GOLF
Oakley Gee, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, shot a 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the 67th Eastern Amateur on Wednesday at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club in Portsmouth.
Gee had eight birdies, including one on his last hole, and one bogey on the day.
Robb Kinder, a former All-American at Christopher Newport, is a shot back at 6-under 64.
Six golfers are tied at 4-under 66, including Illinois commit Trey Marrion of Chesapeake and Virginia Tech’s David Stanford.
The four-round tournament is scheduled to conclude Saturday.
- Former UVA star Lauren Greenlief posted a 2 and 1 victory over 16-year-old Kanchana Duangsam to win her third VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday at River Bend Club in Great Falls. Greenlief earned an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, which will be held Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
DRAG RACING
NHRA great Force goes home
NHRA drag racing great John Force has been discharged from the hospital where he was undergoing rehabilitation for a traumatic brain injury sustained in a fiery, 300-mph crash at the Virginia Nationals last month.
The 75-year-old was released from Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, according to a statement from John Force Racing on Tuesday.
“He finally gets to sleep in his own bed,” Ashley Hood, one of Force’s daughters, said in the statement.
COLLEGE TENNIS
W&M teams earn academic honors
The William & Mary women’s tennis team has earned the ITA All-Academic Team honor, and five Tribe players have been named Scholar-Athletes.
Emma Fernald, Hedda Gurholt, Ine Stange, Mila Mejic and Yaelle Vaissaud picked up the individual honors.
It marks the 11th straight year that W&M has received the team honor.
To earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must have a grade point average of at least 3.50. All-Academic teams must boast a team GPA of 3.20 or higher.
Meanwhile, the W&M men’s tennis team picked up the All-Academic Team honor for the eighth straight year and placed four players on the Scholar-Athlete list: Nikita Bortnichek, Bill Duo, Albert Hansen and Alexander Karman.
- The Hampton men’s and women’s tennis teams both collected ITA All-Academic Team honors. Five Pirates men’s players — Aryan Arora, Daniel Flynn, Donte Armbrister, Emiliano Jorquera and Shine Tokas — and three women’s players — Alisia Manolescu, Meiri Okuwaki and Sofia Sokolova — have been named Scholar-Athletes.
Briefly
- North Carolina Central senior defensive back Kole Jones, a former Oscar Smith High star, has been named to the All-MEAC Preseason Team. Last season, he had 56 tackles with two forced fumbles and an interception.
- Fifteen Christopher Newport football players have made the New Jersey Athletic Conference All-Academic Team: Carter Applewhite, Ethan Barham, Derick Sarpong, Jacob Carmichael, Ryan Castle, Baylor Gallagher, Nick Hamer, Xander Jedlick, Connor Kirley, Christian Lee, Nathan Lobred, Enzo Paradiso, Jackson Phillips, Cole Richardson and Nick Zywicki. Four of the players are from Hampton Roads: Barham (Grassfield), Jedlick (Ocean Lakes), Lobred (Hickory) and Richardson (Menchville).
- The William & Mary women’s lacrosse team has been selected as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad, and 11 of its players made the Academic Honor Roll: Meg Baxter, Anna Dawson, Claire Doto, Caroline Hertzberg, Olivia Gladstein, Tara Kerr, Abby Morley, Elise Palmer, Delaney Roth, Isabella Schweitzer and Courtney Vasquenza.
- Seven players from the Christopher Newport men’s lacrosse team hauled in All-State accolades from the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Alex Brendes, Warner Cabaniss, Andrew Cook and Ryan Young each made the first team, while Coby Auslander, Zac Hanway and Drew Miller were on the second team.
- Six Christopher Newport women’s lacrosse players have been named to the IWLCA National Academic Honor Roll: Hope Hunter, Julia Iapicca, Eleanor Collins, Emma Jackson, Maelyn Eversole and Kelsey Winters. Hunter and Iapicca made the team for the third straight year.
- Virginia Wesleyan third baseman Thomas Crandall and first baseman Micah Fox have been named to the VaSID All-State second team. Crandall hit .381 with 36 RBIs, 50 runs and 14 stolen bases. Fox led the Marlins with a .407 batting average and 41 RBIs.
- The Christopher Newport women’s basketball team has made the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for the second consecutive season. The Captains posted a 3.546 team GPA during the 2023-24 academic year.
- Three Christopher Newport sailors — Ellie McFall, Laura Smith and Gail Schneider — have been named to the 2023-24 Intercollegiate Sailing Association All-Academic Team.
