Howard continues to build HBCU golf dynasty
College Sports Howard continues to build HBCU golf dynasty
Sam Puryear wanted to create an HBCU golf power at Howard University, though there had not been a team there in decades before he was hired. His vision was to build a team to dominate the MEAC and compete on the national stage with the country's top golf programs. With golf no longer being sponsored by the MEAC, the team had to find a conference alliance to continue to build the dormant program.
Under Puryear's guidance, the team came back with a buzz. Armed with the support of future NBA Hall of Famer Steph Curry, the program has been invested at levels unseen in the HBCU society. Some of the top black golfers in the country descended on Washington, D.C., to be a part of the historic rebuild.
"We achieved every goal I set out to achieve at this point," Puryear said. "I wanted people to understand that we could be competitive in a world that, you know, we weren't accustomed to. I had a goal of not only making the NCAAs, but being competitive in the NCAA."
While the program has been building since returning to NCAA play in the 2020-2021 season, it has been making strides to become not only the best HBCU golf program in the country but also one of the best golf programs in the country as a whole.
Back to Back Champs
It all began to fruition last season as the Bison won their first-ever Northeast Conference title. They would repeat the feat last weekend as they became NEC champions for the second consecutive time. The Bison will head to the Amherst Regional to pursue the NCAA golf championship.
The Bison dramatically won this year's title. Down seven strokes going into the final round, Howard University put together a round for the ages at the Kingsmill Resort (par-71, 6,831 yards) in Williamsburg, Va. Howard shot 8-over-par (860), finishing with a 289 (+3) on the final day.
The most significant part of coaching HU through their come-from-behind victory down the home stretch of the NEC championship came down to motivation. " Honestly, I told the guys we just had to go out and be the best version of ourselves. I felt like the young guys played really well on the first day. But yet at the very end of the first day, we lost six shots on the last two holes. We had some self-inflicted wounds. I told the team to stay the course."
The Bison made the All-Tournament team for their efforts in winning the NEC title. Bear Huff, Marcus Smith, Jr., Cassius Blake, and Mathis Perroni made the squad for their stellar performances in Williamsburg.
The post Howard continues to build HBCU golf dynasty appeared first on HBCU Gameday.
Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
UCLA-UTSA baseball live score: Updates, highlights, how to watch NCAA super regional
UCLA-UTSA baseball live score: Updates, highlights, how to watch NCAA super regional Show Caption Hide Caption 5 men's NCAA baseball tournament players to watch The Mongomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Tennesseean's Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men's NCAA baseball tournament. UCLA baseball is one win away from the biggest, brightest stage its sport has to offer. The No. 15 Bruins will take on UTSA on June 8 in the second and potentially final game of the Los Angeles Super Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA's home ballpark. With a victory, the Bruins will win the best-of-three series and advance to the College World Series. The CWS appearance would be the sixth in program history and their first since 2013. REQUIRED READING: UTSA-UCLA baseball score: Highlights from Bruins' Game 1 win of Super Regional UCLA defeated UTSA 5-2 in the first game of the series on June 7, with Roman Martin driving in three runs, including an eighth-inning triple that brought two teammates home and extended the Bruins' lead from one run to three. Michael Barnett earned the win after giving up two earned runs across six innings while the Bruins' bullpen pitched a perfect final three innings. The Roadrunners, making their first NCAA tournament appearance in 12 years, are in their first-ever super regional after upsetting No. 2 Texas in the Austin Regional. If they rebound from Saturday's disappointment with a win Sunday, they'll force a decisive third game Monday, with the winner advancing to the CWS. Follow along here for the live score, updates, highlights and information on how to watch UCLA and UTSA baseball's matchup in the super regionals of the 2025 NCAA tournament: UCLA vs UTSA baseball live score This section will be updated throughout the game. Teams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 F UCLA — — — — — — — — — — UTSA — — — — — — — — — — UCLA vs UTSA baseball super regional live updates This section will be updated closer to first pitch. REQUIRED READING: Who's in College World Series? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA baseball tournament Here's the lineup UTSA will have as it aims to continue its season and a question for a CWS berth against UCLA: Here's a look at the lineup UCLA will roll out against UTSA as it aims to secure a spot in the CWS: UCLA's super regional game Sunday against UTSA can be heard on the UCLA Bruins Audio Network. Click here to access it. Here are UCLA baseball's player and team stats from the 2025 season. What time does UTSA vs UCLA baseball start? Date: June 8 June 8 Time: 3 p.m. ET 3 p.m. ET Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium (Los Angeles) UTSA and UCLA are scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET first pitch at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles for the second game of the Los Angeles Super Regional. What TV channel is UTSA vs UCLA baseball on today? TV channel: ESPN2 ESPN2 Streaming options: ESPN app | ESPN+ Game 2 of the Los Angeles Super Regional between UTSA and UCLA on June 8 will air ESPN2. Victor Rojas (play-by-play) and Todd Walker (analyst) will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login) and ESPN+, ESPN's subscription streaming service. Watch UCLA vs UTSA baseball live with ESPN+ UCLA vs UTSA baseball predictions, picks, odds Odds from BetMGM Spread: UCLA, -1.5 UCLA, -1.5 Over/under: 12.5 runs 12.5 runs Moneyline: UCLA, -135 | UTSA, +105 Prediction: UCLA 6, UTSA 5 The Roadrunners have had a program-defining run, one made all the more enjoyable by getting the better of an in-state behemoth along the way, but the Bruins are playing their best ball of the season, with nine wins in their past 10 games. They'll continue to ride that momentum all the way to the CWS. NCAA baseball schedule The 2025 NCAA baseball tournament began on May 30 with the regional round of play. The tournament's now in the super regional round, which began June 6 and will run no later than June 9. The super regionals are eight different best-of-three series, with the winners advancing to the College World Series, which will begin on June 13. The double-elimination tournament will run through June 22 or 23, depending on whether the best-of-three championship series goes two or three games. Here is more detailed look at the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Who is Steve Sabins? West Virginia coach has Mountaineers in NCAA super regionals
