Hello all! Welcome to the final 2009 edition of This Week in VMI Athletics...We certainly hope everyone has a great Christmas and a blessed holiday season, and that everyone is able to spend time with family and loved ones over the next 17 days.
In addition to those things, if you live in the Fairfax area, perhaps you can see some Keydet basketball. VMI will travel up to Fairfax to take on George Mason on the 22nd, in what will be the Keydets' final game of 2009. VMI, of course, comes off a disappointing loss to Seton Hall this past Saturday, in which the Pirates scorched VMI for 134 points, including 40 (mostly on 12 three-pointers) by Jamel Jackson.
Wrestling scored a big win on Friday, knocking off Gardner-Webb 21-15 at the Thunderdome. After being down early, the Keydets won four of the last five matches to capture the dual. The grapplers are back in action on the 29th, as they take part in the Southern Scuffle down in Greensboro.
No other VMI sports are in action the remainder of the month, so things have slowed down considerably around Post. However, we do want to keep you apraised of some off-Post news...Reggie Williams '07 scored 27 points on Saturday to lead the NBDL's Sioux Falls team, but the Skyforce came up just short against Fort Wayne. For reasons undisclosed, Williams recieved his first "Did Not Play" of the season in Sunday's rematch between the clubs, won by the Skyforce 110-100.
In addition, we do want to let you know that updates will be occuring on VMIKeydets.com over the holidays, including a pair of "Getting to Know"-style Q&A sessions with track and field athletes. Keep checking for those, as well as for game notes and any other news surrounding the George Mason game. Don't forget, basketball is back on Post Jan. 2 versus Liberty, make your plans now to attend.
Once again, Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope you all have a safe and wonderful time, and we'll be back with you in 2010.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Dec. 7
Welcome to another edition of This Week in VMI Athletics, on a frosty, FROSTY day in Lexington. It snowed much of the day Saturday, and dropped well into the 20's on Sunday, where it is expected to be once again tonight. Makes it feel like Christmas, with the weekend snow still on the ground.
In fact, today just might feel like Christmas to any water polo advocates in the area as well. It came out today that Water Polo will be the newest women's sport at VMI, #7 to be exact. View the complete story here.
Wrestling was in action this weekend and struggled, but the team did see the return of Josh Wine, the two-time SoCon champ. They also became the first team at VMI to possess the wave of the future, an "Interactive Guide" to describe their program. Many prominent teams and programs are moving their previously printed pieces online, and the Keydets are no exception. Track is scheduled to follow with a similar piece shortly.
Speaking of track, one of the most resurgent programs at the I opened its season this week, taking part in the first men's/women's meet in the country, the Liberty Kickoff in Lynchburg. The jumpers were impressive, and a handful of individual efforts were notable...It's a good basis for training before the meets in January begin on the 16th of that month.
Swimming and Diving returned to action in Ashland, Va., taking part in the Yellow Jacket invite. The men were victorious over Hood College, while the women set a handful of school records and came home fifth.
Finally, as I'm sure you know, basketball split its first two conference games. The loss to a VERY legitimate Coastal team was followed by a resounding shooting performance against Charleston Southern, one which sparked the Keydets to another win over the Bucs, their seventh straight. VMI is 4-0 when leading at the half, 4-0 at Cameron Hall and 4-0 when allowing under 100 points.
Time for some news and notes...
As the women's soccer NCAA Tournament just ended, our own Angela Redmond concluded this season fourth (yes, FOURTH) in the country in save percentage (89.3%). Impressive.
Wrestling's match Friday versus Gardner-Webb, set for 7:30 in the Thunderdome, will be videostreamed. It will also be the final home event for VMI Sports in 2009.
Finally, as you may have already noticed, the Jan. 16th basketball game with Gardner-Webb has been moved to 7 p.m.
That's it for this week...Check back next Monday, as the year winds down, for the final edition of the Blog in 2009.
In fact, today just might feel like Christmas to any water polo advocates in the area as well. It came out today that Water Polo will be the newest women's sport at VMI, #7 to be exact. View the complete story here.
Wrestling was in action this weekend and struggled, but the team did see the return of Josh Wine, the two-time SoCon champ. They also became the first team at VMI to possess the wave of the future, an "Interactive Guide" to describe their program. Many prominent teams and programs are moving their previously printed pieces online, and the Keydets are no exception. Track is scheduled to follow with a similar piece shortly.
Speaking of track, one of the most resurgent programs at the I opened its season this week, taking part in the first men's/women's meet in the country, the Liberty Kickoff in Lynchburg. The jumpers were impressive, and a handful of individual efforts were notable...It's a good basis for training before the meets in January begin on the 16th of that month.
Swimming and Diving returned to action in Ashland, Va., taking part in the Yellow Jacket invite. The men were victorious over Hood College, while the women set a handful of school records and came home fifth.
Finally, as I'm sure you know, basketball split its first two conference games. The loss to a VERY legitimate Coastal team was followed by a resounding shooting performance against Charleston Southern, one which sparked the Keydets to another win over the Bucs, their seventh straight. VMI is 4-0 when leading at the half, 4-0 at Cameron Hall and 4-0 when allowing under 100 points.
Time for some news and notes...
As the women's soccer NCAA Tournament just ended, our own Angela Redmond concluded this season fourth (yes, FOURTH) in the country in save percentage (89.3%). Impressive.
Wrestling's match Friday versus Gardner-Webb, set for 7:30 in the Thunderdome, will be videostreamed. It will also be the final home event for VMI Sports in 2009.
Finally, as you may have already noticed, the Jan. 16th basketball game with Gardner-Webb has been moved to 7 p.m.
That's it for this week...Check back next Monday, as the year winds down, for the final edition of the Blog in 2009.
Monday, November 30, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Nov. 30
Well, we certainly hope everyone had an excellent and restful Thanksgiving! The Christmas trees are up, the holiday hustle and bustle is ready to go and you can almost hear Judy Garland (who introduced the song in the 1944 movie, "Meet Me in St. Louis") singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in the background...
VMI basketball dropped a 115-95 decision to UNC Wilmington in its lone game last week. The Keydets fell behind big early, but battled back to make a game of it in the second half before UNCW pulled away late for the 20-point win. Coach Baucom continues to tweet that the Keydets are young and a "work in progress", so we can only await to see the start of Big South play, which begins this week in fact.
Coastal comes into Cameron Hall on Dec. 3 in a game that will be regionally televised (more on that in the couple of days via Twitter and the game notes), and thus, will begin much later than normal (9 p.m.)...Following the Chanticleers' visit, Charleston Southern pops in on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start, before the Keydets' get back to out-of-conference action next week. That game against the Bucs is the final game at Cameron until 2010, as the Hall will be empty between Dec. 5 and Jan. 2.
Before ALL that can happen though, VMI hosts Lynchburg College tonight at 7 p.m. Come on out if you're in the area!
Basketball's not the only sport going on right now, as track and field opens up this week with a meet at Liberty. It is believed the Liberty Kickoff indoor meet may be the first-such indoor meet in the country this season, and VMI will be a part of it Wednesday and Thursday in Lynchburg.
A full preview of the two-day competition will be posted, likely Tuesday, while a complete indoor season preview should be expected in mid-to-late December as part of the track and field media guide. A preliminary time schedule for this week's meet is available here.
Finally, the Keydets placed seven on the Big South's All-Conference teams last week, including Tim Maypray, George Handler and Marc Ray on the conference's first team. Check out the release here.
That'll do it for this week...Hope to see you tonight for basketball and here next week for more news from around VMI Post.
VMI basketball dropped a 115-95 decision to UNC Wilmington in its lone game last week. The Keydets fell behind big early, but battled back to make a game of it in the second half before UNCW pulled away late for the 20-point win. Coach Baucom continues to tweet that the Keydets are young and a "work in progress", so we can only await to see the start of Big South play, which begins this week in fact.
Coastal comes into Cameron Hall on Dec. 3 in a game that will be regionally televised (more on that in the couple of days via Twitter and the game notes), and thus, will begin much later than normal (9 p.m.)...Following the Chanticleers' visit, Charleston Southern pops in on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start, before the Keydets' get back to out-of-conference action next week. That game against the Bucs is the final game at Cameron until 2010, as the Hall will be empty between Dec. 5 and Jan. 2.
Before ALL that can happen though, VMI hosts Lynchburg College tonight at 7 p.m. Come on out if you're in the area!
Basketball's not the only sport going on right now, as track and field opens up this week with a meet at Liberty. It is believed the Liberty Kickoff indoor meet may be the first-such indoor meet in the country this season, and VMI will be a part of it Wednesday and Thursday in Lynchburg.
A full preview of the two-day competition will be posted, likely Tuesday, while a complete indoor season preview should be expected in mid-to-late December as part of the track and field media guide. A preliminary time schedule for this week's meet is available here.
