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Rumely Noble coaching contract extended

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Rumely Noble coaching contract extended

BOONE, N.C. – After recording the program’s winningest season since 2018, App State head volleyball coach Sarah Rumely Noble has signed a contract extension that runs through the 2026 season, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Friday. The extension was approved by Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.

Fast Turnaround

“Sarah made a dramatic impact on the trajectory of App State Volleyball in her first season,” Gillin said. “Winning 11 of their last 12 matches helped turn around the team’s fortunes in one year as they set their sights on Sun Belt championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Sarah is an energetic and innovative leader, and we look forward to the future of App State Volleyball.”

Rumely Noble led App State to a terrific finish in her first season at the helm last fall. The Mountaineers won 11 of their final 12 regular-season conference matches that helped vault the team to an 18-10 overall record and 11-5 mark in conference play, while posting a 9-2 record in Boone. It was an 11-win improvement overall from the previous season, including an eight-win improvement in Sun Belt Conference matches.

As a player, rumely noble was a two-time All-American and four-time all-sec selection as a setter at kentucky.

“I love being the leader of App State Volleyball,” Rumely Noble said. “Thank you to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Everts, Doug Gillin and Erika Cheung for continuing to believe in me and for investing in volleyball at a high level. We are building something special here, and I’m excited for the future. There is no place I’d rather be.”

Under Rumely Noble’s tutelage, Maya Winterhoff garnered Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors, becoming the first Mountaineer to earn that distinction. The Charlottesville, Va., native ranked 38th nationally in hitting percentage (.376) and third among Sun Belt players.

Senior outside hitter McCall Denny was also named a second-team All-Sun Belt selection, finishing the season with a team-high 329 kills to go along with 248 digs, while playing in all 109 sets for the Mountaineers. Four Mountaineers also received CSC Academic All-District recognition.

The Mountaineers concluded the 2022 season ranking second in the Sun Belt in opponent hitting percentage (.187) and third in service aces per set (1.71).

Experienced as a Player

A two-time All-American and four-time All-SEC selection as a setter at Kentucky, Rumely Noble was named the ninth head coach in App State volleyball history when she was hired in January 2022. She most recently spent five seasons at LSU, serving as the Tigers’ associate head coach in 2021, helping the squad pull in three nationally ranked recruiting classes over her final four seasons in Baton Rouge.

App State opens the 2023 volleyball season by hosting the Mountaineer Classic at the Holmes Center, August 25-26. Season tickets are on sale now.

CLICK HERE: 2023 SCHEDULE

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Top Gun! Weaver slaps a pair of HRs in 13-3 Bigfoots win

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Top Gun! Weaver slaps a pair of HRs in 13-3 Bigfoots win

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Baseball “rally caps” take many forms these days. In a run-rule decision that shortened the Boone Bigfoots vs. High Point-Thomasville HiToms baseball game to seven innings on Father’s Day, June 18, the 13-3 win by Boone perhaps found early momentum from an unusual source depending on your belief in supersitions.

As the Boone Bigfoots were coming to bat at the start of the fourth inning, the visitors led, 2-0 — but then nature called for reserve outfielder Walter Monday. As he entered the dugout restroom at the far end of the Bigfoots’ bench, teammate Nadir Lewis ripped a double off the top of the left-centerfield wall.

Ouch! J C Navarro is hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on June 18 as the Boone Bigfoots hosted the HiToms. Photographic image by David Rogers

Just as Monday exited the restroom to ask what all the cheering was about, teammate J C Navarro was hit by a pitch, sending him to first base. Monday’s teammates in the dugout took a quick vote, deciding that the Transylvania University outfielder’s presence in the bathroom was the team’s equivalent of a rally cap, pushing him back into the facility and quickly closing the door.

And that was where he stayed for the duration of what evolved as a 4-run rally. It propelled the Bigfoots into the lead and gave their offensive production some needed momentum. Even when Monday deflected praise later, his teammates gave him all the credit.

