges earned another start and fired one shot. She played all 90 minutes. The Phoenix are 1-1 and will travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday. Hodges, a junior, started all ten games last year.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was placed on the Injured List by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16. Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington says the move is mostly about rest from fatigue. At the time he was placed on the Injured List, Wilson had just started against the Milwaukee Brewers in a no decision. Counting his time with the Atlanta Braves, Wilson has thrown 48 and 2/3rds innings and has an 5.55 ERA.

The fall sports season is underway for women’s soccer. It will officially start for football, volleyball and men’s soccer next week. Here are some Cedar Ridge and Orange graduates who will be competing in colleges throughout the country this fall.

Payton Wilson: A second-team All-ACC linebacker with N.C. State last season, Wilson returns for his redshirt sophomore season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders. It kept him sidelines for spring practice. Wilson ranks third among returning ACC players in career tackles. He’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s best linebacker.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter and soccer player is now a redshirt junior at N.C. State. Gill is N.C. State’s career leader in punt average with 46.3 yards–which is tied for the second-best mark among returning ACC punters. Gill’s has 4.997 career punting yards, which is 12 in school history. In 2020, Gill averaged 44.7 yards per punt, the fifth-best single-season mark in school history.

Keshawn Thompson: Thompson is now a graduate student with the FCS Campbell football team. Last year, Campbell played only four games in the fall and sat out the spring. Thompson totaled nine tackles. He started the season opener at Georgia Southern, a game where the Camels lost 28-27 when a two-point attempt in the waning seconds ended with an incomplete pass.

Adam Chnupa: The former Cedar Ridge linebacker returns to Elon’s football team as a redshirt sophomore. The Phoenix played last spring. Chnupa appeared in all six games and finished with six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Elon will open against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium on September 4. It will mark the 20th anniversary of Rhodes Stadium.

Rodney Brooks: The Division II Livingstone Bears of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association didn’t play in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Brooks will return as a senior with the Bears. The 2018 Orange graduate had 16 tackles for Livingstone in 2019.

Trey Grizzle: The former Orange linebacker, who graduated in June, has enrolled at Division III Averett University. Averett will face Ferrum College in Virginia on September 4.

Taylin Jean: The 2018 Big 8 Goalkeeper of the Year at Cedar Ridge, Jean starts her junior year at Division II Limestone College. Last season, Jean earned a spot on the South Atlantic Conference Commissioners Honor Roll. She appeared in four games for the Saints between the pipes.

Brittany Daley: A former All-Conference player with the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team, Daley enters her fourth season with the Division III Greensboro College’s women’s soccer team. Last season, Daley earned USA South All-Academic honors with a 3.9 GPA. Daley has played 45 games in her Greensboro career. Last year, she helped the Pride win the USA South East Division Championship, which was the only tournament the Pride was allowed to play in due to the pandemic.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace University women’s soccer team will open against Guilford College on September 1. Rogers, a former Orange star who is now a senior, has started all 37 games she’s played in for the Pacers in her career.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas enters her senior season with the Division III Meredith College volleyball team. Last season, Lucas appeared in 14 matches and had 108 digs. She led the team with 298 assists. The Avenging Angels open the season at Roanoke on September 1.

For the second year in.a row, the COVID-19 pandemic will keep the Bull City All-Star Game from being played at Koskinen Stadium at Duke University.

But that doesn’t mean players from around the state can’t be honored.

Over the weekend, two 32-player rosters were released by representatives from the Bull City All-Star Game. Comprised of 64 seniors, players from Wilmington to Weddington were included on the men’s roster.

There were also four players from Hillsborough included after a season where Orange and Cedar Ridge finished in the top two spots in Conference 9.

After being named an All-American last month, Orange long stick defenseman Duncan Grant was included on the Blue Team. Joining Grant on the Blue squad was his Orange teammate Cy Horner. Also on the Blue team was Cedar Ridge defenseman Dov Bearman.

On the White team was Orange’s leading scorer, Ryan Merrill.

In April, Grant was named an All-American by USA Lacrosse. He became the first Orange player to ever be named an All-American.

