A-10 women's bball prospectus available

The Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball prospectus on the 2009-10 season is now available. The Charlotte 49ers are the defending A-10 tournament champions and made just their second trip to the NCAA Tournament last season.

You can view the prospectus here.

Jones scored 18 in loss to Puerto Rico

Charlotte 49ers senior center Phil Jones shared the team high, scoring 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field as the Virgin Islands national team lost to Puerto Rico on Thursday in the FIBA Americas Championship.

Jones also had seven rebounds in 23 minutes of play. The Virgin Islands (0-2) faces Canada on Friday afternoon.

Jones scores six in V.I. national team debut

Charlotte 49ers senior center Phil Jones scored six points and had four rebounds and a block in his debut with the Virgin Islands national team at the FIBA Americas Championship in San Juan.

Uruguay topped the Virgin Islands, 88-62, in the first game of the FIBA Americas Championship at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico. Jones saw 18 minutes of playing time.

The Virgin Islands will play Puerto Rico on Thursday. You can follow the Americas Championship here.

Time again to 'March to the Endzone'

For the second consecutive year, students and fans of the Charlotte 49ers are planning a "March to the Endzone" event to support the addition of football to campus.

The event, scheduled 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, is part of UNC Charlotte's "Community Day" and its "Week of Welcome" surrounding the first week of the fall semester. The Athletic Department and Niner Nation Gold are hosting a march to the future site of a permanent on-campus stadium. Once there, a tailgating party is planned.

The march will begin at 2 p.m. at the Belk Tower and conclude on the recreation fields behind the baseball stadium, the site of a permanent on-campus football stadium, if built.

The event will not take place if there is bad weather. Folks affiliated with the 49erfanatics.com Web site will grill burgers and hot dogs.

A-10 men's bball outlook available online

The Atlantic 10's preseason men's basketball prospectus is now available online to anyone who wishes to read it.

It is available here.

Men's soccer walk-on tryouts on Tuesday

The Charlotte 49ers men's soccer program will hold walk-on tryouts at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the soccer practice field located next to the Wachovia Field House.

To be eligible you must be enrolled as a full-time student at the university and in good academic standing. You must present medical paperwork of a current physical within the last six months. Physicals can be done at the Student Health Center. Please let the Health Center know that you need the physical for the men's soccer walk-on tryouts.

For more information contact Assistant Soccer Coach Kyle Gookins at (704) 687-2953 or email him at e-mail him at menssoccer@uncc.edu.

All participants should be dressed and equipped with shin guards, shoes, training attire, and warmed-up to start promptly at 2:30 pm.

Nagy advances to U.S. Amateur match play

Charlotte 49ers three-time all-American Corey Nagy has advanced through stroke play and into match play at the 2009 US Amateur. Nagy posted back-to-back rounds of two-over par 72 to finish stroke play tied for 14th at +4, 144.

The top 64 individuals in stroke play advance to the match play bracket. Head-to-head competition follows to determine the 2009 US Amateur champion.

Charlotte freshman Andy Sajevic finished stroke play at +12, 152. He tied for 143rd in the 312-player field, landing a spot in the field's top half.

Nagy had a pair of birdies and a pair of bogey's in today's second round to go along with one double bogey. Match play begins Wednesday in the 64-player bracket.

No lack of offense for 49ers men's soccer

If Sunday night's exhibition was any indication, the Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team shouldn't be too concerned with its offense this season.

Charlotte lost a lot of firepower with the departure of senior Chris Salvaggione, last season's Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year.

Sophomore forward Evan James seemed to pick up where Salvaggione left off, scoring a hat trick in Charlotte's 5-1 win against Gardner-Webb at Transamerica Field.

Salvaggione was the cornerstone of the 49ers' offense the past two seasons, leading the conference in goals (15) scored last year.

“I wouldn't put money just behind one of them, though. The scoring is going to move around several players this year,” said 49ers coach Jeremy Gunn.

“They've shown so much in preseason and they all have different attributes. I really think if anybody tries to figure out who the key man is, goals are going to come from all spots this year, which is exciting.”

Charlotte's attacking offense – a trademark of Gunn's teams in his first two seasons – kept the Bulldogs off guard all night. The 49ers had 14 shots on goal in the first half and 15 in the second.

“We've been working together and we got our opportunities (to score) and we did our best to try to finish them,” said James, one of the top two returning goal scorers from last season (he had six). “We didn't get them all, but we got the ones we could.”