A Boone Bigfoots runner is able to just get back to first base during the June 18, Father’s Day game vs. the HiToms. Photographic image by David Rogers

Of course there were centerpieces to the Bigfoots’ offensive explosion besides Lewis’ double in the fourth inning, including Jalen Vasquez’ double down the right field line that scored the team’s first two runs (and delayed again Monday’s return from exile). “You have to stay there, Walt, until this is over.” That was the message generally agreed upon by his teammates.

And when Zach Weaver promptly launched a 2-run home run, the team’s superstitions were appropriately rewarded. By this time, Monday had shrugged off the superstitions, exited and refused to go back — and the rally suddenly ended. Just sayin’… maybe there was a connection.

Although the Bigfoots’ bats were silent in the bottom of the fifth inning, they caught fire again in the sixth and seventh innings, producing nine more runs. Meanwhile, three Boone pitchers combined to allow just three runs on five hits, the only real damage coming in the second inning with HiToms outfielder Kane Kepley rapping a 2-RBI single to left field.

Daniel Dewey (2-0) started on the mound for the Bigfoots and went five strong innings to pick up his second win of the season, giving up two runs on three hits, walking three and striking out five. Riley Bost pitched the sixth inning, giving up a run on two hits, walking two and striking out two HiToms batters. Jackson Kirkpatrick earned the save by pitching the seventh inning, facing five batters while walking two, striking out two, and allowing no runs or hits.

KEY PERFORMERS

  • BIG – Zach Weaver: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 6 RBIs, 2 HRs
  • BIG – Nadir Lewis: 4-5, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2B, 3B
  • BIG – Jalen Vasquez: 1-2, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 2B
  • BIG – J C Navarro: 1-3, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, hit by pitch
  • BIG – Brayden Simpson: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI
  • HPT – Kane Kepley: 1-2, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, SB
  • HPT – Josh Caron: 1-3, 1 run scored
  • HPT – Jake Koonin: 1-3, 1 run scored

BONUS PHOTOS

Ouch! J C Navarro is hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on June 18 as the Boone Bigfoots hosted the HiToms. Photographic image by David Rogers

A Boone Bigfoots runner is able to just get back to first base during the June 18, Father’s Day game vs. the HiToms. Photographic image by David Rogers

Lots at stake: Premier Lacrosse League wows Charlotte (and vice-versa)

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Lots at stake: Premier Lacrosse League wows Charlotte (and vice-versa)

By David Rogers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were winning teams and losing teams on June 9-10 when the Premier Lacrosse League for its second weekend of the 2023 season, this time at the American Legion Memorial Stadium. And yet, the biggest winner of all may very well have been Charlotte, the city and major media market.

Bonus Photos at Bottom of Article

Photographic image by David Rogers

Only two weeks earlier (May 25), Premier Lacrosse League distributed a press release announcing that beginning in 2024, the eight clubs comprising the league’s competition would be assigned to home cities. Since the league’s formation in 2018, PLL has taken its eight franchises to as many as 12 different markets. The teams have been identified only  by their nicknames: Whipsnakes, Waterdogs, Chaos, Chrome, Redwoods, Atlas, Cannons, and Archers, each one playing a single game each weekend. On June 3-4, they played in Albany, N.Y. to kickoff the season. On June 16-17 the tour traveled to Columbus, Ohio, then the next week to Minneapolis; and so on to Fairfield, Conn.; Louisville, Dallas, Baltimore, Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City before staging playoffs in Boston, Long Island, and Philadelphia.

Ostensibly, each of the cities hosting the tour are vying for a coveted “home city” designation beginning in 2024. Charlotte made a strong case by nearly filling the 21,000 capacity Memorial Stadium venue. In previous years, a typical PLL crowd, according to stats gleaned from online sources, numbered in the 12,000 to 13,000 range. The Columbus-based event will be hosted by the recently built Ohio State University lacrosse stadium, with a capacity of about 3,000.