Finally, the Keydets placed seven on the Big South's All-Conference teams last week, including Tim Maypray, George Handler and Marc Ray on the conference's first team. Check out the release here.
That'll do it for this week...Hope to see you tonight for basketball and here next week for more news from around VMI Post.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Reggie Rain
Reggie Williams '08 rained a game-high 27 points on the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League Friday night in Sioux Falls' tuneup for the upcoming D-League season...Box Score here.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Nov. 22
Well, we got the feedback we were looking for, and the blog will continue. Hopefully we can come up with some new ways to use this feature, but until we do, let's quickly review recent happenings here on Post.
There haven't been many. Football suffered a heartbreaking loss to Old Dominion yesterday...It was a very tough season for the Keydets, with four of VMI's nine losses being decided by seven points or less.
With that, we turn attention to basketball, which currently sits at 2-1 after a 19-point win over West Virginia Wesleyan last week. As Coach Baucom tweeted after the game (and I'll give the exact quote to you), "hopefully we will start shooting the ball well. we r still young & a work in progress." The roundballers return to the hardwood on Tuesday, taking on UNC Wilmington down in North Carolina. The next game at Cameron Hall, which is actually the next home event on post, isn't until Nov. 30 against Lynchburg College. That's a 7 p.m. start, and will be the last game before Dec. 3's conference opener against Coastal.
Wrestling competed at the Keystone Classic today, posting a single placewinner (John Pope - 125). You can read Coach Trudgeon's words here, as he is clearly disappointed with today's outing.
Work has begun on both the track and field and wrestling media guides...Don't want to raise too many expectations, so I'll hold my comments on that to just revealing that news. However, we're very excited about this year's products, and we hope you will be too. No release dates yet though.
Speaking of track, they are preparing for their opener Dec. 3 over in Lynchburg. If you're interested in attending, you can find all the needed info here. Of course, track's sister sport, cross country, just wrapped up its season, and we put a video recap with Coach Spangler. That's accessible here.
I do believe that'll do it...With so few events, I'm not sure you'll see much from us on the blog next week, unless there's breaking news, but the blog as a whole will continue. Again, thank you for your feedback, as it is very appreciated. A Happy Thanksgiving to all, and thank you for reading This Week in VMI Athletics.
There haven't been many. Football suffered a heartbreaking loss to Old Dominion yesterday...It was a very tough season for the Keydets, with four of VMI's nine losses being decided by seven points or less.
With that, we turn attention to basketball, which currently sits at 2-1 after a 19-point win over West Virginia Wesleyan last week. As Coach Baucom tweeted after the game (and I'll give the exact quote to you), "hopefully we will start shooting the ball well. we r still young & a work in progress." The roundballers return to the hardwood on Tuesday, taking on UNC Wilmington down in North Carolina. The next game at Cameron Hall, which is actually the next home event on post, isn't until Nov. 30 against Lynchburg College. That's a 7 p.m. start, and will be the last game before Dec. 3's conference opener against Coastal.
Wrestling competed at the Keystone Classic today, posting a single placewinner (John Pope - 125). You can read Coach Trudgeon's words here, as he is clearly disappointed with today's outing.
Work has begun on both the track and field and wrestling media guides...Don't want to raise too many expectations, so I'll hold my comments on that to just revealing that news. However, we're very excited about this year's products, and we hope you will be too. No release dates yet though.
Speaking of track, they are preparing for their opener Dec. 3 over in Lynchburg. If you're interested in attending, you can find all the needed info here. Of course, track's sister sport, cross country, just wrapped up its season, and we put a video recap with Coach Spangler. That's accessible here.
I do believe that'll do it...With so few events, I'm not sure you'll see much from us on the blog next week, unless there's breaking news, but the blog as a whole will continue. Again, thank you for your feedback, as it is very appreciated. A Happy Thanksgiving to all, and thank you for reading This Week in VMI Athletics.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Evaluation
We've hit an interesting point, heading out of the fall sports and into the winter ones, and with that, comes a time for evaluation. The Twitter account that we launched in the summer has been a big hit, one that seems to be very popular among the alums (and even among those who have very little connection to VMI). However, we haven't heard a lot about this blog since it opened...So what I'd ask is this: If you read the blog, send me a note at saloisbj@vmi.edu, tweet to us, or contact us in whatever manner you wish. Just somehow let us know that you like what you see here. It's not much, but it is something. If no one's reading what we put here, we may reassess and try to come up with some other ways to utilize our time in order to best serve you, the supporter of Keydet athletics. Time is the great currency, and if we need to reallocate ours in order to improve the product, we will.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Nov. 10
Another gut-wrenching loss for football...Let's try to move on past that and discuss the remainder of This Week in VMI Athletics.
The Keydet gridiron squad will head to West Point this weekend to take on Army in VMI's lone FBS game of the year. Unfortunately, no live video will be available for the contest. However, Wade Branner and Cal Murray will be in attendance to call the game and the contest will be televised by CBS College Sports on a tape-delay basis. Get the gameday central page, as well as full information on how you can see the contest, here.
Strangely, that's not the only time the Keydets will face a Black Knight squad this coming weekend. Friday night brings Army basketball to Cameron Hall for VMI's 2009-10 season opener. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and Christian Hoffman will, for the second-consecutive season, call the first contest of the year on the VMI Radio Network. That brings us to a couple of interesting tidbits about basketball...
1) The 2009-10 media guide is scheduled to be put on the web site later today, as the covers are being sized for that operation as I type this.
2) Former VMI standouts Reggie Williams and Travis Holmes have been drafted by teams in the NBA Development League (NBDL) in Nov. 5's eight-round D-League Draft. Williams was taken by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the third round, and Holmes was snatched by the Utah Flash in the sixth round. Rosters for the D-League teams now sit at 15 players apiece, but must be trimmed to 10 by Nov. 25. If Holmes and Williams both end up on the active, regular-season roster, VMI fans should take note of the scheduled Feb. 17 matchup between the Skyforce and the Flash, the only regular-season meeting between the clubs.
Back to current VMI news...
Women's soccer gave it a great run, didn't they? The thrilling game with Coastal Carolina was one of the most exciting moments for Keydet athletics in some time...Although the ladies came up short against Winthrop, it was a great season and one all VMI supporters should be proud of.
Men's soccer is seeded eighth for Thursday's Big South Tournament, with top-seeded Coastal Carolina the opponent. The Chanticleers come in on a four-game winning streak, while VMI has dropped six straight, but the regular season game between the clubs was a battle. Coastal pulled it out, but it took nearly 100 minutes to arrive at the 1-0 victory. There should be a preview available tomorrow.
Cross Country is back in action this weekend, traveling to Louisville for the regional meet. Coach Spangler stated at last week's football lunch that his goal for the women was to finish the year as the top team in the Big South, which will be a tall order and would involve beating Liberty at this meet. He also stated he believes the Keydet women could end up as one of the top 15 teams in the region, despite running four freshmen (sometimes five!) in their top six. High praise indeed!
Speaking of the mid-week lunches that are put into 'Roo-Tube, I'm hearing talk that Wednesday's luncheon at Salerno's will feature both Coach Woods and Coach Baucom...Not sure if that's official, but it should be fun if so. Both are engaging and certainly good with the question-and-answer format.
The 2010 baseball roster has now been posted online. Not really sure what else to say about that, but it's certainly an intriguing one with a lot of talented newcomers.
Work has begun on doing some minor revamping to the track and field pages, with their season opener right around the corner (Dec. 2-3). Old links have been pulled, while an "Away Meet Central" has been worked up, featuring everything available about VMI's meets on the road this season.
Make sure to check out the Photo Store as well on VMIKeydets.com, as we've added a considerable number of photos from the past year in all sports, from men's soccer to women's swimming.
We'll be back with you next week to prepare for the season finale of the football team, as well as another home basketball game.
The Keydet gridiron squad will head to West Point this weekend to take on Army in VMI's lone FBS game of the year. Unfortunately, no live video will be available for the contest. However, Wade Branner and Cal Murray will be in attendance to call the game and the contest will be televised by CBS College Sports on a tape-delay basis. Get the gameday central page, as well as full information on how you can see the contest, here.
Strangely, that's not the only time the Keydets will face a Black Knight squad this coming weekend. Friday night brings Army basketball to Cameron Hall for VMI's 2009-10 season opener. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and Christian Hoffman will, for the second-consecutive season, call the first contest of the year on the VMI Radio Network. That brings us to a couple of interesting tidbits about basketball...
1) The 2009-10 media guide is scheduled to be put on the web site later today, as the covers are being sized for that operation as I type this.
