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Tuesday, May 15, 2012 3:01 p.m.

VCU will officially join the Atlantic 10 starting July 1

by Elizabeth Traynor
Tony Taylor, men's basketball

Then-sophomore Tony Taylor drives around a VCU defender during the 2009-10 season. Hatchet File Photo.

VCU will join the Atlantic 10 July 1, the league announced Tuesday, coinciding with previous reports that the Rams would become the second new member of the A-10 following Butler.

VCU fields 16 of the A-10′s 21 championship sports and will enter league competition in the 2012-2013 season, bringing the total number of programs in the conference for the upcoming season to 15. The Rams were already scheduled as a non-conference opponent for the Colonials, and that game will now count among GW’s conference match-ups.

“It really is a pleasure and an honor for me to welcome Virginia Commonwealth University to the Atlantic 10 conference,” A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade said. “Accepting VCU for membership was a decision made with pride and with confidence.”

VCU’s addition is the latest in a series of shake-ups for the conference. The Rams and the Bulldogs replace Temple and Charlotte, which will depart the conference for the 2013-14 season.

Though the Rams will add an additional program to the schedule next season, McGlade said as of yet, there are no plans to switch to a divisional format. However, she added, the spring meetings for athletic directors are next week and there will be “strategic discussions” about creating schedules and a potential divisional format. A potential switch from 16 to 18 conference games in a season is also on the agenda, McGlade said.

“It was very important for VCU from a student-athlete wellness perspective, to have the ability to participate in championships,” McGlade said. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves and address our schedules and we will put together the very best conference scheduling for next year as we can.”

McGlade hedged around the issue of future expansion for the Atlantic 10, instead speaking on the Rams’ addition. The league will be “keeping an eye” on conference realignment, Michael Graham, Xavier University president and Chair of the Atlantic 10 Council of Presidents said. He underlined McGlade’s focus on VCU.

“All I know right now is that we are extremely happy and we feel extremely good about our current membership,” McGlade said. “That’s really all for today.”

VCU’s men’s basketball team has made 11 trips to the NCAA tournament, four coming in the last six years, including a 2011 trip to the Final Four. The Colonials faced the Rams in the BB&T Classic last season, falling 75-60.

VCU is another strong addition to a league that saw its postseason success grow this year, when eight institutions nabbed postseason bids, more than all but two conferences. It was the fifth year in a row the A-10 earned at least three bids and multiple at-large bids into the NCAA tournament.

“This is really an important opportunity that’s in the best interest of our university,” VCU president Michael Rao said. “We’ve got to be looking at next steps in relation to national competitiveness and this is that next step.”

Postseason bids are a large factor behind both Butler and VCU’s respective moves. Both Butler and VCU are in “one-bid” leagues where traditionally, only the program that wins the conference tournament earns a NCAA tournament bid.

The additions of the Bulldogs and Rams increase the Atlantic 10′s visibility, expanding it in two television markets. Butler will add the Indianapolis television market, ranked as the 26th largest media market, and VCU combines with Richmond for the Richmond, Va. market that ranks as the 57th largest in the country. Nine A-10 universities are already situated in the top 25 media markets in the country and last season, the A-10 saw its men’s basketball teams play in televised contests more than 350 times, a record for the league’s 36-year history.

“Once again, the A-10 has demonstrated that its place and commitment among the premier basketball conferences in the country is secure. Today’s addition of VCU to the Atlantic 10 is not only a significant boon to our basketball programs, but the reputation of the Rams’ athletic program as a whole gives our teams and fans across the board another exciting rival in close proximity,” GW athletic director Patrick Nero said in a release. “Congrats to the Atlantic 10 and Commissioner McGlade on yet another strong addition.”

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Monday, May 14, 2012 11:12 a.m.

CBSSports: VCU to join A-10 in 2013

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior forward Aaron Ware attempts to get a shot off over VCU senior forward Bradford Burgess. Hatchet File Photo

VCU will join the Atlantic 10 starting in 2013, CBSSports.com reported Monday morning, citing “industry sources” and following speculation the Rams would join the conference.

VCU will leave the Colonial Athletic Association to join the league. Its move follows a series of shake-ups among the A-10′s ranks, starting with the planned departure of Temple, the addition of Butler and the announced move of Charlotte from the conference. George Mason, once considered a potential new A-10 member along with VCU, announced last week that it would remain in the CAA.

A major factor behind VCU’s decision to join the Atlantic 10 is likely the increase in postseason opportunities. Both Butler and VCU are in “one-bid” leagues where traditionally, only the program that wins the conference tournament earns a NCAA tournament bid. This year, the A-10 advanced four programs to the NCAA tournament and another four to the NIT.

