Ramaan Ansley, former Engineering and Science star, helped Saint Augustine’s College win 43 Division II All-Atlantic Region awards from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week. The men’s team had the second most all-region honors (26) among NCAA Division II men’s teams and the Lady Falcons earned 17 all-region honors.

The ex-Public League standout participated in the 100 meters and was a member of the 4x100-meter relay team. Ansley runs for legendary track and field head coach George Williams, who brings the Falcons to the Penn Relays each year.

Matt Balasavage signs free agent contract with Baltimore Ravens

Matt Balasavage, Temple tight end, has signed a rookie free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Balasavage, a three-year starter for the Owls, played in 12 games in 2011 with nine starts. He received his degree in communications in May 2011. He joins NFL draftees running back Bernard Pierce (Baltimore Ravens), tight end Evan Rodriguez (Chicago Bears) and linebacker Tahir Whitehead (Detroit Lions) as well as rookie free agents offensive lineman Pat Boyle (Detroit Lions), defensive end Morkeith Brown (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), offensive lineman Derek Dennis (Miami Dolphins), linebacker Stephen Johnson (New Orleans Saints), defensive end Adrian Robinson (Pittsburgh Steelers) wide receiver Rod Streater (Oakland Raiders) and offensive lineman Wayne Tribue (Denver Broncos).

Chester Stewart signs free agent contract with Ravens

Quarterback Chester Stewart became the 12th Temple Owl to sign with an NFL team this spring, extending the school record for the largest class.

Stewart signed a rookie contract with Baltimore Ravens, joining former Owl teammate running back Bernard Pierce and Matt Balasavage on the Ravens’ roster. Stewart played in 10 games with six starts as a senior in 2011. He was named the Baltimore Sun/Next Level Player of the Week following a perfect 9-of-9 for 140 yards in the win at Maryland. Stewart earned his degree in criminal justice in December 2011.

NLBM, Rawlings pair up for “Gold Glove” Negro Leagues tribute

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) have teamed to honor the Negro Leagues by bestowing commemorative Rawlings Gold Glove Awards to the league’s best defensive players of all time. The partnership includes a series of events planned to raise awareness and financial support for the NLBM, a not-for-profit organization located in Kansas City, Mo.

A panel comprised of six baseball dignitaries will select candidates for consideration for each of the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award positions. The selection panel members include: Phil Dixon, baseball historian and author; Monte Irvin, Negro Leagues legend and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee; Bob Kendrick, NLBM president; Joe Posnanski, senior writer for USA Today Sports Group and MLBAM; Dr. Layton Revel, Center for Negro Leagues research; James Riley, baseball historian and author.

The Negro League Rawlings Gold Glove Award team will be unveiled at the NLBM on June 28. The dynamic double play tandem of Frank White (eight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards) and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith (13 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards) will host the ceremonies.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Temple Owls were well represented in the NFL draft last week. Bernard Pierce, Temple’s All-American running back, was selected in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens. Pierce, former Glen Mills standout from Ardmore, was the 84th pick overall in the draft.

He is the 62nd Temple football player chosen in the NFL draft since 1937. Pierce is the first Temple player to be picked by the Ravens (since 1996) in school history and the fourth Owl to be selected by a Baltimore NFL team, joining Colts’ selections defensive back Anthony Young (1985), running back Mark Bright (1980) and quarterback Steve Joachim (1975).

As a junior, Pierce became the Owls’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (53), total touchdowns (54), and points scored (324). He also set the season records for rushing TDs (27), total TDs (27), points scored (162), and 100-yard rushing games (9), while setting game records for rushing TDs in a game (five at Maryland) and points scored (30 at Maryland). He was also named ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year.

The Chicago Bears selected Temple tight end Evan Rodriguez with the 16th pick of the fourth round (111th pick overall), while the Detroit Lions chose linebacker Tahir Whitehead with the third pick of the fifth round (138th overall) of the draft. That brings the total to three players drafted from Temple.

Rodriguez, who played in the East–West Shrine Game, is a two-time first-team All-MAC selection. He played in all 13 games with 12 starts at tight end. He led the Owls with 479 yards and two touchdowns on 35 receptions.

