Sports
Freshman juggles playing two collegiate sports
By Amelia Vogler | February 10, 2011Playing a collegiate-level sport as a freshman is time-consuming, physically taxing and a serious commitment.
Playing a collegiate-level sport as a freshman is time-consuming, physically taxing and a serious commitment.
The University of Richmond women's ultimate frisbee club team, the Redhots, have qualified to compete in Austin, Texas, in the Centex Tournament during the weekend of March 26 -- a tournament the team said it had been striving to enter since October. The Redhots will be one of 52 teams to play in Austin.
Events technician Rich McDonald is the behind-the-scenes man responsible for electrical, mechanical and menial tasks, but his contributions to Richmond extend far beyond his job title; he is an indispensable cog in the University of Richmond wheel. Simply uttering McDonald's name in the Robins Center last week resulted in a frenzy of Richmond staff members and student-athletes eager to shower accolades on their facilities worker, partner, teammate and friend. Robert Drewry, women's basketball manager, said McDonald was invaluable.
? Cleveland Cavaliers fans have even more reason to Tweet "SMH" (shaking my head) after Monday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Super Bowl XLV's announced crowd was 103,219, a little more than 700 seats short of the record for the largest attendance at a Super Bowl. Jerry Jones, owner and general manger of the Dallas Cowboys, said in the week leading up to the Super Bowl that he had expected 105,000 at Cowboys Stadium, which opened last year and cost about $1.2 billion to build.
Hail to the Redskins! Oh, wait, the Skins have not made the Super Bowl since 1991 in Super Bowl XXVI against the Buffalo Bills. My, how the mighty have fallen. But that's OK.
The University of Richmond women's lacrosse team will start the season Sunday at home in a match-up against the reigning NCAA champions, the University of Maryland Terrapins. The game, which begins at 2 p.m., is the team's first in Robins Stadium. "The day is definitely going to be a whirlwind," head coach Stephy Samaras Mantziaras said. The team is excited to play in the new stadium, senior captain Bria Eulitt said, but Maryland is the toughest opponent it will face all season. Maryland not only won the 2010 NCAA Division I national championship, but came from behind in the game to erase the worst deficit in women's lacrosse championship history. The team obviously has a lot going for it, Mantziaras said. "Right now, we're the only ones that believe that we can win," she said. Junior captain Mary Flowers said the Spiders had high expectations. "I think we can definitely hang with them, and we're going to play our hardest," she said. The Spiders were picked to finish second in the Atlantic-10 Conference this year - just one point behind the University of Massachusetts - in a preseason coaches' poll. The team is especially strong this year, Eulitt said. "We've only lost two seniors so we've been building with this core group now for two solid years," Eulitt said.
WASHINGTON ? Senior Kevin Smith is known for his theatrical dunks and emotional play, but it was his calm free throws in the final minutes that helped the Spiders secure a 69-65 road win over George Washington University Wednesday night. Smith scored 14 points, had four assists and had two first half dunks.
Trailing by nine at the start of the second half, the University of Richmond went more than nine and a half minutes without a field goal and its top-10-ranked opponent, Xavier University, took full advantage, going on a 20-2 run. Atlantic 10 Conference-leading and No.
Despite not scoring its first field goal until almost 10 minutes into the first half, the University of Richmond was able to defeat Atlantic 10 Conference foe St.
? The Chelsea Football Club in London broke the British transfer record Monday by signing Fernando Torres from Liverpool for a reported 50 million pounds ($79.5 million). The deal is soccer's third most expensive transfer, exceeded by Real Madrid's 2009 purchases of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for 80 million pounds ($131 million) and Kaka from AC Milan for 65 million euros ($92 million). Despite the exorbitant price tag these soccer players carry, no one can compare to David Beckham's retail value: He married Posh Spice. ? Nike Inc. gave $400,000 to Penn State's libraries in honor of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno's milestone 400th win.
The University of Richmond suffered a massive energy crisis this past weekend. No, the breaker box didn't explode in LoRo because of too many blow-dryers or straighteners.
Bob Black, the engaging, upbeat voice of the Spiders, this year was named Virginia Sportscaster of the Year for the fourth time. Black also won the title, which is awarded by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, in 2008, 2000 and 1997. Since the 1983-1984 season, Black has been announcing the play-by-play of the men's basketball and football games for the Spiders.
While watching a Richmond athletic competition, student fans can typically look forward to cheering on a friend.
For head football coach Latrell Scott, this year's 17-member recruiting class was all about filling needs, he said. After last year's season was plagued with injuries, Scott set out to find versatile athletes that were playing more than one position for their high school team, he said. One of the biggest needs that Scott wanted to fill was the offensive and defensive line, he said.
The University of Richmond's women's tennis team has been picked to finish first in the Atlantic-10 Conference this spring. The team has won the conference title the last two years, so senior Kelly Tidwell said it was no surprise to be ranked at the top again. Richmond usually plays against only two to three conference teams during the regular season because head coach Mark Wesselink works hard to get the team good competition outside the A-10 conference, Tidwell said. Wesselink said that this year's out-of-conference schedule features teams that are similar to Richmond in talent. "We expect a lot of close matches," Wesselink said.
The University of Richmond's basketball star Kevin Anderson has been named a top-20 finalist for the Bob Cousy Award -- the award for the nation's best point guard. The award is named after Bob Cousy, a point guard for the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, and is given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually, according to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The resiliency of a basketball team can be tested many ways. A key player can get injured or be in foul trouble, a bad call by the referees can give the other team momentum or, as in the case that the University of Richmond found itself in Wednesday night, the opposing team can get offensive rebound after offensive rebound.
Senior forward Kevin Smith's contributions for the University of Richmond are rarely visible by looking at the stat sheet.
It was her junior year of high school and Allie Albright had just finished her leg of the 800 meter when her left leg locked and panic set in. Down on the track, athletic trainers, teammates and parents around her desperately tried to release her clenched muscles and relax her leg. But it was too stiff.