Our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. In this column, we highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a better place, we’ll feature their stories.
Winning ways
On Nov. 11, Radford’s women’s basketball team prevailed against Loyola of Maryland 59-50, and with that success came another happy marker – it placed Mike McGuire as the winningest coach in the program’s history.
As of Nov. 18, as he begins his 13th season at Radford, McGuire has won 194 games, tipping him just past the previous record-holder, Pat Barrett, who scored 193 wins between 1971 and 1984.
The milestone was covered by The Roanoke Times earlier this month.
McGuire graduated from William Byrd High School in Roanoke and later served as the girls’ basketball coach there and at Hidden Valley High before he moved into the college ranks as an assistant coach in Richmond. He’s been at Radford since the 2013-14 season and, during that stint, Radford has earned bids to four Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) postseason appearances, as well as an NCAA Tournament berth in 2019.
The Times’ story also noted that, during the Nov. 11 game, guards Angelina Nice and Cate Carlson scored 23 points and 16 points, respectively.
Back after a break
An art student whose senior exhibition was curtailed by COVID-19 is getting another chance at it.
Sydne Moseley, M.F.A. ’23, of Chesterfield, Virginia, is a painter who was earning her bachelor’s degree at Bridgewater College in the spring of 2020, and because of the shutdown, she never got her opening.
Cut to 2025: She’s since earned her graduate degree at Radford, and her previous alma mater is hosting a show of some of the work she did in the interim.
Her show, “A Threshold into Unconventional Bliss,” opened Nov. 3 at Bridgewater College’s Beverly Perdue Art Gallery and will be on display through Dec. 12.
Moseley recently told the Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, Virginia) that the new work began to develop additional textures and dimensions that pushed it beyond the canvas.
“When I graduated and started school again (at Radford), I wanted to see how I could elevate the work, so I started bringing together a sculptural element, and it’s almost like a happy marriage between the two,” she said, adding that the time between has been formative.
“I’ve been able to really home in on what I really wanted to with my artwork,” Mosley explained. “It was really a learning experience to feel that things aren’t always going to go my way, so to come back and show some stronger work is great.”
Developing news
Late last month, Botetourt County announced its new director of economic development – Kyle Rosner ’15.
A report in The Roanoker magazine said Rosner, who started on the job Oct. 27, will lead the county’s “efforts to create, attract, retain, expand and support business and industry, and to bolster long-term revenue sustainability and employment opportunities.”
Rosner earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history from Radford and after graduation was chosen for the Virginia Governor’s Fellow Program.
According to a separate Oct. 30 article in Virginia Business, prior to taking the Botetourt County position, Rosner was director of government affairs for All Points Broadband and worked as a deputy broadband advisor for Gov. Ralph Northam. He then went on to work at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in a leadership role involved in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant program, a $42 billion enterprise.
“Botetourt County is a leader among Virginia localities, and I’m honored to be a part of the team,” Rosner said in a county announcement. “I look forward to continuing the county’s long track record of innovative and successful approaches to a strong and diverse economy.”
Called to the hall
Covington and Alleghany high schools, which merged in 2023, hosted their Hall of Fame ceremony on Oct. 17 – just before Alleghany met Wilson Memorial on the football field – and a pair of Highlanders were among those inducted.
An Oct. 18 story in the Virginian Review (Covington, Virginia) said the event celebrated the achievements of eight local coaches and athletes, including Glenn Spangler, M.S. ’99, and La’Tisha Chambers ’20.
The article said Spangler’s impact on Alleghany Highlands High School athletics spans nearly 20 years. Prior to earning a master’s degree in educational leadership, he coached football and wrestling across two decades before taking an administrative role as assistant principal and athletic director at Covington High School from 1999 to 2005. In 2008, he became the director at Jackson River Technical Center, serving until he retired in 2023.
Chambers graduated from Radford summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree while also competing on the track and field team. As a student at Alleghany High School, she excelled at a range of sports, including track and field, basketball and volleyball, in which she earned All-Conference honors in 2013 and 2014. During her senior year, she was named the school’s female athlete of the year. Beyond college, it said, “she has become a clinical leader in occupational therapy and a dedicated Special Olympics volunteer.”
“Each inductee has left a lasting mark on Cougar and Mountaineer athletics through remarkable performances, leadership, and dedication,” the article said.