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Griffith Joins Presbyterian Men’s Hoops Coaching Staff
Presbyterian College Blue Hose head men’s basketball coach Quinton Ferrell has announced the hiring of Justin Griffith as an assistant coach. Griffith during his ten-year college coaching career, which has included stops at North Carolina Wesleyan, Lander, Mount Olive, and Winston-Salem State, has coached and recruited four All-Americans, five All-Region players, 25 All-Conference Players, three Conference Defensive Players of the Year, two Conference Players of the Year and one Conference Freshman of the Year.
“Justin is a coach who has had great success at the college level as an assistant,” Ferrell said. “He’s been a part of multiple championship teams. He brings great knowledge and relationships in the state of North Carolina which will serve our program well. We look forward to Justin and his family joining our program.”
Griffith comes to Presbyterian after spending the last two years as an assistant coach at his alma mater North Carolina Wesleyan College.
In Griffith’s two seasons as an assistant coach at North Carolina Wesleyan, he helped guide the Battling Bishops to a 20-11 record which included a 19-2 home record. In the 2020-21 season, the Bishops won the USA South Athletic Conference East Division title and reached a national ranking of 15th.
Prior to his time at North Carolina Wesleyan, Griffith spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at Lander University. In that season, he helped lead the Bearcats to a 23-8 overall record, a Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship, and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Griffith began his coaching career at the University of Mount Olive in 2012. During his six seasons at Mount Olive, the Trojans won the 2014 Conference Carolinas Championship while finishing in the top four in the conference five of his six seasons. At Mount Olive, he coached and recruited three league defensive players of the year, one conference player of the year, and numerous all-conference players.
In the 2013-14 season, Griffith left Mount Olive for one season to be on the coaching staff at Winston-Salem State. He would return to Mount Olive for the 2014-15 season. In his one season at Winston-Salem State, he helped guide the Rams to a 19-7 record which included the CIAA South Division regular-season title and a trip to the CIAA championship game.
The Winston-Salem, North Carolina native graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from North Carolina Wesleyan. During his playing career at North Carolina Wesleyan, he was a two-year team captain who helped the Bishops capture three USA South Conference Championships. In 2020, Griffith graduated with a Master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Coker University.
Griffith and his wife Juannette have one daughter: Zoe.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the PC basketball family,” Griffith said. “I want to thank Coach Ferrell for this tremendous opportunity. My family and I are looking forward to being a part of the PC community.”
Men’s Basketball Holds First Practice of 2022-23 Season
The Presbyterian College Blue Hose men’s basketball program held its first official practice of the 2022-23 season on Monday afternoon. The Blue Hose are entering their fourth season under the helm of head coach Quinton Ferrell, who was a former standout player at Presbyterian from 2003-07.
· RETURNING LETTERWINNERS - The Blue Hose return four starters and eight letterwinners off last season's team. Seniors forward Winston Hill (12.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg), guard Trevon Reddish-Rhone (8.9 ppg, 2.8 apg), and forward Owen McCormack (4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg), junior guard Kobe Stewart (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and sophomores guard Marquis Barnett (5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and forward Terrell Ard, Jr. (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) headline the Blue Hose returners. Senior forward Jack McMahon and sophomore guard James Lovorn round out the Blue Hose returning letterwinners. Redshirt freshman forward Porter Stanley returns to the Blue Hose roster after redshirting last season.
· NEWCOMERS – Joining the returners are six newcomers: junior guard Crosby James, who transferred from Anderson University, and freshmen guards AJ Cook, Jalen Forrest, Houston Jones, Quadir Pettaway, and forward Jaylen Peterson.
· 2022-23 SCHEDULE – The schedule is highlighted by 14 home games with non-conference home games against the College of Charleston, Elon, and VMI. Presbyterian also has non-conference road games at the Citadel, East Carolina, UAB, Charlotte, Wofford, and South Carolina.
