Six student-athletes from Old Dominion Athletic Conference member schools earned a 2010 ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete Award during the winter athletic schedule. Farm Bureau Insurance is the proud presenter of each award for the ODAC's 22 sponsored sports.
Guilford's Tyler Sanborn increased his list of postseason honors to that of a full catalog over the past week as the 2010 ODAC Player of the Year headlines a group of nine ODAC mens basketball student-athletes and coaches that have earned a total of 23 different accolades. The recognition stems from the NABC, D3hoops.com and Mens DIII News.
Guilford and Randolph-Macon comprised half of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Final Four in Salem on Friday, but neither was able to pull out a win in their respective semifinal contests. The Quakers fell to Williams while the Yellow Jackets lost to UW-Stevens Point.
Randolph-Macon forward Kevin Voelkel was named the winner of the NCAA Elite 88 Award for Division III Mens Basketball during a pre-tournament banquet held in Salem Thursday evening. The Elite 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.
Guilford College will make its second straight trip to the NCAA Division III Mens Basketball National Championship Series in Salem on March 19-20. The Quakers, who defeated Eastern Mennonite University, will be joined by fellow ODAC member Randolph-Macon College, forming half of the contingent that will vie for the 2010 national championship.
The 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament will be pared down to eight teams by the end of the night, and three will belong to the ODAC. Host Guilford and Eastern Mennonite advanced to play each other on Saturday. Randolph-Macon will meet Franklin & Marshall at St. Mary's for a spot in Salem.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches will present its 14th annual Outstanding Service Award at the Division III meeting of this years NABC Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 3, 2010. Former Bridgewater men's basketball coach, Bill Leatherman, is one of two individuals receiving the NABC's highest peer-awarded honor.
Three of the six ODAC teams that qualified for the 2010 NCAA Division III Mens and Womens Basketball Tournaments have moved on to the sectional round of play. On the men's side, EMU, GC and R-MC moved on while VWC fell on Saturday. For the women, W&L and RC were both defeated by CNU on successive days.
Four ODAC schools were selected to the NCAA Division III Mens Basketball Tournament field on Monday morning, marking the most from the ODAC in any one basketball national tournament in conference history. Eastern Mennonite, Guilford, Randolph-Macon and Virginia Wesleyan make up the leagues contingent in this years 61-team field.
Guilford made its second appearance in an ODAC Men's Championship Game on Sunday, and the Quakers headed back to Greensboro with their second conference crown. GC pulled away in the second half on its way to an 81-65 win over Randolph-Macon. The Quakers received the ODAC's automatic bid into the 2010 NCAA D-III Tournament.
Guilford senior center Tyler Sanborn became the Quakers third ODAC Player of the Year honoree in the last four seasons, as announced at the annual men's tournament banquet in Salem on Thursday. Also honored were EMU head coach Kirby Dean, H-SC freshman Harrison George, and W&L senior Ben Goetsch.
It's the annual big winter championship weekend with both indoor track and basketball championships underway. Brad and J.J. take the time to touch on both events, each accounting for both men's and women's championships. They're also joined by RC head women's basketball coach, Susan Dunagan, and EMU head men's basketball coach, Kirby Dean.
Eastern Mennonite earned the programs first ODAC Mens Basketball Tournament top seed since 1980 following Saturday evenings regular season finale. Guilford enters as the second seed with Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney securing the three-thru-five rankings, sequentially.
Weather again played havoc on schedules throughout the ODAC, limiting competitions in each of the ODACs winter sports. Baseball was also set to begin this past weekend, but only one game via Guilfords trip to Piedmont made to the diamond.
Action in ODAC winter sports continued over the past week, and several athletes enjoyed banner weeks. Guilford's Clay Henson (above) helped the Quakers to a pair of ODAC wins by combined for 58 points in two games. He nailed 14-of-24 three-pointers in the two victories.
