Today’s Blue & White

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation’s Official Electronic Newsletter

Friday, September 16, 2011

Opening Kickoff!

While the football team has an open weekend, all of our other fall sports are in action with only soccer playing on campus this weekend (Saturday at 4 pm).

The big news today is that The Citadel was named the No. 1 public college in the South by U.S. News & World Report.  And while we are indeed proud of that recognition – as well as we should be – the goal now is to repeat.

A tip of the cap is in order for football player Jeremy Buncum, who earned honorable mention recognition for FCS Linebacker Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards (CFPA).

As you’ve come to expect, we have another packed issue of news and notes, so enjoy and Go Bulldogs!!!

The Citadel Named Top Public College in the South by U.S. News

The Citadel ranks No. 1 among the top public universities in the South, according to the 2012 Best Colleges rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings were released Thursday highlighting the best public and private colleges and universities and programs around the country.  Among the top public (regional) universities in the South, the only other South Carolina schools ranked along with The Citadel are College of Charleston (4th) and Winthrop University (7th).

In the category of best public and private regional universities that offer a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs, The Citadel ranked No. 5.  The 626 colleges in the category are ranked by region against their peers because in general they tend to draw students most heavily from surrounding states, according to the rankings.

The Citadel School of Engineering retained its place at No. 21 among 50 undergraduate engineering schools ranked by U.S. News this year.  Schools considered in the best undergraduate engineering program category are the 600 colleges and universities nationally that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

The 2012 Best Colleges guidebook will be on newsstands Sept. 20. The rankings can also be viewed online at www.usnews.com.

Football Falls to Furman, 16-6

The Citadel suffered a 16-6 loss against rival Furman before a crowd of 13,414 at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday.  The offense recorded their first 100-yard passing game since throwing for 106 against Western Carolina on Oct. 2, 2010 as quarterback Ben Dupree went 9-of-15 with one interception but was unable to get The Citadel in the end zone.

Furman, which took an early lead, never trailed as the Bulldogs' rally fell short.  The Paladins totaled 271 yards of offense with 215 on the ground as Jerodis Williams recorded his second-consecutive 100-yard running game with 120 yards on 27 carries.

After a pair of Furman field goals, The Citadel pulled within three, 6-3, as kicker Ryan Sellers connected on a 20-yard field goal.  The Bulldogs converted a turnover into a 35-yard field goal by Sellers, tying the score at 6-6 with 3:13 left in the first half, but Furman scored again and took a 13-6 lead into halftime.

Both teams remained scoreless in the third quarter, while Furman added another field goal with 2:58 left in the game to extend the final score, 16-6.

Linebacker Tolu Akindele led the defensive effort with 13 tackles, while safety Davis Boyle recorded two fumble recoveries.  

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSports.com.

Jeremy Buncum Cited by College Football Performance Awards

Senior linebacker Jeremy Buncum earned honorable mention recognition for FCS Linebacker Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards (CFPA).

In Saturday's Southern Conference-opener against Furman, Buncum was responsible for a huge stop on 3rd-and-10 for the Paladins on The Citadel's 13-yard line, keeping Furman out of the end zone and forcing them to kick a field goal for the second time in the game.

He later forced a fumble by Chris Forcier that eventually led to the Bulldogs' 35-yard field goal to tie the game at 6-6 with 3:13 left in the first half.

Along with the forced fumble, Buncum totaled seven tackles, including 2.0 for a loss of three yards.  He currently ranks fourth on the team in tackles with 14 in two games, but leads in tackles for a loss with 4.0 for a loss of 12 yards.  He ranks second in the SoCon in tackles for a loss with an average of 2.0 per game, and also has a half-sack for a loss of three yards and two forced fumbles.

Sweet Johnson Hagood Stadium Suite Is Available

An environmentally-controlled luxury suite at Johnson Hagood Stadium is available for the remainder of the season or for an individual game.  If you have an interest, please contact Associate Athletics Director John McAleer ’72 at 843/953-1354 or email him at john.mcaleer@citadel.edu.

Attention Suite & Club Seat Patrons

A limited number of single-game club seats are now available for purchase.  Only current suite and club seat holders are eligible to secure them.  Please contact Bryson Young in the Athletics Development Office at 843/953-6710 (byoung5@citadel.edu) for additional information and to request additional seats.

Soccer Falls at Ole Miss; Ties SC State in Foul-Plague 2OT

This year’s annual “Battle of the Bulldogs” took place Wednesday night at Oliver Dawson Stadium on the campus of South Carolina State, and after two overtimes, 31 fouls, eight yellow cards and two red cards, neither team managed a score as the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cassie Palmacci was kept busy in her first start as The Citadel allowed eight corner kicks and eight shots in the first half.  Both teams played a physical first half as the referees handed out five fouls apiece and one yellow card to South Carolina State's Sarah Harris.

