JUCO transfer added to RU softball roster
Radford University softball head coach, Hope Creasy, announced the addition of a junior college transfer, Sarah Smith, on Monday afternoon.
Smith, who played two seasons at South Georgia State College in 2016 and 2017, picked up 16 wins with a 2.75 ERA, while pitching over 170 innings as a sophomore. The Hawks picked up 63 wins in the two seasons Smith was a member of the team.
She led South Georgia State College to become Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) State Champions in 2017. Smith was named GCAA Second Team All-Region in 2016 and GCAA All-Tournament Team in 2017.
Smith will be eligible to compete in the 2019 season as a junior.
Hokies to face Washington
The Virginia Tech Hokies will face the Washington Huskies in the first-ever Boardwalk Classic presented by Citi, a newly developed college basketball showcase by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) of Atlantic City, to be held at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, December 15, 2018.
In addition to the Virginia Tech – Washington contest, the one-day quadruple-header will feature Temple University (American Athletic) vs. Davidson College (Atlantic 10), Iona College (MAAC) vs. Princeton University (Ivy League) and Penn State (Big Ten) vs North Carolina State University (ACC).
This will mark the second consecutive season that the Hokies and Huskies will meet on the hardwood. Tech defeated Washington, 103-79, last November in the 2K Classic in Madison Square Garden.
Creighton second team all-state
For his performance this year, Radford University’s Myles Creighton has been named Virginia State Golf Association Second Team All-State, which was announced on Tuesday evening.
Creighton has finished inside the top 10 in 10 consecutive spring tournaments dating back to last season – including five this season. The senior competed in his last collegiate competition at the Big South Championships finished in a tie for ninth.
The Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada native finished this season with a 71.72 scoring average, which led him to complete his career with a 72.95 all-time career scoring record. The career scoring average ranks first in program history.
Virginia Tech’s Mark Lawrence of Virginia Tech was named to the first team all-state.
Olympia to Tech
Swimming and diving head coach Sergio Lopez Miro announces the transfer of 2016 Olympian and 2018 SEC Male Freshman of the Year Hugo Gonzalez to Virginia Tech beginning with the 2018-19 season.
Gonzalez made a big impact for Auburn during his rookie campaign, earning gold at the SEC Championships in the 400yd IM (recording the fourth fastest time in history) and swimming to a pair of All-America Honorable Mention finishes at NCAAs, including 10th place in the 200yd IM. He set program records in the 200yd back (1:39.05), 200yd IM (1:40.67) and 400yd IM (3:35.76) and was a two-time CollegeSwimming.com SEC Swimmer of the Week. His accolades also include All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Freshman Team.
In addition to his strong collegiate performance, Gonzalez has made a name on the international stage, including competing at the 2016 Olympics where he was a semifinalist in the 200m back as well as qualifying in the 100m back.
McFadden at World Trials
Virginia Tech rising redshirt junior David McFadden swept Missouri All-American Daniel Lewis in a best of three finals to clinch the 79kg spot on the United States’ U23 Junior World Team at the U23 World Team Trials in Akron, Ohio on Sunday.
McFadden became the second Hokie wrestler to make a world team this summer joining redshirt freshman Mekhi Lewis, who won the 74kg title at the Junior World Team Trials in Rochester, Minnesota last month. Virginia Tech has now had a representative on the U23 World Team the last two years. Volunteer assistant coach Ty Walz made the team at 97kg last year and won the bronze medal at the inaugural U23 World Championships in Poland.
Later in 2018, McFadden and the rest of the U.S. squad will travel to Romania for Senior U23 World Championships from November 12-18.
RU golf signing class
Radford University men’s golf head coach, Mike Grant, added another signee for the 2018 class as Ryan Neil signed his national letter of intent on Monday and will join the program this fall.
Neil, a native of North Bay, Ontario, Canada, was a four-time Northern Ontarian Champion and ranked 17th in Ontario amateur golf rankings. Neil attended St. Joseph-Scollard Hall and was named a 2018 Mizuno Canadian Junior Boys Champion.
He was named 2017-18 Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) Order of Merit Champion. In 2018, Neil won the FCWT Disney Championship, the FCWT Eagle Creek Championship and the FCWT Open World Golf Village Championship. He also finished fourth in the 2018 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship.
Tech student-athletes excel
The 2018 spring semester was an outstanding one for Virginia Tech’s student-athletes, as 331 out of the 542 student-athletes on sport rosters earned a 3.0 grade-point average during the semester. That number represents 61 percent of Tech’s student-athletes.
In all, 211 student-athletes made the Dean’s List. Those who make the Dean’s List finished with a 3.40 GPA or better. Twenty-three student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA this spring.
As one might expect, Tech’s individual sports performed strongly in the classroom as well. Eighteen of the 22 teams achieved a 3.0 GPA following the spring semester.
Overall, Tech’s student-athletes are continuing their gains built in previous semesters. In all, 320 student-athletes maintain a 3.0 GPA or better, including five who maintain a perfect 4.0. The average cumulative GPA for a Tech student-athlete is 3.06.
Tech’s McDonald drafted
During the second day of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Virginia Tech pitcher Andrew McDonald was selected in the ninth round by the Cincinnati Reds with the 259th overall pick to become the 19th highest Hokie ever chosen in the MLB Draft.
The senior right hander, ironcially from Cincinnati, Ohio, is the fifth Hokie to be picked by the Reds in draft history, which includes four other pitchers as well – Doug Horton (358th pick, 1971 draft), Greg Margheim (652, 1990), Eddie Campbell (1,327, 2010 out of high school) and last year’s pick of Packy Naughton, who beat McDonald by two selections – drafted in 2017 by the Reds at number 257.
Hokies add transfers
Virginia Tech Head coach Tony Robie announced Tuesday the additions of heavyweight Billy Miller and 133-pounder Korbin Myers to the Virginia Tech wrestling program.
Both transfers come to Blacksburg from Edinboro University and will be eligible to compete immediately. The duo and Bucknell transfer Tom Sleigh join a talented group of true freshmen in the incoming class of 2018.
A three-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time EWL champion, Miller comes to Blacksburg with one year of eligibility remaining. He holds a career record of 79-28 after going 18-6 last season with the Fighting Scots. Miller took home his second EWL heavyweight title and earned his third trip to nationals by defeating Lock Haven’s Thomas Haines in the finals. A two-time NWCA All-Academic Team selection, Miller was a two-time Ohio state champion at Perry High School.
Myers joins the Hokies with two years of eligibility remaining. This past season, he won his second EWL championship, qualified for NCAAs for the second time, placed sixth at the Cliff Keen Invitational and finished eighth at the Midlands Invitational. Myers went 28-11 in 2017-18 and has a career record of 58-23. His prep career at Boiling Springs High School saw place at the PIAA state championships four times.