2) Former VMI standouts Reggie Williams and Travis Holmes have been drafted by teams in the NBA Development League (NBDL) in Nov. 5's eight-round D-League Draft. Williams was taken by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the third round, and Holmes was snatched by the Utah Flash in the sixth round. Rosters for the D-League teams now sit at 15 players apiece, but must be trimmed to 10 by Nov. 25. If Holmes and Williams both end up on the active, regular-season roster, VMI fans should take note of the scheduled Feb. 17 matchup between the Skyforce and the Flash, the only regular-season meeting between the clubs.
Back to current VMI news...
Women's soccer gave it a great run, didn't they? The thrilling game with Coastal Carolina was one of the most exciting moments for Keydet athletics in some time...Although the ladies came up short against Winthrop, it was a great season and one all VMI supporters should be proud of.
Men's soccer is seeded eighth for Thursday's Big South Tournament, with top-seeded Coastal Carolina the opponent. The Chanticleers come in on a four-game winning streak, while VMI has dropped six straight, but the regular season game between the clubs was a battle. Coastal pulled it out, but it took nearly 100 minutes to arrive at the 1-0 victory. There should be a preview available tomorrow.
Cross Country is back in action this weekend, traveling to Louisville for the regional meet. Coach Spangler stated at last week's football lunch that his goal for the women was to finish the year as the top team in the Big South, which will be a tall order and would involve beating Liberty at this meet. He also stated he believes the Keydet women could end up as one of the top 15 teams in the region, despite running four freshmen (sometimes five!) in their top six. High praise indeed!
Speaking of the mid-week lunches that are put into 'Roo-Tube, I'm hearing talk that Wednesday's luncheon at Salerno's will feature both Coach Woods and Coach Baucom...Not sure if that's official, but it should be fun if so. Both are engaging and certainly good with the question-and-answer format.
The 2010 baseball roster has now been posted online. Not really sure what else to say about that, but it's certainly an intriguing one with a lot of talented newcomers.
Work has begun on doing some minor revamping to the track and field pages, with their season opener right around the corner (Dec. 2-3). Old links have been pulled, while an "Away Meet Central" has been worked up, featuring everything available about VMI's meets on the road this season.
Make sure to check out the Photo Store as well on VMIKeydets.com, as we've added a considerable number of photos from the past year in all sports, from men's soccer to women's swimming.
We'll be back with you next week to prepare for the season finale of the football team, as well as another home basketball game.
Monday, November 2, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Nov. 2
It's time for another update on what's been going on around VMI Post this week.
Women's sports have been the highlight of the past seven days, without question, headlined by the women's cross country team at the BSC Championships. The squad finished second, which was the best effort ever by the team at the conference meet. Hannah Granger won the individual title, which was a program first, and Jenna Moye was the Freshman of the Year, thanks to a fourth-place effort. Moye was the program's first-ever Freshman of the Year. Coach Paul Spangler was very deserving of his women's Coach of the Year honor, which he received post-meet.
Women's soccer continued its impressive end-of-season run, following up last week's win over Liberty with a 2-1 win over Radford this past Friday at Patchin Field. The Keydets celebrated Senior Day with two goals from seniors, as Chrissy Beach and Kat Underwood found the back of the net to give VMI its first-ever win over RU on the pitch. The players then found out Sunday that they would be the #5 seed in this week's Big South Tournament, and would take on #4 Coastal Carolina at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Charleston, S.C. A full schedule is available in the last paragraph of this article.
Also from the women's pitch, Angela Redmond's 89.0 save percentage ranks eighth in the country at the conclusion of the regular season. Certainly a stat worth noting.
Men's cross country was fourth at the BSC Championships, as they did not (in the words of Coach Spangler) have their best performance. Men's soccer will look to break a three-game losing streak tonight against Liberty, while swimming and diving just competed in New Jersey this past weekend. Swim results are notoriously hard to get, regardless of the school, but a full release for the men's side of that trip should be up shortly (women's release is here, as they earned their second win in program history...both by one point over NJIT).
Football suffered another disappointing loss, falling 31-21 to Charleston Southern Saturday afternoon. These league games have been remarkably similar, but the road gets tougher from here. Lynchburg is a tough place to play now, and the Flames will come in ranked 16th in FCS.
That's it from Post this week...Check back next week for another update!
P:S: The full baseball schedule should be posted within the next day or so.
Women's sports have been the highlight of the past seven days, without question, headlined by the women's cross country team at the BSC Championships. The squad finished second, which was the best effort ever by the team at the conference meet. Hannah Granger won the individual title, which was a program first, and Jenna Moye was the Freshman of the Year, thanks to a fourth-place effort. Moye was the program's first-ever Freshman of the Year. Coach Paul Spangler was very deserving of his women's Coach of the Year honor, which he received post-meet.
Women's soccer continued its impressive end-of-season run, following up last week's win over Liberty with a 2-1 win over Radford this past Friday at Patchin Field. The Keydets celebrated Senior Day with two goals from seniors, as Chrissy Beach and Kat Underwood found the back of the net to give VMI its first-ever win over RU on the pitch. The players then found out Sunday that they would be the #5 seed in this week's Big South Tournament, and would take on #4 Coastal Carolina at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Charleston, S.C. A full schedule is available in the last paragraph of this article.
Also from the women's pitch, Angela Redmond's 89.0 save percentage ranks eighth in the country at the conclusion of the regular season. Certainly a stat worth noting.
Men's cross country was fourth at the BSC Championships, as they did not (in the words of Coach Spangler) have their best performance. Men's soccer will look to break a three-game losing streak tonight against Liberty, while swimming and diving just competed in New Jersey this past weekend. Swim results are notoriously hard to get, regardless of the school, but a full release for the men's side of that trip should be up shortly (women's release is here, as they earned their second win in program history...both by one point over NJIT).
Football suffered another disappointing loss, falling 31-21 to Charleston Southern Saturday afternoon. These league games have been remarkably similar, but the road gets tougher from here. Lynchburg is a tough place to play now, and the Flames will come in ranked 16th in FCS.
That's it from Post this week...Check back next week for another update!
P:S: The full baseball schedule should be posted within the next day or so.
Monday, October 26, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Oct. 26
We're back with another edition of This Week in VMI Athletics...Led by Howard Abegesah.
The senior running back ran for 165 yards and three scores as VMI's running game rolled up over 500 yards of total offense, and the Keydets finally broke their five-game losing skid, winning 31-20 over Presbyterian Saturday in Clinton, S.C. Kyle Hughes also ran for over 100 yards, and in the process, became the fourth quarterback in Big South history to run for over 1,000 yards in his career.
Men's soccer dropped two games this week, including an overtime loss to Coastal Carolina yesterday. Women's soccer fell 1-0 in its only game, as seven of the team's 10 losses this season have been by just one goal.
Men's swimming picked up a win over Pfeiffer, 157-118, as James Goodwillie notched three event wins. The women's team fought hard, but came up short to the Pfeiffer women despite a pair of varsity relay records.
That's been just about it here from Post this week...We're preparing for Friday's Hall of Fame Banquet, on a day that will be quite busy here at VMI. Two soccer games (women at 12:30, men at 4) and the banquet, with football vs. Charleston Southern to take place the following day. Also, cross country heads to the Big South Championships next weekend, and fans should look for an interview with coach Paul Spangler on 'Roo-Tube later this week.
Until next week...
The senior running back ran for 165 yards and three scores as VMI's running game rolled up over 500 yards of total offense, and the Keydets finally broke their five-game losing skid, winning 31-20 over Presbyterian Saturday in Clinton, S.C. Kyle Hughes also ran for over 100 yards, and in the process, became the fourth quarterback in Big South history to run for over 1,000 yards in his career.
Men's soccer dropped two games this week, including an overtime loss to Coastal Carolina yesterday. Women's soccer fell 1-0 in its only game, as seven of the team's 10 losses this season have been by just one goal.
Men's swimming picked up a win over Pfeiffer, 157-118, as James Goodwillie notched three event wins. The women's team fought hard, but came up short to the Pfeiffer women despite a pair of varsity relay records.
That's been just about it here from Post this week...We're preparing for Friday's Hall of Fame Banquet, on a day that will be quite busy here at VMI. Two soccer games (women at 12:30, men at 4) and the banquet, with football vs. Charleston Southern to take place the following day. Also, cross country heads to the Big South Championships next weekend, and fans should look for an interview with coach Paul Spangler on 'Roo-Tube later this week.
Until next week...
Monday, October 19, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Oct. 19
All right, we're hopefully back to the Monday/Tuesday time schedule with this blog now. Let's review the past few days here on Post.
Once again, football fell just short, losing 27-20 to Stony Brook thanks to a touchdown with about a minute to go. It's been a really tough year, without question, but perhaps the Keydets' best chance for a win comes Saturday in Clinton, S.C., as VMI takes on winless Presbyterian College. Game Day Central should be up in the next 24 hrs.
