Sports

Sports briefs

Women's basketball coach Melissa McFerrin has been hired by the University of Memphis to coach its women's basketball team. McFerrin carried the Eagles to the Patriot League season championship title this year and advanced AU to the postseason for the first time since 1998.

Sports briefs

Hallinan and Lilley awarded PL Runners of the Week Patriot League conference officials announced that seniors Steve Hallinan and Kate Lilley were named the Patriot League runners of the week for their efforts at last week's Bison Outdoor Games. Both took home the top spot in their respective 1500-meter races; Hallinan finished with a time of 3:44.

Nationals fan crisis: MLB in D.C. is lacking

With Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Washington Nationals' home opener in brand-new Nationals Park March 30, fans across the city could not help but wonder if this was the year the Nationals would surprise Major League Baseball.

Capitals capture D.C.'s heart as they head into playoffs

As the Washington Capitals embark on their first journey into the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs in five years, Alex Ovechkin has staked his claim as the game's most dynamic player and D.C. has gone "Cup-crazy." This moment would be a perfect time to push pause and reflect.

This Week in Eagle Sports

Hallinan and Lilley victorious in 1500m

Seniors Steve Hallinan and Kate Lilley won their respective 1500-meter runs on Friday as the AU track and field teams competed at the Bison Outdoor Games over the weekend. Hallinan took home first place with a season-best time of 3:44.28, finishing ahead of Yale's Jared Bell for the victory.

Alum Caccavale opts out of MLS play

AU alumni Sal Caccavale, a former member of the men's soccer team, always dreamt of playing soccer for a living. However, after a year on MLS' Red Bull New York team, Caccavale has learned that playing professionally is not always all it is cracked up to be.

Lacrosse crushes HC Crusaders, wins 17-10

The women's lacrosse team scored the first and last goals during their game against the Holy Cross Crusaders Saturday and won 17-10. The game started with sophomore midfielder Amanda Makoid's goal at 26:51, which gave AU an early 1-0 lead. The Crusaders answered seven minutes later and tied the score at 1-1.

Lacrosse loses fifth in a row to Richmonds

The women's lacrosse team dropped its fifth game in a row, losing on the road to the Richmond Spiders 20-12 yesterday afternoon. The loss drops the Eagles' record to 5-9 on the season. AU found itself in a quick deficit that it could not dig itself out of all game.

Ice hockey flies under the radar

All winter long, the AU community faithfully followed the rise of the men's basketball squad as it fought all the way to the NCAA tournament. But there are other teams that are part of AU Athletics that do not garner as much attention. Then there are club teams that receive almost none.

Time to check out the NL contenders and pretenders

In the second of a two-part series, it's now time to preview the teams who will fight it out to displace the Colorado Rockies atop the National League throne. East 1. New York - In probably the most lopsided trade of this off-season, the Mets picked up two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana.

Lacrosse drops fourth straight game to Hokies

The women's lacrosse team could not complete a late rally from an early deficit, falling on the road to Virginia Tech on Saturday 14-11. The loss was the fourth straight for the Eagles, whose season record now stands at 5-8 overall and 3-0 in Patriot League play.

Live blogging sports: Is it out of bounds?

While professional sports continue to grow in popularity, reporting has also evolved to deal with the rise in fans' enthusiasm. Blogs have become a useful tool to those who do not have television or radio access to their favorite team. Despite its positive attributes, many sports leagues are viewing the blog as an invasive tool that allows for unauthorized information to be shared with multiple users in real-time.

MLB preview: American League outlook

As the 2008 Major League Baseball season gets underway, it is time to see which teams have the chance to play in October and which ones will see their seasons fade away like the last firework on the Fourth of July. In the first of a two-part series, we will first examine the teams looking to grab the American League pennant from the defending World Champions, the Boston Red Sox.

This week in Eagle sports

VARSITY SPORTS Saturday, April 5 Lacrosse vs. Virginia Tech (1 p.m.) Monday, April 9 Lacrosse vs. U. of Richmond (3 p.m.) CLUB SPORTS Friday, April 4 Men's rugby vs. George Mason University (7:30 p.m.) April 4-5 Women's rugby @ The Cherry Blossom Tournament Saturday, April 5 Crew @ JHU Invitational Baltimore, Md.

Play ball: Opening day in the USA

Is Major League Baseball's opening day a special day in this country? Why, of course it is. It would be un-American to say otherwise. One could produce a sizeable list of Rockwellian clichés to paint a fair picture of what the first day of the season is all about.

A place to call home for D.C.'s Nationals

D.C. finally has a permanent home for its baseball team. Three years after relocating to D.C. and 36 years since they had a home stadium to call their own, the Washington Nationals played their first game at Nationals Park on Saturday. The cold and breezy late March day could not keep 20,000 of the Nationals' faithful fans from getting a sneak peak of their team in the new stadium, 24 hours before the park's nationally televised grand opening.