Junior Assists in Team’s Confidence
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeSeptember 8, 2009
JMU coach Dave Lombardo has never had to worry about Teresa Rynier’s self-esteem on the field. “Humility is not one of her qualities, in the best way possible; she’s very self-confident,” Lombardo said. “She knows that she’s a good player and doesn’t take that for granted. She looks at that as responsibility.” Rynier led the Colonial Athletic Association in assists in 2008 but her success goes beyond that. She made the All-conference (CAA) first team and the Conference (CAA) all-tournament... Read more »
Chocolate Milk Does an Athlete’s Body Good
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeAugust 27, 2009
University research and “The Colbert Report” of Comedy Central aren’t usually mentioned together in conversation, but a study done with chocolate milk and JMU athletes was the basis of a spoof done on the popular show in July. The study was conducted in the spring of 2008 and results were presented in May. Chocolate milk may be a childhood favorite for many, but results showed that the drink actually provided muscle recovery just as well or better than sports drinks, or the like. Dr. Mike Saunders,... Read more »
Bourne Braves Take the Cape
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeAugust 24, 2009
Three Madison pitchers made history over the summer and helped lead the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League to its first ever championship win. Juniors Trevor Knight, Kevin Munson and Turner Phelps all contributed to a victory the town of Bourne, Mass. has been anticipating for 21 years. CCBL is the top amateur baseball league mainly for competition among top college baseball players from around the country. The league runs mid-June through mid-August. The Bourne Braves played the... Read more »
End Zone to War Zone
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeAugust 24, 2009
Mickey Matthews blog on Richmond-Times Dispatch There’s the old sports cliché that teams prepare for war. Especially in football, words like battle and attack are thrown around as often as the pigskin itself. But a trip away from the gridiron to an actual war zone can be quite the reality shock. Mickey Matthews learned this firsthand when he traveled to the Middle East this summer. As part of a goodwill tour, the JMU football coach visited soldiers during a nine-day trip... Read more »
‘Leave It All On the Field’
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 30, 2009
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Summer is practically here and four JMU dukes will be headed to camp, the National Football League’s rookie mini-camp that is. Talk of a prospective career in the NFL for senior quarterback Rodney Landers has been debated all offseason. The 2009 NFL Draft was held Saturday and Sunday, but the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder wasn’t called. “It was a rollercoaster obviously, just ’cause you know you go from the highs and you go down to the lows,” Landers said. “Got a lot... Read more »
Faces in Different Places
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 23, 2009
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Spring Game is no longer just any ’ol scrimmage. According to JMU coach Mickey Matthews, Saturday’s crowd has potential to surpass that of regular season games 10 years ago. With a YouTube promo video, Facebook events and tailgate planned, advertising for the event has increased compared to years past. “Due to our success last year, I’m pretty sure that has a lot to do with it, just getting the exposure we got last year, a whole lot more people know about the James Madison... Read more »
Like Coming Home
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 9, 2009
With a personality as bright as her spiked blonde hair, Baillie Versfeld looks forward to starting another season with the JMU field hockey team, this time as a coach. A native of Zimbabwe, the former team captain graduated in 2007 as a two-time All-American and helped lead her team to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 with a 1-0 victory over ODU in the Colonial Athletic Association’s title game. Her performance earned her the title of the CAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Versfeld completed... Read more »
Anything but a Sophomore Slump
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 6, 2009
Right-hander Turner Phelps Continues Unbeaten Run Very few college athletes can pride themselves on an undefeated season, but right-hander Turner Phelps was able to accomplish that feat in his freshman year. The sophomore is undefeated so far this year, bringing his career record to 14-0. The Roanoke native completed his freshman year with an 8-0 record and is now ranked No. 1 for wins in the Colonial Athletic Association for his 6-0 record this season. He is also ranked No. 1 for the most strikeouts,... Read more »
Anything but a Sophomore Slump
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 6, 2009
Sophomore shortstop David Herbek’s much improved performance has him leading in batting average, RBIs and hits in 2009. As a freshman, Herbek’s final season batting average was .306 and has improved over 80 points this season to .398. The improvement makes him the leader at JMU and third place in the Colonial Athletic Association. His 47 hits put him at No. 1 at Madison and third in CAA. His 32 RBIs this year places him No. 1 at JMU and fourth in the CAA. “I knew I was gonna be the everyday... Read more »
Versatility Plays Key Role
By Amy Gwaltney, The BreezeApril 2, 2009
HARRISONBURG, Va. — While the Dukes work to find a replacement quarterback at spring practice, Rodney Landers worked to show his talent at Pro Day on Tuesday. An ankle injury, from in the Football Championship Subdivision semifinal game against Montana forced him to sit out at JMU’s first Pro Day on March 18, so the spotlight focused on him, while other players repeated the workouts. “Had I done the first one, I’m not sure if my numbers would have been as good as they were today,” Landers... Read more »
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