Saturday, January 31, 2009

More from Charlotte's win over Winthrop

--Both Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz and Winthrop coach Randy Peele seem pleased with the new series and appear open to extending it beyond the original three-year deal. "In the past six years, you've had a lot of success in a 45-mile radius of here, with us, Charlotte and Davidson," Peele said. "When you aspire to play in the NCAA tournament every year, and you have a program 40 minutes away in the Atlantic 10, you should play that game. I just wish we had played better." In a season where wins have been hard to come by thus far, Lutz said any extra incentive is good. "When you're struggling, it's nice to be at home. We had a good crowd and hopefully this is the first of a lot of games to come," he said. "I think it's a good game for both schools and both communities."

--Charlotte showed vast improvement in rebounding over its performance against Xavier, although the 49ers were still beaten on the boards (31-30). Charlotte was hurt most on the offensive end, losing that battle 14-8.

--Ian Andersen now has 141 career 3-pointers and has surpassed 49er Byron Dinkins for 10th all-time in career 3-pointers made.

Niners women beat Fordham 60-38

The Charlotte 49ers women's team used a balanced scoring attack with three players in double figures to overwhelm Atlantic 10 Fordham 60-38 Saturday at Halton Arena.

The win is Charlotte's six straight overall and in league play since opening the season with a home loss to Xavier.

Danielle Burgin scored 14 and Erin Floyd and Shannon McCallum each scored 12 for Charlotte (15-6, 6-1). The 49ers held Fordham to nine-percent shooting in the first half and 19.6 percent for the game.

"In the first half, our defense was terrific. I don't think they could run their offense for the first eight minutes or so," said Charlotte coach Karen Aston. "But we couldn't hit a shot. We missed a lot of open looks tonight."

Charlotte returns to action Tuesday playing at A-10 rival Saint Louis.

Friday, January 30, 2009

49ers women look for sixth straight win

The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team (14-6, 5-1) looks for its sixth consecutive win when it hosts Atlantic 10 rival Fordham (7-13, A-10: 0-5) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Halton Arena, part of a doubleheader with the men's team.

Junior Aysha Jones leads four 49ers in double-figures by averaging 12.9 points per game. Sophomore Shannon McCallum, who recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a victory at Richmond, is second on the team at 11.9 points per game.

This game will mark the fourth meeting between Charlotte and Fordham. The 49ers have won all three of the previous meetings including a 79-55 win at Fordham last season. The team's current director of basketball operations, Sabina Gregory, led Charlotte with 17 points in that game.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

More storm pics from Cincy











Winter storm pics from Cincy







Niners game at Xavier a go

Although its campus is closed and classes cancelled due to a severe winter storm in the area, Xavier released a statement this morning saying as of now the men's basketball game with the Charlotte 49ers tonight at 7:30 p.m. will be played as scheduled.

FSL plan: Frequently asked questions

Stan Olson answers the frequently asked questions about the Charlotte 49ers' just-released football ticket pricing arrangement, along with other football concerns for the school.

WHAT IS AN FSL? It's short for Forty-Niner Seat License. Purchasing one gives you the right to buy tickets for that seat annually in the future. You will still have to buy game tickets in a season ticket package for each seat.

HOW DOES THE FSL TIER SYSTEM WORK? The Green Tier is based on the chancellor's original requirement that the school receive applications for at least 5,000 FSL's at $1,000 each in order to move forward with football plans. The school has done so, and now has added the Gold Tier.

For up to four Green Tier seats, no contribution to the athletic foundation is required, but your seat location -- between the end zone and the 30 yard line -- can be reassigned each year based on your rank in the 49ers Athletic Foundation. With a $250 contribution annually to the foundation, those four seats can remain the same. If you purchase more than four seats, an annual contribution is required -- $1,500 for five to eight, $2,500 for nine to 12 and $5,000 for 13 to 16.

Gold Tier seating guarantees you a location in the best seats, between the 30 yard lines. FSLs for those seats are $2,500 each, and one to four seats require an athletic foundation donation of $1,500 annually. That increases, with five to eight seats requiring a donation of $2,500; nine to 12 seats, $5,000 and 13 to 16, $8,500.

WHY IS THE PLAN SET UP THAT WAY? To increase revenue — the better seats in most stadiums come at a premium, and it will be so with Charlotte as well. “We have provided another tier for folks who want to have better seats,” said Charlotte athletics director Judy Rose. “It's not unusual for there to be more than one pricing level for better seats. Of course, there's never a bad seat in a 15,000-seat stadium.”