Cross country competed at the Blue Ridge Open in Boone, N.C. this past Friday, with the men struggling a bit. The team finished sixth, but was the third-place Big South squad present, as the Keydets finished behind Coastal Carolina and High Point, who won the meet. Coach Spangler was disappointed, as you can read about here. The women's team was very solid, placing fifth and beating Coastal, HPU, Elon and Clemson, among others. Great showing for them...Could they challenge for a Big South title in two weeks?
Swimming and diving competed at Georgetown Saturday, and you can read all about that here and here. The teams will return to action Saturday, hosting Phiffer at 2 at the Clark King pool.
Women's soccer split its games this past weekend, winning and losing one apiece, and squared its conference record at 3-3 in the process. The men earned a huge win Wednesday, besting Gardner-Webb in shutout fashion, before UNC Asheville escaped with a win at Patchin on Saturday. The soccer blitz that had been going on at VMI's home field these past three weeks is now over, with each team having just one more home game this season. October 30 will see both the men and women's senior days, with the women's game being first, vs. Radford at 12:30.
Once again, football fell just short, losing 27-20 to Stony Brook thanks to a touchdown with about a minute to go. It's been a really tough year, without question, but perhaps the Keydets' best chance for a win comes Saturday in Clinton, S.C., as VMI takes on winless Presbyterian College. Game Day Central should be up in the next 24 hrs.
Cross country competed at the Blue Ridge Open in Boone, N.C. this past Friday, with the men struggling a bit. The team finished sixth, but was the third-place Big South squad present, as the Keydets finished behind Coastal Carolina and High Point, who won the meet. Coach Spangler was disappointed, as you can read about here. The women's team was very solid, placing fifth and beating Coastal, HPU, Elon and Clemson, among others. Great showing for them...Could they challenge for a Big South title in two weeks?
Swimming and diving competed at Georgetown Saturday, and you can read all about that here and here. The teams will return to action Saturday, hosting Phiffer at 2 at the Clark King pool.
Women's soccer split its games this past weekend, winning and losing one apiece, and squared its conference record at 3-3 in the process. The men earned a huge win Wednesday, besting Gardner-Webb in shutout fashion, before UNC Asheville escaped with a win at Patchin on Saturday. The soccer blitz that had been going on at VMI's home field these past three weeks is now over, with each team having just one more home game this season. October 30 will see both the men and women's senior days, with the women's game being first, vs. Radford at 12:30.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Oct. 14
First off, my apologies for this blog being late. With the ruckus surrounding Big South Media Day in Charlotte, it's been difficult to sit down and do it, but here we are.
Football, after another tough, tough loss, will host Stony Brook this week in the Seawolves' first-ever visit to Foster Stadium. This is a tough team folks, as they were picked behind only Liberty in the Big South preseason poll. However, it will be a battle. You may recall Conte Cuttino and Edwin Gowins, their two star running backs, each ran for over 233 yards in the game between the team's last year...And Stony Brook still only won by 14. Here's the gameday central for what has a chance to be the best game at Foster Stadium this year, and one of the best games overall.
Basketball also has news...The Keydets, a year after going 24-8, were picked fifth in the conference's preseason poll, which was released yesterday (Tuesday) at media day in Charlotte. A prospectus has also been released for the upcoming season.
Women's soccer had a rough week, going 0-2 down in South Carolina, but they'll be back in action Friday at home against Gardner-Webb (that game may be streamed on the Big South Network, we're still waiting on weather). Speaking of the Runnin' Bulldogs, men's soccer earned their second win of the season just three hours ago, topping Gardner-Webb 2-0 behind goals from Forrest Moul and David Rochow. The visiting team did not have a shot on goal in the second half of that contest, so it was quite an impressive outing. The men are back in action Saturday, right before football, as UNC Asheville comes to town for a 11 a.m. start. After Saturday, men's soccer has just one more game at Patchin Field in 2009, so come on out and support the team!
Cross country is back in action this weekend in their final meet before Oct. 31's Big South Championships...Don't sleep on that team folks. Members of the Big South staff were talking at basketball media day yesterday, and they brought up the vast improvement that program has made in a very short time. Yes, VMI cross country was brought up at the conference's basketball media day. This is a conference championship possibility, health permitting, but it will be a battle.
We'll be back with you next week for another update on This Week in VMI Athletics!
We'll be back
Football, after another tough, tough loss, will host Stony Brook this week in the Seawolves' first-ever visit to Foster Stadium. This is a tough team folks, as they were picked behind only Liberty in the Big South preseason poll. However, it will be a battle. You may recall Conte Cuttino and Edwin Gowins, their two star running backs, each ran for over 233 yards in the game between the team's last year...And Stony Brook still only won by 14. Here's the gameday central for what has a chance to be the best game at Foster Stadium this year, and one of the best games overall.
Basketball also has news...The Keydets, a year after going 24-8, were picked fifth in the conference's preseason poll, which was released yesterday (Tuesday) at media day in Charlotte. A prospectus has also been released for the upcoming season.
Women's soccer had a rough week, going 0-2 down in South Carolina, but they'll be back in action Friday at home against Gardner-Webb (that game may be streamed on the Big South Network, we're still waiting on weather). Speaking of the Runnin' Bulldogs, men's soccer earned their second win of the season just three hours ago, topping Gardner-Webb 2-0 behind goals from Forrest Moul and David Rochow. The visiting team did not have a shot on goal in the second half of that contest, so it was quite an impressive outing. The men are back in action Saturday, right before football, as UNC Asheville comes to town for a 11 a.m. start. After Saturday, men's soccer has just one more game at Patchin Field in 2009, so come on out and support the team!
Cross country is back in action this weekend in their final meet before Oct. 31's Big South Championships...Don't sleep on that team folks. Members of the Big South staff were talking at basketball media day yesterday, and they brought up the vast improvement that program has made in a very short time. Yes, VMI cross country was brought up at the conference's basketball media day. This is a conference championship possibility, health permitting, but it will be a battle.
We'll be back with you next week for another update on This Week in VMI Athletics!
We'll be back
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Oct. 6
As VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry sits over my shoulder doing preseason award nominations with Christian Hoffman...
It's been a strange week athletically here on post, and this will be a somewhat condensed blog. Everyone knows about the loss to Gardner-Webb, one that took the wind out of Foster Stadium. Let's quickly move on from that to Coastal, the next opponent on the docket. Here's your gameday central.
Women's soccer went 2-0 on the weekend, defeating Presbyterian and UNC Asheville to take each of their first two conference games. A very strong performance by the Keydets, without question, and now they get a Coastal/Charleston road swing this coming weekend. Live stats will be available for both of the crucial games.
Lacrosse had an impressive performance in its lone fall ball scrimmage, disposing of Washington & Lee in a thriller, 15-13 Friday night. If Tim Moran isn't a frontrunner for MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, something's wrong...The attackmen's performance was a good sign for the Keydets as well, as they appeared to be able to clear out the area in front for Moran and Brett Leonard to go to work.
Hannah Granger broke another school record at this weekend's Paul Short Run. Another day, another record. Ho hum.
Men's soccer will take on Howard tomorrow, in a game that will be videostreamed live on the Big South Network. Look for a preview later today on VMIKeydets.com.
It's been a strange week athletically here on post, and this will be a somewhat condensed blog. Everyone knows about the loss to Gardner-Webb, one that took the wind out of Foster Stadium. Let's quickly move on from that to Coastal, the next opponent on the docket. Here's your gameday central.
Women's soccer went 2-0 on the weekend, defeating Presbyterian and UNC Asheville to take each of their first two conference games. A very strong performance by the Keydets, without question, and now they get a Coastal/Charleston road swing this coming weekend. Live stats will be available for both of the crucial games.
Lacrosse had an impressive performance in its lone fall ball scrimmage, disposing of Washington & Lee in a thriller, 15-13 Friday night. If Tim Moran isn't a frontrunner for MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, something's wrong...The attackmen's performance was a good sign for the Keydets as well, as they appeared to be able to clear out the area in front for Moran and Brett Leonard to go to work.
Hannah Granger broke another school record at this weekend's Paul Short Run. Another day, another record. Ho hum.
Men's soccer will take on Howard tomorrow, in a game that will be videostreamed live on the Big South Network. Look for a preview later today on VMIKeydets.com.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 29
All right, we're back with another update from VMI Post.
As you know, the football team had a very impressive performance in Richmond this past weekend, giving the nation's #1 team all it could have wanted in a 38-28 loss. Kyle Hughes became the first player in recorded VMI football history (and that's a LONG history) to have multiple games with over 100 yards rushing and over 100 yards passing. That effort earned him Big South Offensive POTW honors for the second time in his four-year career.
