Lady Braves Recognized

Black and Gold women soccer forwards Britney Joiner and Anna Svensson were honored by the Peach Belt Conference Nov.6 as both players were named to the all-PBC second team.

Joiner, the 2008 Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, played 17 games for the Lady Braves in 2009.  The sophomore finished the season with 24 points on 11 goals and two assists whole taking 61 shots for the Black and Gold.

The Jacksonville, N.C., native was also one of two UNCP players to register a hat trick in 2009, posting three goals in a Sept. 9 matchup against the St. Andrews Knights.

Joiner is currently fifth in the conference in shots take and goals and is tied for sixth overall in total points.

Svensson joined Joiner on the all-conference second team after leading the Lady Braves in points in 2009.

The freshman tallied 29 points on a team-high 13 goals.  Svensson also had three assists this season.  The offensive dynamo took 82 shots this season and was second in the conference in points.

The Norrkiping, Sweden native was tied for third in the conference in points-per-game and total goals and was second in the PBC with five game winning goals.

Sevensson was named the PBC Player of the Week twice in 2009.

Armstrong Atlantic’s Kristin Burton was named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and North Georgia’s Chris Adam earned conference Coach of the Year honors.

Pullin Named to All-PBC Team

UNCP sophomore Andy Pullin was named to the 2009 All-Peach Belt Conference men’s soccer team Nov. 6, joining 21 other conference players on the distinguished list.

Pullin registered 33 points on 13 goals and seven assists this season.  Pullin’s 13 goals was the Black and Gold’s highest total since 2004, when former UNCP standout, Trond Myrland, hit the 13 goal mark.

The Guatemalan native was one of 12 members on the conference’s first team honor list.  With Pullin’s selection, the Braves have now ha a student-athlete on the men’s soccer all-conference team for nine straight years.

Pullin finished second in the conference in points, total shots, points-per-game and goals.  Pullin was also tied for third in the conference in assists.

Lander’s Adam Arthur and Clayton State’s Kyle Timm earned PBC Co-Player of the Year honors, while Flagler’s John Lynch earned Coach of the Year laurels.

Two Braves Honored by Peach Belt

UNCP sophomore Andy Pullin was named to the 2009 All-Peach Belt Conference men’s soccer team Nov. 6, joining 21 other conference players on the distinguished list.

Pullin registered 33 points on 13 goals and seven assists this season.  Pullin’s 13 goals was the Black and Gold’s highest total since 2004, when former UNCP standout, Trond Myrland, hit the 13 goal mark.

The Guatemalan native was one of 12 members on the conference’s first team honor list. 

With Pullin’s selection, the Braves have now have a student-athlete on the men’s soccer all-conference team for nine straight years.

Pullin finished second in the conference in points, total shots, points-per-game and goals.  Pullin was also tied for third in the conference in assists.

Lander’s Adam Arthur and Clayton State’s Kyle Timm earned PBC Co-Player of the Year honors, while Flagler’s John Lynch earned Coach of the Year laurels.

Along with Pullin, Black and Gold senior libero Andrea Laza was honored by the Peach Belt Conference Nov. 9 for her efforts with the UNCP volleyball team.

Laza broke the conference record for career digs Nov. 6 against Flagler.  Laza recorded six digs against the Saints to set the record, with her career total now standing at 2,261 digs through four seasons.

Laza is currently sixth in the conference with 407 digs in 2009.

The senior is averaging 3.8 digs-per-set this season.

In their final game of the 2009 season, Laza had  12 digs in the Black and Gold’s 3-0 loss to Flager Nov. 13 in the Braves’ first round matchup in the Peach Belt Conference tournament.  The UNCP volleyball team finished with an 11-20 record.

Gold Takes Fall World Series with 4-3 Victory

UNCP freshman Travis Walters looks for the pitch as he tries to steal second base The Braves’ Black Team fell 3-4 in the World Series event.

