RU trio receive all-state honors
Radford University’s baseball team concluded the 2018 season with three more postseason awards as Austin Ross, Spencer Horwitz and Andrew Szamski were named to the VaSID University Division All-State Baseball Team, announced on Tuesday by the Virginia Sports Information Directors.
This marks the fourth straight season that Radford players have been named to the all-state team and the second consecutive season with three players honored.
Ross was named to the first team after his breakout campaign on the mound, while Horwitz and Szamski earned second team honors for their efforts at the plate.
A 35th round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies, Ross was named to the All-Big South first team after finishing with a 9-4 record and 3.54 ERA. Ross struck out 69 batters in 68.2 innings, surrendering only 22 walks.
Horwitz earned Big South Second Team honors for the second straight season after leading the Highlanders in hits (63), RBIs (43), runs (36), walks (34), doubles (13) and home runs (7). He also finished second on the team with a .288 average.
Szamski opened the season on fire, earning Big South Player of the Week honors in his first weekend of NCAA Division I play. In those 36 games, Szamski led the team with a .336 average. He finished with 46 hits, 17 of which came as extra-base hits.
Local athletes honored at Concord
The Concord University Athletic Department had 76 student-athletes make the University’s Dean’s List for the spring 2018 semester when the honor was released Friday afternoon.
The list included: track and field’s Bailey Knowles of Christiansburg and softball’s Carley Graves of Blacksburg.
To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must carry a 3.5 or higher GPA for the spring semester. Below is a breakdown by sport of student-athletes that made dean’s list.
CHS youth football camp
Christiansburg High School has announced a football camp for ages 7-13 July 23-25 at the school’s practice field. A camp T-shirt, snacks and drinks will be provided. The cost is $50, and participants must register by July 20.
For more information or to register, call 382-2349.
Steketee joins VT swim staff
Virginia Tech head swimming and diving coach Sergio Lopez Miro announces the hiring of Steve Steketee as an assistant coach.
Steketee reunites with Lopez Miro after having served as an assistant on Lopez Miro’s staff at WVU 2004-07. The two were instrumental in improving the Mountaineers’ women from 11th to third in the Big East while taking the men from seventh to first. In their final season, Steketee and Lopez Miro pushed the men’s team to a top-20 finish at NCAAs.
Most recently, Steketee was a volunteer assistant at Northwestern with the women’s swimming and diving program, helping to coach 2016 Olympian Valerie Gruest and NCAA Champion diver Olivia Rosendahl. Prior to Northwestern, Steketee was an assistant at Nevada where he helped the Wolfpack to a third place finish at the Mountain West Championships, its highest ever, and a 33rd place finish at NCAAs.
Steketee served as an assistant at University of South Carolina from 2008-2013 where he coached swimmers that competed in multiple U.S. National Championship meets as well as the 2008 Olympic trials and 2009 World Championships.
VT wrestler to represent national team
Virginia Tech wrestler Ty Walz will be one of three grapplers that will represent the United States at 97kg on this year’s senior men’s freestyle national team. He’s the first Hokie wrestler to ever be named to the U.S. national team.
Lady Hokies draw Rutgers
The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team will play host to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the ACC office announced Monday morning.
Tech will be seeking its fourth consecutive win in the competition, building on the successes of the past three seasons with victories over Illinois, Nebraska and Penn State.
The Hokies and Scarlett Knights have met six times previously, all as members of the Big East Conference. Rutgers owns a 4-2 record in the series, which has not been contested since 2004.
Fuente on Dodd Watch List
Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente is one of only 20 head coaches named to the 2018 Dodd Trophy Watch List, the award’s committee announced on Wednesday.
The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.
Fuente is one of three ACC head coaches on the list, joining Miami’s Mark Richt and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. This year marks the second consecutive season that Fuente has been tabbed to the Dodd Trophy Watch List.
H2okies add another recruit
Swimming and diving head coach Sergio Lopez Miro announces the commitment of Antani Ivanov to Virginia Tech beginning with the 2018-19 season.
Ivanov, who hails from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, won bronze in the 200- fly at the 2017 FINA Junior World Championship and claimed the silver medal at the 2016 LEN European Junior Swimming Championships in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary.
In addition to the previously mentioned meets, Ivanov has represented Bulgaria on the international stage at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships in Windsor and the 2017 FINA Junior World Championships in Indianapolis.
Tech vs. Ball State
Virginia Tech will open play in the 11th annual Charleston Classic against Ball State on Thursday, Nov. 15 in the TD Arena on the campus of the College of Charleston. The game will tip at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN 2.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Hokies finished the 2017-18 season 21-12 overall and 10-8 in ACC action. Tech earned a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Ball State was 19-13 overall last season and 10-8 in the Mid-American Conference.
The Hokies will play either Alabama or Northeastern on Friday in their second game of the tournament. The other side of the eight-team bracket consists of Purdue, Appalachian State, Wichita State and Davidson. The final day of competition will be Sunday, Nov. 18.
