Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408270007
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 34 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Long
At least on the athletic field.
As Radford began its third decade of coeducation, the women's teams enjoyed a fabulous year. The volleyball and basketball teams played in NCAA championship tournaments, a soccer player earned All-America honors, two gymnasts qualified for the NCAA regionals, and a basketball player was a second-team Academic All-American.
It was the Year of the Woman at Radford.
Radford's athletic program began with women's basketball in 1972, followed by women's volleyball a year later. Those two sports enjoyed the greatest success in 1993-94, as both teams won Big South Conference tournament championships and advanced to NCAA play.
The volleyball bid capped a storybook season for head coach Jannell Dobbins, who ended her 19-year career with the most coaching victories in school history. The Highlanders traveled to Los Angeles, where they lost to the University of Southern California, the 13th-ranked team in the nation, to finish the season 25-11.
The women's basketball team won its fifth straight conference tournament - its fourth in a row under head coach Lubomyr Lichonczak - to earn the Big South's first-ever NCAA automatic berth. Led by a tournament most-valuable-player performance from senior guard Shannan Wilkey, the Highlanders knocked off regular-season champion UNC Greensboro on its home floor in the finals. Radford was drilled by eventual national semi-finalist Purdue in the NCAA first round to end the Highlanders' season at 18-12.
After the season, it was announced that basketball player Samantha Gilbert, a senior from Auckland, New Zealand, had been named to the GTE Academic All-America second team.
The women's soccer team captured the Big South regular-season championship but missed out on an at-large berth to NCAA play when it was upset in the conference tournament. Senior forward Sue Williams, the leading scorer in the history of women's soccer at Radford, was named first-team All-America by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Women continued to lead Radford into NCAA championship competitions through the winter, as gymnasts Christie Epperly and Michelle Libero qualified for NCAA regionals. It was the second trip for Epperly, a junior from Roanoke.
A year ago, Radford was rated one of the top 10 schools in the nation for its support of women's athletics, and the successes should continue. The NCAA awards more championship tournament berths for women's sports than ever before, and the Big South has added several women's sports - soccer, golf and softball - to its list of championship events.
Other notes from Radford athletics:
Four Radford athletes were named Big South most valuable player in their respective sports in 1993-94. Sue Williams was MVP in women's soccer, Merrill Hausenfluck in men's cross country, Duane Filchner in baseball and Rachid Benjelloun in men's tennis.
Last spring, baseball player Brian Pardue became the first Radford athlete to be named first-team GTE Academic All-American. Pardue, a senior catcher/designated hitter from Johnson City, Tenn., maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average in two of his final four semesters.
Senior first baseman Denny Van Pelt was taken in the 25th round of the amateur baseball draft by the California Angels. He is with the rookie league team in Boise, Idaho, in the Northwest League.
Other former Highlanders in the pros include major-league pitcher Phil Leftward, who is in his second season with the Angels, and Chris Connolly, a pitcher with the Laminating (Del.) Blue Rocks, a Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
Men's basketball in the Big South will most likely get some bad news from the NCAA this year, as the sport is expected to lose its automatic NCAA bid. Since Campbell left the Big South to join the Trans America Athletic Association this year, the Big South will not meet requirements that it have at least six members who have been in the league for five years in order to be considered for an NCAA automatic bid. Campbell's defection leaves the big South with five members who meet that criteria.
The good news for Radford's basketball team is that head coach Ron Bradley and his staff have put together another solid recruiting class that features big men Eric Parker of Educator, Ga., and Kevin Robinson of Richmond, two players who could start immediately, and forward Chubby Johnson, the Class A player of the year in South Carolina.
Several Radford teams will be under new leadership this year. Lisa O'Brien is the new women's soccer coach and Spencer Smith takes over as men's soccer coach, both of them replacing the legendary Don Stelae, who coached both teams before taking the women's soccer job at Alabama. John Pierce will be the new volleyball coach, replacing the highly successful Jannell Dobbins, and the search is on for a women's gymnastics coach to fill the vacancy left by Paul Backwash's departure for Cornell.
Radford's athletics program had an overall winning record of 156-151-7. (.508) last year.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***