News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

12.25.06: Aborted flight grounds ECU fans ... Utes' get their kicks at Tulsa's expense ... Fumbles leave Lobos lamenting

12.24.06: Returnees yield No. 1 baseball ranking for Rice ... Owls wings clipped again at Superdome ... Air Force alum succeeds DeBerry

12.23.06: Nifong hangs on to unraveling Duke rape case ... BYU seniors realize their dream in Las Vegas ... Paulus wows homefolks, Coach K in Big Apple ... Appalachian State basking in a multi-sport roll

12.22.06: Former ECU assistant Brindise leaving coaching ... USF's Burnett apparently out for bowl ... ECU's Mills scores 24 in losing effort in Cancun

12.21.06: Cavanaugh joins Pirate baseball staff ... Lady Pirates lose opener in Cancun to Pitt ... Derek Dooley leaving Dolphins for La. Tech

12.20.06: ECU's Graham getting double exposure ... Stanford names Harbaugh as new coach ... Women's hoops contest called due to rain

12.19.06: ECU's Allison selected for Senior Bowl ... BC picks longtime ECU assistant Jagodzinski ... Television numbers up for college football

12.18.06: Former ECU aide Calloway takes helm at UAB ... Auburn suspends 3 from bowl game ... 17,000-plus watch Nebraska win volleyball title

12.17.06: Orange Bowl resets ECU-Wake hoops to Jan. 1 ... Spurrier's wife, Lawing commit infractions ... Rebs, Bulldogs shuffled on Memphis schedule

12.16.06: Appalachian State repeats as I-AA champ ... DeBerry announces retirement at Air Force ... Possible perp in Pata shooting held in Boston

12.15.06: Boone booming with football success ... All-America: Rice's Dillard and UTEP's Higgins ... Miami offensive coordinator moving to ASU

12.14.06: Grobe gets national recognition for coaching ... ECU soccer duo receives honors

12.13.06: Pirate baseball competes to get in shape ... Holy Toledo! Green Wave's search over ... Arizona State fills football coaching void

12.12.06: Garrard not complaining after Jags win ... Rutgers' Schiano named coach of year ... Wolfpack dominates Lady Pirates in Raleigh

12.11.06: Watson Brown heads home to Tennessee Tech ... Boston College names Spaziani interim coach ... Georgia Tech's Johnson wins Biletnikoff award

12.10.06: Junior Smith involved in Cox commitment ... WVU's Rodriguez says no to Bama's big bucks ... Boykin leaves Blue Devils hoops program

12.09.06: Garrard named AFC player of the week ... C-USA players of year: Kolb, Bunting, Higgins ,,, Miami elevates Shannon to head coach

12.08.06: Rivers tips off conclusion of coaching search ... Orioles' Roberts serving FCA baseball camps ... Hoops: Lady Pirates defeat UNC-Wilmington

12.07.06: Nine Pirates named to all-conference teams ... League honors four ECU freshman gridders ... Recruiting thumbnail: Rodney Cox ... ECU's Norris named to All-South 2nd team

12.06.06: UTEP's Higgins named AFCA All-American ... Memphis thumps Herd in C-USA hoops opener ... C-USA names top cross country performers

12.05.06: First-ever Gators- Buckeyes match-up a big one ... Boise State crashes BCS party in Fiesta ... Seminoles top Lady Pirates for tourney title

12.04.06: New recruiting thumbnail: Tyrell Worthington ... McFadden leads Independence into title game ... Bearcats bound for new bowl in Toronto

12.03.06: Paper: Hudson among Cincy coaching targets ... UAB ousted from NCAA volleyball by UCLA

12.02.06: Witter wins minor league baseball honor ... Millican in position in LPGA qualifying ... ECU announces challenging softball slate

12.01.06: C-USA announces football players of year ... Rice's Graham gets coach of year award ... ECU's Krug lands All-America honor

11.30.06: T.H. issues direct appeal to fans for ticket sales ... New recruiting thumbnail: Maurice Mercer ... Dougherty, Johnson first team All-Conference ... Five from ECU on C-USA All-Freshman team

11.29.06: C-USA bowl slate sends ECU to Birmingham ... SMU's Needham a finalist for Hermann Trophy ... Bearcats coach bolts for Michigan State

11.28.06: ECU's Roach on
C-USA academic team ... Wager on Clemson-South Carolina turns deadly ... Shula era comes to end at Alabama

11.27.06: C-USA title game features UH-USM rematch ... Bunting farewell to press a succinct one ... ECU announces swimming, diving signees

