2015 Challenge Cup Final, Background
The 2015 Final was Hull KR's first final of the Super League era having last reached the final during the 1985–86 competition. In contrast, this was Leeds Rhinos's fifth final in the last six years having beat Castleford Tigers in the previous year's final and achieving runners up positions in the 2010, 2011, and 2012 editions of the competition. In terms of the domestic league Hull KR were relegation threatened having entered the qualifiers where was Leeds Rhinos would be the eventual champions, both in terms of the Grand Final and the League Leaders.


2015 Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Hull KR
As a team that did not quality for the 2014 Super League Super 8's, Hull KR entered the competition in the fifth round which saw them draw Championship leaders Bradford Bulls. A 50–30 victory saw them play eventual Super League runners-up Wigan Warriors, beating them 16 points to 12. The quarter finals and semi-finals saw KR play midtable teams Catalans Dragons and Warrington Wolves, beating them by six and eight points respectively.


2015 Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Leeds Rhinos
Entering in at the sixth round, Leeds drew Super League title rivals Huddersfield Giants to whom the saw a comfortable victory by 32 points. The quarter finals saw them beat Hull F.C. 24 points to six, before facing another title rival, St Helens, in the semi-finals, beating them 24 points to 14.


2015 Challenge Cup Final, Pre-match
The 2014 Britain's Got Talent winners Collabro provided musical entertainment prior to the match. The pre-match also saw a tribute to Danny Jones who died of a cardiac disease earlier in the season whist playing for Keighley Cougars. His widow, singer Lizzie Jones, would sing Abide with Me before the game.


2015 Challenge Cup Final, Post match
Leeds Rhinos beat their own record of the largest win margin during a Challenge Cup Final. They previous set the record during the 1999 Challenge Cup Final where they beat London Broncos 52 points to 16.


2015 Challenge Cup Final, Post match
This Challenge Cup victory would form part of Leeds Rhinos's treble winning season, becoming only the sixth team in British Rugby to achieve this feat. The treble season would mark club captain Kevin Sinfield's retirement from the sport after first captaining the club to win the remaining two trophies of the treble.


2015 Challenge Tour
The 2015 Challenge Tour was a series of professional golf tournaments collectively known as the Challenge Tour.


2015 Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is Europe's official developmental tour and is organised by the PGA European Tour. It was introduced in 1986 and was originally called the Satellite Tour, before being renamed with its present title in 1990.


2015 Challenge Tour, Tournament schedule
The 2015 schedule is set out below. The numbers in brackets after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Challenge Tour including that event. It is rare for someone to accumulate many wins on the Challenge Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the European Tour.


2015 Challenge Tour graduates
This is a list of players who graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2015. The top 15 players on the Challenge Tour's money list in 2015 earned European Tour cards for 2016.


2015 Challenge Tour graduates
* European Tour rookie in 2016T = Tied     The player retained his European Tour card for 2017 (finished inside the top 111). The player did not retain his European Tour card for 2017, but retained conditional status (finished between 112 and 148, inclusive). The player did not retain his European Tour card for 2017 (finished outside the top 148).


2015 Challenge Tour graduates
Elvira earned promotion to the European Tour after his third win of the season in August. Fahrbring and Winther regained their cards for 2017 through Q School.


2015 Challenge Trophy
The 2015 Challenge Trophy is the national championship for men's soccer clubs competing at division 4 and below in the Canadian soccer pyramid. It will be held in Calgary, Alberta from October 7–12, 2015.


2015 Challenge Trophy, Teams
Twelve teams were granted entry into the competition; one from each Canadian province, as well as one from the Northwest Territories. In addition, as the host province, Alberta is granted a second entry into the competition.


2015 Challenge Trophy, Teams
Teams are selected by their provincial soccer associations; most often qualifying by winning provincial leagues or cup championships such as the Ontario Cup.


2015 Challenge Trophy, Group stage
The twelve teams in the competition are divided into four groups of three teams each, which then play a single-game round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round, while the third-placed team enters a relegation tournament.


2015 Challenge Trophy, Classification tournament
Third-placed teams from the group stage are entered into the classification tournament to determine overall rankings at the end of the tournament.


2015 Challenge Trophy, Knockout Round
Teams placed first and second from each group in the group stage advance to the knockout round. All teams play three matches, as teams that lose in the knockout round still advance to face other losing teams to determine final classifications for 3rd through 8th place.


2015 Challenger ATP Cachantún Cup
The 2015 Challenger ATP Cachantún Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on red clay courts. It was the 8th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Santiago, Chile between 9 and 15 March 2015.


2015 Challenger ATP Cachantún Cup, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger ATP Cachantún Cup – Doubles
Christian Garin and Nicolás Jarry were the defending champions, but did not play together. Garin partnered with Julio Peralta and lost in the first round. Jarry partnered with Marcelo Demoliner and lost in the second round.


2015 Challenger ATP Cachantún Cup – Singles
Thiemo de Bakker was the defending champion, but did not participate.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville
The 2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 9th edition of the tournament, the 1st in its current location, and part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Drummondville, Canada between March 16 and March 22, 2015.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player entered the singles main draw with a protected ranking:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville – Doubles
Edward Corrie and Daniel Smethurst were the defending champions, having won the event in 2014 in Rimouski, but Smethurst decided not to participate this year. Corrie partnered with Alex Kuznetsov, but lost in the semifinals to Philip Bester and Chris Guccione.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville – Doubles
Bester and Guccione won the title, defeating Frank Dancevic and Frank Moser 6–4, 7–6(8–6) in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville – Singles
Sam Groth was the defending champion, having won the event in 2014 in Rimouski, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville – Singles
John-Patrick Smith won the title, defeating Frank Dancevic 6–7(11–13), 7–6(7–3), 7–5 in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby
The 2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 22nd edition, for men, and 5th edition, for women, of the tournament and part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour and the 2015 ITF Women's Circuit, offering totals of $100,000, for men, and $50,000, for women, in prize money. It took place in Granby, Quebec, Canada between July 20 and July 26, 2015.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby, Men's singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby, Men's singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player entered the singles main draw with a protected ranking:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby, Women's singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Men's Doubles
Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak were the defending champions, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Men's Doubles
Philip Bester and Peter Polansky won the title, defeating Enzo Couacaud and Luke Saville 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–2), [10–7] in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Men's Singles
Hiroki Moriya was the defending champion, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Men's Singles
Vincent Millot won the title, defeating Philip Bester 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Women's Doubles
Hiroko Kuwata and Riko Sawayanagi were the defending champions, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Women's Doubles
Jessica Moore and Storm Sanders won the title, defeating Laura Robson and Erin Routliffe 7–5, 6–2 in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Women's Singles
Miharu Imanishi was the defending champion, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby – Women's Singles
Johanna Konta won the title, defeating Stéphanie Foretz 6–2, 6–4 in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay
The 2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and part of the 2015 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada between October 19 and October 25, 2015.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay – Doubles
Ysaline Bonaventure and Nicola Slater were the defending champions, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay – Doubles
Mihaela Buzărnescu and Justyna Jegiołka won the title, defeating Sharon Fichman and Maria Sanchez 7–6(8–6), 4–6, [10–7] in the final.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay – Singles
Julie Coin was the defending champion, but decided not to participate this year.


2015 Challenger Banque Nationale de Saguenay – Singles
Jovana Jakšić won the title, defeating Amra Sadiković 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–1 in the final.


2015 Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil
The 2015 Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the eleventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador between November 2 and November 8, 2015.


2015 Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil – Doubles
Guillermo Durán and Andrés Molteni won the title, beating Gastão Elias and Fabrício Neis 6–3, 6–4


2015 Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil – Singles
Gastão Elias won the title, beating Diego Schwartzman 6–0, 6–4


2015 Challenger La Manche
The 2015 Challenger La Manche was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 22nd edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Cherbourg, France between 23 February and 1 March.


2015 Challenger La Manche, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger La Manche, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received special exempt into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger La Manche – Doubles
Henri Kontinen and Konstantin Kravchuk were the defending champions, but chose not to participate. Andreas Beck and Jan Mertl won the title, defeating Rameez Junaid and Adil Shamasdin in the final, 6–2, 3–6, [10–3].


2015 Challenger La Manche – Singles
Kenny de Schepper was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals. The previous year's runner-up Norbert Gombos won the title, defeating Benoît Paire in the final, 6–1, 7–6(7–4).


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella
The 2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Biella, Italy between 27 July – 2 August 2015.


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella, Entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella – Doubles
Italians Marco Cecchinato and Matteo Viola were the defending champions, but they did not participate this year.


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella – Doubles
Andrej Martin and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo won the tournament, defeating Alexandru-Daniel Carpen and Dino Marcan in the final, 7–5, 1–6, [10–8].


