Atlantic 10 restructures championship tournaments
The Atlantic 10 concluded its annual meetings in Amelia Island, Fla. last month by making changes to the locations and formats of the league championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and baseball.
In 2004, the A-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at Dayton. But unlike last year, there will be no first-round games on campus sites. The entire tournament will be played at the U. Dayton Arena from March 10 to 13.
The A-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held from March 5 to 8 at St. Joseph’s and, unlike last year, the championship game will not be played on the home court of the higher seed. All games will be played at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Philadelphia.
A-10 athletic directors also voted to include six teams in the men’s and women’s soccer championships. In the past, only the top four teams in the league would make the cut.
Finally, the A-10 Baseball Championship will be condensed from two weeks into one week. The conference did not announce how the format of the tournament will be altered, nor did it say where next year’s tournament will be held.
Softball brings in 12 recruits for 2004
When the GW softball team stumbled to a 3-36 finish in its inaugural season, it was clear that the Colonials were missing something crucial for succeeding at the varsity level: talent. This spring, head coach Leslie King-Moore went out and got some, recruiting 12 players to join the team for the 2004 season.
Led by Texas second team All-State member Gabby Culp, who hit .609 and threw 20 no-hitters as a pitcher for Bishop Dunne High School (Dallas), the incoming freshman class fills every position on the field.
Culp will be joined by Erica Miller, who batted .810 hit 17 home runs at first base for The Baldwin School (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), breaking local records in both categories.
Catchers Colleen Kegler of Yardley, Pa. and Kim Dupak of Chatham, N.J. will compete for the starting spot at their position, as the two catchers on GW’s roster last year graduated.
With the exception of Culp, all of GW’s recruits are from the east coast. Four players are from Pennsylvania, three are from New Jersey, two are from Connecticut, one is from New York and one is from North Carolina. They will attempt to help the Colonials improve on the team’s last-place finish in 2003.
Hueller named to All-America Second Team
Recent graduate Molly Hueller was named to the All-America Rowing Second Team by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association last week, marking the second time she has earned the honor.
Hueller was named Most Valuable Player of the GW women’s rowing team in 2001 and 2002 and was also named to the All-America Team in 2001.
Classmate Tracy Kusnir was named MVP of this year’s team as the Colonials tied for second at the Atlantic 10 Championships April 26.
Shanley honored for standout rookie season