“It is a testament to the type of game changing player he was for us,” said Orange Lacrosse Coach Chandler Zirkle. “Having a guy who could not only guard the other team’s best player but who could also score 2-3 points a game.”

Grant led Orange with 38 takeaways, nearly three-times more than any other player on the team. He also had 68 ground balls, which was second behind sophomore Jake Wimsatt, Orange’s top face-off man. Grant’s inclusion on the Bull City All-Star team continues a spring that has been filled with postseason honors. He was the Conference 9 Player of the Year and was named to the 3A/2A/1A All-Region team by the North Carolina Lacrosse Coaches Association. Grant will graduate next week and plans to attend N.C. State.

Grant was a key defensive player on the most successful lacrosse team in Orange history, even though the Panthers relied on a goalkeeper-by-committee approach the entire season. Orange captured the Conference 9 Championship and advanced to the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals for the first time ever. They defeated Terry Sanford and Northwood in the state playoffs before falling to eventual Eastern Regional Champion East Chapel Hill.

Cedar Ridge’s Dov Bearman was the Conference 9 Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Red Wolves in ground balls and takeaways. Cedar Ridge finished 5-4. In its five wins, the Red Wolves held each of its opponents to three goals or less. With the help of Bearman and goalkeeper Aiden Kehoe, Cedar Ridge had three shutouts in 2021, including a 14-0 win at Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium on March 1. Bearman will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in August.

Merrill was Orange’s leading scorer with 40 goals and 61 points. He opened the season with six goals in an 18-15 win over Walter Williams. Three weeks later, he scored six goals against Cedar Ridge in a 10-6 Panther win at Auman Stadium. Merrill was the most reliable Orange scorer right up until the very end of his career, when he scored four goals in the playoff loss to East Chapel Hill.

Horner finished the season with seven goals and 15 assists. In the victory over Cedar Ridge, Horner had a season-high four takeaways. He registered two goals in wins over Carrboro and Northern Durham during early March.

Players for the Bull City All-Star Game are nominated by coaches from across the state.

The Bull City All-Star Game is an annual doubleheader featuring the top men’s and women’s lacrosse seniors in North Carolina. It has been held at Koskinen Stadium since its inception in 2017. The game is also a fundraiser for the Duke Cancer Institute and the Tony Cullen Memorial Scholarship.

Tony Cullen was a former player at Duke who went on to coach the Blue Devils for nine years. Cullen was part of the inaugural class of the North Carolina Lacrosse Hall of Fame. After he resigned as Duke’s coach, he went into officiating. He served as the head official for ten ACC Tournaments and five NCAA Division I title games.

The Bull City All-Star Game plans to return with a doubleheader at Koskinen Stadium on June 4, 2022.

The sport of lacrosse comprises our retro Orange Panther of the Week. These week, Ryan Merrill and Caleb Davis wanted to start their Memorial Day weekend with a joint interview on Friday evening. Merrill was honored for the week of February 21, while Davis was honored for the week of February 28. On February 24, Merrill scored six goals in Orange’s 10-6 victory over Cedar Ridge at Auman Stadium. The following night, Merrill had two goals and three assists in a 16-2 victory over Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium. Merrill led Orange with 40 goals and 61 points in 2021. On March 2, Davis tied his season-high with four goals and seven points as Orange defeated Carrboro 19-7. Two nights later, Davis had four goals and three assists as Orange defeated Vance Charter School 15-2 to wrap up the Conference 9 Championship. It was Orange’s first conference championship in lacrosse. Merrill and Davis were paired on the first unit for an Orange team that reached the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. They will graduate together next month. Merrill will attend Appalachian State. Davis will journey to UNC Wilmington. They both plan on playing club lacrosse and have left their mark on Orange lacrosse by being members of the most successful team in school history under head coach Chandler Zirkle.