The Colonials faced the Rams in the BB&T Classic last season, falling 75-60.

 

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Saturday, May 12, 2012 4:31 p.m.

Tsipis announces hire of an assistant coach

by Elizabeth Traynor

Women's basketball head coach Jonathan Tsipis, seen here at his introductory press conference, continues to round out his staff. Hatchet File Photo

Newly hired women’s basketball head coach Jonathan Tsipis continues to round out his staff, announcing the hire of East Carolina assistant coach Shay Hayes as a Colonial assistant today.

“Proud to announce Shay Hayes as an assistant coach for our GW Women’s basketball family. She is a great coach and even better person,” Tsipis tweeted.

 

Hayes spent the past two seasons on the sidelines for East Carolina, including this year, when the Pirates 12-19 went before falling in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championship to Tulane. For four seasons prior to her time at East Carolina, Hayes worked at Holly Springs High School in Holly Springs, N.C., and coached basketball at Farmville Central High School in Farmville, N.C., from 1995 to 2006.

At Holly Springs, Hayes served as the assistant athletic director, and was the head coach for multiple sports teams, including girls’ basketball. She worked to develop and implement an athletic program at the school, also serving as chair of the health department and as a physical education teacher.

At Farmville Central, Hayes was the assistant athletic director from 2005-06 and lead the girls’ basketball team to the North Carolina 2A state title in 2006 and regional titles in 2004 and 2005. She’s picked up numerous awards over her high school coaching career, including the Carolina (2A) Conference Coach-of-the-Year  award for the 2005-06 season and the North Carolina 2A Coach-of-the-Year in 2006.

Hayes attended East Carolina, where she was a standout player for the Pirates from 1994-98, earning four letters and leading the team in steals over the 1997-98 season, with 34. In 1997, Hayes and East Carolina reached the CAA tournament final, defeating Richmond and VCU en route to the title game.

Hayes is the second hire for Tsipis’ staff, following associate head coach Megan Duffy. 

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Friday, May 11, 2012 5:33 p.m.

Nero tweets men’s basketball schedule updates

by Elizabeth Traynor
Director of Athletics Patrick Nero

Athletic director Patrick Nero, seen here at a press conference last year, tweeted information about the upcoming men's basketball season Friday. Hatchet File Photo

Athletic director Patrick Nero took to Twitter today to release information about the upcoming men’s basketball non conference schedule, including three high-profile opponents who will travel to Foggy Bottom over the next two years.

Kansas State, who the Colonials faced this year, Rutgers and Georgia are all on the books to compete in the Smith Center over the next two seasons, Nero tweeted.

Rutgers and Georgia are likely both home-and-home contracts, as Nero added in a later tweet that GW would head to both programs in the upcoming season. Notre Dame, Bradley, VCU, Boston University and JMU are all also non-conference road games for the Colonials next year, Nero added.

Toward the top of his priority list when constructing a schedule, the athletic director told a follower, are “high-level games and games in cities with a large @GWAlumni base.”

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Friday, May 11, 2012 12:44 p.m.

Washington Post: George Mason will not join Atlantic 10

by Elizabeth Traynor
women's basketball, Danni Jackson, George Mason University, Battle of the Orange Line

Then-sophomore forward Danni Jackson battles against George Mason opponents in the Smith Center. Hatchet File Photo

George Mason plans to remain in the Colonial Athletic Association, after being listed as a potential new member of the Atlantic 10, Steven Goff of The Washington Post tweeted today.

“[George Mason athletic director Tom] O’Connor: ‘we felt it was in our best interests to stay,’ citing history, geographic strength. ‘Good things in the CAA moving fwd’,” Goff tweeted.

Goff added that O’Connor said the Patriots were never officially offered A-10 membership, nor did they apply, but they did meet with league representatives before ultimately deciding to remain in the CAA.

George Mason’s addition would have been the second new member of the league, following Butler’s planned transition to the A-10. Following the departures of Charlotte and Temple, VCU remains on list of potential new programs for the conference.

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Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:59 p.m.

Three softball players named to all-conference teams

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior Kara Clauss releases a pitch toward her 49ers opponent earlier this season.

Softball seniors Lauren Wilson and Kara Clauss are both members of the Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference, while freshman Victoria Valos is a member of the all-conference rookie team. Wilson and Clauss are the first Colonials to earn all-conference honors since the 2008 season.

