General | 5/26/2017 10:12:00 AM

Director of Athletics Derek Horne Reviews Successful 2016-17 Year

LORMAN, Miss. – With the closure of the 2016-17 athletic year, director of athletics Derek Horne looked back at the growth and accomplishments of the Alcorn State University athletic programs across the board.
 
"It's a great time to be an Alcorn Brave," said Horne, who completed his third year. "Our coaches and student-athletes continue to raise the bar, and some of our programs saw historic success. I am proud to say that Alcorn athletics is headed in the right direction and I am excited for what's in store for the near future."
 
Alcorn won a SWAC East Division title each semester, starting with football in the fall. First-year head coach Fred McNair brought the program to Houston for the third consecutive year to play in the SWAC Championship game.
 
The Braves were led by senior Darien Anderson who earned All-America Third-Team honors by College Sports Madness. Anderson tied the Alcorn single-season record for sacks with 13. Offensively, the Braves rushed for at least 155 yards in 10 of 11 games, and were top-10 in the FCS and first in the SWAC in fewest sacks allowed.
 
"The football program has really established its authority within the conference," Horne said. "Even with the number of obstacles the team encountered, they still went undefeated against SWAC East Division opponents for the second straight year which was very impressive. They were fun to watch at Spinks-Casem Stadium and it allowed our fans to come out in big numbers. We were thankful for the tremendous support."
 
In the spring, the Alcorn softball team wrapped-up the SWAC East Division crown with over two weeks left in the regular season. The Lady Braves dominated the postseason awards as junior Taylor Hughes won SWAC Player and Hitter of the Year, junior Jessica Crum was named Newcomer of the Year and five were tabbed All-Conference.
 
"It's really remarkable to see how far the softball program has come in such a short period of time," Horne said. "It seems like just yesterday that we barely had enough girls to field a team, but Coach Josef Rankin has come in and done an outstanding job. He's transformed the program from last-place to first-place during his tenure."
 
Another big headline of the spring came from the men's golf program and its history-making postseason appearance. Junior Daniel Racioppa became the first Alcorn golfer to ever qualify for NCAA Regionals after winning the SWAC Championships. Furthermore, head coach Danny Forshey was awarded Co-Coach of the Year honors.
 
"The entire athletic department is very proud of Daniel for how he represented the University in the postseason. He's a divine student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA who takes great pride in his performance both in the classroom and on the golf course," Horne said. "Coach Forshey has done a great job to come in as a first-year head coach and have the program compete at the top of the league, both as a team and individuals."
 
Racioppa was one of two individual SWAC champions from Alcorn this year along with Jessica Ransom from the women's track & field squad. Ransom earned a gold medal at the 2017 Indoor Championships in the 400m.
 
"Both the men's and women's track & field programs were loaded with freshmen this year. Coach Brian Johnson added a lot of depth to the rosters, and it's exciting to think where the programs will be in just a few years," Horne said.
 
The highlight of the winter came inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex where the men's basketball program went nearly two months without losing. Head coach Montez Robinson was named SWAC Coach of the Year after his squad was projected to finish in fifth-place in the SWAC Preseason Poll but rose three spots to earn the No. 2 seed. It came after Alcorn went from ninth-place to second-place after his first year.
 
"Watching our men's team win 11 straight games was a joy. It brought national attention to our University as it was the fifth-longest winning-streak in the country. The team went the entire month of February without losing," Horne said. "Because of the job Coach Robinson and his staff have done on and off the court, the program is in good academic standing and does not have any NCAA sanctions moving forward."
 
In two seasons, Robinson hoists a 26-10 conference record. He coached the Braves to back-to-back winning seasons in conference for the first time since 2001-02, 02-03.
 
On the women's side, the Lady Braves had a pair of standout athletes win postseason awards. Senior Henrietta Wells won SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, while junior Alexus Freeman took Newcomer of the Year honors.
 
"Like football, our women's basketball program really had to battle through a lot of adversity. To be as competitive as they were with a short-handed roster speaks volumes to the job Coach Courtney Pruitt and her staff have done," Horne said. "Women's basketball is another sport that has a very bright future at Alcorn."
 
More individual recognition was earned in tennis where junior Kert Kilumets from the men's program won Player of the Year, and Anastasia Vaganova from the women's team was honored Freshman of the Year.
 
"Coach Anthony Dodgen has a proven track record of success. To win 12 championships in 20 years speaks for itself, and tennis always has student-athletes winning postseason awards. It wouldn't surprise many if the men's and women's teams were both at the top of the league as soon as next season."
 
In total, Alcorn State University won two division titles, two individual titles, two Coach of the Year awards, two Player of the Year awards, two Freshman of the Year awards, two Newcomer of the Year awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award. Alcorn placed 10 student-athletes on the All-Conference First-Team and 14 on the All-Conference Second-Team.
 
"To top off a great athletic year, 64 student-athletes earned degrees which was the most in the institutions history," Horne said. "It's very rewarding to know how committed our student-athletes are both athletically and academically, and how dedicated they are at becoming successful in their lives."
 
Below is a full list of awards won at Alcorn during 2016-17.
 