On March 17, the Orange lacrosse team had its biggest win in program history. Just nine days after Northwood hammered the Panthers 17-6 in Pittsboro, Orange came back and defeated the Chargers 10-9 in the second round of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Seniors Ryan Merrill and Caleb Davis would score hat tricks for the Panthers. But underclassmen made major contributions. Sophomore Joe Cady had two goals and an assist. Freshman Connor Kruse would score the game-winning goal in the fourth period. Another sophomore, Jake Wimsatt, tied the game with a goal during a man-advantage in the fourth quarter. It was the first time ever that Orange advanced to the state quarterfinals in lacrosse. It also turned out to be the last week for a group of Orange seniors that excelled under head coach Chandler Zirkle. He’s a photo montage of that night with the play-by-play as heard on Hillsboroughsports.com. We thank Lynda Wileman for the photographs that bring this montage to life.

Photo by Lindsay Chamberlain

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle was named to the Region 10 All-Tournament team for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. The Region 10 Tournament was held at Springwood Park in Burlington on Friday and Saturday. Patrick Henry was eliminated on Friday. The Patriots captured the opening game as they edged Florence-Darlington Technical College. Hurdle completed a 5-run third inning for the Patriots with a three-run homer to right field, which put Patrick Henry in the lead for good. She finished 1-for-3. Later in the day, top-seeded Louisburg shut out Patrick Henry 5-0. Hurdle threw five innings agains the Hurricanes and struck out seven. Louisburg would go on to win the tournament championship. Florence-Darlington would eliminate Patrick Henry 2-1 to end the day on Friday. Hurdle completed her freshman season with a .328 batting average. She was tied for the team lead with ten home runs and ten doubles. Hurdle also had 31 RBIs, which was third on the squad. In 17 pitching appearances, Hurdle was 4-3 with a 4.51 ERA. Patrick Henry finished 22-20, 13-7 in Region 10.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team captured the Southern Conference Championship with a 9-4 victory over Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium on Sunday. On Thursday, the Spartans advanced to the semifinals as they subdued Mercer 3-2. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner in the 1st inning after designated player Kayleigh Wilis walked. On Sunday night, UNCG learned they would face #13 national seed Duke in the opening round of the Athens Regional on Friday at noon. The irony is that Tori, her father Danny and her younger brother Landon are all Duke fans. As for her mother Beth, rooting against Duke is second nature.

Mia Davidson: On the strength of winning eight consecutive Southeastern Conference games down the stretch of the season, Mississippi State earned a trip to the NCAA Softball Tournament on Sunday night. The Bulldogs will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma regional to face Boston University on Friday afternoon. Mississippi State is the #2 seed. Oklahoma State, the host and #5 national seed, will face Campbell in the opening round. On Thursday, #4 Florida eliminated Mississippi State 6-2 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Davidson went 0-for-1 with two walks. She scored off a home run from Jackie McKenna in the 2nd inning.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at third base against Florida. She finished 0-for-2. Mississippi State goes into the NCAA Tournament 33-23.

Bryse Wilson: Upon his return to the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East, Wilson had a no-decision in Sunday’s game against the Louisville Bats at Coolray Field. Wilson threw six innings and surrendered four runs off ten hits. He struck out three and walked none. Wilson had won seven consecutive starts for the Stripers, a franchise record.

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames baseball team took two-out-of-three games against Kennesaw State over the weekend. On Saturday, the Flames won 12-11. Riley threw two-thirds-of-an-inning and surrendered five runs off three hits. He struck out one and walked two. It was Liberty’s eighth straight win, but the Owls snapped the streak after a 7-4 win on Sunday. Liberty finished as the Atlantic Sun Regular Season champion. Starting Friday, Liberty will host Bellarmine in a best-of-three series at Worthington Field. The winner of the series will face either Kennesaw State or Lipscomb in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in another three-game series in Jacksonville, FL starting May 27.

Jaylin Jones: The most successful season in Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse history came to an end on Saturday. In the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, #4 Lynchburg defeated the Falcons 26-11 at Shellenberger Field. Jones, who was named to the All-USA South Conference first-team as a short-stick defensive midfielder, had two ground balls. Pfeiffer finished 12-2 after they reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history.

Kate Burgess: During the ACC Rowing Championships at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC on Saturday, former Orange women’s basketball center Kate Burgess helped UNC’s varsity four win the Petite Final. Burgess joined coxswain Isabelle McGimsey and rowers Gigi Maroney, Jackie Wilhelm and Jessica Judge to finish the 2,000 kilometer course at 7:58.10. They edged Miami and Boston College. UNC finished ninth in the team standings with 19 points.

