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

DATE: FRIDAY, June 16, 1995                   TAG: 9506160059
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOKIES WILL HOST A-10 TOURNEY

In its first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Virginia Tech will play host to the league's women's basketball tournament, an A-10 official announced Thursday.

The tournament will be held March 1-4 at Cassell Coliseum. Four games will be played on March 1 and 2. The semifinals will be played March 3, with the March 4 championship game being played Sunday. The title game will be televised by ESPN2.

George Washington won the tournament last year, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Tech, 22-9 last season in the Metro Conference, is coming off back-to-back NCAA bids.

The A-10 also announced that Tech will be the host for the league's men's tennis tournament next year. It will be played at the Burrows-Burlson Tennis Center on the south side of the Tech campus. The tournament will be a non-flighted team championship.

In other sports news:

In Hot Springs, medalist Mark Catalano eked out two narrow victories in match play to advance to the third round of the 78th Western Junior Championship.

In the morning round, Catalano of Columbus, Ohio, defeated Nathan Brown of North Barrington, Ill., in 19 holes. In the afternoon round on The Homestead's Cascades course, Catalano beat John Grady of Wilmington, N.C., 1 up.

Catalano will face Charlie Woerner of Los Altos, Calif., in today's third round.

The first two days of stroke play cut the 196-man field to 64 players for match play. The four survivors of today's two rounds of match play will move to Saturday's semifinals.

Besides Catalano and Woerner, those advancing to the third round are: Thomas Parker, Larinsburg, N.C.; Steve Shrawder, Millersburg, Pa.; Jay Cason, Brunswick, Ga.; Mark Northey, Roswell, Ga.; Christopher James, Edmond, Okla.; Matthew Smith, Columbus, Ohio; Laird Sparks, Nacogdoches, Texas; Adam Dooley, Minneapolis, Minn.; Frank Genzer, Tulsa, Okla.; Travis Perkins, Lewis Center, Ohio; Kristopher Wells, Denver, Pa.; James Driscoll, Chesnut Hills, Mass.; Ryan Lavoie, Pasco, Wash.; and Brad Hyler, Raleigh, N.C.

Franklin County Speedway, which has lost four of its past five races to inclement weather, will reopen Saturday with the Nelson Pontiac-GMC Trucks/B999 300. Fifteen to 20 new cars are expected. Admission is $5 for adults and children will be admitted free. All rain checks will be honored.

by CNB