Coming on strong

Melissa Register was practically a goal-scoring machine in her final season at Culpeper County High School two years ago. Now a sophomore at Radford, Register is starting to see her college career take off.

Register has been getting more playing time this year, making three starts and getting in all 17 games for the Highlanders, now 9-8 and 5-1 in the NorPac East Division. She had perhaps her best collegiate game on Sunday at Appalachian State.

The Rixeyville product had two shots on goal and scored once as Radford topped the Mountaineers to clinch at least a share of the NorPac East title. It’s the Highlanders third division title in five years.

For the season Register has three goals.

FRESH FACES: Mary McCarthy and Monica Jenkins, juniors out of Culpeper County High School, have led the Randolph-Macon field hockey team all season and continue to stand at the top of the statistical charts for Yellow Jackets, 9-9 and 4-3 in the ODAC.

But recently a pair of freshmen from Eastern View have emerged as potential future stars.

Nicole Woodworth took over in goal for the Jackets midway through the season and has helped lead a Randolph-Macon turnaround. Woodworth has a 9-1 record in goal with two shutouts to her name and an .847 save percentage.

Courtney Owens, another R-M freshman who was Woodworth’s teammate at Eastern View last year, has also come on in recent weeks. Owens has played in 17 games and started two and scored her first collegiate goal over the weekend.

McCarthy leads the Jackets in scoring with 12 goals and six assists.

Jenkins is second on the team with five assists and third in goals with eight.

All four local players return to the area this week when Randolph-Macon plays at Mary Washington on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

KEEPING IT UP: Former CCHS swimmer Jake Maloy continued his winning ways this weekend against Mary Washington. In his first meet since winning the Colonial Athletic Association’s Swimmer of the Week award, the William & Mary sophomore took first place in the 100-meter butterfly, finishing in 52.81 seconds.

ALSO IN THE POOL: Culpeper County native Katherine McDonnell continues to be one of the top swimmers at the University of Virginia, helping the Cavaliers beat Virginia Tech in a dual meet last week.

McDonnell was part of the Cavs’ 200 medley relay team that finished first in a time of 1:42.57. She also finished second in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:19.29) and the 100 breast (1:04.65).

UNDER PAR: CCHS product Chad Mozingo has played in one tournament this fall for the James Madison golf team, helping the Dukes win the Sea Trail Intercollegiate last month in North Carolina.

Mozingo had a low round of 71, 1-under par and good enough to be the Dukes’ fifth-best round of the season. He finished with an average of 73.7 in the three rounds of the tournament. JMU wraps up the fall season this week in Hawaii.