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Â鶹ÊÓƵmagic felt in Baltimore

From Feb 21-25, Â鶹ÊÓƵ students, administrators and alumni traveled to Baltimore for the CIAA basketball tournament to recruit, network and support the students participating in various competitions.

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level. CIAA mostly consists of historically black colleges and universities.

For some students, 2023 was their first time attending the CIAA tournament, one of those being Â鶹ÊÓƵfreshman Iyanna Pickens. 

“For the most part, I enjoyed it. There were great opportunities especially at the career fair, a lot of networking and a fun experience overall.” 

Â鶹ÊÓƵstudent athletes such as the men’s basketball team, the women’s basketball team and the Â鶹ÊÓƵcheerleaders were in attendance as well. 

Â鶹ÊÓƵcheerleader Ni’Ray Nelson said, “Being a member of DaCrUw is an experience I love profoundly. … It supports my creativity while also allowing me to make connections and friends.”

Â鶹ÊÓƵwas even represented in the CIAA Greek Step Show. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Gamma Nu Chapter had the pleasure of stepping on behalf of the school and their organization.

At the end the weekend, Mister Â鶹ÊÓƵMendel Rivers and Miss Â鶹ÊÓƵArteria Gibson were crowned the 2023 Mister and Miss CIAA. This is the third time a Miss Â鶹ÊÓƵreceived the title and the first time a Mister Â鶹ÊÓƵreceived the title. Each earned a $2,500 scholarship.

“When I heard them call out ‘and your new Miss CIAA is Miss Â鶹ÊÓƵ,’ I was in complete shock. I had no idea I was going to win, especially since they had already named Mister Â鶹ÊÓƵas the new Mister CIAA,” Gibson said.

“It is uncommon for the winners to come from the same school. I was just so happy that all of our hard work paid off and we were able to bring these titles home and put Â鶹ÊÓƵeven higher on the map,” Gibson said.