2022-23 ODAC Field Hockey News
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ODAC Announces Berkley and Jopson Award Winners
June 06, 2023Two schools added to their ODAC histories of high honors on Tuesday afternoon with the announcement of the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Awards following a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors. Washington and Lee University field hockey standout Tess Muneses and Roanoke College basketball star Kasey Draper collected this year's high honors. Muneses increases W&L's record-high number of Berkley Award winners to 13 overall as she is the third General to garner the award in the last four years. Draper is the second recipient of the Jopson Award in Roanoke history, joining Brandon Ketron's recognition from the 2011-12 campaign. 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 then 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 & field programs, led his teams to ODAC indoor track & field titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and outdoor crowns from 1978 through 1981. -
Lynchburg's Steele Announces Retirement Following 2023 Fall Season
February 03, 2023Over the past 44 years, Enza Steele turned University of Lynchburg's field hockey program into a national powerhouse. Now it is time to pass the baton. The legendary Hornets coach announced Friday that her 45th season in charge will be her last. Steele will retire from her role as head coach at the end of the 2023 season. Associate head coach Jenni Releford will take the reins of the winningest field hockey program in the Commonwealth of Virginia in January 2024.
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ODAC Title IX Talk: Sixth Feature
January 26, 2023Our sixth edition of the ODAC's "Title IX Talk" feature series highlights individuals from four ODAC schools and the conference office as we talk to our biggest group yet. Four individuals from conference school's join Haley Overstreet, the ODAC Director of Championships, to discuss several topics surrounding their experiences with Title IX. Those joining Haley include Allison Nichols, the women's basketball head coach at the University of Lynchburg, Ashley and Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft, the head coaches for field hockey and women's basketball at Shenandoah University, respectively, and Bethany Dannelly, the current associate athletic director at Washington and Lee University and former ODAC Director of Championships.
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Generals Fall to Williams in NCAA Second Round
November 12, 2022The No. 13 Washington and Lee University field hockey team fell to No. 8 Williams College in the second round of the NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.
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Wills Earns 100th Win at W&L in Generals NCAA Field Hockey Victory
November 09, 2022The No. 13 Washington and Lee University field hockey team advanced to the second round of the DIII NCAA Field Hockey Tournament with a 3-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday afternoon. The Generals (17-2) scored twice in the first quarter and again in the third to defeat the Battling Bishops (16-3) at home to record Head Coach Gina Wills' 100th victory at WLU.
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ODAC Announces 2022 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards
November 08, 2022The University of Lynchburg and Shenandoah University tied for a league-high nine all-conference honorees while ODAC champion Washington and Lee University added three special individual honors to its haul of seven all-league selections to headline the 2022 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards. Shenandoah garnered both top individual honors with forward Mairead McKibbin earning ODAC Offensive Player of the Year laurels and back Elise Velasquez collecting ODAC Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Generals mentor Gina Wills received ODAC Coach of the Year recognition from her peers for a second straight season. W&L forward Betty Boatwright was tabbed the ODAC Rookie of the Year, while teammate and 2021 ODAC Player of the Year Tess Muneses received her second straight ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year award from the conference's athletic communications personnel.
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Washington and Lee to Carry ODAC Flag in NCAA Field Hockey Tournament
November 06, 2022Washington and Lee University, holders of the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament after winning the conference championship on Saturday, learned that it will be the only school from the ODAC to compete in the 26-team field. The Generals (16-2) will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are 2-3 in three previous berths including a 1-1 showing last season.
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Tysinger's OT Winner Clinches Generals Second Straight ODAC Field Hockey Title
November 05, 2022It took just 67-seconds of extra-time to break a 60-minute stalemate as nationally 16th-ranked Washington and Lee University hoisted the ODAC field hockey trophy with a 1-0 overtime triumph over 19th-ranked University of Lynchburg in the conference championship game on Saturday afternoon in Lexington.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball
October 31, 2022Week nine marks the final report of the season for field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball with those sports now entering the ODAC postseason. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 31, include (pictured, from left and top): Everett McCloskey and Shyenne Diaz from Virginia Wesleyan men's and women's soccer, Betty Boatwright from Washington and Lee field hockey, Grace Parker from Randolph-Macon volleyball, and Dalton Jobe and Brynn Martinson from W&L men's and women's swimming.