· SUNSHINE SLAM - Presbyterian will play in the Sunshine Slam Tournament on November 21 and 22 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Presbyterian plays Bucknell in their first game at the Sunshine Slam. Then, they will play either Austin Peay or UAlbany on the second day of the Tournament. This marks the second straight year that the Blue Hose have played in a tournament around Thanksgiving. This past season, the Blue Hose claimed the University of New Orleans Classic title with wins over New Orleans, VMI, and Central Arkansas.
· BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - With 10-teams in the Big South Conference, the league will play a true round-robin league schedule with every team playing each other home and away.
Men’s Soccer:
RADFORD, Va. – The Presbyterian College men's soccer team opened Big South Play with a 2-0 shutout of Radford on Saturday at Cupp Stadium. Lorenzo Nagy and Gerard Lopez both recorded goals in the Blue Hose conference opener against the Highlanders.
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian 2, Radford 0
LOCATION: Cupp Stadium (Radford, Va.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (6-1, 1-0 Big South) | Radford (1-5-1, 0-1 Big South)
FROM COACH POTTER
"I am proud of the team for winning our first conference game on the road this afternoon. Radford really tested us and we are delighted to earn three points."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the sixth minute, PC got the first goal of the match as Nile Nguidjol setup Nagy for his third goal of the season to give the Blue Hose a 1-0 lead.
- The Blue Hose increased their lead to 2-0 in the 55th minute when Lopez buried a penalty kick as PC grabbed the conference opener over the Highlanders on Saturday afternoon.
NOTABLES
- The Blue Hose outshot the Highlanders 9-7 with Nagy and Lopez each tallying a pair of shots.
- Lopez totaled his team-high fourth goal of the season while Nagy recorded his third of the year.
- Leo Stritter picked up his fourth shutout of the year as the Blue Hose freshman keeper tallied a pair of saves in the victory.
PC had six shots on goal from six different players on Saturday afternoon.
Presbyterian and UNC Asheville Battle to a Draw
CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian Blue Hose (7-1-1, Big South: 1-0-1) and the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (1-7-3, Big South: 0-0-2) battled to a 1-1 draw at Martin Stadium on Wednesday night.
FROM COACH POTTER
“Credit to UNC Asheville, they played with so much energy,” Presbyterian coach Jonathan Potter said. “Our boys fought and 1-1 was a fair result. Leo Stritter has been stellar all season. He was immense in goal tonight for us. He kept us in the game in the second half. Nacho Gallego had such a confident finish tonight, I hope we can see more of that from him.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the 12th minute, Presbyterian’s David Citron passed from near midfield to Gallego who was running down the right side of the field. Once he was just inside the box, Gallego blasted a shot that went inside the left post for the game’s first goal.
In the 75th minute, UNC Asheville tied the score at one when Conor Behan scored off an assist by Myles Edmondson.
NOTABLES
Stritter collected a season-high six saves in the game.
The Blue Hose finished the game with 10 shots. Gallego led the team with five shots. Gerard Lopez added two shots. Carson Griffith, Vidar Ragnarsson, and Iragi Kalala each tallied a shot apiece.
Gallego’s goal was his second of the season and the fifth of his career.
Tonight’s tie marked Presbyterian’s first tie since a 3-3 draw against Gardner-Webb on October 30, 2021.
UP NEXT
Presbyterian continues Big South Conference play when they face High Point at Martin Stadium this Saturday, October 8 at 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
The Presbyterian College volleyball team opened its home slate on Thursday night suffering a 3-1 (25-17,23-25,20-25,22-25) defeat at the hands of USC Upstate inside the Templeton Center. The Blue Hose were led by junior outside hitter Kasey Battle who totaled a career-high 12 kills on 26 swings. Junior setter Kinsey Bailey tallied 32 assists and 10 digs in the contest.
