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.
Athletic Director Aubrey Shinofield has announced two changes within the athletic department at Hollins University. Richie Waggoner will be relinquishing his duties as basketball coach to devote all of his time to the office of sports information while Jim Phillips will move from assistant to head basketball coach for the upcoming season.
Randolph College has appointed Allison Nichols as the WildCats new head womens basketball coach. Nichols, who will begin May 1, follows Melissa Wiggins, who coached the WildCats for 12 seasons. A Bridgewater College alum, Nichols has coached at both the Division I and II levels following a brief stint in the high school ranks.
Three-time ODAC Player of the Year and former conference top rookie, Molly Ariail, continues to add to her awards collection following four standout seasons at Randolph-Macon. The Jackets post heads a list of ODAC athletes that have earned recognition from several outlets including the WBCA, D3hoops.com and Womens DIII News.
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.
The finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy were announced today by members of the Rotary Club of Salem, Va. The club is responsible for the initial review of annual nominations and narrowed the pool to 10 men and 12 women finalists.
Two ODAC schools were selected to the NCAA Division III Womens Basketball Tournament field on Monday afternoon. Washington and Lee University and Roanoke College compile the conferences contingent in this years 64-team field. Play begins on Friday in the first round.
Washington and Lee made its first appearance in the ODAC Women's Basketball Tournament Championship Game stand up as the Generals defeated Virginia Wesleyan, 64-56, in Salem on Sunday. The win marks the first basketball title of any kind for W&L since 1980.
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.
Randolph-Macon senior center Molly Ariail joined an elite group when she was named the ODAC Player of the Year on Wednesday evening at the annual women's basketball tournament banquet. She joins fellow Yellow Jacket, Megan Silva '06, as the only two players to have won the award three times.
For the second time in as many seasons, Roanoke will enter the 2010 ODAC Womens Basketball Tournament as the top seed. The Maroons are followed by Randolph-Macon, Washington and Lee and Bridgewater, sequentially, in comprising the top four rankings. Each of those squads will be designated the home team in the quarterfinals.
In this edition of the ODAC Podcast, Brad and J.J. focus on swimming and women's basketball. Randolph-Macon swimming coach Ben Delia gives us a look at his squad and the upcoming ODAC Championships. Roanoke athletes Jaleesa Osborne and Caitlyn Long also stop by to chat hoops and what it's like to be a dual-sport student-athlete.
Action in ODAC winter sports continued over the past week, and several athletes enjoyed banner weeks. Roanoke's Jordan Gholson (above) helped the Maroons to a pair of ODAC wins by averaging 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game. She became the RC's all-time leader in blocks with three against Bridgewater. She added six more against Guilford.
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.
Swimming joined men's and women's basketball in action followed its lay-off from the holiday break. In women's basketball, Molly Ariail (above) helped Randolph-Macon win a trio of conference games, including a win over previously league-undefeated Roanoke.
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. Randolph-Macon's Molly Ariail notched her fifth double-double of the season and second weekly award while helping the Jackets move back into the D3hoops.com Top-25.
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 women's basketball, Baylie Snyder (above) helped Emory & Henry to three ODAC wins.
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. Randolph-Macon and Molly Ariail (above) enjoyed a victory in its conference opener against VWC.
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.
Roanoke picked up 10 first place votes and 120 total poll points to earn the top billing in the 2009-10 ODAC Womens Basketball Preseason Poll. Randolph-Macon garnered the remaining first place vote and 109 tallies to hold down the second slot. Eastern Mennonite rounds out the top three with 82 poll points.
The Washington and Lee women's basketball team ranked among the national leaders in team grade-point average for the 2008-09 school year. The Generals' 11 players combined to produce a GPA in excess of 3.4 and ranked 14th overall among Division III schools in a recent survey.