The UNCP baseball team ended a successful fall practice campaign Nov. 6, with the conclusion of their 2009 Fall World Series.

The Gold team took home the seven-game intra-squad World Series with an 8-1 win in the series’ final game.

The Gold team rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to take the last three games of the series and take the win over the Black team.

In game one, the Black team used a 4-run fourth inning to overtake the Gold squad 6-2.

Lady Braves Recognized for Work in Conference

Black and Gold women soccer forwards Britney Joiner and Anna Svensson were honored by the Peach Belt Conference Nov.6 as both players were named to the all-PBC second team.

Joiner, the 2008 Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, played 17 games for the Lady Braves in 2009. 

 Sophomore stars
The sophomore finished the season with 24 points on 11 goals and two assists whole taking 61 shots for the Black and Gold.

The Jacksonville, N.C., native was also one of two UNCP players to register a hat trick in 2009, posting three goals in a Sept. 9 matchup against the St. Andrews Knights.

Braves Fall to Cyclones in Preseason Exhibition

UNCP sophomore gaurd Marcus Heath dribbles through the Francis Marion defense in their game against the Patriots last season. The Black and Gold opened their 2009-2010 campaign against the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 6.

The UNCP men’s basketball team opened their 2009-2010 season Nov. 6 in Ames, Iowa, falling 106-54 to Iowa State in the team’s first exhibition game of the season.

The Braves shot almost 43 percent from the floor in the second half, but the Cyclones’ defense proved too much for the team in the first half, allowing the Black and Gold to shoot just 19 percent before halftime.

Iowa State wasted little time blowing the game open, as they went on a 20-3 run in the game’s first seven minutes.

The Cyclones used an array of jump shots and layups to open the lead, and held the Braves scoreless for over four minutes until Black and Gold freshman Shahmel Brackett nailed a jumper to cut into the Cyclone’s 17 point margin.

The Cyclones would go on another long run in the middle of the first half, outscoring the Braves 14-1 to take a 36-6 lead with 6:38 left in the period.

Black and Gold Spotlight:Illya Hunt

What do expect from the team as the 2009 season starts up?

Our team is going to do great things this year. I am really excited about what we have been able to do so far in practice and our first scrimmage and what I believe we will do in our conference games to come. We have a lot of great talent on our team and I can’t wait for everyone to come out and support us.

Describe your experience as a student-athlete at UNCP.

My experience so far as a UNCP student-athlete has been great. The professors really help out a lot as far as schedules and such. The faculty here at UNCP are really supportive of athletes and I really appreciate it.

What is your most exciting basketball moment in your career?

The most exciting basketball moment in my career was when my high school won regionals and we went to the state tournament. We were so excited because it had never been done before by our women’s basketball team.

Talk a bit about what the team does before a big game.

Before a big game, we usually run through the scouting report for the other team and “dummy” some offense that they may do against us. We work on how we will defend them. Also, in the locker room, we listen to some upbeat music to make us HYPE before the game.

Women’s Basketball Looks for Improvement in 2009 Season

In the 2008-2009 season, the Lady Braves basketball team finished four game under .500 on the year and 3-9 away from the confines of the English E. Jones Center.

But what the Black and Gold bring back to the 2009-2010 season is experience, and lots of it.

The Lady Braves will bring back 10 upperclassmen this season, with potential starts JaToya Kemp, Illya Hunt, Marquena Delk and Talen Faison bringing back a combined 75 games played from last year.

With the combination of upperclassmen and incoming freshmen, UNCP women’s basketball head coach Jim Haskins likes what he sees in the team’s early practices.

“We have a lot of experience on the perimeter,” Haskins said.  “We have a lot of our perimeter [players] back.  They’re showing good leadership.  We’ve got some new, big time players that are kind of learning the ropes and finding out what they’re trying to do.”

Those returning players helped to lead the team last year to 12 wins, with an average out put of 62.5 points a game in 2009.