Women’s Basketball
Former Presbyterian College women’s basketball forward Jade Compton signed a two-year deal with the Leicester Riders in the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL).
“First and foremost I would like to thank God. He continues to bless me with new opportunities to show my capabilities,” Compton said. “My support team is forever strong and I love it. I’m excited to be joining the Leicester Riders and can’t wait to make something special with my new team. The sky is the limit. Let’s go Riders!!”
She joins the Riders after setting a Blue Hose DI single-season record with 16.2 points/game during the 2021-22 season. Compton also set a single-season DI program record for field goals with 179. The Garland, Texas native finished tied for the team-lead with 51 threes as she totaled 22 double figure scoring games highlighted by matching her career-high with 32 points against Longwood in Clinton.
Compton totaled four double-doubles last season which included a pair of 15 rebound performances in conference play against Longwood and Charleston Southern. She earned honorable mention all-conference following the 2022 season.
“We are really proud of Jade and the growth that she has made as a person, student and player. Her drive and work ethic to reach this goal was amazing to be a part of. I am excited to follow her pro career,” commented head coach Alaura Sharp.
The Leicester Riders women’s basketball team was founded in 2011 and started off playing in the NBL Division Two. After one year in the league, the team gained promotion to Division One in which they finished fourth and earned a spot in the playoffs. For the 2013/14 season – the last in the NBL, the team finished fourth in the regular season and shocked England Basketball by winning their first-ever playoff title against the perennial champions Sheffield Hatters.
The Riders joined the newly founded Women’s National Basketball League in 2014/15 and have made playoff appearances in every season. 2017/18 proved the Riders’ most successful season to date, after finishing with a 19-1 record and winning the WBBL Trophy Final. In club history, the Leicester Riders have won four Titles, including three consecutive Trophy Titles and the 2021 Cup Title against Sevenoaks Suns.
Through the establishment of the Loughborough Basketball Programme, players who compete in BUCS Premier are also able to represent the Leicester Riders in the WBBL.
Sportsmanship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference announced the Presbyterian College women’s basketball team earned the 2021-22 Team Sportsmanship Award.
“The people make a place and Presbyterian College is made up of great people,” commented head coach Alaura Sharp. “It means a lot to know that other programs recognize the great character of the people in our program.”
The league honors one team in each of its championship sports with the Team Sportsmanship Award. At the conclusion of each championship, student-athletes on each team rank the top three teams in the Conference for the Team Sportsmanship Award for that particular sport. The team with the most points in the voting receives the honor.
This marks the seventh time the Blue Hose have earned the Sportsmanship Award for women’s basketball and is the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Women’s Golf
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Sarah Boteler, Sofia Carles and Madison Chappell of the Presbyterian College women’s golf team have been named All-American Scholars for the 2021-22 season by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
A total of 1,485 women’s collegiate golfers received this prestigious honor. The criteria for the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50.
This marks the second straight season that the Blue Hose have had three honorees as in 2021 Serina Combs, Sanders Hinds and Rylie Marchman earned the honor.
Carles - who played for the Clinton High School golf team - led the Blue Hose with a 3.66 GPA as she was one of Presbyterian’s three freshman to receive the honor. She posted a tie for 22nd in her first spring tournament at the Bright Creek Women’s Invite. She also tallied a pair of wins at the Oyster Shuck Match Play for the Blue Hose.
Chappell posted a 3.63 GPA to receive the prestigious honor from the WGCA. Similar to Carles, Chappell finished with a tie for 20th at the Bright Creek Women’s Invite. She added a pair of wins and a halved match at the Match Play for PC as the team finished fifth in the event.
The Blue Hose trio was rounded out by Boteler with a 3.55 GPA. She led the Blue Hose at the Elon Invitational with a tie for 14th place. Boteler led the Blue Hose in four of the events throughout the 2021-22 season. She earned conference all-freshman team honors from the league.
The Big South boasted a total of 22 WGCA honorees, led by Winthrop’s six. The conference had representatives from six different school’s led by the Eagles with six honorees.
Volleyball Schedule
Presbyterian College and head volleyball coach Korrinn Burgess announced the team’s 2022 schedule. The schedule consists of 29 regular season matches, eight of which will be at the Templeton Center.
“We’re looking forward to building on the momentum of making the conference tournament last year,” Burgess said. “We lost some key players, but I am looking forward to seeing the upperclassmen rise to the occasion and I am excited to see how our freshman work to make an immediate impact this season.”
The Blue Hose are slated for their lone exhibition match of the season on Friday, August 19 with a matchup against Queens in Charlotte.