The second half began with more aggressive play from both sides as SC State racked up four more yellow cards and a red card ejection all in the first 20 minutes.  The Citadel managed to fire nine shot attempts in the final 45 minutes, but did not get a corner kick opportunity for the second consecutive game.

Frustration began to set in late in the second half as The Citadel's Ruth Leiva received a yellow card in the 68th minute and a second yellow card just four minutes later to give her a red card ejection, which by Southern Conference rules leaves her out of Saturday's game against Charleston Southern University.

On Monday, senior captain Amy Loughran railed in a close-range shot through the defense in the seventh minute of the game to give The Citadel an early lead, but Ole Miss rallied to score six unanswered goals on their way to a 6-1 victory at the Ole Miss Soccer Complex in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

The Bulldogs were able to land the first two shots of the game in under eight minutes as The Citadel came out of the gate a step ahead of Ole Miss.  Mariana Garcia drilled the first shot on goal in the fourth minute that was saved by the Rebels’ goalkeeper.  The Bulldogs managed to keep the ball in Ole Miss territory and just moments later the game's second shot found the back of the net to give Loughran her second goal on the season and the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead over the Southeast Conference foe.

The Rebels settled in after the early goal and managed to record the game's next 11 shots as they kept senior goalie Laura Serafino busy with four saves on 13 shots in her 45 minutes of play.  It wasn't until the 34^th minute that Serafino would let a one-time blast off the foot of Mississippi's Alix Hildal to even the game at one goal apiece in the first half.

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSportsl.com.

Volleyball Bows to Charleston Southern

Junior outside hitter Cassie Uribe accounted for 19 of The Citadel's 49 team kills, but it was not enough offensively to overcome Charleston Southern, which emerged victorious by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-10 on Tuesday evening in McAlister Field House.  In the first home match since Aug. 26, Uribe shattered her previous match-high in kills (13).

Fellow outside hitter, Kathryn Johnston, tallied nine kills to go along with nine digs, while Rachael Farrell completed the match with eight kills.  Alexa Dahlstrom handed out 40 assists to go along with four kills and a pair of assisted blocks.  Defensively, the Bulldogs finished with 11 assisted blocks, anchored by Jessica Maxwell's four.

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSportsl.com.

Golfers Finish Ninth at Terrier Intercollegiate

The golf team completed its first weekend of action in the 2011 fall season at the Spartanburg Country Club by placing ninth at the Terrier Intercollegiate hosted by Wofford.  The Citadel finished with back-to-back rounds of 330 (330-330=660), led individually by Bree Baumgartner, who shot a 159 (81-78).

Baumgartner finished tied for 32nd after firing a 79 on Tuesday, followed by teammate Devin Lowe (85-85=170), who tied for 48th.  The combination of freshmen Takima Butler (87-86=173) and Kellie Anderson (99-81=180) rounded out individual team scores.

Newberry College (299-303=602) held off stiff competition from Elon (295-309=604) and Wofford (302-302=604) to win the team competition.

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSportsl.com.

Wrestling Releases Schedule

Coach Rob Hjerling has announced the 2011-12 wrestling schedule, which is highlighted by seven home events.

Opening the season will be the annual Citadel Open at McAlister Field House on Nov. 6.  This competition includes freshmen and sophomores from around the southeast.  Several members of the team will also be taking part in the Hokie Open in Blacksburg, Va., that same weekend for the second consecutive year.

The Bulldogs host six dual events this season beginning with North Carolina State (Dec. 17) while Duke, Appalachian State, VMI and Chattanooga will also pay visits to Charleston.  The regular season concludes with The Citadel Duals (Feb. 19) at McAlister Field House as the Bulldogs host North Carolina and Sacred Heart.  The Citadel also takes part in the "Wrestle for a Cure" Duals in Harrisburg, Pa., for the second straight year (Nov. 12) as they face Lock Haven, Cleveland State and Illinois.  The duals are designed to help raise awareness and proceeds for cystic fibrosis.

The 18^th annual All-Academy Championships will take place on Feb. 4 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.  The SoCon Championships will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn., on March 3 and the NCAA Championships will be in St. Louis, Mo., (March 15-17).

To view the entire schedule, please refer to www.CitadelSportsl.com.

Rifle Team Performs Community Service on Bear Island

The rifle team spent Saturday, Sept. 10, on the Bear Island Game Management area in Colleton County where they volunteered their time cutting palm fronds for their community service project.

