News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

03.27.06: UConn shocked, by George! ... ECU's Frasure earns outdoor qualifications ... Winona State takes Division II hoops title

03.26.06: Bruins end Memphis' run ... Scrimmage moves Pirates toward two-deep .. East Carolina cagers to transfer

03.25.06: Orsini jumps from Central Florida to SMU ... Orr walks the plank at Seton Hall ... USC's Booty sidelined, may face surgery

03.24.06: Western Carolina to retire LeClair's No. 23 ... Memphis reaches Elite Eight, Duke bounced ... Cincinnati at hub of coaching moves

03.23.06: Pirates fine-tune for Friday night scrimmage ... Alford seeks to defuse Indiana speculation ... Citadel forms hoops coach search committee

03.22.06: Southern Miss hurler shares national honor ... Iowa State finds its man ... Sweet 16 teams sweeten the conference pot

03.21.06: VanSant family visitation, memorial announced ... ECU makes strong start in outdoor season ... Webcasts supplement CBS tourney ratings

03.20.06: Memphis marches on ... Former Holland aide leads team into Sweet 16 ... Cowboy grapplers lasso NCAA title

03.19.06: Morgan in charge after Hampton coach quits ... Virginia Wesleyan wins Division III crown ... Report on Title IX goes to Congress

03.18.06: The Big Dance ... literally ... DePaul legend Meyer succumbs at 92 ... Morgan out at Iowa State

03.17.06: Jackie Robinson tops NCAA list ... UTEP out of NIT ... Bomb scare delays San Diego regional

03.16.06: Dean Dome designer dies ... Buckley bounced at Ball State ... Westphal dismissed at Pepperdine ... C-USA Hoops Tournament wrap-up

03.15.06: Seahawk cagers getting it done in classroom ... Title IX update due from government agency ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.14.06: Tulsa draws Wolfpack in women's regional ... Henderson out at Delaware ... Temple icon Chaney says it's time to step down ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.13.06: Memphis gets No. 1 seed ... Villanova's Ray expected to bounce back ...
C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.12.06: Memphis reigns as conference champ ... Pirates' Frasure 7th in NCAA weight throw ... Arizona State ousts basketball coach ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.11.06: Special days designated for football season ... Tulsa scrimmages under Thursday night lights ... Tigers' Carney, Calipari sweep C-USA honors ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.10.06: Koonce accepts position with Packers ... ECU spring football taking spring break ... K-State shows Woolridge the door ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.09.06: Frasure throwing his weight around ... Pirates top Tar Heels in softball ... O'Leary planning to stay at Central Florida ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.08.06: Hinnant makes All
C-USA freshmen team ... ESPN nixes Vitale's commentary on CBS ... Seahawks are dancin' ...
C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.07.06: Rouse earns C-USA distinction ... Spring drills: Depth chart two-plus weeks away ... Marshall, Rice players share hitting honors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.06.06: Tourney: Bucs set for late-night joust with UCF ... ECU spring drills: pads on, snap exchange off ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.05.06: 49ers experience technical difficulties ... Huggins returns for Cincinnati's seniors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.04.06: Pirates to strap on pads today ... Lady Pirates eliminated by Tulsa ... Briefs: More coaching exits; Tourney action ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard & Schedule

03.03.06: Lady Pirates nip UAB in C-USA Tournament ... UAB stuns Memphis to boost dance prospects ... Mile High hosting in-state rivals ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.02.06: Lady Pirates Young, Mills collect accolades ... Cover boy Redick and Duke tripped by hex ... Marlins need 9th-inning rally to edge Miami ...
C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.01.06: Golden Hurricane starts spring workouts ... Tulane's 'refugee' grid team returning home ... Cage coaching merry-go-round speeds up ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

Duke president Richard H. Brodhead has issued a statement regarding an investigation of allegations of sexual assault on a stripper by members of the Blue Devil lacrosse team.

"Physical coercion and sexual assault are unacceptable in any setting and have no place at Duke," Brodhead said. "The criminal allegations against three members of our men’s lacrosse team, if verified, will warrant very serious penalties. The facts are not yet established, however, and there are very different versions of the central events. No charges have been filed, and in our system of law, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We also know that many members of the team, including some who were asked to provide DNA samples, did not attend the party.

"I urge everyone to cooperate to the fullest with the police inquiry while we wait to learn the truth.

"Whatever that inquiry may show, it is already clear that many students acted in a manner inappropriate to a Duke team member in participating in the March 13 party. I applaud Athletics Director Joe Alleva for responding to the conduct that is not in question even as we wait for the investigation to determine the truth about disputed parts of the events."

Southern Miss and Houston each opened Conference USA baseball play by sweeping their respective opponents in all three games this past weekend, according to the conference web site. The Golden Eagles won all three on the road at UAB, while the Cougars took care of business against Marshall on the UH campus.

The Southern Miss bats have been inconsistent this spring, but they were solid in this three-game set, as the Golde Eagles scored at least seven times in each outing, plating 27 total runs.

Houston used a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting to hand Marshall three straight defeats in its first-ever C-USA series. The Cougars allowed only two runs in the series, while improving to 12-3 at Cougar Field this season.

Rice and Tulane each opened up their weekend with Friday night surprises. The Owls bullpen lost a lead and Rice then lost its first C-USA game, falling 4-3 to East Carolina. Adam Amar hit three home runs as Memphis opened an 11-0 lead before winning, 11-4 over the Green Wave.

However, both Rice and Tulane came back to win the final two games of their respective series'. as they head towards a showdown next weekend in New Orleans. CSTV will air Friday night's game live at 6:30 p.m. CT.

In non-conference play, Central Florida dropped a tough pitchers duel at Texas Christian on Friday night, 2-1, before rebounding to win the final two games of the series and improve to 16-11 on the season.

In front of a full house at the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center, the Auburn men's swimming and diving team put together an amazing finale to capture its fourth straight and sixth overall NCAA title and give head coach David Marsh his third sweep of the NCAA men and women's crowns. Auburn claimed the crown with 480.5 points, followed by Arizona with 440.5 points.

"Every championship is different for us," Marsh said via the university athletics web site. "This men's team in particular has come from everywhere and it took all year to bring this team together. The last two months I saw synergy happening within our team and you have to have that at this meet to be successful. I am very proud of how our men stepped up together and we are excited to return another NCAA title home to Auburn University."

The phrase "strength in numbers" said it all for Auburn on the final day as depth propelled the men to the championship, giving Auburn swimming and diving its 10th national title since Marsh took over the AU program during the 1990-91 season.

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.