FINAL SCORE: USC Upstate 3, Presbyterian 1
LOCATION: Templeton Center (Clinton, S.C.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (4-9, 0-1) | USC Upstate (3-10, 1-0)
The Presbyterian College volleyball was unable to tame preseason Big South favorite High Point on Friday night as the Panthers took the match 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 26-24) over the Blue Hose inside the Templeton Center. Sophomore Rylee Moorhead led the offense with nine kills and hit .391 for PC in the match.
FINAL SCORE: High Point 3, Presbyterian 0
LOCATION: Templeton Center (Clinton, S.C.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (4-10, 0-2) | High Point (8-6, 1-0)
RADFORD, Va. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team wrapped up its first Big South road trip of the season with a 3-0 setback (22-25, 17-25, 22-25) at Radford inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Hose were led offensively by Rylee Moorhead with nine kills as she also tallied seven digs in the defeat.
FINAL SCORE: Radford 3, Presbyterian 0
LOCATION: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (4-12, 0-4) | Radford (6-10, 2-2)
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team was unable to pick up a win on Friday night as they dropped a four-setter to Campbell 3-1 (13-25, 14-25, 25-23, 17-25) at Gore Arena in Big South action. Junior Kasey Battle along with sophomore Rylee Moorhead led the offense with 10 kills apiece in the contest.
FINAL SCORE: Campbell 3, Presbyterian 1
LOCATION: Gore Arena (Buies Creek, N.C.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (4-11, 0-3) | Campbell (7-8, 3-0)
MEN’S TENNIS
CLEMSON – Presbyterian College men's tennis players Max Benson and Dusan Milanovic enjoyed a successful weekend of play at the Clemson Invitational, September 23-25.
As a doubles team, Benson and Milanovic improved to 6-0 this fall with three more wins this weekend over doubles teams from Clemson, North Florida, and Wisconsin.
In singles play, Milanovic tallied three singles wins in the four matches he played this weekend to improve his record to 6-1 this fall. He collected victories over Charlotte's Ivan Dreycopp, North Florida's Jonas Hartenstein, and Wisconsin's Mihailo Popovic. Benson tallied two wins with victories over Clemson's Matt Pitts and North Florida's Bruno Vietri. With his two wins, Benson has a 5-2 fall tournament record.
TULSA, Okla. – Presbyterian Blue Hose men's tennis players Max Benson, Sebastian Dominguez and Dusan Milanovic played in the prequalifying singles draw this past weekend at the ITA All-American Championships at the University of Tulsa.
Benson won two singles matches to improve his record to 7-3 this fall. Milanovic posted a straight sets win in his first match to move his fall record to 7-2. Dominguez battled in both of his matches before falling in each of them in three hard-fought sets.
Up Next
Members of the Blue Hose team will participate in the Lander Invitational this weekend, October 7-8.
Saturday, October 1
Dusan Milanovic (PC) def. Maxime Mareschal-Hay (Cleveland State) 6-3, 6-2
Jamie Connel (Florida State) def. Dusan Milanovic (PC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Max Benson (PC) def. Mario Serrano Martinez (Troy) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Max Benson (PC) def. Roni Hietaranta (Nebraska) 7-5, 6-1
Pierce Rollins (Texas A&M) def. Sebastian Dominguez (PC) 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 6-2
Sunday, October 2
Oliver Okonkwo (Illinois) def. Max Benson (PC) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Tomas Rodriguez (Tennessee) def. Sebastian Dominguez (PC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Women’s Basketball
The Presbyterian College women's basketball program held their first official practice of the 2022-23 season on Monday afternoon. The Blue Hose are entering their fifth season under the direction of head coach Alaura Sharp.