James said the loss of Salvaggione's offense is big but believes between veterans and newcomers there will be plenty of goals scored. Sunday night, sophomore Charles Rodriguez and freshman Jennings Rex also scored.

“We've been working really hard and getting fit,” James said. “I think this year is going to be one of the best we've had.”

Charlotte was picked to finish fourth in the A-10 in a preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches. The 49ers (12-6-1, 4-4-1) finished tied for eighth in the league last year.

Charlotte will open the season at perennial power South Carolina on Sept. 1 and travel to Elon and Clemson before its home opener Sept. 12 against Campbell.

“We're going to have a very, very tough early season schedule. Our schedule, I'm sure, will be ranked Top 20 or 30 in the country,” Gunn said. “We can play some good soccer and the big test will be that mental toughness that comes game-in, game-out where you don't get any breathers.”

Jones named to Virgin Islands national team

Charlotte 49ers 6-foot-10 center Phil Jones is one of 12 players that have been named to the Virgin Islands national team which will play at the FIBA Americas Championship in San Juan beginning on Wednesday.

Virgin Islands is in Group A along with Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. The Virgin Islands has played in four of the five tourneys held this decade. They played in 2001 (2-6), 2003 (0-4), 2005 (0-4) and now in 2009.

To follow the Virgin Islands team log onto
http://puertorico2009.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/09/facm/p/index.html

Men's soccer exhibition against Gardner-Webb on Sunday

The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team host Gardner-Webb in an exhibition game at Transamerica Field at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

Prior to the game, the 49ers athletic department will hold its annual 49er New Year for the incoming freshman class. The 49ers New Year involves welcoming remarks by university Chancellor Dr. Philip Dubois and 49ers athletics director Judy Rose.

Following those remarks the 49ers student-athletes will walk around the track while being introduced by team by men’s basketball coach Bobby Lutz.

Last season, the men's soccer team won 12 games in their second season under head coach Jeremy Gunn. Charlotte earned its first national ranking since 1998. The 49ers also captured three regular-season tournament titles as well.

Charlotte welcomes back eight starters and 14 letterwinners from last season led by senior preseason All-Atlantic 10 midfielder Adam Gross.

Women second; men sixth in cross-country preseason polls

Richmond has been selected to defend its Atlantic 10 women’s cross country title in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches.

The Spiders captured their second-ever league crown last season as it outdistanced runner-up Charlotte, 48-67. Picked second by the league’s head coaches, the 49ers will be anchored by 2008 individual champion Amanda Goetschius, who registered the third-fastest time (17:37.7) in the 20-year history of the championship.

The 49ers men’s cross country team was picked to finish sixth in the the league in a poll of A-10 coaches. Charlotte, which finished fourth at the 2008 championship, are led by first-year coach Ed Schlichter, who returns to his alma mater after spending the last two years at USC Upstate.

Schlichter has eight runners returning from last year’s squad, which is headlined by Adu Dentamo, who claimed the 2008 A-10 individual crown and earned all-region honors at the NCAA Regionals.

Mack signs 2-year deal with AEK Athens

Lamont Mack, last season’s leading scorer for the Charlotte 49ers, has the chance to extend his playing career.

Mack, a 6-foot-7, 229-pound forward who graduated in May, signed a two-year contract this week with AEK Athens, one of the most successful professional European basketball teams.

Mack is expected to leave for Greece at the end of the month with the A1 League beginning play in mid to late October. Mack is one of three American players on the roster for the team which plays in the 19,000-seat OAKA Olympic Arena.

“When I didn’t get an invitation to an NBA training camp, of course I started looking at several opportunities and this was one of them,” Mack said. “I’ve never been overseas but I’m excited about being able to play professional basketball. That was the main thing.”

Mack said he was very thankful for the chance he had attending several NBA tryouts over the summer.

“I tried to keep an open mind and I really believe the experience taught me a lot of things,” he said. “The players who have a lot of success in the NBA understand the mental part of the game. There are a lot who come into the league with just raw talent, but those are the ones who don’t last that long.”

Mack was a third-team all-Atlantic-10 Conference selection last season during which he averaged 15.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game and shot 32 percent from 3-point range.

Tickets to NIT Season Tip-Off likely scarce

Ticket availability for the NIT Season Tip-Off games at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium will be hard to come by.

