Hornets' Tennis Player Picks Up ODAC/Farm Bureau Honor

FOREST, Va. --- Shenandoah University women’s tennis player, Molly Barb is one of 11 student-athletes from Old Dominion Athletic Conference member schools to earn a 2014 ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award during the spring athletic schedule.  Barb was tabbed from a pool of nominees by a vote of each of the conference's sports information directors.

The ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar Athlete Award is given to a student-athlete in each of the conference's 23 sponsored sports.  Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance is the presenter of each of the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards, forming a partnership with the ODAC to emphasize the NCAA Division III philosophy of the complete student-athlete experience.  To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore standing and have spent at least one full academic year at the nominating institution, must maintain at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, and must have participated in at least 50-percent of the team's events as a starter or key contributor.

Barb, a sophomore from Edinburg, Va., is top flight both on and off the court.  In the classroom, she boasts a 4.00 grade point average as a Kinesiology major and is the first SU student-athlete to be named an ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.  She earned Division III Scholar-Athlete honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in 2013, in addition to ODAC All-Academic Team recognition.  She's a three-time honoree on the Shenandoah University Dean's List.

On the court, Barb posted a 10-8 overall record in singles play with a 10-5 mark from the top flight.  That included a 6-5 showing against conference opponents.  She was 8-12 in all matches in doubles play, with an 8-9 record from the No. 1 slot.

"We are proud of the accomplishments of every one of our student-athletes," says ODAC commissioner Brad Bankston. "It is especially gratifying to be able to recognize those who personify the definition of ‘student-athlete' through these awards, and we are proud to be affiliated with Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance in this program."

For more information about the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards, visit the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.