Whitehead was a second-team All-MAC selection, and the defensive MVP of the New Mexico Bowl. He finished third in team tackling with 70 tackles, a team-best 13.5 tackles-for-loss of 66 yards, five sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

Seven Temple players have signed rookie free agent contracts with NFL teams, bringing the Owls total NFL signees to 10, tying the largest class in school history. The players who have reportedly signed: Pat Boyle, offensive lineman, Detroit Lions; Morkeith Brown, defensive end, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Derek Dennis, offensive lineman, Miami Dolphins; Stephen Johnson, linebacker, New Orleans Saints; Adrian Robinson, defensive end, Pittsburgh Steelers; Rod Streater, wide receiver, Oakland Raiders and Wayne Tribue, offensive lineman, Denver Broncos.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Brittany Hrynko, former Engineering and Science basketball star, scored 18 points in her first exhibition game for DePaul University. Hrynko shot 8-for-8 from the free throw line, leading No. 19 DePaul to a 92-59 victory over Illinois Wesleyan. The ex-Public League standout is a freshman point guard for the Blue Demons.

Keisha Hampton, an E&S product, tallied 15 points for DePaul in this contest. Hampton and Hrynko led E&S to a Public League championship in 2008. They were both named co-MVPs of the championship game.

Wayne Tribue to compete for Good Works Team Captain

Fans can vote for Wayne Tribue, Temple football standout, for the AFCA Good Works Team. The AFCA is hoping college football fans will vote for a player they think is most deserving of the title Team Captain, and Tribue has a chance of receiving that title. Fans can vote by going to ESPN.com and searching “Good Works,” and vote for the player of your choice. The voting ends on Friday, Nov. 4 and the player with the most votes will be recognized as official Team Captain during the College Football Awards on Dec. 8 on ESPN.

Cheyney, Lincoln to square off at Liacouras Center

Cheyney University and Lincoln University, two of the oldest Black colleges, will play at Temple’s Liacouras Center on Nov. 18. The women will play at 6 p.m. The men will tip-off at 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $20.00 for general admission. Kids 15 and under and students (high school and college with ID) pay $10.00.

HBCU band series “The Battle” returns for 2nd season on ESPNU

“The Battle,” an inside look at the HBCU (Historically Black College and University) marching bands, will be back for its second year with five 30-minute shows over five consecutive weeks, every Thursday from Nov. 10 to Dec. 8, on ESPNU. The focus of this year’s series will be on the training, heart, soul and sweat of the Grambling State marching band.

Contact Tribune staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Approximately 100 youth from the Philadelphia region grabbed a baseball mitt and participated in the “Live Positively” Coaches Clinic on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Citizens Bank Park.

The baseball clinic, hosted by Coca-Cola and the Philadelphia Phillies, featured fitness drills and encouraged physical activity and healthy living.

Ryan Howard, Phillies first baseman, and the Phillie Phanatic also participated in the event.

Tribue named to AFCA Good Works Team

Wayne Tribue, Temple senior offensive lineman, is one of 22 football student-athletes named to the prestigious AFCA Good Works Team. A program record, 132 players were nominated for the award this summer.

From the nominations, a special voting panel, including former AFCA Good Works Team members and current college football broadcasters, selected 22 players from across the country to the team. Of the two 11-member teams, one comprises players competing in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (I-AA), Divisions II, III and the NAIA.

This year’s roster boasts an impressive list of credentials promoting service and volunteerism. From donating bone marrow to a cancer patient to mentoring children home and abroad to playing the piano for hospital patients, the selfless acts of these 22 student-athletes prove that tackles and touchdowns do not have to come at the expense of greatness off the field.

Fans will be able to vote for an AFCA Good Works Team Captain by visiting ESPN.com and searching “Good Works.” By viewing the player profiles on the website, fans can learn more about this year’s team members and their selfless acts of kindness. The Team Captain and his fellow award recipients will be invited to New Orleans to take part in a special volunteer project leading up the 2012 Sugar Bowl.

