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In this edition of our newsletter, we proudly celebrate the outstanding achievements of our conference. From high-profile interviews and prestigious speaking engagements to national honors and accolades for our teams and individual players, the hard work and commitment shine brightly on the national stage. Our conference embodies a winning culture - from competition to the classroom - and we are proud of every accomplishment that makes us the conference #WhereWinnersThrive
 

League Moves

Baker Barnes to Appear on Nationally Syndicated Show

Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes joins Donal Ware on the next episode of From the Press Box to the Press Row on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 8 a.m. The commissioner's segment will broadcast on WAFM New Orleans 90.3FM. The show covers stories from HBCUs, HBCU conferences, and hot topics in sports. The show is on a radio station near you (boxtorow.com/affiliate-stations) and on HBCU SiriusXM 142.

Commissioner Baker Barnes to Offer Keynote at Upcoming Leadership Conference

Commissioner Baker Barnes will offer one of the keynote talks at the 2024 Women's Leadership Conference, hosted at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Thursday, June 6. Louisiana women represent 51% of the state, but only 16% of its elected officials. Baker Barnes' keynote address will take place during the Powerhouse Women Talks, sponsored by Fidelity Bank P.O.W.E.R. 70 percent of the attendees hold the title of manager or above, and Baker Barnes' is frequently sought after to train, mentor, and offer programmatic experiences for other leaders. For more information and to register, visit www.powerupnola.com.

Commissioner Baker Barnes Serves as Commencement Speaker at her Alma Mater

  
Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes recently gave the commencement address at her alma mater, University of New Orleans. Her speech echoed stories of being a high-achieving student-athlete turned coach and athletic director. She told stories of receiving great opportunities to showcase her skills and stories of how she had to overcome adversity and disappointments - like when she was cut in the second round of tryouts for the WNBA. Her speech inspired and motivated all in attendance to move beyond failure and stand resiliently to relentlessly pursue excellence. Read more about the commencement address and view pictures here: 2024 UNO Commnecement
 

Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission Announces GCAC as Partner of the Year

The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference was recently honored as the Partner of the Year by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission during its annual Excellence in Hospitality Awards. The ceremony was held at the Horseshoe Bossier Casino and Hotel in Shreveport-Bossier City. 

"This is such an honor," said GCAC Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes. "We are grateful to Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission for their partnership and efforts to make our championships first-class experiences."

Read the full release and list of other honorees on the conference website.
 

Let the Honors Roll

As the 2023-24 sports year ends, several Gulf Coast Athletic Conference student-athletes and coaches were honored with national awards. Please join us in congratulating the accomplishments of each individual!
 

Six Wiley University students earn Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar

Six Wiley University athletes earned recognition for their athletic and academic achievements by earning Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars.

The athletes recognized were women's basketball athlete Elizabeth Camacho, volleyball athlete Fatima Ortega, women's soccer, cross country and track and field athlete Jean-Marie Farinha and baseball players Caidin Franklin, Coren Lewis and Jacob Perez. They earned the honor by holding a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA and playing at least two seasons in their sport. The award is sponsored by Diverse Education. Read the full article on Wiley's website.

Black College Nines Elites Individual Awards

The GCAC was well-represented this year at the Black College World Series, where Talladega and Wiley received invitations to particpate. The two schools also racked up several postseason honors, including sweeping the individual player and coach awards.

Player of the Year – Miguel Oropeza (Talladega College)

Pitcher of the Year – Samuel Guadamuz (Talladega College)

Freshman of the Year – Keyon Guillory (Wiley University)

Coach of the Year – Marcos Dominguez (Talladega College)

Sports Information Director of the Year – Andrew Glover (Wiley University)

Special Service to HBCU Baseball and the Black College World Series – Robert Holloway (Southwestern Athletic Conference/Gulf Coast Athletic Conference)

In addition to the individual honors, 10 GCAC baseball players from Wiley and Talladega were named to the Elites Small School Division First and Second Teams. Read the full release on the Black College Nines website.

2024 Daktronics NAIA Spring Sports Scholar-Athletes Announced

Dillard University
George Alvearez
Kejuan Burnett
Keymoni Coleman
Tyler Fitch
Willie Green
Jorge Guerra
Julian Keys
Robert Jackson
Bryson Payne
Nicholas Pena

MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Dillard University
Malik Durante
Christopher Watson

Dillard University
Brooklyn Acosta
Kevell Byrd
Charra Bridges
Tanyia Flowers
Alanii Martin
Kennedy Timmons

Oropeza and Guillory Selected for HBCU All-Star Game

Miguel Oropeza of Talladega College and Keyon Guillory of Wiley University were selected by Minority Baseball Prospects for the 2024 HCU All-Star Game. The game, which takes place June 1 in Houston, Texas, is an opportunity for the best in HBCU baseball to gather on one stage and play in front of professional scouts who can identify and evaluate players from the elite HBCU talent pool. The inaugural game took place in 2021 and has since grown in participation and recognition.

In his first collegiate season, Guillory was dominant in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play, winning seven of eight starts, throwing three shutouts, four complete games and striking out 10 or more batters in three games. He earned GCAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year and landed on the All-GCAC First Team. He was a four-time GCAC Pitcher of the Week and earned NAIA Pitcher of the Week for April 15-21. Additionally, Guillory was named Black College Nines Freshman of the Year and Elite First Team pitcher. Guillory is the first Wildcat selected to the HBCU All-Star Game.

Oropeza, who was named GCAC MVP and Hitter of the Year, had an incredible year for the Tornadoes, leading the NAIA during the regular season with a .534 batting average. He was the only Tornado to start every game this season and had over 25 multi-hit games this year.

First pitch is at 7 p.m. on June 1 at the University of Houston's Don Sanders Field at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park. The game will be streamed on Minority Prospects YouTube Channel. Live statistics will be available on GameChanger a scorekeeping app that can be downloaded in your mobile device's App Store. The athletes will play on either Team Michael Bourn, coached by Prairie View A&M University head coach Auntwan Riggins, or Team Carl Crawford coached by Southern University head coach Chris Crenshaw.