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella – Singles
Matteo Viola was the defending champion but he did not participate this year.


2015 Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella – Singles
Andrej Martin won the tournament, defeating Nicolás Kicker in the final, 6–2, 6–2.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries
The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) presidential primaries, 2015 took place in July 2015 to determine CCM's nominee for the Presidency of Tanzania for the 2015 election. The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution) is the country's dominant ruling party, and the longest reigning ruling party in Africa.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries
Incumbent president and 2010 nominee Jakaya Kikwete is ineligible for re-election due to term limits. He is looking forward to his retirement, and has described the presidency as being both "stressful and thankless". Kikwete, who also serves as the party's National Chairman, said that he was not backing anyone as his preferred and chosen successor.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries
More than forty candidates (including 12 Cabinet Members) collected the nomination forms. On 12 July, Minister of Works John Magufuli was selected as the party's presidential nominee, and is most likely to win the presidential election.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Background, Dodoma Six
In February 2014, the CCM's Central Committee summoned and interrogated six prospective candidates at the party's headquarters in Dodoma; and banned them from engaging in premature campaigns for a period of twelve months. They were former Prime Ministers Frederick Sumaye and Edward Lowassa, Foreign Minister Bernard Membe, Minister Stephen Wasira, Deputy Minister January Makamba and former Minister William Ngeleja. The ban was further extended in March 2015, before being lifted on 22 May 2015.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Candidates
The following candidates have been listed according to the dates that they expressed interest or formally announced their candidacy.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Nomination process
The nomination forms cost a non-refundable TSh 1 million ($500). A total of 42 party members collected the forms from 3 June but only 38 managed to return them by the 2 July deadline. The four disqualified aspirants were Anthony Chalamila, Helena Elinewinga, Muzammil Kalokola and Peter Nyalile. Each candidate was required to solicit sponsorship from at least 450 party members from a minimum of 15 regions (including three regions from Zanzibar). Lowassa's campaign team claims to have gained sponsorship from more than 800,000 party members from all the regions.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Nomination process
The meetings will take place in Dodoma at the party's headquarters and at the newly inaugurated Dodoma Convention Centre. More than 10,000 delegates and their retinues were expected to arrive in the capital.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Nomination process, Central Committee
On 11 July 2015 at 01:20 EAT (UTC +3), the party tweeted the names of the five candidates selected by its Central Committee from the list of 38 aspirants:


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Nomination process, National Executive Committee
On 11 July, the National Executive Committee selected the three finalists:


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Nomination process, National Congress
The party's National Congress selected Works Minister John Magufuli as the party's 2015 presidential nominee.


2015 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries, Opinion polls
At the party's 8th National Congress in 2012, the following four aspirants were the favourites among the NEC delegates and were elected by them: Wasira (89%), Makamba (87%), Nchemba (84%) and Membe (61%).


2015 Champion Hurdle
The 2015 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 10 March 2015. It was the 85th running of the Champion Hurdle.


2015 Champion Hurdle
Eight horses started the race, the lowest number in more than 30 years. The winner of the race was Faugheen, a seven-year-old gelding ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins.


2015 Champion Hurdle, The contenders
Four of the eight runners were considered serious contenders for victory. Faugheen had won the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle at the previous year's festival and extended his unbeaten run with victories in the Ascot Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle. The seven-year-old Jezki was back to defend the championship he had won in 2014, as was the eleven-year-old Hurricane Fly who had won the race in 2011 and 2013. Jezki and Hurricane Fly had already met three times that year, with the older horse winning on each occasion.


2015 Champion Hurdle, The contenders
The New One, a somewhat unlucky third behind Jezki in 2014, was considered by far the best two-mile hurdler in England after winning his last five races. The other four runners were Arctic Fire, who had divided Hurricane Fly and Jezki when finishing second in the Irish Champion Hurdle, Vaniteux (runner-up to The New One in the International Hurdle), Kitten Rock (winner of his last four races including the Red Mills Trial Hurdle) and Bertimont (runner-up to The New One in the Champion Hurdle Trial). Faugheen started the 4/5 favourite ahead of The New One (100/30), Jezki (6/1) and Hurricane Fly (8/1).


2015 Champion Hurdle, The Race
Ruby Walsh sent Faugheen into the lead from the start. The New One and Jezki disputed second and third in the early stages ahead of Hurricane Fly, Vaniteux and Kitten Rock, whilst Arctic Fire and Bertimont were restrained at the back of the field. The runner remained closely grouped until the approach to the second last. At this point Jezki and The New One moved up on the outside of the leader with Hurricane Fly apparently travelling well and Arctic Fire making progress as the other three runners began to struggle.


2015 Champion Hurdle, The Race
Faugheen turned into the straight with a narrow lead over Jezki but broke clear again on the approach to the final flight at which point The New One began to fade. Faugheen jumped the last with a three length advantage over Arctic Fire, who had overtaken Hurricane Fly and Jezki to move into second. Arctic Fire continued to make progress on the run-in, but Faugheen prevailed by one and a half lengths, with a five length gap back to Hurricane Fly who took third ahead of Jezki and The New One. Kitten Rock was sixth with long gap back to Bertimont and Vaniteux.


2015 Champion of Champions
The 2015 188BET Champion of Champions was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 10 and 15 November 2015 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England. It was the third staging of the tournament since it was revived in 2013. In the United Kingdom, the tournament was broadcast on ITV4.


2015 Champion of Champions
Ronnie O'Sullivan, who won the title in 2013 and 2014, chose not to defend his title in 2015.


2015 Champion of Champions
Neil Robertson won the tournament, defeating Mark Allen 10–5 in the final.


2015 Champion of Champions, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for 2015 is shown below:


2015 Champion of Champions, Players
Players qualified for the event by winning important tournaments since the previous Champion of Champions. Entry was guaranteed for the defending champion, winners of rankings events and winners the following non-rankings events: 2015 Masters, 2015 Championship League, 2015 World Grand Prix, 2015 Players Championship Grand Final and 2015 World Cup. Remaining places were then allocated to winners of European Tour events (in the order they were played) and then, if required, to winners of Asian Tour events and then, winners of the 2015 Six-red World Championship, 2015 Snooker Shoot-Out and 2015 World Seniors Championship.


2015 Champion of Champions, Players
Eight players were seeded. Seedings were determined in early October, before defending champion and top seed Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the event. Other seeds were based on the latest world rankings (revision 3). Later in October, John Higgins was chosen as the final seed, being the highest ranked player who had then qualified and wasn't already seeded. He replaced O'Sullivan in the draw, taking the position allocated for the top seed. Mark Allen was ranked higher than Higgins in these rankings (revision 3) but hadn't qualified at that time.


2015 Champions Indoor Football season
The 2015 Champions Indoor Football season was the first season of the CIF. The new league was the result of a merger between the Lone Star Football League and the Champions Professional Indoor Football League. The regular season began on Saturday, February 28 and finished on Saturday, June 6. The league champion was the Sioux City Bandits, who defeated the Texas Revolution 76-61 in Champions Bowl I. The season MVP was Charles Dowdell of the Sioux City Bandits, and the Champions Bowl MVP was Drew Prohaska, also of the Bandits.


2015 Champions Indoor Football season, Standings
x = clinched playoffs, y = clinched home playoffs, z = clinched top seed


2015 Champions Tennis League
The 2015 Champions Tennis League was the second edition of the Champions Tennis League.


2015 Champions Tennis League, Format
The 2015 edition of CTL was announced by Vijay Amritraj on September 23, 2015, at a press conference in Mumbai. The press conference also saw the draft of the players into each team. In 2015, CTL featured six city based teams across India and saw 13 matches played over a 2-week period between November 23 and December 6. The winners' prize money was Rs. 1 crore, while the runner-up prize was Rs. 50 lakhs.


2015 Champions Tennis League, Format
Each tie will consist of 5 sets with each set being considered as a match. Unlike the 2014 edition, the winner of a match was the player/doubles team that wins 5 games, not 6. The winner of the tie was the team that wins the highest number of games across all 5 sets.


2015 Champions Tennis League, Broadcasting rights
In India, all Champions Tennis League matches broadcast live on Sony SIX HD and Sony SIX who has the exclusive broadcasting rights for the event in the Indian subcontinent.


2015 Champions Tennis League, Broadcasting rights
The Tennis Channel broadcast the Champions Tennis League across the USA.


2015 Champions Tour
The 2015 Champions Tour was the 36th season for the golf tour now known as PGA Tour Champions since it officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season was to have had 26 official money events, including five majors, but the PGA Tour removed two September events during the season, reducing it to 24 events. Jeff Maggert won the most tournaments, four, including two majors, while Bernhard Langer led the money list, scoring average list and the Charles Schwab Cup.


