Top DC Sports Stories 2023-

Portions previously appearing on WTOP.COM-

With 2023 safely in our rear-view mirror, a look back at the year that was in DC sports. WTOP’s Senior Content and Fun Director Rob Woodfork asked our staff to highlight the best of 2023:

Top Sports Story- Commanders sale. Enough said.

Top Sports Moment- “We can be eliminated?”. It was “Maroon & Black” for a different generation.

Comeback Player/Athlete- Virginia running back Mike Hollins who recovered from a gunshot wound sustained in November 2022 to return to the field for the Cavaliers in 2023.

Breakout Athlete- Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas set career highs in everything from at bats to homers and RBI, providing a potential veteran link to the next era of contention in Washington.

Athlete/Team/Sportsperson of the Year- Howard Men’s Basketball won the MEAC and advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 1992.

I handled three categories for our photo gallery:

College Football- Season of Not Quite in College Park.

Maryland entered the 2023 season with hopes of competing for a Big Ten East Division championship, even going so far as saying so during the Conference’s Media Day. And despite rough starts against Charlotte and Virginia, the Terps took a 5-0 record into Columbus and led No. 2 Ohio State 10-0 in the second quarter. But then a pick-six tossed by Taulia Tagovailoa sparked a Buckeyes rally and over the next month the Terps would repeatedly make mistakes, seemingly 95% of which came back to haunt them. Coach Mike Locksley’s crew settled down with two victories in their final three games to clinch a third straight winning season, but once again are still seeking their first winning Big Ten record since joining the conference in 2014.

Honorable Mentions: Virginia Tech bounces back from a slow start to reach a bowl in the second year of the Brent Pry Era, while James Madison’s 11-1 season means a first ever bowl and their coach getting plucked by a Power Five school.

Men’s College Basketball- Turnover at Georgetown.

The Hoyas followed up their dream run through the 2021 Big East Tournament with a pair of nightmare seasons, and even though they snapped a 29-game regular season league losing streak they also snatched defeat from the jaws of victory multiple times, up to and including a come-from-ahead loss to eventual National Champion UConn. Exit Hall of Fame player Patrick Ewing, enter…former Providence Coach Ed Cooley? The former Friar became the first coach to move from one league school to another and has brought an energy to the program that was lacking in the final days of Ewing’s regime. There will be growing pains, and there’s no guarantee the Hoyas will reach even the heights of former Coach John Thompson III, let along Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson Jr. But Cooley has brought a sizzle we haven’t seen in some time. The quality of steak is yet to be determined.

Honorable Mentions- Coaching changes at American (Duane Simpkins in/Mike Brennan out) and George Mason (Final Four player Tony Skinn comes back to Fairfax), while Howard ends a 31-year drought with its first trip to the NCAA Tournament this century.

Women’s College Basketball- Hokies hit the big-time.

Virginia Tech is a basketball school? You bet. And we’re not even discussing the Men’s 2022 ACC Tournament Champions. Because Women’s Coach Kenny Brooks has built a juggernaut in Blacksburg. It took five years for the former James Madison Coach to get the Hokies into the NCAA Tournament, but this past March behind forward Elizabeth Kitley (18 points and 11 rebounds per game) and guard Georgia Amoore (16 points with 5 assists) VT won the ACC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history. The weekend in Greensboro proved to not be a fluke as the Hokies advanced to the first Women’s Final Four in school history before falling to eventual National Champion LSU. Brooks mined the transfer portal in the offseason and brought in ex-Michigan State guard Matilda Ekh. Can the Preseason No. 8 team handle being the hunted for the first time?

Honorable Mention- Former Maryland forward Angel Reese won a National Championship at LSU last April as the Tigers got the better of Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Reese isn’t the first Terrapin to transfer, but she’s the first one I can recall who enjoyed more individual and team success at her new stop.

Happy 2024!

Presto’s Picks- Conference Championship Edition.

College football despite consistently delivering one of the best regular seasons in sport never fails to let us down when it comes to the postseason process. And even though the playoff that yields four spots from five major conferences will expand next season, we get one more December Sunday of arguments and anguish. Because there are easily eight schools that could make their case for inclusion at this point, and that doesn’t include non-Power Five teams with gaudy records. Next year they’ll triple the field to a dozen (I thought eight would be enough but when four extra games of $$$ can be added why not?) and I hope the small conferences get some representation as opposed to a three-loss club that stuffed its schedule with FCS and non-Power Fives. Meanwhile, the coaching carousel has claimed James Madison’s Curt Cignetti. Good luck at Indiana, who even in the post-divisional world still faces a slew of programs who care a lot more about football than the Hoosiers ever will.

