ODAC Outdoor Track News Archive

The ODAC's contingent of 17 track & field stars earned 10 total All-American honors and set a pair of conference records following three days of competition at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by St. John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y.

The ODAC saw sixteen stars compete at the indoor national championships. Increase that total by one as 17 conference standouts learned they will be competing at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships next weekend in Rochester, N.Y., at the Polisseni Track & Field Complex at St. John Fisher University.

ODAC teams and individual athletes are competing in last chance meets as they gear up for possible qualification in the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. That all comes on the heels of a strong regular campaign that culminated in the ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and led to this year's All-ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Awards. In a vote of the league's head coaches, five individual honors per gender are recognized by the conference. Additionally, the ODAC's athletic communications personnel name the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This year's ODAC Field Athletes of the Meet from the ODAC outdoor championships are Eastern Mennonite University multi-event star Ray Ray Taylor and Bridgewater College record-breaking thrower Peter Fulton. The ODAC Track Athletes of the Meet are multiple All-American sprinter Adalia Coleman from Bridgewater and Roanoke College speedster Brady Fowler. The ODAC Rookies of the Year both hail from the University of Lynchburg in mid-distance standouts Hailey Smith and Chasen Hunt. Both earned the same honors during the indoor season, along with outdoor ODAC Women's Coach of the Year, Jim Sprecher. The outdoor ODAC Men's Coach of the Year is Brandon Uhl from Washington and Lee University. The league's athletic communications personnel identified two different stars from the indoor season as this year's ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Those distinctions belong to a pair of distance standouts in W&L's Carolyn Todd and EMU's Jansen Miller.

Averett University named Kameron Blanding as its new director of men's and women's track and field/cross country, the school announced Monday.

Sweet Briar College is proud to announce the addition of indoor and outdoor track and field as NCAA intercollegiate sports, athletic director Jason Vittone announced today, Jan. 5.

It is rare to have a "first" for a set of awards that have been bestowed since the early 1980's, but that is exactly what we have this season following the announcement of the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Awards on Tuesday afternoon. Shenandoah University women's basketball forward Olivia Weinel and Eastern Mennonite University cross country and mid-distance track athlete Isaac Alderfer garnered the conference's highest honors from the ODAC Board of the Directors. Weinel is the first recipient of either honor from Shenandoah since the Winchester-based school joined the ODAC prior to the 2012-13 season. Alderfer is the sixth Royal to earn the Jopson Award and 12th overall high honor winner from EMU. He is the first Royals' student-athlete to claim either trophy since Tyler Denlinger earned the Jopson Award in 2017.

One record increases and another begins as the ODAC Board of Directors handed out the league's highest individual honors in naming the winners of the Majorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Awards. Washington and Lee University swimmer Emily Hageboeck earned Berkley Award recognition, while University of Lynchburg runner Shawn Gmurek collected Jopson Award laurels. Hageboeck is the 11th winner of the Berkley Award from W&L, furthering the Generals conference record. Eastern Mennonite University student-athletes have won the second-most honors at six. For Gmurek, the list is brand new as he is the first Hornet from Lynchburg to claim the Jopson Award. He does continue an interesting trend as a cross country or track & field athlete has collected Berkley and/or Jopson distinction each of the past seven years dating back to 2014.

The ODAC caught up with University of Lynchburg cross country and track & field standout student-athlete Shawn Gmurek, who won the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award as the conference's top senior scholar-athlete. He is the first winner of the Jopson Award in Lynchburg history.

Emory & Henry College Director of Athletics Anne Crutchfield has announced that Leroy Worley has been selected as Interim Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach.

The latter end of the ODAC's alphabet features in the final recognition bestowed by the conference this year as Virginia Wesleyan University and Washington and Lee University are home to the 2018-19 Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Award winners. Marlins women's basketball playmaker Jayla Harris earned the Berkley Award, while Generals cross country and track & field runner Hank Patrick received the Jopson Award following a vote of the conference's Board of Directors.

His tweet about it contained seven exclamation points. Davonta Womack's text-based celebration was a reaction to the fact that the Bridgewater senior had just become "the fastest man in NCAA Division III" after winning the men's 100-meter dash on the final day of the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Davonta Womack went record hunting and both he and Jamie Hiegel earned All-American honors as the Bridgewater duo highlights performances by ODAC athletes thru the first two days of the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The season-ending meet concludes on Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Two women and a pair of men highlighted the ODAC's showing at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the quartet earned All-American honors with top-eight performances in their respective events. All eight athletes representing conference-member schools acquitted themselves well over three days of competition in La Crosse, Wis.

