Rice FAME Group is proud to announce the 2022-2023 HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards honorees today. The awards honor athletes, coaches, bands, and band directors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs. Each honoree was selected by a majority of voting peer coaches and band directors from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) programs. In several cases, the voting was very close.

Nominees were submitted by athletic representatives of the 78 four-year HBCU athletic programs. Ballots were sent to those programs for head coaches to vote for their peers and athletes from their sport. Band directors were asked to vote for bands and nominated band directors. Only one voter from each institution per sport or band was allowed. Information was from institutional submission and/or conference websites.

The HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards is named after Queen Makeda, the famous Queen of Sheba. It is said that she is the richest woman ever and her wisdom was impressive enough to test King Solomon of the Hebrews. She was very instrumental in increasing his wealth so he could build the first Temple. Sources say that King Solomon allowed their son to take the Ark of the Covenant and it currently resides in Ethiopia.

Dillard University led with six honorees for the second consecutive year. Stillman College followed with four followed by Howard University and Lincoln University (MO) with three each. Benedict College and Norfolk State University had two each with Virginia Union and Xavier University of Louisiana rounding out the honorees with one each. A total of 21 people and one band were honored. This year’s honorees are:

Marching Band

Band Stillman College Blue Pride Marching Band (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

Director Robert Baxter III, Stillman College

Baseball

Coach Trennis Grant, Dillard University (New Orleans, Louisiana), made waves in the college baseball world. He coached the Bleu Devils to a 22-30 record and finished second in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (13-5) in the regular season. He would then lead the Bleu Devils to a GCAC Championship and an NAIA national tournament bid. Coach Grant accomplished this as a first-year head coach in the program’s initial year. He earned GCAC Coach of the Year and had nine players earning postseason awards. He did this with thirty-five underclassmen.

Athlete Jorge Guerra, Dillard University, earned GCAC 1st team, GCAC Pitcher of the Year, GCAC All-Tournament, and Tournament Most Valuable Player. He was a part of the inaugural Dillard baseball team that won the conference championship in their inaugural season of competition to earn the automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. He pitched the first of two back-to-back games to claim the GCAC Championship. Dillard would also win 3 consecutive games in a row to claim the title.

Football

Coach Chennis Berry, Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina), guided Benedict to its first-ever Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in his second full season with the Tigers. Benedict went undefeated during the regular season, then easily defeated Tuskegee 58-21 in the SIAC Championship game. Benedict ranked as high as No. 7 in the AFCA D2 coaches’ poll. The program had earned a national ranking in any season prior to 2022. The Tigers earned the top seed in the Super Region 2, a bye in the NCAA playoffs, its first-ever appearance in the playoffs, and finished the season with an 11-1 overall record. Benedict was named HBCU Division 2 National Champions by multiple HBCU media outlets. Coach Berry won the SIAC Coach of the Year and the AFCA Super Region 2 Coach of the Year awards. The team ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense, third in passing yards allowed, and seventh in total defense. 10 Benedict players earned All-SIAC team selections. Other player honors included three players named to various other All-American teams, including a first team selection for the first time in program history, two players named All-Region, and two players named Academic All-American. Under Berry's leadership, the football team’s GPA improved significantly, and he helped increase athletic fundraising and donations, gaining new sponsors for the Chennis Berry Coach's Show, the first-ever coach's show in school history.

Athlete Loobert Denelus, Benedict College, was 2022 SIAC Defensive Player of the Year. He finished with 51 total tackles, 14 sacks (-91 yds), 21 TFL (-100 yds), three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, returned one for TD, one QB hurry, one blocked kick. He was named First Team All-American by American Football Coaches Association (First Benedict player in school history named to the First Team). He also earned First Team Don Hansen All-American and BoxToRow HBCU All-American honors. He was selected to the D2 CCA Super Region 2 All-Region Team. He earned First Team Academic All-America Team honors, also the first Benedict football player to achieve that honor. He was a finalist for Blanchard-Rogers trophy, which honors South Carolina's most outstanding college football player.

Men’s Basketball

Coach Kenneth Blakeney, Howard University (Washington D.C.), On April 3, led Team Dick Barnett over Team Willis Reed in the second annual HBCU All-Star Game, live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. He won several coaching honors, including BOXTOROW HBCU Coach of the Year, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Additionally, he led the Bison to their first outright league regular season title since 1986-87, going 11-3 in conference play. Coach Blakeney guided HU to its first tournament championship since 1992 and a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 31 years.

Athlete Robert Osborne, Virginia Union University (Richmond, Virginia), earned the HBCU Men's Basketball Player of the Year by BoxToRow Sports. He helped lead the Panthers to the CIAA Northern Division crown and their first win in the NCAA Tournament in 17 years. He led the CIAA in scoring (20.2) and field goal percentage (.515) and was second in the CIAA in rebounding (8.8). His 15 double doubles led the CIAA and were tied for sixth in Division II. Osborne was also selected to the NCAA All-Atlantic Region Team and was the CIAA Player of the Year. The six-foot-five forward led the Panthers in assists per game (3.1; sixth in the conference) and steals per game (1.5; tied for fifth in the conference). He scored at least 25 points in nine games this year and he had three of the six 30-point performances that came in CIAA play.

