COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Va. Wesleyan advances to ODAC finals
Hannah Hearl pitched a three-hit shutout as top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan (39-3-1) earned a spot in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s best-of-three championship series, defeating Lynchburg 6-0 Sunday in Salem.
Olivia Knight was 3 for 3 with an RBI, Laci Campbell was 2 for 3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI, and Morgan Tucker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
The Marlins, ranked sixth in Division III, will open play Friday at home in the finals against No. 23 Randolph-Macon.
14 Spartans gain MEAC academic honors
Fourteen Norfolk State players were among 84 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference softball All-Academic selections after posting a grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Hokies capture two commitments on defense
Virginia Tech gained commitments from former South Florida defensive tackle Immanuel Hickman and former North Carolina linebacker Michael Short.
Hickman, a 6-3, 296-pounder from Matoaca High in Chesterfield County, has 84 tackles, 18 for loss, and five sacks in 31 games for East Carolina and USF. He played in just two games in 2024 because of an injury.
Short, a 6-3, 230-pounder from Charlotte, had 23 tackles last season. He played for UNC in 2023, but almost exclusively on special teams.
James Madison received a commitment from linebacker Drew Spinogatti. He played two years for Holy Cross, including his freshman season in 2023 under current JMU coach Bob Chesney. Spinogatti had 71 tackles last season.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Apprentice seeded third at USCAA tourney
Apprentice School was seeded third in the 10-team U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series. The Builders will play sixth-seeded Florida National next Monday.
Penn State Mont Alto is seeded first and tourney host Penn State DuBois second. Mid-Atlantic Christian was fourth.
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
CNU’s Hines named to state first team
Christopher Newport senior Jahn Hines, a Norview High graduate, added to his long list of honors by being named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors’ College Division all-state first team.
Virginia Wesleyan’s Omari DeVeaux and Apprentice’s Adrion Wall were on the second team.
Hampden-Sydney’s Adam Brazil won Player of the Year honors, and Washington and Lee’s Connor Ambrosi was the Rookie of the Year. Roanoke’s Clay Nunley was the Coach of the Year, while Roanoke’s Joshua McClary was the Defensive Player of the Year.
Former CNU player Hasan Hammad committed to one of the Captains’ chief rivals, Mary Washington.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NSU’s Woods signs former Mason center
Norfolk State coach Jermaine Woods announced the signing of former George Mason center LeAire Nicks. The 6-foot-2 center from Des Moines, Iowa, Nicks appeared in 13 games last season for the Patriots (27-6), producing bests of six points and four rebounds against Johnson C. Smith.
HU reveals new class
Hampton coach Tamisha Augustin announced her seven-member recruiting class.
It includes 5-10 Aaryn Battle, a Pittsburgh transfer from Sewell, New Jersey; 6-2 Taylor Gibson, a Central Florida transfer from Upper Marlboro, Maryland; 6-foot Kayla Lezama, a Boston College transfer from Boston; 5-7 Kiarra McElrath, a Delaware State transfer from Columbus, Ohio; 5-5 Olivia Smith, an Eastern Michigan transfer from Fort Wayne, Indiana; 6-2 Akilah Shelton of Hardaway High in Columbus, Georgia; and 6-3 Janaye Walker of Baldwin High in Milledgeville, Georgia.
CNU’s Hannah Orloff gained a spot on the VaSID College Division all-state first team, and fellow Captains Camille Malagar and Gabbi San Diego were on the second team.
Washington and Lee’s Mary Schleusner was the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Roanoke’s Paige Breuer was the Rookie of the Year, and Randolph-Macon’s Lindsey Burke-Eberhart was the Coach of the Year.
Nascimento nets five points in Brazil’s loss to Fever
Bella Nascimento, who led William & Mary to the Coastal Athletic Association tourney championship and a first-round 2025 NCAA Tournament victory, had five points and two rebounds Sunday for Brazil’s national team in a 108-44 exhibition loss to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
Nascimento spent time guarding superstar Caitlin Clark in her home arena and played more than 11 minutes.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S GOLF
UVA fifth after first round at home regional
Virginia finished the opening round of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional in fifth place. The Cavaliers shot 2-over-par 286, led by senior Megan Propeck’s round of 1-under 70 at Birdwood Golf Course.
The regional is one of six three-round sites where the top five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California, from May 16-21.
South Carolina grabbed the first-round lead by shooting 7-under 277. UCLA (-3), Ole Miss (-2) and Florida (-1) also were ahead of UVA. Radford (11th at +20) and Richmond (12th at +29) were at the back of the pack.
South Carolina’s Louise Rydqvist and Florida’s Paula Francisco shared the individual lead at 67.
Howard’s Paris Fieldings, who grew up in Chesapeake and qualified as an individual, was tied for 48th at 6 over. She was the Northeast Conference Player of the Year.
At the Gold Canyon Regional in Arizona, Virginia Tech was tied for eighth with Cal State Fullerton at 16 over par. Eighth-ranked Arizona State led at 2-under, a shot better than Oklahoma State. Mississippi State was fifth at 3 over.
Auburn’s Anna Davis and Fullerton’s Davina Xanh shared the lead at 3 under. Morgan Ketchum paced the Hokies, sharing 18th place at 1 over.
COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD
HU wins five events at NC A&T meet
Hampton won five events at last weekend’s Aggie Classic at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro. Also, Floyd Tucker broke his school record in the pole vault by clearing 15 feet, 5 inches.
HU’s women’s event winners were: Jordan Mozie (2:04.41 in the 800 meters), Emmani Shaw (5 feet, 7.25 inches in the high jump) and Rochele Solmon (48-10.75 in the shot put). The men’s victors were Mohammed Al-YaFee (1:52.41 in the 800) and Khalid Hamid (16:55.92 in the 5,000).
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