Flynn to continue national team duty
Virginia Tech rising junior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn will continue her journey with the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team as the squad prepares for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup which will begins in August.
The U.S. U-20 WNT is currently in France preparing to participate in the Tournoi Maurice Revello Sud Ladies Cup that will feature the U-20 WNTs of Germany, France and Haiti.
All four teams in the round-robin tournament have qualified for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, making this competition a valuable dress rehearsal for group play at the World Cup.
Hokies to play Penn State next season
Virginia Tech will travel to Penn State on Tuesday, Nov. 27, as part of the 20th Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Game time and network will be determined at a later date.
This will be the third meeting between the two schools in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Nittany Lions won the two previous Challenge meetings, both at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State’s home court. Tech holds a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series, including a 3-2 mark in University Park.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise the entire 2018 event, matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner’s Cup.
All games will also be available via the ESPN app.
VT, ODU kickoff set
Virginia Tech’s first-ever contest at Old Dominion will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 22 in Norfolk, Virginia. The contest will be televised by CBS Sports Network. With today’s announcement, kickoff times for Tech’s first four games of the 2018 season are now set.
Tech registered a 38-0 victory in its initial meeting against Old Dominion last season at Lane Stadium. The Hokies and Monarchs are also currently scheduled to meet again in 2019, in addition to contests currently scheduled annually every year from 2022-31. Old Dominion has competed at the FBS level since 2014 and is a member of Conference USA. The Monarchs previously hosted ACC opponents when NC State played in Norfolk in 2015 and North Carolina visited ODU in 2017.
RU soccer clinic July 22
The Radford women’s soccer program will be hosting a one-day clinic open to players age 13 and older on Sunday, July 22 from 11:00 a.m to 5:30 p.m. at the Dedmon Center and Cupp Stadium.
The clinic will focus on techniques and tactics for the player that has a passion for improvement and playing at the college level whether you are 13 years old or a senior in high school. The day includes 11v11 and 7v7 games, as well as specific sessions to help take your game to the next level.
The clinic will be run by current staff including Head Coach Ben Sohrabi and Assistant Coach Chris Barrett.
Early registration, which will stay open until July 14, will cost $100 per individual while all other individuals will cost $125. For more information call 831-7826 or by email at bsohrabi@radford.edu.
VT T&F athlete, coach win regional awards
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Friday afternoon that Virginia Tech distance coach Ben Thomas earned Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year and pole-vaulter Lisa Gunnarsson won Women’s Field Athlete of the Year for the Southeast Region during the outdoor season.
Thomas, who oversees cross country as well, was tabbed assistant coach of the year for the fourth time in the last four years in the Southeast Region, including winning the award this past indoor season. Thomas orchestrated the men’s distance team racking up 50 of the team’s 105.5 points at the ACC Outdoor Championships on the campus of Miami.
Gunnarsson led the country with the top mark in the pole vault for most of the year, boasting a school-record mark of 4.60 meters (15 feet, 1 inch) that was set at the Texas Relays. The freshmen went on to earn a silver medal at the ACC Outdoor Championships in May and punched her ticket to Eugene at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds last weekend.
Renfro returns as volunteer coach
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Brizendine got to work with Kyle Renfro every day from 2010-2013 when he was the Hokies’ goalkeeper. A few years later and the duo will have that same opportunity, as Renfro is set to rejoin the Hokies as a volunteer assistant coach, effective immediately. Renfro, a 2013 Tech graduate, was a first-team All-ACC selection his senior season after leading the conference in saves for the third straight year.
Renfro ranks fourth all-time in Tech history in saves and shutouts, amassing 14 during his time in Blacksburg. While with the Hokies, he was also named to the league’s All-Academic team three times.
The Brookville native has spent time in the professional ranks playing for USL sides Charlotte Eagles and also the Charlotte Independence. Most recently, Renfro served as an assistant coach at Winthrop University for the 2017 season, where he helped groom the Eagles’ keeper Kenneth Perkinson, who recorded 77 saves and three shutouts on the season.
