Mark Berman

Roanoke

Sports writer for The Roanoke Times @roanoketimes . Beats include Va. Tech basketball. AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll voter and Heisman voter. Syracuse grad.

Featured in: Favicon

roanoke.com Favicon

richmond.com Favicon

journalnow.com Favicon

dailyprogress.com Favicon

newsadvance.com Favicon

fredericksburg.com Favicon

heraldcourier.com Favicon

montanarightnow.com Favicon

starlocalmedia.com Favicon

heraldpalladium.com + 72 more

Articles

Radford dropping tennis teams, adding women's flag football and men's track

2 days ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

Three years ago, the Radford men's tennis team played in the NCAA tournament. Now the university is dropping the program. The Radford athletic department announced Monday that it has decided to drop both the men's and women's tennis programs. Those teams will not be back for the 2025-26 school year. "That is a shame because we really had it rolling when I was there," Mike Anderson, who retired in 2017 after coaching the Radford men's tennis team for 21 years, said Monday in a phone interview.
Virginia Tech to head to Alabama for NCAA softball regional

3 days ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

BLACKSBURG — The Virginia Tech softball team will have to hit the road for the NCAA tournament. The Hokies (41-11) were hoping to host an NCAA regional for the first time since 2022, but instead they were assigned to a regional that will be hosted by No. 15 overall seed Alabama. Virginia Tech will face Missouri Valley Conference champ Belmont at 3:30 p.m. Friday on the first day of the four-team, double-elimination regional.
Retiring Steve Robinson feels good about how coaching career turned out

5 days ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

Steve Robinson wore jersey No. 42 when he played basketball for William Fleming High School. Now the number 42 is significant to him for another reason. After earning a living as a college basketball coach for 42 years, Robinson has decided to retire. “It’s been quite the journey,” Robinson, 67, said Friday in a phone interview.
DeMatha big man Solomon Davis commits to Virginia Tech basketball

5 days ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

The Virginia Tech men's basketball team is adding a 6-foot-11, 220-pound post player from Washington, D.C.-area powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School. Center/power forward Solomon Davis, who is graduating from DeMatha next month, has verbally committed to the Hokies. Davis said Friday in a phone interview that he informed the Tech staff of his decision Wednesday. Davis' AAU team, Virginia Elite, tweeted the news of his commitment Thursday night.
Aces rookie and ex-Hokie Elizabeth Kitley 'proud' to return to action

6 days ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

Elizabeth Kitley is back in action. The former Virginia Tech star played in both of the Las Vegas Aces' preseason games this month, marking her first game action since she suffered a torn ACL while playing for Tech against Virginia on March 3, 2024. The WNBA rookie played five minutes off the bench in a May 2 preseason win over Dallas. Her workload off the bench increased to 10 minutes in Tuesday's preseason win over Phoenix.
UVa's Bigham and Virginia Tech's Lemley earn all-ACC honors; McMillan player of year

1 week ago | newsadvance.com | Mark Berman

Two years ago, Cori McMillan was playing softball for Radford University. On Wednesday, she was named the ACC player of the year. McMillan, in her second season with Virginia Tech after transferring from Radford, became the first Hokie to earn ACC softball player of the year honors since former Tech ace Angela Tincher in 2006. “She had really lofty goals this year, so she worked harder than she did last year,” Tech coach Pete D’Amour said of McMillan in a phone interview.
Metallica concert draws fans of all ages to Lane Stadium

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

BLACKSBURG — The heavy metal band Metallica has been rocking since the 1980s but had never performed at Lane Stadium until Wednesday night. So the Lane stop of the band's tour drew fans of all ages. Jean Crenshaw, 85, was among them. "I am heavy metal," Crenshaw, who lives in Richmond and Christiansburg, said as she walked from a Cassell Coliseum parking lot toward the stadium. "I play their records. "I just like heavy metal music. And of course I'm hard rock and roll (too).
Virginia Tech's McMillan named ACC softball player of the year

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

Two years ago, Cori McMillan was playing softball for Radford University. On Wednesday, she was named the ACC player of the year. McMillan, in her second season with Virginia Tech after transferring from Radford, became the first Hokie to earn ACC softball player of the year honors since former Tech ace Angela Tincher in 2006. "She had really lofty goals this year, so she worked harder than she did last year," Tech coach Pete D'Amour said of McMillan in a phone interview.
Radford's Fagan and Redmon earn Big South softball awards

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

As befitting the best softball team in the Big South, Radford scooped up four major awards Tuesday. After guiding Radford to its first Big South regular-season title since 2012, first-year Highlanders coach Kevin Fagan was named the Big South coach of the year. "The players, they just bought in … and trusted the way we coach and what we did," Fagan said Tuesday in a phone interview.
No. 13 Virginia Tech softball beats No. 7 Florida State in 'must-win' game

1 week ago | roanoke.com | Mark Berman

BLACKSBURG — On Saturday night, Cori McMillan and Emma Lemley each learned which pro team she will be joining next month. On Sunday, they helped their current team knock off Florida State. McMillan belted two solo homers and Lemley earned the save as the 13th-ranked Virginia Tech softball team beat seventh-ranked Florida State 8-6 in front of 1,346 fans at Tech Softball Park.