2015 Champions Tour
It also proved to be the final year for the tour under the "Champions Tour" name; the PGA Tour rebranded the circuit as "PGA Tour Champions" after this season.


2015 Champions Tour, Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 2015 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they have on the tour up to and including that event. Senior majors are shown in bold.


2015 Champions Tour, Tournament results
On April 24, the Quebec Championship, scheduled for September 4–6, was removed for logistical reasons. On August 25, the PGA Tour removed the Pacific Links China Championship, scheduled for September 18–20 at the 27 Club after the Port of Tianjin container explosions taking place less than a month from the tournament's date.


2015 Championship 1
The 2015 Championship 1, known as the Kingstone Press League 1 for sponsorship reasons, was a semi-professional rugby league football competition played in England, the third tier of the sport in the country.


2015 Championship 1
The 2015 Championship 1 will feature fourteen teams, who will all play each other once; Each team will then play nine other teams again, based on a geographical basis, totaling 22 games. Two teams will be promoted from Championship 1, due to the restructure of Super League, Championship and Championship 1.


2015 Championship 1
After the 22 regular season games, the top two sides will face each other and the winner will be automatically be promoted to the Kingstone Press Championship as champions, while the loser and the teams finishing 3rd, 4th and 5th will contest the play-offs and the winner will also be promoted. There is no relegation from this league as it is the lowest tier of professional rugby league.


2015 Championship 1, 2015 structure
The competition features the eight teams that did not win promotion in 2014: Gloucestershire All Golds, Hemel Stags, London Skolars, Newcastle Thunder, Oldham R.L.F.C., Oxford RLFC, South Wales Scorpions and York City Knights. It will also feature five teams relegated from the RFL Championship: Barrow Raiders, Keighley Cougars, North Wales Crusaders, Rochdale Hornets and Swinton Lions. Coventry Bears were also accepted into the division, creating a fourteen-team division.


2015 Championship 1, Season table
This table is correct as of 14 September 2015 (season complete). Source:  and .


2015 Championship 1, Season table
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference. Competition points: For win = 2; For draw = 1


2015 Championship League
The 2015 Championship League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that was played from 5 January to 12 February 2015 at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, England.


2015 Championship League
Judd Trump was the defending champion, but he was eliminated at the end of group three.


2015 Championship League
Barry Hawkins made the 111th official maximum break during his league stage match against Stephen Maguire in group one. This was Hawkins second official 147 break and the sixth in the 2014/2015 season. It was also the second maximum break in the history of the tournament. David Gilbert made the 114th maximum break and ninth of the season during group 7.


2015 Championship League
Stuart Bingham won in the final 3–2 against Mark Davis, and earned a place at the 2015 Champion of Champions.


2015 Championship League, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2015 Championship League, Group one
Group one was played on 5 and 6 January 2015. Shaun Murphy was to take part in this group, but he was replaced by Mark King due to a bacterial chest infection. Barry Hawkins was the first player to qualify for the winners group.


2015 Championship League, Group two
Group two was played on 7 and 8 January 2015. The group was won by Matthew Selt, who was a late replacement for Neil Robertson.


2015 Championship League, Group three
Group three was played on 19 and 20 January 2015. Ricky Walden was to take part this group, but he withdrew and was replaced by Peter Ebdon, who scheduled to play in group six before. Ali Carter won the group.


2015 Championship League, Group four
Group four was played on 21 and 22 January 2015. Martin Gould was to play in this group, but he moved to group six and was replaced by David Gilbert. Stuart Bingham was the fourth player to qualify for the winners group.


2015 Championship League, Group five
Group five was played on 26 and 27 January 2015. This round of group play was won by Mark Davis.


2015 Championship League, Group six
Group six was played on 28 and 29 January 2015. Martin Gould was to take part this group, but he withdrew and was replaced by Rod Lawler. Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the tournament ahead of this group and was replaced by Ben Woollaston, who went on to win the group.


2015 Championship League, Group seven
Group seven was played on 9 and 10 February 2015. Xiao Guodong was the last player to qualify for the winners group.


2015 Championship League, Winners' group
The winners' group was played on 11 and 12 February 2015. Stuart Bingham won his first Championship League title.


2015 Championship League, Winnings
Green: won the group. Bold: highest break in the group. All prize money in GBP.


2015 Champs-Élysées Film Festival
The fourth annual edition of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival was held from 10 to 16 June 2015.


2015 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open
The 2015 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the seventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2015 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bangkok, Thailand between 31 August and 6 September 2015.


2015 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open – Doubles
Pruchya Isaro and Nuttanon Kadchapanan were the defending champions, but lost in the first round to Niels Desein and Gavin van Peperzeel. Bai Yan and Riccardo Ghedin won the title, defeating Chen Ti and Li Zhe 6–2, 7–5.


2015 Chang-Sat Bangkok Open – Singles
Chung Hyeon was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title. Yūichi Sugita won the title defeating Marco Trungelliti 6–4, 6–2 in the final.


2015 Channel One Cup
The 2015 Channel One Cup was played between 17–20 December 2015. The Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia played a round-robin for a total of three games per team and six games in total. Five of the matches were played in the VTB Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia, and one match in the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The tournament was part of 2015–16 Euro Hockey Tour. Tournament was won by Czech Republic before Sweden, Finland and Russia.


2015 Channel One Cup, Games
All times are local. Moscow – (Moscow Time – UTC+3) Prague – (Central European Time – UTC+1)


2015 Channel One Cup, Gallery
A face-off in the match between Sweden and Czech Republic


2015 Channel One Cup, Gallery
Team Sweden wins silver medals at 2015 Channel One Cup


2015 Channel One Cup, Gallery
Kovar and Kronwall talk to referees before start of the match between Czech Republic and Sweden


2015 Chapel Hill shooting
On February 10, 2015, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were killed in their home  in Finley Forest Condominiums on Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Barakat was a second-year student in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, his wife Yusor was a North Carolina State University (NCSU) graduate planning to enter UNC Dentistry School in the fall, and her sister Razan was a student at NCSU majoring in architecture and environmental design.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting
Their neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, accused of killing the three people in a single attack, turned himself in to Chapel Hill police later that day and was arrested. On February 10, the Chapel Hill Police Department stated that their "preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking. Hicks is cooperating with investigators." Hicks was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting
On February 16, Hicks was indicted by a Durham County grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice also launched their own investigations into the shooting. Federal authorities could not find sufficient evidence to charge Hicks with a hate crime. The trial was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2019. On June 12, 2019, Hicks pleaded guilty to the shooting and was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Shooting
On February 10, 2015, local police in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, responded to a report of gunshots heard at 5:15 p.m. Upon arriving at the Finley Forest Condominiums, located on Summerwalk Circle at Chapel Hill, a woman told them a friend was bleeding, and directed them to a condominium. There, they found Barakat lying dead in the front doorway bleeding from the head. One of the Abu-Salha sisters was found dead in the kitchen, with the other lying in the doorway of that room. All three victims had been killed with gunshot wounds to the head, and were pronounced dead at the scene.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Shooting
According to prosecutors, the suspect shot Barakat multiple times at the doorway after the latter opened the door in response to his knocking. He then allegedly entered the living room and shot the Abu-Salha sisters in the head, then shot Barakat again before leaving. According to autopsies, the Abu-Salha sisters were shot execution-style.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Shooting
In June 2019 it was reported that Deah Barakat had recorded the encounter with Hicks on his cellphone camera. The recording shows Hicks complaining that Barakat and the Abu-Salha sisters were taking more parking spaces than the condo rules allow, before Hicks opens fire with his gun.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Shooting
A witness outside told police he had heard shots and saw a man leaving the condominium and driving off in a gold car. Police found eight shell casings in the living room and a bullet somewhere else inside in the home, according to a warrant. They seized three cellphones, a watch, two sets of keys, and Barakat's wallet and keychain.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Shooting
The victims' neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, a 46-year-old former car parts salesman, turned himself in to sheriff's deputies in nearby Pittsboro on the night of the shooting. He was in possession of a .357-caliber handgun at the time. Investigators later positively matched the handgun's ballistics to the shell casings found in the apartment.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
Craig Stephen Hicks was studying to become a paralegal at Durham Technical Community College at the time of the shooting. He had moved to Chapel Hill in 2005 from Bethalto, Illinois. He has been divorced twice, with one marriage lasting only five months.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
Though he was described by the school as an "exemplary student", Hicks was described by neighbors as threatening. In 2013, he reported a dispute between a tow truck driver and a car's owner to police, and walked to the parking lot with a gun. A friend of Yusor stated that Hicks was "holding a rifle" while complaining about extra cars in the neighborhood and noise from their game of Risk. Another resident and a friend of Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha told the Associated Press that


