PEMBROKE — Postseason honors began to trickle in for the UNC Pembroke football team on Tuesday when seven players, including first-team selections Branden Spencer and Dante Bowlding, were named to the 2022 All-Mountain East Conference Football Team, the league office announced.

Bowlding and Spencer were joined in Tuesday’s announcement by quarterback Josh Jones, offensive lineman Jacob Perry, and defensive standouts Marcus Davis, Tyreke King and Virgil Lemons. It is the third all-conference nod for Bowlding and the second all-league selection for Jones.

Tuesday’s announcement marked the third-straight year that seven or more Braves have graced the all-conference teams.

An electric return specialist, Bowlding returned 14 punts for 211 yards (15.1 yards/return) this season, including a 60-yard punt return for touchdown against Fairmont State, while also logging five kickoff returns for 104 yards (20.8). A starter in the secondary as well, the Fayetteville native ranked third on the squad with 52 tackles (34 solo), while also registering one interception, four pass break-ups and a pair of forced fumbles.

Spencer logged 49 tackles (29 solo) on the season, including 11-1/2 tackles for loss (-47 yards) and 7-1/2 sacks (-38 yards), while also turning in 10 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. The Raleigh produced tallied at least one tackle for loss in seven contests, including a record-breaking performance at Fairmont State that saw him amass four sacks on the way to garnering Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.

A starter in the linebacking corps for the Black & Gold, Davis amassed a team-best 79 tackles (51 solo), including a pair of tackles for loss (-7 yards), to go along with one interception, four pass break-ups and a quarterback hurry. He turned in four or more tackles in each of the last seven games, including an 18-tackle performance in UNCP’s convincing Homecoming victory over West Liberty. That performance helped the Dallas, Texas, native pick up MEC Defensive Player of the Week nods.

Lemons proved to be a multi-threat athlete for the Black & Gold in 2022, registering 41 tackles (26 solo), including a trio of tackles for loss (-19 yards), to go along with a team-best three interceptions, eight pass break-ups and one quarterback hurry. As a return specialist, he logged 18 kickoff returns for 490 yards (27.2 yards/return), including a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown against West Virginia Wesleyan, while also returning seven punts for 84 yards (12.0).

King finished his senior campaign with 31 tackles (23 solo), including 11 sacks (-90 yards), while also tallying five quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles. The Charlotte product totaled multiple tackles in seven outings, including at least one quarterback drop in six games, and was crowned MEC Defensive Player of the Week following a Week 6 performance that saw him total four sacks in a the win at Wheeling.

An 11-game starter on the right side of the offensive line for the Black & Gold, Perry played the part of pivotal leader for a unit that paved the way for an offense that put up 331.0 yards of total offense and 25.1 points per game. The Greensboro product graded out at better than 85 percent on the season, and played a majority of his snaps at right guard.

Jones accounted for more than 2,500 yards of total offense and 23 touchdowns this season, doing a bulk of his damage in the pocket after throwing for 2,303 yards and 13 touchdowns on 216-of-367 passing. A dual-threat quarterback, the Wilmington native also ran for 219 yards and 10 additional scores as well. Jones wrapped up his collegiate career by eclipsing single-game school records for both passing yards and total offensive yards against Concord, and exits Pembroke as the program’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing completions, passing attempts and touchdowns responsible for.

Braves land four on All-Region soccer squad

The postseason honors kept on piling up for the UNC Pembroke soccer team on Tuesday when Chiara Coppin, Anna Grossheim, Ashleigh Harris and Kennedy Rucker all earned a spot on the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Southeast Region squad, the organization announced.

The announcement marked the 11th time in the 22-season history of the program that the Black & Gold has been represented on the squad, and the seventh time that the Braves have sent multiple representatives to the team. Grossheim picked up the honor for the second-straight season, while Coppin, Harris and Rucker all picked up all-region accolades for the first time in their respective careers.

Grossheim and Rucker, both first team selections, will now be advanced to the D2CCA All-America ballot for consideration. The D2CCA All-America team will be announced on November 30.

Coppin was tops among league goalkeepers in both goals against average (0.68) and save percentage (.840) on the way to picking up first team all-conference nods, and yielded just 13 goals in nearly 1,717 minutes of playing time. The Monroe product posted six solo shutouts this season, while also tacking up a scoreless first half in four other outings as well. She amassed six or more saves on five occasions, including a career-best nine stops in a key win over Belmont Abbey in early October.

The 2022 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year, Grossheim paced Conference Carolinas in five offensive statistical categories, while also ranking second in one other. The Garner native led the league in shots (113), shots on goal (54) goals (14) and assists (11), and shared the league perch with five game-winning goals, on the way to a career-best 39 points. The junior forward scored at least one point (goal or assist) in 12 outings this season, including multi-score efforts against Converse, Emmanuel, Barton and North Greenville. She was named United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week on October 26 as well.

A 21-match starter at forward, Harris ranked second among Conference Carolinas leaders in both shots (102) and shots on goal (42), and tallied 24 points on 10 goals and four assists this season on the way to securing a spot on the All-Conference Carolinas squad. Harris logged at least one point in nine contests, including a hat trick (three goals) in the Black & Gold’s 8-0 victory at King in mid-September. Twenty-one of Harris’s 24 points this season came against league opponents.

A product of Asheville, Rucker played every minute of all 21 contests for UNCP, and spearheaded a defensive effort that watched the Black & Gold post 11 clean sheets, and yield just 9.1 shots per match (4.4 shots on goal/match). Rucker also logged 10 shots (three on goal) from her backline position, scoring once on a penalty kick goal against Southern Wesleyan, while also registering an assist on a first half goal at Chowan.

UNCP wrestling rumbles past Limestone

The UNC Pembroke wrestling team tacked up 21 takedowns and six near falls on the way to registering seven bonus-point victories on the night, and the Braves captured their home dual opener for the fifth-straight season with a 39-12 triumph over visiting Limestone on Tuesday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

It was the 18th win in the last 19 home dual meets for the Braves (2-0, 2-0 SACC) who have now won three-straight matches in the 18-year-old series with the Saints as well. It was the dual meet opener for Limestone (0-1, 0-1) who fell to 1-8 all-time against the Black & Gold in Pembroke.

UNCP forged a big lead in a hurry, using Logan Seliga’s first-period pin in the 125-pound matchup, as well as a forfeit at 133 pounds, to take a 12-0 lead on the team scoreboard. The Saints got on the board with Smaill Saint Pierre’s pin in the 141-pound bout, but the Braves followed with three-straight victories – all of the bonus point variety – to stretch their advantage out to 27-6.

Limestone got consecutive decisions from Hunter Haven (174 pounds) and Kyle Daley (184) to cut into its deficit, but Garrett Steele clinched the team win for the Braves with a first-period pin at 197 pounds, and Ryan Walker stalled out Gustavo Martinez in the heavyweight contest to put the finishing touches on the night.

The Braves will be back in action again on Sunday when they head to Marietta, Ga., for the Life Open. Wrestling action inside The Eagles’ Nest is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m.