College Notebook

Zay Jones selected by Bills in second round

East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones, who wrapped up his four-year career as the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision’s career and single-season receptions leader, was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the second round (37th overall) of the National Football League Draft on Friday night.

Jones’ selection represents ECU’s highest draft choice since 2008.

A two-year team captain and All-American Athletic Conference honoree, Jones set the FBS career record against Navy on Nov. 19 before finishing with 399 catches. In addition to his 158 receptions as a senior in 2016, he set AAC and ECU single-season standards with 1,746 receiving yards. Jones is one of only 19 FBS receivers all-time with over 4,000 receiving yards (4,279).

Jones topped the FBS level in three categories during his senior campaign – receptions, receptions per game (13.2) and receiving yards per game (145.5).

The Austin, Texas, native was a finalist for the 2016 Biletnikoff Award, William V. Campbell Trophy and the Senior CLASS Award, while also earning CoSIDA Academic All-America (second-team) honors as a communications major before graduating in December with a 3.547 grade point average.

He was selected to a combined 14 All-America squads for his play on the field, including first-team nods by Walter Camp, The Sporting News, ESPN.com, SB Nation, Pro Football Focus and College Sports Madness, while being formally recognized as a Heisman Trophy candidate by the Heisman Trophy Trust.

Duke: Attackmen Jack Bruckner and Justin Guterding were selected as two of the 25 nominees for the 2017 Tewaaraton Award, the Tewaaraton Foundation said Friday. The Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse players in the United States.

UNC: The 18th-ranked Tar Heels built a nine-goal halftime lead and held on for a wild 16-15 ACC Championship semifinal game victory over top-ranked Syracuse on Friday at Koskinen Stadium. With the win, the Tar Heels advanced to the ACC Championship game at noon Sunday against either Duke or Notre Dame, which played in the second semifinal game Friday. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

Mount Olive: The 15th-ranked Trojans fell to Belmont Abbey College 7-6 in the semifinal round of the 2017 Conference Carolinas Tournament in Tigerville, S.C., on Friday night. The Trojans’ season comes to an end with the loss.

UNC: The Tar Heels have reached the finals of the ACC Championship for the third consecutive season. UNC saw a seven-goal second-half lead shrink to two in the game’s waning moments, but Ela Hazar’s key goal off a pass from Carly Reed with two minutes remaining helped the top-seeded Tar Heels hold on for a 17-14 win.

N.C. State: The men’s tennis team’s ACC Championship journey came to an end Friday in the quarterfinal round, as the Wolfpack fell to the national No. 1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a final score of 4-0 at the Rome Tennis Center. The Demon Deacons (26-1), the top seed in the tournament, will advance into the semifinals. N.C. State exits the championship with an overall record of 14-15.

UNC: The third-seed and 12th-ranked Tar Heels defeated No. 32 Florida State 4-1 in the ACC Championship quarterfinals Friday at Rome Tennis Center. With the win, the Heels (24-3) advance to a semifinals matchup against Virginia at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Duke: The team had its run at the ACC Championship end in the quarterfinals with a 4-3 loss to four-seed Georgia Tech on Friday at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. The Blue Devils now await the NCAA Selection Show.

UNC: Top seed and fifth-ranked Tar Heels fell behind early but rallied for a 4-1 victory over ninth seed Florida State on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. The Heels (28-2) will face fourth seed Miami in a semifinal match at 2 p.m. Saturday.

N.C. State: The fifth-seeded Wolfpack fell to No. 12 seed Boston College in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday by a final score 4-1. The loss moves the Pack to a record of 18-10 (7-8 ACC) while the Eagles advance to 11-13 (4-10 ACC). The No. 29 Wolfpack will return to Raleigh where it will await the NCAA Division I Selection Show on Tuesday.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons’ run in the ACC Championships came to an end Friday in the quarterfinals, as the No. 6 seed Deacs fell to No. 3 seed Georgia Tech, 4-0. The Demon Deacons now await word on a potential bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Duke: The team marched to the ACC Championship semifinals with a 4-1 victory against Clemson on Friday at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. The Blue Devils, ranked 12th nationally this week and seeded second, advance to the league semifinals for the first time since playing in the 2014 title match. The team faces Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Duke: After Notre Dame claimed a 5-4 victory in game one, the Blue Devils responded with a 14-1 victory in the second to split the Friday doubleheader at Frack Eck Stadium. The teams complete the series at 10:03 a.m. Saturday

Mount Olive: The top-ranked Trojans escaped elimination, defeating Erskine College, 9-2, in the first elimination game of the Conference Carolinas baseball tournament Friday in Elon. The team will play the loser of the No. 2 seed North Greenville/No. 3 seed Belmont Abbey matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday in Burlington.

St. Augustine’s: Corey Brassington totaled three hits as the Falcons dropped both games of a CIAA doubleheader against Winston-Salem State University at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The score was 7-0 in the first game and 3-1 in the second.

