Nov. 17, 2009

FOOTBALL

• Florida State redshirt freshman Greg Reid ranks 2nd nationally in punt returns this week after carrying a punt back 68 yards against Wake Forest for a score. Reid is averaging 16.4 yards a return.

• Three ACC running backs have been named among the 10 semifinalists for this year's Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the nation's top running back. The ACC leads all leagues in Walker nominations as Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams, Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer and Clemson's C.J. Spiller were all honored as semifinalists.

• The ACC has five ranked teams among the nation's Top 25 in this week's USA Today Coaches poll. Georgia Tech (7th) leads the way, followed by Virginia Tech (16th), Clemson (19th), Miami (24th) and North Carolina (tied for 25th).

• This past weekend was a big one for the Barth family - 7 field goals worth. On Saturday, Casey Barth, a sophomore placekicker at North Carolina booted 4 field goals, including the game-clincher in the fourth quarter in Miami's 33-24 win over 12th-ranked Miami. On Sunday, Casey's older brother Connor, a former UNC standout who is now in the NFL with Tampa Bay, connected on 3 field goals - all from 50 or more yards - in the Buccaneers' 25-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

• Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer has rushed for 100 yards or more 16 times in his career after rushing for a 110 yards on just 14 carries against Duke - the most of any current ACC player. In doing so, Dwyer topped the 3,000-yard mark for his career and now has 3,044 career rushing yards. It was also his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance.

• North Carolina junior cornerback Kendric Burney set an ACC record by returning three interceptions a total of 170 yards in the Tar Heel's 33-24 upset of 12th-ranked Miami. Burney's total included a 77-yard interception return for a score, and a 90-yard combined return with teammate Mike Williams for a 2nd defensive TD. The 170 return yards actually broke the UNC school mark for interception return yardage in an entire season.

• The pass efficiency mark for Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt in Tech's 49-10 win over Duke was 289.80. Nesbitt completed 6 of 10 passes for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. It is the 2nd-highest pass efficiency rating for a single game in Georgia Tech history.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

• The ACC opened the first week (11/09-11/16) with a 14-0 mark in non-conference play. Five ACC teams - North Carolina (6), Duke (9), Georgia Tech (21), Clemson (23) and Maryland (25) - ranked in this week's AP poll. Four ACC teams - North Carolina (4), Duke (8), Georgia Tech (19) and Clemson (23) - are listed in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll.

• Duke's Kyle Singler has scored 10 or more points in a league-best 17 consecutive games while Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal leads all active ACC players with 15 career double-doubles.

• Paul Hewitt has 155 career wins in 10 seasons with the Yellow Jackets and is one win shy of tying Clemson's Bill Foster for 18th place on the ACC's coaches' career victories list.

• Clemson's Trevor Booker is tied with NC State's Thurl Bailey for 22nd place among ACC career leaders ... Booker currently has 207 career rejections in 104 games while Maryland's Greivis Vasquez is one rebound shy of 500 for his career.

• The ACC has four current players who have scored 1,000 or more career points: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, Duke's Jon Scheyer, Clemson's Trevor Booker, and Duke's Kyle Singler. Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney has scored 10 or more points in 39 of his last 40 games and is 18 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

• Miami's Durand Scott tied an ACC freshman record with 10 assists in his first game. Scott had 10 assists and zero turnovers in Saturday's win over North Carolina Central.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• Five Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball teams earned Top 25 recognition as announced by the USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches. The ACC was one of only three leagues to have five selected within the Top 25. In addition, the ACC was the only league to boast more than one in the top six of the poll as North Carolina and Duke earned spots No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. Florida State (12), Virginia (18) and Maryland (21) were all ranked among the Top 25, while Georgia Tech and NC State received votes to the preseason poll.

• Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan earned her 700th-career victory as the Cavaliers defeated UMBC, 68-57, in the season-opener for both teams (Nov. 13). Ryan joins six other active coaches with 700 wins and becomes the 12th to ever to accomplish the feat. Ryan's career record now stands at 701-298.

• Duke's Joy Cheek and Virginia's Monica Wright were tabbed as candidates for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award^TM, as announced by Premier Sports Management. The two seniors were among 30 NCAA women's basketball players designated as candidates for the honor, which is given to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.

MEN'S SOCCER

• The ACC led all conferences with seven teams selected to the 2009 NCAA Tournament Field of 48 announced by the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee on Monday. Four of the seven ACC teams receiving a bid earned a top 16 national seed, including three of the top five spots. Virginia (2), Wake Forest (3), North Carolina (5) and NC State (15) earned byes, while Boston College, Duke and Maryland received at-large invites.

• Virginia recorded its eighth consecutive shutout, blanking NC State, 1-0, to win the 2009 ACC Men's Soccer Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park. The victory gave Virginia its eighth consecutive shutout and its 10th ACC Tournament crown, the fourth under head coach George Gelnovatch. The Cavaliers will make their 31st NCAA Tournament appearance and 29th-straight, the nation's longest active streak and an ACC record that dates back to 1981.

