Sports Shorts

Tech wins ACC sports award

Tech was named the recipient of the first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Sportsmanship School of the Year Award, the conference office announced last Thursday. Tech won the overall award by virtue of winning outright sportsmanship awards in the highest percentage of its sponsored sports (26.7 percent). The Yellow Jackets won awards in four sports: Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Women’s Tennis and Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field. A traveling trophy will be on display on campus for one year.

Track and Field coach wins award

Tech Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Assistant Coach Nat Page was named the 2004 Mondo Women’s Jumps/Multi events Coach of the Year, announced by the United States Track Coaches Association last Monday afternoon. Page tutored Tech’s first back-to-back national champion Chaunte Howard at the indoor and outdoor championships.Since joining the Tech team in 1997, Page has mentored one national champion, 15 ACC champions and 18 All-America performances.

Patterson in All-American team

Tech’s junior second baseman Eric Patterson was named to the third All-American team by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. In 2004, Patterson hit .326 with nine home runs and 46 RBI while leading the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Super Regionals. He also holds the record for second-most stolen bases in Tech and ACC history with 124 career stolen bases. This is the second time in his career that Patterson has been named to an All-American team. He was an eighth round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs on June 7.

Sallinger pitches against Team USA

Tech junior Jessica Sallinger threw four innings against the U.S. Softball team last Friday night, holding the World’s best to one run through three innings, before surrendering three in the fourth inning at the James Moyer Softball Complex as the College All-Stars fell to the U.S. National Team, 6-0. In the 2003-04 season, Sallinger became the second pitcher in ACC history to surpass a 1,000 strikeouts, ending her junior campaign with 1,025. She was named to the All-ACC team and was tabbed All-Southeast Region first team for the second time in her career, the first being in 2002.