Washington and Lee, Lynchburg Headline All-ODAC Men's Soccer Awards

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University earned eight all-conference awards in addition to three major individual honors and the University of Lynchburg secured a league-best nine honorees plus the remaining special recognition to headline the 2018 All-ODAC Men's Soccer Awards.

Generals' forward Dylan Ritch garnered ODAC Player of the Year laurels for the second time in his career, while W&L mentor Mike Singleton was named the ODAC Coach of the Year. Defender Jack Rawlins rounded out the Generals special awards as he received ODAC Rookie of the Year distinction. Lynchburg midfielder Dan Friedberg secured the remaining special honor as the ODAC's sports information directors named him the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.

A majority of this season's all-conference teams feature new faces, but there are still plenty of repeat honorees with 14 athletes earning all-league recognition for a second straight year. That includes nine members of the All-ODAC First Team. Lynchburg centerback Austin Kues and goalkeeper Dylan McLaurin repeat on the first team. They're joined by Eastern Mennonite University ball-winner Emmanuel Boamah, who is a three-time first teamer, and Randolph College striker Adam Watson.

Bridgewater College front-runner Thomas White moved up from the All-ODAC Second Team, as did Lynchburg midfielder Jack Ashby and Virginia Wesleyan University goal-scorer Ricky Perrault. Lynchburg midfielder Ben Mackey and W&L's Ritch made the jump from the 2017 All-ODAC Third Team.

RELATED: 2017 All-ODAC Awards | All-Time All-Conference

Ritch, a senior from Mint Hill, N.C., has put together his best scoring season in four strong years at W&L, which includes the 2016 ODAC Player of the Year awards. The two-time ODAC Player of the Week enters the NCAA Division III Tournament on a seven-game goal scoring streak dating back to October 15. He has registered at least one point in 14-of-18 games played. Ritch leads the ODAC in points (38), goals scored (14), and assists (10). Five times he has scored at least two goals in a game, including both times he registered a season-high five points. Four times he has scored the deciding tally, including one-goal victories over Randolph-Macon and at Roanoke.

Singleton is in his fifth season at Washington and Lee and eighth as a collegiate soccer coach. He currently owns a 106-40-13 (.708) overall record including a 71-22-9 (.741) mark at W&L. This is the second time he's been honored as the ODAC Coach of the Year, pairing it with plaque he earned in 2015. Singleton and his Generals captured the program's fifth ODAC men's soccer crown as the top seed, their first since hoisting the league trophy also in 2015. W&L enters the NCAA Tournament with a 14-3-1 overall record that includes a 9-0-1 mark in league play. Washington and Lee has won nine straight games and has gone unbeaten in each of its past 14 outings with the Generals last loss coming September 9 in a non-conference contest.

Rawlins, a freshman from Springfield, Va., has a strong coincidence on his side when it comes to Washington and Lee's success. While having played in all 18 games, his insertion into the starting lineup came in a 2-1 win over Christopher Newport. That win kicked off the Generals current 14-game unbeaten streak. Coincidence or not, Rawlins has been part of a Generals defense that has pitched six straight shutouts and hasn't allowed more than one goal during their 14-game streak. Rawlins has also gotten forward to registered five points highlighted by the game-winning goal in that contest against CNU. He also scored W&L's goal in a 1-1 draw at Lynchburg, the only game the Generals have not won during the streak.

Friedberg, a senior from Blacksburg, Va., stars both on and off the field for Lynchburg as he pairs this award with a selection to the All-ODAC Third Team. In the classroom, Friedberg maintains a 3.91 grade point average as a economics major with a minor in mathematics. He is a member of the Westover Honors College and works as a student tutor for the match department. The perennial ODAC All-Academic Team and Lynchburg Dean's List honoree was named the Lynchburg Academic Athlete of the Year for both his sophomore and junior seasons.

On the field, Friedberg earned a spot on the 2018 Shellenberger Classic All-Tournament Team after helping Lynchburg to a pair of victories. He racked up 10 points on the season on three goals and four assists. He registered a season-high three points on a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win at Randolph. He also came up in the clutch in a 4-3 win over Dickinson College and he provided the assist on the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.

Listed below are the 2018 All-ODAC Men's Soccer Awards.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

ODAC Player of the Year: Dylan Ritch, Sr., Fr, Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Mike Singleton, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Jack Rawlins, Fr., D, Washington and Lee
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Dan Friedberg, Sr., M, Lynchburg