(Interesting Notes about Patriot athletics)

-      Did you notice former Francis Marion University head men’s basketball coach Ed Conroy on the Madison Square Garden sidelines as the University of Tulsa won the NIT championship Thursday evening? Conroy is in his first year as director of basketball operations on head coach Buzz Peterson’s staff. Conroy posted a 41-40 record in three seasons (1997-2000) on the Patriot bench. If not for the University of Hawaii’s unexpected run through the WAC Tournament, the Golden Hurricane (final 26-11 record) probably would have been in the NCAA Tournament field.

 

-      Please remember as you hear about Southwest Missouri State’s scoring sensation Jackie Stiles and her 3,371 career points, Francis Marion University’s Pearl Moore still reigns as the career scoring champion for women’s college basketball. Moore tallied 4,061 points between 1975 and 1979 under AIAW Division II affiliation, a figure unrecognized by the NCAA, which began sponsorship of women’s athletics in 1981. In addition, Claflin College’s Miriam Walker-Samuels is second on the women’s list with 3,855 points, a total scored between 1987 and 1990 under NAIA affiliation. (By the way, Stiles is from Claflin, Kan.) A figure recognized by the NCAA, but listed with an asterisk, is Lynette Woodard’s 3,649 career points scored at the University of Kansas (1978-81) under AIAW Division I affiliation.

 

-      FMU sophomore designated hitter Jerry Honeycutt (Fort Mill, S.C.) has put together a 24-game hitting streak, equaling the second-longest streak in team history. Catcher Rich Keirstead hit in 24 straight games during the 1990 season, and first baseman Michael Bartell hit in 30 straight games covering the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Honeycutt looked to further his streak as Francis Marion hosted USC Aiken, Friday night at 7 p.m.

 

-      Three Francis Marion University spring sports teams are nationally ranked. The FMU men’s golf team is 12th in the MasterCard Collegiate NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, while both of the Francis Marion tennis teams are included in the latest WingspanBank.com/ITA Collegiate Tennis NCAA Division II polls. The Patriot men are ranked 10th, while the Patriot women are No. 28.