Photographic image by David Rogers

According to the Inside Lacrosse Recruiting Database found online, 169 high schools in North Carolina offered men’s lacrosse in 2023 and 106 schools offered women’s lacrosse in the most recent season, including both public and private institutions. From PLL’s perspective, participation at the middle and high school levels translates into good potential market demand for a professional lacrosse product.

In the short-term, the scores of the four games on June 9-10 were important for the players, coaches and PLL organizers. Three matches were decided by a single point, one by a wider margin:

  • Archers def. Chrome, 12-7
  • Redwoods def. Waterdogs, 10-9
  • Atlas def. Whipsnakes, 12-11
  • Chaos def. Cannons, 14-13

As the scores suggest, the action was fast-paced and all of the teams will be looking on with interest as to which home city they will be representing next year.

BONUS PHOTOS

Photographic image by David Rogers
Photographic image by David Rogers

Photographic image by David Rogers

Charlottetown upsets Appalachian FC, 3-2

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Charlottetown upsets Appalachian FC, 3-2

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An evenly contested soccer match on June 17 between Appalachian FC and the Charlottetown Hops produced an abundance of cheers, jeers and raised eyebrows. The final result was a 3-2 win to the benefit of the Charlotte-based visitors.

Appalachian forward Jeremiah Luoma brought the 1,000-plus crowd to its feet in the 23rd minute with an angling break from the left side, drawing the Hops goalkeeper out before punching the ball past him, skipping along the turf and into the net to put the home side up 1-0.

Photographic image by David Rogers

The cheers quickly died just four minutes later when a controversial penalty kick was awarded to the Hops, successfully put into the goal by Jordan Da Costa to knot the score, 1-1, at the 27th minute.

The back and forth battle continued through the remainder of the first half and well into the second, the score remaining tied until the Hops’ Julien Sagnol pushed in a visitors’ tally in the 67th minute. Ten minutes later, Sasquatch & Co. responded in kind, London Williams emerging from a crowd to zip a worm-burner along the ground into the net from the near left side.

Nearly everyone in the stadium thought the match would end in a tie at 2-2 or go into an overtime period, but with the full 90 minutes having ticked off the clock and the referee allowing play continue into injury time, the Hops’ Mike Habel broke out of a congested pack to knock the ball into the Appalachian defended goal. Less than a minute later, full time was called with Charlottetown in the lead by the final margin.

Photographic image by David Rogers

Soccer fans, coaches and players never want to see a game adversely influenced by officiating decisions, but sometimes that is exactly what happens. In an effort to get control of a game that she was losing control of, as the match progressed the referee more readily handed out yellow cards. In total, there were eight yellow cards issued on the night, four from each team and, surprisingly, no send offs.

At two critical junctures, when the whistle blew and play stopped, the referee’s decision was directly opposite of what everyone else was thinking would be called. The first was the controversial penalty kick. At least everyone in the stadium rooting for Appalachian FC were shocked by the decision.

The second was late in the second half with Appalachian FC in possession and attacking down the right side. The App FC winger was in position to play the ball when a Charlottetown defender bowled him over, literally vaulting himself backwards into the attacking player. The referee apparently saw something else, because she penalized the Appalachian FC player.

Photographic image by David Rogers

The same attacking winger was involved in another controversial call a short while later. He deftly saved a ball from going out of the field of play as it neared the end line, but the out-of-position line judge called him out and offside, even though he had to go around a defensive player to reach the ball.

All of that said, the Sasquatch-led crew had a clear advantage in time of possession and multiple opportunities to score that simply missed.

After the game, Appalachian FC head coach Dale Parker said that when controversial calls go against you, you can’t let them take your attention away from the task at hand.

