UNCP Athletics: 2015-16 Annual Report (PDF)

Men's Cross Country Team Brings Home Peach Belt Conference Title
The men's cross country team turned in a dominant performance in late October to bring home the program's first Peach Belt Conference Championship. All five runners finished inside the top 15 to earn all-conference recognition and give the Black & Gold a commanding 15-point lead in the final team standings. The result marked the first cross country title for UNCP in the 25-year history of the PBC, but marked the sixth PBC team title in the history of the department. Women's golf won the league's top spot in both 2011 and 2014, while baseball (2011), men's golf (2012) and softball (2008) have also captured PBC crowns.

Blaze Shade Turns In Memorable Season On The Wrestling Mat
His reputation for success in the competitive arena was already well-documented, but junior Blaze Shade added to his already-impressive resume with a season to remember in 2015-16. The redshirt junior from Erial, N.J., wrapped up his third collegiate campaign with a 42-5 record, but was a one-man wrecking crew at the NCAA Division II National Championships when he single-handedly gave the Braves a top 25 finish by virtue of a runner-up showing in the 174-pound tournament. While eventually being named the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Wrestler of the Year, Shade made five trips to the podium, including a tournament title at the 35th Annual Pembroke Classic in November.

Braves Continue To Excel In Academic Arena
Four teams – golf (3.505), women's soccer (3.393), softball (3.158) and women's basketball (3.022) – registered grade point averages of 3.0 or better during the 2015-16 athletic season, while all 16 of UNCP's athletic teams combined to post a 2.724 GPA and bettered the general student body (2.656) by 0.068. The Black & Gold had 100 or more student-athletes recognized as Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll members for the seventh-straight year, this time sending 135 to the distinguished list. The Braves have now sent a PBC-leading 982 student-athletes to PBC Presidential Honor Roll recognition over the last seven years. In addition, 45 student-athletes were lauded with the 2016 D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award which recognizes individuals with a 3.5 GPA or better.

UNCP Posts Notable Finishes In Directors', Commissioners Cup
Thanks to national finishes by the cross country, wresting and track & field squads, UNCP tallied 92 total points and posted the department's sixth-highest finish all-time in the NCAA Division II Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Braves have now appeared in the final standings for 10-straight years. On the shoulders of the Peach Belt Conference champion men's cross country team, the Black & Gold sported an eighth place finish in the final standings for the PBC Commissioner's Cup – the fifth-highest finish for UNCP in the last 20 years. Five of UNCP's 12 PBC-sponsored teams finished fifth or better in their respective sport, including a top finish by the men's cross country team and a third place tally by their female counterparts.

Leadership Academy Launched With Rave Reviews
With the goal of developing its student-athletes into world-class leaders both on and off the playing fields, the department launched its leadership academy as an official kickoff to the 2015-16 athletic season in August. Designed for a select group of high potential sophomore and junior student-athletes, the Leadership Academy program provides prospective leaders with the insights, strategies and skills necessary to become effective leaders on their team, on campus and in the community. Through ongoing workshops, interactive exercises, action learning experiences and readings, the year-long program provides a strong foundation for student-athletes to develop into effective team leaders. The emphasis of the program at this level is creating effective leaders by example while setting the stage for vocal leadership.

UNCP, Pembroke Elementary Collaborate To Initiate Braves Buddies Program
UNC Pembroke partnered with Pembroke Elementary School to launch Braves Buddies – a program designed to encourage and inspire reading at a young age, as well as to facilitate mentorship opportunities for the second grade students with UNCP's more than 400 student-athletes. The year-long program, which just wrapped up its inaugural season, was organized by Pembroke Elementary School Principal Tona Jacobs, as well as athletics department officials at UNCP. Members of all 16 of UNCP's varsity athletic teams take part in the program which also promotes mentorship opportunities among the student-athletes and coaches. In addition to reading students short stories and books, student-athletes and coaches offer a period of each weekly visit for the second graders to ask questions pertaining to life as a collegiate student-athlete.

