Virginia Tech guard A.D. Vassallo scored 13 points in 18 minutes of play in Puerto Rico’s 107-102 win over Panama in the third day of pool play in Group B  at the 2008 Centrobasket Tournament on Friday night in Cancun, Mexico.

Puerto Rico led 57-50 at the half and held off Panama to finish 3-0 in pool play. Puerto Rico’s Jose Juan Barea of the Dallas Mavericks, led all scorers with 31 points.

Vassallo is playing for the Puerto Rico national team in the tournament, which included the top eight countries in the Carribbean and Central America. With the win, Puerto Rico has advanced to the semifinals and will play the Dominican Republic on Saturday. The top two teams in each of the two pools advanced to the semifinals and those four teams have qualified for the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

Virginia Tech guard A.D. Vassallo scored six points, had two assists and grabbed two rebounds in Puerto Rico’s 103-90 win over Cuba in the second game of pool play in Group B  at the 2008 Centrobasket Tournament on Thursday night in Cancun, Mexico.

Puerto Rico led 62-42 at the half and never trailed in the second half. Puerto Rico’s Jose Juan Barea of the Dallas Mavericks, led Puerto Rico with 19 points.

Vassallo is playing for the Puerto Rico national team in the tournament, which includes the top eight countries in the Carribbean and Central America. Puerto Rico will play Panama on Friday in the five-day tournament. The top two teams in each of the two pools will advance to the semifinals and those four teams will qualify for the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

The 10th-ranked Virginia Tech men's soccer team will open its 2008 schedule in their inaugural west coast trip, participating in the Pilots Nike Classic this weekend.

Fewer than 200 tickets remain for public purchase for the season-opening college football game between Virginia Tech and East Carolina this Saturday, Aug. 30 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Kickoff is at 12:02 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN.
 
Remaining tickets are available through all TicketMaster outlets in the southeast and online at www.ticketmaster.com. To order from TicketMaster by phone in Charlotte, call (704) 522-6500. Tickets are also available at the Carolina Panthers Box Office, located at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
 

Virginia Tech guard A.D. Vassallo scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in 13 minutes of action in Puerto Rico’s 85-68 win over Costa Rica in the first game of 2008 Centrobasket Tournament on Wednesday night in Cancun, Mexico.

Puerto Rico led 36-27 at the half and never trailed in the second half. No Puerto Rico player played more than 27 minutes in the contest. Puerto Rico’s Jose Juan Barea of the Dallas Mavericks, led all scorers with 16 points.

Vassallo is playing for the Puerto Rico national team in the tournament, which includes the top eight countries in the Carribbean and Central America. Puerto Rico will play Cuba on Thursday in the five-day tournament. The top two teams in each of the two pools will advance to the semifinals and those four teams will qualify for the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

Virginia Tech guard A.D. Vassallo will compete for Puerto Rico in the 2008 Centrobasket Tournament, beginning today in Mexico. The tournament will be played August 27-31 in Cancun and Chetumal, Mexico.

The eight national teams competing in Centrobasket are Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands and El Salvador. The top two teams in each of the two pools will advance to the semifinals and those four teams will qualify for the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

Former Hokie golfer Brendon de Jonge continues his strong play on the Nationwide Tour. After his first-ever win on the tour last week in Rochester, N.Y., de Jonge is playing the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic in Moscow, Pa., this weekend.

After struggling to make the cut on Friday afternoon, de Jonge fired a seven-under-par 63 on Saturday, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 183-yard, par three, ninth hole. He also recorded six birdies and just one bogey in the round. In his three completed rounds of the tournament, he has a recorded birdie, birdie, ace on the ninth hole. He has moved into the top 10 in the tournament.

De Jonge moved into second place on the Nationwide Tour money list with last week's win and has basically assured himself of earning his PGA Tour card for next season.

The football staff has met and determined the dress roster for the Aug. 30 opener against East Carolina. The roster features 73 players, including 10 true freshmen. The true freshmen dressing are No. 11 Dyrell Roberts, No. 13 Xavier Boyce, No. 14 Lorenzo Williams, No. 15 Eddie Whitley, No. 34 Ryan Williams, No. 36 Jake Johnson, No. 38 Quillie Odom, No. 48 Justin Myer, No. 51 Bruce Taylor and No. 81 Jarrett Boykin.