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
Hicks complained about once a month that the two men were parking in a visitor's space as well as their assigned spot. ' He would come over to the door. Knock on the door and then have a gun on his hip saying 'you guys need to not park here.' ... Both Hicks and his neighbors complained to the property managers who warned them to call the police if they were harassed again.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
Hicks had a fixation on the 1993 movie Falling Down strong enough for his ex-wife to make specific mention of it after the shootings. The movie centered on a divorced and unemployed man who suffers a mental breakdown and goes on a violent rampage. She described Hicks as "watching it incessantly" and finding the movie "hilarious", showing "no compassion at all".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
Hicks posted on Facebook comments and images that were critical of all religions and religious violence, and his profile read "Atheists for Equality". He was critical of Christian opponents of the Park51 project, stating: "Seems an overwhelming majority of Christians in this country feel that the Muslims are using the Ground Zero mosque plans to 'mark their conquest' ... bunch of hypocrites, everywhere I've been in this country there are churches marking the Christian conquest of this country from the Native Americans."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
He also posted, "I hate Islam just as much as Christianity, but they have the right to worship in this country just as much as any others do," and also opined on the same page that it would be OK if we had a Muslim president. Hicks had set a banner image on his page to one stating: "I don't deny you your right to believe whatever you'd like; but I have the right to point out it's ignorant and dangerous for as long as your baseless superstitions keep killing people."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Perpetrator
In another Facebook post, Hicks stated: "I give your religion as much respect as your religion gives me ... there's nothing complicated about it, and I have every right to insult a religion that goes out of its way to insult, to judge, and to condemn me as an inadequate human being—which your religion does with self-righteous gusto." His wife described Hicks as a champion of individual's rights, and said "This incident had nothing to do with religion or the victims' faith but was related to a longstanding parking dispute that my husband had with the neighbors." Neighbors confirmed that Hicks had frequently complained about parking and noise issues for years, and would confront residents while armed.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath
On February 11, a few thousand people attended a vigil in "The Pit" at the center of the UNC Chapel Hill campus. Deah's mother Layla Barakat told the students: "He died of hate crime and his legacy is never hate. You don't respond back by hating the other. You respond back by love. By peace, by mercy. That's Deah's way."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath
Deah's brother, Farris added: "If, and it was quite possible, that this was an act based off of  [sic] evil and a scared ignorant man, do not let ignorance propagate in your life ... do not reply to ignorance with ignorance. Become an amazing, bright intellectual leader that I know this university can create." Chancellors from UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University attended the vigil.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath
A public funeral was held on February 12 at North Carolina State University. It was hosted by the Islamic Association of Raleigh; an estimated 5,500 people attended. NCSU's Muslim Student Association also held a prayer service and candlelight vigil the same evening on the Brickyard, the central plaza on the main university campus. An estimated 3,000 students, faculty, staff and members of the local community attended the vigil despite the cold and strong winds which kept the candles from being lit; instead, cellphone lights were used. Governor McCrory and the chancellors of N.C.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath
State and UNC Chapel Hill attended the vigil and delivered remarks. Speaking at the vigil, Farris Barakat, also an alumnus of N.C. State University, discussed his deep family ties to the university and his hopes that it "means something to each and every student at NC State. I hope that means we somehow touched your heart in a way that you can live in their legacy and you can take what they did that was good and you can live it in your life. It is the best thing you can do for my family now."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath
His sister Suzanne Barakat, flashing the wolf-hand sign popular among N.C. State students and alumni, spoke of her younger brother's commitment to serving others, and his wife's and sister-in-law's volunteer and charitable contributions to the greater community. "The message that we want to share is spread love, spread awareness because these three people were nothing but love and kindness. I'm sure they would want you to continue that for them."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
On February 10, the Chapel Hill Police Department said their investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking. After Hicks surrendered to police, investigators swabbed the driver's door handle and steering wheel of his Nissan for evidence, and seized his vehicle registration and insurance card. On February 11, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt stated:


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
the Chapel Hill Police Department is using all available resources to determine whether hate was a motivating factor. All we know for certain at this time is that it was a senseless and tragic act surrounding a longstanding dispute ... We do not know whether anti-Muslim bias played a role in this crime, but I do recognize the fear that members of our community may feel. Chapel Hill is a place for everyone, a place where Muslim lives matter.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
Investigators searched Hicks' home and seized two fully loaded handguns, a fully loaded AR-15 Bushmaster rifle, two shotguns, five other rifles, two other handguns and two pellet guns. They also seized numerous magazines with varying amounts of ammunition, boxes of ammunition, shotgun shells, BBs, gun scopes and other gun-related items, according to a warrant. Investigators also seized two desktop computers, three cellphones and a digital camera.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
On February 12, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived at the condominiums and the FBI announced it had launched "a parallel preliminary inquiry to determine whether or not any federal laws were violated related to the case".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
On February 13, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that civil-rights lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice have opened an investigation to determine if this was a hate crime. Holder stated that: "Like all Americans, I was shocked and saddened by this week's heinous murders of three young people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina ... I have made available the full resources of the Justice Department to help ensure that justice will be served in this case." By February 13, over a hundred Muslim advocacy groups had called for such a federal investigation, saying that the shootings "come in the wake of a disturbing rise in especially threatening and vitriolic anti-Muslim rhetoric and activities". Investigators initially had not ruled out any motives, including religious bias.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
Local investigators met on the morning of February 13 with FBI agents and federal and Durham County prosecutors to discuss the case. It was thought Hicks' charges could go before a Durham County grand jury as early as February 16, but prosecutors had not then decided whether to pursue the death penalty. On February 16, Hicks was indicted by a grand jury in Durham on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
On March 2, 2015, Durham County District Attorney Roger Echols said he intended to seek the death penalty against Hicks. On April 6, 2015, prosecutors confirmed Hicks was eligible to face a death penalty trial after finding incriminating evidence against him; however, on April 11, 2019, new Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry announced that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty against Hicks, in an effort to speed up the legal process and avoid further delays.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Investigations and prosecution
On June 12, 2019, Hicks pleaded guilty to the shooting and was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment. As North Carolina hate crime laws only cover misdemeanors, he was not charged with hate crime by the state, and federal prosecutors did not find evidence to charge him with such.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
Family members created a Facebook page dedicated to the three victims entitled "Our Three Winners". In addition, Deah Barakat had been a co-organizer of a fundraising drive established through the UNC School of Dentistry and the Syrian-American Medical Society. Named "Syrian Dental Relief", the fund was intended to provide dental care to Syrian refugees in Turkey. Prior to his death, approximately $3,000 of a $20,000 goal had been raised. In the days following his murder, donations swelled the fund to close to $300,000, with many donors leaving messages of condolence and support. The donations page was shared over 47,000 times.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
Vigils were held in Washington, Ottawa, Gaza, and other cities. Students also organized vigils at universities across the United States, including at the University of Chicago, UCLA, Temple University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
Golden State Warriors basketball player Stephen Curry, of whom Barakat was a fan, paid tribute to Barakat during NBA All-Star Weekend. On February 14, he competed in the Shooting Stars Competition and Three-Point Contest while wearing shoes with writing in honor of the victim. "I just did my little part to shed that light towards him ... Obviously it's a great platform to be on, but it only seemed right", Curry said after winning the Three-Point Contest. He subsequently sent the shoes to Barakat's family.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
On February 20, Randy Woodson, the chancellor of N.C. State University, announced the creation of a university-endowed scholarship fund in memory of the three students. To be named the "Our Three Winners Fund", the endowment will award scholarships in perpetuity in the names of the three students through the Poole College of Management (in memory of Deah Barakat), the College of Sciences (in memory of Yusor Mohammad) and the College of Design (in memory of Razan Abu-Salha). The scholarships will be awarded to students for demonstrating leadership, service and creativity. "Deah, Yusor and Razan exemplified the best of NC State and will forever serve as role models for our student body", Woodson said.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
Each was not only an outstanding student, but individually and as a family they lived their lives bringing joy to others, helping those in need and making the world a better place.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
Deah, Yusor and Razan made a tremendous difference in our community and across the globe in their short time on this earth. We hope to always remember and honor their lives through the Our Three Winners Fund.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Aftermath, Memorials
We also intend this scholarship to be a forever reminder that NC State must always hold as a core value a respect for diversity in all its forms and strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response
The shooting was covered by media outlets including The New York Times, BBC, and The Guardian as well as newspapers in France, Germany, India, and Israel. At the same time, social media contributors asked whether the incident would have received faster and more extensive media coverage if the victims had been non-Muslims and the perpetrator had been Muslim. The Twitter hashtag #ChapelHillShooting appeared over 900,000 times and trended in the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and several other countries. The hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter was used over 100,000 times.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
Deah's sister, Dr. Suzanne Barakat, questioned the issue of parking as a cause in an interview with MSNBC's Morning Joe. She said that Deah's unit had an assigned parking space, Hick's had an assigned parking space, and there was a third space designated for guest parking. However, Hicks had told Deah not to use the designated guest parking space as Hicks said it was for his wife.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
While the complex manager confirmed that the additional space was designated for visitors' parking, Barakat said that her brother went to great lengths to have his guests use other guest parking spots which he mapped out for them. Finally, she stated, the day before this interview, the parking area was observed and no car related to her family or friends was in that designated guest parking spot.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
In a later interview with CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper, Barakat reinforced her belief that this was not a parking dispute as at the time of the murders because a car belonging to a member of her family was not parked in the space designated as guest parking by the complex agency. Barakat then said that


