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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994                   TAG: 9404280058
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From staff and Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HODGE RETURNING TO MONARCHS

Odell Hodge, who had indicated he might transfer after coach Oliver Purnell left for Dayton, has decided to stick with Old Dominion.

Jeff Capel, who was introduced as the Monarchs' new coach Tuesday, said he met with the team's returning players and was convinced no one intends to transfer.

"I think there was a feeling that they had been deserted," Capel said. "The natural reaction was to say, `Maybe I'm not going to stay.' "

But Hodge, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound center from Martinsville, said that "I've known Coach Capel for a long time through summer camps and AAU. He's a friend, and I'm going to do everything I can to help his stay here. I can't wait to get started."

Hodge averaged 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore last season and was named the Colonial Athletic Association's player of the year.

In other regional sports:

Virginia Tech basketball player Terri Garland will undergo surgery on her left shoulder today in Blacksburg.

Garland, the former Pulaski County High standout, dislocated the shoulder in the Metro Conference tournament. She is expected to make a complete recovery.

The sophomore guard averaged 3.9 points per game for the Hokies this past season. She was second on the team in assists and steals, and won the team's Sixth Man Award as Tech's top reserve.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Gary Clark heads a group of four that will be inducted into James Madison University's sports hall of fame in ceremonies Friday in Harrisonburg.

Other inductees are basketball star Mendy Childress, swimmer Maria Grosz-Pope and football coach Challance McMillin.

Clark, who graduated in 1984, caught 155 passes for 2,863 yards and 16 touchdowns during his career at JMU. As a professional player with the Washington Redskins and Arizona, the Dublin native has 612 receptions for 9,560 yards and 62 touchdowns.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort will open its mountain biking trails this weekend. The West Virginia resort has more than 72 trails designed for all levels of bikers.

The trail system is color-coded so bikers know which trails are best suited to their skills. For more information, call (304) 572-1000.

by CNB