Of the 73 players on the dress squad, 26 are either true or redshirt freshmen and 31 of them (42.5 percent) have never played in a college game.

The Hokies begin game-week preparation for the Pirates starting this weekend and will travel to Charlotte on Friday for next Saturday's game. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN with a noon kickoff. The broadcasters are Dave Pasch and Andre Ware with no sideline reporter at this time.

Be sure to check back later for a full story, but here are some quick numbers from Friday's football scrimmage at Lane Stadium.

Scrimmage #3; Friday afternoon at Lane Stadium

Passing Leaders
Glennon: 11-19, 103 yards, 1 TD
Taylor: 11-17, 76 yards, 1 INT

Rushing Leaders
Evans: 6-59 yards, 1 TD
Lewis: 5-40 yards
Oglesby: 6-39 yards
Boone: 2-31 yards, 1 TD
R. Williams: 2-20 yards

Receiving Leaders
Boyce: 5-2 yards, 1 TD
Boone: 4-28 yards
Boykin: 2-71 yards
Drager: 2-15 yards
Whitaker: 2-14 yards

Defensive Leaders
Grimm: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Brown: 5 tackles, 1 sack
Sturdivant: 5 tackles
Whitley: 5 tackles
Morgan: 4 tackles
McGreevy: 4 tackles
Warren: 3 tackles, 2 TFL
O. Martin: 3 tackles, 1 FR

Punting Leaders
Bowden: 3-43.6 avg

Field Goals
Keys: 36 - no good; 50 - no good
Myer: 42 - good

Other Highlights
Odom: INT
Harris: 37 KOR; 45 PR
Roberts: 28 KOR; 19 PR

Scoring
Evans 11 run (Myer kick)
O. Martin 12 fumble return (Keys kick)
FG Myer 42
Boone 30 run (Keys kick)
Glennon 5 pass to Boyce (Keys kick)

Former Virginia Tech softball pitcher Angela Tincher has been named to the All-NPF Team, as announced Thursday night by the league. Tincher, the No. 3 overall pick by the Akron Racers, was one of four pitchers named to the 18-player squad. The USA College Softball Player of the Year, she pitched a team-high 131.2 innings en route to a 12-11 record for the Racers this past summer. She led the league with 157 strikeouts after breaking the 2,000-strikeout mark in her final season at Virginia Tech. Tincher posted a 2.03 ERA, good enough for third place on the NPF leader board. Her world-wind summer included a trip to Los Angeles for the 2008 ESPY Awards during the middle of the season.

The Hokie football team held an impromptu scrimmage on Wednesday afternoon in lieu of its normal session on the practice fields behind the Jamerson Athletic Center. After the entire squad took part in conditioning drills, the starters and veterans were excused for the day. Aside from quarterbacks Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, the scrimmage mostly featured freshmen and backups fighting for a role on the team as the season opener approaches.

While there was no scoring to report (the direction of play was flipped around anytime the ball approached the red zone and there were no field goals attempted), the day definitely belonged to the offense. Tech’s trio of young running backs – redshirt freshmen Josh Oglesby and Darren Evans, and true freshman Ryan Williams – each had outstanding performances and high yards-per-carry averages. Williams accumulated 111 yards on just seven carries after ripping off individual scampers of 41 and 51 yards. Oglesby rushed 10 times for 63 yards with a long of 22, while Evans tallied 104 yards on six touches, with five rushes tallying 13 yards or more and three rushes totaling 22 yards or more.

But it was not just the running backs who had their moves on display. A number of Tech’s unproven receivers also were quite shifty and turned in some nice YAC (yards after catch) totals. Tight end Andre Smith led the way with 47 yards on four catches, while wideout Dyrell Roberts caught three balls for 31 yards. Patrick Terry had one reception for 13 yards, Prince Parker had a 34-yard catch, Ervin Garner had a 6-yard reception and fullback Kenny Younger turned in a 31-yard catch-and-run. Wideout Xavier Boyce chipped in with a 23-yard rush.

Passing-wise, Glennon went 5-of-9 for 58 yards and an interception, and Taylor completed 7-of-8 for 102 yards. Cory Holt went 1-of-3 with a 13-yard connection to Terry.

