Region/state roundup: William & Mary drops to 22nd, 24th in FCS polls

William & Mary (4-3) fell to No. 22 in the Stats Perform poll and to No. 24 in the FCS coaches’ poll after its 34-24 home loss Saturday to Towson. The Tribe might need to win its last four games to qualify for the playoffs.

The other ranked Coastal Athletic Association teams in the Stats Perform poll are: No. 5 Delaware (6-1), No. 19 Villanova (5-2) and No. 20 New Hampshire (4-3).

Nov. 4 kickoff times, networks set

Many Nov. 4 kickoff times and networks were announced Monday.

Virginia’s home game against Georgia Tech will start at 2 p.m. on the CW Network, WGNT in Hampton Roads. Virginia Tech’s clash at Louisville will begin at 3:30 on ACC Network.

Also on Nov. 4, Old Dominion’s home game against Coastal Carolina and 25th-ranked James Madison’s clash against Georgia State in Atlanta both will start at 3:30 p.m. ODU’s game will be on ESPN+, while JMU’s will be on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. That determination will be made after this weekend’s game.

UVA gains numerous honors

Virginia’s Tony Elliott was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after the Cavaliers upended No. 10 North Carolina 31-27.

The award honors a coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week while also embodying scholarship, leadership and integrity.

UVA was chosen as the National Team of the Week by the College Football Writers Association. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers’ James Jackson was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week and Malik Washington the ACC Receiver of the Week.

Jackson had six tackles and two quarterback hurries before his clinching interception. Washington had 12 catches for 115 yards, and he scored the go-ahead touchdown. Washington also was named the East West Shrine Bowl Breakout Offensive Player of the Week by that game’s representatives.

MEAC honors Norfolk State kicker

Norfolk State place-kicker Grandin Willcox has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Specialist of the Week.

The sophomore accounted for 11 points in the Spartans’ 27-23 loss at Howard.

Willcox made all three of his field-goal attempts and both of his PATs against the Bison, including a 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The kick marked his career long and was just one yard shy of tying the Norfolk State record.

Two JMU players capture awards

JMU lineman Jalen Green (defense) and punter Ryan Hanson (special teams) were named College Football Network National Players of the Week after the Dukes’ 20-9 victory at Marshall, as well as Sun Belt Players of the Week.

Green had a school-record five sacks, and six of Hanson’s seven punts were downed inside the Marshall 10-yard line — including three at the 1.

JMU to face Louisville in 2025

James Madison announced it has signed a single-game contract to play at Louisville in 2025, while its matchup at Virginia Tech has been moved back a year to 2026.

The Dukes will travel to Louisville on Sept. 6, 2025, in the programs’ second meeting. The two met for the first time on Nov. 5, 2022, a 34-10 home win for the Cardinals. JMU hasn’t lost since.

In 2025, the Dukes will open the season Aug. 30 when they host Tennessee Tech of the FCS Ohio Valley Conference. This will be the first meeting between the teams.

Ex-Maury CB cleared for Clemson

Clemson cornerback Sheridan Jones, a former Maury High standout, missed a game against Wake Forest because of headaches. According to reporter Jon Blau of the Post and Courier in Charleston, Jones was tested for AVM, a brain issue that affected his late father, who died of seizures.
Jones was cleared and is taking medication for headaches, according to Blau.

Marshall defender’s condition improving

Marshall defender JJ Roberts, who left Thursday night’s loss to James Madison on a stretcher, is back with the Thundering Herd and is working to be cleared to play. In the Sun Belt’s weekly media session, coach Charles Huff said Roberts won’t play Saturday against Coastal Carolina but could clear concussion protocol this week.

“JJ’s doing phenomenal,” Huff said. “Hats off to our medical team. … All the tests came back negative.”

COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

Landstown graduate gains USA South award

Methodist freshman goalkeeper Trey Gohr, from Virginia Beach’s Landstown High, was named the USA South Athletic Conference’s Defender of the Week. He made two saves in a 3-1 win over N.C. Wesleyan and four in a 2-1 victory at Brevard.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S SOCCER

No. 1 CNU sweeps C2C awards

Christopher Newport, the nation’s top-ranked Division III team, gained both Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference honors.

Kyleigh Gough was the Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a penalty kick in a 1-0 victory over No. 17 Swarthmore and also netting a goal against Roanoke.

Goalkeeper Amy Sidaway was named the Defensive Player of the Week after posting shutouts in those games. She has a 0.09 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage, ranking second in the nation in both categories.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

NSU gains two MEAC awards

Norfolk State picked up two conference accolades for a successful weekend of road competition.

