ODAC Announces 2021 All-ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Awards

FOREST, Va. --- The ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships featured a bevy of school-record performances, personal-best marks, and even a few new conference benchmarks established. All those great showings provided a banner class for this season's All-ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Awards.

This year's honors include several specials determined by a vote of the league's head coaches. Bridgewater College first-year Adalia Coleman not only took home ODAC Women's Rookie of the Year laurels, but she was also named the ODAC Women's Track Athlete of the Meet. University of Lynchburg thrower Elle Benefield was tabbed the ODAC Women's Field Athlete of the Meet. Longtime Bridgewater mentor Shane Stevens, who announced his retirement following the 2021 campaign, received ODAC Women's Coach of the Year recognition. Lynchburg distance runner Stephanie Burnett earned ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors from the league's athletic communications personnel.

On the men's ledger, Eastern Mennonite University mid-distance runner Isaac Alderfer collected ODAC Men's Track Athlete of the Meet honors as well as ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete distinction. Virginia Wesleyan University jumper Geni Roberts received ODAC Men's Field Athlete of the Meet plaudits. Jim Sprecher, Lynchburg's director of track & field and cross country, enjoys his first ODAC Men's Coach of the Year award after collecting two straight women's honors in 2018 and 2019. Lynchburg mid-distance runner Sam Llaneza was tabbed the ODAC Men's Rookie of the Year.

RELATED: 2021 ODAC Championship Results | 2021 ODAC Championship Event Winners

Unlike the indoor season where rankings within the TFRRS system determined all-conference position, performances from the ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships were used to develop the outdoor awards lists. An athlete that finished first in an event was deemed All-ODAC First Team, while second place and third place finishes earned All-ODAC Second Team and All-ODAC Third Team accolades, respectively.

Coleman, a first-year from Warrenton, Va., blistered her way to a pair of ODAC gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. She set new ODAC championship records in each event twice, first setting the bar in the preliminaries and then topping her own mark in the finals. She finished at 11.83 seconds in the 100m dash and 24.42 seconds in the 200m dash. Coleman also ran the lead leg on the Eagles 4x100-meter relay that posted a second-place time of 48.50 seconds. Coleman's time in the 100m dash ranks second in NCAA Division III, while her 200m time sits fourth.

Benefield, a senior from Delaplane, Va., earned 26 meet points of the Hornets in winning the shot put and discus and placing third in the hammer throw. She fired the shot 11.28 meters (37-0.25) to win by 6.5-inches. Benefield's margin of victory was much higher in the discus as she flung the apparatus 37.57 meters (123-3.00). That topped second place by 3.14 meters or 10-feet 4.0-inches. Her third place throw in the hammer traveled 40.49 meters (132-10.00) and left her 0.41 meters from matching event-winner Caitlin

Burnett, a senior from Midlothian, Va., starred both on and off the track for Lynchburg. She maintains a 3.95 grade point average as a management major with a human resources emphasis. The 2019 Lynchburg Academic Athlete of the Year is a peer mentor and SAAC representative. She completed a summer internship at Tidewater Physical Therapy in Midlothian. On the track, Burnett, who has previously qualified for the NCAA Championships in cross country and is a program record-holder, won both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs at the 2021 ODAC outdoor championships. She won the 5K in 18:23.92 and stopped the watches first in the 10K at 38:28.80, winning the latter race by nearly 14 seconds.

Alderfer, a junior from Broadway, Va., also stars in and out of the classroom at EMU. He boasts a 3.97 grade point average as an environmental science major with a minor in photography. The Academic All-State honoree is a member of EMU's Sustainable Food Initiative Club and conducts biology research on campus. He participated in and completed a photo essay on a northern saw-whet owl banding project in November 2020. This season was the first outdoor campaign for Alderfer since high school after spending 2019 on a cross cultural study to the Middle East. He made the most of his first year outdoors by resetting all EMU mid-distance records -- a feat he also accomplished indoors. Alderfer won and set a new ODAC championship record in the 1,500-meter run at 3:51.02. He also finished second in the 800-meter at 1:53.10, just 0.06 seconds behind Lynchburg's Llaneza.

Roberts, a sophomore from Ridgely, Md., continued his indoor season success with a stellar outdoor campaign that included two wins at the ODAC Championships. He claimed top position in the long jump after leaping 7.19 meters (23-7.25), which is 0.42 meters (1-4.75) farther than second place. Roberts also won the triple jump at 14.33 meters (47-0.25), topping teammate Michael Gatling in second place by 0.63 meters (2-0.75). Roberts' mark in the long jump ranks 13th in the country.

Llaneza, a first-year from Bristow, Va., traded places with EMU's Alderfer in the mid-distance running events at the ODAC Championships following a fine regular season campaign. Llaneza won the 800-meter run at 1:53.04, just missing the 18-year old conference championship record time by 0.14 seconds. He placed second in the 1,500-meter run in 3:53.26, a time which also would have broken the previous championship record if not for Alderfer's winning time.

Listed below is the full layout of this season's All-ODAC Indoor Track & Field Awards. For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-ODAC AWARDS
Field Athlete of the Meet: Elle Benefield, Throws, University of Lynchburg
Track Athlete of the Meet: Adalia Coleman, Sprints, Bridgewater College
Coach of the Year: Shane Stevens, Bridgewater College
Rookie of the Year: Adalia Coleman, Sprints, Bridgewater College
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Stephanie Burnett, Distance, University of Lynchburg

MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-ODAC AWARDS
Field Athlete of the Meet: Geni Roberts, Jumps, Virginia Wesleyan University
Track Athlete of the Meet: Isaac Alderfer, Mid-Distance, Eastern Mennonite University
Coach of the Year: Jim Sprecher, University of Lynchburg
Rookie of the Year: Sam Llaneza, Mid-Distance, University of Lynchburg
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Isaac Alderfer, Mid-Distance, Eastern Mennonite University