As could be expected with the offense advancing the ball down the field, the defense’s standouts were in the secondary. Freshman free safety Lorenzo Williams racked up 11 tackles (six solo) to lead the maroon, while freshman cornerback Eddie Whitley chipped in four tackles and a pass breakup. He later forced and recovered a fumble. Freshman rover Jeron Gouveia-Winslow added six tackles and an interception that he returned 27 yards.

Tech’s final scrimmage will be held on Friday in Lane Stadium at approximately 3:15 and is open to the public.

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver lost in a playoff for the final two spots in match play at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., on Wednesday morning.

Weaver, a rising senior from High Point, N.C., was one of 26 golfers fighting for the final two spots in match play, which began Wednesday morning during the completion of the playoff.

Weaver will return to Blacksburg this weekend to start classes and begin preparations for the Hokies’ 2008-09 schedule, which begins Sept. 20 and 21 at the Wolverine Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver made a strong charge on the final nine holes on Tuesday afternoon, including birdies on three of the final four holes, and is in a playoff for the final two spots in match play. The tournament is being played at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at the 7,030-yard, par 70 No. 4 Course at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C.

Weaver finished in a group of 26 players tied for 63^rd place. The top 64 scores advance to match play on Wednesday. The 26 players will playoff for the final two berths in the match play at No. 4 beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The 26 competitors in the playoff is the second most in Amateur history, eclipsed only by the 31 players in 1988

A rising senior from High Point, N.C., Weaver entered the final round of stroke play at four-over-par 74 and made the turn at three-over-par, before his strong finish. Weaver birdied the 10^th hole to get it back to plus-two, but then double-bogeyed the 501 yard par 4 13^th hole. He then finished his round with birdies on holes 15, 16 and 17, before finishing with a par on the 18^th hole.

Play continues Wednesday with the beginning of match play for the low 64 scorers. The championship runs through the end of the week, with the 36-hole final match scheduled for Sunday.

As you may have noticed late Sunday/most of Monday, hokiesports.com went AWOL. The official athletics Web site for Virginia Tech then reappeared on Monday afternoon/evening. Those looking for their Hokie fix may have expected the site to return revamped with a new design. While that will eventually happen in the coming weeks, that was not the case on Monday.

The hokiesports.com staff regularly performs software updates to keep up with security patches and bug fixes on all of the programs installed on the server. This particular software update went awry on Sunday, causing the server to lose all networking capabilities. All of the site’s data (over 150 gigabytes) then needed to be copied off of the faulty server and onto a new server, which then needed to be configured. As you can imagine, the transfer of such a large data volume took some time.

All of that was completed by noon on Monday, but hokiesports.com’s journey back from the abyss had one more obstacle. Tech’s Web staff had been planning on seamlessly changing servers from their previous location in Virginia Tech’s Corporate Research Center to a new home in Lane Stadium. However, due to Sunday night’s mishap, the staff was forced to make the move prematurely. Because of the change in locations, new IP addresses had to be registered with the Blacksburg Electronic Village, which handles the Web site’s DNS (domain name server) entries. The BEV made the switch shortly after 1 p.m Monday, but the process can take some time to disseminate across all of the DNS servers around the world. So depending on your internet service provider, hokiesports.com’s availability may have differed from elsewhere in the Hokie Nation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming redesign.

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver shot an opening round four-over-par 74 and is tied for 135^th place at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at the 7,281-yard, par 70 No.2 Course at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., on Monday morning.

Weaver, a rising senior from High Point, N.C., was three over par after his first nine holes, despite at birdie on his first hole. He double-bogeyed the third hole, his 12^th hole of the day, to fall to five over for the round, but birdied the fifth hole to get back to plus-four.

He will tee off at 1:05 p.m., in Tuesday afternoon's second round from the first tee on the No. 4 Course. The top 64 advance following the conclusion of stroke play on Tuesday. Weaver has advanced out of stroke play in each of the past two years.

Former Virginia Tech golfer Brendon de Jonge shot a final round one-under-par 69 and earned his first-ever victory on the Nationwide Tour at the Xerox Classic at the 6,720-yard, par 70 Irondequoit Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., on Sunday afternoon.

De Jonge, Tech's all-time leader in stroke average, shot a four-day total of 13-under-par 267, a new tournament record. De Jonge entered the event 13^th on the Nationwide Tour's money list and the win moves him to second on the list. The top 25 earn PGA Tour cards for next year. De Jonge played on the PGA Tour in 2007. This was de Jonge's 99^th tournament on the Nationwide Tour.