The Bear Island duck blinds (used in public hunts) will be covered with palms for the upcoming duck season.

The defending Southeastern Air Rifle Conference Champions open their 2011-12 season on Oct. 1 in Dahlonega, Ga., in SEARC 1 before returning to the Inouye Marksmanship Center for three consecutive matches that include SEARC 2 (10/8), and two NCAA open matches against University of Nevada-Reno (10/15) and University of Alabama-Birmingham (10/22).

Hall of Fame Banquet Set

The 34th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Banquet will be held on Friday, Oct. 28, at the Holliday Alumni Center.  The event sold out the last two years and we anticipate another sellout this year, so if you’re planning to attend, please contact Associate Athletics Director Andy Solomon at 843/953-6300 or andy.solomon@citadel.edu for information and reservations.

Entering the year include baseball player  Dallas McPherson, track and football speedster Phillip Florence ‘90, basketball standout Randy Nesbit ’80, and baseball and football star Tony Skole ’91, while former football coach Charlie Taaffe and supporter Tom McQueeney ‘74 enter as honorary members.

The six increases the membership of the Hall of Fame, which originated in 1977, to 161 individuals. 

We Regret to Inform You

While we are late with this news bit, we regret to inform you of the passing of former Citadel head basketball coach and assistant football coach H.W. “Whitey” Piro, who passed away on April 18.  He was 93 years old.

Piro attended Syracuse University where he was a three-year football starter at end and a senior co-captain.  He graduated with a Business Administration degree and played football with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941.  At his passing, he was the 11th oldest surviving NFL alumnus.  In 1942, he was an assistant football coach at Syracuse.

After serving as a sergeant in the Air Force, Piro resumed his football coaching career at The Citadel under Quinn Decker, where he was also the head basketball coach.  On the hardwood, the Bulldogs were 5-11 during the 1947 season, Piro’s only year as the basketball coach.

Keep Up With Citadel Athletics

For the latest on all athletic events and giveaways, visit the official Facebook and Twitter accounts of The Citadel Athletics at www.facebook.com/citadelbulldogs and at www.twitter.com/citadelsports.  Also, the baseball and football teams now have their own Twitter accounts at www.twitter.com/citadelbaseball and www.twitter.com/citadelfootball.  Follow them today!

Bulldog Business Partners

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation has started the “Bulldog Business Partners” for the 2012-12 academic year and the first to sign up are:

• Charleston Comfort Inn
• Charleston Crab House
• Piggly Wiggly

We encourage you to please stop by and thank our supporters.  If you want more information on how your business can partner with The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, please call us at 843/953-5277.

September Birthdays

Sept. 17           Bob Bodine                  Football

Sept. 20           Daryle Wong                Football

Sept. 28           Lt Gen John Rosa         President

He Said It:

“I am very proud to share with you that U.S. News and World Report has ranked The Citadel #1 among public universities in the South, the first time our college has held that distinction.  This achievement is truly a team effort.  It’s the result of the inspiring work of our faculty, the efforts of our staff to provide a top-notch learning and leadership environment, and our alumni whose support of the college is a prominent factor in the U.S. News calculations.  The #1 ranking also acknowledges that our students are dedicated to making the most of their time at The Citadel.

“This accomplishment is national recognition that we are making significant progress in realizing our vision: excellence in the education of principled leaders.”

• Lt Gen John Rosa, President of The Citadel, in an announcement that U.S. News and World Report ranked the Military College of South Carolina No. 1 among public universities in the South.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 28                                    34^th Hall of Fame Ceremony & Banquet @Holliday Alumni Center

Nov. 11                       21^st Annual Homecoming Golf Tournament @Shadowmoss

Jan. 28                         Alumni Basketball Game (McAlister Field House)        

Have a Friend Who Might Be Interested?

Today’s Blue & White is the sister publication of the The Blue & White, the official publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation that is printed monthly.  In order to receive the printed version, one has to be a member of TCBF.  However, we’ve opened Today’s Blue & White to anyone and everyone who has a computer and who is interested in activities of TCBF and, of course, The Citadel’s Department of Athletics.  Today’s Blue & White is free.  All one has to do is sign up is to click on this link:  http://www.citadelsports.com/list-signup

Today’s Blue & White is the official electronic publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, Inc. with its office located at The Citadel, McAlister Field House, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC  29409 (office 843/953-5277).

Publishers……………...Jerry Baker & Larry Leckonby

Editor…………………Andy Solomon

Layout…………………Mike Petrini