This week, the Keydets host Gardner-Webb, a team that's been the proverbial thorn in VMI's side for years. VMI has never beaten GWU, although they've come close on a number of occasions. It should be a very competitive game at Foster Stadium Saturday, with a start time of 1:30. Here's your Game Day Central link.
Cross Country had a big week as well, despite not even competing. The Keydet men were ranked in the first US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings of the regular season, placing 15th in the Southeast region. That's only the second time in program history that has occurred, and continues to signal that this team is a legitimate threat for VMI's first Big South title in any sport since joining the conference. VMI XC will be back in action Friday, taking part in the Paul Short Invitational in Lehigh, Pa.
Finally, of course, there's soccer. The men won their lone contest of the week, earning their first victory of the season by beating Longwood 4-2 Saturday. Kip Zechman led the squad by scoring the game's first goal and assisting on the eventual game winner, a Brandon Gary header in the 72nd minute. Four players, including Zechman and Gary, scored their first collegiate goals in the win. The Keydet men have now scored six goals in the past two games, after being held without a score for their first five contests.
That game was played in a driving rain, which caused the field to suffer a bit. The women's game the next day, also against Longwood, was played to completion, but today's (Tuesday) contest versus Elon was cancelled due to the field conditions. Here's the official release on that.
The VMI women split their two games this week, winning a 1-0 overtime battle at UMBC Thursday, thanks to an Amanda Berrios goal in the 94th minute. The team then lost to Longwood in the aforementioned Sunday game, 2-1 despite several attempts in the final minutes. It's a busy week for the Keydet women, as they will open conference play Friday by taking on Presbyterian at 4 p.m. That game will be on the Big South Network, and VMI will turn around Sunday and host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at 1.
And of course, there's the annual fall lacrosse exhibition, the Lee-Jackson Classic. This year, the game will be played at W&L's Wilson Field on Friday, Oct. 2, with live stats available. We're working on getting the full bios in for the lacrosse freshmen right now, and hope to have a recruiting class release out within the next week to 10 days.
Back with you next week!
As you know, the football team had a very impressive performance in Richmond this past weekend, giving the nation's #1 team all it could have wanted in a 38-28 loss. Kyle Hughes became the first player in recorded VMI football history (and that's a LONG history) to have multiple games with over 100 yards rushing and over 100 yards passing. That effort earned him Big South Offensive POTW honors for the second time in his four-year career.
This week, the Keydets host Gardner-Webb, a team that's been the proverbial thorn in VMI's side for years. VMI has never beaten GWU, although they've come close on a number of occasions. It should be a very competitive game at Foster Stadium Saturday, with a start time of 1:30. Here's your Game Day Central link.
Cross Country had a big week as well, despite not even competing. The Keydet men were ranked in the first US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings of the regular season, placing 15th in the Southeast region. That's only the second time in program history that has occurred, and continues to signal that this team is a legitimate threat for VMI's first Big South title in any sport since joining the conference. VMI XC will be back in action Friday, taking part in the Paul Short Invitational in Lehigh, Pa.
Finally, of course, there's soccer. The men won their lone contest of the week, earning their first victory of the season by beating Longwood 4-2 Saturday. Kip Zechman led the squad by scoring the game's first goal and assisting on the eventual game winner, a Brandon Gary header in the 72nd minute. Four players, including Zechman and Gary, scored their first collegiate goals in the win. The Keydet men have now scored six goals in the past two games, after being held without a score for their first five contests.
That game was played in a driving rain, which caused the field to suffer a bit. The women's game the next day, also against Longwood, was played to completion, but today's (Tuesday) contest versus Elon was cancelled due to the field conditions. Here's the official release on that.
The VMI women split their two games this week, winning a 1-0 overtime battle at UMBC Thursday, thanks to an Amanda Berrios goal in the 94th minute. The team then lost to Longwood in the aforementioned Sunday game, 2-1 despite several attempts in the final minutes. It's a busy week for the Keydet women, as they will open conference play Friday by taking on Presbyterian at 4 p.m. That game will be on the Big South Network, and VMI will turn around Sunday and host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at 1.
And of course, there's the annual fall lacrosse exhibition, the Lee-Jackson Classic. This year, the game will be played at W&L's Wilson Field on Friday, Oct. 2, with live stats available. We're working on getting the full bios in for the lacrosse freshmen right now, and hope to have a recruiting class release out within the next week to 10 days.
Back with you next week!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 22
All right, it's time for another update on this week in VMI Athletics!
As you probably know, the Keydets went to Harrisonburg this week to play No. 6 JMU on the gridiron. The Dukes pulled away in the second and third quarters for a 44-16 win, but the Keydets did show some positive things in significantly limiting the James Madison rushing attack, as you can see in this article. Kyle Hughes surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for career passing, while Tim Maypray became just the fifth Big South player with 30 career TD's.
This week, believe it or not, brings an even stiffer test...A visit to top-ranked, defending national champion Richmond. The 3-0 Spiders come off a 47-0 shellacking of Hofstra, and with the balanced offense and impressive defense they possess, are quite the opposition. All the pre-game information you could ever want is available here.
Fans should note that due to staffing issues, updates from the Richmond game on the @VMISID twitter feed will be extremely limited if they do, in fact, take place. You can still follow the game in the traditional ways, whether it be via live stats, Wade Branner's radio call or the video streaming available at Richmond's web site (or via the gameday central link in the last paragraph).
It's been a rough week for Keydet soccer...no wins for either squad. Longwood visits for games against both the men and women this coming weekend, with the men's game taking place Saturday and the women's game on Sunday. Both games will start at 2 p.m. at Patchin Field, and the Sunday women's game will be on the Big South Network.
It was a great weekend for VMI cross country, with the men winning the Big South Preview and the women placing second. Hannah Granger won the women's individual crown, with Andrey Dmitriev finishing third on the men's side...
All five Keydet men finished in the top-12, while no other team had more than two runners among that grouping. VMI edged out Liberty, who is currently ranked sixth in the region, so it was an impressive win. On the women's side, freshman Jenna Moye finished fourth to help the Keydets to the runner-up finish, which came in spite of one of the team's top runners being held out due to illness. The squads are off this week before returning to action at the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 2.
A new assistant baseball coach has been hired, with the release forthcoming (sometime today). Check back for that...And I do believe that about wraps it up. Check back next week for the newest installment of This Week in VMI Athletics!
As you probably know, the Keydets went to Harrisonburg this week to play No. 6 JMU on the gridiron. The Dukes pulled away in the second and third quarters for a 44-16 win, but the Keydets did show some positive things in significantly limiting the James Madison rushing attack, as you can see in this article. Kyle Hughes surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for career passing, while Tim Maypray became just the fifth Big South player with 30 career TD's.
This week, believe it or not, brings an even stiffer test...A visit to top-ranked, defending national champion Richmond. The 3-0 Spiders come off a 47-0 shellacking of Hofstra, and with the balanced offense and impressive defense they possess, are quite the opposition. All the pre-game information you could ever want is available here.
Fans should note that due to staffing issues, updates from the Richmond game on the @VMISID twitter feed will be extremely limited if they do, in fact, take place. You can still follow the game in the traditional ways, whether it be via live stats, Wade Branner's radio call or the video streaming available at Richmond's web site (or via the gameday central link in the last paragraph).
It's been a rough week for Keydet soccer...no wins for either squad. Longwood visits for games against both the men and women this coming weekend, with the men's game taking place Saturday and the women's game on Sunday. Both games will start at 2 p.m. at Patchin Field, and the Sunday women's game will be on the Big South Network.
It was a great weekend for VMI cross country, with the men winning the Big South Preview and the women placing second. Hannah Granger won the women's individual crown, with Andrey Dmitriev finishing third on the men's side...
All five Keydet men finished in the top-12, while no other team had more than two runners among that grouping. VMI edged out Liberty, who is currently ranked sixth in the region, so it was an impressive win. On the women's side, freshman Jenna Moye finished fourth to help the Keydets to the runner-up finish, which came in spite of one of the team's top runners being held out due to illness. The squads are off this week before returning to action at the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 2.
A new assistant baseball coach has been hired, with the release forthcoming (sometime today). Check back for that...And I do believe that about wraps it up. Check back next week for the newest installment of This Week in VMI Athletics!
Monday, September 14, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 15
It's been a tough week for the VMI soccer programs, as they each have gone 0-2. Women's soccer lost 1-0 to Delaware State today, after dropping a close 2-1 affair to Campbell Saturday. The men lost both games in the Sculley Memorial Tournament, including a stunning 1-0 loss to Rider after the visitors scored off a direct corner kick with 28 seconds left. The Keydets had three quality shots in the last 10 seconds, but could not notch the tying goal in that game and fell to 0-4.