A teammate of PGA Tour player Johnson Wagner at Virginia Tech, de Jonge completed his eligibilty in 2003. With de Jonge and Wagner, Tech finished eighth nationally in 2001 and 20^th in 2002 and de Jonge received All-America honors in 2002 and 2003..

Rookie Josh Morgan - a sixth round pick of the San Francisco 49ers - continues to impress in the preseason. The former Hokie star from Washington, D.C., caught five passes for 114 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown catch against Green Bay Saturday night. 

Be sure to check back later for a full story, but here are some quick numbers from Saturday's 96-play football scrimmage.

Passing
Taylor: 10-14; 101 yards
Glennon: 11-16, 63 yards

Rushing
Williams: 7-23
Pickle: 4-22
Oglesby: 8-21
Lewis: 7-19, 1 TD
Cheeseman: 7-17
Evans: 7-13
Boone: 3-12, 2 TDs
Roberts: 1-4

Receiving
Whitaker: 4-39
Roberts: 3-13
Boyce: 2-18
Boone: 2-17
Smith: 2-10
Williams: 2-7
Boykin: 1-17
Luckett: 1-14
Younger: 1-12
Drager: 1-8
Stanton: 1-8
Jefferson: 1-1

Punting
Bowden: 4-42.5 avg, 60 long
Saunders: 4-41.0 avg

Field Goals
Waldron: 35 no good; 28 good
Keys: 31 good; 26 good
Pisano: 24 good; 39 no good

Defensive Leaders
Warren: 6 tackles
Worilds: 4 tackles, 1 TFL
Whitley: 4 tackles
Reidy: 4 tackles
Grimm: 4 tackles
Johnson: 4 tackles
Brown: 4 tackles, 1 TFL
Graves: 4 tackles
O. Martin: 2 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack

Highlights
Roberts: 55-yard kickoff return
Garner: 31-yard punt return
Lewis: 34-yard kickoff return
Offense: 15 first downs (9 via pass); 12 penalties for 80 yards
Boone: 3 touchdowns (2 rush, 1 fumble recovery in end zone on muffed punt)
Defense: no penalties

Scoring
FG Keys 31
Boone 1 rush
Boone fumble recovery in end zone
Lewis 2 rush (goal line situation)
FG Pisano 24 (goal line situation)
FG Waldron 28 (short yardage situation)
FG Keys 26 (short yardage situation)
Boone 3 rush (goal line situation)

Final scrimmage: Friday, Aug. 22; 3:15 pm; Lane Stadium; open to public

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver recorded his best finish ever in a PGA Tour event and narrowly missed the cut at the 2008 Wyndham Championship on Friday afternoon at the 7,117-yard, par 70 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Weaver, a rising senior from High Point, N.C., fired his second consecutive one-under-par 69 and finished with a two-round total of two-under-par 138. He tied for 79^th place overall and missed the cut by one stroke.

This is Weaver's fourth appearance as an amateur at a professional event of this year and it marks the first time he has finished under par for such a tournament. He was invited into the field on a sponsor's exemption.

Weaver teed off Friday afternoon on the first tee and parred his first 13 holes before bogeying the par-four 14^th hole. He got back to even for the round with a birdie on far-four 17^th and then finished with a birdie on the par-four 18^th.

There is no rest for the weary, as Weaver is scheduled to tee off on Monday morning at 7:50 a.m., at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship on the historic No. 2 Course at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. Both Sedgefield Country Club and No. 2 at Pinehurst were designed by famed golf course architect Donald Ross.

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver opened with a one-under-par 69 in the first round of the 2008 Wyndham Championship on Thursday at the 7,117-yard, par 70 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C,

Weaver teed off in the morning from the 10^th tee and made the turn at one-over-par, but shot a two-under-par 33 on the front side, his second nine of the day. Weaver, a rising senior from nearby High Point, N.C., had four birdies and three bogeys on Thursday. He is currently tied for 76^th place.

On Friday afternoon, Weaver will tee off from the first tee at 1:50 p.m. He is grouped with Bob Heintz and Tommy Gainey. Heintz shot a seven-under-par 63 and is tied for the first round lead with Martin Laird.