ODAC mens basketball continues to garner strong recognition from the rest of the nation through the latest D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll. Four conference programs remained ranked for the third consecutive week, and all are slotted 12th or better --- Guilford (2nd), Randolph-Macon (3rd), Eastern Mennonite (7th) and Virginia Wesleyan (12th).
The full winter slate of ODAC athletics was in action over the past week for the first time since early December. Track joined the fray with multiple meets for both the men and women. Swimming featured several ODAC squads in action. And mens and womens basketball enjoyed standings-separating matchups and a couple of Top-25 showdowns.
Four teams from the ODAC are currently ranked within the D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, and two will be featured on the first ODAC video webcast of the season. Randolph-Macon College, ranked No. 1 in the country, travels to Harrisonburg to take on No. 18 Eastern Mennonite University on Wednesday evening. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the EMU University Commons.
Swimming joined men's and women's basketball in action followed its lay-off from the holiday break. In men's basketball, D.J. Hinson (above) helped Eastern Mennonite to pair of conference wins. He notched 34 points, hitting seven three-pointers, in a victory over Washington and Lee.
The ODAC Podcast is back in action following the holiday break, and there is plenty of basketball action for Brad and J.J. to talk about. Lynchburg mens basketball coach, Hilliary Scott, took the time to lend his views into his program, as well as the depth of ODAC basketball. He also talks some about coming back to the ODAC after spending time as an D-I assistant.
Randolph-Macon College took over the No.1 ranking in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll on Monday evening, climbing three spots from its previous perch as the nation's fourth-rated squad. The Yellow Jackets are the first ODAC squad to hold the No. 1 billing since Virginia Wesleyan College in the first week of the 2006-07 season.
Men's and women's basketball were the first sports to return to action in the ODAC, and strong performances dotted the headlines on each side of the ball. Guilford's Tyler Sanborn notched his first career ODAC weekly award by leading the Quakers to five victories over the break. Sanborn notched five double-doubles while scoring at least 21 points in each contest.
With the holiday season quickly drawing near, most of the ODAC sports are winding down for a bit of a hiatus. Mens and womens basketball were still in action over the past seven days. On the mens side, Steven Echols (above) helped Lynchburg to a trio of victories, including an ODAC win over cross-town rival Randolph.
Indoor track joined swimming and basketball in action as the full ODAC winter season is now in full swing. Four teams, including the ODACs newest programs at Guilford College, took to the indoor facilities over the past week. In men's basketball, Virginia Wesleyan's Stephen Fields (above) helped the Marlins to three wins last week.
Following a week off for the holidays, the ODAC Podcast returns with plenty of happenings from across the league and nation. Lynchburg women's soccer is set to challenge for the D-III title in San Antonio, and basketball is in full stride. EMU's Kirby Dean (above) provided insight into his team's hot start and the league as a whole.
Schedules were limited over the past week in all ODAC sports. Men's and women's basketball were the only contests on the docket, although several teams were still idle through the holiday break. Eastern Mennonite and Todd Phillips (above) opened their ODAC schedule with a win over Virginia Wesleyan.
ODAC basketball has been largely victorious over the first eight days of the 2009-10 campaign. The league's teams, both men and women, combined for a 39-20 record, including an 8-0 start within the men's fixtures. ODAC swimming also continued throughout the past week of action.
It's going to be a busy weekend in ODAC athletics as several of the league's schools enter into first and/or second round action of their respective NCAA D-III Tournaments. Men's and women's basketball also jumps into action on Sunday. Interviews this week are with Roanoke women's basketball coach, Susan Dunagan, and Guilford men's basketball mentor, Tom Palombo.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Washington and Lee is working with groups across campus and within the community to assemble and send 500 care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan. Student athletes (above, from left) Chelsea Stevenson, Meredith Freeman and Jason Cimino help with the efforts
Eric Pughs (above) lay up as time expired sent Randolph-Macon to a 49-47 victory over defending Patriot League Champion American University in mens basketball exhibition action on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. It's marks R-MC's second preseason win over a D-I program in the last two years.