HIGH SCHOOLS
Norfolk Academy senior forward Bella Burr was one of 22 players, and the only one from Virginia, named to the United Soccer Coaches Winter/Spring All-America girls team.
Burr was the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools’ Player of the Year.
BASEBALL
Pilots lift winning streak to six
The Peninsula Pilots added another notch to their remarkable turnaround, breaking a tie with four seventh-inning runs Thursday night for a 6-2 victory over Martinsville at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton.
The Pilots improved their winning streak to six games, going to 3-0 in the Coastal Plain League season’s second half. They had won just six of their first 21 contests overall and finished in the East Division’s cellar, but they’re starting to look like they could contend for the second-half title and a playoff berth.
Cole Stanford was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, and Granby High graduate Hunter Cole was 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs. James Madison’s Mason Dunaway, a Hickory High alum, doubled, singled, scored a run and drove in one.
Former Warhill High pitcher Sam Rochard struck out seven in an effective five-inning start, giving up one run, four hits and three walks.
Olvis Genao got the victory with two innings of relief, striking out three despite yielding a run. Jay Schueler and Will Gross completed the game with a hitless inning apiece.
The Mustangs fell to 9-14.
The Pilots will try for seven at 7 p.m. Friday when they face the Tri-City Chili Peppers at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.
SOCCER
Va. Beach City FC shut out in Alexandria
The Alexandria Reds cruised to a 6-0 victory Thursday night over Virginia Beach City FC in a National Premier Soccer League in Northern Virginia.
The Reds (5-2-2 for 17 points) went ahead in the third minute and doubled the lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Alexandria also scored in the 23rd and 43rd for a 4-0 halftime lead.
VBCFC fell to 1-6-3 for six points.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Norfolk State taking tailgate reservations
Norfolk State announced Thursday that tailgate reservations for the 2023 season are now open to all fans.
The season pass for a tailgate space, which includes the homecoming game, is $400. This offer allows fans access to one tailgate space at all four home games.
Fans may also buy spaces for individual games, costing $125 each for games against Virginia State, North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State. A space for the homecoming matchup against Morgan State is $200.
RV tailgating spaces are available in a season pass for $600, $250 for homecoming and $175 for each other game.
COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY
ODU reveals schedule
Old Dominion announced its schedule, which starts Aug. 27 with a home game against Delaware.
The Monarchs, who won the Big East regular-season title last season, fell at home to Liberty in the conference tournament title game, and barely missed qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. will play at home Sept. 10 against reigning NCAA champion North Carolina.
This year’s Big East Tournament is Nov. 3 and 5 at Temple.
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
Former Cavalier to play for Santa Clara
Former Virginia post player Francisco Caffaro has joined the Santa Clara program as a senior transfer. The 7-foot-1 Argentinian will play for a Broncos team guided by former North Carolina State coach Herb Sendek.Last season in 20 games, including three starts, Caffaro averaged 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.2 blocks and 8.3 minutes.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Menchville’s Williams to walk on at JMU
Former Menchville High point guard Atiana Williams will join the James Madison women’s basketball roster as a preferred walk-on, coach Sean O’Regan announced.
“Atiana is a quick PG with great handles,” said O’Regan, whose team won last season’s Sun Belt championship.
As a senior, Williams averaged 17.8 points, 8.7 assists, four rebounds and three steals for a 24-2 team. As a junior, she guided the Monarchs to a 24-3 record and their first state championship. She had 13 points in a 59-36 victory over Woodgrove in the 2022 Class 5 title game.
Hokies complete staff
Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks, whose program is coming off its first Final Four appearance, announced the hiring of Jauwan Scaife as assistant coach, completing the Hokies’ staff.
A native of Muncie, Indiana, Scaife spent the 2022-23 season at Ball State, his alma mater. The Cardinals went 26-9 and reached the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Scaife was a second-team All-Mid-Atlantic Conference player in 2012-13 and has been an assistant coach at Utah State, Murray State, Evansville and Southeast Missouri State.
COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD
Suffolk’s Rose advances in 800 meters
Suffolk’s Michaela Rose advanced to the semifinals of the 800 meters at the USA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The LSU sophomore ran 2:00.79 to finish third in her heat. Her time was the seventh-fastest of the day.
Chesapeake’s Michael Cherry (from Oscar Smith High) won’t be advancing in the 400 meters as he did not start the race.
The Virginia Cavaliers’ Derek Johnson advanced to the final in the 3,000-meter steeplechase advancing to the final round of the event while
After qualifying with a personal-best time of 8 minutes, 25.23 seconds, Johnson raced to a sixth-place finish in his heat. Though his time of 8:26.51 missed the automatic qualification places, his sixth-fastest time overall secured his place in Saturday’s final.
Three more Cavaliers are set to compete at the meet, including Ethan Dabbs (javelin), Justin Rogers (U20 pole vault) and Tyler Zawatski (U20 javelin).
UVA discus thrower takes Nigerian women’s title
Virginia’s Ashley Anumba became the Nigerian champion in the women’s discus. After winning the Nigerian National Sports Festival in December, she won gold at the Nigerian Championships with a personal-best mark of 61.98 meters.
Three NSU men named all-state
Three Norfolk State men gained Virginia Sports Information Directors all-state track and field honors.
Kai Cole (sprints) was named to the first team for the second time. Isaac Haywood (jumps) and Gidion Sigei (distance) landed on the second team.
Virginia provided Track Athlete of the Year Nate Mountain, Field Athlete of the Year Ethan Dabbs and Coach of the Year Vin Lananna. The Track Rookie of the Year was Virginia Tech’s Nick Plant, and the Field Rookie of the Year was Liberty’s Desmond Coleman.
MORE HONORS
Six Spartans gain state academic honors
Six Norfolk State athletes made the VaSID Academic All-State Team for 2022-23.
Norfolk State men’s cross country/track & field program had a pair of honorees in Dazon Harrison and Evans Cheruiyot, and tennis players Aleksandra Evdokimova and Boris Lunin made the squad. So did softball player Kenna Higa and football player Anthony Blume.
ODU earns academic honors
The Old Dominion men’s and women’s swimming team earned Scholar All-America honors, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America announced.
Both Monarch teams carried a 3.18 grade-point average.
TENNIS
Incoming W&M freshman falls in Wimbledon boys qualifying
Incoming William & Mary men’s freshman Oliver Hague competed in the Wimbledon boys qualifying draw’s first round, falling 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 on grass to No. 8 seed Albert Saar of Sweden on the Roehampton courts.Hague, from Manchester, England, owns a career-high International Tennis Federation junior ranking of No. 339. Saar is No. 51.
JMU names new coach
Tyson Thomas was named the James Madison women’s head coach after being an assistant at Penn last season. Thomas, who played in college for Nebraska-Kearney, was a volunteer assistant for Virginia for three seasons and a former assistant for Nebraska-Omaha.
Thomas replaces Shelley Jaudon, who left for Kentucky’s head coaching position.
GOLF
Five UVA women named All-American Scholars
Five members of the Virginia women’s team were named 2023 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars. That group is comprised of graduate student Riley Smyth, senior Celeste Valinho, juniors Jennifer Cleary and Rebecca Skoler and sophomore Megan Propeck.
The criteria are a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and to have participated in at least 50% of a team’s competitive rounds.