Former Virginia Tech cheerleader Jesse Clowers Jr.  was honored Tuesday night in his hometown of Roanoke, as Roanoke County officials named the main football field at Penn Forest Elementary School after Clowers.
Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of Clowers’ death. A Green Beret staff sergeant, Clowers and two fellow officers were killed in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in the Nangarahar Province. He was just 27 years old and left behind a wife (Kaytie), a son (Jesse III) and a daughter (Dani). Clowers’ daughter was born after he had been deployed.
Clowers was a cheerleader for the Hokies for three years. He graduated in 2003 with a degree in business.
To read a nice story on Clowers, please check out the following link - http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/172785

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver will compete in the 2008 Wyndham Championship on Thursday at the 7,117-yard, par 70 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Weaver, a rising senior from nearby High Point, N.C., will tee off at 8:50 a.m. on Thursday morning from the 10th  tee in a group with Bob Heintz and Tommy Gainey. The trio will tee off Friday afternoon from the first tee at 1:50 p.m.

This is Weaver’s final PGA Tour event of the summer. He has also competed in the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley and the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods, along with his appearance in the 2008 Masters Tournament.

Weaver will compete in the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at the historic Pinehurst No. 2 course in Pinehurst, N.C., on August 18-24. Weaver is in the second year of a four-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur, earned by his 2007 British Amateur Championship.

Former Hokie Johnson Wagner, who won at the Shell Houston Open in April, has withdrawn from the Wyndham Championship. He is currently 50th in FedEx Cup points.

The Virginia Tech volleyball team opened its first week of practice for the 2008 season this week. Tech will have two-a-days until the fall semester starts. During practice the Hokies will do individual position work, 6 vs. 6 practice and other drills.

The 2008 team welcomes seven freshmen, from six different states to the squad along with 10 returnees. Local products Alison Blasingame an outside hitter from Yorktown, Va., and Kirsten Higareda, a libero from Woodbrige, Va., both had successful careers in Virginia state volleyball. Blasingame was Virginia’s 2007 AA State Player of the Year, while Higareda earned second-team all-state honors.

Justine Record of Redwood City, Calif., a member of the bronze-medal winning squad in the 18 open division at the 2008 U.S. Junior Nationals and Jennifer Wiker of Charlotte, N.C., and Charlotte Weekly’s Volleyball Player of the Year, accompany Blasingame as newcomers at the outside hitter position.

Rounding out the 2008 freshman class are: Kirsty Blue, a talented middle blocker from Geneva, Fla. who earned second-team all-state honors as a senior, setter Erin Leaser, who helped Allentown Central Catholic High School to the 2007 Pennsylvania AAA State Championship and Jessica Woody, a two-time letterwinning libero from Rowlett, Texas.

The Hokies open the season at home with the Hawthorn Suites Hokie Invitational on Aug. 29 and 30 at Cassell Coliseum. The squad’s first opponent is Maryland-Eastern Shore on Aug 29 at 7 p.m.

Be sure to check back later for a full story, but here are some quick numbers from Tuesday's football 78-play scrimmage.

Passing
Gelnnon: 6-10, 49 yards
Taylor: 6-10, 20 yards
Holt: 3-7, 17 yards

Rushing Leaders
Oglesby: 5-65, 1 TD
Evans: 7-26
R. Williams: 7-20
Younger: 1-16

Receiving Leaders
Parker: 3-19
Garner: 2-11
Whitaker 1-18

Punting
Bowden: 5-52.2 avg

Field Goals
Waldron: 35 - good; 25 - good; 44 - blocked; 38 - good
Myer: 32 - blocked
Demler: 42 - no good

Defense
Whitley: 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF
O. Martin: 5 tackles, 2 TFL
Porch: 4 tackles
Worilds: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FR
Sykes: 3 tackles, 1 FF
Grimm: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
Hill: 3 tackles, 1 sack

Highlights
Harris: 2 blocked FGs
Oglesby: blocked punt, 34-yard touchdown run

Injuries
No serious injuries reported by trainer Mike Goforth

The 2008 men’s soccer team kicks off their season at 12:01 a.m. early Wednesday morning, as the players will participate in the annual Cooper run, a two-mile run that participants must complete in under 12 minutes.