PRESBYTERIAN PRESEASON NOTES
Newcomers Enter the Equation: The Blue Hose roster features a lot of fresh faces in 2022 as 11 new players join the squad in 2022-23. PC welcomed in a freshman class of Aubrie Kierscht, Ashley Carrillo, Tilda Sjokvist, Natalie Herrin and Dennaye Hinds. PC also added six transfers to the 2022-23 roster.New Faces on the Sideline: Sharp also welcomes a new crop of assistant coaches to the sideline with her as she's joined in the new year by Bubby Johnson, Brooklyn Taylor, Tatyana Lofton and LaRomeo McKee.Home Schedule: Presbyterian opens its 2022-23 slate on Monday, November 7 when the Blue Hose host Carolina University. The Blue Hose also play non-conference home games against Furman, Western Carolina, Jacksonville and Bluefield as a part of their 14-game home slate.2022-23 schedule – The Blue Hose make the trek to Minnesota after their season-opening homestand to face St. Thomas and Minnesota on back-to-back days. PC also is set to head down to the sunshine state for a pair of games against Florida (Dec. 6) and Florida State (Dec. 15)
Women’s Golf
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Presbyterian College women's golf freshman Mariana Polakova (Brno, Czech Republic) has been named the Big South Freshman of the week following the Blue Hose seventh place finish at the Elon Invitational earlier this week.
She began the tournament with a 73 in the opening round on Monday that saw her drain three birdies in her first eight holes of the event. In round two, she posted her lone birdie on the par-4 13th hole along with 13 pars for a 74 in the second round.
Polakova sat in a tie for 10th after 36 holes in the individual championship in Burlington on Monday afternoon.
She responded with an even par 71 on Tuesday which was highlighted by four birdies on her scorecard. The Blue Hose freshman tallied a one-under round on her inward nine to push into a tie for ninth overall in the event.
Polakova finished tied for fourth among all competitors for the week with nine birdies including her four on Tuesday.
The Blue Hose freshman tallied the first top 10 finish by a PC individual since 2019 when Julie Hillestad finished in a tie for sixth at the Terrier Intercollegiate.
Polakova became the first Blue Hose freshman since last October when teammate Sarah Boteler earned league freshman of the week honors to receive the same honors.
PC returns to the links on Monday October 17th at the Buccaneer Classic hosted by Big South foe Charleston Southern. The event will take place at Crowfield CC.
Men’s Golf
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Presbyterian College men's golfer sophomore Jack Wofford was named Big South Golfer of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon. Wofford garnered the league golfer of the week honors after his performance earlier this week at the River Run Collegiate.
Wofford, who claimed Big South Freshman Golfer of the Week honors last February, is the eighth different golfer in the program's history to capture the Big South Golfer of the Week award.
The Greenville, South Carolina native finished second at the River Collegiate at River Run Country Club in Davidson, N.C., September 19-20. He posted a three-round score of 210 (minus 6) which included a career-low score of 67 in the second round. Part of his second round 67, he eagled the par-5 548-yard 18th hole. At the River Run Collegiate, he collected an eagle, 13 birdies, and 33 pars in his three rounds. Wofford played a major role in helping the Blue Hose finish 7th out of 17 teams.
Wofford and the rest of the Presbyterian College Blue Hose men's golf team concludes their fall tournament schedule at the Elon Phoenix Invitational, October 10-11.
Women’s Soccer
In one of the most well-rounded efforts of the 2022 campaign for the Presbyterian College women's soccer team, featuring a bevy or ultra-close near-falls both early and late in the night against Charleston Southern on Tuesday, the eventual undoing for the Blue Hose occurred at the 53:49 stamp where the Buccaneers squeezed out an unexpected strike, leading to a 1-0 triumph for CSU at Martin Stadium.
Staying the aggressor over a large chunk of the opening frame in a matchup that was pushed back an extra three days due to inclement weather over the weekend, Presbyterian unfortunately was never able to cement what could have been either tying or game-winning goals in a back-and-forth second chapter, forced to endure their fifth loss of the semester by a single goal in the second straight outcome decided by a single play on the box score.
FINAL SCORE: Charleston Southern, 1 – Presbyterian, 0
RECORDS: Presbyterian (0-9-3, 0-3-1 Big South), Charleston Southern (5-6-1, 3-1 Big South)
LOCATION: Edens Field at Martin Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
