GREENSBORO, Ga. — Virginia was picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s Coastal Division by the assembled media at the ACC Kickoff on Monday. Cavaliers coach Al Groh was neither surprised nor concerned.
“Our team probably continues to labor to get much respect in this conference,” Groh said.
Despite winning nine games in 2007, tied for second-most in school history, Virginia was hit hard by offseason attrition both expected (Chris Long and Branden Albert heading to the NFL) and unexpected (academic suspensions to starters Jameel Sewell and Chris Cook and the transfer of rising star Jeffrey Fitzgerald).

GREENSBORO, Ga. — The preseason ACC rankings surprised Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. He didn’t think he’d see the Hokies atop the Coastal Division.
Tech received 58 first-place votes, well ahead of second place North Carolina, which garnered four.
“Well, I’m surprised to be honest with you, that we were picked like that, because we’ve got some work to do. We’ve got some coaching to do,” Beamer said.
The Hokies are coming off an ACC championship season, but they must replace 11 starters and a kicker from that team.

GREENSBORO, Ga. — When the Cavaliers begin fall practice on Aug. 4, their quarterback situation will be just the way they left it at the end of spring — up for grabs.

Fifth-year senior Scott Deke and sophomores Peter Lalich and Marc Verica will vie for the job, which was vacated after two-year starter Jameel Sewell received a one-year academic suspension from the school last winter.

“What counts is what happens in competitive practice, and that’s just a small window of competition compared to games or anything else,” Virginia coach Al Groh said at the ACC Kickoff on Monday. “You have to have some criteria from which to make judgments and therefore slot the players, so whatever goes on the practice field is the only vehicle to do that.”

GREENSBORO, Ga. — Quarterback Sean Glennon is preparing for his fifth season in a Virginia Tech football uniform. He started at least nine games in each of the last two seasons, during which he proved capable of successfully running the Hokies’ offense.

DANVILLE — A two-out, two-run rally in the top of the ninth by Johns Hopkins and three unearned runs proved to be too much for Lynchburg College’s baseball team to overcome as the Blue Jays eliminated the Hornets from the USA South Region, 7-5, Saturday at Dan Daniel Park.

SALEM — A small hit proved to be the biggest play for Muskingum on Friday against Lynchburg College in the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Championships.