Tech will take the pitch on Wednesday, August 13 at 10 a.m. for the morning session and 4 p.m. for the night practice, opening the 2008 campaign.  The team will participate in the double-session training until Thursday, August 22.

The Hokies have scheduled two exhibition matches on Wednesday, August 20 against George Mason and Friday, August 22 against VCU.  Both games will be played at Tech Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m.    

Tech will look to exceed last season’s accomplishments, finishing third in the final NSCAA/adidas National Coaches Poll and ending the season with a 14-4-5 overall record.  The Hokies qualified for its first College Cup in school history in 2007.

 Virginia Tech women's tennis player Natalie Kretzer has been named as a 2008 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar Athlete. This is the second time she has received the honor.

Kretzer (Jr., Chesterfield, Va.), who saw limited action last season due to a wrist injury, posted a 4-1 dual match singles record. She is also a two-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must be a varsity letter winner, have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the current academic year, and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.
    

 

Here's the injury report for today's football scrimmage, as given by trainer Mike Goforth. The next injury report will be before Saturday's scrimmage. Stretching for today's festivities starts at 3:15 in the stadium. The 78-play scrimmage starts at 3:45 and it is open to the public.

Will Play:
    Nekos Brown (r hamstring)
    Purnell Sturdivant (l hamstring)
    Andre Smith (l quad)
    Jason Worilds (r quad)
Probable:
    Ryan Shuman (r thumb)
Questionable:
    Dustin Keys (r hamstring)
Doubtful:
    Danny Coale (l groin)
    Patrick Terry (l shoulder)
    Isaiah Hamlette (hip pointer)
Out:
    Lyndell Gibson (r hamstring; l ankle)
    Tim Pisano (r quad)
    Marcus Davis (l shoulder)
    Aaron Brown (shoulder)
    Ron Cooper (l knee)
    Joe Jones (l shoulder)
    Brandon Dillard (Achilles)

True freshman wide receiver Marcus Davis and freshman defensive lineman Joe Jones will both undergo surgery to repair injured right shoulders, according to head athletic trainer Mike Goforth. Both will be out for the year and will take a redshirt year. Goforth also announced that Ron Cooper will also have surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered last week.

The Tech football team held its annual media day on Saturday at Lane Stadium, and more than 50 media members met with head coach Frank Beamer, his staff and the entire squad.

The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team began practicing on Friday for the start of the 2008 season. The team took the field at 8:15 a.m., for the first of two sessions in preparation for a challenging fall schedule. The Hokies will spend the upcoming weeks training, learning to play together and conditioning as the squad looks to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last five years and to improve on last season’s 8-7-3 overall record.

In addition to a Maroon and White intra-squad scrimmage on Monday Aug. 11, Tech will also scrimmage the Brams United U-18 Canadian Youth Team on Friday Aug. 15 and will host Ohio University on Monday Aug. 18 in an exhibition match. Each scrimmage will give the players more experience in game-like situations and will also provide the coaching staff with an opportunity to evaluate the team’s progress and potential.

Following the Ohio exhibition match, the Hokies will have two last days of preseason practice before traveling to Davidson to take on the Wildcats on Saturday Aug. 23 in the season opener.

With NFL camp in full swing, hokiesports.com has decided to check in on some of the rookies and update you, as well, on some veterans.

The big news from Thursday night was the play of David Clowney. The Florida product was sensational against the Browns, hauling in four receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. His scores covered 71 and 70 yards to lead the New York Jets to a win on the road. Clowney was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2007, but never played and signed with the Jets last season. He will once again have the chance to play with Brett Favre, who was traded to New York on Thursday.

Justin Harper, who is trying to make the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver, caught one pass for 18 yards Thursday night against the New England Patriots. He started the third quarter and played the entire second half.

“It was great to be on the field again, but at the same time, this is all brand new to me,” Harper said. “I had some jitters coming out of the tunnel, seeing guys like Randy Moss on the other sideline, but that quickly went away and it was good to just go out and play football. I feel like I belong out here, but you never know what will happen. I just have to go out there and keep performing because you never know when you could be cut.”

Based on the number of interview requests for Tech coaches thus far from California media, receiver Josh Morgan (#84) is doing well for the 49ers. Reports say he could start tonight against Jake Grove, DeAngelo Hall and the Oakland Raiders, and he is making a push to make the team and to play. Also keep an eye on undrafted free agent D.J. Parker, who is wearing No. 41. He is battling to make the team and should play at free safety and special teams. He is third on the depth chart, but starter Mark Roman is hurt, so Parker could see a lot of action in the second half.

