CITING AN uncomfortable fit and a desire to start afresh, Carolyn Riley (Liberty) shocked a few people, including her parents, by leaving Marymount University one day after classes began last fall.
"My dad told me I might come to regard it as a wrong move or the best decision I've ever made," the multitalented forward said yesterday. "I think it is the best decision I've ever made."
While debating between Marymount and Mary Washington as a high school senior, Riley's attention was drawn to the Eastern Mennonite University after former teammate and best friend Sarah Demaree enrolled there.
Riley's arrival, coupled with an apparent snub by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference women's basketball coaches (who picked the Royals seventh in the preseason poll), has brought the team together and spurred a major turnaround.
Going into last night's action, Randolph-Macon (13-2) and Virginia Wesleyan (14-3) were in a virtual tie for first. Right on their heels were Bridgewater (13-3) and Eastern Mennonite (13-3).
A solid ball-handler and rebounder, Riley credited head coach Kevin Griffin with boosting her shooting accuracy, suggesting she shoot on her own.
The extra shooting time has produced big dividends on the court. The sophomore poured in 43 points to spark her team's victories over Emory & Henry (67-57) and Guilford (78-66) last weekend.
Riley leads the Royals in points (16.2 per game) and rebounds (6.5); her 50 assists ranks second on the team and she has 33 steals.
Coppin bests men
Until Saturday, the Coppin women and men's basketball teams shared the record for the longest winning streaks against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents during the regular season.
Now, the Coppin women have the league mark by themselves after topping Delaware State 58-53 for win No. 33. The old mark was shared with the Eagles men's teams from 1992-94.
The Eagles (15-6, 6-0) are riding a nine-game winning streak. Freshman Chanelle Downing (Stafford) has appeared in eight games, totaling 10 points, seven rebounds and one assist.
ILAOA GETS A LOOKFormer Hawaii running back Nate Ilaoa (North Stafford) is among the college seniors invited to the NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 21-27 in Indianapolis.
Other invitees of interest include: Noland Burchette, David Clowney, Brandon Frye, Nick Leeson, Brandon Pace and Nic Schmitt of Virginia Tech; Travarous Bain, Alonzo Coleman, Justin Durant, Onrea Jones and Marquay McDaniel of Hampton; Jason Snelling of Virginia; and Stephon Heyer, Adam Podlesh and Josh Wilson of Maryland.
Towson lineman Jermon Bushrod (King George) did not make the list of invitees.
BIG BUCKS AT GoolrickEven big-time sharpshooters Mike Lee and Sarah Flanagan stop what they are doing and pay close attention when "Shoot, Turn and Shoot" takes center stage at Mary Washington's Goolrick Gymnasium.
A new promotion began last month, giving a randomly chosen college student a chance to win $10,000 during the halftime of a home basketball doubleheader. To win, the student must pick one spot on the floor and sink shots in both baskets.
around the trackWeekend highlights include the following:
Freshman Marie Fields (James Monroe) ran the anchor leg for the George Mason 800-meter relay team that placed second (1:38.74), finishing less than a second behind victorious Pittsburgh at the the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory in New York.
Tennessee sophomore Sarah Bowman (Warrenton) ran a career-best 2:06.59 to capture the women's 800 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Lincoln, Neb., moving her to the second spot on the NCAA qualifying list.
Sophomore Verniece Johnson (Louisa) was Virginia Commonwealth's top finisher at the UNC Invitational at Chapel Hill, placing fourth in the long jump (18-4).
Three other athletes achieved personal bests at the meet: VCU's Regan Merriam (Massaponax) in 5,000 (19:01.04, fifth) and Libby Little (Courtland) in 3,000 (11:08.19, 11th), and Lynchburg's Sarah Funderburke (Courtland) in 200 (26.99, 36th of 61).
Competing unattached, sophomore Taili Evans (Brooke Point) pleased the home crowd by placing first in the men's long jump (23-3) at the VMI Winter Relays. At the same meet, Liberty's Emily Funderburk (Courtland) won the women's pole vault in a jump-off after the top three finishers all cleared 9-5.
Georgia Tech's Jerome Miller (Colonial Forge) had to settle for a third-place finish in the Meyo Invitational at South Bend, Ind., after three high jumpers finished tied at 7-1, forcing a jump-off.
Virginia senior Matt Gutridge (Caroline) placed fifth in the men's 3,000 (8:51.04) at the St. Christopher's Mid-Atlantic Clash in Richmond.
Kurt Nicoll: 540/374-