The Shadow
RADFORD — La’Tisha Chambers continues to excel on the track and in the classroom at Radford University.
The Alleghany High School graduate recently won Big South Conference all-academic honors with a 3.80 GPA as a recreational therapy major. It was her fifth Big South all-academic recognition.
In addition, at the Big South Indoor Track Championships last weekend at Virginia Tech, Chambers, a Highlander senior, placed third in the 200 meter dash and sixth in the 60 meter dash.
“Chambers and (Glenvar freshman Rachel) Millirons were outstanding,” said RU coach Shelli Sayers. “The veteran and the freshman set the tone for the outdoor season. We are a stronger team outdoors and they are hungry for more.”
Chambers and the Highlanders begin the outdoor season on March 27-28 at the Fred Hardy Invitational at the University of Richmond.
Area Runners Finish Indoor Seasons
• K.J. Moore, a Virginia Tech sophomore, earned his first collegiate win recently at the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg.
Moore used a personal best leap of 7.38 meters (24 feet, 2.5 inches) to win the long jump in a field of 14 competitors.
The Covington High School graduate finished 17th among 25 jumpers in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships last week at Notre Dame.
Florida State won the conference championship with the Hokies finishing second.
• Concord University finished the indoor season at the Mountain East Championships in Huntington, W.Va.
Cedric Drennen, an AHS graduate and Concord sophomore, scored in the mile run for the Mountain Lions, posting a time of 4:20.08 and finishing fifth.
Drennen also finished 10th in the 3,000 meter run (8:47.99) and was part of the sixth place distance medley relay team (10:58.63).
Drennen and his distance medley relay teammates Jason Weitzel, Corey Carvelli and Alex Watty, were named All-Atlantic Region recently by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
They clocked a time of 10:28.55 in the event at the Finn-Pincus Invite in January at Roanoke College. The performance converted to 10:20.13, which was second fastest in the Atlantic Region.
Concord freshman Maggie Thompson, an AHS graduate, placed eighth in the triple jump (10.34 meters; 33 feet, 11¼ inches) and 13th in the long jump (4.43; 14-6½) at the conference championship meet.
Junior Riley Griffith, another AHS graduate, is also a member of the Concord track and field program.
Baseball Season Underway
• Derek Tremblay, an AHS grad, has started his senior baseball season at VMI.
Tremblay had made seven appearances in the Keydets’ 12 games to date entering this weekend’s home series with Binghamton University in Lexington.
The right-hander is 0-1 with a 1.23 earned run average in 7.1 innings.
Tremblay has made 82 mound appearances in his VMI career.
The Keydets enter the weekend with a record of 4-8.
• Kent Rooklin, a junior shortstop at West Virginia Tech, is hitting .270 through 19 games this season.
Rooklin leads the Golden Bears (6-13) in RBI (12) and stolen bases (8).
Last Sunday, Rooklin connected for a grand slam homer in a home loss against Indiana University Southeast.
Rooklin, a product of Coach Gary Rice’s Alleghany baseball program, has committed to play this summer once again for the Staunton Braves in the Valley Baseball League.
• Caleb Haynes is off to a red-hot start in his junior baseball season at Emory & Henry College.
The Covington graduate is hitting .429 in 10 games, with eight RBI, four stolen bases and a team-high 16 runs scored.
Haynes is a two-time member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
The Wasps, who open ODAC play today at Shenandoah University, are 5-6 on the young season.
Taylor at Patrick Henry
• Covington High School graduate Brianna Taylor is a sophomore softball pitcher at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville.
Taylor is 3-5 in the circle this year, having pitched 49 innings in 11 appearances. She is ranked third in the conference with 27 strikeouts and has an earned run average of 4.71.
The Patriots play a doubleheader at Southwest Community College in Cedar Bluff on Sunday.
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Radford University senior La’Tisha Chambers was an All-Big South performer in the 200 meter dash and 60 meter dash at the recent indoor conference championship meet. Chambers was also an All-Academic selection. (Photo Courtesy Radford University)
