THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 30, 1995 TAG: 9503300448
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Cox High two-sport standout Matt Whalen signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play soccer at Virginia Tech.
Whalen chose Tech over a host of top-20 programs, including four-time defending national champion Virginia, William and Mary, Old Dominion University, James Madison and the Naval Academy, which was recruiting Whalen for both soccer and basketball.
Whalen based his decision on Tech's architecture program.
``Once I got into their school of architecture, my decision was easier,'' Whalen said. ``That was the main thing I was focusing on.''
As a junior, Whalen was named the state Group AAA soccer Player of the Year and was The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star All-Tidewater Player of the Year.
At 6-foot-5, Whalen is a menace to opponents when in the air and displayed one of the area's stronger shots last season. He scored22 goals and led Cox to the state final after moving to forward midway through the campaign. He is expected to return to a more natural midfield or back position at Tech.
Tech, which was 10-8-1 last fall, moves to the Atlantic 10 Conference next season.
Whalen also scored 1,028 career points in an outstanding high school basketball career, leading the Beach District in scoring his junior and senior seasons. He did not rule out trying out for Tech's basketball team as a walk-on, but said it was unlikely. ILLUSTRATION: As a junior, Matt Whalen was the state Group AAA soccer Player
of the Year.
by CNB