Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Virginia High School League has announced its 2024-25 Claudia Dodson VHSL Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award, which recognizes member schools that have established policies and procedures that make sportsmanship a priority and an expectation within the school and school community.
The Stay in the Game Award recognizes those schools that did not have a player ejection during the fall, winter, and spring season.
Eastern Montgomery High School was honored with both recognitions.
“I consider the Dodson SEI Award to be the Virginia High School League’s most prestigious award,” said VHSL assistant director Chris Robinson. “It’s the only award that the entire school is graded on.”
The award was renamed in 2007 to honor the memory of Claudia Dodson, a VHSL Assistant Director from 1971 to 2002 and a 2003 National High School Hall of Fame inductee, who passed away in 2007.
ACC championship tickets
The countdown is on! Tickets for the 2025 ACC Football Championship Game are officially on sale now through both Ticketmaster and theACC.com. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets for the 2025 ACC Football Championship Game begin at just $65.
Premium seating for the 2025 ACC Football Championship Game is also available, offering fans an unforgettable way to experience the action. This year’s exclusive offerings include all-inclusive seating in the Gridiron Club and The Vault, featuring first-class hospitality, enhanced gameday amenities, and on-field access after the game.
RU golfers honored
The 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars for NCAA Division I were announced Tuesday afternoon with five Highlanders earning All-American Scholar honors including Benson Blevins, Channing Blevins, Tate Corbett, Bobby Dudeck and Louie Stott.
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their Associate’s Degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must participate in 50% of their team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, under 78.0 in NCAA Division II, under 79.0 in NCAA Division III, under 78.0 in NAIA, and under 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
New cross country coach
The Radford University cross country and track and field program announced Monday morning that Anne Akagi-Koons has joined the program as a Cross Country and Track & Field Assistant Coach.
Akagi-Koons spent the last season with the Charleston Southern Buccaneers as a volunteer coach helping mentor the women’s cross country team to tie their best conference finish in program history and place second for the third straight year.
Prior to her time coaching with the Buccaneers, she competed as a student-athlete for five years, claiming the program records for the 800-meter and 1500-meter events. Akagi-Koons was a six-time all-conference selection in Big South Track and Field and a three-time all-conference selection for cross country.
Love on watch list
Virginia Tech placekicker John Love has been named to the watch list for the Lou Groza Award which goes to the nation’s top kicker.
Love (5-11, 180) kicked in all 13 games last season, connecting on 16 of his 18 field goal attempts for an 88.8 success rate. He was a perfect 42 of 42 on PATs on his way to earning All-ACC Honorable Mention accolades.
The Spartanburg, South Carolina product was 5-5 from 40-49 yards and 3-4 from 50-plus yards. He nailed a then career-long of 57 yards against Miami and was named ACC Specialist of the Week. Love was named ACC Specialist of the Week a second time after hitting on field-goal attempts from 44, 31 and 28 yards against Virginia. He also set a new career-long with a 60-yard field goal against Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
The Groza Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
Hokies ranked 14th
Virginia Tech women’s soccer checked in at No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches (USOC) National Pre-Season Poll.
It is the highest pre-season ranking for the Hokies since 2015 (No. 13).
The Hokies advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2024 and finished last year’s campaign ranked No. 7, the highest end-of-year ranking for Tech since 2013. Tech’s 14 wins were also the most in a single season since 2015.
The Hokies earned the No. 5 seed in the ACC Championship in 2024. Finishing the conference slate at 6-2-2, the Hokies earned 20 points – the most since 2013 – to finish fifth in the ACC standings.
Tech returns several key starters from last year’s NCAA Quarterfinals appearance. Lauren Hargrove is back for her fifth year after starting all 23 games in goal. She finished the 2024 campaign with a 0.78 GAA and nine shutouts.
Tech promotes Watts
Virginia Tech soccer head coach Mike Brizendine has announced the elevation of Matt Watts to associate head coach Friday morning. Watts enters his second season in Blacksburg in 2025.
Watts came to Blacksburg, following eight years in charge of Nova Southeastern (DII), posting a 64-44-14 record with the Sharks. His tenure was highlighted by a Final Four run in 2021, while his program claimed its first Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title in the same year.
RU replacements
The Big South Conference announced today the additions of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Bryant University as associate members in the sport of tennis, effective with the 2025-26 season. NJIT will join in both women’s and men’s tennis, while Bryant’s men’s program joins the conference. The additions increase the Big South’s tennis sponsorship to six women’s and men’s participants, allowing the conference to retain its automatic qualification into the NCAA Championships in both sports.
The announcement comes months after Radford University eliminated its tennis programs.
