ODAC Announces Jopson and Berkley Award Winners

Posted: May 31, 2013

Lynchburg's Milks, Randolph's Hunt Win Top Scholar-Athlete Awards

FOREST, Va. --- A pair of Lynchburg, Va., based schools saw one of their student-athletes earn the conference's top honors in a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors at the recently completed annual league meetings. Lynchburg College field hockey standout Shelly Milks was recognized as the Marjorie Berkley Award winner, while Randolph College men's basketball star Colton Hunt was tabbed the winner of the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.

Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member college 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, Ms. Berkley 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.

Milks, a senior from Gloucester, Va., shined bright in all arenas over her four years in the Hill City. In the classroom, Milks boasted a 3.97 grade point average and graduated Summa Cum Laude as an exercise physiology major with a minor in Spanish. She was a recipient of a 2013 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. Milks was a member of several honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Sigma Iota, and Phi Eta Sigma. The two-time ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey earned Lynchubrg Dean's List honors all eight semesters and was a four-time member of the NFHCA National Academic Squad. She was also named a Scholar of Distinction by the NFHCA. She will be entering the Lynchburg College Doctoral of Physical Therapy program this coming fall.

On the field, Milks was a three-time NFHCA All-American, earning first team honors each of the past two years. The two-way midfielder was a four-time All-ODAC honoree, earning All-ODAC First Team honors for three straight seasons, which coincided with her being named the ODAC Player of the Year three consecutive times (2010-12). She also earned the distinction as the Lynchburg College Female Athlete of the Year three times (2011-13), and was named the All-South Region Player of the Year in 2011. Milks finished her career notching 105 total points, including 33 this season on 11 goals and 11 assists as a standout offensive, defensive and transition player for the Hornets.

A team captain in 2012, Milks' leadership extended beyond the playing field, evidenced by her recognition as a Leadership Award Recipient by the Lynchburg Student Ambassadors. She served as a student ambassador and admissions tour guide for two years. She participated in several service projects including the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots, as well as serving as a clothes closet fundraiser and organizer for two years at the Newington Baptist Church. Milks is also a musician as a violinist on the LC Wind Symphony and Orchestra for four years each.

Hunt, a senior from Whittier, N.C., was named as the 2013 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for NCAA Division III men's basketball (as selected by CoSIDA), as he posted a 3.94 grade point average in economics with minors in physics and finance. Hunt was named the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's basketball for the third consecutive season this year and also was recognized as the Randolph College Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is a member of three Honor Societies including the Omicron Delta Epsilon, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Chi Alpha Sigma. He has been a Dean's List honoree all eight semesters at Randolph.

Hunt has seen a plethora of awards come his way in 2012-13, none more impressive that being named the 2013 Jostens Trophy recipient as the top men's basketball student-athlete in the country. He was also named to the NABC and D3hoops.com All-America First Teams, was named the South Region Player of the Year by both entities and earned VaSID College Division Player of the Year accolades in addition to the Kurt Axe ODAC Player of the Year award. Hunt was a three-time All-ODAC First Team honoree, and holds the Randolph College record for points in a career with 1,878. Hunt became the first-ever player in the ODAC to score over 1,800 points, grab 600 rebounds, dish out 200 assists and snatch 200 steals. He finished his senior campaign third in the country in scoring at 24.2 points per game.

The Randolph College Male Athlete of the Year also shined in the community, as he served as a peer tutor in economics, business, math and calculus as well as physics at Randolph. He has volunteered at basketball camps in his hometown of Whittier, N.C., and also read to local elementary students and contributed to Randolph's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He has performed volunteer audits for several small businesses in the western North Carolina area, and lent his time to the Virginia 10-miler race.

2013 Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Award Nominees
Tim Wisniewski, Bridgewater
Ryan Eshleman, Eastern Mennonite
Ross Ellis, Emory & Henry
Colton Hunt, Randolph
Brayden Gerrie, Roanoke
Joe LaSala, Washington and Lee

2013 Marjorie Berkley Award Nominees
Shelly Milks, Lynchburg
Alea Bier, Roanoke
Jessica Edelman, Virginia Wesleyan
Lauren Schultz, Washington and Lee