DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997                TAG: 9704130197

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: - PATTI WALSH

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

COLLEGE ROUNDUP

ODU rugby club

to dedicate field

for late teammate

Steven Morrison defied the odds.

Morrison pushed the envelope - asking more of his body daily than doctors thought was possible. He spent countless hours on the rugby field, strengthening his heart in one of the toughest and most physical of all sports.

Diagnosed at a young age with a defective heart valve, he refused to back down. Morrison turned his illness into inspiration - inspiration to both himself and those around him - and his memory serves as a reminder that every day should be lived to the fullest.

Now, the people Morrison encouraged to step beyond their limits are doing what they can to thank the athlete taken away at such a young age.

Starting Saturday, the Old Dominion Rugby Club will have a permanent reminder that one more player will be with them - at least in spirit - as they take the field.

The recently renovated Powhaten Field will be dedicated in Morrison's memory. The former member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and ODU rugby club, who died of cardiac arrest at age 20 in 1990, will be honored in a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. preceeded by Old Dominion's annual alumni matches.

With the help of Morrison's family and the KDR fraternity, a scholarship has been established. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the scholarship fund can contact ODU's development office at 683-3090.

At Christopher Newport:

BASEBALL: With at least seven games remaining, the Captains (18-14) have a chance to break the school record for victories (21) and six Hampton Roads starters are playing key roles. As of Monday, red-shirt freshman Derek Riebel (Nansemond-Suffolk) was leading the team in hitting (.352), RBIs (23) and slugging percentage (.636), was tied for the lead in home runs (five) and second in runs scored (24). Sophomore Drew Gregory (Isle of Wight) was hitting Lakes) was hitting .320 with 18 RBIs and a team-high 16 walks, freshman James Walsh (Ocean Lakes) was hitting .313, junior David Mitchell (Alliance Christian) was batting .292 with 14 stolen bases in 15 tries, senior Chris Honeycutt (Manor) had a .242 batting average with 19 RBIs and a team-low four strikeouts and sophomore Ed Gosman (Greenbrier Christian), who recently became the starting catcher, was hitting .290 with three home runs and nine RBIs and a slugging percentage of .645 in just 31 at-bats. Among pitchers, Steve Eudy (Great Bridge) had a 3-1 record as a reliever and part-time starter, Will Somerindyke (Green Run) had a 2-1 record primarily in relief and Scott Griffith (Southampton Academy) was 4-2 with a 4.06 ERA.

SOFTBALL: The Captains (27-7) have clinched at least a share of their seventh Dixie Conference title in the 1990s. Dee Shults, a sophomore from Bayside, is batting .407 with 25 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Jaci Morris, a freshman from Western Branch, has a 7-1 record with a 1.96 ERA and split a no-hitter against Maine (Presque Isle) with Julie Shelton.

Alumni update . . .

Emory junior Brad Davy (Norfolk Academy) achieved All-American status in the 200-yard medley relay with a school record 1:34.36 time in the NCAA Division III swimming championships. Davy also earned honorable mention All-American hoors in the 400-yard medley relay with a school record 3:27.11 finish. . . . Virginia Tech's Jennifer Cook (Portsmouth) broke a 14-year-old school record in the 100 meter high hurdles with a 14.28. Hokie teammate Brandi Smith (Portsmouth) also set a new school record in the triple jump with a 12.11 meter first-place finish.

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