STOKES TO LEAD LADY RAMS: Winston-Salem State Director of Athletics Dr. Chico Caldwell last week named Dee Stokes as the school's new head women's basketball coach. Stokes has 12 years of coaching experience and spent the last two seasons as an assistant under Bud Childers at Winthrop University. "The search committee that was assembled for this hiring was extremely excited about the quality of the candidates that the search generated, and we are happy to bring in Dee as our new head women's basketball coach. We are happy that she brings with her a Division I playing and coaching background and understands what it takes to build a program, both academically and athletically," said Caldwell. Stokes served as the head women's basketball coach at East Carolina from 1998 through 2002, played college basketball at Wake Forest for two seasons before transferring to UNC-Charlotte from where she graduated in 1993. She replaces John Williams who was released at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season. She worked as an assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Murray State, Texas A&M and Nebraska until 1998 when she was hired at ECU. She guided ECU to three consecutive winning seasons from 1998 to 2001 marking the first time in 14 years that feat had been accomplished. " I look forward to the challenge of taking this program from its transitionary period into NCAA Division I," Stokes said. She inherits a Lady Rams' team that went 10-18 last season, their final year in NCAA Division II and the CIAA. WSSU will begin the second year of a five-year NCAA transition period as the Rams and Lady Rams make the move to full NCAA Division I member status during the 2009-10 season.

WEEKS IN, WOODS OUT: Second baseman Michael Woods, selected out of Southern in the first round of the 2001 draft _ 32nd overall _ was released last week by the Detroit Tigers. In 2004, his best season in the Tigers' farm system, Woods hit .281 at Lakeland (Fl.) and appeared to be progressing up the team's minor league ladder. But he slipped to .231 last year at Erie (Pa.) and is now out of the organization. Woods had two major knee surgeries and hit just .205 in Class A in 2003. Meanwhile, fellow second baseman and Southern product Rickie Weeks, the first round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003, began his first full season at the major league level when the 2006 season began. Weeks, who was called up to the parent club on June 10 last season, finished the year hitting .239 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 360 at bats. He was third in home runs among rookies and tied for eighth with three others in RBIs. This season he's hitting .282 through 12 games with no home runs and two RBIs. Weeks was the NCAA batting champion, won the Golden Spikes Award and was Baseball America's College Player of the Year after his junior season at Southern. He was the second overall pick in 2003.

LINCOLN CIAA BOUND?: The Lincoln University (Pa.) Board of Trustees voted Saturday to revive the school's football program, establish a marching and pep band and authorized President Ivory V. Nelson to petition for membership in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where it is a charter member. "We recognize that there are challenges ahead, but we are extremely excited with the board's decision," Nelson said. "We strongly believe the action of the board will boost school pride for our students, faculty, staff and alumni." CIAA Commissioner Leon G. Kerry acknowledged Tuesday receipt of Lincoln's petition and said the matter would be discussed at the CIAA Board of Director's meeting in May. Although a date has not been announced, the university expects to play a full Division II football schedule in fall 2009 after a club season in 2008. After launching its football program in 1894, Lincoln has not played the sport since 1960. Lincoln, which now competes as a Div. III independent and a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, will seek financial support from alumni, corporations and other friends to assist with the upgrade of the program.

© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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