Post and Courier
Cougars down Mocs in volleyball
October 16, 2011
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. --The College of Charleston (15-9, 6-2) posted a 3-1 victory over Chattanooga (4-17, 2-5) in a Southern Conference volleyball match on Saturday.
The Cougars won, 25-15, 18-25, 28-26, 25-23. Sarah Havel had 14 kills and six blocks, leading four C of C players with double-digit kills.
Charleston was coming off its second SoCon loss Friday at Samford.
CollegeSwimming.com
College of Charleston Splits with Campbell, Queens
October 15, 2011
The College of Charleston men's and women's swimming & diving teams opened the 2011 season at a meet at Johnson Natatorium at Campbell University.
The women defeated Queens University of Charlotte, 135-127, while being outscored by CCSA opponent Campbell, 144-118. The men's squad from Queens tallied more points than the Cougars, 154-108.
College of Charleston racked up three first-place finishes on the men's side, and five first-place finishes on the women's side.
Sophomore Sarah Boyle led the way for the Cougars on the women's side, taking first place in the 100-yard backstroke (1:00.58) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:12.67). Junior Gracie Herlong took first place in the 200-yard fly (2:07.92), and the Cougars took first and second in the 50-yard free as freshman Jayme Groth posted the top time (24.66) and classmate Sarah Graif was right behind her (24.74). Groth's time was better than any individual performance in the 50 free from last season. Graif also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 54.30.
ABC News4
Cougars go back-and-forth with Tar Heels in explosive bout
October 14, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The College of Charleston men's soccer team dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 2 North Carolina in a back-and-forth contest at Fetzer Field on Friday night. The Cougars led early and later equalized after UNC had seized the lead but two second-half Tar Heel goals claimed the result.
The Cougars snatched the game's first lead when Robbie Benson (Rock Hill, S.C.) threaded a ball through the defense to spring Eric Fornell (Daniel Island, S.C.) towards goal and Fornell made the most of it with the game's first mark in the 17th minute.
UNC responded quickly with an equalizer off a corner-kick head-in by Matt Hughes and then took their first lead in the 26th minute with some clever passing and a laser of a shot by Martin Murphy into the lower-left corner of the net.
The Cougars had an answer of their own in the 32nd minute when Tony Kattreh (Neptune Beach, Fla.) kept a ball in play along the UNC endline and crossed it into the box where Troy Peterson (Federal Way, Wash.) volleyed it home from six yards away.
The second half flowed quietly from end to end until UNC seized its second league off an individual effort by Billy Schuler in the 57th minute. Schuler made a lateral run into space across the top of the box and then made a quick turn-and-shoot move back to his left and put the ball into the top of the net.
The Tar Heels added the insurance mark in the 73rd minute when Enzo Martinez found some space through the middle of the pitch and scored from a slight angle just inside the top of the box.
The match was the Cougars' fifth against a team ranked or receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and only their second loss to such an opponent.
Post and Courier
October 13, 2011
College volleyball
The College of Charleston's Sarah Havel is one of 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
The annual award honors student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. The finalists were chosen from a list of 30.
As an education major, Havel has a GPA of 3.28, earning a spot on the 2010-11 Southern Conference Honor Roll. The preseason all-conference pick went on medical missionary trips to Honduras in 2010 and 2011. She is a middle blocker.
Post and Courier
Freshmen keeping surprising Cougars in tight SoCon volleyball race
Tommy Braswell
October 11, 2011
Replacing four starters from a team that went 15-1 last season and won the Southern Conference South Division is no small task.
But College of Charleston coach Jason Kepner's recruiting class has certainly come through. With three freshman recruits and a sophomore transfer in the starting lineup, the Cougars are tied with Furman at 5-1 and are contending for another South Division title. Charleston is 14-8 overall and has won eight of its last nine matches.
Charleston had two preseason all-conference selections returning in seniors Elyse Chubb and Sarah Havel, but success this year very much hinges on the freshman class.
"Any time you have three freshmen contributing at a pretty high level, it's a good (recruiting) class," Kepner said. "We knew what we were getting with them, but you just never know how quickly they are going to adjust to playing in college and how quickly they see the floor. They've exceeded what the expectations are."
Heading the rookie class is Sloane White, a 6-1 right side hitter from Indianapolis, who has been selected as the league's freshman of the week three times already.
Post and Courier
Cougars forward Hall suffers season-ending knee injury
Tommy Braswell
October 11, 2011
The preseason injury bug has struck again on the College of Charleston men's basketball team.
Returning starting forward Willis Hall will miss the entire season after suffering a knee injury Friday while taking part in preseason drills. Hall underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed he had a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Hall, a 6-6 junior, started all 37 games a year ago and helped the Cougars advance to the third round of the National Invitation Tournament and finish the year with a 26-11 record. He averaged 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. He scored his career-high 21 points in a win over Vermont in the ESPN BracketBuster game and later in the season had a 21-point, 18-rebound performance at Western Carolina.
Two years ago, Antwaine Wiggins, now a redshirt senior, also went down with a torn ACL suffered in preseason drills.
"It's a big blow for us and for him. But injuries are part of the game," said College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins. "Willis is an outstanding young man who gives you everything he has. He was maturing more. There was a good chance he was going to be our leader. He's an outstanding student. I really feel bad for him."
ABC News4
Wilson: Less pressure in final year of coaching (VIDEO)
Scott Eisberg
October 10, 2011
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- This is the perfect basketball situation for Nancy Wilson.
"In some ways, its less pressure because there is no pressure of recruiting added to coaching. Coaching pressure is the same because that's driven from the fact you individually want to do well," said the long-time CofC head coach.
The reason there is no recruiting pressure -- Wilson has already announced her retirement at the end of the season.
"I'm 60 years old next week, in case anyone is going shopping, I've been a head coach for 30 years, I have loved it," she said.
After this season, she'll move to her beach house on Surfside Beach. She felt it was the right thing to do, announcing it early, so she didn't lead on the team that she was looking to sign for the future.
For now, the excitement is there for one more year in the sun, a farewell tour if you will.
"There will be some sentimental moments," she said. "I've been surprised about things I am getting nostalgic about. It's not in a sad way, but in a 'this has been great way.' "
Wilson is credited with taking CofC into the scholarship era, before leading South Carolina into the SEC, and then back to CofC to finish her career.
"I have no regrets. I feel like I have had a fulfilled life, much less career. Would I like to win it all, yes, if it happens great, if not I'll enjoy every minute of this year."