UNC: The No. 3 Tar Heels scored five times with two outs in the seventh to rally past No. 3 Clemson 5-1 Friday at Boshamer Stadium. Michael Busch’s three-run double put the Tar Heels in front for the first time and helped J.B. Bukauskas improve to 8-0 on the year.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack opened its series at Boston College on Friday at Shea Field, falling 6-1. The Pack moves to 16-33 (9-10 ACC) and the Eagles improve to 28-18 (12-6 ACC) on the season.

Elon: Senior Emily Roper was honored with the John W. Barney Memorial Award. The award recognizes the senior with the highest cumulative grade-point average. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native owns a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a human service studies major with a minor in professional writing. Meanwhile, the team will close out its home portion of the regular season as the Phoenix hosts Delaware in a three-game CAA series Saturday and Sunday at Hunt Softball Park. The league set is to begin with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. On Sunday, the Phoenix will celebrate its senior class of Alaina Hall, Carey Million, Jenna Reilly and Roper before the series finale.

Shaw: The Bears’ 2017 season came to an end Thursday when the team paid a visit to Winston-Salem State for a key division doubleheader. The Bears suffered an 8-0 loss in game one and 11-0 defeat in the nightcap. The setbacks ended hopes for the team competing in the CIAA Softball Tournament next week.

Mount Olive: The sixth-seeded Trojans saw their season come to an end in a 9-3 loss to eighth-seeded Lees-McRae College in the Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament in Burlington.

St. Augustine’s: On Friday, Shawn Rowe ran the world’s 11th-fastest time in the men’s 400-meter hurdles championship race in the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. His time of 49.36 was the fastest by an American college hurdler in the event and it bettered this season’s NCAA Division II top outdoor time, which he owned.

N.C. State: Elly Henes highlighted the first day of action for the Wolfpack at the historic Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia on Thursday. The freshman from Cary ran a personal best of 9:24.93 to finish second in a field of 43 in the women’s 3,000m. On the men’s side, RS-senior Audrey Myjer also posted a personal best of 8:56.88 to finish fourth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. That was the best mark for the Wolfpack in that event this season.

Duke: Sophomore Gabrielle Richichi and freshman Lindsay Billings competed in the women’s 5,000m and each registered personal-best times Thursday at the 123rd annual Penn Relays. Nikhil Pulimood also stopped the clock in a personal-best 14:35.49 for a 35th-place finish. The program will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to compete in the Virginia Grand Prix on Saturday in addition to the Blue Devils who are entered in the Penn Relays.

ECU: Senior distance runner Pol Solanellas has been named the school’s Most Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete for 2016-17. Solanellas earned all-conference honors in multiple events at the 2016 AAC Outdoor Championships as well as the 2017 indoor championships. He ranks among the school’s all-time top-10 in three track and field events and is a two-time member of the AAC All-Academic Team. Solanellas earned his bachelor of science degree in 2016 and is pursuing his master’s of business administration.

ECU: Junior diver Alicia Roueche has been named the school’s Most Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete for 2016-17. Twice during her career she has been named American Athletic Conference Diver-of-the-Week and qualified for the NCAA Regional Zone Diving Championships. Roueche is pursuing a degree in art with a minor in business administration.

Duke: Jacob Kasper and Mitch Finesilver headed west to Las Vegas to take part in the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships through Saturday.

ECU: Head coach Scottie Montgomery will serve as a panelist during the Knight Commission’s meeting Monday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Knight Commission, which promotes reforms to emphasize the educational mission of college athletics, will hear from conference commissioners, athletics directors, coaches and others about the future of college football with a focus on finances and player benefits and protections, and about efforts to increase diversity in college sports leadership.

Duke: A day after receiving its 25th consecutive bid to compete in the NCAA regionals, the eighth-ranked Duke women’s golf team will travel to Glencoe, Ill., to compete in the Northwestern Quad on Saturday. The competition will feature Duke, Florida State, Alabama and Northwestern and be played at the 6,303-yard, par 72 Lakeshore Country Club.

St. Augustine’s: The Total Athlete Scholarship Golf Classic hosted by the team has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. May 22 at River Ridge Golf Club. The tournament was originally scheduled for April 24 but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Duke: The Friday night session of the Dale England Cup in Bloomington, Ind., has been postponed due to inclement weather. Racing at the event will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. This is the last regatta of the regular season for the Blue Devils, who have weekend off of competition before the May 14 ACC Championship on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C.

UNC: The Tar Heels round out the weekend of competition, facing Georgetown this Saturday on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The team is racing for the first time since finishing second in the Second Varsity Eight Petite Final and second in the Third Varsity Eight Final at the Knecht Cup on April 9.

From news releases

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 11:30 PM with the headline "College Notebook."