The Charlotte 49ers will get an allotment of tickets (amount is currently unknown). From that allotment, tickets will first be offered to members of the 49ers basketball team and then any others will be distributed by ranking through the 49er Club.

As far as on the Duke side, officials at Cameron Indoor Stadium said it is unlikely they will have tickets for sale. Season ticket holders get first choice on buying the NIT tickets and they said about "99 percent" will follow through. If there are any tickets left, it would likely be about a week before the Nov. 16-17 games. Contact the Duke ticket office at 877-375-3853 to check on availability.

Charlotte will face Elon on Nov. 16 while Duke plays Coastal Carolina. On Nov. 17, the first-day two losers will play followed by the first-day winners.

Women's soccer picked second in the A-10

The Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team, who have won three straight Atlantic 10 regular season and two straight A-10 Tournament titles, were picked to finish second in the preseason poll which was voted on by league’s 14 head coaches.

Dayton, who reached last season’s A-10 Championship game, is the preseason pick to win the Atlantic 10. Saint Louis, Fordham, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure round out the top six teams in the preseason poll. Charlotte is hosting the six-team Atlantic 10 Tournament at Transamerica Field, Nov. 5-8.

Charlotte, who finished the season nationally-ranked, reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a school-record 18 wins. The 49ers welcome back 10 starters and 21 letterwinners from last season led by preseason All-Atlantic 10 selections senior midfielder Hailey Beam, who was recently named to the Hermann Trophy Watch list, and juniors defender Whitney Bryant and Whitney Weinraub.

Charlotte opens the 2009 season at 4 p.m. Aug. 23 at William & Mary. Charlotte faces Appalachian State in its home opener at Transamerica Field at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28.

Charlotte 49ers '09-'10 non-conference schedule

Complete game times have not been set.

November
Thurs. 5 JOHNSON C. SMITH (Exh.) Halton Arena
Fri. 13 UNC ASHEVILLE Halton Arena
16-17 at Preseason NIT Durham, N.C.
16 - vs. Elon
17 - vs. Duke/Coastal Carolina
23-27 at Preseason NIT
25-27 - Semifinals/Championship New York, N.Y.
23-24 - Consolation bracket TBA

December
Wed. 2 EAST CAROLINA Halton Arena
Sat. 5 at Louisville Louisville, Ky.
Tues. 8 WINSTON-SALEM STATE Halton Arena
Sat. 12 GARDNER-WEBB Halton Arena
Sun. 20 at Winthrop Rock Hill, S.C.
Wed. 23 at Old Dominion Norfolk, Va.
Tues. 29 MERCER Halton Arena

January
Sat. 2 GEORGIA TECH Halton Arena
Wed. 6 at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn.

49ers could face Duke in NIT Season Tip-Off

The Charlotte 49ers have been awarded the eighth seed in the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament and will play in the East Bracket at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.

Charlotte will play Elon in round one on Nov. 16 while host Duke will face off against Coastal Carolina. The two first-day winners will face off on Nov. 17 as will the first-day losers.

Duke has won the NIT Preseason Tip-Off three times (1985, 2000 and 2005). The consolation bracket games will take place on Nov. 23-24 (sites to be determined), and the tournament semifinals and championship will be played Nov. 25 and 27 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

ESPN will provide coverage throughout the event, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. Games on ESPN and ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN360.com

Beam named to Hermann Trophy watch list

Charlotte 49ers All-American women’s soccer senior midfielder Hailey Beam has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy watch list. The Hermann Trophy is awarded to the top player in collegiate soccer.

Last season, Beam played an integral role in helping the 49ers win their third straight Atlantic-10 regular-season title and their second straight A-10 tournament title to go along with the program’s fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Charlotte lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with a school-record 18 wins.

Beam became the program’s first consensus All-American after being named to Soccer Buzz, Soccer America, NCSAA and TopDrawerSoccer.com’s All-American teams. Beam was named A-10 Midfielder of the Year as well as the A-10 championship's Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season.

Jones to try out for Virgin Islands national team

Charlotte 49ers 6-10 senior center Phil Jones (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is headed to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands after being invited to try out for the Virgin Islands national basketball team. The Virgin Islands national team will be competing in the FIBA Americas Senior Men’s Championship, Aug. 26-Sept. 6.

"It means alot to be selected for something like this," said Jones, whose mother, now deceased, lived in the Virgin Islands. Jones spent part of his childhood growing up in the Virgin Islands.