WILL MY FSL BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE? No, but if you make a contribution to the athletic foundation, that is 80 percent tax deductible.

IS THERE A FINANCING PLAN? Yes. Payments can be divided into four annual installments.

HOW WILL SEATING PRIORITY BE DETERMINED? Active Athletic Foundation members as of June 30, 2013, will have their FSLs assigned by rank (based on accumulated Priority Points earned through the foundation) within their tier of purchase. Priority Points are determined by consecutive years of membership in the Athletic Foundation, the amount of your current gift, the total lifetime giving and consecutive years of buying basketball season tickets. A lifetime bonus equal to the total cost of the FSLs will be applied to all active foundation members' accounts.

WHAT IF I SKIP MY ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION OR DON'T BUY TICKETS? If you have a Gold account and skip your contribution, you will be placed in the Green Tier. If you are in the Green Tier, you may lose your location in the tier. If you don't purchase season tickets, you will lose your FSLs.

I'M ON THE RESERVATION LIST. WHAT DO I DO TO ORDER AND PAY FOR MY FSL? You have until Friday, April 3, to complete your purchase by either completing the Charlotte 49ers Seat License Brochure application or by completing the online application at www.charlotte49erfootball.com. That website will be operational on Thursday.

HOW DO I PURCHASE FSLs WITHOUT A RESERVATION? You can complete the purchasing process online and be placed on the FSL waiting list. After April 3, those on that list will have their order validated based on the date they completed the purchasing process. If you are buying at the Gold Tier, though, you may purchase immediately.

CAN I UPGRADE FROM GREEN TO GOLD LATER? Yes, if there are Gold Tier seats available.

CAN I TRANSFER FSLs TO SOMEONE ELSE? All FSLs can be transferred to immediate family members — parents, children, spouse, siblings or grandchildren — at any time, free of charge.

HOW ABOUT TRANSFERRING TO A NON-FAMILY MEMBER? After June 30, 2012, FSLs can be transferred to anyone else by paying a transfer fee of $300 for each account transferred.

HOW DOES CHARLOTTE'S PLAN STACK UP WITH OTHER AREA SCHOOLS? Appalachian State, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) that Charlotte will begin play in, offers tickets between the 40-yard lines for a minimum total contribution of $500 plus the cost of tickets.

At Clemson, a $350 per seat donation to the school's IPTAY foundation plus the $299 cost of a season ticket buys a seat on the 20-yard line. That means that four seats in that area would cost $2,596 annually.

WHERE WILL THE 49ERS PLAY IN 2013? It won't be on-campus, because that stadium has not yet been begun, and the construction timetable remains uncertain. The best bet would be in a refurbished Memorial Stadium, which could seat 24,000 or so for football. “In that case, there would be walk-up sales and sales to the general public,” Rose said, but she added that in a smaller facility and later in the on-campus stadium, there might be no tickets available for the non-FSL-holding public. “But nothing has solidified at this point. A lot of (site) conversations took place before the enconomy turned the way that it did and nobody knows what kind of funding is going to be available.”

WHEN IS THE ON-CAMPUS STADIUM EXPECTED TO OPEN, AND DO I HAVE TO BUY AN FSL TO BUY TICKETS? At this time, the only way to guarantee your right to buy tickets is through an FSL. Should the 49ers initially play in a larger facility, tickets for the public could be available.

CAN I GET MY FSLs IN A BLOCK WITH MY FRIENDS? Yes. But seating location will be based on Athletic Foundation Rank, and individuals who want to sit together will be assigned at the lowest-ranking member of the block on the Prioity Points scale.

CAN I APPLY A COMPANY MATCH TO MY FLSs? No. Because of the ownership and tranferability of the FSL, the purchase is not considered an outright contribution.

HOW WILL THE 15,000 PLANNED SEATS IN THE ON-CAMPUS STADIUM BE DISTRIBUTED? Half of the seats (7,500) will be FSLs. The remainder are expected to be given to students, the visiting team and possibly administration and faculty.

HOW MANY FSLs ARE AVAILABLE? IS THERE A MAXIMUM OR A GOAL? The 7,500 FSLs that are scheduled to be sold include 5,500 in the Green Tier, 1,800 in the Gold Tier and 200 in a White Gold Tier for a select group of seats that would go to corporations or individuals who make large gifts to the program.

