News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

07.11.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: D.J. McFadden ... Uggla poised to make history in All-Star game ... COSIDA recognizes former president Ford ... Houston associate AD Sparks succumbs

07.10.06: ECU alum Godwin to wear LSU's purple & gold ... Tulane resumes baseball stadium renovation ... Kelly rejoins O'Leary at Central Florida

07.09.06: Fitzgerald takes bittersweet promotion ... Paper defuses report on Mayo to USC ... More national acclaim for Houston's Lincoln ... SMU golfer wins Greater Cincy title

07.08.06: Former ECU slugger Hastings joins BC staff ... Tar Heel baseball stars transition to pros ... Rice's Britton packing to play in Philippines

07.07.06: Report: No. 1 prep hoops star choosing USC ... Motorcycle wreck claims Georgia Southern star ... NBA exhibition games coming to Dean Dome

07.06.06: Owls' St. Clair chosen for Team USA baseball ... Houston, Rice rookies make all-frosh team ... Case-era Pack hoops legend Dickey passes

07.05.06: National honors piling up for Houston's Lincoln ... Wade's wallet now packs a wallop ... Duke gets QB from prestigious prep program

07.04.06: Howard joins ECU media relations staff ... Bertman leads college baseball hall's first class ... Temple gets prized hometown grid recruit

07.03.06: Paper: C of C and Cremins come to agreement ... Four depart Oregon in search of playing time ... Gator recruit wins national prep QB award

07.02.06: College of Charleston hires Bobby Cremins ... Duke gets pair of football commitments ... Georgia Tech baseball coach gets extra year ... Big Sky Conference expands by one

07.01.06: SI.com columnist rates O'Leary among best ... Bogdan, Floyd get top awards in C-USA track ... Northwestern mourns passing of Walker

06.30.06: NCAA gives new life to Houston bowl game ... Memphis duo makes school history in NBA draft ... LSU selects Mainieri to direct baseball program ... Marshall backpedals back to Winthrop

06.29.06: BCS to tweak timing of weekly poll ... Louisville to push two players for Heisman ... Redick fares well in draft despite impediments

06.28.06: Postgraduate scholarship goes to ECU's Davenport ... UCF center foregoes final year of eligibility ... Sinclair named women's athlete of the year

06.27.06: Beavers beat Heels to win College World Series ... Irish baseball coach to interview for LSU job ... Cal quarterback suspended after assault charge

06.26.06: Mustangs lead
C-USA teams in Director's Cup ... Tulane AD receives prestigious service award ... Calipari racking up some broadcast work

06.25.06: Coal industry to sponsor Marshall-WVU series ... Mountaineers extend Rodriguez deal to 2012 ... Vols add non-league challenges

06.24.06: Del Conte takes reins as AD at Rice ... Contact at combine means fine for Emory ... UNCW aligns with adidas for shoes, uniforms

06.23.06: Witter starts professional ball with a flourish ... Big Ben's little sister commits to Sooners ... Wake Forest football recruit faces felony charges

06.22.06: Big Ten scores momentous television deals ... Former ECU diver Derr to coach at JMU ... Grizzlies turn to Tinkle on hardwood

06.21.06: Troth returns to the fold as ECU assistant ... College of Charleston, Herrion settle on buyout ... Another national award for Houston's Lincoln

06.20.06: ECU announces long-term pact with Nike ... Pirates release women's soccer schedule ... Three C-USA linemen on Outland Trophy list

06.19.06: USM-Memphis game shifts to Sunday for ESPN ... Tar Heels AD Baddour gets contract extension ... U.S. Women's open to have distinct Duke flavor

06.18.06: Rice rallies in its College World Series opener ... Houston's Lincoln gets 2006 Howser Trophy ... C-USA's top scorer backs away from NBA draft

06.17.06: ECU grad Millican wins N.C. women's amateur ... College World Series: Tigers win in comeback ... LSU's Carter sweeps national track honors

06.16.06: Ex-ECU assistant named Campbell grid coach ... Pirate softball ace Keli Harrell named All-State .. Report: Back woes nix Redick draft workouts

06.15.06: Camels expected to name football coach ... Rice leads C-USA contingent on A-A team ... K-State, UCLA announce football dates

06.14.06: ECU's Smith among 7 C-USA All-Americans ... Duke star Redick charged with drunk driving ... UAB selects Shoop to guide baseball program

06.13.06: Owls carrying C-USA banner to Omaha ... ECU's Ray shares Coastal Plain League honor ... Terms of Huggins' K-State contract reported

06.12.06: ECU ticket office temporarily relocates ... Irish safety's ring debut: Bell rung quickly ... Miners seventh in NCAA men's track

06.11.06: Miami loses Berry- recruited QB to baseball ... Clemens award finalists have C-USA flavor ... Buckeyes announce series with Toledo

06.10.06: ECU network announces blowtorch flagships ... "The Buzz" remains in Pirate broadcast lineup ... Former LSU athlete turned pro wrestler dies

06.09.06: ECU's "Voice" revving up for benefit "Ride" ... Pirates bow out at NCAA track & field meet ... ODU makes plans to add I-AA football

06.08.06: MLB Draft: Smith selected by A's, Mathews by Giants ... ECU's Hunt, Krug take Scholar Athlete honors ... NCAA nixes course credits from 'diploma mills'

06.07.06: ECU's track elite at NCAA meet in Sacramento ... Super region pairings pit Rice against Sooners ... Cleared USC quarterback says he's rejoined team

