THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504160214
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEVIN DOEPP, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
With his victory over 13th-ranked Brian Stanton of Florida State, Old Dominion tennis standout Miguel Rosa has arrived.
Coming into this season as the Monarchs' No. 1 singles man, Rosa had hopes of being ranked in the top 100. With his national ranking of 45th, Rosa is the second-highest-ranked Monarch ever.
``Being ranked was my main goal,'' Rosa said. ``And after I beat Stanton, I knew that I could play with the best and beat them.''
Rosa, a junior from Londrina, Brazil, was 9-3 in the fall and won 15 of his first 19 matches this spring. He also is ranked 13th in the South Region.
Rosa has a great deal of admiration for head coach Darryl Cummings and assistant coach Carol Daniels. It was they who opened his eyes to how good he really could be.
``Coach Cummings has really brought my game together,'' Rosa said. ``He told me how to be more effective when I play. He knew that I was good enough to beat those guys ranked ahead of me.
``Coach Daniels helped me work on the psychological part of my game.''
Part of the psychological toughness has to do with losing, which is something Rosa, along with most competitive athletes, has trouble with.
``I get real frustrated when I lose,'' Rosa said. ``I think about it for a while and analyze it. After a couple of hours I clear my mind,and I am ready to play again.''
Rosa and his teammates have matches upcoming against Hampton and Norfolk State. Rosa views them as tuneups for the CAA tournament, to be held at Old Dominion Friday through Sunday.
In order for Rosa and the Monarchs to advance to the regionals in May, they will have to be one of the top eight teams in the region.
``Right now we are 10th in the region,'' Rosa said. ``It is going to be tough.''
MONARCHS REPORT: As of Friday, outfielder Maika Symmonds was seventh in the nation in triples with eight. He also led the team in hitting at .372 and in home runs with seven. First baseman Robert Morgan was sixth in the nation in doubles with 19. Centerfielder Kevin Gibbs, who has been out of the lineup with stitches in his leg after a collision at home plate, was eighth in the nation in steals. The Monarchs were 13th nationally in runs scored with 333. . Olympic Festival women's basketball trials in the field house Friday through Sunday. The times are 6:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. Admission is free to the public. . . . ODU's sailing team placed second in the MAISA team race district championships and has qualified for the Collegiate Team Race Sailing National Championships, to be held May 30 through June 1 in Alamitos Bay, Calif.
MARLINS REPORT: Entering the weekend, Todd Wait led the Virginia Wesleyan baseball team in batting with a .311 average. Wait also led the team in steals with 16 in 18 attempts. Other team leaders included Salem graduate Danny Hierholzer in home runs with four and Jason Williams in RBIs with 18. Former Cox standout Billy Kachuba is the ace of the pitching staff with a 5-1 record and a 3.88 earned-run average. Brad Mazur had the best ERA at 3.11; he also had struck out 69 batters in 66 2/3 innings pitched. After a 4-2 loss to Chowan on Friday, the Marlins were 13-17, 7-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. . . . The Lady Marlins softball team is 18-14, 12-4 in the ODAC. As of midweek, Jackie Cordery led the team in hitting at .402. Cordery also was tops in triples with six. Lisa Newman led in runs batted in with 21. The pitching staff had an ERA of 2.63. Kelly Wilson paced the staff in strikeouts with 24. . . . The men's lacrosse team is enjoying a successful season with a 6-5 record. Tom McGurty has scored 45 goals, third nationally in Division III and first in the ODAC. Goalie Mike Doherty is second in Division III in save percentage at .674. He has 230 saves and gives up only 10 goals a game.
HERE AND THERE: Christopher Newport junior catcher Cathy Riddick (Churchland) and junior outfielder Tara McClenney (Nansemond River) have earned first-team All-Dixie Conference honors. . . . Randy Bracy, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Orlando, Fla., and Bobby Fitzgibbons, a 6-8, 220-pound forward who is transferring from Wake Forest, have signed letters-of-intent to attend William and Mary. Fitzgibbons joins his brother Terry on the Tribe roster. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
At No. 45, Miguel Rosa is the highest-ranked tennis player in Old
Dominion history.
by CNB