Institutional News
Columbia Mayor declares Monday
'Benedict College Championships Celebration Day'
The City of Columbia is honoring one of the capital city’s HBCUs by declaring Monday, April 25, 2022 ‘Benedict College Tigers 2021-22 SIAC Championships Celebration Day’.

The recognition comes after both the men's and women’s outdoor track and field teams brought home a win in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The win was just one of several Benedict College has been able to enjoy this year.

All of the Championship coaches from Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men and Women’s Track and Field, and mixed Cheerleading were presented with Keys to the City for their hard work and dedication. Three of those coaches also earned SIAC Coach of the Year honors. Meanwhile, 39 student-athletes also received SIAC All-Conference honors this year as well.

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Benedict Wins $30,000 in the Home Depot Retool Your School Competition for campus improvements
Pictured above: Kymm Hunter, Assistant Vice President of Communications and Marketing, accepts $30,000 check from Home Depot Retool Your School Program on behalf of Benedict College.
Harambee Festival Wins BEST Festival in the
Inaugural Columbia Neighborhood Awards
presented by KISS 103.1 FM
Academics
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The BEST of BC Student News
Benedict College Students Participate in an Oral History Project that Captures Black Voices in South Carolina
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is spotlighting the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission and WeGOJ, a project, Black Carolinians Speak, on which Benedict students collaborated for their service-learning curriculum. The link to the article includes a short documentary, featuring Benedict’s Kenyon Gray and Carter Harris in a discussion titled ” Portraits of the Pandemic.”
The BEST of BC Faculty & Staff
Dr. Alexander Gorelik presents a Student Political Forum on "The War in Ukraine: Beyond the Human Suffering and Destruction"
Dr. Alexander Gorelik, Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Benedict College, spoke on the ongoing war in Ukraine during a student political forum co-sponsored by the Department of Criminal Justice Administration and Social Sciences and the Benedict College Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society. Read more.
Dr. George Devlin, founder of the Harambee Festival talks about its history and what's new at this year's event on Soda City LIVE
Athletics
Benedict College Head Coach Selwyn Young Adds His Name to Tiger Record Book with 250th Career Win
Head Coach Selwyn Young is doing one of two things manning the helm of Tiger baseball at Benedict. He manages his team to steal bases setting NCAA Division II records individually and as a team, but he also collects wins. Coach Young recently etched his own name in the Benedict baseball history book recording his 250th career win at the helm of the program.

Young has been at the front end of the baseball program since 2010. On April 14, 2022 he became the all-time winningest coach in program history with his 250 win coming in a doubleheader sweep in game two an 18-1 win over Morris College. In between his first win and win 250, Young has led Benedict to ten-straight NCAA DII stolen base titles. His overall won-loss record in 11 seasons is 250-205 for a .549 winning percentage.
Benedict Runs Away with 2022 SIAC Women's Track & Field Championship
The Benedict College women's outdoor track and field team blew away the field with a whopping 131-point victory over second-place Albany State to win their fourth straight SIAC Championship on Saturday at Winthrop University's Irwin Belk Track.
 
Benedict scored 230 total points, with Albany State finishing a distant second with 99 points. Benedict entered Saturday's final day with a 34-point lead over Spring Hill. Benedict scored 152 points on the final day, dominating most of the running events.
 
Benedict's Jane Kiborus was named the women's Cleve Abbott Award winner for scoring the most points in the championship. Kiborus won the women's 10,000-meter run, the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and finished second in the 5,000-meter run and 1,500-meter run to score 36 total points. She was also named the Most Outstanding Track Performer.
 
Benedict's Kyra Buffen was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer with 24 total points. She won the high jump with a jump of 1.65 meters (5 feet, 5 inches) and finished second in the long jump and third in the triple jump.

Coach Frank Hyland was named the women's Coach of the Year.
 
The Lady Tigers dominated Saturday's running finals.

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Benedict Captures SIAC Men's Track & Field Championship
The Benedict College men's outdoor track and field team won its second consecutive SIAC Championship with a dominating performance, beating runner-up Morehouse College by 62.5 points on Saturday at Winthrop University's Irwin Belk Track.
 
The Tigers scored 226.5 points, winning five gold medals during the three days of events. On Saturday, Benedict picked up two more gold medals as Kevin Francis won the 110-meter high hurdles and the Tiger 4x400-meter relay team put on an impressive performance with more than a five-second victory.
 
Benedict's Richard McQueen was named the men's Cleve Abbott Award winner, presented to the top overall point scorer. McQueen finished second in the decathlon, second in the pole vault, fourth in the long jump, fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles, seventh in the javelin throw to earn 27 points.
 
Chase Ransom was named Most Outstanding Field Performer. Ransom finished first in the shot put and second in the hammer throw and discus for 26 points.
 
Coach Frank Hyland was named the men's Coach of the Year.