SO WHEN DOES CHARLOTTE PLAY NORTH CAROLINA OR N.C. STATE? The 49ers, as we mentioned, will start out playing at the FCS level (63 scholarships), and will face BCS teams (85 scholarships) such as the Tar Heels or Wolfpack only when the latter agree to a game. “We would stay 1-AA indefinitely, at which time a decision would be made based on financial support for moving forward to the next level,” Rose said.

SO WHAT KIND OF BASE WILL THE SCHOOL BE ABLE TO DRAW FROM? According to university officials, Charlotte has 47,000 degreed alumni in the Greater Charlotte Metro area. Of course, many have not been involved in the school's athletics in the past; the basketball program sold 2,500 season tickets this year.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

UPDATE: Niners arrive in Dayton

The Charlotte 49ers' men's basketball team's flight for tomorrow's game against No. 10 Xavier has been cancelled because of bad weather in Cincinnati. The 49ers have been rebooked on a morning flight to arrive around 11:30 Wednesday morning for Wednesday night's game. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

UPDATE: For fear they might not get to Cincinnati at all if they wait until Wednesday, the 49ers are now attempting to take a flight tonight to Dayton and bus over to Cincinnati.

UPDATE 2: The 49ers safely arrived in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday evening but due to the large amount of sleet in the Cincinnati area will remain overnight in Dayton and wait to bus to Cincy until Wednesday morning.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Jordan named A-10 rookie of the week

Following a standout weekend at the UNC Classic in Chapel Hill, Charlotte 49ers freshman sprinter Sam Jordan was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.

Jordan finished third in the 60m dash and then later finished sixth in the 200m dash at the meet. The Wilmington native owns the top time in the Atlantic 10 this season in the 60m dash with his 6.81 second time.

Earlier in the season, Jordan ran the team’s fastest 200m dash time (a 21.99 second 1/8th of a mile at the Appalachian State Meet in December).

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Charlotte tops Dayton in women's hoops

Aysha Jones’ 3-point play with 32 two seconds remaining helped the Charlotte 49ers to 60-57 Atlantic 10 victory Saturday over Dayton at Halton Arena.

Jones’ basket and free throw gave the 49ers a four-point lead. Kayla Moses scored on a layup with 26 seconds for Dayton, but a defensive stop and free throw from Shannon McCallum gave Charlotte (13-6, 4-1) its fourth consecutive win.

Dayton (13-7, 2-2) led 24-22 at halftime but Charlotte started the second half with a 28-8 run that gave it a 50-32 lead with 11 minutes, 36 seconds left. Kristin Daugherty’s layup for Dayton with 47 seconds left cut Charlotte’s lead to one but the Flyers never got the lead in the second half.

Ashley Spriggs led the 49ers with 16 points while Danielle Burgin’s 14 rebounds helped Charlotte to a 47-34 advantage on the boards.

"I think we set a record for walks in the first half. We were doing the things we talked about really well - we were defending and we were rebounding," said Charlotte coach Karen Aston.

"We tried to make some adjustments in our offense in the second half based on how (Dayton) was guarding us. I tried to offer some solutions instead of saying, 'Y'all aren't doing what you're supposed to be doing.' I think it helped us calm down a little bit."

The 49ers remain in a tie for second place in the Atlantic 10 with Richmond, who Charlotte plays on Tuesday.

Charlotte 49ers remember Kay Yow

The Charlotte 49ers held a moment of silence Saturday in honor of N.C. State women's basketball coach Kay Yow prior to their game with Dayton at Halton Arena.

Although not at the game, Judy Rose, Charlotte's athletics director and former women’s basketball coach spoke to The Observer about Yow.

“I’ve known Kay since I first came to Charlotte as basketball coach. Kay was always so genuine, never elegant or unapproachable, always so humble. She is synonymous with women’s basketball,” said Rose, who is attending the National Athletics Directors Mid-Winter Meetings in Marco Island, Fla.

“Kay was such a great mentor. You’ve seen this year all the former players and colleagues who have gone out of their way to be with Kay, work for her causes and do anything they can for her. They do that because they want to give back to her, because she gave so much to them.

“It doesn’t surprise me Kay made her fight with breast cancer such a public one. It’s my guess that was every bit intentional. She is a teacher, first and foremost, and this was a lesson in how you deal with tough things in life. She stood before the world and said, ‘I’m alive and I’m going to fight. Don’t give up.’