“It will be a tough opening weekend, but we’re looking forward to the challenge. I am excited for the competitive tournaments we have that will prepare us for the Big South season,” added Burgess.
Presbyterian begins the 2022 season on Friday, August 26 with a tilt against Louisiana Tech in Clemson, S.C. as a part of the Big Orange Bash. The Blue Hose continue the season-opening stretch with a pair of matches on Saturday, August 27 against Austin Peay and the host Tigers.
The Blue Hose head back out on the road Labor Day weekend for the Jacksonville Invitational beginning on Friday, September 2 against Georgia State and Chattanooga. The weekend concludes on Saturday, Sept. 3 against the tournament host Jacksonville.
Presbyterian heads back on the road for the Mountaineer Classic in Boone beginning on Friday, Sept. 9 against Furman and Texas A&M-Commerce. The Blue Hose meet the host Appalachian State on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The final non-conference weekend of the season sees PC head down the road to Spartanburg for the Terrier Invite. The Blue Hose are set to face Georgia State and S.C. State on Friday, Sept. 16 before battling the host Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 17.
PC opens its 16-match league slate at home on Sept. 22 and 23, as USC Upstate and High Point come to Clinton to begin conference action. The following weekend, Sept. 30 & Oct. 1, Presbyterian travels to Campbell and Radford.
The Blue Hose return home for three of their next four, beginning with UNC Asheville (Oct. 7) before hosting Gardner-Webb on Oct. 8. The lone road match is set for Oct. 13 at Winthrop. CSU invades the Templeton Center on Oct. 15.
The Blue Hose hit the road for five of their next seven beginning on Oct. 21 with a trip to High Point before heading to USC Upstate on Oct. 22. The lone home matches are a back-to-back against Radford (Oct. 28) and Campbell (Oct. 29).
Presbyterian begins November with three straight matches on the road at Gardner-Webb (Nov. 4), UNC Asheville (Nov. 5), and Charleston Southern (Nov. 10). The regular season is finished on Nov. 12 when the Blue Hose welcome in Winthrop.
High Point is set to host the Big South Conference Championship from Nov. 19-20 in High Point, N.C.
Men’s Soccer
The Presbyterian College Blue Hose men’s soccer program and head coach Jonathan Potter announced their 2022 schedule which is highlighted by eight regular-season matches at Martin Stadium.
“We are excited to announce our schedule,” said Potter, who is entering his sixth season at the helm of the Blue Hose men’s soccer program. “The opportunity to play ten games in front of our students, alumni, and fans will energize our team. We have been able to continue some great local rivalries in our non-conference schedule along with the opportunity to compete against the defending national champions. We have been preparing for this season since the end of last season and our team is eager to compete at the highest possible level this season.” Presbyterian begins its 2022 schedule with three exhibition matches including two of them at Martin Stadium. The Blue Hose play College of Charleston, on August 13 and Lander, on August 20 at Martin Stadium. Then, sandwiched in between those two home exhibition contests will be a road exhibition game at Georgia State, on August 16. PC begins the regular season with home matches against Georgia Southern on August 25 and Southern Wesleyan on August 29. The Blue Hose conclude their season-opening four-game homestand with games against VMI on September 3 and ETSU on September 6.
Then, the Blue Hose embark on a five-game road swing that begins with contests at Furman on September 10, at Wofford on September 13, and at Clemson, who captured the 2021 National Championship, on September 19. Presbyterian begins Big South Conference play at Radford on September 24. The Blue Hose conclude the five-game road swing with their final non-conference game at Jacksonville on September 27.
“The Big South Conference is very competitive each season and with the conference tournament moving to four teams each game has significant implications on postseason standings,” Potter said.
The month of October features Big South Conference home games against UNC Asheville (October 5), High Point (October 8), and Longwood (October 23). PC also has league road games at USC Upstate (October 12), Gardner-Webb (October 15), and Campbell (October 29).
The regular season finishes with a home game against Big South Conference foe Winthrop on November 2.
The Big South Conference Tournament begins with two semifinal games played at the teams that finish first and second in the regular-season standings on November 6. The Big South Conference Tournament Championship match will be played at the highest remaining seed on November 12.
Women’s Tennis Earns ITA Academic Honors
The Presbyterian women’s tennis team had all eight players earn ITA All-Academic team honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The ITA also announced the program as one of the all-academic teams.
In 2022, 1,517 D1 women’s student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete along with 250 women’s tennis programs that were awarded the All-Academic team distinction.
Presbyterian had four players honored as Scholar-Athletes as Valentina De Sousa, Beth Lacey, Jessica Leeman and Alexa Wilson received that honor.
