Nov. 10, 2009

FOOTBALL

• Georgia Tech leads the nation in time of possession, averaging 34:56 minutes per game, while the Yellow Jackets and Clemson Tigers are two of only four schools in the country to be ranked in the AP Top 25 in both football and men’s basketball.

• Last weekend had to be career weekend in the ACC because no fewer than five ACC running backs ran for their career bests, including Miami’s Graig Cooper (152) against Virginia, North Carolina’s Ryan Houston against Duke (164), Clemson’s C.J. Spiller (165) against Florida State, Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams (179) against East Carolina and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer (189) against Wake Forest.

• When Clemson scored its 40th point in its 40-24 win over Florida State, it marked the 25th time an ACC team has scored 40 or more points this year and it tied the Conference’s all-time high for 40-point performances set in 1999.

• Virginia Tech freshman tailback Ryan Williams now needs 157 yards to set a single-season ACC rushing record for freshmen. Williams now has 1,109 yards this year and trails teammate Darren Evans (1,265), who is sitting out this year with a knee injury, and North Carolina’s Amos Lawrence (1,211) on the conference freshman rushing list.

• For the second time in three weeks, Clemson’s C. J. Spiller set a school record for all-purpose yardage in a game. On Oct. 24, Spiller totalled 310 yards in the Tigers 40-37 overtime win over 8th-ranked Miami. This past week Spiller piled up 312 yards in Clemson’s 40-24 win over Florida State.

• Maryland wide receiver/kick returner Torrey Smith has shattered his own ACC record for most kickoff return yardage in a season with 1,113 yards. Smith, who returned kickoffs for 1,089 yards last year to set the mark, topped that Saturday against NC State, as he returned his 2nd kickoff for a score this year and third for his career. Smith, who already ranks 4th on the ACC career list for kickoff return yardage, is averaging 26.5 yards a return this year.

• Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner have had many similarities in their careers. Both are four-year starters, in fact both had their first career starts in the same game in 2006. Both will likely have their final, regular season starts against each other on Nov. 28, when Wake Forest travels to Duke. They both have thrown for 9,000 yards. In fact, this week, they both have thrown for exactly 9,163 yards and are tied for 6th place on the ACC career passing yardage list.

MEN’S SOCCER

• The ACC is the only league to have more than two teams represented in the top 10 of the NCAA RPI. In fact, the ACC has four of the top 10 and six of the top 20 RPI teams.

• In 22 years of ACC Men’s Soccer Championship history, the regular season champion or a team that shared the regular-season crown has won the tournament trophy only 10 times. The last time was Boston College in 2007. This year's Men's Soccer Championship, which pits Wake Forest as the No. 1 seed, begins play on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and concludes on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.

• Wake Forest and North Carolina, two teams that share the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season crown, join Maryland and Virginia, with four honorees apiece on this year's All-Conference Men’s Soccer first and second teams.

• Ten ACC men’s soccer student-athletes were selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III first and second-teams, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced. The league was represented by four first-teamers and six second-team members. Duke led the ACC with four honorees, including two first-teamers of midfielder Josh Bienenfeld and defender Matthew Thomas.

• The Tar Heels wrap up the regular season with a 13-2-2 overall mark and a 5-2-1 conference record to finish at the top of the league table for the first time since 2000.

• Boston College finished the regular season winning six of their final seven contests, including back-to-back wins over second-ranked teams in the nation (North Carolina and Wake Forest).

• The Demon Deacons, who were picked fourth in the ACC's preseason poll, earned a share of the conference's regular season title with North Carolina. The regular season championship is the second consecutive for Wake Forest and the fifth in program history. In addition, Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich was selected as the 2009 ACC Coach of the Year, the fifth Coach of the Year honor of his career,

WOMEN’S SOCCER

• North Carolina senior Casey Nogueira continues to be a prime time performer. With two goals in the first 13 minutes of Sunday’s ACC Women’s Soccer Championship title game, Nogueira secured MVP honors in the event for the second straight season. Nogueira was also the Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 Women’s College Ciup, when her two second-half goals lifted the Tar Heels to a 2-1 win over Notre Dame in the title game.

• ACC champion North Carolina and fellow nationally Top 10-ranked teams Florida State and Boston College lead a group of eight Atlantic Coast Conference teams that have been selected to compete in 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship...The 64-team field, announced Monday night, features North Carolina and Florida State as No. 1 national seeds, while Boston College will compete as a No. 2 seed ... Wake Forest and Virginia Tech made the field as No. 3 seeds, and Maryland is a No. 4 national seed ... Virginia and Duke also made the field, giving the ACC a league-record tying eight teams in the tournament for a third straight year The six national seeds also match a conference record set last year ... This is the seventh straight year that at least seven ACC teams have made the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship field, and the 11th straight year that at least six have been selected ... Sub-regional play begins for all eight ACC teams on Friday. North Carolina, Florida State, Boston College, Wake Forest and Maryland will be host teams for their first-round games and potential hosts for second-round games on Sunday.

• North Carolina enters the field as the defending national champion and will be seeking is 20th NCAA title overall. The Tar Heels have appeared in the NCAA tourney each of the 28 years since its inception in 1982 and own an all-time record of 100-7-1 in the event.

