Sports briefs

MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Rams have been selected to participate in an ESPNU BracketBusters game at Nevada on Friday, Feb. 20. This is the fourth consecutive year VCU has been selected to participate.

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For the second consecutive week, senior Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) has been selected as the CAA Player of the Week. Maynor has won the award four times this season. Maynor averaged 31.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists last week against Northeastern and Hofstra. Maynor is ranked tenth in the nation in points with 23.2 points per game. He also is averaging 5.9 assists (first in the CAA) and 3.8 rebounds per game.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Senior Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake/Great Bridge) earned her third CAA Co-Player of the Week award. Hollingsworth averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in wins against William and Mary and Old Dominion last week.

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

The team of sophomore Donnie Seward (Richmond/Huguenot), freshman Tyler Simmons (Woodbridge/Osbourn Park), junior Stephen Mutisya (Machakos, Kenya) and senior Jay Wyss (Richmond/J.R. Tucker) finished second in the distance medley with a time of 10:08.62 in the Niswonger Invitational over the weekend.

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

Senior Verniece Johnson (Mineral/Louisa) won the long jump with a jump of 5.73 meters. Johnson also teamed with freshman Jazlynn Finney (Leesburg/Heritage), junior Whitney Key (Goochland/Goochland) and freshman Rachel Montague (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) to win the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 3:57.39, the second fastest time in school history. Finney also finished third in the long jump. Montague finished fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 9.08 seconds, a personal best. Freshmen Nicole Waters (Orange/Orange County), Aubree Washington (Woodbridge/Garfield) and Heather DelaCruz (Williamsburg/Lafayette) along with sophomore Cassandra Thondique (Norfolk/Granby) finished third in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:48.13, a school record. Senior Natalie Duncan (Alexandria/West Potomac) placed third in the shot put with a distance of 12.88 meters.

MEN’S TENNIS

The Rams played in the ITA National Indoor Championships over the weekend. On Friday, the Rams beat No. 19 North Carolina 4-2 in the first round qualifier. Benjamin Bouhana (Paris, France), Nicolas Vinel (Metz, France), Emil Lindgren (Stocksund, Sweden) and Bobo Delemark (Danderyd, Sweden) all picked up victories for the Rams. On Saturday, the Rams fell to No. 14 Michigan 6-1. The Bouhana/Lindgren and Vinel/Martin Schulhauser (Karvina, Czech Republic) doubles teams picked up wins for the Rams. VCU is now 7-2 on the year and ranked 38th in the country.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The Rams wrapped up play in the ITA Indoor Championships. The Rams lost on Friday to No. 9 Duke 6-1, and then to South Carolina on Saturday 4-3. In Friday’s match Ana Bara (Oradea, Romania) picked up the Rams’ only win. She toppled Duke’s Tara Iver, who retired in the second set while Bara held a 6-1, 1-0 lead. In a close loss on Saturday Laura Burns (Hertford, England), Olena Leonchuk (Kiev, Ukraine) and Mihaela Bunea (Bucharest, Romania) grabbed singles wins. The Rams are now 4-3 on the year and are ranked 35th in the nation.