Heavy rain and lightning caused the match to be postponed on Monday at Barton, and subsequent heavy rains have made the Barton field unplayable this evening, thus the exhibition was moved to Wesleyan's home field off of NC Hwy 301 North.

Last year, Muto (Wolcott, NY) was the Conference Carolinas Male Golfer of the Year and Co-Kiwanis Male Athlete of the Year at Barton. The two-time All-American Scholar carded an even-par 72 in the first round of the U.S. Amateur on The Home Course Monday morning and was tied for 24th among 312 qualifiers.

With the top 64 advancing to match play for the remainder of the week, Muto only needed a solid round on Tuesday to move on. However, he made a quadruple bogey 8 on the first hole, a par 4 measuring 501 yards, and finished the front nine at 41. Still, if he could have shot even par on the back nine of the longest course ever played in United States Golf Association history (7,742 yards, par 71), he would have advanced. Unfortunately, he carded a 38 and missed the cut.

Muto, ranked in the top 5 nationally in NCAA DII for much of last season, was the second straight representative from Barton in the U.S. Amateur. Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC) played in last year's event at Southern Hills in Tulsa, OK.

The top 64 golfers after 36 holes of stroke play advance to the match play portion of the event. Muto (Wolcott, NY) carded four birdies, four bogeys and 10 pars on Monday on the 7,420-yard course. He birdied three of his final six holes. He will play Chambers Bay, a demanding par-71, 7,742-yard layout, on Tuesday that will be the longest course ever played in a USGA event. His tee time is 1:30 p.m. PST.

Muto was a two-time Academic All-American and the Co-Kiwanis Male Athlete of the Year this past season, when he led Barton to national top 10 ranking.

Jeff Wilson (Richfield, CA), a 47-year-old with a stellar amateur golf resume, had an eagle-eagle finish on The Home Course Monday en route to a 10-under 62 and a six-shot lead over his closest challenger.

Muto is the second straight Barton golfer to make the U.S. Amateur. Stephen Harrison of Wilson was inside the cut line through 27 holes last year before missing the match play portion of the event. Harrison and Muto were roommates during their junior season. Both graduated this past May.

Each year the conference receives nominations from member institutions before league Senior Woman Administrators select one female and one male student-athlete, who are truly outstanding contributors to their institutions intercollegiate athletic programs.

Cassie Blackmon was a junior women's volleyball player from Henderson, North Carolina. She was an integral team member for the Bulldogs and embodies what sportsmanship is about. The 5-foot dynamo sets an example to all of what a true sportswoman should be on a daily basis by how she treats, respects, and inspires others.

Kevin Carty was a senior baseball player for Barton last season. The Southampton, New Jersey native was the Bulldog team captain who was a uniquely selfless player. Teammates and coaches described Carty as, "The best teammate one could have. He is all about the team. He is a daily class act that loves the game he plays and loves his teammates. He respects the opponent and manages his team members to do likewise."

Blackmon and Carty, as the highest vote-getters and winners of the conference sportsmanship award, have been nominated for the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship award. The NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award honors student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.

Divisional and national award winning selections are made by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct and will be released later this month. This national award was first presented in 1999 as the Outstanding Sports Persons of the Year Award and has since been renamed the Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award. Last year Anthony DiCarlo from Conference Carolinas member Anderson University went on to win both the national Division II award and the overall NCAA male recipient award.

Both Blackmon's and Carty's accomplishments should be celebrated as these two student-athletes represent themselves, their schools, and the conference in such a selfless and giving manner.

Representing Barton were men's tennis players Will Cobb, Pier-Alexandre Desilets and Diego Salinas; men's soccer players Brian Riesenberg, Ridge Pruitt and Harris Smith; women's soccer players Brittany Bobbitt and Hilary Peterson; Bentley Massey, baseball; Mihai Petcu, men's basketball; and Lindsay Toth, women's tennis.

