Oct. 13, 2011
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
Glancing back for a moment, we enjoyed quite a weekend here at Georgia Tech. The hard-earned football victory over Maryland was the centerpiece of the activity, but the weekend also produced a pair of volleyball wins, a memorable outing by our golf team and an alumni golfer winning for the first time on the PGA Tour.
Let’s start with football’s 6-0 start, a historical milestone dating back to Bobby Dodd’s last season as Georgia Tech coach in 1966. Congratulations to Coach Paul Johnson’s team, which has now climbed to No. 12 in the national polls. The second half of the season starts Saturday at Virginia when we take on the Cavaliers at 3:30 on ESPNU. The next six weeks will present a great challenge and a great opportunity for us.
I hope you saw last week that the Clemson game on October 29th is now sold out. As always, the season-ender with Georgia is a sellout. Our ticket sales attention is now focused on the Thursday night game with Virginia Tech, set for 8 p.m. on November 10th. About 6,000 tickets remain available for that game, which could have huge implications in the ACC race. Click here to purchase tickets.
GT Golf in a Runaway
I was elated to see the stellar performance of our golf team at the Brickyard Collegiate tournament down in Macon over the weekend. The 54-hole event, played at the Mark McCumber-designed Brickyard at Riverside Golf Club, featured a15-team field that included three-time defending tournament champion Georgia and two-time defending national champion Augusta State. Also participating were 8th-ranked Chattanooga and No. 13 Florida State. Bruce Heppler’s team won by a convincing 17 strokes. For an outstanding article in Golf Week featuring a Q & A with Heppler, click here.
Tech plays its final fall event here in Atlanta, the sixth United States Collegiate Championship, Oct. 23-25, at the Golf Club of Georgia. This is a great chance to watch our young team defend its 2010 title, and admission is free.
Moments after our current team hoisted the trophy in Macon, Georgia Tech alum Bryce Molder won his first PGA Tour event in a dramatic six-hole playoff at the Frys.com Open. In a stroke of incredibly good timing, Bryce was already scheduled to be inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame on November 9th. Other inductees will be baseball great Mark Teixeira, football players Rodney Williams and Harvey Middleton, and tennis star Benjamin Cassaigne. Congratulations, Bryce!
Volleyball Sweeps, Heads South
And a tip of the cap to Tonya Johnson’s volleyball team for a weekend sweep over Maryland and Boston College. The BC win was the team’s 10th of the season. The Jackets will have to find that same magic on the road as they are off to the Sunshine State this weekend to take on 21st-ranked FSU and 23rd-ranked Miami.
BG’s Time is Here
At long last, our new men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory gets to begin full on-court preparation for his initial season. Some limited allowable on-court work has been in swing, but the first full-on day of basketball practice is tomorrow, Friday the 14th. The excitement BG is creating is infectious and we have seen a surge in our basketball ticket sales for the 10-game package to be played at Philips Arena while work continues on the McCamish Pavilion project on campus. Members of the local media converged on the Zelnak Practice Facility earlier this week for a visit with the coach and Jacket players, and then were treated to a tour of the new Pavilion. Click Here to read Matt Winkeljohn’s account of media day as printed in Sting Daily. Great seats are still available for the 10 games at Philips Arena which feature all eight of our ACC games, plus Northwestern and Alabama. Click here for ticket information.
Women’s Hoops Ready to Roll Yet Again
MaChelle Joseph always leaves herself a tough act to follow, but after five consecutive 20-win seasons and five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, nothing would surprise us. The ladies’ home-away-from-home this year will be the friendly confines of The Arena at Gwinnett. Coach Joseph and the team are embracing the opportunity to cultivate new fans and spread the word about this nationally-prominent program to Northeast Atlanta. Coach Joseph also had a chance to sit down with the media recently to talk about her team and the tradition she is establishing year-by-year here on the Flats. Click here for the Q & A with MaChelle earlier this week.
Swimming Year Kicks Off at UGA Tomorrow
The Georgia Tech swimming and diving squads will kick off their 2011-12 campaign down the road in Athens when they head to the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the University of Georgia tomorrow for a 5 p.m. dual meet with the Bulldogs. The last time these two teams met in Athens dates all the way back to Oct. 23, 2004. Best of luck to Coach Courtney Hart and her men’s and women’s squads.
Cross Country Heads South To Tuscaloosa
The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to the University of Alabama this weekend for the Crimson Classic. The Classic will be held at Harry Pritchett Running Park on October 15. The men will begin things at 8:30 a.m. with an 8k followed by the women’s 5k race at 9:00. This weekend will be a good test for the Jackets as Pritchett Park is the site of the 2011 NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championships.
ACC Digital Network Provides Amazing New Coverage
I recently attended our annual ACC fall meeting where we were treated to the rollout of the new ACC Digital Network. The capability of putting our sports highlights, features and other packages into so many digital mediums at great speed is amazing. I encourage you to take a look at how you can maximize your use of this state-of-the-art new service provided by our conference. Click here to check out all of the great features available through the ACC Network.