Photographic image by David Rogers

“Yes, there were decisions made by the referee that we didn’t agree with,” Parker said. “But you have to be resilient and not let them take you out of the game. The penalty kick that was awarded in the first half was particularly upsetting and it (disrupted) our play for the rest of the first half and maybe even part of the second half. Questionable decisions by a referee are going to happen. We have to be better in how we respond.

“We had several opportunities created with our attacking style of play,” added Parker. “We just couldn’t find the back of the net.”

 

How do you spell N-E-M-E-S-I-S? Owls drop Bigfoots (again), 6-3

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How do you spell N-E-M-E-S-I-S? Owls drop Bigfoots (again), 6-3

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For the first three innings of the June 16 Coastal Plain League game between Boone and Forest City, the Bigfoots kept pace with the Owls at Smith Stadium. Boone even led at the end of the third frame, 3-2. But when their bats fell largely silent and the visitors’ offensive production came alive, the Owls emerged the victors, 6-3.

To be sure, it was a better contested encounter for the Boone nine vs. the division-leading Forest City than the 11-6 blowout on June 2 or the 16-8 demolition on June 8, but the third time proved not the proverbial charm, even with better pitching.

Boone Bigfoots players salute the military veterans in the stands on June 16. Photographic image by David Rogers

“We couldn’t hit the ball,” said Boone’s front office executive Bob Wilson after the game. “That has to get better.”

The game started promising enough for the home side. They gave up an early run in the top of the first inning but rebounded to score two of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Carlos Amezquita opened by beating out a grounder to second base for a single, stole second, then scored on a single toward right field by Jalen Vasquez to knot the game at 1-1. Vasquez would later score on a ground ball fielder’s choice to bring home the Bigfoots’ second run of the inning.

Off and running! Photographic image by David Rogers

The Owls tied the game with another run in the top of the third inning, but the Bigfoots matched it to regain their one-run lead.

Boone rapped out seven hits on the night, but five of them were singles in the first three innings. The fact they were scoreless the rest of the way means the Owls’ hurlers pitched a 2-hit shutout over the final six innings.

Meanwhile, Forest City scored two runs in the 4th inning and another pair in the 6th to expand their winning margin.

Back safely to first… Photographic image by David Rogers

The Owls have become the Bigfoots’ season nemesis. Boone sports a 4-5 record on the still young season, with three of those losses coming to Forest City. Against other West Division opponents, the Bigfoots have at times been dominant. With a 9-3 league mark, the Owls have played three more games than Boone and lead the division.

Forest City’s winning pitcher was Austin Hunley (2-0), with the Owls save credited to Colton Huntt (0-0, 3 saves). The Bigfoots’ starting pitcher, Walker Case (0-1), picked up the loss.

KEY PERFORMANCES

  • BIG – Carlos Amezquita: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 1 walk
  • BIG – Tyson Bass: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 Sac Fly
  • BIG – Jalen Vasquez: 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 3 stolen bases
  • FOR – Wade Kelly: 1-4, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2B, 1 walk, 2 stolen bases
  • FOR – G. Allen: 2-2, 4 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 stolen bases, 2 Sac Flies
  • FOR – Derek Wood: 2-4, 1 run scored

BONUS PHOTOS

Bigfoots catcher Blake Hale applies the tag at home on June 16. Photographic image by David Rogers

Boone Bigfoots players salute the military veterans in the stands on June 16. Photographic image by David Rogers

Off and running! Photographic image by David Rogers
Back safely to first… Photographic image by David Rogers

 

 

DOWN MEMORY LANE: 6,000 hot rods and classic cars ‘invade’ High Country

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DOWN MEMORY LANE: 6,000 hot rods and classic cars ‘invade’ High Country

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — America’s love affair with motorized vehicles is well over a century old — and that passion was on display June 16 when Hot Rod magazine’s “Power Tour 2023” swept through the High Country.

