Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Luke Rawlings, a rising senior at Christiansburg High School, received NISCA All-America designation for one-meter diving. In addition to participating on the CHS Swim and Dive team where he earned the Class 3 State Champion title for diving, Rawlings trains with New River Diving at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center and will be competing at the USA Junior National Championships on one-meter, three-meter and platform events in California in August.
He has made a verbal commitment to join Virginia Tech’s Swimming and Diving team after graduating in 2026.
RU player recognized
The inaugural Top-100 Mid Major Players Rankings were announced Monday morning by D1 Softball which included rising Radford University sophomore Dakota Redmon ranked 39th going into the upcoming 2026 campaign.
The recognitions continue to roll in for Redmon with the Highlanders adding to impressive debut season in 2025. The Stokesdale, N.C. native is coming fresh off her naming to the Second-Team Freshman All-American award naming while also earning awards such as NFCA All-Region recognitions, NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 finalist, Big South Pitcher of the Year and Big South Co-Freshman of the Year.
During the 2025 season, Redmon led Big South pitchers with a 2.40 ERA, 129 strikeouts, 16 wins, 178 innings pitched, and held opponents to a .231 batting average. Redmon was the Highlanders’ ace in conference play leading the conference in ERA (1.44), strikeouts (55), innings pitched (78.0), complete games (11) and opponent batting average (.186). The freshman also racked up six weekly awards from the conference during the season.
Neel commits to MB
A standout volleyball player from Christiansburg High School is headed to Mary Baldwin University. Rising senior Abby Neel committed to the school this past week.
Mary Balwin is located in Staunton, Virginia and has a current enrollment of 1,761 students.
Two Lady Cats named all-state tennis
The Virginia High School League announces its 2025 All-State boys and girls tennis teams. In individual sports (Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Swim/Dive, Tennis, and Wrestling), all-state selection is based on placement in the state tournament in that sport.
The all-state tennis team consists of the state semifinalists in singles and doubles. Radford High School’s Lydia Pratt received both singles and doubles honors. Pratt was joined by teammate Kiera Sartin on the doubles list.
Effect games unveiled
The Effect games for the 2025 Virginia Tech football season have been unveiled, highlighting three opportunities for fans to paint Lane Stadium maroon, orange, and white as the Hokies take the field for marquee matchups filled with tradition, pride, and unforgettable energy.
Hokie Effect is a program through the Undergraduate Student Senate (USS) that designs and sells spirit shirts for multiple sporting events at Virginia Tech. The Hokie Effect games encourage fans to wear a certain color in order to show school spirit and create a blanketed color effect throughout the venue. The best way to participate is by wearing the official Hokie Effect T-shirt designed specifically for each game. Official Effect merchandise will be available for purchase in August.
Home Opener – MAROON EFFECT
Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET vs. Vanderbilt
Salute to Service Day – WHITE EFFECT
Saturday, Sept. 20 vs. Wofford
Homecoming – ORANGE EFFECT
Saturday, Oct. 4 vs. Wake Forest
Ticket for Troops
As one of just two public universities with a full-time Corps of Cadets, Virginia Tech takes pride in its deep-rooted military heritage. In tribute to the brave men and women who serve our nation, Virginia Tech Athletics is proud to continue the Tickets for Troops initiative.
Through a continued partnership with the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix), this program gives Hokie fans a powerful way to give back—by sending veterans, active-duty service members, and their families to Lane Stadium to experience the energy of Hokie football firsthand.
Fans can donate in $25 increments, and Virginia Tech Athletics will match every gift to cover the full cost of a game ticket.
Pry plus four at ACC Kickoff
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has announced that Virginia Tech football student-athletes quarterback Kyron Drones, wide receiver Donavon Greene, defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam Jr., and linebacker Jaden Keller will join Head Coach Brent Pry at the ACC Football Kickoff on July 24.
The ACC Football Kickoff will span three full days of interviews, from July 22nd to 24th, at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event will feature all 17 football teams with ACC Network providing coverage throughout all three days, including live interviews with head coaches and student athletes, press conferences and more. Fans can also follow the event on hokiesports.com and the Hokiesports app.
Coach Pry and the Hokies are coming off the program’s 36th bowl appearance and first back-to-back bowl games since the 2018-19 seasons.
Avdalas at FIBA
This year’s FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament will take place from July 12-20 in Heraklion, Greece, featuring 16 national teams. It begins with a round-robin group play (four groups of four), followed by a rest day before entering the knockout phase of the tournament, from the round of 16 to the final game, showcasing Europe’s most promising under-20 talent.
As the tournament hosts, Greece benefits from home-court advantage and is favored heading into the tournament. Neoklis Avdalas, who recently signed with Virginia Tech, is one of the tournament’s top prospects. Standing at 6-foot-9 with guard-like ball-handling, exceptional court vision, reliable perimeter shooting and athleticism, Avdalas has firmly positioned himself among the top-tier talents to watch in this year’s tournament.
Avdalas is coming off back-to-back honors as Greece’s “Best Young Player to Watch” and “Most Improved Player.” His consistently high-level performances on the international stage make him a central figure for Greece, leading to high expectations for Avdalas as the heart of the young Greek squad. He is expected to lead the way in scoring, facilitate offense and provide key leadership for Greece, utilizing much of his early experience at some of the highest levels in basketball.
Widely regarded as one of the premier international tournaments for emerging basketball talent, the FIBA U20 EuroBasket is a proving ground for future stars on the professional and international stages. Many of today’s top European pros, including several NBA standouts, first made their mark at this competition. For prospects like Avdalas, excelling on this stage often signals the beginning of a highly successful basketball career.
Greece will compete in Group B, alongside Lithuania, Czechia and Romania. Each team plays three group games from July 12-14, with a rest day on July 15 before advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament based on group standings.
Hokies at Paradise Jam
The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team is set to compete in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on November 27 and 29 the tournament announced Wednesday afternoon. The Hokies will compete in the Island Division with BYU, Oregon State and Vanderbilt.
Tech’s first contest will be against BYU on Nov. 27 at 6 p.m.
In program history, the Hokies have never met BYU or Oregon State, and have only competed against Vanderbilt three times, most recently in 2010.
The program has competed in the Paradise Jam two times previously, first in 2003 as Bonnie Henrickson’s squad won both of their contests, defeating Iowa State and Mississippi State.