Sophomore Sydney McCree was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Setter of the Week, while freshman outside hitter Gabrielle Gilbert was named the Player of the Week.

The recognitions come after the Spartans picked up a 3-1 victory at North Carolina Central (25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 25-9) on Friday before sweeping South Carolina State 3-0 Sunday afternoon (25-12, 25-18, 25-17).

Gilbert led the Spartans with 22 kills on Friday, adding seven digs, three blocks and two aces. She recorded 15 kills and a .522 hitting percentage Sunday, also racking up six digs, one block, and one assist.

Playing in her hometown of Durham, McCree tallied 41 assists, seven digs, six kills and three aces in the win over the Eagles, producing a .857 hitting percentage. She recorded 31 assists, six digs and four aces against the Bulldogs.

COLLEGE MEN’S GOLF

ODU tied for second with one round to go

Old Dominion shared second place with East Carolina entering the final round of the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate tournament at Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, North Carolina.

The Monarchs shot 289-294 for a 15-over-par 583, equaling East Carolina. Those teams enter the 8 a.m. Tuesday final round eight strokes behind Drexel in the field of 15 teams.

Longwood (594) was eighth, Navy (627) 15th.

Drexel’s Drue Nicholas held the individual lead at 4 under, a stroke ahead of Radford’s Bryce Corbett. Jakob Henriksson was pacing ODU, holding seventh at 2 over par.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S GOLF

ODU 11th after one round; Great Bridge grad shares fourth

Old Dominion was 11th among 12 teams after 18 holes of the Ally tournament in West Point, Mississippi.

The Monarchs shot a 19-over-par 307, while Indiana led at 7-under 281, three strokes better than Mississippi State. James Madison held fourth at 291, with Great Bridge High graduate Kendall Turner of the Dukes sharing fourth place individually with a 3-under-par 69 at Old Waverly Golf Club.

Indiana’s Caroline Craig and Mississippi State’s Surapa Janthamunee held the lead at 67.

COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY

CAA awards Tribe’s Curran

William & Mary’s Lauren Curran, whose six points in three games helped the Tribe clinch a berth in the four-team Coastal Athletic Association Tournament, was named the conference’s Player of the Week.

CNU takes two honors

Unbeaten Christopher Newport swept Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference honors after a pair of victories, with goalkeeper Lily Kerr named the Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season and freshman Caroline Hughlett named the Offensive Player of the Week.

Kerr had a .938 save percentage and 15 stops, including 13 in the sixth-ranked Captains’ 3-1 victory over No. 5 Salisbury. Hughlett scored once against Salisbury and twice in a 6-0 victory at Centre in Kentucky.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS

UVA pair takes region title

Virginia senior Hibah Shaikh and graduate student Natasha Subhash won the ITA Atlantic Regional doubles title on Liberty’s courts in Lynchburg.

Shaikh finished as the runner-up in the singles tournament. She beat Maryland’s Kallista Liu 6-2, 6-2 in a semifinal before losing 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to the Terrapins’ Selma Cadar in the final.

In doubles, Shaikh and Subhash edged Liza Askarova and Alexandra Staiculescu of Delaware 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) in a semifinal and routed Cadar and Mary Brumfield 6-0, 6-0 in the final.

Both of those Cavaliers advanced to the ITA Fall Nationals from Nov. 1-5 in San Diego.

Alexandra Viktorovitch and Sofia Johnson led ODU by winning three pro-sets to reach the doubles quarterfinals. Both of them won two singles matches to advance to the singles round of 16.

NFL

Ex-Hokie traded from Eagles to Titans

Safety Terrell Edmunds, a former Virginia Tech star, and fifth- and sixth-round draft picks are being traded from Philadelphia to Tennessee in exchange for All-Pro defensive back Kevin Byard.

PRO BASEBALL

Ex-Denbigh player signs with pro team

Former Denbigh High, Eastern Mennonite and James Madison outfielder Jaylon Lee signed for the 2024 season with the Missoula PaddleHeads of the Pioneer League.

In his lone season with JMU (31-25), Lee played in 45 games in 2023, hitting .269 with four home runs, 24 RBIs and five steals while playing primarily as a designated hitter and right fielder. With EMU, he was a three-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference player.

Lee became the third 2023 JMU player to sign a pro contract. Jack Cone, who played for William & Mary before going to the Dukes, and Kyle Novak both signed with Frontier League teams — Cone with the Washington Wild Things and Novak with the Joliet Slammers.

NBA

Pistons sign former VCU player

Former VCU standout Treveon Graham signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Detroit Pistons. It’s a one-year deal worth the minimum league salary.