A lot of garages around the country are surely empty this weekend. A reported 6,000 cars, trucks, and curiosities are part of the invasion that kept U.S. 321 and NC-105 clogged up — with history — through Blowing Rock and Boone this morning. Some of the hot rods are of recent vintage, but many others are much older than the 75 years Hot Rod magazine (launched in 1948) is celebrating with this journey.

One of the vehicles more closely resembled a grounded jet, celebrating the “lemons” that periodically rolled off the assembly lines in the early days of auto manufacturing and are (thankfully) less prevalent with today’s advanced automotive technology.

Photographic image by David Rogers

Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac, GMC, Plymouth, Dodge, Ram were all represented. McLaren, Challenger, Roadrunner, Mustang, Corvette, Thunderbird, Camara and Impala, too. Sure, there were plenty of acronyms: GT, SS, STS, GTO, to name a few.

There were cars and trucks of every size, description, and color. Some looked like they had just come off the showroom floor, burnished bright red, black, green, brown, purple, orange, yellow, or blue, perhaps even two-tone. Others graced the highway au natural, their age and wear proudly on display, too.

A long, black Thunderbird from the 60s might easily have jumped off the pages of a Mario Puzo novel about the Mafia. One has to wonder whether a “muscle car” with the engine popping up through the hood is actually street legal on any other day of the year.

Photographic image by David Rogers

Almost all of the vehicles brought with them a friendly wave from driver and passenger directed to the many bystanders along the sidewalks.  And, of course, there was plenty of horn-honking and revving up those engines.

One “low-rider” was mere millimeters off the pavement. Beware of speedbumps. Others had obviously been customized with lift kits.

Axle-back, header-back, cat-back… you name it, the exhaust system of choice largely depends on the preferences of who is doing the customization. They were likely all represented among the entries in this cavalcade of power.

Surfboards in the mountains may have seemed out of place in any other context…

Photographic image by David Rogers

Officially, the event is called, “The 29th annual HOT ROD Power Tour Driven by Continental Tire.” It kicked off from Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 12, serpentined through Georgia and South Carolina to the State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., negotiated a visit north to Rockingham Speedway, then to the zMAX Dragway adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, before traveling through the High Country to its finish line at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

Nearly 6,000 vehicles leaving one spot within a couple of hours of each other all headed for the same destination? If you are in Los Angeles, that sounds like a good recipe for traffic jams, frayed nerves. In the South heading toward a weekend? Participants say it is a good time — even if a few of the long lines at gas stations along the way were reminiscent of 1974 gas rationing.

For participants and bystanders alike, it was often a walk down memory lane.

BONUS PHOTOS

Photographic image by David Rogers
Photographic image by David Rogers

 

Photographic image by David Rogers

Photographic image by David Rogers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movin’ on: Curcio leaving App State for University of the South head coach positions

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Movin’ on: Curcio leaving App State for University of the South head coach positions

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – App State Head Cross Country Coach and Associate Track and Field Coach, Michael Curcio, has left the cross country and track and field programs to take a position as the head cross country and track & field coach at the University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee.

“On behalf of the entire staff, we want to thank Coach Curcio for everything he has done for App State Track and Field and Cross Country over three-plus decades,” said Damion McLean, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. “He has impacted hundreds of student-athletes and left a sizable legacy in App State Athletics and Appalachian State University. He has helped mentor some of the best teams and athletes in App State history while promoting a high level of competitive excellence and academic integrity. We wish him the best.”

Curcio, a 1987 App State graduate who was on four conference championship teams during his time as a Mountaineer athlete, led App State to 13 conference championships (11 Southern Conference, two Sun Belt) in men’s cross country and four league titles (two SoCon, two Sun Belt) in women’s cross country after joining the staff in 1995. He mentored 167 cross country all-conference performers and was named conference cross country coach of the year 14 times.

Curcio’s overall record in men’s and women’s cross country meets was 510-59, including a 179-20 mark against Sun Belt teams.