Ninety-two institutions sent in nominees for the 2009-10 Academic Achievement Awards, while a total of 3,022 student-athletes are being recognized this year. The Northeast-10 Conference had 350 student-athletes honored, followed by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with 349 nominees.
In order for a student-athlete to receive an Academic Achievement Award, the athletics director of the Division II institution MUST BE a CURRENT dues paying member of the DII ADA.

Also, the student-athlete must:
• have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work
• have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year

"We want to thank and congratulate those colleges and universities that took part in honoring its student-athletes," stated Division II ADA President Greg Waggoner, director of athletics at Western State College of Colorado. "We look forward to continued participation in the future and wish everyone the best of luck during the upcoming year. We also want to thank WeatherPORT for making this important recognition possible."

Mike Gipson tossed five hitless innings out of the bullpen as Staten Island (22-21) one-hit State College in a 10-0 victory.

Sneed, who was selected in the 32nd round of the Major League draft, struck out six and permitted only a third-inning single by Kelson Brown. Sneed played three years for head coach Todd Wilkinson at Barton before signing a pro contract this summer. His deal includes a clause that will pay for his final year of college.

Sneed was making his first pro start after pitching four games of spot relief in the Gulf Coast League. He made his New York-Penn League debut July 30 against Connecticut, allowing one run over 3 1/3 innings.

Gipson (3-1), the Yankees' 31st-round pick in the June Draft, struck out four while lowering his ERA to 3.48 in his longest relief outing. The 21-year-old righty set down eight in a row before allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth inning.

Eduardo Sosa was a homer shy of the cycle, driving in three runs. Shane Brown scored three runs and Garrison Lassiter had two RBIs for Staten Island.

Pirates fifth-round pick Tyler Waldron (2-4) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and fanning two over five frames. Former second-rounder Brooks Pounders surrendered two runs on five hits over three innings of relief.

Matt Curry drew four walks for the Spikes, setting a franchise record.

Muto Jr., a 2010 Barton College grad and the reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, opened the 36-hole sectional qualifier with a morning round of 1-over (73). Yet, as the winds increased and the course played firmer, Muto Jr. was at his best, tallying seven birdies in the afternoon round en route to an impressive 68 to end the day. Muto Jr.'s 4-under in the second round was the lowest total carded by any player throughout the day.

"I putted well and hit the ball well finally - I've struggled all summer - it's a nice end to the summer," says Muto, Jr., who became the second straight Barton golfer to earn a spot in the U.S. Am (Stephen Harrison played in the 2009 U.S. Am).

By virtue of playing in the earliest pairing Monday morning, Muto Jr. had to wait for 18 more groups to complete their round before his ticket to Chambers Bay was officially punched and he could give his father and caddie, Tom, a hug to celebrate the accomplishment. "I'm know he's probably more proud than I am happy right now," says Muto Jr. "I'm glad he was on the bag today. Father-son things are wonderful. We had our little fights out there today but we got through them and he knows how to push me."

Amazingly, Muto Jr. overcame a triple-bogey on No. 13 during the first round and still managed to post a 73. He sandwiched the seven he made on the par-4 13th with birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 and added a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 37 on the back side.

In the afternoon, Muto Jr. registered seven of his 12 birdies from Monday's qualifying round. He took an early bogey on the opening 433-yard par-4, but birdied four of the next five holes to put himself into contention for the three spots awarded to the Seven Oaks qualifier.

As one of the longer ball strikers in the field, Muto Jr. rose to the challenge of playing a longer layout than last week's state amateur at Albany Country Club. "This course definitely plays into my hands," says Muto Jr., on Seven Oaks Golf Club, which was one of 99 sectional qualifying sites around the country to fill the 312-player starting field. "I played the par-5's at 7-under today."

"I'm ecstatic right now," says Muto Jr. on qualifying for his first US Amateur. "I'm a little shocked right now too because like I've said, I've had a horrible summer. But it feels great and I'm excited. I'm excited to travel and play in a big tournament and if you play well out there big things can happen."