• Led by this year's ACC Coach of the Year Jay Vidovich, Wake Forest tabbed three of the four league postseason individual honors and four of the ACC's first-team selections, including ACC Offensive Player of the Year Corben Bone and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Ike Opara.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

• An ACC-record and national-best seven conference teams are among the 16 still remaining in the NCAA Division I NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.

• North Carolina extended its already-NCAA record for consecutive "Sweet 16" appearances to 28 (UCLA is second with 11). Florida State and Virginia are both in the final 16 for the fifth straight year, which ties for fifth-best nationally.

• Virginia's Caroline Miller scored twice to highlight a flurry of six goals unanswered goals in a span of roughly 20 minutes, as the Cavaliers rallied from a 2-0 halftime to stun ninth-ranked Penn State, 6-2, in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Sunday. Florida State's Jessica Price, Virginia Tech's Marika Gray and Wake Forest's Casey Luckhurst also had multi-goal goal games during the first two rounds to help their teams advance.

FIELD HOCKEY

• The ACC has the nation's top three-ranked teams competing in the 2009 NCAA semifinal round. No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 North Carolina all advanced.

• The 2009 NCAA semifinal round will bear at least two teams hailing from the ACC for the seventh consecutive season, and three teams for the fifth time since 2003. ACC teams have claimed 14 NCAA field hockey championships since 1983, including the last seven in a row - Wake Forest (2002-04), Maryland (2005-06, 08), and North Carolina (2007) - and have competed in every championship game since 1999.

• Maryland is making its second straight semifinal appearance and 13th overall. North Carolina will be making its 13th appearance in the national semifinals while Virginia is making its third all-time appearance in the semifinals, and first under fourth-year head coach Michele Madison.

VOLLEYBALL

• Clemson senior outside hitter Lia Proctor posted 22 kills in a loss to No. 15 Florida State for her fifth 20-kill match this season. Proctor has posted 10 or more kills in five straight games.

• Duke senior outside hitter Rachael Moss posted season-highs in kills in consecutive matches, both 3-1 wins over Virginia Tech and Virginia. She had 15 kills and 20 digs against the Hokies, and 17 kills and 21 digs against the Cavaliers for her team-leading 11th and 12th double-doubles of the season. Moss also became the fourth Blue Devil in school history to record 1,500 career digs and has smashed 10 or more kills in eight straight matches.

• North Carolina freshman setter Cora Harms has registered at least 30 assists in every conference match this season while Virginia Tech junior middle blocker Felicia Willoughby had a season-high 21 kills on a career-high 46 attacks in a 3-1 loss to Duke.

WRESTLING

• Virginia scored its first-ever win over a ranked team on Sunday, defeating No. 16 American, 20-19, in the ACC Challenge at Chapel Hill, N.C. Mike Salopek also won three bouts at 184 pounds for the 19th-ranked Cavaliers.

• Three ACC teams are ranked among the nation's Top 25 by InterMat this week. Maryland remains No. 10, followed by Virginia at 19th and Virginia Tech at 23rd.

• A number of ACC wrestlers are ranked among the top 20 in their respective weight classes nationally. The most noteworthy move of the week came at the heavyweight spot, where Duke's Konrad Dudziak moved to the top of the I-Mat rankings. Dudziak placed second in the NCAA Championships last March.

SWIMMING & DIVING

• Maryland sophomore Andrew Relihan won the 200-yard backstroke (1:51.73) and placed second in two other events as the Terrapins hosted local rivals Towson and UMBC. His two second-place finishes came in the 100-yard breaststroke (58:55) and 200-yard individual medley (1:53.57), and he helped the 200-yard medley relay team finish second in 1:35.26.

• Maryland sophomore Ginny Glover won two events, helped the first-place 200-yard medley relay team, and placed second in another event in the Terrapins' battles with Towson and UMBC. Glover won the 100-yard backstroke (56.40) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.53), and aided the 200-yard medley relay squad to a first-place finish in 1:46.75. She also finished the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:28.13, good for second place.

• Georgia Tech sophomore Nigel Plummer holds the top four times in the ACC this season in the men's 50-yard freestyle and three of the top six times in the 100-yard freestyle.

CROSS COUNTRY

• Four men's teams - Duke, Florida State, NC State & Virginia - and three women's teams - Duke, Florida State and Virginia earn NCAA Championship berths.

• Blue Devils women's team captured the Southeast Regional title while Virginia's Catherine White was the individual champion of the Southeast Regional winning the 6K race in 20:03.90

• Maryland's Alex Lundy was a men's individual qualifier while Boston College's Jillian King and NC State's Brittany Tinsley and Emily Pritt each earned a spot as individual women's qualifiers.