Wrestling Finds A Conference Home
After competing as an NCAA Division II Independent for 23 seasons, the wrestling team found a conference to call its own in mid-September when Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) President and CEO Dr. Kevin T. McGinniss announced the formation of the ECAC Division II Wrestling League. The ECAC DII Wrestling League is comprised of UNC Pembroke, Newberry, Limestone, Emmanuel, Belmont Abbey, King and Coker and ventured through its inaugural season in 2015-16. The Black & Gold registered a 4-2 mark in six dual matchups against league foes, including a rousing 43-6 home victory over Belmont Abbey that kicked off the league schedule.

Student-Athletes Honored At Inaugural Graduation Breakfast
The UNC Pembroke athletics department celebrated its 43 graduating student-athletes in May inside the University Center at the inaugural graduation breakfast. Parents, coaches, advisors and friends came together to celebrate the accomplishment, as each graduating student-athlete was presented with a special stole to wear with their cap and gown by their head coach or a representative of their sport. The track & field team had the most spring graduates with eight, followed by football (6) and baseball (5). Five other teams had two or more student-athletes walk across the commencement stage. The graduation breakfast will now take place twice a year to honor UNCP's student-athletes prior to both winter and spring commencements.

Allen Headlines Record-Breaking Night At Fourth Annual Cash Bash
Robeson County native and current National Football League (NFL) referee Brad Allen was the featured speaker for the fourth annual Cash Bash held on April 21 inside the English E. Jones Center. The event, which is one of the department's premier fundraising events, raised more than $70,000 for the Braves Club general scholarship fund. To date, the annual event has generated more than $220,000 for student-athlete scholarships and the university's 17 varsity athletic programs. During the night, several items were sold during silent and live auctions, including tickets to a Duke basketball game, a basketball signed by UNC coach Roy Williams, and a NASCAR Las Vegas VIP Experience.

Braves Club Giving At High Rate For Second-Straight Year
Thanks to a record night of giving at the third annual Braves Club Cash Bash, it was another banner year for giving in regards to the Braves Club Scholarship Fund which topped $100,000 for the second-straight season. The fund increased by more than $141,000 in 2015-16, with donations alone accounting for more than 60 percent of that total. Those numbers both rank second all-time behind the 2014-15 season which raked in nearly $160,000 for the fund.

Braves Pick Up Lion's Share Of All-Conference, All-Region Laurels
UNC Pembroke student-athletes combined to rake in all-conference honors during the 2015-16 athletic season, including 24 by the track & field team alone. All five competitors in the PBC men's cross country championship race picked up all-conference recognition, while softball sent four student-athletes to the all-conference squad as well – the most for that program since 2008. In addition, Blaze Shade was a part of the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) wrestling all-conference team. Five teams combined to rake in 30 all-region awards, with three of those squads sending multiple representative to their sport's all-region team. Seventeen track & field student-athletes were responsible for 24 of those all-region nods.

Bunn, Shade, Jones Earn All-America Nods
Prolific performances by a trio of UNCP student-athletes paid dividends in the postseason as football's B.J. Bunn, wrestling's Blaze Shade and track & field's Kory Jones were all recognized as all-Americans. Bunn became the 12th football player in nine years to earn the laurel after hauling in 58 catches for 956 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jones brought home the track & field team's sixth all-American honor in the last seven years after finishing seventh in the long jump at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships. Shade earned all-America honors for the third time in his career with a runner-up finish in the 174-pound tournament at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.

Softball Finishes Strong To Cap Historic Season
Fueled by a late-season stretch that saw it win 15 of its last 20 outings, the softball team secured another winning season in 2016 and finished with a 29-24-1 clip. That record marked the second-straight winning season for the Braves – the first time that has happened since the 1991 and 1992 squads turned in back-to-back winning marks. The Black & Gold knocked off three nationally-ranked squads over the course of the 2016 campaign, including a thrilling 6-2 win over then-No. 7 Catawba in late February. Their 3-1 triumph over then No. 17 Armstrong State in April was their first win over the Pirates in eight years.