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
had roles been reversed and the man was Muslim, of Arab descent, of South Asian descent, this would have immediately been labeled an act of terror. I haven't heard anyone use the term terrorist here ... why the double standard? He has terrorized our families, he has terrorized our lives, he has terrorized our community locally, nationally, and internationally and it's time that people call it for what it is.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha said that this "was a hate crime" due to their religion and culture. He said that his daughter "told her family a week ago that she had 'a hateful neighbor.'" Abu-Salha also said "this man had picked on my daughter and her husband a couple of times before, and he talked with them with his gun in his belt. And they were uncomfortable with him, but they did not know he would go this far."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Victims' family
Deah's sister, Suzanne Barakat, gave a Ted talk on Islamophobia in response to the shooting, entitled "Islamophobia killed my brother. Let's end the hate".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Suspect's family
According to his current wife Karen (who has also announced that she is divorcing him), he did not commit the shooting due to religious bias, but because of a longstanding parking dispute, and that he had problems with several other neighbors. She also said that Hicks supported same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and racial equality. The New York Daily News states that Hicks' mother-in-law from a former marriage, Martha Landson, "has trouble believing Hicks' history of anger could have led to his alleged deadly outburst." Landson stated that Hicks "just didn't like people."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Suspect's family
Sarah Hurley, Hicks' estranged 20-year-old daughter from his first marriage, called her father "a monster," adding "He was never a father to me, except by blood." Hurley, who self-identifies as Christian, said she told Hicks her religious beliefs, which she said he agreed to respect. But she said his social media posts became increasingly antagonistic toward others' beliefs. "I shut him out of my life permanently for not only disrespecting the religious beliefs of others, but bashing them on social media.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Suspect's family
It was obvious he had a lot of hate in his heart, but I did not know he had developed into a monster and would take another's life," she said. "I am extremely disgusted to say that I am biologically related to him. His actions were not right by any means and the prosecution has my full support if needed."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
Council on American–Islamic Relations National Executive Director Nihad Awad responded by stating: "Based on the brutal nature of this crime, the past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case." Abdullah Antepli, director of Muslim affairs at nearby Duke University, urged people not to jump to conclusions on the motive.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
Mirna Barq, president of the Syrian American Council (SAC), said, "Today, the world lost three beautiful souls just as they were entering the prime of their lives. This is a great tragedy for the Syrian-American community, for Arab Americans and for all Americans, and we mourn all three of them as one of our own. We also wish to honor the victims' devotion to helping the neediest Syrians and to uplifting the Syrian people."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
The national vice president of the U.S. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community issued a statement warning against "rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment". Another spokesperson for the community said that "in the current climate of anti-Muslim sentiment, we need to talk about what is causing such hatred and figure out how to dispel it".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
Iyad bin Amin Madani, the secretary-general of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, condemned the killings, saying: "This gruesome crime has left Muslims worldwide in a state of shock and has raised concerns of the growing feelings of hatred towards Muslims and the increase of acts linked to Islamophobia in the United States." He urged the US government to take measures to protect society there from "negative images, discrimination, and stereotyping that contradict the core values of the American society", and called for international cooperation to fight "extremism, violence, and religious intolerance, as well as hate crimes and (acts) that incite them."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
Shuja Shafi, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, deplored a perceived lack of objective media coverage and an inconsistent response towards attacks on Muslims.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Muslim community
Allameh Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, the head of the Board of Ulema of Lebanon, criticized U.S. media coverage of the shooting and said the incident raised worries of further anti-Muslim attacks in Western nations.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Civil rights and faith groups
According to CNN, 150 civil rights and faith groups have signed a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking for a federal hate crime investigation.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Civil rights and faith groups
The letter, which was signed by "a number of Islamic and Arab organizations plus Jewish, Sikh, Asian American and other groups", stated: "Federal leadership is necessary in this case in order to send the strongest message to the public that acts of violence like these have no place in civil society and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law ... as American Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim now, more than ever, fear for their safety, the American people need to hear a strong message our nation's chief law enforcement officer."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Universities
Randy Woodson, the chancellor of N.C. State University, where all three victims had been students, said: "Senseless acts like this go against all of our beliefs. A core value of N.C. State is respect for diversity in all its forms. We strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued." Carol Folt, the chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill, said "Such an act of violence goes against the very fiber of our community and society. It also creates a sense of vulnerability for all of us, especially members of the Muslim community.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Universities
Dr. Jane Weintraub, the dean of the University of North Carolina Dental School, said the community was "heartbroken and grief-stricken by ... the incredible loss to our school and to the entire Carolina Community". She paid special tribute to Deah Barakat and his wife Yusor, and called the shooting "an incredible tragedy for our school, the dental community and the University. Today, everyone here is grieving.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Universities
At a prayer service and vigil held at N.C. State University on the evening of February 12, the dean of the university College of Design, Marvin Malecha, eulogized Razan Abu-Salha, who had been one of his students. "In the spirit of celebrating a life and a legacy, she will leave with us that gentle spirit and the determination to make this a better place for everyone", Malecha said. "There is no better legacy than that. It's that legacy that will help us be more creative and more determined.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, Universities
We can only hope that a lesson will be learned from this and that lesson is that we must value every point of view, every way of looking at the world, because without that point of view, we will not be innovative, we will not be creative and we will not make the kind of contribution that is expected of us in a country where we have so much to offer."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
On February 13, 2015, President Barack Obama issued a statement:


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
Yesterday, the FBI opened an inquiry into the brutal and outrageous murders of Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, Deah Shaddy Barakat, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition to the ongoing investigation by local authorities, the FBI is taking steps to determine whether federal laws were violated. No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship. Michelle and I offer our condolences to the victims' loved ones.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
As we saw with the overwhelming presence at the funeral of these young Americans, we are all one American family. Whenever anyone is taken from us before their time, we remember how they lived their lives – and the words of one of the victims should inspire the way we live ours. ' Growing up in America has been such a blessing,' Yusor said recently. ' It doesn't matter where you come from. There's so many different people from so many different places, of different backgrounds and religions – but here, we're all one.'


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
During a summit on countering violent extremism, President Obama stated: "Americans of all faiths and backgrounds must continue to stand united with a community in mourning and insist that no one should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship."


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
State and local leaders responded to the shootings with messages of condolence. Governor Pat McCrory said he was "saddened by the senseless acts". Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) said the "tragic events have left three dead and our community in mourning. My prayers are with their families.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
I have faith that law enforcement will assemble the facts and ensure that justice is carried out on behalf of those murdered", while junior senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that he and his wife Susan "join other North Carolinians and people across the nation in praying for the families of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha as they bear the pain of this terrible tragedy and the loss of three young lives".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, U.S. government reactions
Representative David Price (D-NC) said the "appalling act of violence has shaken our community's sense of peace, and reminded us once again that we still face serious barriers to mutual acceptance. We must redouble our efforts to bridge the gaps of intolerance and hatred that divide our society." Chapel Hill mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said the deaths "represent an incomprehensible loss. I believe that we can find strength by acknowledging the fear and outrage that this act instills, coming together to ask difficult questions, and lifting up all people in our community who are hurting." Kleinschmidt also said that "I share strong feelings of outrage and shock with my fellow citizens and University students—as well as concerned people everywhere".


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, International reactions
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply moved by scenes of thousands of people mourning their deaths. "At a time of troubling tensions stoked by those who seek to twist the teachings of faith and sow division, these three young people represented the best values of global citizenship and active community compassion to build a better world for all", he added. He urged United States authorities to investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime.