11.26.06: Pirates add Lugo to 2008 baseball class ... VCU prevails over ECU in women's hoops ... Tulsa gains momentum for postseason trip

11.25.06: ECU-bound Herlocker paces Charlotte Catholic ... Miami enters search mode for football coach ... BC out of ACC title contention

11.24.06: Herd takes ECU hopes to Hattiesburg ... Gonzaga has a Garden party in NIT semis ... Iowa State search eliminates two candidates

11.23.06: Yow taking leave of absence for treatment ... Marshall's Bradshaw nabs
C-USA weekly honor

11.22.06: Pirates face Houston if Marshall wins ... Former teammates push Raye for MSU coach ... SMU's Wideman named academic player of year

11.21.06: Duke, Wake athletes named Rhodes scholars ... UAB captures Conference USA volleyball ... Old Dominion stuns Georgetown on the road

11.20.06: Ohio State-Michigan rematch possible ... Video helps inspire Tar Heels to beat State ... Cords stepping down as AD at Marquette

11.19.06: Cougars to host USM or ECU in C-USA title game ... ECU falls in women's hoops to Vermont ... Pirate swimming teams in seventh place

11.18.06: ECU baseball bringing in 10-man class ... UTEP edges Pirates in C-USA volleyball ... West Virginia steamrolls Pitt

11.17.06: Pirates reschedule hoops contest with NCCU ... ECU volleyball places 3 on all- league team ... Top-ranked SMU goes down in NCAA soccer

11.16.06: Paterno's hall of fame induction postponed ... Tressel downplays his dominance vs. Michigan ... ECU softball announces pair of signees

For the third straight year and the six time in the last nine years, the East Carolina women's soccer team received the 2006 NSCAA team academic award.

To qualify for this academic award, teams must average at least a 3.0 in the 2005 fall and 2006 spring semesters. The Lady Pirates combined to average a 3.39 GPA after earning a 3.57 GPA during the spring of 2006 and a 3.22 GPA in the fall of 2005, according to a release from the ECU athletic media relations department.

In the spring of 2006, ECU had 17 out of 23 players earn a 3.5 or higher and 21 out of 23 players earned a 3.0 or higher. Six Lady Pirates earned a 4.0. Out of 821 NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA schools, the Lady Pirates finished tied for the 54th best GPA (top 7 percent) in the nation in 2005-2006.

"First, I applaud the NSCAA for recognizing academic achievement," said ECU coach Rob Donnenwirth. "Earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award is always a goal for our team. I appreciate all the hard work and dedication from the players on the team and also our academic advisor, Carlester Crumpler and assistant coach Shannon St. George for following the team's progress."

The largest crowd in Sheraton Hawaii Bowl history (43,435) saw Hawaii score 38 second-half points to defeat Arizona State, 41-24, on Christmas Eve at Aloha Stadium.

The win gave the Warriors their 11th victory of the season, tying a school record set in 1992, according to the Hawaii athletic website.

Warrior quarterback Colt Brennan threw for a school record 559 yards (33 of 42) and five touchdowns, giving him 58 touchdowns passes on the season, a new NCAA record.

Jason Rivers tied the school record with 14 catches for a school-record and NCAA bowl game record 308 yards and two touchdowns.

Both were named Sheraton Hawaii Bowl co-Most Valuable Players, along with Arizona State's Ryan Torain who finished the game with 18 carries for 160 yards and one touchdown.

For the first time since opening day, Hawaii (11-3) did not score a touchdown in the first half, squandering scoring opportunities, a missed field goal in the first quarter, and an interception in the second, allowing Arizona State to take a 10-3 halftime lead.

But the Warriors erupted for 21 points in the third quarter when Brennan threw touchdown strikes to Rivers (38 yards), and two to Ryan Grice-Mullen (7 and 36-yards respectively) to take a 24-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Grice-Mullen finished with eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Dan Kelly added a 43-yard field goal before Arizona State (7-6) scored 14 straight points to cut the Warrior lead to three, 27-24, with 10:25 left to play.

But Brennan and the Warrior offense were not finished. Brennan found Davone Bess for a 21-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive, and Rivers capped a 95-yard drive with a 79-yard touchdown catch-and-run to seal the win.

The Hawaii offense racked up a season high 680 total yards, while the defense held Arizona State to 391 yards, sacked Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter four times, and forced two fumbles, one in the red zone halting a ASU drive, and another which led to a field goal.

Head coach June Jones recorded his 64th victory in eight seasons at the Warrior helm, making him the school's all-time winningest coach, surpassing Dick Tomey's wins in 10 seasons.

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 electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.