Mia Davidson: The inevitable finally happened this weekend as Mia Davidson became the all-time home run hitter in Mississippi State history. On Saturday, Davidson blasted a solo homer against Georgia for her 68th career home run. She surpassed Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, softball or baseball. The accolade included a congratulatory video from Palmeiro:

Davidson is now tied in Southeastern Conference softball history with Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo for second place on the all-time home run list. The career leader is Florida’s Lauren Haeger with 71. Davidson went 1-for-3 on Saturday. On Friday, Mia finished 0-for-2, but scored a run after she walked in the fourth inning. She was driven home off a single from Jackie McKenna. On Sunday, Davidson went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs. She hit a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning to score Brylie St. Clair. In the first, Davidson had an RBI single.

Montana Davidson: Mississippi State concluded the regular season by sweeping the weekend series from Georgia. On Friday, Montana went 1-for-3 when she reached on a bunt single and stole a base in the third inning. It was her fourth stolen base of the season as Mississippi State won 4-2. On Saturday, Montana drew a bases-loaded walk in the 2nd inning. In the fourth inning, she scored off a fielder’s choice. In Sunday’s 4-3 win, Montana went 1-for-3. Mississippi State finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, which matches the 1999 team for the second-longest SEC winning streak in school history. The Bulldogs are 32-22, 8-15 in the SEC. They will open the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team has claimed the Southern Conference regular season championship. On Sunday, the Spartans completed a three-game sweep of Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium and will host the Southern Conference Tournament this week. UNCG will start play against Mercer on Thursday.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team completed its first full season in the opening round of the Region X Tournament on Saturday. Top-seeded Louisburg swept a best-of-three series from the Red Hawks at Sheila Cotton Field in Louisburg. The Hurricanes won game one 24-5 in five innings and the final game 8-7. Andrews went a combined 0-for-5. It was the first time all year that Andrews went hitless in consecutive games and ended a seven-game hitting streak. In her freshman year at Catawba Valley, Andrews led the team with 41 RBIs and 53 hits. She finished with a .442 batting average (2nd on the team), with eight home runs (also 2nd on the team). Catawba Valley ends the season 23-13 overall, 12-8 in the Region X West Division.

Marvin Jones: Jones earned the gold medal in the high jump during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro on Saturday. Jones, a senior who lettered at Cedar Ridge, leaped 2.09 meters for his first collegiate gold medal. It was his second career MEAC medal. He claimed a bronze in the 2020 MEAC Indoor Track c& Field Championships.

Jaylin Jones: For the first time in school history, the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team is going to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Falcons defeated Piedmont 17-13 to win the USA South Conference Tournament at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Sunday. Jones, who was named All-Conference as a defensive midfielder last week, had one ground ball for the Falcons. Pfeiffer will face Lynchburg College in Shellenberger Field for the opening round of the Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Bryse Wilson: After being optioned by the Atlanta Braves last week, Wilson made his first start for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Thursday night. Wilson threw five scoreless innings to earn the victory as Gwinnett defeated the Charlotte Knights 4-0 at Truist Field. He became the first pitcher in Gwinnett history to win seven consecutive starts. Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson is 7-0 with a 0.80 ERA for Gwinnett. Against the Knights, Wilson scattered four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in his first Triple-A start of the season.

