ODAC Players of the Week - Week 23

ODAC Players of the Week - Week 23

FOREST, Va. --- The swimming regular season is in the books with athletes entering their pre-championship workouts in preparation to post their best times of the season. Basketball and indoor track remains at full go with spring sports just on the horizon. Those earning weekly honors include (pictured, top-to-bottom left-to-right): Caroline Baber from Washington and Lee women's swimming, Dimetri Chambers from Bridgewater men's basketball, Jayla Harris from Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball, Mara Briggs from Roanoke indoor track, Coby Cockrell from VWU indoor track, Calista Ariel and Davonta Womack from BC indoor track, and Danny Lynch from W&L men's swimming.

Below are entries for all eight winners.  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: February 4, 2019

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Coby Cockrell | Virginia Wesleyan | Fr.
Cockrell, a freshman from Gretna, Va., picks up his second weekly honor after a pair of strong performances in the throws at the Vince Brown Invitational hosted by Christopher Newport University. Cockrell was the top Division III finisher in both events and broke the Virginia Wesleyan record in the weight throw. He placed third overall of 22 competitors in that event, heaving the apparatus 15.06 meters (49-5.00) to take over the top spot in the ODAC. Cockrell added a fifth place showing in the shot put at 13.71 meters (44-11.75), which is just behind his season-best mark of 13.88 meters.

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

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Mara Briggs | Roanoke | Sr.
Briggs, a senior from Marion, Va., ramped it up in the high jump at the At The Last Minute Invitational hosted by Roanoke College over the weekend. Already the owner of the top mark in the ODAC, Briggs tightened her grip as the #1 high jumper by eclipsing 1.64 meters (5-4.50) to extend her lead over ODAC competitors to 0.05-meters (2.0 inches). She improved her Division III position as well, climbing to #19 in the country to leave her just outside of qualification range.

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

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Davonta Womack | Bridgewater | Sr. | Jumps/Sprints
Womack, a senior from Salem, Va., picks up his second straight weekly honor after posting a pair of nationally ranked sprints at the Camel City Invitational hosted at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. Womack twice posted times of 6.94 seconds in the 60-meter dash before turning it up a notch to 6.89 seconds to place fourth overall as the only Division III competitor to qualify for the finals. That time ranks #1 in the ODAC, while his converted time (due to track size) of 22.01 seconds ranks #6 in the country. He also competed in and won his section of the 200-meter dash in 22.40 seconds. He was the top Division III finisher. That time took over the #1 position in the ODAC and sits 22nd on the national list. Womack added a solid showing in the long jump to his affair, leaping to 6.33 meters (20-9.25) to place ninth overall and first among Division III athletes.

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

INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Calista Ariel | Bridgewater | Jr. | Distance
Ariel, a junior from Fredericksburg, Va., set a Bridgewater record for the second straight week following her performance at the Camel City Invitational hosted at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. Ariel, who set the Eagles' mile record (5:11.20) and took over the top spot in the ODAC in that event last week, did the same in the 5,000-meter run at JDL. She posted a new BC standard of 17:33.61, which ranks 14th in NCAA Division III. While that time is still well off the ODAC overall record (17:06.99 by Roanoke's Casey Smith in 2001), it would eclipse the ODAC championship record of 17:45.90 set by W&L's Jessica Shaw in 2008. Ariel is now the owner of the ODAC's seasonal best times in the 800-meter, 3,000-meter, and 5,000-meter events. Her mile time sits 39th in the country, while her 3K time is 32nd in Division III.

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

MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dimetri Chambers | Bridgewater | So. | Guard
Chambers, a sophomore from Savannah, Ga., helped lead Bridgewater to a pair of big ODAC victories last week as he averaged 24.0 points on 14-of-25 (.560) shooting and came away with 10 total steals. Chambers matched his career-high for the third time this season with 28 points on 7-of-11 from the field including 4-of-5 from downtown in a 94-84 victory over Washington and Lee. He was also 10-of-12 from the foul line. He added four assists and six steals to his stat line. Chambers capped his week with 20 points on 7-of-14 from the field in an 80-77 triumph at nationally 21st-ranked Lynchburg. He again buried four three-pointers and added three rebounds, two assists, and four steals with one blocked shot to his showing. For the season, Chambers is 10th in the ODAC in scoring (16.1) and 14th in overall points scored (289). He is third in steals (47) and 10th in both free throws made (67-of-86) and foul shooting (.779). He is 11th in assists (62).

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., helped the Generals close out the regular season with a 159-75 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) to finish 8-1 in dual meet action. Lynch swam the opening leg of the winning 200-yard medley relay team, joining Steven Warren, Jared Nickodem, and Patrick Sullivan in posting a time of 1:36.04. He then went on to win both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events. He posted a time of 0:52.17 in the 100-fly, just 0.37-seconds of his ODAC top mark (0:51.80), and 1:57.86 in the 200-fly, which slots in the ODAC top-five on a list led by his previous conference fastest swim (1:53.24).

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC SWIMMER OF THE WEEK

SWIMMER OF THE WEEK
Caroline Baber | Washington and Lee | Fr.
Baber, a first year from Richmond, Va., helped the Generals cap off a 9-0 record in regular season dual matches with a 165-81 victory over St. Mary's (Md.). Babe won twice individually and added a third win via relay. She swam the lead leg on the winning 200-yard medley relay team, joining Elle Chancey, Laura Bruce, and Claudia Barnett on a time of 1:39.39. Individually, Baber won the 50-yard freestyle in 0:24.73, which is just behind her previous season-best time of 0:24.44, which is third in the ODAC. She added a win in the 100-yard butterfly in 0:59.34, which would be another top-five ODAC swim if not for her conference fourth-best mark of 0:58.94.

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC SWIMMER OF THE WEEK

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jayla Harris | Virginia Wesleyan | Sr. | Guard
Harris, a senior from Fredericksburg, Va., put together a pair of strong outings to lead Virginia Wesleyan to two ODAC wins last week. Ranked sixth in NCAA Division III in total points scored (461), Harris opened with 31 points on 12-of-19 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line in a 76-53 triumph over Eastern Mennonite. She added six rebounds and four assists to her line. The scoring output marked her third overall and second straight 30-plus point outing. Harris followed with 16 points in a 70-50 victory at Hollins. She was 5-of-6 from the stripe and added three rebounds, three assists, and a steal to her showing. For the year, Harris leads the ODAC in scoring (21.1) and points scored as well as field goals made (166-of-400) and free throws made (96-of-114). She is third in minutes played per game (35.0) and fifth in foul shooting (.842).

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