Football is getting ready to return to action, with a trip to James Madison next on the schedule. The Dukes come off an OT loss to FBS opponent Maryland this past weekend. The VMI/JMU game is Saturday at 6 in Harrisonburg, and is a matchup of the only two schools to lead their respective leagues in rushing each of the last three seasons. Both are also leading their conferences (Big South and CAA respectively) in that stat this year. The contest will also, of course, feature Tim Maypray, who is the NCAA's active leader in all-purpose yds per play. Get all your relevant game day links here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204793305
Basketball, as we tweeted last week, is waiting on the status of one game before finalizing its schedule. The team is taking pictures this week (as is the wrestling team), as it continues to prepare for the upcoming season.
The next scheduled event on Post is Sept. 26 (men's soccer vs. Longwood), which begins the blitz that is October. From Sept. 26 through Oct. 18, there are no fewer than 12 athletic events here at VMI, including 10 soccer games and a pair of football games. Parents' weekend (Oct. 17) is the busiest day in that time, with UNC Asheville coming to town for men's soccer at 11 a.m., before Stony Brook visits for football later that afternoon.
Finally, we wanted to fill you in on the video streaming schedule for soccer. We will stream five more home soccer games, and several road contests will be streamed by those respective institutions. The five we currenly plan to run are:
Sept. 27: Women's soccer vs. Longwood
Oct. 2: Women's soccer vs. Presbyterian
Oct. 7: Men's soccer vs. Howard
Oct. 14: Men's soccer vs. Gardner-Webb
Oct. 16: Women's soccer vs. Gardner-Webb
Brad Salois and Christian Hoffman will bring you those games live on the Big South Network.
Football is getting ready to return to action, with a trip to James Madison next on the schedule. The Dukes come off an OT loss to FBS opponent Maryland this past weekend. The VMI/JMU game is Saturday at 6 in Harrisonburg, and is a matchup of the only two schools to lead their respective leagues in rushing each of the last three seasons. Both are also leading their conferences (Big South and CAA respectively) in that stat this year. The contest will also, of course, feature Tim Maypray, who is the NCAA's active leader in all-purpose yds per play. Get all your relevant game day links here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204793305
Basketball, as we tweeted last week, is waiting on the status of one game before finalizing its schedule. The team is taking pictures this week (as is the wrestling team), as it continues to prepare for the upcoming season.
The next scheduled event on Post is Sept. 26 (men's soccer vs. Longwood), which begins the blitz that is October. From Sept. 26 through Oct. 18, there are no fewer than 12 athletic events here at VMI, including 10 soccer games and a pair of football games. Parents' weekend (Oct. 17) is the busiest day in that time, with UNC Asheville coming to town for men's soccer at 11 a.m., before Stony Brook visits for football later that afternoon.
Finally, we wanted to fill you in on the video streaming schedule for soccer. We will stream five more home soccer games, and several road contests will be streamed by those respective institutions. The five we currenly plan to run are:
Sept. 27: Women's soccer vs. Longwood
Oct. 2: Women's soccer vs. Presbyterian
Oct. 7: Men's soccer vs. Howard
Oct. 14: Men's soccer vs. Gardner-Webb
Oct. 16: Women's soccer vs. Gardner-Webb
Brad Salois and Christian Hoffman will bring you those games live on the Big South Network.
Monday, September 7, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 8
The first Labor Day here in the U.S. was celebrated Sept. 5, 1882, but it did not become a federal holiday until 1894, when the Pullman Strike led federal legislation to be rushed through, creating the new holiday. The day now symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and here on VMI Post, creates a bit of a slow-down after a busy, full first weekend of competition.
As I'm sure you know, football prevailed 14-13 Saturday over Robert Morris. The Colonials' defense was impressive, but the Keydets' fourth-quarter drive, ending in a Tim Maypray TD run, was enough to give the home team the win. Then today, the news came that Eric Church, who made his first career start Saturday, had been named Big South Defensive POTW. View that story here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204789318
Football is now off this week, in a rare Week 2 bye, before returning to action Sept. 19 versus James Madison in Harrisonburg. A daunting task, to be sure.
Also in action this weekend were the cross country and soccer teams. Cross country performed well at the VMI Relays, held at the Virginia Horse Center. In case you missed it, real-time coverage from the meet was available on our Twitter account, and some of you did comment on that. We certainly appreciate you following along. The highly touted freshmen class, both guys and girls, was VERY impressive.
Cross is back in action officially in two weeks, also Sept. 19, at the Big South Preview meet in High Point, N.C.
Women's soccer took on UNC Wilmington at Patchin Field Saturday morning. UNCW pulled out a 1-0 victory, thanks to an early header off a corner kick...We had to go back a few years with our statistical methods, as the stats had to be kept by hand due to a last-minute computer failure. That was a unique experience, to say the least, but one which was a little surprising in its ease.
Men's soccer is now 0-2, after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of ETSU Friday night. However, the program will host the inaugural Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament this coming weekend on Post. Rider, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Liberty will all come to town for a four-team, round robin soccer tournament to be played Friday and Sunday at Patchin Field.
The teams will have a dinner Saturday night which will feature a former player as a speaker, as well as the presence of relatives of Jay Sculley, VMI's first-ever men's soccer coach, whose contributions to the Institute are being recognized through this tournament. We'll certainly have more information on that, the standard previews and such, on the web site going forward, but if you want more information on the non-soccer part of the tournament, call Doug Bartlett of the VMI Keydet Club at 540-464-7328.
As I'm sure you know, football prevailed 14-13 Saturday over Robert Morris. The Colonials' defense was impressive, but the Keydets' fourth-quarter drive, ending in a Tim Maypray TD run, was enough to give the home team the win. Then today, the news came that Eric Church, who made his first career start Saturday, had been named Big South Defensive POTW. View that story here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204789318
Football is now off this week, in a rare Week 2 bye, before returning to action Sept. 19 versus James Madison in Harrisonburg. A daunting task, to be sure.
Also in action this weekend were the cross country and soccer teams. Cross country performed well at the VMI Relays, held at the Virginia Horse Center. In case you missed it, real-time coverage from the meet was available on our Twitter account, and some of you did comment on that. We certainly appreciate you following along. The highly touted freshmen class, both guys and girls, was VERY impressive.
Cross is back in action officially in two weeks, also Sept. 19, at the Big South Preview meet in High Point, N.C.
Women's soccer took on UNC Wilmington at Patchin Field Saturday morning. UNCW pulled out a 1-0 victory, thanks to an early header off a corner kick...We had to go back a few years with our statistical methods, as the stats had to be kept by hand due to a last-minute computer failure. That was a unique experience, to say the least, but one which was a little surprising in its ease.
Men's soccer is now 0-2, after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of ETSU Friday night. However, the program will host the inaugural Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament this coming weekend on Post. Rider, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Liberty will all come to town for a four-team, round robin soccer tournament to be played Friday and Sunday at Patchin Field.
The teams will have a dinner Saturday night which will feature a former player as a speaker, as well as the presence of relatives of Jay Sculley, VMI's first-ever men's soccer coach, whose contributions to the Institute are being recognized through this tournament. We'll certainly have more information on that, the standard previews and such, on the web site going forward, but if you want more information on the non-soccer part of the tournament, call Doug Bartlett of the VMI Keydet Club at 540-464-7328.
Monday, August 31, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Sept. 1
It is game week!
After a long summer, it is game week on Post at VMI. The week opens officially tomorrow, with a soccer doubleheader at the newly resodded Patchin Field. The Keydet women take on Howard at 2 p.m., while the VMI men battle Mount St. Mary's at 4:30. Both contests should be hard-fought, competitive matchups.
Thursday brings the football kickoff dinner, which will take place at Salerno's in Lexington. The food ($9 buffet, includes everything) is expected to begin at 6:30.
The dinner will feature a 1/2 hour radio show beginning at 7 p.m., hosted by the "Voice of the Keydets", Wade Branner. Wade is expected to interview several folks related to the football program, as well as at least one other head coach. I have it on good authority track and field head coach Darrin Webb will be one of the others interviewed, time permitting. The dinner can be heard locally on 96.7 3WZ, which is accessible here (not sure of the station's plans to stream the event or not): http://www.wrel.com/
Friday brings the season opener for VMI cross country, as the Keydet runners will take on competitors from VCU and Longwood at the Virginia Horse Center. That meet will begin at 4 p.m...
And finally, Saturday...I'm quite sure anyone reading this knows what happens Saturday, so here's all the info you need. Before the game against Robert Morris starts at 1:30, check out women's soccer battling UNC Wilmington at 11 a.m. at Patchin Field.