• Several other ACC teams will extend notable streaks with this year’s NCAA appearances. Virginia is in the field for the 16th straight year and the 22nd overall. Wake Forest will be competing for the 14th straight year. Florida State, which has reached four of the last six Women’s College Cups as a Final Four participant, has been part of the tournament field every year since 2000 (10 straight appearances). It marks the seventh straight tournament appearance for Duke, and the Blue Devils’ 16th overall. Boston College is appearing for the seventh straight year (13th overall), while Virginia Tech made the field for a second straight year (third overall). Meanwhile, Maryland is back in postseason play for the first time since 2004. This year’s NCAA appearance will be the Terps’ 10th overall.

FIELD HOCKEY

• Top-ranked Maryland appeared in its ACC record 20th ACC Championship game and earned its eighth title – all of which have come under the guidance of 22nd-year head coach and 2009 ACC Coach of the Year Missy Meharg – with a 3-2 overtime victory over Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. on November 8.

• Maryland junior All-ACC forward Katie O'Donnell became the first three-time player of the year selection when she garnered Offensive Player of the Year accolades in a vote by the head coaches.

VOLLEYBALL

• Florida State is currently on a school record 11-match winning streak in conference play. The Seminoles also collected their highest ranking in school history, coming in at No. 15 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 poll. FSU has previously been ranked No. 17 and 16, which were the highest marks in school history.

• Clemson freshman middle blocker Sandra Adeleye was only the second freshman this season to earn player of the week accolades and ranks nationally in hitting percetnage and blocks per set.

CROSS COUNTRY

• Virginia’s Sean Keveren was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Cross Country Performer of the Week, and Virginia Tech’s Sammy Dow earned the league’s Women's Performer of the Week honors.

• In earning the men’s award, Keveren led all Virginia runners at the annual Cavalier Open at Panorama Farms on Friday. The Brentwood, Tenn., sophomore led all Cavaliers across the line in the men's competition finishing the 8K course in 25:10.26.

• Dow won the women’s race at the Hokie Open in record fashion to highlight Virginia Tech’s final home meet this season on Friday. Led by Dow, a Midlothian, Va., sophomore, who clocked a new 4,000-meter course record with a time of 14:24.3, the Hokies captured the top six spots.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

• Virginia took a sweep of the Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Performers of the Week honors, as junior Matt McLean and freshman Lauren Perdue were selected for the awards, announced today. McLean won two events in the men's 165-125 win against Kentucky (Nov. 7), while Perdue took first place in three events in the women's 172-110 victory over the Wildcats.

• McLean won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:38.08, which qualified for the national "B" cut. Additionally, his time ranks second in the league this season. The Potomac Falls, Va. native also won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:26.48-a 2009-10 ACC-best-for another qualifying "B" cut.

• Perdue won the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard freestyle events with top-three ACC times in each. Her 23.06 finish in the 50-yard freestyle ranks third and her 50.30 time in the 100-yard freestyle ranks second. The Greenville, N.C native also won the 200-yard freestyle with a "B" cut qualifying time of 1:48.39, to rank second in the league this season. Perdue holds the top ACC time in each event in 2009-10.

WRESTLING

• Redshirt senior James Knox is off to a perfect start for Maryland, having gone 7-0 combined at the Buffalo Open and dual meets against York and Drexel. Knox went 5-0 at the Buffalo Open on Nov. 1 to claim the individual title at 125 pounds. In the Terps’ home opener, Knox got Maryland out to an early 6-0 lead by pinning Aaron Repman in 3:52, and then took a major decision, 9-1, over Joshua Yurasits of Drexel.

• NC State dropped the first bout of the evening, then won six in a row for a 21-18 win at The Citadel. The Wolfpack lineup featured four freshmen, including 2009 high school national champion Dale Shull, who scored a 3-0 win over Nick LaFevre at 141 pounds in his collegiate debut.

• Chris Henrich, Virginia’s returning All-American at 174 pounds, dominated two matches and needed less than a period to record each of his wins vs. opponents from Anderson and Campbell. Brent Jones (197) notched his 35th career pin, needing just 29 seconds to pin Anderson’s Luis Audelo. Virginia won 16 of its 20 bouts in the two duals, with 11 of the 16 resulting in bonus points.

• Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett had to overcome a near-fall situation and an injured arm to come back and beat Kent State’s Troy Opfer, 8-,6 in sudden victory. Opfer nearly picked up the pin in the second period, but Garnett wiggled out of it. Trailing late, Garnett got a takedown with less than 10 seconds left in regulation, and then ended it with a takedown in sudden victory. After struggling Saturday’s the opener, the 2008-09 ACC Freshman of the Year left no doubt in his second match of the day as he picked up an impressive fi rst-period pin with a fall over Chattanooga’s Demetrius Johnson.

• Five Atlantic Coast Conference wrestlers that earned All-America honors last March are back to compete for their teams as the 2009-10 season gets under way. The list includes Duke’s Konrad Dudziak (285), Virginia’s Chris Henrich (174) and the Maryland trio of Steven Bell (133), Alex Krom (141) and Hudson Taylor (197). A sixth, reigning NCAA Champion at 149 pounds and 2009 ACC Wrestler of the Year Darrion Caldwell of NC State, suffered a preseason shoulder injury and is taking a redshirt year.