Football Tallies Nation's Fifth-Best Turnaround, Undefeated Home Record
Six wins by the football team was enough to give the Braves NCAA Division II's sixth-best turnaround from the 2014 season. The Braves, who registered a 2-8 clip the year prior, posted a 4-game turnaround thanks, in large part, to a season-opening three-game win streak that included triumphs over in-state nemeses Winston-Salem State and Fayetteville State, as well as a convincing home win over Shaw. The Braves would also go on to post a 29-17 upset victory over then-No. 17 Tuskegee, as well as runaway wins over West Virginia State and Limestone. The home fans got the best of it though, as the Braves finished with a perfect 5-0 record at home – the first time they have finished undefeated at Grace P. Johnson Stadium since 2009.

UNCP Plays Host To 2016 PBC Track & Field Championships
UNC Pembroke was the setting for the 2016 Peach Belt Conference Track & Field Championships held in late April at the Dick & Lenore Taylor Track inside Grace P. Johnson Stadium. The event, which began on attracted more than 500 spectators per day at the recently-renovated facility, while 18 teams (nine men, nine women) competed in 64 events over the span of the three-day event. The Braves, who finished fourth on both the men's and women's sides, combined to win six event titles and collect 25 all-conference laurels. Historically, the Dick & Lenore Taylor Track is only the third venue to host the event which shifts to Montevallo next season.

Record-Breaking Season For Indoor, Outdoor Track & Field
A plethora of school records were shattered during the 2015-16 track & field campaign. The Braves combined to establish new program bests in 12 different events, with a handful of them broken multiple times. The women's track & field team broke seven school records alone during the indoor portion of the schedule, and then went on to post three more during the outdoor season. Jani Perez broke the record in the 100-meter dash three times over the course of the outdoor season, while Fatima Funderburk shattered the program mark in the 200-meter dash twice during the indoor season. Onya Daye, twice, established new program marks in the indoor weight throw.

Track & Field's Jani Perez Wins PBC-Sun Trust Minority Postgraduate Scholarship
Track and field standout Jani Perez was named the 2016 recipient of the Peach Belt Conference-SunTrust Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. The scholarship provides financial support to a deserving PBC minority student-athlete in pursuit of a postgraduate degree. Perez graduated on May 7 with a degree in exercise physiology. A four-year athlete on the track & field team, she set school records in the indoor 60-meter dash, the outdoor 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team. She also is a former PBC record holder in the heptathlon. Away from the track, Perez was involved in the UNCP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), beginning as secretary before moving up to vice president her junior year and president her senior season.

Wrestling Turns In Another Successful Season
It was business as usual in 2015-16 for the tradition-rich wrestling team which posted a 14-9 record in dual meets, as well as a share of 20th place at the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships in early March. It was the seventh-straight season that the Black & Gold has finished among the nation's top 25 teams, including five-straight seasons under the direction of head coach Othello "O.T." Johnson. In addition to their success on the mat, the Braves also achieved a banner of success in the academic arena as well by checking into the No. 8 spot among the nation's top academic teams with the release of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (D2WCA) All-Academic Teams.

Ormsby Adds To Coaching Hardware
On the heels of the men's cross country team's first Peach Belt Conference championship, head coach Peter Ormsby collected the league's men's coach of the year honors as well. It was the second PBC Coach of the Year accolade in the last calendar year for Ormsby, who also earned the honor as coach of the men's track & field program at the conclusion of the 2014-15 athletic season. The enthusiastic mentor, who was hired on to lead the UNCP cross country and track & field programs in July 2014, now has eight coach of the year titles in his career, including six prior to making the trek to Pembroke.

Johnson, Shade Highlight Night At Third Annual Golden Braves
Wrestling's Blaze Shade was named the male student-athlete of the year, while softball's Jamie Johnson took home female student-athlete of the year recognition, to highlight the 3rd Annual Golden Braves Awards on April 25 inside the University Center Annex. Cross country/track & field head coach Peter Ormsby took home the coveted Dan Kenney Coach of the Year award after leading the men's cross country team to its first conference title in November. Faculty athletics representative Dr. Jeff Frederick was presented with the inaugural Changing Lives Through Education honor, while Mac & Sylvia Campbell were named Braves Club Members of the Year.