Amber Celen, a senior at Bridgewater College, is the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2018 NCAA Division III women's track & field championship.

ODAC student-athletes increased their representation by one from the national indoor championships as eight standouts from conference member programs are set to compete at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wis., this week. Action begins on Thursday, May 24, and continues thru Saturday, May 26.

For the second straight year, Washington and Lee University and Eastern Mennonite University feature in the ODAC's highest scholar-athlete honors. Generals' women's tennis star Brooke Donnelly is joined by Royals' men's track & field and cross country standout Tyler Denlinger as the winners of the 2017 Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards, as selected by the ODAC Board of Directors.

Bridgewater junior Amber Celen registered her third career event victory and took home three All-American awards to lead a strong showing from the ODAC's contingent of nine competing athletes at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. The SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, served as the host venue with conference stars turning in nine total All-American performances from May 25-27.

Nine athletes from ODAC schools are set to begin competing in the 2017 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Six conference member schools will be represented in 10 events during the three day event May 25-27.

Former Roanoke College All-American Carmen Graves has qualified and will compete at the 2016 United States Track & Field Trials in the 3000m steeplechase. The trials will be held in Eugene, Oregon from July 1-10. Graves will see her first action on July 4 at 4:00 p.m. PST. Graves will be looking to secure a spot on Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 5-21.

Eastern Mennonite University and Washington and Lee University added to their awards quota for the 2015-16 season as the ODAC Board of Directors announced the annual winners of the top scholar-athlete awards in the conference. Royals' cross country and track & field star Hannah Chappell-Dick was selected as the Marjorie Berkley Award winner, while Generals' tennis standout Michael Holt was tabbed for the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.

Dr. Finn Pincus, who just completed his 25th year as head coach of the Roanoke College Cross Country and Track & Field programs, announced Monday that he is retiring. Pincus will remain as a part-time assistant coach for the cross country programs through the end of the 2016 season. Roanoke Director of Athletics Scott Allison said a search for a new Director of Cross Country and Track & Field will begin immediately.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the 2014-15 ODAC Sportsmanship Teams in each of the 17 winter and spring sports sponsored by the conference. This marks the sixth year the league has recognized these fine student-athletes for their excellence in sportsmanship.

Washington and Lee University collected its 20th and 21st season-ending conference accolades as the ODAC Board of Directors announced its top two individual student-athlete awards on Monday. Generals' track & field athlete Jillian Katterhagen was recognized as the Marjorie Berkley Award recipient, men's tennis player Christopher Hu took home the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.

Five athletes from ODAC member institutions took home All-American awards for their performances at the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The conference was represented by 13 women and a pair of men in Canton, N.Y., at the three-day event hosted by St. Lawrence University.

Washington and Lee University track & field standouts Dana Lee and Zander Tallman earned the conference's top track awards on Tuesday as the duo were tabbed the ODAC Track & Field Athletes of the Year. The Generals' stars are on opposite ends of their collegiate careers with Tallman recently graduating and Lee completing her first campaign in Lexington.

One school received its record 19th season-ending individual honor while the other earned just its second such prize as the ODAC Board of Directors announced its top two individual student-athlete awards on Monday. Washington and Lee University cross country and track star Annelise Madison was recognized as the Marjorie Berkley Award recipient, while Guilford College baseball standout John Macon Smith took home the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.

Washington and Lee University sprinter Zander Tallman was one of three ODAC student-athletes to earn All-American honors at the 2014 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. Tallman highlighted 17 competitors from the conference by speeding his way to the 400-meter dash title on the George Gauthier Track in Delaware, Ohio.

Roanoke College standout Carmen Graves and Virginia Wesleyan College star Randy Lott were named the 2013 ODAC Track & Field Athletes of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches. The recently graduated Graves earns the conference's top track distinction for the third straight season, while Lott secures his first best-in-sport honor heading into his senior campaign.

Eight student-athletes will represent the ODAC at the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The three day meet, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, will feature five women and three men from league schools competing in nine different events. Competition is set for May 23-25 at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisc.