Who is Steve Sabins? West Virginia coach has Mountaineers in NCAA super regionals Show Caption Hide Caption 5 men's NCAA baseball tournament players to watch The Mongomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Tennesseean's Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men's NCAA baseball tournament. The super regional round of the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament is filled with familiar faces in the dugout, stalwart coaches who have come to define the sport over the course of their respective careers. There's 64-year-old Dave Van Horn, who has been the coach at Arkansas for two decades and has the Razorbacks well-positioned for their 10th College World Series appearance under his watch. There's Tony Vitello, the unapologetically brash Tennessee coach who's a year removed from leading the Vols to their first-ever national title. There's Jay Johnson, the LSU coach who guided the Tigers to a CWS championship in 2023 and had Arizona within a game of doing the same in 2016. Among those still in the hunt to take their teams to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2025 CWS are greener, lesser-known figures. REQUIRED READING: NCAA baseball tournament bracket: Super regional matchups, schedule, pairings for CWS West Virginia is in the super regionals for just the second time in program history, with this run coming under the watch of coach Steve Sabins. The fresh-faced Sabins is in his first season as the Mountaineers' coach, but has quickly made his impact felt, leading them to a Big 12 regular-season championship and an NCAA tournament regional title. Though they dropped the first game of their Baton Rouge Super Regional series against No. 6 LSU on June 7, falling 16-9, they can make the CWS for the first time in program history with two wins against Johnson's squad. As West Virginia goes for that historical feat, here's a closer look at Sabins and his background: Steve Sabins West Virginia Sabins isn't just in his first season as West Virginia's head coach. He's in his first season as a college baseball head coach, period. He was hired into the role in June 2024, taking over for the retiring Randy Mazey. Mazey's career ended on a high note, with the Mountaineers advancing to the super regional round for the first time ever before being eliminated by No. 4 North Carolina. Sabins has successfully picked up where his former boss left off. Entering its June 8 game against LSU, West Virginia is 44-15 and won an outright conference regular-season championship for only the second time since 1997, making it through Big 12 play with a 19-9 record. Though Sabins is in his first season as head coach, he wasn't a stranger to the Mountaineers' program. He was an assistant at West Virginia for the previous nine seasons, from 2016-24, first as an assistant coach and later as the associate head coach. He was also recruiting coordinator from 2021-23. As an assistant, Sabins helped bring in some of the most prolific recruiting classes in program history. In 2018 and 2019, West Virginia signed back-to-back top-25 classes, the first time it had ever done so. Prior to West Virginia, Sabins spent four seasons in various roles at Oklahoma State, serving as a graduate assistant, volunteer assistant and player development coordinator. The Austin, Texas native graduated in 2011 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, where he played his final two college seasons after previous stops at Oklahoma State (2009), Daytona State College (2008) and Angelina College (2007). REQUIRED READING: LSU baseball vs West Virginia prediction for Game 2 of Baton Rouge Super Regional Steve Sabins coaching career Here's a look at Sabins' resume over his college baseball coaching career: 2025-present : West Virginia head coach : West Virginia head coach 2022-24: West Virginia associate head coach West Virginia associate head coach 2018-23 : West Virginia recruiting coordinator : West Virginia recruiting coordinator 2016-21 : West Virginia assistant coach : West Virginia assistant coach 2015 : Oklahoma State volunteer assistant : Oklahoma State volunteer assistant 2014 : Oklahoma State player development coordinator : Oklahoma State player development coordinator 2012-13: Oklahoma State graduate assistant Steve Sabins record In his first season as a head coach, Sabins has led West Virginia to a 44-15 record heading into its June 8 game against LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. Steve Sabins age Born on May, 11, 1987, Sabins is 38 years old.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Scott Stricklin backs House v. NCAA ruling: 'Important step forward for college athletics'
Scott Stricklin backs House v. NCAA ruling: 'Important step forward for college athletics' Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin expressed full support for the future of athlete compensation following the final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, calling it a "new beginning" for college athletics. Stricklin released a statement Saturday, one day after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the landmark antitrust settlement allowing schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes starting July 1. "The University of Florida Athletic Association welcomes the recent court ruling allowing schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes," Stricklin said. "This decision marks an important step forward for college athletics, and we remain committed to supporting Gator athletes on and off the field." Stricklin went on to say, "Beyond financial opportunities, the UAA will continue to provide world-class training, academic support, and career development to help our Gators succeed during their time at UF and well beyond." The ruling paves the way for Power Four programs to distribute as much as $20.5 million annually in revenue sharing, with most schools expected to follow a recommended formula: 75 percent to football players, 15 percent to men's basketball, 5 percent to women's basketball and 5 percent to other sports. Florida has yet to reveal its distribution strategy. The settlement also includes nearly $2.8 billion in backpay to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2025 and missed out on name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings under prior NCAA restrictions. NCAA president Charlie Baker, in a letter to stakeholders, called the ruling a chance to bring stability to a system that's long lacked clarity and cohesion. "Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports," Baker wrote. "This new framework that enables schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes and establishes clear and specific rules to regulate third-party NIL agreements marks a huge step forward for college sports." Baker acknowledged the scale of the change, which will shift enforcement of many compensation rules from the NCAA to the conferences named in the settlement. He also warned that the system remains vulnerable without federal legislation, particularly as efforts continue to classify student-athletes as employees and as states compete with conflicting NIL laws. "Significant challenges remain," Baker wrote. "Only Congress can address these issues." Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