Women’s Basketball

Coach Larry Vickers, Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia), led the 26-7 Spartans to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship and they finished 24th in CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. He earned BOXTOROW HBCU Coach of the Year while coaching two BOXTOROW All-Americans, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and two MEAC All-Conference honorees. He coached the MEAC Tournament Outstanding Performer and two MEAC All-Tournament honorees. Coach Vickers was named the MEAC Tournament Outstanding Coach. His Spartans ranked first in NCAA Scoring Defense and Field Goal Percentage Defense and ranked fifth in Steals Per Game, Turnovers Forced Per Game, and Three-Point Percentage Defense. He coached against undefeated defending National Champions and top-seeded South Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Athlete Camille Downs, Norfolk State University, earned BOXTOROW 1st-Team All-American, her second consecutive MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and MEAC First Team All-Conference, and MEAC All-Defensive Team. She was three-times MEAC Defensive Player of the Week. She averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while totaling 61 assists, 109 steals, and seven blocks.

Men’s Cross Country

Coach Nile Legania, Dillard University, was the 2022 HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards winner and this year he coached one runner to an NAIA National Championships bid.

Athlete Devonte Williams, Dillard University, was an All-GCAC performer and National Qualifier. He Finished Sixth overall at the 2022 GCAC Conference Championships and holds school records in 5k (19:06) and 6k (21:50).

Women’s Cross Country

Coach Nile Legania, Dillard University, won the 2022 HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards. This year, his Women's Cross-Country team successfully defended its GCAC Championship while qualifying a team for NAIA Nationals for the first time in program history. He won 2022 Women’s GCAC Cross-Country Coach of the Year and was an NAIA South Region Coach of the Year Finalist. Assistant Coach Alexis Hunter-London was Assistant Coach of the Year under his leadership.

Athlete Rachel Jackson, Dillard University, was GCAC Championship Runner-up and an NAIA National Qualifier for the second consecutive year.

Men’s Track & Field

Coach Victor Thomas, Lincoln University of Missouri (Jefferson City), led Lincoln men to a fifth-place finish at NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He coached 19 men and women athletes who competed at the outdoor national championships and 12 who competed at the indoor national championships. He coached Lincoln athletes to 35 total Men and Women All-American awards in 2022-23. His Outdoor Men’s team won one national championship and two runners-up resulting in five individual and one relay All-American statuses. Nine men earned Academic All-American status. His Indoor Men’s team earned three individual and one relay All-American awards. The Blue Tigers men earned 13 All-Region honors. 13 men earned Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association All-Academic awards. Coach Thomas was named as a member of the 2023 Class of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame.

Athlete Reuben Nichols, Lincoln University of Missouri, was a three-time USTFCCCA All-American during outdoor season and three-time USTFCCCA All-American during indoor season. He was national runner-up in both the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay during outdoor season. He was a four-time All-Region performer in 2022-23 and led Lincoln to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

He also earned USTFCCCA Academic All-America and MIAA All-Academic honors.

Women’s Track & Field

Coach David Oliver, Howard University, took home U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year. He led the women's program to back-to-back MEAC titles with eight victories and was named MEAC Most Outstanding Coach after tallying a meet-record 241.5 points. At the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round, the Bison had seven entries in Jacksonville with three punching their tickets to Austin for the Outdoor Championships. Coach Oliver and the Bison wrapped up its historic season, winning the MEAC Triple Crown in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field for the first time in school history. The women also won the East Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship giving coach Oliver four titles in 2022-2023.

Athlete Maria Diamond, Lincoln University of Missouri, she was national runner-up in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships helping lead the Blue Tigers to an eighth-place team finish. She was a two-time Outdoor All-American in 2022-23 and two-time MIAA Athlete of the Week this year. She was the MIAA Outdoor Champion in the 400m hurdles. She also earned Indoor All-America honors in the 400m. She earned USTFCCCA Academic All-America and MIAA Scholar Athlete Award honors.

Softball

Coach Joel Penfield, Stillman College, earned the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of Character Award and was an NAIA Coach of Character nominee. He was SSAC Softball Coach of the Year and the Stillman College Athletic Department Coach of the Year. Stillman College finished 3rd in the SSAC Tournament with a school record 36 wins. Stillman Softball set 9 individual and 13 NAIA-era program records during the 2023 season. The 36 wins (33 regular season) are an overall program record.

Athlete Lauren Haskins, Stillman College, set the Stillman softball school and Southern States Athletics Conference single-season records for stolen bases (51). She also set Stillman single-season records for batting average (.426), runs (57), and hits (64). She was the SSAC Newcomer of the Year, and earned All-SSAC First Team and SSAC Scholar-Athlete Team honors.

Women’s Volleyball

Coach Pat Kendrick, Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans), was 21-9 overall, 14-2 Red River Athletic Conference (second place). She won the RRAC Tournament Championship earning the automatic bid to NAIA Nationals. This earned her the Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Coach Kendrick is 6-for-6 at XULA in winning conference tournament championships and earning automatic bids to NAIA nationals (In the GCAC and RRAC). Coach Kendrick and Louisiana State University’s Fran Flory are only the Louisiana volleyball coaches to coach at NCAA or NAIA nationals six straight years. XULA trailed 13-9 in fifth set against top-seeded Our Lady of the Lake in RRAC Tournament final, then scored seven of next eight points to win title. The 14-match win streak was the program’s second longest. XULA Won in three sets at city rival Loyola (23-match winner) for first time.

Athlete Rya McKinnon, Howard University, earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention honors, becoming the first Bison in program history to receive this distinction. She won AVCA East Region Freshman of the Year while taking home East Region Honorable Mention. In her freshman year, the Alabama native became the first MEAC volleyball player to win conference Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season since 2002. She led the conference in points (3.83 per set) and kills (3.37 per set) while leading the squad to a share of the MEAC Regular Season title and first 20-win season since 2019 (20-10).