The Lynchburg College men's team and the Roanoke College women's squad captured the team titles at the 2013 ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday evening. The Hornets won six events towards 175.5 points and a 38.833-point spread between first and second place in the standings. The Maroons Washington and Lee by topped 23.5 points on the women's side after claiming nine event victories towards 178.5 points.

A pair of familiar and highly decorated student-athletes collected the final athletic awards of the 2011-12 campaign. Roanoke's Carmen Graves and Lynchburg's James Bell were named the ODAC Track & Field Athletes of the Year for the second straight season. Bell earned the honor outright in 2011 while Graves shared her accolade with LC’s Jessica Gibbs a year ago.

A pair of Maroons earned the conference's top awards in a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors at the annual league meetings last week. Roanoke College women's track athlete Sarah Witt was recognized as the Marge Berkley Award winner, while golfer Brandon Ketron was tabbed the winner of the Doc Jopson Award.

Lynchburg College's James Bell and Roanoke College's Carmen Graves earned All-America recognition at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps last week. The honors highlight the performances of six ODAC student-athletes during the three-day affair.

Lynchburg's James Bell (pictured) was joined by fellow Hornet Jessica Gibbs and Roanoke's Carmen Graves in being named the ODAC Men's and Women's Track & Field Athletes of the Year. All three competed in the NCAA Championships last month in Delaware, Ohio, and were standout performers throughout the ODAC season.

Three student-athletes earned the conference's top awards in a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors at the annual league meetings earlier this week. W&L's Greg Kurkis was recognized as the Doc Jopson Award winner. BC's Christina Rhodes and W&L's Emmy Mathews will share the Marge Berkely Award., marking the first tie in Berkely Award history.

Guilford sprinter Johnathan Smith (pictured) and Lynchburg decathlete James Bell secured All-America honors at the 2011 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships this weekend at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Smith was honored with a pair of top awards for his efforts in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

The postseason awards continued to roll in for a pair of the conference’s most successful spring athletes as the ODAC track & field coaches voted on their sport’s top athletes of the 2010 campaign. Bridgewater senior Courtney Hartman and fellow senior Ricky Flynn from Lynchburg were named the 2010 ODAC Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Athletes of the Year.

Roanoke College senior sprinter Robin Yerkes ran her way to three All-American awards on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. She earned honors in the 200 and 400 dashes, as well as the 4x100 relay. Lynchburg's Ricky Flynn picked up his second All-American award of the weekend in the 5,000 run.

Bridgewater senior Courtney Hartman put the cap on a stellar season as she won the heptathlon at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships on Friday afternoon on the campus of Baldwin-Wallace College. Hartman racked up 4,904 points to win by 92 points over the next closest competitor. Her point total also fell 47 points shy of tying the ODAC record.

Washington and Lee seniors Becca Taylor and Elizabeth Webb have been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine College Division Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Team as selected by CoSIDA. Both Taylor and Webb were tabbed to the third team.

Lynchburg's Ricky Flynn and Roanoke's Robin Yerkes took home the ODAC Men and Women’s Track Athlete of the Year awards in an annual selection of the league’s coaches.

Several of the ODAC’s top men’s and women’s outdoor track athletes competed at the 2009 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships at Marietta College (Ohio) over the weekend. The performance of the league’s contingent was strong to say the least with 10 combined All-American honors.

For the third time in the last five years, three athletes received top honors in a vote of the league’s track and field coaches. Bridgewater College’s Melvin Queen and Scott Decker from Lynchburg College share the 2008 ODAC Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year award. Roanoke College’s Robin Yerkes was tabbed as the 2008 ODAC Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Lynchburg College on the men’s side and Roanoke College women’s contingent will each be looking to protect the conference indoor championship crowns they claimed earlier this year another set of victories at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Several of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) top track and field performers were in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this past weekend, competing at the 2007 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships.

Ten of the top track and field athletes from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) are set to compete at the 2007 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships. Among those athletes performing are a record six female qualifiers from Roanoke College including three individuals that qualified for competition in multiple events. The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and its J.J. Keller Field will play host to the championships scheduled for May 24 through May 26.

The Lynchburg College men’s and Roanoke College women’s squads ran away with the team titles Saturday at the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Lynchburg College.