1. Akron Golf Heads To Indianapolis For Mac

The SEC is not alone when it comes to, although at least the conference involved in this one will admit the errors of their officiating ways — even as it does the player involved absolutely no good. In the third quarter of Thursday night’s Northern Illinois-Akron game, Huskies defensive lineman Quintin Wynne was penalized for targeting on a hit to Zips quarterback Kato Nelson.

A review of the play by the officiating crew upheld the original targeting call. Not only was Wynne ejected for the remainder of that game, but, per rule, he will also be suspended for the first half of the Week 11 game against Toledo. Friday night, the MAC announced that, after further review of the play, Bill Carollo, Coordinator of Football Officials for the Collegiate Officiating Consortium, determined that the officiating crew had erred on the targeting call and Wynne should not have been ejected. Below is a statement from the conference attributed to Carollo: After a thorough review and evaluation of the entire Northern Illinois at Akron contest, this specific targeting call on Northern Illinois’ defensive lineman Quintin Wynne was incorrect. This has been reviewed internally and addressed with the entire officiating crew. “The game official’s primary responsibility is player safety and we will always try to err on the side of safety especially when potential targeting fouls are involved.

In this particular.case the targeting foul did not rise to the high standard we expect from our game officials and replay crew. A targeting indicator was not present on the play and replay should have reversed the call on the field. Despite the conference acknowledging the error, Wynne will still be suspended for the first half of next Wednesday’s game. On the season, Wynne has been credited with 21 tackles, five tackles for loss and two (legal) quarterback hits. A disturbing social-media development over the weekend has garnered the attention of the authorities. In the hours after on Saturday, one FSU “fan” thought it appropriate to post a racist meme depicting first-year Seminoles head coach Willie Taggart being lynched. When given the opportunity to backtrack, the account registered to a Tom Shand instead doubled down.

“I’m dead expletive serious. This is how far I’m willing to go to get rid of this clown!!!” The university in a statement, describing it as ignorant and despicable. The posting could soon be described as criminal as well, with the Florida state’s attorney confirming that, in conjunction with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the university’s police department, an investigation into the posting is active and ongoing. From the: The authorities’ investigation could probe whether the post and comment represent a threat of violence against Taggart. “There’s an active criminal investigation,” state’s attorney Jack Campbell said. “Certainly that is involved.

I’m not going to further narrow what we are and are not looking at or try to get it down to one issue. The “man” responsible for the post has already been fired from his job, his now-former employer, Hilton Grand Vacations, confirmed in a statement Monday. Our concern regarding this situation has been a top priority. The person responsible for posting this information has been terminated. His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and the furthest example from being a reflection of our company’s values. Taggart, the first black head football coach in FSU history, finished his first season in Tallahassee at 5-7. The Seminoles won’t be going bowling for the first time since 1981.

It remains to be seen if Justin Herbert has played his last down for Oregon. If he has, though, it shouldn’t be because of injury. Late in the first half of Saturday’s Civil War win over rival Oregon State, Herbert went down with an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder and did not return.

While there has been no official word from the football program, The Oregonian, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, reports that the quarterback did not sustain serious damage to the shoulder and it’s merely bruised. As for the future, the newspaper goes on to write that the injury “is not expected to have any lasting implications on Herbert or impact on Oregon’s bowl game.” While no final decision has been made, it’s believed that Herbert is leaning toward returning to the Ducks for another season. Should he decide to leave Eugene early, he would likely be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2019 NFL draft. It’s unclear at the moment whether Herbert, because of the shoulder issue and regardless of how minor it is, would join the growing trend of top players sidelining themselves from bowl games in order to protect their draft stock. Herbert is currently fifth in the Pac-12 and 32nd national with a 147.7 pass efficiency rating. The true junior has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards (2,985) this season, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is better than 3-1 (28-8).