Gameday Central (includes audio and live stats): http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204783196
Official VMI piece on parking and other regulations (note the change on parade ground parking, as well as the new location for remote parking): http://www.vmi.edu/show.aspx?tid=22373&id=23905
The gates will open at 12:30. This is a change from previous years.
__________________________________
Finally, here is a listing of the information relevant to Saturday provided by VMI Marketing and Promotions:
We're all excited here, and ready for another great year of VMI athletics...We all know, and we hope you do too, that Saturday will truly be No Ordinary Game Day.
After a long summer, it is game week on Post at VMI. The week opens officially tomorrow, with a soccer doubleheader at the newly resodded Patchin Field. The Keydet women take on Howard at 2 p.m., while the VMI men battle Mount St. Mary's at 4:30. Both contests should be hard-fought, competitive matchups.
Thursday brings the football kickoff dinner, which will take place at Salerno's in Lexington. The food ($9 buffet, includes everything) is expected to begin at 6:30.
The dinner will feature a 1/2 hour radio show beginning at 7 p.m., hosted by the "Voice of the Keydets", Wade Branner. Wade is expected to interview several folks related to the football program, as well as at least one other head coach. I have it on good authority track and field head coach Darrin Webb will be one of the others interviewed, time permitting. The dinner can be heard locally on 96.7 3WZ, which is accessible here (not sure of the station's plans to stream the event or not): http://www.wrel.com/
Friday brings the season opener for VMI cross country, as the Keydet runners will take on competitors from VCU and Longwood at the Virginia Horse Center. That meet will begin at 4 p.m...
And finally, Saturday...I'm quite sure anyone reading this knows what happens Saturday, so here's all the info you need. Before the game against Robert Morris starts at 1:30, check out women's soccer battling UNC Wilmington at 11 a.m. at Patchin Field.
Gameday Central (includes audio and live stats): http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204783196
Official VMI piece on parking and other regulations (note the change on parade ground parking, as well as the new location for remote parking): http://www.vmi.edu/show.aspx?tid=22373&id=23905
The gates will open at 12:30. This is a change from previous years.
__________________________________
Finally, here is a listing of the information relevant to Saturday provided by VMI Marketing and Promotions:
Games and Activities include:
-First 500 kids will receive VMI Football wristbands provided by Barnes and Noble College Booksellers
-First 1000 fans will receive a coupon for a free McDonald’s hamburger, small French fries, or a cone
-Pregame: Kangaroo bounce house, games, prizes, and the Corps March-On!
-Halftime: Rockbridge Area Recreation Organization youth football game and Papa John’s “Free Pizza for a Year Contest”
-Also…Aramark “Concession Special” this game: $1 soft pretzels with mustard
________________________________We're all excited here, and ready for another great year of VMI athletics...We all know, and we hope you do too, that Saturday will truly be No Ordinary Game Day.
Monday, August 24, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Aug. 25
Hello, and welcome to the third edition of This Week in VMI Athletics, published for the week of Aug. 25, 2009.
As mentioned on our Twitter account, we do have a scoop of sorts...I've been told the basketball schedule should be released within the next several days. No details on a precise time, but it is forthcoming.
Since we last published, we saw the first official, regular season athletic event of 2009-10, as women's soccer took on George Mason. Mason prevailed 3-0 in a contest at W&L's Watt Field, and the Keydet women are scheduled to return to action this coming Friday at Jordan's Point Park, as VMI will face Elon. Weather could play a factor in that contest, as the field at Jordan's Point is suspectible to rain. Stay tuned to VMIKeydets.com, and the Keydets' Twitter feed, for any updates regarding the timing/scheduling of Friday's contest.
In other news, it's preview week in the VMI Athletic Department. With less than two weeks before the first football game, the Institute's other sports are in full swing. Men's soccer just wrapped up a week of intense preseason practice, and Ben Freakley's team continues to prepare for its Sept. 1 opener versus Mount St. Mary's. Look for a full preview of the Keydet men's soccer squad later this week.
The cross country rats had their pictures taken last Friday, and the returning runners, including Felix Kitur and Hannah Granger, will have their photos snapped Wednesday afternoon. That should lead to a full preview of the upcoming cross country season, which has been delayed slightly to push it closer to the Sept. 4 opener. That preview, including a near-20 minute interview with XC Coach Paul Spangler, should run sometime this week as well.
On a related note: The VMI track program, both on track and in cross country, has been one of the up-and-coming programs on Post for the last 2-3 years, and this recruiting class has a chance to be very special. We've been spoiled the last couple of years, with some of the great recruiting done by Keydet coaches (in all sports), but a freshman class with this much potential does not grow on trees. Certainly anything can happen in Division I athletics, but watch out for this group, even if it takes them a year to gel.
Finally, a sport you don't hear a lot about in the fall, VMI lacrosse, announced its 2010 schedule today. That can be viewed here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204780686
That about does it from Post this week...11 days until Robert Morris.
Upcoming home schedule:
Friday, Aug. 28: Women's Soccer vs. Elon, Jordan's Point Park (6 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Women's Soccer vs. Howard, Currently Scheduled for Patchin Field (2 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Men's Soccer vs. Mount St. Mary's, Currently Scheduled for Patchin (4:30 p.m.)
Thursday, Sept. 3: Football "Kickoff" Show at Salerno's Restaurant in Lexington, broadcast live on 96.7 3WZ
Friday, Sept. 4: Cross Country Season Opener, Virginia Horse Center (4 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 5: Women's Soccer vs. UNC Wilmington, Patchin Field (11 a.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 5: Football vs. Robert Morris (1:30 p.m.)
As mentioned on our Twitter account, we do have a scoop of sorts...I've been told the basketball schedule should be released within the next several days. No details on a precise time, but it is forthcoming.
Since we last published, we saw the first official, regular season athletic event of 2009-10, as women's soccer took on George Mason. Mason prevailed 3-0 in a contest at W&L's Watt Field, and the Keydet women are scheduled to return to action this coming Friday at Jordan's Point Park, as VMI will face Elon. Weather could play a factor in that contest, as the field at Jordan's Point is suspectible to rain. Stay tuned to VMIKeydets.com, and the Keydets' Twitter feed, for any updates regarding the timing/scheduling of Friday's contest.
In other news, it's preview week in the VMI Athletic Department. With less than two weeks before the first football game, the Institute's other sports are in full swing. Men's soccer just wrapped up a week of intense preseason practice, and Ben Freakley's team continues to prepare for its Sept. 1 opener versus Mount St. Mary's. Look for a full preview of the Keydet men's soccer squad later this week.
The cross country rats had their pictures taken last Friday, and the returning runners, including Felix Kitur and Hannah Granger, will have their photos snapped Wednesday afternoon. That should lead to a full preview of the upcoming cross country season, which has been delayed slightly to push it closer to the Sept. 4 opener. That preview, including a near-20 minute interview with XC Coach Paul Spangler, should run sometime this week as well.
On a related note: The VMI track program, both on track and in cross country, has been one of the up-and-coming programs on Post for the last 2-3 years, and this recruiting class has a chance to be very special. We've been spoiled the last couple of years, with some of the great recruiting done by Keydet coaches (in all sports), but a freshman class with this much potential does not grow on trees. Certainly anything can happen in Division I athletics, but watch out for this group, even if it takes them a year to gel.
Finally, a sport you don't hear a lot about in the fall, VMI lacrosse, announced its 2010 schedule today. That can be viewed here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204780686
That about does it from Post this week...11 days until Robert Morris.
Upcoming home schedule:
Friday, Aug. 28: Women's Soccer vs. Elon, Jordan's Point Park (6 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Women's Soccer vs. Howard, Currently Scheduled for Patchin Field (2 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 1: Men's Soccer vs. Mount St. Mary's, Currently Scheduled for Patchin (4:30 p.m.)
Thursday, Sept. 3: Football "Kickoff" Show at Salerno's Restaurant in Lexington, broadcast live on 96.7 3WZ
Friday, Sept. 4: Cross Country Season Opener, Virginia Horse Center (4 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 5: Women's Soccer vs. UNC Wilmington, Patchin Field (11 a.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 5: Football vs. Robert Morris (1:30 p.m.)
Monday, August 17, 2009
This Week in VMI Athletics - Aug. 18
Edition two of This Week in VMI Athletics is being published a day early, due to a busy day of soccer preparation tomorrow.
That's right, it's almost that time of year. As we discussed last week, the initial women's game is set for Friday evening at Washington & Lee, with the first men's game scheduled to be at Patchin (as part of a men's/women's doubleheader) Sept. 1. Both teams are, for the most part, practicing at nearby Jordan's Point Park here in Lexington, which is well within walking distance of Patchin Field. Pictures from today's men's soccer practice should be available on keydets.com tomorrow, and the team photo day is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m.