Ndhlovu To Represent UNC Pembroke At Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games
Nearly 17 months after registering his first qualifying mark with a time of 2:16.51 at the Chevron Houston Marathon, former UNC Pembroke all-American Pardon Ndhlovu was guaranteed a spot on the Zimbabwe Olympic Team that will compete in the 27th Summer Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ndhlovu, an all-American in both cross country and track & field for the Braves from 2010-13, registered qualifying times in the marathon at both the 2015 (2:16.51) and 2016 (2:17.32) Houston Marathon. Both marks came in under the 2:19 qualifying standard. Ndhlovu was a two-time Peach Belt Conference champion in cross country, and won the 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs at the 2013 PBC Track & Field Championships.

Keck Tallies Record-Breaking Season, Invited To Buffalo Bills Training Camp
Fayetteville native Mike Keck became just the second UNCP football player to garner an invite to a National Football League (NFL) tryout when he participated in the Buffalo Bills rookie minicamp in May. The Grays Creek High School product shattered UNCP's single season sack record with 11 quarterback drops during the 2015 season, and also established a new program mark with 14 quarterback hurries. He played in 36 games for the Black & Gold over the last four years and registered 114 career tackles, including 31 tackles for loss. Mike Yerry (2009-13), a former teammate of Keck's, was the first UNCP football player to try out with an NFL team when he was invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp in 2014.

Miglarese Named Eighth Men's Soccer Head Coach
Athletics department officials at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke announced the hiring of 16-year college coaching veteran John Miglarese as its eighth men's soccer head coach in mid-February. Miglarese joins the Braves after serving the last three seasons as the head coach at King in Bristol, Tenn. He also has previous head coaching stops at NAIA schools Covenant and John Brown, as well as a stint as the associate head coach at Gardner-Webb. In addition to his college coaching duties, he is currently serving a stint as the head coach of the Premier Development League's (PDL) Southern West Virginia King's Warriors. During Miglarese's tenure (2013-15), King logged six all-conference selections and a pair of team academic awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Bardales, Rueffer Join Department As Men's Soccer, Volleyball Assistants
The men's soccer and volleyball teams completed their coaching staffs with the hiring of new assistant coaches in February and March. Katie Rueffer, a former standout student-athlete at Elmhurst (NCAA Division III), trekked to UNCP in February after serving the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Waldorf (NAIA) in Forest City, Iowa. Bardales came to Pembroke following an extensive coaching career in the youth, prep and collegiate ranks. He spent the 2015 season as a head coach with the Piedmont Triad Football Club which is based in Kernersville. Bardales also played under head coach John Miglarese as a member of the Southern West Virginia King's Warriors from 2012-15.

Braves Partner With Lumbee Guaranty Bank
Athletics department officials announced in early September that a partnership was reached with Lumbee Guaranty Bank that provided the naming rights for the playing surface inside the English E. Jones Center. The agreement, which spans 15 years, provided the athletics department some of the necessary resources to launch a new academic support unit that was unveiled in the fall. As part of the partnership, Lumbee Guaranty Bank will now be represented with logos on the playing surface of the volleyball and basketball court as well. A celebration of the partnership was held on October 22, including a ribbon cutting ceremony with members of the Lumbee Guaranty Bank board of directors.

Five Coaches Grab Milestone Wins During 2015-16 Athletic Season
A convincing 9-3 victory over eventual NCAA Tournament participant Catawba in mid-March handed head coach Paul O'Neil his 500th victory as head coach of the Braves, but he was not the only UNCP skipper to grab milestone victories in 2015-16. John Haskins captured his 250th career victory as a basketball head coach (men and women) with a 25-point win over The Apprentice School on December 13, while Ben Miller registered his 125th career victory (all at UNCP) with a 78-77 road win at eventual Peach Belt Conference East Division Champion Lander. In addition, wrestling's Othello "O.T." Johnson picked up his 50th career dual meet victory (all at UNCP) with an 18-17 comeback victory at Coker on February 4, and softball's Brittany Bennett logged her 75th career victory (all at UNCP) with a 7-5 home win over Montevallo in the regular season finale.

