ODAC Announces Jopson and Berkley Award Winners

Posted: Jun 06, 2016

EMU's Chappell-Dick, W&L's Holt Collect High Honors

FOREST, Va. --- Eastern Mennonite University and Washington and Lee University added to their awards quota for the 2015-16 season as the ODAC Board of Directors announced the annual winners of the top scholar-athlete awards in the conference. Royals' cross country and track & field star Hannah Chappell-Dick was selected as the Marjorie Berkley Award winner, while Generals' tennis standout Michael Holt was tabbed for the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.

For EMU, this is the sixth Berkley Award in its athletic history, but its first since since 1988 when EMU was still known as Eastern Mennonite College. Still, the six honors are the second-most in ODAC history. For W&L, Holt is the second straight men's tennis General to secure the Jopson Award. W&L leads that list with 13 honorees.

Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member institution seniors and conference sport participants who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching career at Lynchburg College. Several years later, she moved to Hollins University where she coached tennis, field hockey, and soccer, and served as the athletic director for 30 years. The Jopson Award is named in honor of the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981 following 45 years at BC. Dr. Jopson, who initiated and directed the Eagles' cross country and track programs, led his teams to ODAC indoor track titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and outdoor crowns in 1978 through 1981.

All-Time Berkley and Jopson Award Winners

Chappell-Dick has a stable full of honors following four seasons as a cross country and track & field star for EMU. She is a five-time All-American, earning four of those thru her track exploits that include back-to-back runner-up finishes in the mile run at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track Championships. Three times she has earned USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Athlete of the Year distinction, while also garnering ODAC Indoor Championships Athlete of the Meet laurels in 2015.

The Bluffton, Ohio, native is a 12-time champion in ODAC track events, in addition to four seasons as an All-ODAC First Team cross country runner that culminated with an individual championship this past fall. She owns six ODAC records on the track -- the overall (4:54.32) and championship (5:03.54) marks in the indoor mile run, the overall (4:27.25) and championships (4:38.61) standards in the outdoor 1,500-meter run, the championship (2:11.80) record in the 800-meter run, and the championship mark (12:37.64) as a member of EMU's distance medley relay team in 2015.

In the classroom, Chappell-Dick maintains a 3.84 grade point average as a Biology major with minors in Coaching and Exercise Science as a member of EMU's honors program. She is a six-time recipient of ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete awards, earning each honor for cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track the past two seasons. A former Capital One Academic All-American (2015), as selected by CoSIDA, Chappell-Dick is a four-time honoree on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team in addition to two honors on the cross country squads. She soon will be a four-time honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team.

Chappell-Dick also shines in the community and on campus. EMU's SAAC President and teammate Alec Thibodeaux created FLASH Track Club, which is an after-school program serving 10-12 year olds. She has worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past four years, as well as serving as a NEO Cross Country Camp Counselor during that span. Chappell-Dick completed a cross-cultural trip to Guatemala in 2014, attending language and cultural lessons through the Guatemala City's Semilla Seminary "CASAS" program.

Holt's career at Washington and Lee has been one of the record books, both on and off the tennis court. A two-time ITA First Team All-American (2013-14) in doubles play, Holt will graduate fifth on the Generals' charts with 76 career doubles victories despite injuries that cut short his senior year and took some time away from his junior campaign.

The Henrico, Va., native helped lead the Generals to four ODAC titles during his tenure, increasing W&L's record total to 35 following the 2016 season. Holt is a six-time First Team All-ODAC honoree, garnering three each in singles and doubles play. He entered the spring ranked 47th in the country by the ITA and posted a 12-2 singles record before concluding his season prematurely.

Academically, Holt's honors are numerous, as evidenced by his most recent accolade as Washington and Lee University's Valedictorian. He boasts a 4.0 grade point average as a Mathematics and Computer Science double major. He is a three-time ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete honoree and soon to be four-time member of the All-ODAC Academic Team. Holt has earned Capital One Academic All-American Third Team laurels each of the past two years, and has a chance for a third such honor following his selection to the Academic All-District First Team (Academic All-American announced 6/7/16). He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa (academic), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership), Phi Mu Epsilon (mathematics), and Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies. He has earned several awards and scholarships including the James D. Davidson Memorial Fund Scholarship (3x), the James McDowell Scholarship (2x), the J. Brown Goehring Sophomore Award, the Luther Seevers Birely Award, and the Washington and Lee Taylor Mathematics Scholarship. He has future plans to work for the CIA as an applications developer.

Holt also stands out on campus and in the community. In addition to membership on W&L's SAAC, he has participated in the Generals' Leadership Academy and on the junior class leadership team. He is a tennis instructor at Courtside West Racquet and Fitness Club. Holt volunteers for W&L's Nabors Service League, which is a student-run community service organization that strives to promote and encourage a spirit of service and to connect service with learning.

2016 Marjorie Berkley Award Nominees
Cassidy Burkholder, Bridgewater (basketball)
Taylor Banner, Emory & Henry (softball)
Laura Hall, Guilford (softball)
Courtney Lowers, Randolph-Macon (volleyball)
Lexie Janney, Roanoke (track & field)
Kelani Bailey, Shenandoah (field hockey)
Lydia Fleck, Sweet Briar (lacrosse)
Shelbi Hendricks, Washington and Lee (basketball)

2016 Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award Nominees
Sean Douglass, Bridgewater (football)
Kevin Anzenberger, Emory & Henry (basketball)
Ryan Connors, Lynchburg (lacrosse)
Tyler McWilliams, Roanoke (lacrosse)