Alma Mater Update- the Orange hire Georgia Secondary Coach Fran Brown to be the man who’ll bring the school back from the treadmill of 7-5 ceilings and ACC pretender status. He’s had a history of working with have-nots, having spent time at Rutgers and Temple (twice). Brown also hopefully has a handle on recruiting to a private school (as in very few walk-ons) in the northeast, as it’s as much about the Jimmies and the Joes as it is about the X’s and O’s. One hopes he puts together a good staff that can get talent and coach it up when they get to campus.

Friday’s Games:

Conference USA Championship: No. 20 Liberty (12-0, 8-0) vs New Mexico St. (10-3, 7-1), 7 p.m., CBSSN.

What to Know: Call this the Ghost of Conference Membership Past as 16 of the 18 previous championship game winners are no longer in the league. The Flames took the regular season showdown by 16 on September 9 thanks in part to Quinton Cooley’s 106 yards rushing. The junior running back gained 1,251 yards this year after three years and 402 yards rushing at Wake Forest (Winston-Salem’s loss is Lynchburg’s gain).

Presto’s Pick: Flames torch the Aggies, 37-22.

Pac-12 Championship: No. 3 Washington (12-0, 9-0) vs No. 5 Oregon (11-1, 8-1), 8 p.m., ABC.

What to Know: A preview of one of the Big Ten’s games to watch in 2023 as a once-proud league (I gave their eulogy in September: https://wtop.com/ncaa-football/2023/09/prestos-picks-virginia-plays-emotional-matinee-while-pac-12-enjoys-one-final-run/ ) as we know it gets one final evening on the national stage. Impermanence is front and center in this matchup on the field as well: the Huskies beat the Ducks 36-33 in October behind 302 yards and four touchdowns passing by Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. while ex-Auburn QB Bo Nix tallied 337 yards and two touchdowns in defeat.

Presto’s Pick: Huskies make their case for the Playoff party with a 39-38 thriller.

Saturday’s Games:

FCS Second Round: Richmond (9-3) at No. 5 Albany (9-3), noon, (ESPN+).

What to Know: these two CAA schools didn’t play one another during the regular season, tying for the conference title with Villanova (also playoff bound and hosting Youngstown State). The Great Danes beat the Wildcats in September to secure the tiebreaker and have won five straight since slipping at New Hampshire. The Spiders have won seven in a row since their midseason hiccup against Hampton.

Presto’s Pick: Anytime a school’s mascot is based on Scooby Doo, you take them. Albany solves the mystery of the Spiders 24-20. Zoiks!

Big 12 Championship: No. 7 Texas (11-1, 8-1) vs No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2), noon, ABC.

What to Know: for all of the Longhorns bluster they haven’t won the conference since 2009 and haven’t played in this game since 2018. The Cowboys have just one Big 12 title in their history and that came in 2011, when the ten-team Big 12 didn’t have a title game (now they have 14 before settling on 16 next fall). OSU does have the recent edge in the series with nine wins in their last 13 meetings against UT. They sent longtime instate rival OU packing earlier this month…can they make it a double play by denying the entitled Longhorns before they join the SEC?

Presto’s Pick: Texas is back (!) as they corral the Cowboys, 45-24.

MAC Championship: No. 23 Toledo (11-1, 8-0) vs Miami (OH) (10-2, 7-1), noon, ESPN.

What to Know: Despite being further west (Oxford, OH sits at 84 degrees West Longitude to Toledo’s 83 degrees) the Redhawks represent the East while the Rockets are in the West (they’d be better off if they adopted “Northwest” and “Southeast” divisions). Toledo won the regular season meeting 21-17 in October and is two points shy of a perfect season (they lost to Illinois on a late field goal Labor Day weekend). Despite success by both schools in the championship game era (four titles for Toledo, three for Miami) this is just their second meeting (UT won the 2004 showdown). Miami is also to be referred to as “Miami University”, not “University of Miami” or even “Miami of Ohio”.

Presto’s Pick: Toledo triumphs, 27-16.

Mountain West Championship: UNLV (9-3, 6-2) vs Boise State (7-5, 6-2), 3 p.m., FOX.

What to Know: due to a three-way tie four computer rankings were averaged to generate this matchup, with the hottest team in the bunch San Jose State (six straight wins plus a victory over UNLV) sent packing. The Broncos boast more history (three wins in six appearances during the ten years of the Championship Game) but also more baggage as they fired Coach Andy Avalos two weeks ago despite a 42-14 win over New Mexico to make the team 4-2 in league play. They’re currently unbeaten under Interim Coach a few weeks ago despite their late surge.