One of a school record five Temple Owls to play in the 2008 Big 33 Game, Tribue is a great offensive lineman. He was named the most improved offensive player following the 2010 spring drills, he was also named team’s 2009 Offensive MVP as a member of the offensive line.

The biochemistry major, cited on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, played in 11 games with four starts in 2010. He has started every game this fall at right guard. The four-year starter had the most community service events during the 2010–11 academic year with 12. Tribue has participated in the annual bone marrow donor drive, the Thanksgiving food drive, the Diamond Street cleanup, the One Child Saved campaign, Partnership Field Day, Owls for the Cure, and the Shore Tour as well as numerous hospital visits and Ronald McDonald House visits.

Tribue is the fourth Owl to make the AFCA Good Works Team since 2003 and the second consecutive honoree. Last fall, linebacker Amara Kamara received the honor. Temple (2-1, 1-0 MAC) travels to Maryland (1-1, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff at Byrd Stadium is set for 12:29 p.m.

Penn announces men’s basketball schedule

The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball program has announced its 2011–12 schedule. The Quakers will play another challenging schedule this year, with six teams that played in the NCAA tournament last year and five that were ranked or receiving votes in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. The schedule also include three programs ahead of No. 10 Penn on the list of all-time wins among NCAA Division I programs — Duke (4), Temple (6) and UCLA (8).

For the second time in five years, Penn will participate in the Philly Hoop Group Classic. Put on by the Hoop Group, the exempt event will allow the Quakers to play four games that only count as one toward the NCAA limit. Thus, Penn will play 31 regular-season games this year instead of the usual 28.

The regular season begins at UMBC on Friday, Nov. 11. The following Monday, the Quakers play their home opener, and what an opener it is — Temple comes to The Palestra for the earliest Philadelphia Big 5 game in program history. Following that, Penn enters into Hoop Group play with a game at Rider on Thursday, Nov. 17. Two days later, the Red and Blue welcome back alum Andrew Toole as he brings his Robert Morris club to The Palestra for another Hoop Group contest.

Penn jumps out of Hoop Group play on Tuesday, Nov. 22 to host Wagner, before concluding Hoop Group play Thanksgiving weekend with a pair of games at The Palestra. The Quakers will host the University of Pittsburgh — which finished in last year’s final AP poll — to conclude a Friday tripleheader, and on Saturday they host James Madison as part of a doubleheader.

Following another home game, this one with Manhattan (Tuesday, Nov. 29), Penn has its second Big 5 game with a Dec. 3 trip to Villanova. Delaware comes to The Palestra on Wednesday, Dec. 7, before the Quakers travel cross-country for a one-off game against UCLA. The game will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., as the Bruins’ famed Pauley Pavilion is undergoing renovations and will not be ready at that time.

Penn comes out of exams with a pre-Christmas game at home against Marist (Friday, Dec. 23), and then between Christmas and New Year’s the Quakers reprise their trip from two years ago — they will play at Davidson on Dec. 29, then face Duke on New Year’s Day in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Duke finished third in last year’s AP national poll.

Ivy League play opens the weekend of Jan. 13–14 when the Quakers make their New York swing to face Columbia and Cornell. That is followed by Penn’s final Big 5 game the next weekend, the annual Palestra tussle with Saint Joseph’s.

Penn and Princeton renew their historic rivalry at The Palestra on Monday, Jan. 30. It will mark the first time since Jan. 6, 1996 (a Saturday) that the Quakers and the Tigers have not played a regular season game on a Tuesday. Going further back, it was Jan. 31, 1972 — almost exactly 30 years — when these nemeses last played on a Monday.

The Ivy League weekends start in earnest Feb. 3–4, with the Quakers traveling to Yale and Brown. Penn’s first home weekend is Feb. 10–11, when Harvard and Dartmouth come to town. Cornell and Columbia visit The Palestra the following weekend, and then the Red and Blue make the long trip to Dartmouth and Harvard. The final full weekend will take place at The Palestra, Penn hosting Brown and Yale, and before the Quakers and the Tigers close out the regular season with their finale on Tuesday, March 6.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .