College Notebook

Bustin tabbed NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year

Duke head field hockey coach Pam Bustin has been named the 2016 Front Rush/National Field Hockey Coaches Association South Region Coach of the Year following a historic season for the Blue Devils program.

Bustin was also named the South Region Coach of the Year in 2013 and garnered ACC Coach of the Year laurels in 2016 and 2011.

In her sixth season at the helm of the Duke program, Bustin and her staff directed the Blue Devils to a 16-4 ledger and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA quarterfinals. The 2016 squad got out to the best start in program history at 8-0 and went 5-1 in ACC regular-season action to capture the program’s first regular-season conference title. Under Bustin’s watch, Duke rounded out its regular-season slate with an undefeated record at home for the first time since 1974.

On Oct. 25, the Blue Devils reached No. 1 in the NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll for the first time in school history. The team also concluded the season at No. 1 in the final national poll and went on to earn the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of the program.

Elon: Former Phoenix standouts Clint Irwin and Daniel Lovitz will play for the Major League Soccer Cup Final on Saturday when the duo and their Toronto FC club hosts the Seattle Sounders. The match will begin at 8 p.m. (ET).

UNC: No. 9 seed Tar Heels continue their quest for a third national title in program history on Friday when facing No. 5 seed Stanford in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup national semifinal from BBVA Compass Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ESTon ESPNU.

Wake Forest: Jacori Hayes has won the Senior CLASS Award, the only honor in college athletics that recognizes athletic, academic and community work that represents a very well-rounded individual. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons will take on Denver in the national semifinals on Friday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. EST and will air on ESPNU. Should the Deacons win, Wake Forest would advance to the second national championship game in program history on Sunday.

Duke: The ACC’s 14 head football coaches selected cornerback Breon Borders, linebacker Ben Humphreys and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris to their all-conference squad released on Thursday by the league office. Borders and Humphreys both garnered third team all-league accolades while Giles-Harris was an honorable mention selection.

Wake Forest: The ACC coaches named linebacker Marquel Lee to the All-ACC second team while defensive end Duke Ejiofor and safety Jessie Bates III were named to the third team. Punter Dom Maggio was placed on the third team while placekicker Mike Weaver was an honorable mention selection.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press named Lee a first team linebacker while Bates III was a second-team safety and Weaver earned second-team honors as a placekicker. The ACC coaches also named Players of the Year and a Coach of the Year. Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson finished third in Coach of the Year voting. Bates III tied for second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and Ejiofor received a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.

Duke: Redshirt junior Rebecca Greenwell is among 30 early season front-runners for the John R. Wooden Award, as announced this week by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list for college basketball’s most prestigious honor was selected by a preseason poll of national women’s college basketball media members.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack (7-2) will host in-state foe UNCW on Sunday. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and Seahawks is set for 2 p.m. from Kay Yow Court inside Reynolds Coliseum. Sunday’s game marks the fifth meeting between N.C. State and UNCW. The Wolfpack holds a 4-0 advantage in the series.

N.C. State: After serving one year as an assistant coach with the program, Tom Anagnost has been hired by Mississippi State as the program’s head coach. Anagnost was a member of the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Southeast Staff of the Year, which is currently up for the NSCAA National Staff of the Year Award.

Saint Augustine’s: On Saturday, the Falcons will host Claflin University in its home opener at Emery Gymnasium on the Harvey D. Heartley Sr. Court at 4 p.m. After the Claflin game, the Falcons will begin conference play in the CIAA on Tuesday against Virginia State University in Ettrick, Va., at 7 p.m.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack returns home Friday, it hosts Nebraska at 7 p.m. The dual is the second of the season inside Reynolds Coliseum, as the Pack previously defeated No. 23 Appalachian State 30-8 last week. The teams will be facing off in a dual for the third straight season, as they split the last two meetings, each winning on the road.

Duke: The Blue Devils will send freshman Eoin Gronningsater to compete Sunday in the December North American Cup for Division I Men’s Foil, hosted by the United States Fencing Association in Rocky Point, N.Y. Gronningsater enters this weekend’s contest as the No. 13 seed out of 186 participants.

Duke: The Blue Devils welcome student-athlete Katelyn Gochenour, who will join the program in January and will compete during the 2017 campaign. Gochenour, a native of Logan, Iowa, comes to Duke from Marian High School with a personal-best 52.15m (171 feet, 1 inch) in the javelin. In addition to earning her personal-best mark, Gochenour set the javelin record at the New Balance National Championships in 2016.

From news releases

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "College Notebook."