Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 19, 1994 TAG: 9401190131
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's news, considering Beckwith is a guy who ran in a two-day, 100-mile race last summer and who has qualified for the Boston Marathon in the past but hasn't competed because he says the race is "short."
Beckwith, the coach of Radford's men's and women's gymnastics teams, has about 60 miles left in his attempt to run on all the roads in Floyd County.
He began his cross-county quest about six years ago and has run much of the course with his neighbor, Tom Morris, Radford's men's cross country coach. Their most recent excursion was last Sunday, when they ran 20 miles in 3-degree weather.
By Beckwith's estimates, there are about 620 miles of roads in Floyd County. That's according to the 30-year-old map he was using until last year. Some of the roads on that map have fallen into disuse.
"We've run on state-maintained roads that had trees growing through them," said Beckwith.
Beckwith added that he and Morris have gotten lost on the occasions when they diverged from the beaten path. Figuratively speaking, some would say they went off the beaten path the minute they embarked on this odyssey.
"We've gotten some strange looks from people when we're running where it really is nowhere," said Beckwith. "We had a gun pulled on us once by a lady. We were on a public road. We just ran on through."
The men's gymnastics team didn't fare well in its meet at Navy over the weekend (the Highlanders placed fifth out of five teams), but the Highlanders still have high hopes this season.
Radford will be led by seniors Jerrell Steele and Eric Robichaux, who share four school records between them. Steele, who's from Richmond, holds three records (all-around 53.55, high bar 9.55, floor exercise 9.4). He will probably end his career as Radford's best male gymnast ever.
Former gymnast Melissa LaCorte, whose 1992 score of 9.7 in the floor exercise is a Radford record, is serving as an assistant women's gymnastics coach under Beckwith. Still a Radford student, LaCorte was forced out of competition because of arthritis in her hands and wrists.
\ WOMEN'S HOOPS: Sophomore guard Lisa Howard's five 3-pointers in a 66-65 loss at Campbell were the most threes by a Radford women's basketball player since Patrinda Toney made five in a 1990 game. Toney hit a school-record six 3-pointers in a game against Virginia Commonwealth in the 1988-89 season. Howard scored 25 points in the loss.
The women's basketball team is slowly regaining its health. Junior guard Jenny Goode is back from a broken ankle, freshman center Eve Kendall is making a speedy recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery and played over the weekend, and sophomore guard Mindy Ballinger appears to be at full-strength after a couple of ankle sprains.
Redshirt sophomore Annette Aaron, who was a main contributor as a freshman post player two years ago, has left the women's basketball squad for personal and physical reasons. Aaron apparently was unable to recover from a recurring stress fracture in her right thigh, an injury that forced her to miss last season.
\ NET AWARDS: Anne Fontaine and Deidre Davis were named the co-most valuable players at the annual volleyball banquet. The two players helped lead Radford to the Big South Conference title and a bid to the NCAA tournament.
Fontaine, a senior from Wytheville who was MVP last year, had a team-high 396 kills and was fifth in the Big South with a 3.92 dig average. Davis, a junior from Richmond, led the conference with 1,342 assists this year.
Senior Yvette Brailler was named the team's top defensive player, junior Freddie Jones won the team spirit award, senior Carla Ponn was named the most improved player, and fifth-year senior Laurel Tanner Frink was presented the coach's award for leadership.
\ STICKING WITH IT: Steve Govett, Radford's all-time leading scorer in lacrosse, has latched on with the Philadelphia Wings of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Govett is also a member of the Canadian National Team and will play for Canada at the World Games in Manchester, England, next summer.
At 25, Chris Swanenburg will begin his first season at Radford as the youngest lacrosse head coach in the country.
\ IN RADFORD: Men's basketball, Thursday, Campbell, 7:30 p.m.; Women's basketball, Friday, UNC Asheville, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Winthrop, 7 p.m.; Men's gymnastics, Jan. 26, James Madison, 7 p.m.; Jan. 29, William & Mary, 2 p.m.; Women's gymnastics, Jan. 22, N.C. State, 2 p.m.; Jan. 29, North Carolina, 2 p.m.
Ralph Berrier Jr. covers sports for the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.
by CNB