MONTGOMERY – The October success of Alabama State University’s fall sports programs is arguably the best ever in the history of the program.
All five teams competing in their championship seasons achieved significant victories and milestones.
Cross Country: Three-Peat! The Lady Hornets won their third straight SWAC cross country championship. The program nearly pulled off the sweep, as the men’s team finished second.
“Anytime you can win three championships in a row, it’s special,” said head coach Ritchie Beene of his women’s team, which will compete in the NCAA Regional in November. “As the saying goes, the third time is the charm, and the charm came because we had six runners finish in the top 10, which in my career has never happened before. We’re going to enjoy this moment and then prepare to move on to the next phase of the season.”
Women’s Soccer: The Lady Hornets went a perfect 8-0 in the month, went undefeated in conference play, and won the SWAC’s Eastern Division title for the first time in the programs’ history.
“It’s a huge step for our program,” head soccer coach Jodie Smith said as soccer posted its first-ever winning season and set a program record with 12 victories. “It shows that we paid attention to detail we kept focus and kept working. It’s a testament to the team as a whole and how much they wanted it.
Soccer is currently on a program-record nine-match winning streak, and will be the #1 seed in the East in next month’s SWAC Tournament.
“We started with building blocks and that was a goal we set as a team,” Smith said of winning the division. “We felt that it was attainable and after setting the tone last season. I think it shows where we are as a program and we hope this is the first of many.”
Volleyball: Alabama State posted a 9-2 mark as part of what was a program-record setting 11-match win streak. The Lady Hornets are in sole possession of first place in the SWAC’s Eastern Division.
“I was very pleased,” said head volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White of her Lady Hornets, who have 16 wins this season and are undefeated in conference play. “The thing that pleases me the most is that they’re so resilient. They never give up. I don’t care who we’ve played, I’ve never seen my team lay down to anybody all year. They have fought hard every day, every match, every minute. They have that mindset and I think that is special.”
Football: The Hornets went 3-0 to push its current winning streak to six games. In second place by one game in the SWAC’s Eastern Division, Alabama State’s win in the State Farm Magic City Classic gave the Hornets back-to-back wins over Alabama A&M for the first time since 1997-98.
“It makes you feel good,” head football coach Reggie Barlow said of his Hornets who are 6-2 overall, 6-1 in SWAC. “My approach is always ‘one snap and clear,’ so it’s all about the next game. You say ‘how do you go the whole month without losing,’? The first thing you have to do is win the first one, and then continue to put them together. It makes you proud to know the guys are buying into the plan, they’re buying into coaching, and they understand and are committed to each other and our staff. It’s a good thing for us.”
The combined finishes of the cross country programs in the conference championship has Alabama State tied for first place in the SWAC’s Commissioner’s Cup standings for best overall sports program in the conference.
The numbers and championships tell the story:
· 1 Conference Championship – Women’s Cross Country
· 1 Division Championship – Women’s Soccer
· 1 runner-up finish – Men’s Cross Country
· 1 team in first place – Volleyball
· 1 team in second place – Football
October 2013 will be one to remember for ASU Athletics, which won the SWAC women’s all-sports trophy last season as part of a third consecutive second-place finish in the commissioner’s cup standings. With these and 13 other programs slated to be in contention for league titles over the next seven months, more history could be a flip of the calendar away.
