A quartet of UMES undergraduates placed third this past weekend in a qualifying tournament for the 2014 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a performance that earned them an invitation to compete in the national tournament this spring.
UMES Honda All-Star team 2014A team anchored by sophomore Mariah Dennis, who competed a year ago, senior Jonathon Weary, junior Evan Bryant, and sophomore Jonathan Wheeler, all first-time competitors, heads to Los Angeles in April to represent the university in the 25th annual event.
“The team competed against some great teams in round-robin play,” Coach James White said, including “perennial powers like Howard University (a former national champion) and the 2013 champions, Morgan State University.”
The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a game of quick recall exclusively for students of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Along with the third-place trophy, the UMES contingent received the Team Sportsmanship Award at the Feb. 15 competition hosted by Morgan State in Baltimore.
“The team played with ‘Hawk Pride’ and represented UMES well,” White said.
Dr. Anthony Jenkins, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, and President Juliette B. Bell, both sent words of encouragement that White said inspired the team.
“This is wonderful news,” Dr. Bell said when told Monday of the tourney results. “Good luck in your preparations to bring home the prize!”
White said he already had a practice schedule drawn up.
Forty-eight teams advance to the National Championship. Over $300,000 is at stake this year, with the champion HBCU earning a $50,000 grant.
The 48‐team field will be announced Feb. 20 during a live webcast.
More than $7 million in grants have been awarded by Honda to participating HBCUs, and nearly 100,000 students in 22 states have participated since the competition began a quarter century ago.
