FROM THE PRESS BOX - AUGUST 31, 2010
Notes, thoughts, and an opinion or two as we jump right into football season…
Football season is here! We have talked ad nauseum in the preseason about who might do what, and who might be good, and who might not. But now we have at least a week’s worth of games to analyze, at least as far as the local high schools are concerned.
It’s still too early to make definitive
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UWG Athletics Kicks off 2010-11 Athletic Year
Carrollton, GA -
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
The University Stadium concourse was packed on Saturday afternoon, as the West Georgia athletic department kicked off the 2010-11 athletic year with Running With the Wolves, the first annual fan day at West Georgia.
Running With the Wolves Photo Gallery
Fans of all ages joined the teams at the stadium, enjoying a hot dog and a
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UWG Names Women's Tennis Coach
8/20/2010 3:33:10 PM
Carrollton, GA –
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
Dickey named Claire Mowling to the post of overseeing UWG’s return to intercollegiate competition for the first time in decade.
Dickey credits the work of Laura Clayton, West Georgia’s Senior Women’s Administrator and Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, for her work on the selection
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Meet the Wolves: Yasmine Bailey
8/20/2010 3:04:55 PM
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
Carrollton, GA
West Georgia began competition in women’s tennis during the 1970s. The program moved into the Gulf South Conference during the 1983-84 athletic year, where it remained until being disbanded following an appearance in the 2001 NCAA Regionals.
This year, it makes a return to the UWG campus under the direction of
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UWG Baseball Plans Annual Alumni Weekend
Carrollton, GA – After a successful first run in 2009, preparations are now
underway for the second annual UWG Baseball Alumni Weekend.
Head coach Skip Fite Wednesday announced that this year’s event is set for
September 24 and 25. Activities will again include a Friday golf outing, followed
Saturday by the playing of the alumni games at Cole Field.
“We had a great turnout
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ARAMARK Wolves Kickoff Classic Shines
Carrollton, GA – The Inaugural ARAMARK Wolves Kickoff Classic was an enormous success for the West Georgia Athletic Department Monday, as 33 teams played in the first annual golf tournament at Oak Mountain Championship Golf Club.
“This is a wonderful event for us to close out the summer and kickoff the new year,” said Athletic Director Daryl Dickey. “We have had
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UWG Football Assistant To Receive NFL Experience
James Colzie Chosen for NFL Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship
Carrollton, GA – The rigors of preseason football practice will come early this season for one member of the West Georgia Wolves’ coaching staff. UWG’s James Colzie will next week head to work with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
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Former UWG Star Receives Conference Honor
From the UWG Office of Sports Information
Carrollton, GA – Though her playing career ended in 2006, Tai (Wilson) Ellis is still remembered for her accomplishments at the University of West Georgia. Ellis was Thursday named Gulf South Conference East Division Women’s Basketball Player of the Decade.
The honor was bestowed as the GSC announced its Team of the Decade in both
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West Georgia mourns the loss of a legend
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
7/8/2010 9:06:02 AM
Carrollton, GA - It is with great sadness and regret that The University of West Georgia announces the passing of UWG Hall of Fame member Anthony Barge, who died Wednesday night from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.
"Apart from being a legend at this University, Anthony was truly a family man and a tremendous leader in the Carrollton community," said UWG Athletic Director Daryl Dickey. "The community has lost a great friend today and our thoughts and prayers are with the Barge family right now."
Barge was a standout at West Georgia from 1985-87 and is considered among the best to ever don the Red and Blue. He averaged 23.8 points per game over his two-year career, leading West Georgia to back-to-back Gulf South Conference titles.
As a junior, he averaged 17.5 points per game, earning All-GSC honors. His senior year was one for the history books for both Barge, as he was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Year as well as being voted to the Kodak All-American team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Following his career at West Georgia, he went on to play basketball overseas before coming back to Carrollton, where he served as an assistant basketball and football coach for nearly a decade. He was inducted in the West Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Barge is survived by his wife, Cindy, and their seven children: A.J., Josh, Samuel, Christian, Ansley, Isaiah and Neziah.
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West Georgia announces 2010 soccer schedule
Courtesy of UWG Sports
7/8/2010 10:29:00 AM
Carrollton, GA – With the 2010 soccer season a little over a month away, the West Georgia Wolves now know what they will be up against in the coming year, as UWG head coach Marisa Kovacs recently released the 18-match 2010 schedule.
“Our schedule is going to be tough from start to finish,” Kovacs said. “But it will only prepare us for our main goal of making the NCAA tournament.”
The Wolves fell short of making the Gulf South Conference tournament a year ago after a season that featured a tough schedule and an array of injuries ended with a 4-11-1 record. In 2009, seven of the UWG opponents were ranked in the Division II top 25.
“Just because we are coming off a rough year does not mean we are going to take it easy this season,” said Kovacs. “Our goal has always been to win our conference and make the NCAA tournament, therefore we have to play teams that have had that type of success.”
The season begins with a preseason exhibition match at home against Division III power Emory on August 22 at 7 p.m. The official season opener will be on September 3 and 5, facing two of the toughest programs in the nation in Tampa and Columbus State in the annual Columbus State Invitational.
The Wolves follow that trip up with three of the next four games at home. The home opener against Newberry on September 11 at 7 p.m. kicks off that stretch, followed by a road match at Brewton Parker on September 14. On the weekend of September 17 and 19, UWG will host a tough weekend with South Atlantic Conference opponents Carson-Newman and Tusculum.
As September comes to a close, the Wolves will take a three-game trip through the Peach Belt Conference, facing off with Clayton State and Georgia College & State on the road on September 22 and 25, followed by Montevallo at home on September 28.
The beginning of October will coincide this year with the beginning of the GSC season, as the Wolves host Delta State and Alabama-Huntsville on October 1 and 3 as a part of Parents’ Weekend at UWG. The following weekend, West Georgia will host Ouachita Baptist on October 8, followed by a tough trip to Florence, Ala., and the North Alabama Lions on October 10.
Following a five-day hiatus, the Wolves host a non-conference battle with Reinhardt before taking a trip to Searcy, Ark., to take on the Harding Bison. October 22 will be the Wolves’ final home battle of the season as UWG will host Lambuth for Senior Day before heading south to Pensacola, Fla., to take on the GSC perennial power West Florida. The regular season concludes on October 30 with a visit to Christian Brothers.
This year’s schedule features six teams that reached the NCAA tournament in 2009, led by West Florida, which fell to national runner-up Cal. State-Dominguez Hills in the national semifinals. UWF was tough on other UWG opponents in their run to the semis, beating North Alabama in the second round and Carson-Newman in the national quarterfinals.
Carson-Newman blazed a trail through the NCAA tournament last year against teams the Wolves will face this season, beating Tusculum in the second round and Columbus State in the round of 16. Tusculum completes the circle, beating Newberry in the first round of the tourney.
“We have one of the strongest conferences in the nation from top to bottom and if we want to be prepared for the GSC schedule, we must have a strong non-conference schedule,” Kovacs said. “We are making strides to where we need to be and I think this schedule is well-balanced and will showcase what we are capable of this year.”
The 2010 Wolves report to Carrollton for preseason camp in less than a month, with the preseason opener a little more than a month away.
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Groninger announces fifth recruit for 2010-11 season
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
7/6/2010 4:08:39 PM
Carrollton, GA – West Georgia women’s basketball coach Scott Groninger continues to add to his first recruiting class with quality talent, announcing Tuesday the addition of LaGrange-area product Bianca Sands to his 2010-11 squad.
“Bianca is a solid player who will bring a good amount of versatility to our team this year,” Groninger said. “She was a good find and will have a shot at being a solid performer in the Gulf South Conference.”
Sands comes to West Georgia after two years at Eastern Oklahoma State College, learning the college game under the tutelage of head coach Andy Mace. She went to Eastern Oklahoma following a top career at Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga.
With the Tigers, Sands averaged 7.3 points per game as senior, earning a spot on the Lady Mountaineers’ squad for the past two seasons.
Sands joins fellow signees Valerie Jones, Monica Williams, Ashley Hampton and Krystal Delph as the bulk of the first signing class for Groninger. In addition, the new UWG head coach has secured Shunice Hardy, who was a solid performer two years ago for the Wolves. He and assistant coach Rongi Bethea plan to sign two more players before the start of the 2010-11 academic year.
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Update: UWG Incoming Freshman fares well at USAV Nationals
Courtesy of UWG Sports Information
7/6/2010 4:32:45 PM
Carrollton, GA – A West Georgia player is having solid success on the volleyball court this summer, and she hasn’t even put a uniform on yet. Incoming freshman Emily Reul helped her team, Rancho Valley 18-1, to a Silver Medal at the 2010 USAV Girls’ Junior Nationals.
The team went 8-2 at the tournament, winning 16 of their 21 sets. Each match was a best-of-2, with Rancho Valley 18-1 winning all but one set in the eight match wins. Reul and her teammates opened the tourney with six straight wins, then dispatched Laguna Beach 18 MS 25-19 and 25-16 to advance to the championship match.
In the final, Rancho Valley went up against Sports Shack 18-Asics, a team that lost just three sets at the tournament. Reul and Co. put up a good challenge, but fell 25-22 and 25-23 to finish in second place.