There’s at least a sliver of positive news coming out of a horrific situation that developed in Week 13. In the second quarter of Friday evening, McKenzie Milton went down with a to his right leg. Medical personnel immobilized the quarterback’s entire leg before he was taken to a local hospital for further treatment of an injury that his head coach, Josh Heupel, deemed “traumatic.” It was subsequently confirmed that Milton to repair unspecified damage in his knee as well as what was described as “other internal issues.” Saturday afternoon, McKenzie’s family in which they described the surgery as being successful but provided no details on the specific nature of the injury. In an interview with ‘s Andrea Adelson Monday, teammate Jordan Johnson revealed he FaceTimed with Milton recently and that the quarterback stated he was able to take steps for the first time since the surgery was performed Friday night and on into Saturday morning.

It’s unclear if Milton was able to walk on his own or did so with assistance, although the latter is more likely. “I called him to see how he was doing, and he was letting us know that he’s there for us,” Johnson told Adelson. “He wants to see us succeed, so we’re out there playing for McKenzie.

We want to go out there and win for him. It was all good vibes. I told him it was good to see him smiling. He said that he got to walk the other day, and he never appreciated walking as much.” Milton remains hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital. In the family’s statement, they said that “McKenzie looks forward to rejoining his teammates in Orlando and supporting them in their quest to bring another conference championship to our program.” UCF will host Memphis this Saturday in the AAC championship game; it’s unclear if Milton will be released from the hospital in time to support his Knights teammates in person. For those who say you can’t go home again, Mack Brown is the latest to disprove that theory.

Seemingly out of the Tar Heel blue, reports surfaced over the weekend and on into Monday that Mack Brown was in as North Carolina’s head football coach. Tuesday morning, UNC confirmed that the 67-year-old Brown has indeed returned to lead the Tar Heel football program. Brown was the head coach at UNC from 1988-97, leading the Tar Heels to three 10-win seasons, six consecutive bowl games and two top-10 Associated Press finishes. After going 69-46-1 in his 10 seasons, Brown left to take over at Texas following the 1997 regular season. At Texas from 1998-2013, Brown, who spent the past several years as a college football analyst at ESPN, guided the Longhorns to six division titles, two Big 12 championships and, of course, the 2005 national championship. Brown in December of 2013.

“Mack Brown has a proven record of building great teams, and he doesn’t just develop football players – he also develops people of strong character,” said athletic director Bubba Cunningham in a statement. “He knows how to win championships, and he expects his student-athletes to win in the classroom and community, as well. We are excited about his plans for our football program, and I am thrilled to welcome Coach Brown and wife Sally back to Chapel Hill.” “Sally and I love North Carolina, we love this University and we are thrilled to be back,’’ Brown said in his statement. “The best part of coaching is the players – building relationships, building confidence, and ultimately seeing them build success on and off the field. We can’t wait to meet our current student-athletes and reconnect with friends, alumni and fellow Tar Heel coaches. We thank UNC’s Board of Trustees, Chancellor Folt and Bubba Cunningham for supporting our return to the Carolina family.” Brown, who will be formally introduced at a noon press conference Tuesday, replaces Larry Fedora, who was after seven seasons with the football program.

With a lineup that featured two juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen, Cleveland State was the last team standing at the Horizon League Championship to claim the first title in program history. After an opening round 319 put CSU in fourth place, the Vikings carded a tournament-low round of 302 during the second round to vault into first place by one shot after 36 holes. Four teams – CSU, Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State and Oakland – were within four shots of the lead heading into the final 18 holes and traded the top spot of the leaderboard throughout the day. Ellie Cronin and Emily Turski both shot 77 on the final day and Kaylee Neumeister’s dramatic eagle on the par-five, 18th hole solidified CSU’s lead. And when Rayna Oosterhuis came in with birdies on three of her final seven holes, it allowed the Vikings to clinch the League title by three shots over YSU.

Oosterhuis put together a strong three days with rounds of 74-74-75 (223) to finish as the individual runner-up and earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Her first two rounds of 74 were career-low rounds as she posted her best finish at CSU. Neumeister, who was named to the All-Horizon League first team, was sixth overall at the League tournament, while Cronin tied for 11th place. Turski, who shot an opening round 91, rebounded with a career-low round of 75 and 77 over the final two rounds to tie for 20th place. Junior Sophie Kelner, who was voted to the all-league second team, tied for 27th place. The Vikings were selected to compete in the NCAA Columbus Regional after capturing the Horizon League’s automatic bid. CSU finished the 2016-17 season with a single season school record scoring average of 317.2, breaking the old mark by three shots.