2015 Chapel Hill shooting, Response, International reactions
Governments and leaders of several Muslim-majority countries deemed the shooting to be terrorism, including Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei; the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; and the mother of the Emir of Qatar, Moza bint Nasser, accused the Western world of double standards on their reaction to the shooting.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash
On 12 May 2015, a US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y Venom of Camp Pendleton-based HMLA-469 squadron crashed in the Charikot region of Nepal during Operation Sahayogi Haat, a humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake that had struck the region earlier. All 13 occupants were killed.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Accident
The following is a statement from PACOM: "On 12 May, at approximately 10 p.m. JST, a UH-1Y Huey with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 in support of Joint Task Force 505 was declared missing while supporting Operation Sahayogi Haat." Nepal's army, struggling with the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit on 25 April, had deployed about 400 troops into rocky, forested terrain after the US helicopter was reported missing.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Accident
A news release from III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan stated that the chosen route, which may have been made because one or more of the injured was in need of urgent treatment, took the UH-1Y Huey helicopter for a brief period over unfamiliar terrain in unstable weather. The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain about 8 miles north of Charikot on a mission to evacuate casualties caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Aircraft
The helicopter had arrived in Nepal on May 5. As part of Operation Sahayogi Haat, the U.S. military contributed three Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters, four Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, four Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, four Air Force C-130 Hercules and four Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft to the relief effort.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Passengers and crew
The flight crew comprised US Marine officers as pilots and several enlisted members, including two combat correspondents. Also aboard were two Nepalese soldiers and five injured civilians in need of urgent treatment.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Aftermath
According to CNN, then Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said "You know, our terrain is so ... difficult, that is why (it crashed). We feel so sorry for that." In honour of the fallen, the Heritage Room of the U.S. Embassy, in Kathmandu, Nepal was renamed to "Vengeance Hall" after the crashed helicopter.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Aftermath
On May 15 an "Open Letter" from the People of Nepal remembering the Marines was published. It was thereafter replied to by Peter W. Bodde, Ambassador of the United States of America to Nepal.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Investigation
The helicopter crash was attributed to the crew's decision to fly the most direct route to Kathmandu. The chosen course required a brief period over unfamiliar terrain with unstable meteorological conditions  and was necessary "due to a real or perceived urgency" concerning the condition of the injured civilians.


2015 Charikot helicopter crash, Investigation
It was reported that the aircraft "was enveloped by rapidly developing clouds or lifted into a cloud by rising air currents. As they attempted to maneuver out of the weather conditions, they lost visual reference with the terrain and impacted the ground."