"I look at the Virgin Islands as a second home. When I first got the call I was excited. Words can’t describe it. It’s an honor to represent myself and my family and to compete for a national team."

Jones will travel to St. Thomas on Wednesday in hopes of making the national team. Once on the team he will compete in the FIBA Americas Championship. The top teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

"We congratulate Phil on this great opportunity to represent his family and the Virgin Islands," said 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz. "He is well ahead of pace to regain his fourth year of eligibility and should graduate ahead of schedule which makes this opprotunity possible.

"Phil has worked diligently this summer and is in the best basketball condition of his life so this comes at a great time."

Jones and the 49ers visited St. Thomas in the fall of 2007 when the 49ers competed in the Paradise Jam tournament. Jones, who has lost 15 pounds from his playing weight of 270 a year ago, more than doubled his scoring average from his first season to average 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds for the 49ers last year. He shot .472 from the floor and added a team-best 43 blocked shots.

Mills now slated for Wednesday start

Former Charlotte 49ers pitcher Adam Mills, who was just promoted to the Class AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, is now slated to start Pawtucket's game Wednesday night against the Charlotte Knights at Knight’s Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C.

Mills, who led the NCAA with 1.01 ERA his senior season, pitched in the AAA playoffs last season for Pawtucket, as a late-season call-up to the International League club.

Mills was 10-5 this season for the Class AA Portland Sea Dogs and on Thursday won his eighth consecutive start, setting a team record.

Former 49ers pitching ace to appear in Charlotte

Former Charlotte 49ers pitching star Adam Mills has been called up to the Class AAA Pawtucket Red Sox and is tentatively scheduled to be the starting pitcher in the Red Sox's game Tuesday night against the Charlotte Knights in Fort Mill, S.C.

The Knights host a four-game series with Pawtucket starting Monday, with each game beginning at 7:15 p.m.

Mills has been pitching this season for the Class AA Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs. On Thursday, Mills won his eighth consecutive start and improved to 10-5 on the season.

Mills is the first pitcher in the Sea Dogs' 16 year history in win eight straight starts. He is the third pitcher in the league this season to record 10 wins and just the 14th in Sea Dogs franchise history. Since June 27th, Mills is 8-0 with a 1.98 ERA.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound righthander was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. Mills helped lead the 49ers to their first-ever Atlantic 10 championship and a school-record 49 victories in 2007, and was named a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Mills, 24, ranks first in Charlotte 49ers history in victories (32), starts (51) and shutouts (five).

Men's soccer preseason No. 4 pick in A-10

The Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team has been picked to finish fourth this season in preason voting conducted by the league's head coaches.

Dayton has been tabbed to defend its Atlantic 10 title. In 2008 the Flyers won a program-best 15 victories, scored a record-tying 46 goals and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The six-team A-10 Men's Soccer Championship will be held Nov. 12-15 at Rhode Island.

2009 Predicted Order Of Finish, 2008 record
1. Dayton (15-4-3)
2. Saint Louis (12-5-5)
3. Massachusetts (10-8-3)
4. Charlotte (12-6-1)
5. Rhode Island (8-8-3)
6. Temple (10-5-4)
7. George Washington (8-6-4)
8. Fordham (9-8-2)
9. Duquesne (5-10-4)
10. La Salle (2-14-3)
11. Xavier (3-12-3)
12. Richmond (3-12-3)
13. St. Bonaventure (6-6-4)
14. Saint Joseph's (5-8-2)

Niners' Nagy qualifies for U.S. Amateur

Charlotte 49ers senior all-America Corey Nagy, a three-time honorable mention all-America, shot a an eight-under par 134 to tie for first place at the U.S. Amateur sectional qualifying tournament in Blythewood, S.C. and earn a spot in this month's U.S. Amateur Championship.

Nagy, who also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur, posted rounds of six-under par 65 and two-under par 69 to tie Phillip Mollica for first place in the tournament which ended last week.

The 2009 U.S. Amateur will be played Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Nagy, the 2009 Atlantic 10 individual medalist, led Charlotte to its fifth straight NCAA appearance and fourth straight A-10 title in 2009. He finished the season with a team-best 73.28 stroke average.

In three seasons, Nagy has finished first (2009), second (2008) and third (2007) at the Atlantic 10 Championship, earning all-conference honors each season.