“I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend several minutes with Kay early in the season when our women’s team played in their tournament in Raleigh. She was sitting in the stands for our game, scouting our team and we visited for a little while. I’m so glad I had that chance. She will be greatly missed.”

After Saturday's game, won by Charlotte 60-57, 49ers coach Karen Aston talked about Yow: "There is an ultimate level of respect for Kay. When you think of the pioneers of the game, the names that come to mind for me are Pat (Summitt), Jody (Conrad), Kay and Vivian (Stringer). It’s because of what they did for the game before the game mattered to anyone. They loved the game for what it was and they went out and made it better and got it exposed for all of us to enjoy what we have today.

“If you knew her, you remember her graciousness, her kindness. She never met a stranger. We brought our team up there to play this year and we had a banquet the night before. She, obviously, wasn’t well at that point but took the time to meet with the teams, to give a talk to all the teams. She had pictures made with our players. She never didn’t take time to do those types of things. She tried to touch someone’s life with her example. She is an incredible role model for us as coaches and what she has done for the awareness of breast cancer is phenomenal.”

Friday, January 23, 2009

Former 49ers track star receives honor

Former all-America track and field triple jumper Sharonda Johnson is one of three UNC Charlotte doctoral students nominated to attend the 59th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting to be held in Lindau, Germany, this summer.
During her college career with the 49ers, Johnson was named the 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. National Sports Scholar of the Year and last April was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Fellowship for graduate study and research.
About 500 young researchers from around the world meet and engage in discussions with more than 20 Nobel Laureates during the week-long meeting in Lindau. More than 20,000 young researchers apply to attend with only 50 to 60 graduate students chosen from the United States. This year’s meeting is dedicated to chemistry.

--The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team (12-6, 3-1) puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it hosts Atlantic 10 foe Dayton (13-6, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Halton Arena. Prior to the game the 49ers will have a presentation honoring senior center Danielle Burgin for scoring her 1,000th career point.
Admission to the game is $5 for adults. While all youth (17-and-under) and 49ers students with a valid student ID are admitted free.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Notes from Charlotte's win over UMass

Some further notes from Charlotte’s overtime victory over Massachusetts on Wednesday night:

--Confidence is a funny thing. Just when you think a player may be lacking it, it shows up. Junior shooting guard Ian Andersen was struggling with his shot much of the game and appeared frustrated when he was whistled for a foul late in the second half that sent UMass to the free throw line. The Minutemen took a four-point lead but Andersen responded with a pair of 3-pointers that tied the game and sent it to overtime. He ended the night 3-of-9 from the field.
“I was struggling but it was not where I was going to just give up good shots. My teammates got me really good shots. Coach had confidence to leave me on the floor even though I was struggling,” Andersen said. “You always have to have the mentality of, ‘I want this next shot. If it’s coming to me, I’m going to hit this next shot.'"

--Sophomore forward An’Juan Wilderness played in his third consecutive game after missing several with a stress fracture in his foot. Wilderness, however, still does not participate fully in practice. Late in Wednesday’s game after contact with a UMass player, Wilderness limped off the court but returned after a couple minutes. Team officials said he should be ready to play Saturday at Temple.

--Several men’s basketball players received academic recognition for their work in the Fall 2008 semester. Walk-on guard Kyle Church was named to the Chancellor’s List; freshman Shamarr Bowden was named to the Dean’s List; and RaShad Coleman, Charles Dewhurst, Gaby Ngoundjo and An’Juan Wilderness were named to the Athletic Director’s List.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Gerrity transfers to Southern California

Former Charlotte 49ers point guard Michael Gerrity has transferred to Southern California and will have 1 1/2 seasons of eligibility remaining.

Gerrity, who transferred to Charlotte from Pepperdine, has joined USC and started practice last week but will not be eligible to play in a game until after the conclusion of the fall 2009 semester.

Gerrity quit the 49ers following Charlotte's three-game offseason trip to Canada but remained enrolled in school through the fall semester.

On his departure from Charlotte, Gerrity told the Los Angeles Daily News: "Style-wise I just didn't feel it was the best fit.''

Monday, January 19, 2009

Burgin named co-player of week

Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball’s senior forward Danielle Burgin was named Atlantic 10 co-player of the week for her performances in the 49ers' road wins at Massachusetts and Rhode Island last week.

