Sports Briefs

ODU breaks ground for Powhatan Sports Center
Old Dominion broke ground in August for the Powhatan Sports Center, a $17 million complex that is expected to open next summer.

It will feature a 1,500-seat field hockey and lacrosse stadium; two practice fields for football; and a building that houses offices, locker rooms, athletic training and strength training areas, and video editing/projection suites.

President Roseann Runte called the center a tribute to the success of the women’s athletic program and a milestone in the development of the football program.

Announcers named for basketball games
Ted Alexander, news and sports reporter for WTKR-TV, and Tony Mercurio, sports director at ESPN Radio 1310, will lead the radio announcer teams for the men’s and women’s basketball game broadcasts, respectively, on 94.1 FM and coach’s shows on ESPN Radio.

The men’s basketball coach’s show airs Mondays from 6-7 p.m.

Mercurio, in his 17th year as the voice of the Lady Monarchs, will anchor the women’s basketball coach’s show on Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m.

Athletes excel on the field, in the classroom
Monarch athletic teams captured the Virginia Sports Information Directors trophy as the winningest Division I program in the state last season.

ODU student-athletes also enjoyed success in the classroom. Eight of the 16 intercollegiate teams posted an overall team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, while 127 of the 267 student-athletes (48 percent) achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher, and 22 had a 3.75 or higher GPA.

Verlander tosses no-hitter
Former ODU ace Justin Verlander (’04) pitched a no-hitter June 12 for the Detroit Tigers and later was selected to the American League All-Star team.

Through mid-September, the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year had a 17-5 record and 3.47 ERA.

Assoc. athletic director for football joins staff
Bruce Stewart, formerly the senior associate athletic director of finance at Coastal Carolina University, has joined ODU as associate athletic director. He will have significant administrative responsibilities for football.

Stewart played a key role in the addition of football to Coastal Carolina’s athletic curriculum six years ago. He also served as an adjunct professor of business law from 1998-2000.