2015 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team
The 2015 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team represented Charleston Southern University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Jamey Chadwell and played their home games at Buccaneer Field. They were a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 10–3, 6–0 in Big South play to become Big South champions. They earned the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated The Citadel in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Jacksonville State.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team
The 2015 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (also called Charlotte or UNC Charlotte) in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the school's third overall season of NCAA football, their first season of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) play, and their first season as a member of Conference USA for football. The team was led by third-year head coach Brad Lambert and played its home games on campus at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. As part of their transition to FBS they were ineligible to participate in the College Football Playoff and bowl games, but could have qualified for the Conference USA Football Championship Game. They finished the season 2–10, 0–8 in C-USA play to finish in last place in the East Division.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Personnel, Coaching staff
Matt Wallerstedt joined the staff as Defensive Coordinator in January, replacing Bruce Tall, who left to become West Virginia's Defensive Line Coach. Phil Ratliff, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the team's first two seasons, passed away unexpectedly before the season started on August 8, 2015. Former Carolina Panther, Kevin Donnalley, who had been part of the conditioning staff and radio broadcast team, took over Offensive Line coaching duties.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Recruiting, Recruiting class
The following recruits and transfers have signed letters of intent to the Charlotte 49ers football program for the 2015 recruiting year.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Television
Local TV coverage continued with WCCB picking up all 6 of ASN's Charlotte 49ers broadcasts.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Radio
Radio coverage for all games was broadcast by IMG College through the Charlotte 49ers Radio Network flagship station WFNZ 610 am The Fan. The radio announcers were Matt Swierad with play-by-play, former Carolina Panther Damione Lewis with color commentary, and Bobby Rosinski with sideline reports.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Preseason media poll
Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 16, 2015, with the 49ers predicted to finish in last place in the East Division.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
The 49ers accomplished several firsts with their 2015 opener. It was their first game as an FBS team, their first game against an FBS opponent, and their first game in an NFL stadium. It was also their first FBS level win.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
On the opening drive for Georgia St. Nick Arbuckle completed a 4-yard pass to Glenn Smith, but Charlotte's Nick Cook forced him to fumble, which was recovered by the 49ers' Terrance Winchester and returned to the endzone for Charlotte's first points as an FBS program. On Charlotte's first official offense of the game, Blake Brewer capped the drive with a 45-yard field goal. Charlotte capped a 14 play drive late in the quarter on a Blake Brewer 35-yard field goal. The score moving into the second quarter was Charlotte 13, Georgia State 0.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
Charlotte's first drive of the second quarter ended a 14-play drive on a Matt Johnson interception by the Panthers' Bobby Baker near the endzone. Midway through the quarter Georgia State got their first points off a Wil Lutz 29-yard field goal. On the next drive the 49ers stretched their lead on a Matt Johnson 63-yard pass to Austin Duke. The teams headed to the locker rooms with the score 49ers 20, Panthers 3.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
The second half saw the Panthers tack on another Wil Lutz field goal from 50 yards out to cap their first possession. On the next possession Charlotte ended a 15-play drive off Blake Brewer's third successful field goal of the day, this time from 22 yards out. The third quarter ended with the 49ers on top 23 to 6.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
The final quarter of action saw the Panther's end their first drive when Wil Lutz's 44-yard field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar. On their next drive the Panthers found the endzone for the first time on a Nick Arbuckle 24-yard pass to Taz Bateman. The teams swapped the ball for the rest of the quarter until the 30-second mark, when Nick Arbuckle found Penny Hart for a 53-yard touchdown to get within 3 points of tying the game. With no timeouts left, the Panthers made an on-side kick attempt but the ball rolled out of bounds. The Charlotte 49ers held on to win their first FBS game by the score of 23 to 20.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
Coach Lambert presented the game ball to late offensive line coach Phil Ratliff's daughter Haley on the sidelines.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Georgia State Panthers
Top performers for the game were Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle, who passed for 299 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Charlotte rusher Kaliff Phillips had 19 carries for 90 yards. Charlotte's Austin Duke had 7 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
The Blue Hose were looking to spoil the 49ers' home opener as an FBS level program, but Charlotte got their second victory of the year behind a superlative defensive effort.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
Neither team made much headway scoring in the first quarter with Blake Brewer missing his first field goal of the season from 37 yards out with two minutes left in the quarter. On their next possession, after an interception, the 49ers found the endzone on a Matt Johnson 6-yard pass to Trent Bostick. The score at the end of the quarter was 49ers up 7 to 0.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
The second quarter also started slowly for both teams, but midway through the quarter Blake Brewer split the uprights from 24 yards out to cap a 13-play drive. On Charlotte's next possession Kalif Phillips punched it into the endzone from 12 yards out. On the first play of their next drive Matt Johnson found Austin Duke for a 39-yard touchdown pass. The half ended with Charlotte up 24 to 0, holding the Blue Hose to 11 total offensive yards for the half.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
On the 49ers first possession of the second half, Blake Brewer made a 35-yard field goal. Later in the half Brooks Barden connected for a 9-yard pass to Bradan Smith for both players' first points as 49ers. The third quarter ended with Charlotte up 34 to 0.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
On a 13-play drive that started in the third quarter and finished in the fourth, the Blue Hose got their first points of the day off a Brett Norton 21-yard field goal. On Presbyterian's next drive, Darrell Bridges pushed it in from the 1-yard line to get the Blue Hose their only touchdown of the day. Charlotte kept the ball for the last 4 minutes of the game and win 34 to 10.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Presbyterian Blue Hose
Top performers for the game were Charlotte quarterback Matt Johnson, who passed for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. Presbyterian rusher Darrell Bridges had 22 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Charlotte's Austin Duke had 9 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The 49ers entered their first C-USA football game on the road, hoping to surprise the Blue Raiders. Instead, the 49ers got a heavy dose of FBS level reality as Middle Tennessee put together a six touchdown first quarter performance and never looked back.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
On Middle Tennessee's second play from scrimmage, Terry Pettis ran in a 76-yard touchdown from Brent Stockstill. On their next possession and only their fourth play from the line, the Blue Raiders' Jordan Parker ran it in from 62 yards out. Charlotte immediately put together a ten-play drive to get Blake Brewer into field goal range, but the 36-yard kick bounced off the left upright. The Blue Raiders added a team third and Jordan Parker's second touchdown on the next series from 4 yards out.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The 49ers' Uriah LeMay returned the subsequent on-sides kick return 48 yards to get Charlotte its first touchdown of the game, only to have the Blue Raiders score another touchdown and Terry Pettis's second on the next play from the line, a 75-yard pass completion from Brent Stockstill. The 49ers' Brooks Barden threw an interception to the Raiders' Jeremy Carter on the very next play from scrimmage, only to have the 49ers' Kaliff Phillips force him to fumble; however, the Raiders' Jimal McBride recovered the fumble.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
On the next play, the Raiders got their fifth first-quarter touchdown when Ed'Marquse Batties caught a 9-yard pass from Stockstill on the very next play. Batties became the third Blue Raider to get a second touchdown in the first quarter after running in a 35-yard pass from Stockstill, capping an incredible six consecutive series that resulted in Middle Tennessee touchdowns. In what can only be described as the 49ers' worst quarter of football to date, Charlotte found itself down 42 to 7.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
In the second quarter, Charlotte bracketed Middle Tennessee's first series with a pair of fumbles, but forced a 4 and out to break up Middle Tennessee's touchdown streak. After the second fumble, the Blue Raiders added their seventh touchdown of the game and Battie's third straight score on a 59-yard pass from Stockstill. After both teams fumbled the ball on their next series (Charlotte's third consecutive series to end in a fumble), the 49ers managed to string together a six-play drive, resulting in Kaliff Phillips punching in a 1-yard touchdown. At the end of the worst half of football in the programs' young history, the 49ers found themselves in a 35-point hole, down 49 to 14.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The second half brought no relief to the beleaguered 49ers, as the Blue Raiders used their first possession of the half to put together an eleven-play drive, capping it with Jordan Parker's third score of the day on a 2-yard run. Charlotte's Matt Johnson threw an interception on the 49ers' next possession that resulted in Middle Tennessee's next series ending with the only successful field goal of the game. The Blue Raiders' Cody Clark connected from 31 yards out. Johnson threw another interception later in the quarter that resulted in a return for a touchdown by the Blue Raiders' Darius Harris. The score at the end of the quarter was Middle Tennessee up 66 to 14.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The final points of the game were the only points scored in the final quarter of play. After Charlotte's Lee McNeill threw an interception, the Blue Raiders capped a seven-play drive on a Desmond Anderson 1-yard touchdown run. The game ended with the worst performance to date for the Charlotte 49ers. A 73 to 14 loss in their first conference game.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Top performances for the game were dominated by the Blue Raiders, starting with quarterback Brent Stockstill who passed for 369 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rusher Jordan Parker had 14 carries for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Terry Pettis had 4 receptions for an incredible 167 yards and 2 touchdowns.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
The 49ers hosted their first FBS game and C-USA football opponents, the Florida Atlantic Owls.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
The game got off to a slow start with Charlotte fumbling the ball on the opening drive and Florida Atlantic turning it over three drives later on an interception. Late in the quarter on their third drive of the game, the Owls scored on a Jaquez Johnson 14-yard quarterback keeper. The quarter ended with the Owls up 7 to 0.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
On the first drive of the second quarter, Charlotte quarterback Lee McNeill threw an interception to Florida Atlantic's Jalen Young. Four plays later, the Owls' Greg Joseph connected on a 45-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 10 points. The Owls fumbled the ball again only to have Charlotte quarterback Matt Johnson throw an interception to return them the ball on the next series. At the end of the half on a misting night, both teams headed to the locker room with two sets of turnovers and the Owls having a 10 to 0 lead.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
With the rain now coming down steady, the turnovers continued to mount for both teams as the 49ers' Lee McNeill tossed his second interception of the game on the second series of the half, only to have the Owls fumble for a third time three plays later. The two turnovers proved to be the highlights of a third quarter that saw neither team move the ball much and that ended with the same score as the previous quarter. Owls still held on to a 10 to 0 lead heading toward the fourth quarter.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
Two plays in to their first drive of the quarter, the Owls' Jaquez Johnson threw an interception, and fourth turnover, to the 49ers' Tank Norman, who took it back 28 yards for Charlotte's first score of the game. Three plays later the Owls fumbled for their fifth turnover. Three drives later, Matt Johnson threw Charlotte's fourth interception pass of the game, which led to a 36-yard field goal attempt by Greg Joseph which sailed right.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
On the ensuing drive which took the game past the two-minute mark, the 49ers put together an eleven-play drive that got them deep into Owls' territory and with a chance to take the lead; but Lee McNeill threw his third, and the teams' fifth, interception of the game to the Owl's Ocie Rose, who returned it 60 yards for the final score of the game. Two plays later Ocie Rose again intercepted Lee McNeill's pass to help preserve the win for Florida Atlantic. The final score at the end of a rainy second half of football was Florida Atlantic 17, Charlotte 7.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic Owls
Top performances for the game included FAU quarterback Jaquez Johnson who passed for 144 yards with two interceptions. Charlotte Rusher Kaliff Phillips had 29 carries for 165 yards. FAU's Jenson Stoshak had 5 receptions for 38.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
The 49ers hosted their first non-conference FBS opponents and second of three "Owls" mascot schools they'd play this season; former A10 conference foes Temple, now in the AAC.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
The game started off slow as gusting wind and driving rain from Hurricane Joaquin and a Nor'easter disrupted both teams from connecting on their first two field goal attempts. Temple scored the first points of the game late in the first quarter on an Austin Jones 39-yard field goal. The score at the end of the half was Owls 3, 49ers 0.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