Burgin nearly recorded the program’s second triple-double when she scored 21 points, grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and tallied eight block shots in the 49ers' 67-53 win at Massachusetts on Wednesday.

She scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the 49ers' 60-39 win at Rhode Island on Sunday. For the week, Burgin averaged 19 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

The 49ers women’s basketball team (11-6, 2-1) battles Atlantic 10 foe Saint Louis (8-10, 2-1) in Halton Arena on Tuesday in a special Education Day tipoff at noon.

The 49ers have invited several area schools to participate in the Education Day events that begin at 10 a.m. with members of the 49ers athletic department talking on a variety of educational topics.

Charlotte track athletes honored

Three Charlotte student athletes picked up three-quarters of the Atlantic 10 weekly track and field awards following a successful weekend meet at Virginia Tech.

Senior Lamarra Currie picked up her second A-10 Performer of the Week award following her win the 60m dash and turn in a season-best time in the 200m dash. Both of her performances at Virginia Tech place her at the top of the A-10 for the current indoor season.

Sophomore Darius Law picked up his second Performer of the Week honor following up on his record setting performance in the 400m dash. Law’s 400m dash time was his second runner-up finish in the event on the year, while he snapped the 400m dash indoor school record for the second time this year. The Raleigh native also owns two indoor school records - the 300m and 400m dash marks, respectively.

Following his second career meet at the collegiate level, freshman Jake Deaton rookie of the week honors following a seventh place performance at the Hokie Invitational with his 49'9 ¾" toss in the shot put event. Deaton’s throw won his flight and was the third best throw in Charlotte history in the event.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

49ers' Salvaggione selected in MLS draft

Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer standout senior forward Chris Salvaggione was selected in the third round of Thursday's Major League Soccer's Superdraft. He was the 38th pick overall.
"It is a dream come true to be picked in the MLS draft," Salvaggione said. "Playing professional soccer is the thing that I have been working towards the past 17 years."
Salvaggione played a major role in helping the 49ers earn their first national ranking this season since 1998. He named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year as well as first-team all-conference for the second straight season.

-- Jim Utter

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Charlotte-St. Joe's tip moved to noon Sunday

Charlotte's men's basketball game at Saint Joseph's on Sunday has been moved to a noon start time to avoid a conflict with the NFC championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. The game was originally scheduled for 4 p.m.

The game will still be televised by CBS College Sports.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Niners baseball named A-10 favorite

--- The Charlotte 49ers baseball team has been picked by the league's head coaches to win the 2009 Atlantic 10 baseball championship. The 49ers topped the preseason poll followed by Xavier and Rhode Island.

Charlotte is coming off consecutive 40-game seasons and became the first A10 program since Virginia Tech in 1999-2000 to win consecutive league titles and seek to become the first to win three in a row. Charlotte has a record of 92-28 over the past two seasons and will be led this year by junior first baseball Rob Lyerly, a second-team preseason All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball.

The rest of the preseason poll: Richmond, Dayton, Temple, George Washington, Duquesne, Fordham, St. Bonaventure, Massachusetts, Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's and La Salle.

The six-team conference baseball championship is May 20-23 in Dayton, Ohio, at Fifth Third Field.

--- Charlotte sophomore men's basketball forward Charles Dewhurst had successful surgery on Friday to repair a dislocated right knee and accompanying ligament damage.

The damage was more extensive than first thought and will likely require extended rehabilitation time, team officials said. Dewhurst is still expected to make a full recovery but will need six to eight months.

Dewhurst is expected to be unable to participate in the 2009 Maccabiah Games July 12-23 in Israel. He was invited to play on the U.S. open men's basketball team which will be coached by Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. With his extended recovery time, it will be virtually impossible for Dewhurst to make the team.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Golf coach Green resigns to coach Duke

Jamie Green, who led the Charlotte 49ers' men’s golf team to the highest ever NCAA finish for any of the school’s athletic teams, has resigned to become coach at Duke.

Green, in his sixth season, led Charlotte to the NCAA tournament four times and won three straight Atlantic 10 championships. In 2007, Charlotte advanced through the NCAA Regional and finished tied for third in the national championship, the best finish for any of the school’s sports team.

“This is easily the hardest coaching decision I’ve ever made,” said Green, who guided the 49ers to 17 tournament titles over the past 4½ years. “Our golf program has been given every resource and every opportunity to compete at the highest level and I am just so fortunate that we found the players that could attain that.”

