A Year in Review: Bison Recap

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — April 18th, 2003

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A Year in Review: Bison Recap

Another year has come and gone. 

 

Howard will soon say goodbye to many talented senior athletes and hello to up and coming stars. Teams will need to reconfigure their rosters to fill voids that have been left by the seniors who have dedicated their time, ability and life to Howard athletics and are going to pursue other opportunities. 

 

Before previewing teams for the 2003-2004, the 2002-2003 seasons needs to be closed out.

 

However, several teams are still competing and need mentioning. 

 

While the Track Bison will be bringing their Relays and hurdler David Oliver to the Penn Relays on the weekend of April 24-26, the Tennis team will be in Orlando for the MEAC Conference Tournament.

 

The lacrosse team will be on a road trip playing their final three games of the season in Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

 

The softball team will make stops in Virginia today and tomorrow playing Norfolk State and Hampton before heading back home for a double header against the Pirates of HIU. 

 

Flashback...

 

FOOTBALL

 

The football team, led by first year Head Coach Ray Petty, finished the season with a record of 6-5. They will be losing 22 seniors including wide receiver Kevin Simmonds who was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District 2 Football First Team. He led the Bison with 48 receptions and eight touchdowns last season. 

 

Defensive end Marques Ogden and linebacker Tracy White were named to the 2002 All-MEAC Conference first team. 

 

They were both selected to the 2002 Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) Black College All-American team. 

 

White became the first Howard player to be selected to play in the 78th Annual East-West Shrine Football Game in San Francisco, CA.

 

And quarterback Donald Clark who threw for 1459 yards and 16 touchdowns.

 

Howard stunned a lot of people when they won their first season opener in four years against Texas Southern University, 34-31. 

 

Clark was 21 for 32 and threw for five touchdowns for 215 yards including four to Simmonds.

 

Their next two loses came at the hands of Hampton, 51-2, and fourth-ranked University of Maine, 42-12. 

 

The Bison took their frustrations of two devastating loses out on Morris Brown College at Herndon Stadium. The 49-15 victory was led by 282 yards on the ground.

 

The game of the year was their 28-24 win over the Florida A&M Rattlers. In eight years, the Bison have never defeated Florida A&M in Tallahassee. 

 

VOLLEYBALL

 

The Bison played in a preseason tournament in Hampton, Virginia and split their four games. They beat South Carolina State in four games, 3-1, and Coppin State in straight games. 

 

The Bison's season started rough when they dropped their first four games. 

 

They got in the win column when they defeated Coppin State three games to one. 

 

They finished the season with a 7-4 conference record with key wins over Delaware State and Norfolk State in three games. 

 

Hampton gave them their toughest conference competition of the year when they went five games and pulled off the win. 

 

Three Bison, Jerri Hayes, Mercedes Posey and Crystal Amedee, were in double figures in kills and Posey led the team with 17 digs. 

 

Freshman Posey also earned MEAC Rookie of the Week for the week September15 through 21. During that time, she recorded 20 kills and 22 digs.

 

Amedee' was named to the 2002 MEAC Conference Second Team and twice MEAC Player of the Week. 

 

SOCCER

 

The Men's soccer team ended the season with a four and eight record. 

 

Two of their four wins came in overtime thanks to Ronald Goodlett and Hugh Harvey. 

 

Goodlett also came through in the clutch when he provided the game-winning goal against Drexel University.

 

Freshman goalie Jason Williams recorded his first shutout against Philadelphia University saving seven shots on goal and was named the Atlantic Soccer Conference Rookie Goalkeeper of the Week.

 

Jason Dixon and Taj Alvaranga also had their season's first scoring the only two goals of the game.

 

Raneika Bean continued where her freshman year left off.

 

She was honored with the 2002 Independent Women's Soccer Player of the Year. Bean scored 21 goals and helped the Bison to a 6-9-1 record.

 

Bean, Karisma Horne and Michelle Williston made the All-Independent first team. 

 

Horne scored four goals and had two assists while Williston contributed with five goals and an assist. 

 

The Lady Bison ended the season 6-9, but no win was more impressive than their shutout against Delaware State.

 

Raneika Bean (four goals) and Tiffany Day (three goals), had a career day as they led the Bison to a school-record with 11 goals, nine were unassisted.

 

In the First-Annual Howard University Women's Soccer Classic Lindsey Walton won tournament MVP not allowing a goal in theirfour game winning streak. 

 

Bean had two hat-tricks against South Carolina State and Youngstown, as the Bison went on to win the classic. 

 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

 

The Lady Bison made their way through the MEAC Tournament before losing to Delaware State in the Semi-finals 67-54.

 

The Bison finished the regular season with a record of 11-7 with huge wins over Morgan State, Norfolk State and FAMU.

 

Against Morgan State, Shauna Ruglass led all scorerd with 20 points and Simone recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Bison handed MSU their worst lost of the season 98-37. 

 

Norfolk State couldn't contain Howard as Courtney Kirk, 27 points, and four other players scored in double figures to beat NSU 91-77.

 

In Howard's 92-75 win over FAMU, Shauna Ruglass and Courtney Kirk scored majority of their points in the second half.

 

Courtney Kirk was voted to the 2002-03 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference First Team and Asia Petty to the second team 

 

The dynamic duo of Kirk and Petty led the Bison in points per game with 15 a piece and they both surpassed the 1000 point mark last season.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

Revenge is so sweet.

 

After losing their last home game of the season to Delaware State in a nail-biting 56-59 finale, the two teams knew they would see each other again in MEAc Conference Tournament.

 

That same three point ending favored Howard as they eliminated the Hornets in the quarterfinals 68-65. 

 

They would lose to Hampton in the semifinals.

 

However, they had no reason to be discouraged.

 

Ron Williamson wasn't going to leave Howard without his mark. 

 

He had three games that made him a strong candidate for the MEAC Player of the Year.

 

He scored 39 points against North Carolina A&T and 31 points against Bethune-Cookman. 

 

However, nothing can top his first performance against the Aggies when he literally shot the light out in Burr. 

 

Williamson set a new school record scoring 52 points on16 of 22 from the field and 11 of 14 from three-point range. 

 

His 52 points broke his teammate Kyle Williams' 43 against Coppin State. 

 

Last season he averaged 23 points per game and scored more than 30 points in six out of seven games.

 

The list goes on and on. 

 

Kyle Williams was nip and tuck at Williamson's heals. He finished the season with 454 points, averaging a little over 15 point a game and shot 65% from the field. 

The 2002-2003 provided excitement in each sport, but like all good things, it must end and next year's recruits have big shoes to fill.