Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 9, 1993                   TAG: 9307090095
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From staff reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RADFORD FILLS THREE SPOTS ON ITS STAFF

Clark will serve as a full-time assistant, Tricia Cullop will work as a graduate assistant and former Highlanders player Tammie Crown will join coach Lubomyr Lichonczak's staff as a student assistant.

After beginning his collegiate coaching career as a men's assistant at Roanoke from 1984-86, Clark was a women's assistant at Oklahoma (1986-87), Arizona State (1987-90) and Providence (1990-93).

Cullop just completed her playing career at Purdue, where she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Crown, the 1992-93 Big South Conference Player of the Year, finished ninth on the Highlanders' all-time scoring list (1,055 points) and was fourth in rebounding (735). She also holds the school records for career field-goal percentage (.525) and free-throw percentage (.840).

"I'd match this coaching staff against any in the country in terms of capability, desire, work ethic and ability to communicate with student-athletes," Lichonczak said.

In other news in the region:

The honors are pouring in for University of Virginia guard Mark Dixon even before the football season starts.

Dixon, a 6-foot-4, 283-pound senior, is a first-team preseason All-America selection by Football News and a second-team selection by College & Pro Football Newsweekly. Dixon has been named to a number of other preseason All-America squads.

Christiansburg's Ronnie Thomas, coming off a victory in Saturday's double-points race, is steadily cutting into Paul Radford's lead in the Late Model Stock standings at New River Valley Speedway in Radford.

Thomas, the former Grand National (now Winston Cup) Rookie of the Year, trails the Ferrum driver by 38 points. Radford finished fifth behind Thomas but still leads the title chase 282 points to 244.

The pair will resume their battle in Saturday night's 100-lap feature of the Wicker Basket Outlet 200.

Also on the card are 35 laps for the Limited Sportsman division, along with 25 each for the Modified Mini, Mini and Pure Stock drivers.

Gates open at 2 p.m. with practice beginning at 4 p.m. Qualifying gets under way at 6:15, with the first race at 8 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $1 for children 10 and younger.

Several points races will be up for grabs Saturday night at Franklin County Speedway. The Rookie division has opened up with points leader Gorden Wingfield and Josh Ingram, currently fifth, suspended for four weeks because of an altercation during Sunday's race.

Dudley Lawhorn, a two-time winner during the Fourth of July weekend, has moved into the Late Model Stock points lead, surpassing five-time winner Rick Sigmon.

Another close race is in the Mini Stock division, where 32 points separate Steve Lynch, Tommy Dean and John Hall, all multiple winners this season.

Phillip VanDerVeer and R.W. Lawhorn hold comfortable leads in Street Stock and Pure Stock divisions, respectively.

Gates open at noon for the Unocal/Paper Gold 300, with qualifying starting at 6 p.m. and the first race at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 and children 10 and younger are admitted free.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING