Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Virginia Tech and Liberty have mutually agreed to cancel their football games scheduled for the 2029 and 2030 seasons.
The Hokies and Flames were set to meet in Blacksburg in 2029 and in Lynchburg in 2030. The two programs will still face off twice in Blacksburg, in 2027 and 2028, as previously scheduled.
Virginia Tech opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against VMI at Lane Stadium, marking the beginning of the James Franklin era in Blacksburg.
New soccer coach at RU
The Radford University men’s soccer program and head coach Andy Cormack has announced that Ryan Palmbaum has joined the men’s soccer program as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2026 season.
Palmbaum is a world-traveled, highly successful collegiate soccer coach with playing and coaching experience across many levels, including NCAA D1, NCAA D2, NAIA, and professional. His previous coaching stop was at Kansas Wesleyan University, where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons overseeing the main recruitment efforts and recruiting 99 players over two years. For the 2025 season, Palmbaum moved into the Head Coaching position at Kansas Wesleyan University, guiding them to a 13-4-3 season.
Big South honors Redmon
The Big South Conference announced Monday that Radford University’s Dakota Redmon has been named Pitcher of the Week after a dominant weekend picking up wins over Liberty and UConn.
Redmon had a big bounce back week for the Highlanders tossing two gems and earning a pair of wins for the Highlanders over Liberty and UConn. In the weekend opener at Liberty, Redmon was dominant allowing just three baserunners for her first shutout of the season. In the victory over UConn, she shrugged off an early homer, struck out five, and steadied the ship for the eventual 5-2 win.
IHRA drag changes
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced today that IHRA Pro Stock Drag will officially replace the Factory Stock Showdown (F.S.S.) category beginning with the 2026 season.
The IHRA Pro Stock class will feature factory-built, supercharged platforms, including the Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Dodge Drag Pak, and Ford Mustang Cobra Jet.
IHRA leadership views this move as a natural progression and strengthening of professional drag racing within the organization, aligning with the association’s long-term vision for growth, competitiveness, and national relevance.
The class has been built to preserve factory identity while delivering a high-performance, fan-focused racing product.
Blue Demon on preseason list
Prep Baseball Virginia/DC has released its preseason baseball superlatives including one infielder/pitcher from Christiansburg High School. Ethan Wayman is a righthanded pitcher and third baseman in the Class of 2027.
In total RVA looked at eight categories for players, Fastball, Secondary Mix, Pitcher Projection, Raw Power, Run Tool, Athleticism, Hit Tool, and Defense. They selected the players from each recent event, which they sponsored last month, that stood out in those respective categories.
Albert SEC freshman of week
For the third time in four weeks, Auburn rookie Jake Albert was named the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman Golfer of the Week, the league office announced Wednesday.
The Blacksburg, Virginia product led Auburn to a runner-up finish this week at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, where he finished fourth individually. It was Albert’s fourth consecutive top 20 and second consecutive top five.
In Las Vegas, he pieced together rounds of 69 (-3), 71 (-1) and 70 (-2) to tally a 210 (-6). He made 14 birdies to tie teammate Jackson Koivun for the third-most in the 84-man field.
Albert was the only freshman in the tournament to place inside the top 17. The nearest rookies finished seven shots back at one-over-par.
Former Bruin to play at next level
Wade Bland transferred from Blacksburg High School two years ago and played basketball at Stuart Hall in Staunton. He was named all-state last year and helped lead the team to this year’s state runner up position, scoring in for a double-figure average for two years straight. Last season, Stuart Hall won their first ever VISAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Championship.
This past week, he committed to play at NCAA Division II Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