06.06.06: NCAA change on grad transfers gets reaction ... Duke reinstates men's lacrosse with conditions ... Cardieri resigns as baseball coach at USF

06.05.06: Owls carry C-USA banner against Bears ... Laval steps down as LSU baseball coach ... Date of "Civil War" changed for TV

06.04.06: C-USA players reap All-America honors ... "Flesh- eating" germ claims Tulsa gridder ... Blazers baseball coach hangs up cleats

06.03.06: ECU's Jake Smith named 2nd-team All-America ... Pirates get first signee in McPhaul golfing era ... Duke men's lacrosse program to be reinstated

06.02.06: Bucs' new pitching coach has LeClair pedigree ... Three gridders depart WVU program ... ECU announces blue chip tennis signees

06.01.06: Pirates announce kickoff times, TV games ... ECU excels among C-USA's academic elite ... Rice's Degerman makes Academic All-America

Conference USA has named its 2005-06 athletes of the year, according to an announcement on the league website.

Tulsa's Jillian Robbins became the third consecutive women's basketball player to be named female athlete of the year, while Houston baseball standout Brad Lincoln and Memphis football star DeAngelo Williams were honored as co-male athletes of the year.

Robbins led Tulsa to the best season in school history with a 26-6 overall record, Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and the team's first NCAA Tournament berth and victory. The junior forward garnered the league's top individual awards, being named C-USA player of the year, defensive player of the year, Tournament MVP and first team All-Conference USA.

She was an honorable mention All-America performer last season, just one of two players on the honorable mention squad to receive a vote for the All-America first team. Robbins became just the third player in C-USA history to lead the league in both scoring (17.9) and rebounding (12.8) in the same season. She also led Tulsa in steals (2.9 pg), blocked shots (2.3 pg), field goals (212) and free throws (147), while chalking up 21 double-doubles.

Lincoln was honored with the 2006 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the nation's top college baseball player. He also was named the American Baseball Coaches Association national player of the year and received the Brooks Wallace Award. The junior righthander is a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award, given to the nation's top college pitcher.

A consensus first team All-American, Lincoln was a four-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week and one-time national pitcher of the week, while leading the Cougars to a second place league finish and a berth in the NCAA Championship playoffs.

Lincoln was the No. 4 overall pick in the June Major League Baseball Draft, the highest a UH or C-USA player has ever been selected. On the mound, he was 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts with just 32 walks in 127.2 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .295 with 12 doubles, 14 home runs and a team-high 53 runs batted in.

A consensus All-American, Williams closed out his career as the most decorated player in Memphis football history. He led the Tigers to their third straight bowl appearance for the first time in school history, winning the Motor City Bowl. Williams was named the C-USA offensive player of the year for the third consecutive season after leading the nation in rushing at 178.6 yards per game.

Williams ranked fourth in all-purpose yardage (188.6 ypg) and seventh in scoring (10.4 ppg) after rushing for 18 touchdowns. Williams ran for more than 200 yards in five games in 2005 and closed out his career with 6,026 rushing yards, the fourth-highest total in NCAA Division I history. He also became the NCAA's career leader in all-purpose yardage, finishing with 7,573.

The 2005-06 athletic season marked the third time that C-USA has honored male and female athletes of the year. The award is based on athletic achievement during an academic year and the winners are determined through a vote by the league's athletic directors.

Texas Christian captured both of the 2004-05 awards, with women's basketball player Sandora Irvin and baseball player Lance Broadway earning the honors. The 2003-04 winners were Houston women's basketball player Chandi Jones and Tulane men's tennis player Michael Kogan.

The Baltimore Sun has reported that Navy prosecutors asserted to a packed courtroom Tuesday that Lamar Owens, Navy's star quarterback last season, raped a female classmate when she was drunk last January.

The defense team presented an alternate version of events, questioning the credibility of the accuser and casting Owens as an outstanding midshipman who showed poor judgment in having consensual sex with the woman.

Owens is charged with rape, conduct unbecoming an officer and violating a military protective order not to go near the female midshipman. The 22-year-old senior was not allowed to graduate in May. If convicted, Owens could face life in prison, though such a sanction is rare.

Reid Weingarten, a civilian attorney for Owens, said there were "serious credibility issues" with the woman's testimony, and that she had "a very serious drinking problem" that caused her to black out and not remember her actions. When the woman drinks, he said, she "loosens up and becomes very aggressive with guys."

Weingarten said the woman invited Owens to her room with an instant message on his computer and then went to her bed. When Owens arrived, the woman began to have consensual sex with him, Weingarten said. During intercourse, he said, the woman fell asleep and Owens left.

Owens guided the Midshipmen to a 51-30 bowl win over Colorado State for an 8-4 record in 2005. The defendant has completed his college eligibility and will not be in the Mids' program when East Carolina opens the 2006 season at Navy on Sept. 2.

The Greenville (SC) News has reported that authorities have determined that a starting left guard on the Clemson football team was driving a personal watercraft that hit a Clemson track coach who died Saturday night in Lake Keowee.

Jarrett Foster, 32, died Saturday night in the collision, according to Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis. Addis said Foster's death has been ruled accidental.

Foster and another person were on a watercraft that flipped and threw them off near South Cove Park on the southern end of the lake, said Lt. Robert McCullough of the Department of Natural Resources.

McCullough said Roman Fry, a rising senior and starter on the Clemson football team, was driving a personal watercraft with another passenger that hit Foster on the back of the head.

Authorities indicated that alcohol apparently was not a factor in the fatality. The investigation is continuing.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.