The Big South had six teams honored, with Campbell, Charleston Southern, UNC Asheville, Radford, Longwood joining the Blue Hose.
PC last had ITA Scholar-Athlete’s during the 2021 season when the team was honored along with the full roster from the 2020-21 season.
Valentina De Sousa
De Sousa earned a pair of singles wins including a straight-set victory against N.C. A&T in league action. Paired with freshman Lucianna Piedra, De Sousa tallied four doubles wins all coming in conference action. She is a business administration major with a management concentration.
Madison Dennett
In limited action during the spring 2022 season, she earned a three-set victory over Big South foe Longwood for her first collegiate victory. Dennett is currently undeclared on her major.
Zeba Jamal
Jamal appeared in 37 matches playing in 19 singles and 18 doubles matches as the senior earned 14 combined victories. She earned all seven wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles position in the Blue Hose lineup card. Three of Jamal’s singles victories against Davidson, Radford and Chattanooga came after rallying from down a set. In doubles play, Jamal and Beth Lacey earned six doubles wins including four in Big South action including wins against Hampton, N.C. A&T and Radford to begin conference play. Jamal is a biology major.
Beth Lacey
The Blue Hose senior tallied a team-high 12 singles wins including a 6-2 record in league action. She earned a team-high eight wins at No. 5 singles. Lacey rattled off five straight singles wins in the early part of the 2022 season against Lander, Belmont Abbey, UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina and Western Carolina. The Crewkerne, England native finished the spring season winning seven of her final nine single matches. She finished second in the DI record book with six Big South singles wins. She tied for the team lead with eight doubles wins. She was paired with Zeba Jamal and the duo won six doubles matches including four in league play. Lacey is a double major with both English and French.
Jessica Leeman
Leeman earned seven singles wins for the Blue Hose as she played mainly at the top two spots in the PC lineup. She earned four of her wins playing at No. 1 singles. The Blue Hose senior earned five league wins. All of her wins in the 2022 season during singles play came in straight sets. She was named Big South Player of the Week following a week she earned wins against Lander and Belmont Abbey during the early part of the 2022 season. Leeman tallied seven doubles wins as well. Following the 2022 season, Leeman was named to the second-team singles all-conference and was the Blue Hose academic team honoree. She is a business administration with an accounting concentration.
Lucianna Piedra
The Blue Hose sophomore earned eight singles wins in 2022 with six of those coming in the No. 4 spot in the lineup card. She picked up league wins against N.C. A&T, Radford, Longwood and Gardner-Webb. She earned a three-set victory over Clemson. She tied for the team-high with eight doubles wins as she won four times in doubles with Valentina De Sousa and four with Claudia Sanchez. Piedra is a business administration with a management concentration and a psychology major.
Claudia Sanchez
The Blue Hose freshman recorded 10 singles wins in the lineup card playing mainly at the No.3 spot for Presbyterian. She went a perfect 3-0 in her limited time at the No. 2 singles position. Sanchez went 5-3 in Big South action earning wins against Hampton, N.C. A&T, Radford, Charleston Southern and Longwood. She began league play with a 5-1 mark winning her first three league contests. Sanchez tallied a pair of Freshman of the Week awards during the spring season. She tied for the team lead with eight doubles wins. Following the 2022 season, Sanchez was named to the second-team singles all-conference. Sanchez is a business administration major with a management concentration.
Alexa Wilson
In limited action during the 2022 season, Wilson tallied three straight-set singles victories against Lander, Belmont Abbey and Georgia Southern. She was paired with Jessica Leeman and Zeba Jamal and earned doubles win with each teammate. Wilson is a political science major.
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
• have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
• be listed on the institutional eligibility form
To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:
• have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
• all student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
• all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year
Softball
Presbyterian College Blue Hose softball coach David Williams has announced the hiring of Addie Pate as an assistant coach. Pate joins a Blue Hose softball program fresh off a record-breaking season that saw Presbyterian win a Division I school-record 36 games.
“We are very excited about the addition of Addie Pate as an assistant coach to our program,” Williams said. “She comes from a coaching family and is extremely eager to start her journey into her coaching career. Her familiarity and connections to our area make her a natural fit for our program. We look forward to all of the contributions she will make as a Blue Hose.”
Pate joins Presbyterian’s coaching staff after her playing career at Western Carolina. Pate saw action in 170 games with 151 starts playing for the Catamounts from 2018-22. She recorded 76 hits with 42 RBIs while scoring 35 runs during her career. In 2021, she was named to the Southern Conference All-Tournament team after posting a .375 batting average during the tournament.