“We are excited for Emily and the success she and her team had at this tournament,” said UWG head coach Gary Lee.
The 2010 West Georgia volleyball squad reports for preseason training camp in less than a month to begin preparations for the fall season.
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West Georgia adds to baseball recruiting class
Skip Fite is a realist. After seeing his team post a mark of 13-41 in 2010, the West Georgia Wolves baseball coach knows that an infusion of talent is needed in order to see a turnaround on the field next spring.
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Season Ticket Packages mailed for 2010 campaign
The first wave of season ticket packages for the 2010 University of West Georgia football season were mailed out on June 1, with public season tickets set to go on sale on July 15.
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Future Wolves Compete in Summer Nationals
Many recently graduated young high school students across the United States are sitting back and enjoying their final summer before college. Not so for a pair of UWG signees, as Emily Reul and Reagin Boggs will be spending theirs on a national volleyball stage before reporting to West Georgia in the fall.
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West Georgia to add Four to Hall of Fame
The University of West Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame will this fall welcome four new members into its ranks.
Former baseball coach Archie White, baseball All-America Dr. Jimmy Blackwell, and football legends Ken Terry and Casey Pennone were chosen for the honor in a unanimous vote of the UWG Athletic Booster Club Board of Directors.
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Wolves' Kickoff Classic Announced
The West Georgia athletic department has announced the formation of the first annual Wolves' Kickoff Classic, a golf outing to close out the summer activities and move into the 2010-11 academic and athletic year.
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Wolves Caravan Stops In Gwinnett
The Wolves Caravan completed the third leg of its tour Tuesday night, as it rolled through Gwinnett County, at the 1818 Club, located off Sugarloaf Parkway. Several area UWG alumni and friends greeted West Georgia head football coach and athletic director Daryl Dickey and various members of the UWG Athletics Department.
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UWG's Smith Named To All-Conference Team
One of the bright spots of the 2010 season for the West Georgia baseball team was senior shortstop Justin Smith, who was named to the 2010 All-Gulf South Conference First Team in a release from conference officials.
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UWG Releases 2010 Football Slate
With spring practice now behind them, the West Georgia Wolves football now turns its attention to the upcoming season. As is always the case in the rugged Gulf South Conference, the Wolves find a rugged gauntlet staring them in the face.
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Ellenburg Named To All-Conference Team For Second Time
Some athletes that have a stellar freshman season end up going through what is sometimes known as the "sophomore jinx." Not so for UWG sophomore second baseman Lindsey Ellenburg, who was voted for the second straight season Wednesday.
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UWG Men's Hoops Signs Prep Star From Arkansas
The West Georgia Wolves Friday revealed the addition of a major building block for its 2010 recruiting class.
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WGWSN LAUNCHES DAILY FEATURE PROGRAM
The West Georgia Wolves Sports Network recently launched new programming which will provide UWG fans with an up-close perspective of their sports teams and student athletes. "The Wolves Sports Daily" is a 2 1/2 minute radio feature that can be heard on four area radio stations, all under the umbrella of Gradick Communications, the parent company of the network's flagship station, Kiss 102.7 (WCKS 102.7-FM).
"We are excited about this opportunity to present stories and updates spanning all sports to the local community," said WGWSN Executive Director Aaron Sones. "We feel that with the many interesting personalities on campus combined with the growth of Wolves athletics, this is the time to expand our coverage to include a daily report."
"The Wolves Sports Daily” can be heard live at the following times:
Kiss 102.7, WCKS (102.7-FM): 8:34 AM; 5:08 PM
B92 Country, WBTR (92.1-FM): 8:15 AM
WKNG King Country AM-1060 (1060-AM): 9:33 AM
Newstalk-1330, WLBB (1330-AM): 6:22 AM; 7:22 AM
Archived versions of the program can be heard by visiting www.WGWSN.com.
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WGWSN Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Your business can become a partner of West Georgia athletics through a sponsorship with the West Georgia Wolves Sports Network. We will develop a marketing strategy that fits your business to maximize results.
For more information, contact WGWSN Executive Director Aaron Sones at 770-328-6181, or email AaronSones@Yahoo.com.
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WGWSN announces partnership with TeamLine to bring broadcasts to the web
WGWSN has partnered with TeamLine to bring UWG sports to the web for the second-straight season. All WGWSN programming, including football game broadcasts, pregame shows, The Wolves Tailgate Show, and The Daryl Dickey Show, can be heard over the internet live or on-demand. Click the TEAMLINE banner at www.WGWSN.com, or go here: www.teamline.cc/teampage to listen.
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