Presto’s Pick: UNLV bashes the Broncos, 31-28.

SEC Championship: No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0) vs No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0), 4 p.m., CBS.

What to Know: the Crimson Tide has won seven of the last eight meetings (including three SEC Championship Games), but dropped the most recent matchup between the two schools in the College Football Playoff two years ago. The West owns an 18-13 edge entering the final year of divisional play, with the Tide winning ten of those. They also haven’t lost in this game since 2008, Nick Saban’s second season. While this year’s team has dodged multiple bullets in conference play with one-possession wins over Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Auburn the two-time defending National Champions are 4-0 against ranked foes by the average score of 43-15.

Presto’s Pick: Bama stuns the world with a 28-24 upset.

AAC Championship: No. 17 Tulane (11-1, 8-0) vs No. 25 SMU (10-2, 8-0), 4 p.m., ABC.

The Green Wave won the title last year while the Mustangs are off to the ACC after this game. SMU is also minus quarterback Preston Stone (no relation) and his 3,000+ yards passing after he suffered injury against Navy last weekend. Kevin Jennings has thrown 24 passes all season and tries to find his way against a defense that ranks 18th nationally after allowing an average of 14 points per game in November.

Presto’s Pick: Tulane sends the Mustangs out of the league on a 35-10 loss.

Sun Belt Championship: Troy (10-2, 7-1) vs Appalachian State (8-4, 6-2), 4 p.m., ESPN.

What to Know: We’d much rather be watching James Madison in this game. But thanks to the NCAA, this is the matchup we get. Both teams played one-score games with JMU, with the Trojans losing by two in September and the Mountaineers winning by three in November. There’s a contrast of quarterbacks, with Troy starting sixth year senior Gunnar Watson (3,147 yards and 26 touchdowns passing) and App. St. enjoying the fruits of first-year starter Joey Aguilar (3,271 with 33).

Presto’s Pick: Troy wins an offensive extravaganza, 41-37.

Big Ten Championship: No. 2 Michigan (12-0, 9-0) vs No. 18 Iowa (10-2, 7-2), 6 p.m., FOX.

What to Know: Wolverines Coach Jim Harbaugh is back! And they could use him after posting wins of nine, seven, and six points during his suspension. The Hawkeyes are 8-7 in the series this century, most memorably handing UM their first loss of the season in 2016. While the Wolverines scored the most and allowed the fewest points this year in the Big Ten, Iowa has grinded its way to 60 points during its four game winning streak. To say the team that once famously scored “seven the hard way” in a 7-3 win against South Dakota State (two safeties and a field goal) is offensively challenged is a major understatement.

Presto’s Pick: Wolverines pounce, 38-6.

ACC Championship: No. 4 Florida State (12-0, 8-0) vs No. 15 Louisville (10-2, 7-1), 8 p.m., ABC.

What to Know: The Seminoles lead the Cardinals 18-6 all-time, but are just 5-4 in the series since UL replaced Maryland in the ACC ten years ago. FSU is also minus quarterback Jordan Travis, with Tate Rodemaker completing 25 of 48 passes for 351 yards the last two weeks. Even with Travis they had trouble disposing of the likes of Boston College and Clemson this fall. And even with a win, do they get leapfrogged by a Washington or Oregon whose Pac-12 victory will be over a much more impressive foe than a Cardinals team that’s lost to Pitt and Kentucky?

The season may be over for Virginia but Kippy & Buffy since coming to Charlotte for the 2019 Championship Game have made this a yearly trip, especially since their best friends Henry & Hildegarde (they were all first-year students at UVa together) call the North Carolina city home. And a bottle from Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards will rekindle memories of both girls’ bachelorette parties held there. The Red Pump 2019 is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Merlot, Tannat, and a touch of Viognier. “The sweet nose brings to mind figs, ripe strawberries and black currants followed by deep raisin, date and prune flavors,” according to the winery website. “The finish is slightly oaky with light acidity and tannins.”

Presto’s Pick: Seminoles win 33-27 but don’t advance. Blame the light acidity and tannins…

Last week: 5-0! Pass the coffee as Closing Month finishes with a flourish.

Season: 76-33.

James Madison, Howard & Georgetown: the new kid in FBS Town plus the DC duo.

