Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994                   TAG: 9407250023
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Doug Doughty
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

BIG SOUTH GIVES RADFORD'S FONTAINE HER DUE

Fontaine, from Wytheville, was Radford's nominee for Big South Female Athlete of the Year over an impressive list of candidates that included Sue Williams (soccer), Shannan Wilkey (basketball) and Christie Epperly (gymnastics).

Williams set the Radford scoring record and was named Big South Player of the Year, Wilkey led the conference in scoring and was the tournament's most valuable player and Epperly twice went to the NCAA championships while setting numerous school records.

One of the factors in Fontaine's favor was her 3.7 grade-point average and previous recognition as one of the outstanding students at Radford. In addition, she played on Big South championship teams in volleyball and basketball.

Fontaine, named Roanoke Times & World-News female athlete of the year after her senior year at George Wythe High School, was an all-conference volleyball player at Radford and this past season led the team in kills and digs.

Fontaine has used up her volleyball eligibility, but will take classes at Radford in the fall and devote her full attention to basketball for the first time. She is working as a student-teacher in Europe this summer.

Radford's nominee for the men's award was Rachid Benjelloun, a senior from Casablanca, Morocco, who posted a 3.935 GPA and had a career record of 102-22 as the No.1 singles player for the Highlanders in men's tennis.

After soliciting nominations, the Big South did not pick conference men's and women's athletes of year, instead choosing to recognize the nominees in a newsletter. Radford traditionally has not chosen men's and women's athletes of the year.

MILAM MOVING: There is a strong possibility former William Fleming basketball star Terrell Milam, who is leaving VMI after two seasons, will transfer to Longwood College. Milam, who averaged 2.0 points for the Keydets last season, would be eligible immediately for the Lancers because they compete in Division II.

HINES ON CHART: Current Fleming guard Derrick Hines, a first-team All-Group AAA selection as a junior, has been rated 49th by basketball recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons in his rating of the top 500 juniors in the country after last season.

nThe nation's top-rated point guard, 6-1 Stephon Marbury from Brooklyn, N.Y., is a Kenny Anderson fan who likes Georgia Tech. North Carolina is considered the leader for 6-5 Vince Carter of Daytona Beach, Fla., the No.4 player on Gibbons' list, and Duke may be the team to beat for 6-9 Taymon Domzalski of Lovington, N.M., Gibbons' No.5 prospect.

LASSITER REVISITED: The NCAA has awarded an extra season of eligibility to Kansas defensive back Kwamie Lassiter, who signed with - but never played for - Virginia Tech.

Lassiter, from Newport News, began his college career at Butler County (Kan.) Community College before signing with Tech in the winter of 1991. It turned out Tech could not accept him, although he was eligible under NCAA guidelines.

It would not have been an issue had Lassiter, an All-Big Eight Conference selection in 1992, not suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of last season. The NCAA, after verifying Kansas' information with Tech, agreed to let Lassiter play in his sixth year of college.

SMALL COLLEGE: Old Dominion Athletic Conference commissioner Dan Wooldridge, addressing a Norfolk Sports Club meeting, said he would like to see Virginia Wesleyan become the ODAC's seventh football-playing member. Wooldridge also said he may retire as commissioner in two years.

SOCCER: Davidson College, site of the NCAA men's soccer semifinals and final this year for the third year in a row, will serve as host for matches on 11 consecutive Wednesday nights featuring teams from the Middle Atlantic region against national powers such as Indiana, UCLA, St.Louis and Creighton.

Represented will be the winners of the past12 Division I championships, including San Francisco, which meets reigning three-time NCAA champion Virginia on the first Wednesday night, Aug.31. Two weeks later, Davidson will make its lone appearance, against UCLA. All of the games will be televised on cable's Prime Network.

nPhil Benne, women's soccer coach at Roanoke College, is accompanying the Roanoke Star Under-15 White team on its three-week tour of Denmark and Germany. The group left Tuesday and will play in two tournaments, plus two or three single games, before returning Aug.8.

NON-REVENUE: Brooke Adams, a Lord Botetourt High School graduate, will attend the University of Kentucky on a four-year partial swimming scholarship. Adams, of Daleville, was a member of the Roanoke Gators swim club.

nElizabeth Bahn, one of Washington and Lee's top volleyball players, has decided to join the Generals' women's basketball team. Bahn and W&L's top rebounder, Sandra Holmes, are from Olympia, Wash.

nCharlie Gunter, who played football and baseball at Salem High School and coached several sports this past season at Glenvar, has been named assistant softball coach at Radford University. ... Jeff Woods, Radford University's softball and field hockey coach, was an assistant coach on the U.S. Senior National Field Hockey team that toured the British Isles this summer.