ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 15, 1996 TAG: 9612160139
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND STAFF REPORTS
Virginia Tech is killing Nebraska so far in the Orange Bowl. In early ticket sales, that is.
Hokies ticket office manager Tom McNeer said Saturday that the school has sold all but 500 of its original allotment of 15,000 tickets for the Dec.31 game at Miami's Pro Player Stadium.
Tech's count far exceeds Nebraska's. The Cornhuskers had sold approximately 5,000 tickets as of Friday.
McNeer said the Hokies will have an opportunity to request more tickets once their original supply is exhausted. Tech could get as many as 7,500 more tickets if needed.
McNeer said Nebraska's count has been hurt by the fact that many Cornhusker fans already had booked non-refundable rooms in New Orleans in anticipation of their team playing No.1 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.
In other news in the region:
nVirginia's Mike Fisher won his second straight Hermann Trophy as college soccer's best male player.
Fisher, who this year became the Cavaliers' career scoring and assist leader, is the fourth player - and second from Virginia - in the 30-year history of the award to win it twice. Claudio Reyna won in 1992 and 1993 for the Cavaliers.
Fisher scored 56 goals and had 55 assists in four seasons at Virginia. He helped the Cavaliers to national championships in 1993 and 1994, and was the Atlantic Coast Conference's player of the year in 1995 and 1996.
The Cavaliers were upset in the semifinals by Duke last year, then knocked out in the first round by intrastate rival George Mason this year.
``I would trade this in a second for a chance to play for another national championship,'' he said. ``Winning the national championship is one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced. This ranks right up there, and I don't want to take anything away from the award. But if I could win the national championship with my other teammates who have helped me, I would.''
A biology major and pre-med student, Fisher said he hasn't decided yet whether to pursue a professional career in Major League Soccer.
``I have two semesters left and for me to play in the MLS, I want to work something out where I can play and take classes at the same time. If that can happen and I can graduate from Virginia while playing soccer, I would.''
Cindy Daws, Notre Dame's career leader in goals and assists, won the women's Hermann Trophy. She became Notre Dame's career assist leader as a sophomore and finished her career with 61 goals and 67 assists.
nSophomore Jason Dowdy (Roanoke) and junior Jennifer Conner (Draper) were presented with the Most Outstanding Runner awards as the Virginia Tech men and women's cross country teams held their annual awards day.
Dowdy finished in the top 10 in five of Tech's seven meets this season. The Cave Spring High School graduate also placed seventh at the Atlantic 10 Championships to earn All-Atlantic 10 honors and help the Hokies to their first A-10 title.
Conner experienced the same success placing fourth at both the West Virginia Invitational and the Eastern Kentucky Invitational. Conner also captured first place at the annual Virginia Tech Alumni Meet.
Tech's Most Improved Runner awards went to Wes Schilling (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and Mandy Workman (Ashburn). Schilling finished the season with several top 10 finishes, including a sixth-place mark at the Atlantic 10 Championships. He also was selected to the USAir/Atlantic 10 All-Academic team along with teammate Mike Cox (Princeton, W.Va.). Meanwhile, Workman showed steady improvement throughout the season, finishing as high as fifth at the West Virginia Invitational.
Freshman Jessie Scherrens (Fredericksburg) was selected the women's Rookie of the Year while classmate Matt Yost earned the men's Digger Award.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 linesby CNB