PORTIONS PREVIOUSLY APPEARING ON WTOP.COM-

There’s nothing quite like being the new kid in town. Check out the Eagles’ song (hit No. 1 back in the 1970’s) if you have a chance. It’s a great feeling being the new kid in town. Trust me-I basked in that limelight during the second grade and didn’t appreciate it until there was a newer kid in town. For instance, Maryland and Rutgers are in their last year as the “new kids” in the Big Ten because USC and UCLA (plus Washington and Oregon eventually) are about to join in. James Madison enjoyed its autumn as the new kid in the Sun Belt Conference and FBS after dominating FCS play over the last decade.

James Madison has the dubious distinction of trying to build off a dream season: the Dukes won their first five games as an FBS team and was ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll before dropping three straight. JMU did bounce back to win its final three games and finish 8-3 with a 7-1 Sun Belt Conference mark (due to NCAA rules the first-year FBS member was not eligible for postseason play). Can they prove that last year was more than beginners luck and the start of sustained success?

The Dukes have lofty expectations to live up to after being picked to finish first in the Sun Belt East Division. The 13 starters that return include the entire offensive line (specifically Preseason All-SBC pick Nick Kidwell). Todd Centeio (63% completion rate, 2,697 yards and 25 touchdowns passing in his lone season at JMU) played to the XFL earlier this year and Head Coach Curt Cignetti has listed co-starters at quarterback to begin this fall, but it appears as though Alonza Barnett III (he completed the lone pass he threw last year) will start the season against Bucknell. He’ll have to get used to his new targets as the top five receivers from 2022 are gone. The ground game will also have a different face with the departure of the program’s third all-time leading rusher Percy Agyei-Obese: Latrele Palmer (398 yards and five touchdowns last fall) and Kaelon Black (33 yards on 4.8 per carry) both saw extensive action in 2022 and will combine with Stony Brook transfer Ty Son Lawton to provide a counterbalance threat (last year’s team rushed the ball 54.6% of the time).

The defense allowed the fewest yards per game in the Sun Belt last year and is led by All-Sun Belt Preseason selection James Carpenter (5.5 sacks in 2022) on the line while linebacker Taurus Jones holds the unit together (the junior paced the team with 82 tackles last fall). Cornerback Chauncey Logan tallied a team-high 10 pass-break-ups as a freshman while free safety Josh Sarratt provides the last line of defense (40 tackles last fall).

The Dukes kick off the season in Harrisonburg by hosting Bucknell and battle Virginia for the first time since 1983. The Sun Belt Conference opener is September 30 against South Alabama. Other highlights include a Thursday night game at Marshall October 19 and a season finale at Coastal Carolina (JMU routed the No. 23 Chanticleers 47-7 last year). They’re not eligible for postseason play again this year so just like 2022 they’ll have to make their noise before December once more.

Howard enters its third season under Head Coach Larry Price with plenty of optimism, having tied for first in the MEAC last year. The Bison took second in the preseason poll behind North Carolina Central and placed seven players on the All-MEAC Preseason Team. They also return graduate student quarterback Quinton Williams (65% completion rate with 16 touchdown passes in 2022) who gets to throw to senior receivers Kasey Hawthorne and Brennan Brown (each a first team Preseason pick). Standout defensive returnees are on the line (graduate students Jevin Jackson and Darrian Brokenburr) as well as in the secondary (senior Kenny Gallop led the team with 93 tackles last fall).

The schedule begins with a trip to Eastern Michigan (the Eagles are coming off of a 9-4 season) and the non-conference highlight is its September 16 game with Hampton at Audi Field. They also get a break regarding their MEAC schedule as league favorite North Carolina Central comes to Greene Stadium November 11.

Georgetown hopes to exceed preseason expectations after being picked to finish tied for last in the Patriot League. The Hoyas have finished 1-5 in conference play three straight seasons and Head Coach Rob Sgarlata won’t just have a new starting quarterback after the departure of Pierce Holley (18 touchdown passes in 2022): the top four receivers from last year’s club are gone as well. But they do return running back Joshua Stakely (482 yards rushing plus 19 receptions last year). The team allowed the most points per game in the Patriot League last year but three players on that side of the ball received Preseason recognition: junior defensive lineman Ibri Harrell (team-high five sacks in 2022) and and sophomore lineman Mateen Ibirogba (four sacks) plus sophomore cornerback Wedner Cadet (five of the team’s eight interceptions last year). They do return Patrick Ryan on special teams: the junior made six of seven field goal attempts while averaging 38.3 yards per punt (in a backup capacity).

The Hoyas kick off the season with three straight home games before a trip to Columbia. Conference play begins the following weekend (September 30) in DC against Fordham. Their home finale is October 28 against Lafayette and the Hoyas wrap up the season with trips to Bucknell (also picked to finish sixth) and Preseason favorite/four time defending champ Holy Cross.