Brandon Flowers, a second-round draft pick, got the start at cornerback Thursday night for the Kansas City Chiefs and was credited with a tackle. All reports say he has locked up the starting spot for the Chiefs.

Duane Brown, a first-round pick of the Houston Texans wearing his familiar No. 76, is scheduled to start at left tackle Saturday night against the Denver Broncos. He won’t be the only Hokie starting in that game as receiver Eddie Royal, who wears No. 19 now, has been elevated to the No. 1 spot for Denver based on his impressive camp. Also look for fellow Hokies Brandon Frye (#73, third-string OT), André Davis (#11, second-string WR) and 2008 third-round pick Xavier Adibi (#52, second-string WLB) to see the field for the Texans. Carlton Powell was drafted by the Broncos, but is out for the year with a torn Achilles.

Defensive end Chris Ellis is second on the depth chart behind Chris Kelsay for the Buffalo Bills and makes his debut Saturday night.

Free agent Barry Booker is still hanging around with the Tennessee Titans and makes his debut Saturday night. He is joined in Tennessee by Vincent Fuller. Vince Hall and Josh Hyman were released and Kory Robertson retired. Finally, Justin Hamilton has re-signed with the Washington Redskins after being released May 30. He will play Saturday night against Ellis and the Bills.

NFL rosters must be cut down to a max of 75 players by Aug. 26 and then to the 53-man squad on Aug. 30. On Sept. 2, NFL teams can sign up to eight players to their practice squad and the season starts Sept. 4.

Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer has once again opened Tech's three preseason scrimmages, which will be held in Lane Stadium. Last year was the first time any of the scrimmages were opened to the public.

The scrimmages will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 16 and Friday, Aug. 22.

"I know our players enjoy performing in front of the crowds," Beamer said, "and I want our fans to create game-like conditions. We have so many players who'll be getting significant playing time, for the first time in their careers, that it's important that they get a feel for playing in front of a crowd in these scrimmages. Plus, it puts additional pressure on our kicking game, and we need to see how our specialists respond to that."

HAINING, China -- Former Virginia Tech standout Ieva Kublina was the only player for Latvia in double figures in a 63-51 loss to China in the third place game of the FIBA Diamond Ball for Women, an Olympic tuneup event. Kublina tallied 10 points with three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 19 minutes. The Latvians struggled throughout the contest shooting only 54 percent (15-of-28) from the free throw line and suffering 25 turnovers. In three games in the tournament, Kublina averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Latvia will open play in the 2008 Olympics on Sat. Aug. 9 against Russia in Group A. The Latvians defeated Russia, 74-69, in their opening game of the Diamond Ball tournament. The United States defeated current world champion Australia, 71-67, in the title game.

China 63, Latvia 51

Members of the Hokie football team reported to campus Sunday, checking in and having a team meeting the day before the team's first practice. Players were required to check in by 6:30 p.m., registering their vehicles, checking in with the training staff and filling out certain forms. 

Former Virginia Tech soccer star Patrick Nyarko, who left Blacksburg after his junior season when he was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Fire in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, made his first career start on Saturday against Chivas USA.

To make things even sweeter, Nyarko also scored his first career goal to give Chicago a 1-0 victory. Click here to view the game recap and watch highlights.

Nyarko was the 2007 runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and finished his collegiate career in third place on Tech’s all-time assist list (24), tied for third on the goals list (31), and in fourth on the points list (86).

HAINING, China -- Former Virginia Tech standout Ieva Kublina scored 10 points as Latvia hung tough with the United States before falling 84-74 Sunday night (local time) in the FIBA Diamondball Tournament which is a tuneup event for the Olympic Games. The contest was the first for the United States while Latvia fell to 1-1 in the event.

Latvia trailed only 71-67 before the US finally put the contest away with a 13-3 run. Kublina added four rebounds with one assist and a steal. Sylvia Fowles led five players in double figures for the US with 13 points. The Americans will next face Russia in pool play. Latvia defeated Russia, 74-69, earlier in the tournament. Kublina had eight points and three rebounds with one block in the victory.

United States 84, Latvia 74

Latvia 74, Russia 69