While coaching the distance runners in track & field, Curcio coached 72 athletes (59 SoCon, 13 Sun Belt) to indoor and outdoor individual champion performances and 273 all-conference indoor and outdoor performances. He also coached two athletes to indoor track & field MVP awards and four outdoor track & field MVP awards, while mentoring four NCAA All-Americans.

In the classroom, Curcio’s athletes garnered 19 USTFCCCA All-Academic awards. The women’s cross country team earned All-Academic status for 23 consecutive seasons, while the men’s cross country team earned the status in 23 of his 28 seasons.

App State track and field squads won 38 conference titles during Curcio’s coaching tenure.

In addition to his athletes’ competitive success, Curcio will long be remembered for his personal impact on their lives. He has taught countless student-athletes about unselfishness, professionalism and accountability. He has given sound advice, helped many athletes and alumni navigate challenges, and demonstrated how to be a leader with a compassionate heart. The foundation Curcio helped build, and his ethos “Family. School. Team.” will forever be a part of App State Athletics’ story.

The Mountaineers will immediately begin a national search for the future leadership of App State cross country and distance running.

App State Chancellor Everts named President of the Sun Belt Conference

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App State Chancellor Everts named President of the Sun Belt Conference

Special Report from the Sun Belt Conference. NEW ORLEANS — Appalachian State University Chancellor Dr. Sheri Everts was named President of the Sun Belt Conference at the close of the league’s spring CEO meeting in Atlanta.

Effective July 1, Everts’ duties during her two-year team as the Sun Belt Conference President also include serving as the chair of the conference’s Executive Committee.

Joining Everts on the Executive Committee—and in the Sun Belt presidential rotation—are Georgia Southern University President Dr. Kyle Marrero as Vice President and The University of Southern Mississippi President Dr. Joseph S. Paul as Treasurer.

“I want to thank Dr. Joseph Savoie of Louisiana for his numerous years of service to the Sun Belt Conference as an Executive Committee member and Dr. Kelly Damphousse of Texas State for his service over the past two years as Sun Belt Conference President,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “Each of our CEOs has played a pivotal role in the Sun Belt’s rise. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Sheri Everts of App State, and the rest of the incoming Executive Committee, as we continue to elevate the Sun Belt Conference and its 14 member institutions.”

University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie, who most recently served as the Sun Belt Conference Past President, concludes his service on the conference’s Executive Committee.

Texas State University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse will transition into the role of Past President for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. Dr. Damphousse—the Sun Belt Conference President for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years—continues to serve as the Sun Belt Conference’s representative on the NCAA Board of Directors.

Dabule hired as new App State women’s golf head coach

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Dabule hired as new App State women’s golf head coach

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Brittany Dabule, who has helped orchestrate record-setting team and individual performances during her first seven seasons leading college golf programs, has been named the head coach of App State Women’s Golf, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Tuesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brittany to the App State family,” Gillin said. “Her goals align with our core values of academic integrity, competitive excellence, social responsibility and a world-class experience. Brittany is proven in her ability to help young women succeed and grow on and off the course. We are excited about the future of App State Women’s Golf.”

App State will hold a press conference Friday morning on the fifth floor of the Mark E. Ricks Athletics Complex to introduce Dabule (pronounced duh-BULE). The press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m., and the event is open to members of the public who would like to attend, with lunch provided afterward.

Dabule spent the previous four seasons in Farmville, Va., as the head coach at Longwood University, which competes in the Big South Conference, after serving as the head coach at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort for three seasons from 2017-19.

“I am grateful and excited to be the next head coach of App State Women’s Golf,” Dabule said. “I want to thank Doug Gillin, Spencer Bridges, Katie Pate, Erika Cheung and everyone involved in the search committee for trusting me with the future of the program. Together, we will build an environment that allows our student-athletes to excel both on and off the golf course. I am eager to get started and develop the team into an elite program within the Sun Belt Conference.”