Wilson also earned a selection to the all-academic team. An exercise science major, the senior maintains a 3.92 GPA and has earned a 4.0 in four semesters over her tenure at GW. She is a two-time NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete, was named to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll all seven semesters as a Colonial, and recently earned recognition as a GW Distinguished Scholar for having the highest GPA in the School of Public Health and Health Services.

Clauss, who won a school-record 14 games this season, owns a 2.75 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 183.1 innings of work, including 15 complete games. Clauss also broke records with six shutouts, 29 games started and 35 appearances this season.

In her first season with the Colonials, Valos is hitting .314 with 26 RBIs, 26 runs scored, eight doubles and eight home runs. She’s started all games at shortstop, and leads the team with 49 hits, second in batting average and on-base percentage at .367 and owns third in homers, doubles, RBIs, runs and slugging percentage at .532.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012 11:06 a.m.

Men’s golf headed to Greensboro, N.C. for NCAA regional competition

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior Martin Liu of the men's golf team thanks the audience after the golf team was awarded the Moment of the Year for their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship. Hatchet File Photo

The men’s golf team will head to the Grandover Resort Golf Course in Greensboro, N.C. for the three-day NCAA Regionals competition May 17-19.

Hosted by North Carolina-Greensboro and the Greensboro Sports Commission, the Colonials will compete in their first NCAA regional since 2006 after claiming the A-10 championship April 29. 

13 teams and 10 individuals not on those teams compete at three different NCAA regional competitions, while three other regional competitions will have 14 teams and five individual players not on those teams. The top 30 teams and six individuals will advance to the NCAA Championship. At its regional competition, GW will compete against A-10 rival Charlotte, Auburn, UNLV, Florida, Duke, Indiana, Liberty, SMU, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Lamar, Lousiana-Lafayette and Mount Saint Mary’s.

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Monday, May 7, 2012 3:58 p.m.

Weekend round-up

by Elizabeth Traynor

Junior Autumn Taylor heads to home plate in game two of an earlier doubleheader against Dayton. Hatchet File Photo.

Correction appended

Here’s a look at how the Colonials fared in weekend action:

Baseball

GW traveled to Saint Joseph’s for a three-game stand over the weekend, falling in the first two contests but returning to win the final game Sunday.

In the first game of the weekend, the Colonials  (18-30, 4-14 A-10) returned from a two-run deficit to force extra play, but fell 5-4 in the 11th inning. Senior Matt Murakami hit a RBI single in the eighth, and in the ninth, senior Stephen Oswald drove in a run on a base hit to pull GW even with the Hawks. But Saint Joseph’s returned to score on a passed ball in the 11th, securing its victory.

GW recorded just two hits in its 4-0 loss Saturday, but returned Sunday to earn a 2-1 victory over its A-10 rival. Oswald hit an RBI single in the top of the first to give the Colonials a one-run lead, an opening gap that sophomore pitcher Aaron Weisberg maintained until the sixth. He allowed just one run in five innings of work with three strikeouts, but loaded the bases in the sixth before junior Kenny O’Brien stepped in to turn a double play and a ground out to end the inning.

O’Brien pitched four innings of hitless relief and sophomore Owen Beightol nailed the go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning to give GW the 2-1 win.

Softball

The Colonials split their action at Saint Louis this weekend but clinched an A-10 tournament berth with their opening victory.

Senior Kara Clauss tossed a four-hit complete game shutout, and saw her team get on the board in the sixth. An error allowed leadoff batter freshman Samantha Dos Santos reach base, before the bases were loaded and junior Julie Orlandi hit an infield single to drive Dos Santos home. The Colonials’ insurance run in their 2-0 victory came in the seventh, when junior Sandi Moynihan, also a Hatchet reporter, hit a one-out double to eventually score on a squeeze bunt from Dos Santos.

Saint Louis responded with an opening salvo in game two, using two hits and a GW error to score a run in the first. Junior Autumn Taylor stole home for the Colonials in the second, but the Billikens added another run in the third on a bases loaded walk. GW couldn’t answer that run, falling 2-1. Senior pitcher Heidi Penna allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in the complete game loss.

Women’s rowing

The women’s crew nabbed a second-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J., Saturday.

GW earned its best finish in the A-10 tournament since 2003, tallying a second-place finish in the Varsity 8 and fourth-place finishes in the JV8 and the Varsity 4.

Women’s rowing head coach Eric Carcich was named A-10 Coach of the Year at the end of the championship, the first GW coach to win the award since Steve Peterson in 2002.

This article was updated on May 7, 2012 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly spelled Owen Beightol’s name as Owen Beigthol.

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Friday, May 4, 2012 1:45 p.m.