Charlotte's Blake Brewer missed a very long 71-yard field goal attempt on the third play of the second quarter. Late in the quarter the Owls strung together a thirteen-play drive and cap it with a Jahad Thomas 1-yard touchdown. On the next series the 49ers got into the Owls redzone but had to settle for a 56-yard Blake Brewer field goal after losing yards. The score at the half was Temple 10, Charlotte 3.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
The first three 49ers' series of the second half completely put the game out of reach for Charlotte. After an opening drive three and out, the subsequent short punt return stayed on Charlotte's side of the field. This set Temple up for a nine-play drive that resulted in another Jahad Thomas 1-yard touchdown. On the next Charlotte drive, yet another three and out and another short punt yielded another Temple touchdown, this one an 11-yard pass from P.J. Walker to Robby Anderson. On the next 49ers' series Temple's Nate L. Smith blocked the punt and recover it for a 16-yard defensive touchdown. The 49ers blocked the subsequent point-after attempt. The score going into the final quarter of play was Temple up 30 to 3.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
Charlotte's first drive of the fourth quarter got the 49ers deep into Temple's side of the field, but Lee McNeill's pass attempt was intercepted by Nate L. Smith and returned 74 yards, setting up a seven-play drive that resulted in the final points of the game, a Temple 13-yard passing touchdown from P.J. Walker to Robby Anderson. A late fumble for Temple proved insignificant and the game finished with Temple winning by the score of 37 to 3.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Temple Owls
Top performances of the game included Temple Quarterback P.J. Walker, who threw for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Temple's Jahad Thomas had 20 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns and also lead all receivers with 3 receptions for 48 yards.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
The Monarchs canceled a 2014 out of conference game with the 49ers to play an SEC program. The Niners responded by cancelling their 2013 match up to replace the home game lost in the 2014 season with another opponent. Former Sun Belt basketball foes would finally meet for the first time on the gridiron to renew an old rivalry in this game.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
The Niners struck first on a Kaliff Phillips 1-yard touchdown run. The Monarchs would respond on the next series when Zach Pascal would catch a 53-yard touchdown pass from David Washington; however, the Niners' Jalen Holt would block the point after attempt to preserve the early lead. Later in the first quarter the Niners would put together a ten play drive that would be capped by an Andrew Buie 1-yard touchdown run.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
On ODU's final drive of the quarter they would get deep into Charlotte territory only to have Charlotte's Caleb Clayton-Mobly force Old Dominion's Ray Lawry to fumble the ball, which was recovered by the Niners' Zach Duncan. Charlotte would march back down the field to get into scoring range at the end of the quarter. The teams would switch sides with the Niners up 14 to 6.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
In the second quarter a thirteen play drive which started on ODU's late first quarter fumble would result in a Blake Brewer 31-yard field goal. The Monarchs would respond on the next series with a 40-yard Chris Kirtley field goal. Two plays into their next series the Niners' Uriah Lemay would catch a Lee McNeill pass for 19 yards only to be held up from going down with only one foot on the ground, which eventually resulted in the Monarchs' Pat Toal forcing the fumble which was recovered for the Monarchs by T.L. Ricks.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
The resulting series would end on a Chris Kirtley 42-yard field goal. Later in the half Charlotte's Kalif Phillips would break away for a 36-yard touchdown run. The Monarchs' next series would end on a Terrence Winchester interception of a David Washington pass. The teams would head into the lock rooms with Charlotte leading 24 to 12.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
On the first series of the second half Charlotte's Lee McNeill would be picked off by C.J. Bradshaw. Two series later David Washington would find Marquse Little with a 33-yard touchdown pass. On the next series the Niners would get Blake Brewer in field goal range only to have his 48-yard attempt blocked by Rashaad Coward and recovered by the Monarchs' Marvin Branch. A few plays later ODU's Chris Kirtley would connect on a 45-yard field goal. At the end of the third quarter Charlotte would have a slim 24 to 22 lead.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
On the first drive of the final quarter Charlotte's Matt Johnson would punch it in for a 1-yard touchdown. On their first drive of the quarter ODU would get Chris Kirtley back into field goal range only to see his 35-yard attempt sail left of the left upright. On the Monarchs' next drive Zach Pascal would catch a 15-yard touchdown pass from David Washington for his second touchdown of the game to get the Monarchs' back within two points.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
Midway through the quarter the Niners would get Blake Brewer into rang for a successful 20-yard field goal to stretch the lead back out to five points. ODU would reply on the next series as Zach Pascal would catch an 11-yard touchdown pass from David Washington for his third of the day and giving ODU their first lead of the game. The Monarchs would go for two to prevent the Niners from winning the game on a field goal. David Washington's pass to Jonathan Duhart would succeed. Needing a field goal to tie the game, the Niners would get to ODU's 44-yard line, but the series would end on a four-and-out, allowing the Monarchs to preserve their come-from-behind Homecoming win by a score of 37 to 34.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Old Dominion Monarchs
Top performances of the game included ODU Quarterback David Washington, who threw for 365 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Charlotte's Kalif Phillips had 35 carries for 20 yards and two touchdowns. ODU's Zach Pascal had 11 receptions for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
These renewed C-USA opponents met for the first time on the football field as the 49ers hosted the Golden Eagles for Homecoming.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Charlotte would score first on a Blake Brewer 25-yard field goal on Charlotte's second series of the game. Southern Miss would strike back quickly on the next drive with a Nick Mullens 69-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. On their next drive the Golden Eagles would stretch their lead on a Steven Brauchle 38-yard field goal. Charlotte would get into field goal range before the end of the quarter, but Brewer's 49-yard attempt would fail. Heading to the second quarter Southern Miss would have a 10 to 3 lead.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Midway through the second quarter the Golden Eagles' Taylor Marini would catch a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mullens. The 49ers' next drive would end in a punt, but the Golden Eagles' Korey Robertson would fumble it away to the 49ers' Chris Montgomery deep in Southern Miss territory. On the very next play the Golden Eagles' Kalan Reed would intercept a Lee McNeill pass in the end zone for a touch back. The subsequent Golden Eagles' nine play drive ended in Nick Mullens' third touchdown pass of the half, a 4-yard pass to Korey Robertson. At the half Southern Miss held a 23 to 3 lead over Charlotte.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagle's first drive of the second half would eat up six and a half minutes on fourteen plays and culminate in Nick Mullen's fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 4-yard throw to Casey Martin. Charlotte would return the favor or the next drive off a Lee McNeill quarterback scramble from 20 yards out, resulting in Charlotte's only touchdown of the day. Any hope of a 49ers comeback died on the ensuing kick return as the Golden Eagles's Jalen Richard would return it 95 yards for a touchdown. Going into the final quarter the Golden Eagles had a commanding 37 to 10 lead.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Charlotte would switch to a passing attack to attempt to get back in the game, but on the 49ers' first series of the quarter Matt Johnson's pass would be intercepted by Darian Yancy and returned all the way to the Charlotte 2 yard line. Two plays later the Eagles' Jalen Richard would punch in a final touchdown from 7 yards back. On the first play from scrimmage on the 49ers' next series Lee McNeill would be intercepted by Cornell Armstrong.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
On Charlotte's next drive their punt return to the Golden Eagles' Jalen Richard would be fumbled and recovered by the 49ers' Eric Herkley. Despite being in the Golden Eagles' redzone the 49ers couldn't find the end zone and settled for a Blake Brewer field goal attempt that would miss from 42 yards out. The Golden Eagles would spoil Homecoming for the 49ers and take home a 44 to 10 win.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Top performances of the game were dominated by the Golden Eagles. Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jalen Richard had 13 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. Michael Thomas had 6 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
On Halloween the defending C-USA Champions rolled into the Queen City for their first football meeting with the 49ers.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
Pregame activities included a skydiving team from Skydive Carolina bringing in the game ball as well as a tribute to late 49ers Offensive Line coach and former Marshall Offensive Line standout Phil Ratliff. U.S. Congressman and UNC Charlotte alumnus Richard Hudson presented the late Coach Ratliff's wife Jenni and two children Haley and Dylan with a U.S. flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in Coach Ratliff memory.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall would score first on their first drive with a Remi Watson 7-yard run into the end zone. On their next series the Herd would add another touchdown on a Chase Litton 66-yard pass to Devonte Allen. The Herd would take a 14 to 0 lead into the second quarter of play.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
On a drive started in the previous quarter, Marshall would score again on a Litton 17-yard pass to Ryan Yurachek. On their very next drive of the quarter the Herd would punch it in again on a 6-yard run by Keion Davis. Charlotte would get into Marshall's redzone on the ensuing drive, but would be forced to settle for a Blake Brewer 34-yard field goal to avoid a shutout. After the 49ers defense finally kept the Herd from finding the end zone, Marshall would settle for a 32-yard Nick Smith field goal. At the half the Thundering Herd had a commanding 31 to 3 lead.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall would drive to the 49ers' 20 yard line to open the second half, but with the 49ers finally finding a defensive rhythm, Marshall would settle for a field goal attempt. Smith's 37-yard attempt would fail to split the uprights. Marshall's next drive would end in similar fashion, with Smith missing from 39 yards on this attempt. After Charlotte fumbled away the ball on the opening play of the next series, facing a renewed effort from Charlotte's defense, Marshall would turn the ball over on downs. Charlotte's defense would keep Marshall from scoring in this quarter, but the offense was unable to make headway, so the score remained as it was at the half, with Marshall still up 31 to 3.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
On their opening series of the fourth quarter, Marshall's prolific offense would reach the 49ers' redzone again, only to have to settle for a Nick Smith 39-yard field goal. Charlotte's Lee McNeill would be intercepted by Marshall's Corey Tindal two plays later, but Marshall was forced to punt the ball back four plays later. Charlotte would then string together a 13 play drive and finally find the end zone on a Kalif Phillips 6-yard run. Despite a superlative second half effort from the Charlotte defense that resulted in holding the conference's best offense to a field goal, the first half score was too much to overcome. The defending conference champs would return to West Virginia with a 34 to 10 win over the 49ers.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Marshall Thundering Herd
Top performances of the game included Marshall Quarterback Chase Litton, who threw for 486 yards and 2 touchdowns. Charlotte's Kalif Phillips had 23 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Marshall's Davonte Allen had 12 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
The 49ers visited the State of Florida for the first time to take on their second set of Panthers in the season. This time conference foe Florida International.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
After the first series of the game ended in a three and out, Charlotte punter Arthur Hart would have his punt attempt blocked by FIU's Kenyatta Anderson and recovered by him in the end zone for a touchdown. On their next drive the 49ers would tie the score up on a Lee McNeill 29-yard pass to Austin Duke. The Panthers would regain the lead on the next series off an Alex McGough 15-yard pass to Clinton Taylor. The score at the end of the quarter was FUI 14, Charlotte 7.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
FIU would stretch the lead on their first series of the second quarter with an Alex Gardner 1-yard rushing touchdown. Charlotte's Blake Brewer would miss a 45-yard field goal on Charlotte's next possession. On the Panther's next possession Austin Taylor would also miss a field goal, this one from 37 yards. Near the end of the half FIU's McGough would find Clinton Taylor again for a 24-yard pass. Following the missed point after attempt FIU would recover an on-sides kick. On the next play Alex Gardner punched in a 9-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing series Charlotte's Blake Brewer would connect on a field goal from 56 yards out to end the half. The score at halftime was FIU up 34 to 10.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
On their first possession of the second half the 49ers would strike quickly on a five play drive that finished on a Matt Johnson 36-yard touchdown pass to Austin Duke. Later in the quarter Charlotte's Brooks Barden would be intercepted by FIU's Niko Gonzalez who would return it 58 yards for a touchdown. On FIU's next possession McGough would be intercepted by the 49ers' Anthony Covington. The score at the end of the third quarter was Panthers up 41 to 17.


2015 Charlotte 49ers football team, Game summaries, Florida International Panthers
The interception at the end of the third quarter would result in a seven play drive that culminated in a Brooks Barden 15-yard pass to Austin Duke, Duke's third touchdown pass of the day. FIU would return the favor on their next drive with a McGough 2-yard pass to Thomas Owens in the end zone. Charlotte would string together an eighteen play drive that would end on a Brooks Barden 5 yard quarterback-keeper touchdown, but it would not be enough as Florida International would win the game 48 to 38.