Daytona State University women’s soccer team celebrates national championship.
Four Wildcats play in FCS Bowl at Daytona
Some of the nation’s top college football players gathered in Daytona for the annual FCS National Bowl. The postseason All-Star Game brings together talented players from across the country who play at the Division I Football Championship Series level.
The game was played on December 8th at Daytona Stadium, with the white team defeating the blue team 29-0. The FCS National Bowl has historically attracted a large number of NFL and CFL scouts.
Bethune-Cookman University competed in the tournament. Four Wildcats played in the game: graduate defensive end Dallas Corbitt; redshirt senior running back and kick returner Darnell Dees; graduate defensive back Caleb Blake; and senior defensive back Andrew Vollmer.
Grad safety Raymond Woody III and graduate defensive lineman Orin Patu did not play due to injuries.
Bucks cheerleaders head to nationals
The Daytona Beach Buccaneers Youth Pop Warner Football & Cheer Program competed in the Pop Warner Cheer & Dance National Championships. The event occurred from December 10th to December 11th inside the Orange County Civic Carrier in Orlando.
The Bucks Mighty Mites (ages 7-8) and Junior Pee Wee teams (ages 9-10) earned a spot in the competition after an outstanding performance at the regional competition.
Clemson University’s men’s basketball team won the ThumbTuck Sunshine Slam Tournament.
Sunshine Slam college hoop tournament was a huge success
Thumbtuck Sunshine Slam was successful again. The Division I basketball tournament was held on November 25th and 26th at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
The event has been held at its current location since its inception in 2019. Clemson won the beach bracket, and Radford won the ocean bracket (repechage).
Other teams competing in the tournament were Penn State, Fordham, University of San Francisco, Drexel University, Chicago State and Purdue in the beach bracket. Wayne was in the ocean bracket.
Both teams played home games in the regional round before coming to Daytona. This university event is hosted by Gazelle Group. For more information, please visit www.sunshineslam.com.
B-CU football earns SWAC postseason honors
The Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats may have finished the 2024 season with a 2-10 overall record and 2-6 in the SWAC, but the Wildcats showed grit, fight and talent.
The conference announced Dec. 3 that four Wildcats have earned All-SWAC postseason honors for the 2024 season.
Punter Anthony Frederick was named an All-SWAC First Team Specialist. Frederick is a redshirt senior from Tampa who is 5-foot-10 and weighs 205 pounds. He averaged 43 yards per punt and 2,840 punt yards, both of which were second in the SWAC. Frederick completed nine punts inside the SWAC 20-yard line and 17 punts of 50 yards or more.
Running back Dennis Palmer received All-SWAC Second Team Offensive honors. Palmer, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound freshman from Jensen Beach, ran for 706 yards and five touchdowns. His 706 rushing yards were third in the SWAC, as was his average of 78.4 yards per game.
Kick returner Darnell Dees and long snapper Clayton Thomas Jr. were both nominated as All-SWAC Second Team Specialists.
Deas is a 5-foot-10 redshirt senior who also played running back. He tied for the conference lead in kick return touchdowns twice. He also led the SWAC in kick returns (24). Deas was third in both kick return yards (592 yards) and kick return average (24.7 yards).
Thomas is a 6-foot, 2-inch, 225-pound redshirt junior from Jacksonville who transferred from Eastern Kentucky.
Daytona State University celebrates national championship women’s soccer team
The Daytona State University Falcons women’s soccer team celebrated their national championship with students, fans, alumni and the community on Nov. 26 at a ceremony at the on-campus stadium.
The Falcons made history on Nov. 23 with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Arizona Western to win the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championship. The NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament was held in Wichita, Kansas.
President Tom Lobasso, District Board of Trustees President Dr. Randy Howard, Athletic Director Will Dunn and Head Coach Hope Clark all gave remarks. The team was also awarded a championship trophy.
The Daytona Beach Buccaneers cheerleaders earned high scores at the Pop Warner Cheer & Dance National Championships and are headed to the national competition.
Preps Sports Now/Times Seven High School Basketball Rankings
Girls: 1. New Smyrna Beach, 2. Spruce Creek, 3. DeLand, 4. Calvary Christian, 5. Mainland, 6. Deltona, 7. Flagler Palm Coast
Boys: 1. Atlantic, 2. New Smyrna Beach, 3. Spruce Creek, 4. Mainland, 5. Pine Ridge, 6. Seabreeze, 7. Deltona, 8. Calvary Christian