Former A.D. Dan Kenney A Part Of PBC Hall Of Fame Inaugural Class
Former athletics director Dan Kenney, who served the UNC Pembroke athletics department in a variety of roles for 25 years, was among 25 student-athletes, coaches and administrators that comprised the inaugural class for the newly-created Peach Belt Conference Hall of Fame. Kenney, who retired from college athletics in 2012 and assumed the role as chief of staff in the chancellor's office, was officially inducted into the PBC Hall of Fame on May 31 in a ceremony that highlighted the league's annual meetings at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Kenney served in three different roles in the UNCP athletics department, initially as a men's basketball assistant coach from 1977-80. He returned to Pembroke as the head coach of the men's basketball team from 1985-92, and served as athletics director from 1998-2012.

Record-Setting Seven Inducted Into Athletics Hall Of Fame
Five standout student-athletes and two legendary head coaches were officially inducted into the UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame as part of Homecoming Week in early October. Former head coaches P.J. Smith (wrestling) and Dick Lauffer (basketball) joined basketball standouts Mike Heath and Joe Pugh in the newest class, as well as former volleyball star Debbie McNamara and softball standout Brittany "B.B." Berrier. Former multi-sport athlete James "Buddy" Bell (basketball, baseball) was also a part of UNCP's 37th Hall of Fame induction class. A total of 93 individuals have now been inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame which is prominently displayed in the front lobby of the English E. Jones Center.

Braves Partner With SIDEARM Sports, SuperFanU
In moves that will continue to elevate the branding and coverage of its 17 athletic programs, UNCP Athletics has agreed to multi-year partnerships with both SIDEARM Sports and SuperFanU. SIDEARM is the industry leader in collegiate sports websites and currently powers nearly 900 websites spanning all three NCAA Divisions, as well as the NAIA and junior college levels. The department's partnership with SuperFanU effectively created #BraveNation, a fan rewards program that will provide all registered fans with information regarding aspects of BU athletics and reward those who regularly attend home athletic and campus events. The partnership with SuperFanU is a collaborative effort involving UNCP's Office of Student Involvement and Leadership (OSIL) as well.

UNCP Announces Radio Partnership With Local Stations
Athletics department officials announced in August that a pilot broadcasting agreement had been reached that allowed fans to follow every game of the 2015 football season, as well as the entire 2015-16 men's and women's basketball campaigns. As part of the agreement, select football and basketball games also aired locally on both 88.1 WWFJ-FM in Fayetteville, and on 95.3 W237BQ-FM in Fairmont. The local reach spanned both Robeson and Cumberland counties. All games were also available via a live audio link on UNCPBraves.com. Assistant director of athletic communications Cameron Songer handled the on-air talent duties for the broadcasts, with assistance from students in the UNC Pembroke Mass Communications Department.

Christy, Hannant Appointed To Serve On NCAA Committees
Director of Athletics Dick Christy and Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Performance Joey Hannant were both selected to serve on NCAA committee during the fall. Christy, who completed his third year at the helm of the athletics department in May, was named in September to the NCAA Division II Football Committee which is charged with selecting the field for the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs. Hannant was appointed to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports in November. That committee is responsible for promoting and sponsoring research to address relevant health and safety issues, as well as promoting education to enhance the health and safety of student-athletes.

Hardin Awarded MOAA Grant To Attend NACDA Convention
Adam Hardin, an assistant athletics director and the executive director of the Braves Club, was awarded in March with a grant to attend the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention which was held in Dallas, Texas, in June. The grant, which was awarded by the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), is a joint initiative between NACDA and MOAA to provide educational and networking opportunities for minority administrators at the NCAA Division II level. The grant included complimentary registration for both the MOAA Symposium and the NACDA Convention as well as roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations and per diem.