Sports Recap
Radford student-athletes make the grade
An impressive 225 of Radford’s 261 total student-athletes reached the 3.0 mark, helping 13 of the Highlanders 16 varsity athletics programs report a team GPA of 3.0 or better. The team GPA for the department ended at 3.20.
Big South All-Academic Team
Shaq Jules of the men’s basketball team and Bridget Birkhead of the women’s basketball team made the Big South All-Academic Team.
Jules, from Orlando, Florida, represents the Highlanders on the list thanks to a 3.80 term GPA in the fall and a 3.35 cumulative GPA as a communications major. Jules also had a solid season on the court, averaging 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 61.9% from the field. He also added a career-high 12 blocks and six steals.
Bridget Birkhead, women’s basketball team member and education major, earned a 3.82 GPA in the fall term and has a 3.86 cumulative GPA as well. On the court, the Doylestown, Pennsylvania native was excellent for the Highlanders. She averaged 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shot 37.3% from beyond the arc across 30.2 minutes per game.
Moran earns Big South accolades
Cross-country student-athlete Hannah Moran was named Big South Conference Runner of the Year and U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCAA) All-Academic Athlete. Moran finished her 2021 campaign with 18th place at the NCAA Southeast Regional, becoming just the second Highlander ever to earn NCAA All-Region honors. Moran covered the 6K course in 20:42.8 to set a new Radford school record for the distance. That capped off a season of incredible highlights for Moran, who, in the meet prior, took home the Big South individual championship. Moran’s 17:09.5 made her the first Highlander woman since 1990 to earn the trophy; in addition, she led Radford’s team to a second-place finish for the second consecutive year. Moran was also the leader of a Radford group that was ranked in the NCAA Southeast Region for the first time ever and maintained that ranking for the entire season.
Women’s basketball offices named after Radford legend
The women’s basketball offices now bear the name of Charlene Curtis ’76, former women’s player and coach, Board of Visitors member and legend at Radford. Curtis had a 121-53 record at her alma mater, a .695 winning percentage and a dominant 46-2 record (.958) in Big South competition, including the first four regular seasons championships, three tournament crowns and Radford’s first postseason national appearance, winning two of three games at the 1989 Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
