Standout Soccer Player Well-Rounded On, Off Field

SALEM, Va. --- Each spring, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Board of Directors recognizes its top male and female athlete with a pair of the conference's highest honors.  This year, the 2007 Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Award winner as the top male student-athlete is Hampden-Sydney College senior, Greg Smith.  A native of Warrenton, Virginia, Smith is a standout on the Tigers' men's soccer team.

Inaugurated in 1981, the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Award is given each May to a member college senior and conference male sport participant who exhibits the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements.  The Jopson award is named for the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981 following 45 years at the college. 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.

In the classroom, Smith boasts a 3.92 grade point average while majoring in mathematical economics.  He was named the 2006 ODAC Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and is a consistent member of both the ODAC All-Academic Team and the Hampden-Sydney Dean's List.  He is the recipient of the James Madison and Presidential scholarships.  Smith was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honorary, and Phi Beta Kappa national academic honorary.

Smith is a two-time team captain (2005 and 2006) for the Tigers' soccer team, and was awarded the 2006 Players Choice Most Valuable Player award.  He was named to the All-ODAC First Team in 2006 as a midfielder, leading the league in assists with nine.  Smith was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region Third Team, and was selected to the D3kicks.com All-Region Second Team.  The Virginia Sports Information Directors (VASID) tabbed him as Second Team All-State.  He will graduate from Hampden-Sydney having started 48 of the 65 games he played while scoring 13 goals and assisting on 12 others.

Outside of the classroom and off the field, Smith is a member of Hampden-Sydney's prestigious "Society of '91," and a radio host on WWHS, the college radio station.  He is the assistant art director for The Kaleidoscope, the College's yearbook, and is a member of the College Ambassador Committee.  Smith had a unique title under Hampden-Sydney's guise as the manager of the Tigerfund, the College's equity investment fund.

"Greg Smith is one of the most outstanding student-athletes to attend Hampden-Sydney College," expressed HSC athletic director, Joe Bush, in a letter to the conference.  "He is a stellar student, effective leader, and one of the very best soccer players to ever attend the College."