Charlotte officially departs Atlantic 10

by Elizabeth Traynor
Tara Booker, womens basketball, bball

Senior forward Tara Booker tries to grab a rebound against Charlotte earlier this season. | Hatchet File Photo

Charlotte announced its departure from the Atlantic 10 conference Friday, marking the third change in the league’s lineup after the planned departure of Temple and addition of Butler to its ranks.

The 49ers will head to Conference USA, a decision largely guided by the university’s addition of a football program that will begin competition in its new conference in 2015. All other sports will transfer to Conference USA competition in 2013, the second time the 49ers have been a member of Conference USA after a stint from 1995 to 2005.

A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade released a statement Friday calling Charlotte a “valued member” of the league.

“The 49ers have a strong athletic program and the addition of football has opened different opportunities for their future,” McGlade said. “We are looking forward to their final year of competition in the Atlantic 10 and wish them success moving forward.”

Charlotte confirmed the news in a press release announcing the intention of the 49ers, who have been a member of the league for six years, to depart the A-10. Like Temple, the 49ers will likely pay a $1 million exit fee to leave the conference.

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Thursday, May 3, 2012 9:50 p.m.

Inaugural Georgey Awards honors student-athlete success

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior Martin Liu of the men's golf team thanks the audience after the golf team was awarded the Moment of the Year for their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship. Michael Boosalis | Hatchet Photographer

Student-athletes walked down a buff and blue carpet into Lisner Auditorium and to a stage area emblazoned with GW athletics logos, welcoming them to the inaugural Georgey Awards.

The night honored the University’s top athletic achievements, both on the individual and team levels, from this year.

Created by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, the overarching purpose of the awards ceremony was to further a sense of unity and camaraderie among the University’s intercollegiate athletics teams.

“[Athletic director] Patrick Nero came to us right in the beginning of the year and said ‘Hey guys, we need to do some sort of culminating event,’” SAAC President Lindsey Rowe said. “Everybody really came together and was excited for the night. You get to see each other all dressed up, which is great, and it really boosts the sense of community among athletes.”

Women’s lacrosse senior Sarah Phillips and men’s squash junior Islam El-Fiky won the Athlete of the Year awards. The Moment of the Year award, voted on by the University’s student-athletes, went to the men’s golf team’s first-ever Atlantic 10 championship.

Hosted by baseball senior Luke Mirabella and women’s soccer junior Molly Bruh, the ceremony opened with the University fight song as lights flashed over the crowd. Men’s tennis senior Richard Blumenfeld was the first to take the stage, playing “Levels” by Avicii on the piano as a highlights video from the athletics seasons played above.

“There’s a lot of things that go into on the field success every year, and a lot of that [doesn’t] get recognized,” Mirabella said. “And that was the main idea of the Georgey Awards. To have everybody recognized, everybody feel like they’re a part of something.”

Women’s rowing freshman Amanda Young and men’s tennis freshman Francisco Dias were the first to take home an award, winning the Rookie of the Year honors.

Men’s squash junior Islam El-Fiky speaks at the podium after winning the male Athlete of the Year award. Michael Boosalis | Hatchet Photographer

Next, cross country sophomore Kelly Bartz and senior Dan Kane nabbed the community service awards. The Best Athlete in a Supporting Role awards went to softball junior Kristi Saporito and men’s squash senior Adam Pistel, while the Mr. and Miss Colonials awards went to Rowe, also a senior on the women’s soccer team, and men’s swimming senior Marshall Seedorff.

The Red Auerbach award, presented in honor of alumnus Arnold “Red” Auerbach, recognized student-athletes that best embodied the legendary basketball coach’s leadership qualities. Taking home the inaugural award were softball senior Kara Clauss and Mirabella, who spoke about his experience walking onto the baseball team in his acceptance speech.

“To end up, come here, a place like this, was very comforting,” Mirabella said. “These guys, my teammates, my coaches, they’ve become my family almost. There’s a really strong feeling of camaraderie.”

The night also recognized teams for their collective accomplishments. The women’s soccer and men’s tennis teams won the academic team of the year awards, and the men’s tennis team also took home team of the year honors.

Non-athletes who played a large role in assisting athletics programs this season also received honors. The Student Supporter of the Year award went to Club Sports Council President Hugo Scheckter, and New York Yankees President Randy Levine, who was at the helm of the department-wide athletics review, won Colonials Philanthropist of the Year.

Karen Ercole, the associate director of athletics for educational support services, earned a standing ovation when she took home the Lend A Hand Administrator Award.

“We can’t do well without a series of support. Some of the support is your team, some of the support is the academic, the administration,” Rowe said. “A huge amount of support comes from donors and fans.”

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