In addition, the Vikings won two events this year and had the second lowest round in school history with a 301 in the final round of the EKU Colonel Classic. Cleveland State’s reign over the Horizon League continued in 2017 as the Vikings won their fourth straight League title and eighth in the last 12 seasons to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals. The Vikings led the League tournament from start to finish, carding rounds of 294-302-291 to earn a seven shot victory over runner-up Oakland. Sophomore Anton Krecic claimed medalist honors at the League tournament to lead the Vikings, defeating Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Wenzler of Wright State in a playoff. Krecic shot rounds of 71-75-69 (215) and won the playoff on the second hole.

He became the seventh player in program history to win the individual title at the League championship. Senior Patrick Luth finished sixth overall at the League tournament with rounds of 73-76-72 (221) and became the first player in program history to play in the NCAA regionals four times. Luth’s scoring average of 72.7 this year was the second lowest for a season in program history, while his career average of 75.1 is sixth best in CSU history. Junior Joey Krecic tied for 10th place at the League championship, while junior Blake Prince was 13th and sophomore Nick Infanti tied for 21st. CSU was selected to compete in the NCAA West Lafayette Regional, finishing 13th at the Kampen Course. The Cleveland State volleyball team continued its dominance of the Horizon League by winning its second straight tournament title in November.

After going 14-2 in the League and claiming the top seed in the League tournament, the Vikings earned five set wins over Oakland and Green Bay to capture the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Junior Alexis Middlebrooks was named the tournament MVP for the second straight season after posting 35 kills and six blocks, while hitting.353 in the two tournament wins.

She had 20 kills in the championship match vs. Juniors Gina Kilner and Shannon Grega joined Middlebrooks on the all-tournament team.

Kilner led the Vikings to a.224 hitting percentage, dishing out 101 assists with 16 digs in the two matches, while Grega posted 17 digs in both the semifinal and championship matches. Senior Grace Kauth led the Vikings throughout the regular season en route to earning Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Middlebrooks and Kilner joined Kauth on the all-league first team, while Aaliyah Slappy was an honorable mention all-league. Sara Skeens was tabbed the Horizon League Co-Freshman of the Year. Chuck Voss was voted the Co-Coach of the Year. CSU fell to Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, the fourth time that the Vikings have earned an NCAA berth. The 2016 season marked the second straight year that the Vikings claimed the Horizon League regular season and tournament crowns.

Over the last two years, CSU has combined to go 51-13 overall and 27-5 in Horizon League matches. Philipp Sikatzki, the most-decorated swimmer in program history, concluded his brilliant career with his second straight trip to the NCAA Championships where he competed in three events. Competing at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Sikatzki finished 42nd in the 50 free with a career-best time of 19.85, 20th in the 100 fly in 45.99 and 35th in the 100 free with a time of 43.52. He was the only athlete to finish among the top 40 in the 100 fly that did not hail from a school in a Power Five conference. Sikatzki was the Horizon League Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year and Men’s Swimmer of the Meet at the League Championship.

He became the first individual in League history to earn Men’s Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Over the course of his three-year career at CSU, Sikatzki won eight individual titles at the Horizon League Championships.

The first athlete in program history to earn first team All-America honors (2016), Sikatzki leaves CSU as the owner of school records in five individual events. Along with his teammates, he also holds school records in four different relay disciplines. In addition, Sikatzki was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team for his 3.93 cumulative grade point average as a health sciences/pre-med major with a double minor in biology and chemistry.

Junior Nick Corba finished second at 184 pounds at the EWL Championships and earned one of five at-large bids in the weight class to the NCAA Championships. At nationals, Corba dropped his first match, but showed tremendous resolve in winning each of his next two matches, claiming a major decision and a pin to advance to the second day of competition.