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Washington and Lee No. 1 in Tightly Packed ODAC Field Hockey Tournament Field
October 29, 2022Two deep ties dictated the formation of the 2022 ODAC Field Hockey Tournament field following regular season ending results on Saturday afternoon and evening. A pair of three-way stalemates involved five of the six teams in the postseason bracket, including position for the top-three seeds. University of Lynchburg, Shenandoah University, and Washington and Lee University featured in that logjam. The Generals came out on top following application of the conference's tiebreaking protocols, awarding W&L the #1 seed in the field.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball
October 24, 2022The final week of the ODAC regular season is upon us with field hockey, soccer, and volleyball completing action in week eight. Strong performances impacted standings greatly over the past seven days with brackets only a few days away from being revealed. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 24, include (pictured, from left and top): Samuel Bass and Lindsay White from Washington and Lee men's and women's soccer, Peyton Kirchner from Roanoke volleyball, Regan Leach and Ahmad Woodson from Lynchburg women's and men's swimming, and Kessa Romero from Lynchburg field hockey.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball
October 17, 2022While swimming continues to find its feet during the second week of its season, ODAC fall sports are nearing their postseason tournaments with the conclusion of week seven. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 17, include (pictured, from left and top): Sydney Smith from Washington and Lee women's soccer, Brennan Lagana from Lynchburg men's soccer, Sydney Heifner from W&L women's volleyball, Paige McBoyle and Dalton Jobe from W&L women's and men's swimming, and Saige Bullock from Roanoke field hockey.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball
October 10, 2022Swimming enters the weekly reporting process following week six of ODAC competition. Athletes in the pool are already performing like their fellow fall-season Division III standouts. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 10, include (pictured, from left and top): Luke Mega and Mac Joly from Lynchburg men's and women's soccer, Grace Vernarelli from Roanoke field hockey, Brynn Martinson and Will Hughes from Washington and Lee women's and men's swimming, and Sarah Marlowe from Averett women's volleyball.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball
October 03, 2022Weather played a part in the number of contests competed over the past week, but that did not stop ODAC student-athletes from treating fans to some strong performances in week five of the season. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 3, include (pictured, from left and top): Grace Parker from Randolph-Macon volleyball, Luke Mega from Lynchburg men's soccer, Kelsey Jones from Shenandoah field hockey, and Sydney Dombrovskis from Lynchburg women's soccer.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball
September 26, 2022The first report of week four for ODAC teams and student-athletes features high scoring outputs and key contributions throughout all four sports. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, September 26, include (pictured, from left and top): Virginia Wesleyan University's Juan Tovar (men's soccer), Shenandoah University's Mairead McKibbin (field hockey), VWU's Morgan Ludovici (women's volleyball), and Roanoke College's MC Petrucelli (women's soccer).
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ODAC Title IX Talk: Second Feature
September 22, 2022The ODAC's second edition of "Title IX Talk" features Randolph-Macon College field hockey head coach Jess Weiss and Washington and Lee University women's basketball assistant coach Erin Hughes. The two are joined in conversation with ODAC Director of Championships Haley Overstreet.
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Lynchburg's Brady Named NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week
September 21, 2022Kayla Brady's breakout performance continues to pay dividends for University of Lynchburg's star field hockey goalkeeper. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association named Brady its Division III defensive player of the week Wednesday.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball
September 19, 2022We saw big time results from football on Sunday and that trend continues on Monday with some high-profile victories and individual performances to match. We also saw our first few ODAC contests in week three. Those earning ODAC Athlete of the Week for Monday, September 19 include (pictured, from left and top): Hampden-Sydney's Zakky Johnston (men's soccer), Randolph-Macon's Grace Parker (women's volleyball), Washington and Lee's Ann Riley Huber (women's soccer), and Lynchburg's Kayla Brady (field hockey).
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball
September 12, 2022We are just two weeks into the new campaign and already ODAC teams are posting some impressive results with outstanding individual performances from many student-athletes. A few of those are featured in this first Monday report of the 2022 season with (pictured from left and top) Shenandoah's Mairead McKibbin (field hockey), Guilford's Madison Green (women's soccer), Randolph-Macon's Teddy Westervelt (men's soccer) and Roanoke's Peyton Kirchner (women's volleyball) earning ODAC Athlete of the Week laurels.
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ODAC Athletes of the Week | Cross Country, Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball
September 06, 2022The first full week of the 2022 season is in the books. ODAC student-athletes gave fans a treat with some near mid-season form in the early going, leading many to believe we are in for a banner campaign. Those earning ODAC Athlete of the Week awards for Tuesday, September 6, include (pictured, from left and top): Shyenne Diaz from Virginia Wesleyan women's soccer, Mairead McKibbin from Shenandoah field hockey, Abbey Clayton from VWU women's volleyball, Charles Scharf and Carolyn Todd from Washington and Lee cross country, and Kenny Robles from Lynchburg men's soccer.
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Washington and Lee Headlines ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
August 23, 2022Reigning ODAC champion Washington and Lee University lost just one game in 2021, so it seems only fitting that a team returning much of the talent from that squad opens the new season as the favorite to hoist another trophy. The Generals find themselves in that enviable position entering the 2022 campaign as leaders of the ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll.