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Tigers Win Sixth Straight SIAC Men's Tennis Title
The Benedict College Tigers won their sixth consecutive SIAC Men's Tennis Championship with a 4-3 victory over Spring Hill College on Sunday at the Peachtree Tennis Center.
 
With the match tied at 3-3, Killian Surmont clinched the match for the Tigers with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles over Spring Hill's Rafael Lima.
 
Spring Hill took the early lead by winning the doubles point after winning at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles.
 
Mark Chigaazira knocked off Fergus O'Rourke, the SIAC Player of the Year, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 at No. 1 singles. Divgurjot Singh took a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles, and Jason Chigaazira took a 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles.
 
Benedict, now 15-4 on the season, will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament May 9-10 at a site to be determined.
Lady Tigers Win SIAC Women's Tennis Championship
 The Benedict College Lady Tigers won five of six singles matches to defeat Savannah State 5-2 and win the 2022 SIAC Women's Tennis Championship on Sunday at the Peachtree Tennis Center.
 
Savannah State won two of the three doubles matches to earn the doubles point. Esperance Follykoue defeated Gabrielle Benn, the SIAC Player of the Year, at No. 1 singles when Benn had to retire due to injury. Patricia Wamba took a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 2, and Karina Izakova won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3. Sofia Gomez cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 4, and Gabriela Zelaya won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6.
 
Benedict, now 15-6 on the season, will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament May 6-7 at a site to be determined.
Lady Tigers Down Savannah State
The Benedict College Lady Tigers scored six runs in the first inning and cruised to a 13-4 victory over Savannah State in SIAC softball action on Sunday afternoon.
 
Daneisha Wooten hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. Miyah Rogers went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. T'Yannah Lake drove in two runs on a first-inning single. Briana Curney drove in two runs, including an RBI double in the first inning.
 
Benedict had a 9-0 lead heading to the fifth inning. Savannah State scored four runs in the top of the fifth on a pair of home runs. Benedict responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, with Wooten hitting a two-out homer to score three runs and end the game.
 
Benedict improves to 25-15 overall and 9-5 in the SIAC. Savannah State falls to 10-16 overall and 8-10 in the SIAC.
 
The Lady Tigers travel to Clark Atlanta for a make-up game on Wednesday, then host Claflin on Saturday for a non-conference doubleheader.
Alumni Spotlight
The Benedict College Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Celebrate their 75th Anniversary
The brothers of the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, located on the campus of Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., celebrated their 75th Anniversary from March 28 – April 3, 2022. 

The Epsilon Epsilon Alumni Association (E2 A.A.) in conjunction with the Epsilon Epsilon undergraduates sponsored a week of celebratory activities.

Activities during this celebratory week include:
  • Mentorship, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Development Training 
  • Career Fair on the Benedict College Campus 
  • Community Service Vaccine Drive and Wellness Check
  • Community Service Blood Drive at the DoubleTree Hotel 
  • Celebratory Golf Tournament at Oak Hill Golf Course 
  • Greek Step Show 
  • Comedy Show featuring Rickey Smiley and Friends at the Columbia Township Auditorium
  • Purple Tie Gala and Social at the DoubleTree Hotel
  • Church Service at First Nazareth Baptist Church 
Pictured above from left to right: Bro. Nathaniel Faber-Fall 89’; Bro. David Cobb-Spr. 87’; Bro. Donald Benett- Spr. 87’; Bro. Da’Lon L. Whigham-Spr. 92’; Bro. Clifford Bush III- Fall 89’; Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis; Bro. Jonathan Griffin-Fall 81’; Bro. Vincent Goree- Spr. 87’; Bro. Robert Green- Fall 81’; Bro. Leon Geter-Spr. 82’; Bro. Eddie Singleton-Spr. 87’
Pictured above from left to right: Bro. Howie Bell Spr. 92’; Bro. Vincent Goree- Spr. 87’; Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis; Bro. Da’Lon L. Whigham-Spr. 92’
Arnold Andrade, II promoted to Senior District Director of the Phoenix District Cub Scout Packs
Arnold Andrade III has been promoted to the position of Senior District Director serving the Phoenix District. Arnold will be responsible for providing leadership in the areas of service to Phoenix district Cub Scout Packs, Scout BSA Troops, and Venturing Crews. His responsibilities include support for our youth recruiting efforts and fundraising including Friends of Scouting, the Trail’s End Popcorn Sale, and the Camp Card sale. One of his primary roles will be to lead the cultivation and recruitment of volunteers in the Phoenix District.

Arnold is a graduate of Benedict College, Columbia, SC, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Arnold joined the Atlanta Area Council in June 2017 as a District Executive in Soapstone Ridge. He was promoted to Lead District Executive in Soapstone Ridge in December 2019. He later earned a promotion to District Director serving Foothills District in July 2020.
Community
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Dates to Remember
BENEDICT COLLEGE
1600 HARDEN STREET, COLUMBIA, SC 29204