Assistant coach Adam Pry, a finalist for the 2008 Jan Strickland Assistant Coach of the Year Award, will serve as 49ers interim coach through spring season. Charlotte will delay its search for a permanent replacement until after the 2009 season.

“We wish him well at Duke,” Charlotte athletics director Judy Rose said of Green. “We are committed to provide the same type of quality leadership as we move forward.”

Noting the Niners: Doubly successful

News and notes from the Charlotte 49ers:

--- For the second straight season, Charlotte 49ers doubles partners Yudeshnee Pillay (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Ana Spivakovsky (Beer-Sheva, Israel) enter the season ranked 15th in the Southeast at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll.
The duo is 30-7 together in the past year-and-a-half. They finished 7-3 in the fall and 14-2 last spring. Following a 9-2 performance in fall 2007, they were also ranked 15th in the same poll.

--- A reminder that Charlotte's men's basketball game Saturday with Tulsa will begin at 4 p.m. at Halton Arena. It was originally scheduled for Saturday evening but the time was changed to accommodate fans who may wish to attend or watch the Carolina Panthers' NFL playoff game that evening.

--- The Charlotte women's basketball team (9-5) opens Atlantic 10 play Sunday hosting Xavier at noon at Halton Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Observations: Duquesne beats Charlotte

Observations/Jim Utter

-- Sometimes there is unexpected justice. Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz was riding an official late in the first half for not calling two different Duquesne players making contact with point guard DiJuan Harris as he brought the ball up the court. Harris then passed the ball to Charlie Coley, who banked in a 3-pointer with seven seconds left – and was fouled. He completed the 4-point play and Lutz visibly expressed his satisfaction.

-- Sophomore An’Juan Wilderness, who has missed the last two games with a stress fracture in his foot, participated in shootaround on Wednesday afternoon and hoped to make an appearance in Wednesday night’s game. During pre-game warm-ups, he opted to wait until his planned return Saturday against Tulsa.

-- Charlotte had three scholarship players miss the road trip to Duquesne. Boston College transfer Shamari Spears can’t travel with the team this season; sophomore Charles Dewhurst remained home to prepare for surgery Friday on his right knee; and freshman Shamarr Bowden – who is out this season with a knee injury himself – was asked to remain home so a walk-on, 6-foot-3 sophomoe Tramaine Price, could travel and practice with the team.

Beam on All-America scholar team

Charlotte 49ers women's soccer standout Hailey Beam, a junior midfielder, has been named a first-team NSCAA Scholar All-American.

Beam, named the Atlantic-10 Conference's women's soccer student-athlete of the year, has a 3.87 GPA in finance. On the field, she was named a third-team NSCAA All-American.

Beam, a former star at Charlotte Country Day, played an integral role in helping the 49ers win their third straight A-10 regular season title and second consecutive tournament title.

The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season and finished with a school-record 18 wins. Beam was named most outstanding player in the conference tournament for the second consecutive season.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Salvaggione off to MLS combine

Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer standout Chris Salvaggione will participate in this weekend’s Major League Soccer Player combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The top 65 college seniors have been invited to demonstrate their skills in front of the coaching staffs and general managers of the 15 MLS teams. MLSnet.com lists Salvaggione among the top MLS Superdraft prospects. The draft will be Jan. 15 in St. Louis.
Salvaggione, who played his first two collegiate seasons at Gardner-Webb, helped the 49ers win three regular-season tournaments and post 12 victories while gaining a national ranking in 2008, their first since 1998.
Salvaggione, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior forward, was named second-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Associated of America and first-team NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region. He was also named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

MRI: Dewhurst has 2 torn knee ligaments

A MRI on Sunday showed Charlotte 49ers sophomore forward Charles Dewhurst has ACL and MCL tears in his right knee. He is scheduled for surgery at the end of the week, team officials confirmed.
Dewhurst, who starred at Charlotte Latin, was injured during the second half of Saturday’s 10-point loss at Maryland. He had just scored a layup to tie the game at 49 when he fell hard to the floor.
Dewhurst will miss the rest of the season – the second time during his short collegiate career he has been sidelined by injury.
Shortly into his first season, Dewhurst suffered a high ankle sprain during practice. He never played again, using the season as a redshirt. He was a redshirt freshman last season. Dewhurst averaged 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season and had been serving as backup point guard after part-time starter Michael Gerrity quit the team shortly into the season.