During her career at Western Carolina, Pate also excelled in the classroom after being named to the Southern Conference Honor roll four times while being a 2020 and 2021 Southern Conference All-Academic team selection.
The Seneca, South Carolina native graduated from Western Carolina with a degree in elementary education with a minor in psychology and sports management this past May. Pate played high school softball for her father Rick Pate, who has been the head softball coach at Seneca High School since 2008.
“I first want to thank Presbyterian College for this opportunity,” Pate said. “I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity by Coach David Williams and Assistant Coach Kayleigh Jonas. I’m extremely excited to learn under their guidance and leadership.”
Men’s Basketball
McMahon and McCormack
Named to NABC Honors Court
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Presbyterian College Blue Hose men’s basketball seniors Jack McMahon and Owen McCormack were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court. The Honors Court recognizes men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2021-22 season.
McMahon, who completed his junior year with a 3.95 GPA majoring in political science with a minor in history, has been on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll three times. During his academic career at Presbyterian, he has also been on the Dean’s List three times and the President’s List two times.
McCormack, who completed his junior year with a 3.82 GPA majoring in business administration with a concentration in data analytics, was the Big South Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This past February, McCormack was named CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District. In his academic career at Presbyterian, he has been on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll three times, the Dean’s List three times, and the President’s List two times.
Volleyball - Academics
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team received the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2021-22 season as announced by the association. United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association recognized a total of 1,208 collegiate and high school teams that earned the award.
“Academic achievement does not happen by accident,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “I’m so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority.”
The award was first given in 1992-93 and honors teams that maintained a GPA above 3.30 on a 4.0 scale. The Blue Hose posted a 3.514 GPA this year as a team, including a 3.63 during the spring semester.
“I’m incredibly proud of our players efforts in the classroom as our spring GPA is the highest semester GPA since I’ve been at PC,” commented head coach Korrinn Burgess.
This marks the second straight season that the Blue Hose received this honor after receiving it for the 2020-21 academic year.
Presbyterian is one of 211 DI programs that earned the honor this year, and is one of five teams from the Big South to receive this honor.
Women’s Soccer Schedule
Presbyterian College and head women’s soccer coach Brian Purcell announced the 2022 fall slate. The schedule features one exhibition match to go along with 17 regular-season contests which include nine home matches and eight road matches.
“Our non-conference schedule is probably as challenging as it has ever been. We believe that can prepare us well for Big South Conference competition. It’s also exciting anytime you get to play a Power Five opponent and we feel very fortunate to have the chance to play at Mississippi State in Starkville,” commented Purcell.
The Blue Hose begin their 2022 season with an exhibition match on August 12 at 7 p.m. against Emmanuel College on the road.
The regular season begins on August 19 when the Blue Hose head to Furman for a 7 p.m. kickoff. PC returns to Clinton for its home opener on August 21 against Davidson with first kick set for 1 p.m…
PC wraps up its three-game homestand on August 24 at 7 p.m. against ETSU. The Blue Hose make a trip to Montgomery, Ala. at 1 p.m. on August 28 against Alabama State.
The Blue Hose close out their non-conference home slate beginning on September 1 with a 7 p.m. start against Kennesaw State. Following the match with the Owls, the team hosts The Citadel at 2 p.m. on September 4. The homestand wraps up on September 8 at 7 p.m. against Georgia State.
Presbyterian closes out its non-conference slate on September 11 with a 1 p.m. match in Starkville against Mississippi State.
PC opens its Big South schedule with a road trip to Longwood (9/21) at 6 p.m. before hosting Radford (9/24) in its home league opener at 4 p.m… The month of September closes out with a quick trip to USC Upstate (9/28) at 7 p.m.
The month of October features three home matches as Presbyterian College welcomes Charleston Southern (10/1), Winthrop (10/15), and UNC Asheville (10/26) all at 7 p.m. The Blue Hose also have three road contests in October, traveling to Campbell (10/7), Gardner-Webb (10/12), and High Point (10/22). The contest with Campbell is set for 4 p.m. as the Gardner-Webb and High Point matches kick at 7 p.m...
The month of October includes three home games as PC hosts High Point (10/2), USC Upstate (10/9), and Gardner-Webb (10/23) all at 7 pm. The Blue Hose also has three road contests in October, traveling to Winthrop (10/6), UNC Asheville (10/13), and Radford (10/16). The match with the Bulldogs is set for 6 pm with the matchup against the Highlanders scheduled for a 7 pm start.
The Big South Conference Tournament is set to begin with the semifinals slated for November 3 and the finals are scheduled for November 6.
The semifinals and finals will be played at the Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.
