Football: College opens season ranked in multiple polls
After finishing the regular season ranked 20th in the nation, the Tribe has earned the respect of the media before the start of the 2009 season, garnering top-20 rankings in multiple publications. Athlon Sports slotted the College as the 11th best team in the FCS, while Lindy’s Magazine gave the Tribe its lowest spot at no. 16. The Sporting News and Phil Steele’s Magazine gave the College the no. 12 overall position, while Any Given Saturday and USA Today ranked it 13th and 14th respectively.
Basketball: Men, women release tough non-conference schedule
The College released the non-conference schedules for the men’s and women’s basketball programs this week. A difficult game at the University of Connecticut, a Final Four team a year ago, opens the men’s season on Nov. 13, while the team hosts rival University of Richmond six days later on the 19th. Two ACC foes, Wake Forest University and the University of Maryland, will receive visits from the Tribe on Nov. 28 and Dec. 30, respectively. The women will open the season at Kaplan Arena Nov. 15, hosting Radford University. Notable road trips include a visit to the University of Iowa, a NCAA tournament team last year, on Nov. 24 and a visit to the west coast for the Seattle Redhawks Classic Thanksgiving weekend. The women will also have a short stay in Gainesville, Florida as they play in the two-day Florida Gators Classic Dec. 20-21.
Baseball: Tribe’s Landry drafted by Orioles in 21st round
Senior pitcher Kevin Landry signed with the Baltimore Orioles in June after being selected with the fifth pick of the 21st round of the MLB amateur draft earlier that month. The righthander became the 12th Tribe player drafted in the last seven years. The 6’7” Virginia native was selected after leading the CAA in strikeouts this past spring, notching 91 in 76 1/3 innings.
NFL: McDermott ’98 named Eagles’ defensive coordinator
The Philadelphia Eagles tapped Sean McDermott ’98, a standout free safety for the Tribe through the mid-1990s, as their new defensive coordinator last month. The four-year letterwinner for the College has been with the Eagles’ organization for nine seasons, first coordinating scouting efforts and then eventually coaching the linebacker and defensive back positions. He will succeed Jim Johnson, who died of melanoma this summer.
