Area Athletes update. …
SALISBURY — Accolades continue to pour in for Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore fullback Ike Whitaker.
Whitaker was named to the Don Hansen Football All-America first team, along with Catawba linebacker Cory Johnson and cornerback Jumal Rolle.
Whitaker (Salisbury) has rushed for 1,689 yards and 11 TDs for the Bears in two seasons and had 874 rushing yards this fall.
Whitaker racked up 100-yard outings in both of Lenoir-Rhyne’s playoff games this season and helped the Bears finish 20th nationally in the final D-II poll.
Whitaker (5-10, 225) was earlier named to Hansen’s all-region team.
• Wingate senior center Joe So, another former Salisbury Hornet, also made Hansen’s all-region team.
A two-year starer, So did not allow a quarterback sack in a SAC game and surrendered only two sacks for the season as Wingate led the league in passing offense.

Women’s basketball
Sophomore Ayana Avery (West Rowan) hit three 3-pointers and scored 15 points to lead Radford to a 71-60 Big South win against Charleston Southern on Saturday.
Ashia Holmes (Salisbury) started and played 23 minutes for Radford’s Highlanders (10-6) and contributed six points and five rebounds.
• Ayanna Holmes (Salisbury) had one of her best games Sunday and scored 11 points to help the Charlotte 49ers (13-4) beat Xavier 67-55 in an Atlantic 10 game.
• Jessica Heilig (Salisbury) enjoyed a career game on Saturday and led Gardner-Webb to a 58-45 Big South win at UNC Asheville.
Heilig had 16 points, a career-high five blocks and five rebounds.
Doreen Richardson (Salisbury) played well off the bench for the Bulldogs (8-10) with four points, three assists and three steals in 15 minutes.
• De’Rya Wylie (Salisbury) had seven points and seven rebounds for Elizabeth City State (14-3) in Saturday’s 55-50 CIAA win against Chowan.
• DaQuondra Cuthbertson (North Rowan) pulled down seven rebounds for Fayetteville State (15-2) in Saturday’s 71-62 CIAA victory against J.C. Smith.
• Former Statesville star Janitsha Williams scored 26 points on Saturday to lead Wingate to a 64-59 SAC win against Brevard.

Men’s basketball
Teven Jones (A.L. Brown) has started nine times for Virginia (12-5) and has played in 14 games.
The redshirt freshman is averaging 3.5 points. He has 27 assists and 13 steals.
• Kaleb Kimber (West Rowan) scored eight points for Rio Grande (7-12) in Thursday’s 77-51 romp against Bluefield.
Kimber accounted for 11 and 12 points in Rio’s two previous games.
• Alex Weant (Salisbury) scored three points for Roanoke (7-10) in an 89-82 ODAC loss to Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday.
• Davis Absher (Davie) had two points and four rebounds in Averett’s 88-74 USA South win at N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday.

ML baseball
Bobby Parnell (East Rowan) signed his first big contract with the New York Mets— $1.7 million — a one-year deal for the 2013 season.
Parnell, 28, likely will enters the season in the eighth-inning role out of the bullpen and will be a candidate for saves if Frank Francisco falters.

College softball
Elon held its first practice at its new Hunt Park facility on Jan. 9.
Elon and pitcher Chelsea White (East Rowan) open the season on Feb. 19 against Campbell. Ericka Nesbitt (East) is one of the top players for the Camels.
Campbell opens Feb. 8 against Virginia.

Women’s track & field
Western Carolina’s Alisha Bradshaw (Salisbury) placed eighth in the weight throw (49 feet, 81/4 inches) and ninth in the shot put (39-33/4) in the Niswonger Invitational held over the weekend at East Tennessee State.
In the Tiger Challenge at Clemson on Jan. 11, Bradshaw won the shot put and was second in the weight throw.
• North Carolina Central freshman Christa Landy (West Rowan) ran 1:00.81 in the 400 in the Virginia Tech Invitational and was 18th. She trimmed almost a second off her previous meet time.
Landy also ran on a 4×400 team that was clocked in 3:57.84 and finished eighth.

Men’s track & field
Lees-McRae junior Evan Webb (East Rowan) set a school pole vault record at Saturday’s Mountaineer Open in Boone. Webb cleared 16-43/4 and is third in the national standings.
• Two throwers from the area staged quite a duel in the shot put at the Virginia Tech Invitational.
Charlotte’s Jake Deaton (Mooresville) (Mooresville) won the event with a throw of 57-11 that broke the 49ers’ school record.
Finishing second was Tennessee’s Tavis Bailey (A.L. Brown), who threw 57-3/4.
Bailey also took sixth in the weight throw (52-23/4).
• Western Carolina’s Keith Leonard (East) placed third in the pole vault at Clemson’s Tiger Invitational.
Garrett West (NW Cabarrus) was part of Western’s winning distance medley relay team at Clemson.
• USC Upstate’s Ross Oden (East) competed in the Niswonger Invitational and ran a personal best 5k time of 15:24 and placed 12th in the fastest heat.
• Wingate competed at Winston-Salem on Sunday in the first indoor track meet ever for the Bulldogs. Quinton Phifer (West Rowan), Rodney Richards (Carson) and Augustine Wiggins (North Rowan) are among the athletes on the Bulldogs’ roster.

College baseball
Brevard will play at Pfeiffer on Feb. 12.
The roster for the Tornados includes senior pitcher Alex Litaker (East Rowan), junior pitcher Kevin Hamilton (NW Cabarrus), sophomore pitcher Zach Jones (A.L. Brown) and freshman infielder Parker Hubbard (South Rowan).
• Wingate opens Feb. 1 and starts SAC play against Catawba at Newman Park on Feb. 15-16.
The Bulldogs’ roster includes sophomore outfielder Will Sapp (East), sophomore outfielder Will Miller (NW Cabarrus) and freshman pitcher Matt Miller (South).