Corba’s first win at the NCAA Championships was a 13-2 major decision over Villie Heino of Campbell who was ranked among the top-15 by various outlets entering the championships. In his second consolation match of the day – and his third match on day one – Corba earned a victory over fellow EWL competitor Michale Fagg-Daves of Rider with a fall in 1:38. It was the first fall by a Viking grappler at the NCAA Championships since 2005.

Corba’s run at the NCAA Championships came to an end against ninth-seeded Nathan Jackson of Indiana on day two, just two wins shy of earning All-American status. Corba became the first Vikings to post two bonus-point wins at an NCAA Championship since 1995.

Corba finished the season with a career-high 25 wins, including 15 bonus-point victories. The men’s lacrosse team hosted Michigan for the inaugural game in program history on Feb. 4 in the Krenzler Dome in front of a sold out crowd. The Vikings began their existence as the 71st Division I program in the country by scoring the opening goal of the game off the stick of midfielder Nick Wendel just 3:23 into the contest, giving CSU a 1-0 lead.

CSU would fall to Michigan, 13-8, and would go on to play five ranked teams over the course of the season, including top-ranked Denver (Feb. 25) and Penn State (March 25). The Vikings finished the inaugural season with four wins, including a 13-6 win over Detroit Mercy at Krenzler Field in the season finale, marking the first win over a Division I team for the program. For the second straight season, the Cleveland State women’s tennis team clinched a share of the 2017 Horizon League regular season title, posting an 8-1 mark in League play. It marked the third time out of the last four years that the Vikings captured at least a share of the regular season crows (2014, 2016, 2017). Seniors Victoria Bensimon and Princess Gbadamosi, junior Aleksandra Golawska and freshman Blanche Lenoan all went 7-2 in League play this year to lead the squad to the regular season title. Bensimon and Isabella Spindler were both named to the All-Horizon League second team for their efforts.

Bensimon went 20-15 this year and finished her career with a 28-4 record in Horizon League regular season singles matches. Spindler, CSU’s No. 1 player for a majority of the year, earned a spot on the all-league second team for the second straight season.

Competing at the Horizon League Track and Field Championship for the first time in program history, the Vikings best finish at the championship came from sophomore Alexandria Derkacs who finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.43. The personal best time allowed Derkacs to earn second team All-Horizon League honors and bettered her time in the prelims by two seconds.

Derkacs, who transferred to CSU from Notre Dame College, was competing in her first season at the Division I level and was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. Junior cross country runner Karen Barrientos earned first team All-Horizon League honors with a fifth place finish at the Horizon League Championship on Oct. 29 in Milwaukee. Barrientos finished the 6K race with a time of 22:10, becoming the first runner to earn first team all-league honors under head coach Joe Jaketic.

Akron Golf Heads To Indianapolis For Mac

Her fifth place finish was also the best finish by a Viking under Jaketic. Her time of 22:10 was the fastest 6K time in program history. Barrientos was CSU's top finisher in all eight races in 2016 and posted five top-10 finishes (LHU Invitational-1st, Friendship Invitational-5th, Horizon League Championship-5th, Storm Invitational-6th, Jenna Strong Fall Classic-6th) during her first season at CSU. The Cleveland State men's tennis team earned the sixth and final seed in the Horizon League tournament, but that didn't stop the Vikings from making a spirited run to the championship match before falling in a thrilling final. CSU was the first six seed in Horizon League history to make an appearance in the championship match.

The Vikings opened the tournament with a 4-3 win over Green Bay – a team that swept the Vikings in the regular season finale less than one week earlier – as Benjamin Slade clinched the win with a win at No. The following day, CSU upset second-seeded Detroit Mercy, 4-1, to advance to the League championship match for the eighth time in program history. Facing top-seeded and heavily favored Valparaiso, the Vikings were in a 3-0 hole before singles wins by Kevin Goth (No. 6), Mirko Radosevic (No. 4) and Slade (No. 3) evened the contest at 3-3.

The deciding point came down to No. 5 singles then, with William Malm battling back for a 7-6 (2) tiebreak victory in the second set after dropping the opening frame 6-2.

The third and deciding set also went to a tiebreaker, with Malm fighting back from a 5-2 deficit, but coming up just short in a 7-6 (4) tiebreak score.