Muto Jr.  is looking forward to the challenge that awaits at Chambers Bay. "I'm sure the course is great and its probably hard, but I like harder golf courses and I always have," says Muto Jr.

The playing of next month's US Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay marks the first time this prestigious tournament will be hosted by a municipal golf course. The championship will be contested with two rounds of stroke play followed by a 64-player match play field, starting Monday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 29th.

Stanford University's David Chung, who is tabbed as the No. 35 player in the Golfweek amateur world rankings, secured medalist honors with a 5-under-par 139.

Louis-Alexandre Pitre rounded out the list of participants to qualify for the US Amateur with a 36-hole total of 141.

By Kevin Solan

NYSGA Communications Intern

Availability of home basketball tickets has not been announced by UNC officials at this point.

The matchup will feature one of the nation's top NCAA DII programs in recent memory (Barton) vs. one of the most storied programs in college basketball history (UNC).

Barton made it to the Elite Eight in 2006, and then won nine overtime games en route to winning the 2007 NCAA DII National Championship in thrilling fashion.

North Carolina has won five National Championships, including the 2005 and 2009 championships under head coach Roy Williams. Both Williams and Barton head coach Ron Lievense are entering their 23^rd seasons as head coaches at the collegiate level.

"Barton College is pleased to be joining the University of North Carolina Tar Heels for a preseason exhibition game on November 5," said Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College.  "It was tremendously exciting, on the heels of Barton's 2007 NCAA DII National Championship win, for the Bulldogs to play in exhibition games against the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina State Wolfpack in November of that same year.  Those were excellent experiences for the Barton Bulldogs, and we anticipate an equally exciting game in Chapel Hill this fall."

The Bulldogs had 71 of its 161 letter-winning student-athletes, or 44%, named as recipients of this award.  The total number of student-athletes and the percentage are both institutional bests for the program.  Research completed at the end of the semester revealed that the average grade point average for this same group of student-athletes was a 2.8 for the spring semester and a 2.8 cumulative.

"We are very pleased at the academic performance demonstrated by our Bulldogs this past year, and particularly for the semester just completed," stated Gary W. Hall, Director of Athletics.  "The fact that nearly half of our student-athletes qualified to be honor students is very reinforcing of a number of things we are trying to do to foster achievement in all areas by these young people.  To attain this level of broad success requires committed effort by coaches, faculty members, academic support personnel, and others.  This team approach allows the entire campus community to share in this achievement.  We have fully embraced the NCAA Division II Strategic Platform which prioritizes our student-athletes experiencing life in balance.  Academic achievement is at the heart of our mission and we can claim with pride that our Bulldogs are truly students first, and athletes second."

Barton had no fewer than three honorees from each of the 12 intercollegiate athletic teams fielded for 2009-10 named as honorees. The full list of recipients is below.

 Baseball

John Anderson

Alex Brann

Wes Francis

James Holmes

David Koppenheffer

Bentley Massey

Ryan McCleney

Lance Murray

Kyle Norville

Chris Rawlings

Patrick Sherrill

Jordan Smith

Kramer Sneed

Matt Watson

Matt Willis

Men's Basketball

Charles Gamble

Greg Mammel

Chris Mizelle

Mihai Petcu

Men's Cross Country

Chris Free

Chris Mizelle

Sammy Serem

Men's Golf

Daniel Castleberry

Taylor Hernandez

Thomas Muto, Jr.