Along with an individual setting Longwood’s program record for lowest 54-hole scoring total under Dabule’s watch, the Lancers posted both their lowest single-round team score and best team finish at the Big South Conference Championship tournament in the last decade.

Longwood placed fifth at the Big South tournament in April to cap a 2022-23 season in which it recorded four top-five team finishes. A year earlier, the Lancers had the Big South Freshman of the Year.

During her three years at USC Beaufort, the Sand Sharks produced six All-America performances and made three consecutive NAIA national championship appearances, including back-to-back top-four national finishes in 2017 and 2018.

A native of Hilton Head Island, S.C., Dabule enjoyed a standout playing career at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and as a professional on The Cactus Tour in Arizona. She earned All-Big South honors at Winthrop in 2006 and was a finalist for the NCAA’s “Freshman Impact” Award during a career in which she helped the Eagles achieve four straight top-three finishes in the Big South.

After earning a sports management degree from Winthrop in 2010, she broke into the coaching ranks as the volunteer varsity girls’ golf coach at Hilton Head High School, co-founded the Sea Pines Montessori School’s “Hooked On Golf” program and served as an assistant golf professional at the famed Harbour Town Golf Links.

From 2012-15, Dabule served as an assistant golf professional at Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., during the winters and the Glenwild Golf Club & Spa in Park City, Utah, during the summers. She qualified for The Cactus Tour in 2015 and continued playing through November 2016.

In addition to coaching a pair of multi-time All-Americans at USC Beaufort from 2017-19, Dabule led the Sand Sharks to a top-10 national finish in the coaches poll in each of her three years. They placed third nationally in 2017 and fourth nationally in 2018.

Blowing Rock’s Colley wins historic Litchfield Hills road race

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Blowing Rock’s Colley wins historic Litchfield Hills road race

By David Rogers. LITCHFIELD HILLS, Conn. — The “starting gun” the Litchfield Hills Road Race is an old cannon, its “boom” echoing in and around the surrounding woods, hills and valleys. Then there is that featured part of the course called “Gallows Hill.” You run down at the start — and then have to run back up at the end of 7.1 miles. And the “fun times” in waiting carry the organizers’ stiff, pre-race warning that goes something like, “If you haven’t trained, we recommend that you don’t run this race.”

Blowing Rock’s Andrew Colley, a veteran member of the ZAP Endurance professional elite running team, brushed any doubts aside on June 11 in winning the historic Litchfield Hills Road Race against a competitive field that included almost 1,000 hardy souls. The High Country equivalent might be “The Bear,” run up Grandfather Mountain.

“The first mile was down Gallows Hill,” said Coffey in describing his first race back in competition since running the Rotterdam Marathon in April. “I ran it in 4:19!”

That pace for 7.1 miles is not sustainable, especially considering you have to run back UP Gallow’s Hill at the end. In spite of the elevation changes and switching periodically from asphalt to dirt and gravel surfaces, Colley still maintained a blistering 4:56 mile pace to cross the finish line in 34:34.37, roughly 45 seconds ahead of No. 2 Vann Moffett of Niantic, Conn., a collegiate star from Stony Brook University on Long Island (N.Y.). Moffett ran 35:19.58, a 5:03 mile pace for the distance.

No. 3 was Ryan Eiler of Boston (36:36.87), with Alex Norstrom of Glastonbury, Conn., at No. 4 (37:08.08) and Spencer Bossi-Johnson of San Diego, Calif. in the No. 5 spot (37:21.90).

Almost 1,000 runners competed.

“This was a good run for Andrew,” said ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea after the race. “There is a lot of history to this race as well as for the venue. The race was started back in 1977, so has been going for 46 years now and the entire community comes out to support the event. Gallows Hill got its name because that is where they executed people convicted of certain crimes, like murder, back in the 1700s.”

The brief video below shows Colley having just crested Gallows Hill and on his way to the finish line.

CLICK: IMG_1723

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