Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Radford University guard Dennis Parker Jr. (Richmond, Va.) has been named the Big South Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for games played Dec. 8-14.
Parker broke the Big South Conference and Radford single-game scoring record with 53 points in the win over Coppin State. It was the most points scored by a Division I player this season, and the most by any Division I player since Dec. 13, 2019. Parker scored 35 points in the second half, was 19-of-24 overall from the field (79.2 percent) – the most field goals ever made by a Highlander and made 10-of-14 three-point attempts (71.4). He added eight rebounds plus an assist and steal during his record-breaking performance. Parker eclipsed the previous Radford high of 43 points and bettered the conference record of 51 that was set in 2017.
Avdalas ACC player of week
Virginia Tech freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas notched the ACC Rookie of the Week distinction for games played from Dec. 8-14.
He averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds and shot 54 percent from the field in the Hokies’ wins over Western Carolina and Maryland-Eastern Shore. He recorded his second 30-point game of the season on Thursday with a 30-point effort against Western Carolina. He scored 24 points in the second half, including four 3-pointers. He became the second ACC athlete to record two 30-point games this season (Boozer).
On Sunday, he again led the Hokies in scoring with 16 points against UMES as Virginia Tech extended its win streak to four games. He notched seven assists against UMES, the eighth time this season he has produced five or more. On the defensive end he recorded three steals, a season high.
Martin joins RU staff
Radford University Athletics has announced Leslie Martin has joined the department to serve in the role of Assistant Athletic Director, Marketing and Fan Experience.
Martin joins the Highlanders with a wealth of marketing experience at multiple stops among the minor league baseball world. Most recently, she served as the Director of Promotions with the Durham Bulls for four seasons. With the Bulls, she planned, oversaw and directed each game day show leading entertainment and production execution for the team’s events, theme nights, in-game promotions, music, and videoboard operations.
Martin gained experience booking multiple performers and working with clients at Bulls games while helping with the design and ordering of promotional items and giveaways. Prior to her time with the Bulls, she spent a season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods in her first full-time role. In addition to her similar responsibilities, she would take on at Durham, Martin also ran the Hot Rods, Bourbon and Brewfest, Vette City Catering and Bat Dog Turbo social media accounts for a period of time during that season.
Martin broke into the marketing world right here in the New River Valley from 2018 through 2019, first serving as a promotions and community relations intern with the then Pulaski Yankees, now River Turtles. There she assisted in developing Calf-E Cares, a community initiative revamping community outreach in the Pulaski area. She also assisted in scheduling and coordinating community appearances for players, mascots, front office staff and league personnel. Martin assisted with the Yankees’ social media efforts, press writing and also acted as the in-game host for a season.
Concord adds sports
The Concord University Athletic Department has announced the creation of a women’s triathlon team.
The three aspects of triathlon are swimming, biking and running. The mountainous terrain of southern West Virginia allows triathletes to train on some of the best conditions for competition. With the generosity of Pipestem State Park, the swimming portion of training can take place in the Adventure Lake located within the state park.
The triathlon season takes place during the fall with races beginning in late August. The season culminates with the USA Triathlon National Championship in early November.
While not an NCAA Division II sport, the CU women’s triathlon club team would compete against other colleges under the banner of USA Triathlon. Currently there are 41 schools across the nation that sponsor triathlon.
Concord also added women’s wrestling as Concord’s 17th varsity sport.