Men's Soccer

Luke Costanza

Carter Ellis

Heinz Guttenburger

Max Holly

David Pineiro

Ridge Pruitt

Brian Riesenberg

Harris Smith

William Smith

William Stakes

Chris Tripp

Richard Worthy

Men's Tennis

Will Cobb

Pier-Alexandre Desilets

Cesar Grobel

Leandro Peron

Diego Salinas

Women's Basketball

Sharnita Alston

Esty Flores

Destiny Hamlin

Jannetta Robinson

Mariah White

Women's Cross Country

Brittany Cowan

Saybah Reed

Helen Urie

Women's Soccer

Kenzie Barnes

Brittany Bobbitt

Kaitlin Maready

Hilary Peterson

Sara Treadwell

Anna Tressler

Softball

Michole Brown

Kim Lindsey

Krystin Moore

Kendall Street

Elizabeth Webb

Women's Tennis

Blair Burke

Lindsey Frederick

Jamie Galasso

Lindsay Toth

Women's Volleyball

Cassie Blackmon

Carly Cash

Macon Harmon

Meagan Parrott

Kristen Peschock

Melissa Ritter

Kati Wood

"Conference Carolinas enthusiastically welcomes King College and North Greenville University into our league and looks forward to extending our competitive spirit to the Tornado and Crusaders," said Dr. Betsy Fleming, President of the Conference Carolinas Executive Committee and of Converse College.  "Both schools share Conference Carolinas' commitment to developing scholar-athletes who excel both in the classroom and on the playing field, and we are pleased to strengthen our league through their membership."

 King College in Bristol, TN and North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC will become full members of Conference Carolinas for the 2011-12 season.  Both schools are NCAA Division II members and already play many Conference Carolinas members.  The scheduling of sports participation starting in the fall of 2011 allows sufficient time for scheduling changes and orientation to conference membership responsibilities and requirements.  Both schools enter the conference as independent Division II members.

 Conference Carolinas is uniquely comprised of private colleges and universities with an emphasis on undergraduate education.  Conference member recent national championships include basketball, baseball, men's lacrosse, and individual champions in golf and track and field.  Student athletes graduate at a rate higher than general student populations.  King College and North Greenville University meet and enhance this conference profile.

 Since its inception in 1930, the conference has served numerous (25) colleges in North and South Carolina.  King College represents the second college outside those states (Longwood of Farmville, VA) and the first member from Tennessee.  The conference name, however, will not change.

 "It is not often that a conference which shares equal values for academic and athletic excellence has the opportunity to add members having identical values. Fortunately we were presented that opportunity," stated Commissioner Alan Patterson.  "In today's climate of conference alignment often based on income production, it is refreshing that we were able to expand based on like student-athlete educational experiences."

King College was a new Division II provisional member this past year and competed as an affiliate Conference Carolinas member in men's volleyball. The NCAA gave notice to King Friday of approval as an active member of NCAA DII and will be a full DII member moving forward.   The Tornado currently sponsor 22 intercollegiate sports that include baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cycling, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's volleyball, and men's and women's wrestling.

King College was founded in 1867 and is located in Bristol, Tennessee. It is a Presbyterian-affiliated comprehensive college structured on a university model offering more than 80 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees and concentrations in fields such as business, digital media, nursing, forensic science, education, and humanities. Graduate programs are offered in business administration, nursing, and education. King has an enrollment of over 1800 students.

North Greenville University has been a full NCAA Division II member since September of 2003 and also has played many Conference Carolinas teams in non-conference games.  Currently, NGU offers seven sport teams for males and six sport teams for females. With the addition of the women's golf team slated for competition beginning in the Fall 2010 season, they will bring their full sponsorship to 14 sports.  The Crusaders will bring 13 sports into Conference Carolinas play including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, and women's softball and volleyball.  NGU's football team will remain an independent DII member and the baseball team is coming off of the 2010 NCCAA national baseball championship title.

North Greenville University has its founding roots dating back to 1891. Conveniently situated between Greenville, South Carolina and Hendersonville, North Carolina, North Greenville is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention. The University is a dynamic, challenging co-educational liberal arts institution that serves over 2,200 students by providing opportunities for higher education in an encouraging, biblically sound Christ-centered environment.