COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson and William & Mary’s John Pius have each been named to the Butkus Award watch list, which honors the nation’s top linebacker.
Henderson, who has also been named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele magazine and the preseason Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, led the country last season with 186 tackles.
Pius, named an All-American by seven organizations last season, ranked fourth nationally in sacks (11.5) and fifth in tackles for loss (19). He was the runner-up for the Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the top defensive player in the FCS.
Pius is the only FCS player to make the Butkus watch list.
Lake Taylor TE commits to Syracuse
Lake Taylor High senior tight end Elijah Washington has committed to Syracuse.
Washington, 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, had 43 receptions for 877 yards and 16 touchdowns last season for the Titans. He also averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in basketball and was named the 757Teamz runner-up Male Athlete of the Year.
Washington, a three-star prospect, is ranked the No. 17 senior in the state by 247Sports, No. 18 by ESPN and No. 20 by Rivals.
CAA to add Bryant
The newly renamed Coastal Athletic Association announced Thursday that its board of directors approved adding Bryant University as its 16th football member effective July 1, 2024.
Bryant, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is currently a member of the Big South-OVC Football Association. It is entering its 25th season playing football.
The addition of Bryant won’t change the footprint of the league, formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association, along the Atlantic seaboard with Rhode Island already a member. The 16 teams will stretch from Maine to North Carolina.
The CAA’s football members have enjoyed annual success at the FCS Level, with 12 of its 15 members reaching the playoffs since 2015. The league has sent multiple teams to the playoffs for the past 31 years and has had three or more teams in the field in 15 of the past 17 seasons.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER
W&M’s Crain makes All-CAA Team
William & Mary sophomore forward Ivey Crain has been named to the preseason Coastal Athletic Association Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team.
Crain led the Tribe with 24 points (nine goals and six assists) on her way to CAA Rookie of the Year and first-team All-CAA honors last season.
Meanwhile, W&M has been picked eighth in the CAA preseason poll by a vote of the league coaches. Hampton was last in the 13-team league.
Monmouth edged Northeastern by a single point for the top spot in the poll. Northeastern’s Vivian Akyirem is the preseason Player of the Year.
UVA third, VT ninth in ACC poll
Virginia has been picked to finish third and Virginia Tech ninth in the ACC women’s soccer preseason poll.
Cavaliers sophomore forward Maggie Cagle was the lone player from a Virginia school on the preseason All-ACC Team.
North Carolina finished No. 1 in the poll, followed by Florida State.
Briefly
- Old Dominion’s Jakob Chicoyne, Jacob Gunther and Philip Minnehan have been named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
- The Norfolk Admirals have signed defenseman Justin Allen and forward Gueorgui Feduolov to standard contracts for the 2023-24 season.
- Norfolk State will hold its annual Fan Day on Aug. 19, and this year’s event will feature the football and volleyball teams. The football team will conduct its event at 11:15 a.m. following its practice at Dick Price Stadium. The volleyball team’s event will be held at 5:15 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium.
- Norfolk State’s softball team will host a walk-on interest meeting on Aug. 21. The meeting will be held via a zoom call and begin at 7 p.m. Those interested should email head coach Carrie Hoeft at [email protected].
