SPORTS BRIEFS

(Briefs from today’s section include information received during the holiday break.)

Women’s Basketball Hollingsworth named player of the week

Freshman Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake/Great Bridge High School), the youngest player in the country, was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Dec. 28. Hollingsworth scored 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lift the Rams to a 72-70 victory over Belmont. Hollingsworth added her second conference rookie of the week honor Jan. 16, for helping the Rams prevail in a pair of CAA contests.

Baseball

2006 CAA Baseball Preseason Poll

1. UNC Wilmington (9) 99

2. VCU (2) 92

3. George Mason 80

4. Delaware 70

5. Old Dominion 54

6. James Madison 46

7. Georgia State 44

8. Towson 41

9. Hofstra 38

10. Northeastern 27

11. William & Mary 14

Sizemore selected as all-American

Virginia Commonwealth University junior second baseman Scott Sizemore (Chesapeake/Hickory High School) was selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as a second-team all-American.

Rams sign six new players

Six players (four pitchers, catcher and outfielder) signed with VCU during the early signing period. The newcomers include:

RHP Matt Bryant (Fredericksburg/Stafford High School)

C Nathan Furry (Salem High School)

RHP Josh Gow (Duluth, Minn.)

OF Matt Leskiw (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

RHP Andrew Markey (Ridgely, Md.)

LHP/OF Aaron Morgan (Dinwiddie High School).

Women’s Soccer

Rams receive multiple honors

Senior midfielder Sandra Anger (Cuguen, France) was named to the 2005 NSCAA/Adidas Women’s Division I All-America Third Team. She was first-team selection to the 2005 Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State University Division Women’s Soccer Team. Anger, a co-captain, was also chosen for the Mid-Atlantic All Regional Team by Soccer Buzz.

Senior defender Jennifer Woodie (Woodbridge High School), a co-captain, was named to the VaSID’s all-state second team and Soccer Buzz’s Mid-Atlantic All-Regional Team.

Freshman forward Stephanie Power (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) was selected to Soccer Buzz’s Mid-Atlantic All-Freshman Team and honorable mention for Freshman All-American Awards. Power was also named to VaSID’s all-state second team.

VaSIDs selected senior Hedda Gardsjord (Oslo, Norway) to the all-state second team.

Moorwood honored in home country

Sophomore Hayley Moorwood (Auckland, New Zealand) was named Asics’ Sportswoman of the Year, becoming only the second women’s soccer player to be recognized for the distinction at the Auckland Sporting Excellence Awards.

Top of the field – and the classroom

VCU received its fourth straight National Soccer Association of American Team Academic Award.

Top Drawer ranked VCU 29th in its final poll, and the Rams received votes in the Soccer Buzz and Soccertimes national polls.

Virginia’s Sarah Huffman and Steve Swanson were named player of the year and coach of the year respectively by VaSIDs.

Volleyball

Finley named top coach in Virginia

VCU head coach James Finley was named 2005 coach of the year by VaSIDs for leading the Rams’ dramatic turnaround from the previous season. The Rams won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

Francescatto, Peterson earn all-state recognition

Ludmilla Francescatto (Fraiburga, Brazil) was named by VaSIDs as an all-state first-team selection. Melissa Peterson (Ganado, Ariz.) earned second-team honors by VaSIDs.

Rams ink two players

Junior college standout Vivian Lacy (Olympia, Wash.) and high school senior Shannon Keebaugh will join the Rams for the upcoming season. Lacy becomes the fourth player to transfer from Arizona Western College, Finley’s former team.

VaSIDs named Virginia’s Sarah Kirkwood player of the year.

Tennis

Teams, singles players and women’s doubles team ranked nationally

VCU’s men’s team is ranked 33rd nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Assoication, while the women’s team is slotted 49th.

Junior Arnaud Lecloerec (Plouhinec, France) is ranked 52nd nationally by the ITA, and sophomore Sebastian Ripoll (Mauleon-Soule, France) is ranked 85th. Lecloerec was named an all-American last season after making it to the ITA’s Round of 32.

Sophmore Marianna Yuferova (St. Petersburg, Russia) and junior Olga Borisova (Minsk, Belarus) are ranked as the nation’s 17th doubles team by the ITA. The pair finished last season ranked 16.

Field Hockey

Baker will play for the Union Jack

Freshman goalkeeper Laura Baker (Kent, England) was one of 18 people named to England’s Under-21 team. The team competed in the Los Reyes tournament in Barcelona, Spain, in the first week of January.

Golf

Top junior headed to VCU

Virginia’s top-ranked junior player Lanto Griffin (Blacksburg High School) signed to join the Rams for the fall season.

Men’s Track and Field

Sophomore Jackie DeShazo (Mechanicsville/Atlee High School) and junior Davion Lambert (Richmond/Varina High School) claimed first place in the 200-meter dash and the high jump respectively to help the Rams earn fourth place at a the United States Naval Academy meet.

Women’s Track and Field

Vernice Johnson (Mineral/Louisa High School) tallied 16 points, including a first-place finish in the long jump, to help VCU take second place at the United States Naval Academy meet Jan. 15.

In other news

Don Clatterbough (Huguenot High School) and Maria-Elena Calle will be inducted into VCU’s Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday during halftime of the men’s basketball game against James Madison. Clatterbough was a right-handed pitcher for Richmond Professional Institute (the predecessor to VCU) from 1966-69. Calle is the most decorated track and field athlete in the school’s history, competing 11 times in the NCAA championships and earning six all-American awards.