Cooper Porter: The Pensacola State baseball team had its season come to an end in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 Tournament. The Pirates lost to Santa Fe College 10-0 on Friday night in Lakeland, FL. In the opening game last Wednesday, Pensacola State edged Seminole State College of Florida 4-3 in ten innings. Porter entered the game as a pinch hitter. In 18 games this season, Porter hit .256 with one home run and six RBIs. He also pitched in three games. In one-and-two-thirds innings, Porter gave up two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Jaylin Jones: Jones was named to the Division III USA South Athletic Conference first-team as a short-stick defensive midfielder over the weekend. Jones, who played lacrosse and football at Orange, also was named to the USA South All-East Division first-team. On Saturday, Pfeiffer captured the USA South East Division championship with a 13-11 win over Greensboro College at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. It was Pfeiffer’s tenth consecutive victory, a school record. Jones had two ground balls and created two turnovers. Next weekend, Pfeiffer will face Piedmont College for the USA South Conference championship at Lefko Field. The winner advances to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Montana Davidson: On Friday, the former Orange High shortstop hit two home runs for the Mississippi State softball team in an 8-7 loss to South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, S.C. In the second inning, Montana drilled a two-run homer to centerfield. In the fourth, Davidson hit a solo blast to left field. Montana finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Mississippi State bounced back with wins on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. On Saturday, Montana had an RBI off a fielder’s choice to wrap up a 6-run 1st inning as the Bulldogs won 6-2. Davidson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double as Mississippi State won 7-1. For the weekend, Montana hit .400 with a team-high 6 RBIs.

Mia Davidson: Mia tied a Mississippi State record with her 67th career home run in Sunday’s win over the Gamecocks. Davidson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, baseball or softball. Mia is now in 3rd place in Southeastern Conference softball history for career home runs behind Florida’s Lauren Haeger (71) and Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo (69). Davidson also drew a walk with the bases loaded against the Gamecocks in the sixth inning. On Saturday, Mia drove in the Bulldogs’ opening run with another bases loaded walk. She finished 1-for-3. On Friday, she went 0-for-3. Mississippi State is now 27-22, 3-15 in the SEC.

Tori Dalehite: On Saturday, Mercer defeated UNC Greensboro softball 2-1 in the opening game of a doubleheader at Sikes Field in Macon, GA. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner. The Spartans rebounded to win the final two games of the series and are now 28-15 overall, 11-4 in the Southern Conference.

Jaden Hurdle: On the weekend she celebrated her 19th birthday, Hurdle had several strong performances for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. On Sunday, Patrick Henry swept a doubleheader from Surry Community College in Martinsville, VA. In the opening 4-3 win, Hurdle earned the save as she threw the final two-thirds of an inning. She surrendered one hit. At the plate, Hurdle went 0-for-3. The Patriots won the nightcap 4-0. Hurdle hit her ninth home run of the season. She also had an RBI double and finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. On Friday, Florence-Darlington Technical College swept a doubleheader from Patrick Henry by identical 5-2 scores. In the opener, Hurdle went 1-for-3 with a double. Patrick Henry finished the regular season 19-17 overall, 13-7 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Patriots finished 3rd in the Region X West Division, only one game behind first-place Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. In 34 games, Hurdle hit .356 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. On May 14, Patrick Henry will be in the Region 10 Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory on Saturday. Catawba Valley took the opener 9-2. Andrews, starting a shortstop, went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the first inning. Andrews later scored off a double by Lillie Pennington. CCTI took the second game 14-7. Andrews went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the 3rd inning. Catawba Valley finished the regular season 23-11, 12- 8 in Region X. Andrews played in all of the Red Hawks’ games and was second on the team with a .461 batting average (10th in Region X). She led the team with 53 hits (4th in Region X) and 41 RBIs (tied for 4th in Region X). Andrews also scored 35 runs (3rd on the team), hit eleven doubles (2nd on the team), and eight home runs (2nd). She goes into the Region X Tournament on a 7-game hitting streak.

Landon Riley: Riley earned his second win of the season for the Liberty baseball team in a 9-8 victory over Bellarmine on Sunday. In one-third of an inning, Riley surrendered three runs off three hits. It was only the second game this year where Riley surrendered a run. The Flames earned the walkoff win in the bottom of the ninth inning when Logan Mathieu hit a two-run homer. The Flames are now 30-11, 14-1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was optioned by the Atlanta Braves to the team’s alternate training site after he started Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. In three innings, Wilson surrendered seven runs off four hits with two walks and one strikeout. The Cubs won 9-3 and Wilson fell to 1-2 on the year.

Natalie Chandler: The #2 UNC women’s soccer team has started play in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels defeated Denver 2-0 in Matthews on Friday. Chandler, who was the captain of the Orange women’s soccer team in her junior and senior seasons, is a senior for the Tar Heels. UNC will face Washington at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Wednesday.