From the sidelines
By Marty Gordon
Two college fishing teams from Virginia Tech and Radford University have qualified for the national collegiate tournament. VT’s Clayton Winebarger and Logan Reynolds finished second during a recent tourney at Smith Mountain Lake while Jackson Norton and Nicholas Brognano finished fifth.
The Hokies reeled in five fish totaling 16 pounds, four ounces, and the Highlanders caught five fish that weighed in at 15 pounds, eight ounces.
A team from UNC-Charlotte took top honors in the first of three regular–season qualifying tournaments for Northern Conference angles. Fifty-five teams weighed in catches.
Voices needed
The Virginia Tech athletics department is seeking talented individuals to serve as national anthem singers, halftime performers, and PA announcers at select Hokie athletic events.
These individuals and groups will contribute to the high-energy atmosphere and experience for student-athletes and fans. National anthem performances can be utilized at men’s and women’s basketball games, and potentially at soccer, baseball and softball games. Halftime acts would be asked to perform at men’s and/or women’s basketball games. PA announcers would be utilized at men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, baseball and lacrosse.
The Virginia Tech athletics marketing department is using this search to best identify talent available for a wide range of opportunities across all of the school’s sports. The PA announcer will be required to attend all home games, including any preseason exhibition games and any postseason events. This includes nights and weekends.
National anthem performers and halftime acts are scheduled by game and typically perform only once per sport.
Applicants should submit a resume detailing relevant experience, three references related to the ability to perform this position and an mp3/mp4 recording to vtmarketing@hokiesports.com no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, July 3.
Saluting the late Dan Callahan
Pulaski County High is remembering “Dan the man Callahan,” the voice of the Cougars, by naming the press box in his honor. Callahan passed away last month after a lengthy career on a Radford radio station and as a newspaper sports columnist.
Virtual camp
The Doug Day basketball camp was cancelled for this year, but the former Radford University Highlander and current head coach at Blacksburg High School is offering online drills. For the next month, Day will give virtual instruction on his DDBC Facebook page. In addition, players can download a workbook that outlines each drill along with a picture.
Day played the shooting guard position for Radford University between 1989–90 and 1992–93. He was a prolific three-point field goal shooter; at the time of his graduation, his 401 three-pointers were the most in NCAA Division I history. Day led the nation in threes made per game as a junior when he connected for 4.03 per contest.
VT football picks up transfer, quarterback
The Virginia Tech football team picked up a jewel in the transfer portal this past week with the announcement by receiver Dillon Spalding, who played high school ball at South County High School in Lorton. He was recruited by the Hokies several years ago before signing with West Virginia. But the 6-1, 215-pounder transferred to James Madison and did not take the field for the Mountaineers.
In high school, Spalding caught 196 passes for 3,470 yards and 53 touchdowns in his career and averaged 80 yards receiving per game and 18 yards per catch. He was also on the lacrosse team and had 71 goals and was targeted by Johns Hopkins early in his career.
Spalding will be a walk-on for the 2020 season.
The Hokies also received a shot in the arm Monday with the commitment of 3-star quarterback Tahj Bullock of Jersey City, N.J. He also had offers from Rutgers, Boston College, Duke, UCLA and Syracuse.
He threw for 2,274 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior at St. Peter’s Prep, and rushed for 480 yards and seven more scores.
