Matt Arkema, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive lineman from Midlothian High School, has become the 10th football player to commit to Virginia Tech for 2010.

Recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh was Tech's lead recruiter for Arkema, who is one of seven in-state prospects in Tech's 2010 class.

Maryland, Northwestern and Vanderbilt are among nine Division I-A programs that had made scholarship offers to Arkema, according to rivals.com.

Arkema, who drove up to Blacksburg on Sunday and committed Monday, said Maryland probably was his second choice.

Arkema, who has been compared to former Tech offensive lineman Matt Lehr, was rated the No. 26 prospect in the state by Virginia Preps in a listing posted last week.

Lehr, once thought to be too short to play professionally, has had a nine-year NFL career.

"Coach [Frank] Beamer was the first person I heard make the comparison," Arkema said. "That was a big honor."

-- Doug Doughty

Cavs land Floridian

Efforts by first-year Virginia assistant Chad Wilt to recruit in Florida paid dividends Monday with an oral commitment from Pablo Alvarez, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound defensive back and wide receiver from Belen Jesuit School in Miami.

Six other Division I-A schools had made offers to Alvarez, who took an unofficial visit to Virginia last weekend. He picked the Cavaliers over Duke, Iowa and Northwestern.

Alvarez, the sixth player to commit to UVa for 2010, is ranked nationally in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and has a 22.01-second clocking in the 200. The Cavaliers have only one scholarship player from Florida on their roster, cornerback Mike Parker, who will be a junior this season.

-- Doug Doughty

Richmond golfer qualifies for U.S. Senior Open

HOT SPRINGS -- Richmond amateur Glenn Mullian shot a 2-under-par 68 at The Homestead's Cascades Course to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open.

Mullian, 54, will be making his first appearance in the event that will be contested July 30-Aug. 2 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. John Ross of Freeman, W.Va., shot 69 and former VSGA State Amateur champion Allen Barber of Yorktown shot 70 to earn the first- and second-alternate spots.

Several Roanokers attempted to qualify, but failed to do so. They were Gary Leroux (72), Dickie Linkous (73), Jeff Lynch (76), Jack Allara (81) and John Newton (81).

Sullivan misses cut

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. -- Chip Sullivan's stay at the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship was an abbreviated one.

Sullivan, the PGA teaching pro at Roanoke Country Club, carded a 2-over 73 in the second round, and failed to make the 36-hole cut in an event he won in 2007 and finished third in 2004.

Sullivan's 6-over 148 total missed making the cut by five shots. Mark Sheftic of Hanover, Pa., is the 36-hole leader at 7-under 135.

The low 70 players and ties in the 312-player field qualified for the final 36 holes, with the top 20 finishers and ties after Wednesday's final round earning a spot in the Aug. 13-16 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

UVa 8th in Directors' Cup

Virginia has matched its best performance in the Learfield Directors' Cup rankings of all-sports competition.

The Cavaliers finished eighth in the final standings, only the second time they have been in the top 12. Virginia finished eighth in 1999.

When the final winter standings were posted April 23, Virginia was 19th, but only Southern California fared better in the spring sports.

Virginia had top eight finishes in baseball, men's tennis, men's lacrosse and rowing.

The Cavaliers had more ACC team championships than any other ACC school this season, tying a school record with six.

Stanford won the Directors' Cup for the 15th time and North Carolina was second. The Tar Heels were first among ACC schools and Virginia was second.

Virginia Tech had its fourth Top 50 finish in a row but dropped to 47th from its previous high, 36th, in 2008. The Hokies were eighth among ACC schools, ahead of Georgia Tech, Clemson, N.C. State and Boston College.

After five straight years in the Division III top 40, Washington and Lee dropped to 41st. Roanoke College was 88th, its best showing since finishing 87th in 2001.

Christopher Newport, at No. 31, was the highest-ranked Division III program in the state.

Tortorella to assist U.S. Olympic hockey team

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, who started his coaching career in 1988 with the Vinton-based Virginia Lancers, was selected by USA Hockey as an assistant coach for the U.S. team for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Tortorella joins New York Islanders coach Scott Gordon as assistants under Toronto Maple Leafs coach Rob Wilson, who will lead the American squad. Tortorella, 51, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup title in 2004, is the winningest American-born coach in NHL history.

-- Staff reports