ODAC Players of the Week - Week 14

ODAC Players of the Week - Week 14

FOREST, Va. --- Indoor track opened its schedule with several events this weekend, doubling the amount of weekly honors for this report. Those earning ODAC weekly honors included (pictured from left and top): DJ Petty from Randolph men's track, Maddie Van Aken from Lynchburg women's track, Grant Amoateng from Eastern Mennonite men's track, Austin Wrighten from Lynchburg men's basketball, Megan Horn from Washington and Lee women's basketball, Danny Lynch and Emily Hageboeck from W&L swimming, and Kaitlyn Johnson from Lynchburg women's track.

Below are entries for all eight winners from the past week of competition.  Click on the associated links to see that sport's weekly honor roll.

For more on ODAC athletics, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

ODAC Players of the Week

Thru Week Prior to: December 3, 2018

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Grant Amoateng | Eastern Mennonite | Sr. | Jumps
Amoateng, a senior from Bristow, Va., started off the 2018-19 campaign with a strong showing in a pair of jumps plus one sprint at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Amoateng finished third overall and first among Division III competitors in the triple jump at 14.14 meters (46-4.75). That is tops in the ODAC and fifth in the country in the early going. He also finished second in the long jump at 6.64 meters (21-9.50), which is 18th in D-III. Amoateng took his turn at the 60-meter dash on the track, finishing 19th at 7.31-seconds. 

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Maddie Van Aken | Lynchburg | Sr. | Pole Vault/Jumps
Van Aken, a senior from Blacksburg, Va., put a strong foot forward in a trio of events to kickoff the 2018-19 campaign at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Van Aken has already eclipsed her season-best mark from 2017-18 in the pole vault as she cleared 3.40 meters (11-1.75) to win the event by nearly a foot. That mark is just 0.01 off her personal-best and ranks ninth in NCAA Division III in the early going. It would have been the second-rated clearance in last season's final ODAC indoor track rankings. Van Aken also competed in the long and triple jumps, finishing seventh overall in both at 4.81 meters (15-9.5) and 10.18 meters (33-4.75).

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
DJ Petty | Randolph | Sr. | Sprints/Hurdles
Petty, a senior from Mechanicsville, Va., opened up his season with a trio of strong performances at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Petty showed his class in his specialty, the 60-meter hurdles, as he won his preliminary heat with a time of 8.37-seconds, the ninth-fastest in NCAA Division III and tops in the ODAC. He later won the event at 8.44-seconds. Petty was arguably quicker in the 60-meter dash as he burned to 6.98-seconds to finish second in the finals. His prelim time of 6.92-seconds is #2 in the ODAC and #3 in the country. Petty also helped Randolph to third in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:36.76. 

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kaitlyn Johnson | Lynchburg | So. | Distance
Johnson, a sophomore from Spotsylvania, Va., kept the momentum going from her All-American showing at the cross country national championships with a stellar performance at the Diplomat Open hosted by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. Johnson finished second overall in the five-kilometer run at 17:55.74. That time broke the previous Lynchburg record by nearly 40 seconds and ranks fifth in the early going in NCAA Division III when converted to 17:47.57 for track banking. Johnson's time is already faster than any 5K time turned in by an ODAC runner last season and would have been the only mark to crack the 18-minute barrier.

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Wrighten | Lynchburg | Sr. | Guard/Forward
Wrighten, a senior from Woodbridge, Va., played a big role in the Hornets picking up three big regional wins last week including one ODAC triumph and a victory over a nationally-ranked squad. Wrighten averaged 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds with nine assists and four steals over the three games that included a pair of double-doubles to give him three on the season. Wrighten opened with 16 points on 6-of-12 from the field with seven boards, four assists, and a steal in an 87-66 victory at Emory & Henry. He was also 3-of-5 from the stripe in that game. His scoring ticked up in game two with 18 points including a 6-for-6 showing at the line in a 69-64 victory over Mary Washington. He added 10 rebounds, four assists, and a steal to his line. Lynchburg concluded its week with a 77-64 win over nationally 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport. Wrighten collected his second straight double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to go with two steals and an assist. For the season, Wrighten is averaging 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, the latter ranking fourth in the conference.

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
Danny Lynch | Washington and Lee | So.
Lynch, a sophomore from Richmond, Va., put together a strong showing to help lead the Generals to the team crown at the Washington and Lee Invitational over the weekend. Lynch won three relays and three individual events, setting ODAC seasonal top-times in two solo disciplines. Lynch is #1 in the ODAC in the 200-yard backstroke after logging a pool-record 1:53.77 to win the event. He is also tops the conference in the 100-yard butterfly in 51.80. His winning time of 4:47.57 is third on the ODAC 2018-19 chart in the 500-yard freestyle. Lynch was joined by Steven Warren, Jared Nickodem, and Patrick Sullivan in winning both the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays with times of 1:34.47 and 3:29.45, respectively. The 200-medley time broke the pool record. Lynch's final win came with Robert Holmes, Conner Van Vooren, and Ben Brown in the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:08.96.

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SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
Emily Hageboeck | Washington and Lee | Jr.
Hageboeck, a junior from Charleston, Va., picks up her second straight weekly honor after a stellar outing to leading the Generals to the team title at the Washington and Lee Invitational. Hageboeck won three relays and three individual events, setting ODAC season top-times in each solo swim. She highlighted her day in the 100-yard breaststroke as she won the event with a pool-record time of 1:04.73, which ranks second in school history and eclipsed the NCAA B-cut time. Hageboeck added a win in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:33.77 and the 200-yard butterfly in 2:09.44. Those two times rank third and seventh in W&L history, respectively. Hageboeck was joined by Anna Jamieson, Ali MacQueen, and Caroline Baber in winning the 200-yard medley relay in 1:46.71. Hageboeck and MacQueen teamed with Turner Bobbit and Claudia Barnett to claim the 400-yard medley relay in 3:54.45. Hageboeck capped her day by winning the 800-yard freestyle relay with Caroline Florence, Jordan Watson, and Kelly Amar in 7:48.19.

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Megan Horn | Washington and Lee | Fy. | Guard/Forward
Horn, a freshman from Basking Ridge, N.J., helped lead the Generals to a 1-1 week in ODAC play including a victory over nationally-ranked Emory & Henry over the weekend. Horn buried nine three-pointers over two contests to help her average 22.0 points per game with 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a steal per contest. Horn hit four long-balls as part of her nine made field goals towards 22 points in a 68-60 setback to Lynchburg. She added two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a blocked shot to her line. In a 71-62 win over the #15/21 Wasps, Horn drilled five from deep and was 3-of-4 from the stripe on the way to a second 22-point effort. She chipped in four boards, three assists, and a steal as Washington and Lee handed E&H its first loss of the season. Thru the Generals first six games, Horn is averaging 11.8 points per game. She is third in the league in free throw shooting, having made 15-of-16 from the line (.938).

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK