THE SPORTS DESK
College notebook: Stafford grad helps Patriots rule IC4A
BY STEVE DeSHAZO
The IC4A includes more than 100 East Coast men’s track and field teams, and George Mason’s was best of them all last weekend.
The Patriots scored 59 points in the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of Amateur Athletes in America meet at Princeton to 52 for runner-up Cornell. It was George Mason’s first team title since 2006.
Junior Travaughn Baker–Johnson (Stafford) helped the Patriots with a fifth-place finish in the long jump (24–4).
At the same meet, junior Roderick Spruel (Chancellor) led off Liberty’s fifth-place 400 relay team (40.74), and VCU junior Alex Hinton (Chancellor) was 17th in the men’s 800 (1:52.25).
The Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s championships were held concurrently, and Liberty junior Sherri Spruel (Chancellor) led off the Flames’ eighth-place 400 relay team (46.62).
MORE TRACK AND FIELD
East Carolina senior Brittany Copeland (Brooke Point) finished second in the women’s 1,500 (4:23.18) Sunday at the Conference USA meet in New Orleans.
Indiana senior Olu Olamigoke (Mountain View) was fifth in the men’s triple jump (51–) at Saturday’s Big Ten meet in Madison, Wis.
Virginia junior Thomas Porter (Mountain View) was named to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic indoor team after finishing third in the ACC meet at 5,000 meters. Honorees must achieve a 3.0 grade-point average for the previous semester and their academic careers.
SOFTBALL
Senior catcher Courtney Crews (North Stafford) drove in a run and senior left fielder Michelle Lavagnino (Riverbend) scored one in Hofstra’s 9–1 romp over Georgia State in Saturday’s Colonial Athletic Association tournament final. Hofstra (38–13) will play at UCLA (36–18) Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Despite a 4-for-7 day from senior Michelle Beall (Culpeper), Radford lost twice in the Big South tournament Saturday, ending its three-year reign as champion. Beall’s twin sister, Nichole, finished her senior season with a .340 average, 13 home runs and 28 RBIs.
Freshman Sabrina Hill (Mountain View) was named to the all-regional tournament team, but Christopher Newport’s season ended with a 3–1 NCAA tournament loss to Roanoke on Monday. Hill went 4 for 11 in five games, including a three-run homer in a victory over Farmingdale State College.
BASEBALL
Sophomore Gunnar Carroll (Louisa) earned saves in both games as Army swept Lafayette 8–7 and 6–3 Saturday in the Patriot League semifinals. The top-seeded Black Knights (39–12) will host Holy Cross in the best-of-three finals this Sunday and Monday with an automatic NCAA tournament berth at stake.
Senior second baseman Levi Hyams (Colonial Forge) went 2 for 5 and scored a run in Georgia’s 6–5, 10-inning victory over fourth-ranked South Carolina on Saturday
Sophomore first baseman Ryan McBroom (Courtland) was 2 for 3 and scored the winning run in West Virginia’s 7–6 victory over Georgetown Saturday.
GOLF
In his final college tournament, North Alabama senior Tyler Chandler (Mountain View) tied for 32nd in last week’s NCAA Division II South/Southeast Super Regional in Conover, N.C. He had rounds of 75, 78 and 69 for a 6-over-par 222 total.
Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
sdeshazo@freelancestar.com