The women's soccer preseason poll was released this past Thursday, with the Keydets picked seventh. Audrey Falconi was the runner-up in the preseason POTY voting...Read more about that here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204774609
A photo gallery of women's soccer preseason practice has been posted here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?&PALBID=343348&DB_OEM_ID=9800&FLASH=YES
Also, wrestling announced its freshman class, with nine incoming rats bound for Lexington. The release can be found here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204773211
Today's temperatures are well into the 90's, making it the roughest day for football practice thus far. According to football contact Wade Branner, there have been no significant injuries incurred thus far, and all players who are injured are progressing well in their respective rehabilitations. In other football related tidbits, the current plan (subject to change) is to feature two player interviews per day on 'Roo-Tube over the course of the next several days.
Finally, Cal Murray '83, former VMI punter and color commentator for the VMI Sports Network, is acting as a volunteer assistant, working with this year's punting roster.
That's right, it's almost that time of year. As we discussed last week, the initial women's game is set for Friday evening at Washington & Lee, with the first men's game scheduled to be at Patchin (as part of a men's/women's doubleheader) Sept. 1. Both teams are, for the most part, practicing at nearby Jordan's Point Park here in Lexington, which is well within walking distance of Patchin Field. Pictures from today's men's soccer practice should be available on keydets.com tomorrow, and the team photo day is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m.
The women's soccer preseason poll was released this past Thursday, with the Keydets picked seventh. Audrey Falconi was the runner-up in the preseason POTY voting...Read more about that here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204774609
A photo gallery of women's soccer preseason practice has been posted here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?&PALBID=343348&DB_OEM_ID=9800&FLASH=YES
Also, wrestling announced its freshman class, with nine incoming rats bound for Lexington. The release can be found here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204773211
Today's temperatures are well into the 90's, making it the roughest day for football practice thus far. According to football contact Wade Branner, there have been no significant injuries incurred thus far, and all players who are injured are progressing well in their respective rehabilitations. In other football related tidbits, the current plan (subject to change) is to feature two player interviews per day on 'Roo-Tube over the course of the next several days.
Finally, Cal Murray '83, former VMI punter and color commentator for the VMI Sports Network, is acting as a volunteer assistant, working with this year's punting roster.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Update
I've just learned (there are no windows in the Athletic Media Relations office :-)) that there's inclement weather here in Lexington. This may prevent the taking of photos, depending on what is actually going on at the practice field, how inclement the weather is, etc.
This Week in VMI Athletics - Aug. 11
Welcome to the first edition of This Week in VMI Athletics! Remember to follow us on twitter (http://twitter.com/VMISID), as we often break news and relay small details there first.
The week of August 11 brings not only warm temperatures, but several news items from the Keydet Athletic Department. First off, football practice will get underway later today. The workout, which will be in helmets only, is set to take place on the VMI Turf Field at 4:30 p.m. A full schedule of practices, as well as brief comments from Coach Sparky Woods, can be viewed here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204772918. Fans should expect a photo gallery from the practice, which hopefully will be up late tonight (tomorrow at the latest).
VMI basketball coach Duggar Baucom recently left for a 10-day overseas trip to visit U.S. Military bases, and has been utilizing the microblogging site Twitter to share his experiences (http://twitter.com/duggarvmihoops). He recently tweeted such events as his first meet-and-greet with the troops and an excursion in a Stryker Assault Vehicle. The VMI Athletic Media Relations office plans to post periodic updates on VMIKeydets.com, relaying tidbits about Baucom's trip throughout his time overseas. We have also been re-tweeting some of Baucom's comments thus far.
The official announcement of a new women's soccer coach is forthcoming, possibly as soon as late today. We broke that news on Twitter earlier today, and now we give you the name and some background: Megan Flowers, a 2005 graduate of Southern Utah, is the newest Keydet assistant. Flowers, a four-year starter as a goalkeeper during the inaugural years of SUU women’s soccer, joins the Keydets after most recently working as goalkeeper coach for the Northern Virginia Majestics and the Virginia Olympic Development Program (ODP). She has also worked as a trainer with the Max Touch Soccer Academy and the Stafford Soccer Association, while coaching with Brentsville District High School and the PWSI ’92 Girls soccer club.
In other women's soccer news, VMI's Audrey Falconi has been nominated for a prestigious national award. The Lowe's Senior CLASS award honors the nation's top seniors for their achievements on and off the field. Sports Information personnel may nominate seniors from their squads, and the award's staff will choose the top-30 nominees based on information provided. Only one VMI athlete has ever made the top-30 in any of the Lowe's Senior CLASS sports, that being baseball's Trey Barham in 2008. View more about the award here: http://www.seniorclassaward.com/about/.
Finally, one more announcement regarding Coach Bryan Williams' program: The season opener versus George Mason, set for August 21, has been moved to Washington & Lee's soccer facility (http://www.wlu.edu/x2094.xml). Directions can be accessed at that link. It is worth noting that that's the only game officially moved at this point.
As our last piece of news for the week, past VMI baseball jerseys are now being auctioned off, as seen here (http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204773015). These jerseys, worn in particular during the program's 1993 run to the Southern Conference Championship Series (shown above), can be bid on at the website www.GovDeals.com (linked above) for the next week (auction ends on Monday, Aug. 17). The current plan is to add more jerseys over time, so if you're interested in this sort of thing, keep tabs on that site periodically to ensure you don't miss new additions!
Go Keydets!
The week of August 11 brings not only warm temperatures, but several news items from the Keydet Athletic Department. First off, football practice will get underway later today. The workout, which will be in helmets only, is set to take place on the VMI Turf Field at 4:30 p.m. A full schedule of practices, as well as brief comments from Coach Sparky Woods, can be viewed here: http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204772918. Fans should expect a photo gallery from the practice, which hopefully will be up late tonight (tomorrow at the latest).
VMI basketball coach Duggar Baucom recently left for a 10-day overseas trip to visit U.S. Military bases, and has been utilizing the microblogging site Twitter to share his experiences (http://twitter.com/duggarvmihoops). He recently tweeted such events as his first meet-and-greet with the troops and an excursion in a Stryker Assault Vehicle. The VMI Athletic Media Relations office plans to post periodic updates on VMIKeydets.com, relaying tidbits about Baucom's trip throughout his time overseas. We have also been re-tweeting some of Baucom's comments thus far.
The official announcement of a new women's soccer coach is forthcoming, possibly as soon as late today. We broke that news on Twitter earlier today, and now we give you the name and some background: Megan Flowers, a 2005 graduate of Southern Utah, is the newest Keydet assistant. Flowers, a four-year starter as a goalkeeper during the inaugural years of SUU women’s soccer, joins the Keydets after most recently working as goalkeeper coach for the Northern Virginia Majestics and the Virginia Olympic Development Program (ODP). She has also worked as a trainer with the Max Touch Soccer Academy and the Stafford Soccer Association, while coaching with Brentsville District High School and the PWSI ’92 Girls soccer club.
In other women's soccer news, VMI's Audrey Falconi has been nominated for a prestigious national award. The Lowe's Senior CLASS award honors the nation's top seniors for their achievements on and off the field. Sports Information personnel may nominate seniors from their squads, and the award's staff will choose the top-30 nominees based on information provided. Only one VMI athlete has ever made the top-30 in any of the Lowe's Senior CLASS sports, that being baseball's Trey Barham in 2008. View more about the award here: http://www.seniorclassaward.com/about/.
Finally, one more announcement regarding Coach Bryan Williams' program: The season opener versus George Mason, set for August 21, has been moved to Washington & Lee's soccer facility (http://www.wlu.edu/x2094.xml). Directions can be accessed at that link. It is worth noting that that's the only game officially moved at this point.
As our last piece of news for the week, past VMI baseball jerseys are now being auctioned off, as seen here (http://www.vmikeydets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9800&ATCLID=204773015). These jerseys, worn in particular during the program's 1993 run to the Southern Conference Championship Series (shown above), can be bid on at the website www.GovDeals.com (linked above) for the next week (auction ends on Monday, Aug. 17). The current plan is to add more jerseys over time, so if you're interested in this sort of thing, keep tabs on that site periodically to ensure you don't miss new additions!
Go Keydets!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Early Changes
I've made some quick changes to the blog, making it easier to go through and utilize. Comments will now be easier to post, although they will be moderated to eliminate spam, and the site clock has been corrected. You must be a "member of the blog" to comment (again, just reducing spam), but the word verification step has been undone. Never got the point of that. Other changes could be forthcoming, as I find more nuances of the Blogspot software.
Welcome!!
Hello Keydet fans, and welcome to the VMI Keydets blog! We're here to provide you with regular commentary and synopses of occurrences here on Post...Check back often for updates, particularly once games begin August 21, when updates are likely to be weekly.
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