Two SWAC East Division Titles
Football and Softball
 
Two SWAC Individual Champions
Daniel Racioppa, men's golf
Jessica Ransom, women's track (400 meters)
 
Two SWAC Coach of the Years
Montez Robinson, men's basketball
Danny Forshey, men's golf
 
Two SWAC Player of the Years
Kert Kilumets, men's tennis
Taylor Hughes, softball
 
Two SWAC Freshmen of the Years
Rita Okoro, soccer
Anastasia Vaganova, women's tennis
 
One SWAC Defensive Player of the Year
Henrietta Wells, women's basketball
 
Two SWAC Newcomer of the Years
Alexus Freeman, women's basketball
Jessica Crum, softball
 
Four SWAC All-Tournament Team
Reginal Johnson, men's basketball
Nikita Kostikov, men's tennis
Kert Kilumets, men's tennis
Taylor Hughes, softball
 
Three HBCU All-Americans
Darien Anderson, football
Reginal Johnson, men's basketball
Marquis Vance, men's basketball
 
17 SWAC Player of the Week Awards
 
10 All-Conference First-Team Selections
 
14 All-Conference Second-Team Honorees
 
SPORT-BY-SPORT BREAKDOWN
Soccer
Freshman of the Year: Rita Okoro
All-Conference Second-Team: Rita Okoro (Forward)
Player of the Week: Yaira Guardado, Oct. 4, 2016
 
Cross Country
All-Conference Second-Team: Angelica Jacobs
Player of the Week: Qaseem Wajd, Oct. 4, 2016
Player of the Week: Angelica Jacobs, Oct. 4, 2016
Player of the Week: Angelica Jacobs, Oct. 11, 2016
 
Football
College Sports Madness All-America Third-Team: Darien Anderson
C-Spire Conerly Finalist: Darien Anderson
All-Conference First-Team: Darien Anderson
All-Conference First-Team: Eric Foster
All-Conference Second-Team: Detonio Dade
All-Conference Second-Team: Timothy Gardner
All-Conference Second-Team: Michael Brooks
All-Conference Second-Team: Michael Hurns
SWAC Offensive Player of the Week: Noah Johnson, Nov. 14, 2016
HERO Sports Hero of the Week: Noah Johnson, Nov. 14, 2016
SWAC Defensive Player of the Week: Darien Anderson, Oct. 17, 2016
SWAC Special Teams Player of the Week: De'Lance Turner, Oct. 17, 2017
SWAC Offensive Player of the Week: Lenorris Footman, Oct. 10, 2016
SWAC Newcomer of the Week: Trae Ferrell, Oct. 10, 2016
 
Men's Basketball
SWAC Coach of the Year: Montez Robinson
All-Conference First-Team: Marquis Vance
All-Conference Second-Team: Reginal Johnson
SWAC All-Tournament Team: Reginal Johnson
HBCU All-America Second-Team: Marquis Vance
HBCU All-America Second-Team: Reginal Johnson
NABC All-District Second-Team: Reginal Johnson
NABC All-District Co-Coach of the Year: Montez Robinson
SWAC Player of the Week: Reginal Johnson, Feb. 22, 2017
SWAC Player of the Week: Reginal Johnson, Dec. 27, 2016
SGA Coach of the Year: Montez Robinson
SGA Male Athlete of the Year: Reginal Johnson
 
Women's Basketball
SWAC Defensive Player of the Year: Henrietta Wells
SWAC Newcomer of the Year: Alexus Freeman
All-Conference Second-Team: Henrietta Wells
SGA Female Athlete of the Year: Henrietta Wells
 
Softball
Player of the Year: Taylor Hughes
Newcomer of the Year: Jessica Crum
SWAC All-Tournament Team: Taylor Hughes
All-Conference First-Team: Taylor Hughes
All-Conference First-Team: Jessica Crum
All-Conference Second-Team: Sametria Collins
All-Conference Second-Team: Mariah Ortiz
All-Conference Second-Team: Robin Harrison
SWAC Hitter of the Week: Jessica Crum, Feb. 21, 2017
SWAC Hitter of the Week: Mariah Ortiz, March 22, 2017
SWAC Pitcher of the Week: Robin Harrison, April 4, 2017
SWAC Hitter of the Week: Sametria Collins, April 18, 2017
 
Men's Tennis
Player of the Year: Kert Kilumets
All-Tournament Team: Kert Kilumets
All-Tournament Team: Nikita Kostikov
All-Conference First-Team: Kert Kilumets
All-Conference First-Team: Nischay Rawal
All-Conference Second-Team: Ivan Matas
 
Women's Tennis
Freshman of the Year: Anastasia Vaganova
All-Conference First-Team: Anastasia Vaganova
 
Women's Track & Field:
400 Meter Indoor Champion: Jessica Ransom
 
Men's Golf
Conference Champion: Daniel Racioppa
Co-Coach of the Year: Danny Forshey
All-Conference First-Team: Daniel Racioppa
All-Conference Second-Team: Spencer Rhodes
 
Baseball
All-Conference First-Team: Wallace Rios Jimenez
All-Conference Second-Team: Jason Sanez
SWAC Hitter of the Week: Kirt Cormier, Feb. 21, 2017
 
#FearTheBrave