LYN's Sparks, W&L's Stephenson Earn Individual Medalist Honors

SALEM, Va. --- On a picture-perfect morning and early afternoon at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va., Washington and Lee continued its dominance in the ODAC Cross Country Championships teams standings as the Generals swept both trophies for the fifth straight season. The Generals' women set a new ODAC record for margin of victory with a 20-to-73 gap between them and second-place University of Lynchburg. W&L's men earned a 31-to-39 win over Lynchburg in the men's table.

The ODAC individual champions were split between Washington and Lee and Lynchburg. W&L sophomore Sara Stephenson captured both ODAC Runner and Rookie of the Meet awards with a time of 22:00.4 following her run on the six-kilometer championship course. Lynchburg's Max Sparks won the men's crown by more than 15-seconds at 24:44.1 after finishing the eight-kilometer championship course.

Emory & Henry College's Conor White took home ODAC Runner of the Meet laurels as the men's top finisher competing in his first year of collegiate cross country. Bridgewater College's Calista Ariel, the 2018 ODAC Runner of the Year, and Lynchburg's Shawn Gmurek garnered ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year laurels.

RELATED: 2019 ODAC Championship Results

Washignton and Lee saw 14 runners finish 24th or better in the women's competition, including seven in the top-14 to earn All-ODAC honors. Stephenson led a 1-2-3-5 finish for the Generals with Julia Moody (22:01.8), Katie Harris (22:07.3), and Katie Bearup (22:17.8) following, sequentially. Avery Schiffman (22:38.0) and Didi Pace (22:45.0)  chimed ninth and 10th to earn All-ODAC Second Team accolades along with teammate Nina Gallagher, who placed 14th (23:02.08) to picked up the final all-conference award.

Lynchburg's Stephanie Burnett (22:12.5) earned first team recogition with a fourth place showing, while teammate Michela Cholak finished 11th (22:47.9) to earn a second team spot. Bridgewater's duo of English Jackson (22:26.4) and Ariel (22:33.5) earned the final two first team positions in sixth and seventh, respectively. Shenandoah's tandem of Emily Miller (22:35.0) and Sarah Mann (22:50.0) earned second team nods in eighth and 12th places.

The remaining all-conference medal went to Jacqueline Clardy-Josephs of Randolph College, who finished 13th (23:00.4) to earn second team distinction.

On the men's side, Sparks was one of four from Lynchburg to earn All-ODAC honors, including a trio on the first team. Shawn Gmurek (25:14.7) and Andrew Johnson (25:22.2) finishined fourth and six, respectively, while Brennan Straits (25:58.5) stopped the watches in 12th position.

Washington and Lee placed seven men on an all-conference team. Daniel Cope (24:59.2), Drew Woodfolk (25:19.1), and Ethan Bernstein (25:23.1) placed second, fifth, and seventh to earn first team honors. Freddie Marx (25:32.4), Austin Kinne (25:33.6), Connor Verrett (25:52.0), and Kyle Clarke (26:00.8) picked up second team spots in eighth, ninth, 11th, and 13th places.

Virginia Wesleyan University's Skylar Lattuca (25:03.1) improved three spots from 2018 to finish third. E&H's White (25:49.1) crossed the line 10th, while Roanoke College's Peter Smith (26:03.8) finished 14th.

Below is a full listing of team standings as well as the top-14 finishers that earned All-ODAC recognition and the special award winners from today's championships. There will be more to come with the ODAC Runner, Coach and Rookie of the Year determinations following the regional championships, which are scheduled for November 16 and hosted by Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.

For more information on ODAC cross country and the 2019 championships, visit the websites of any of the participating schools.  You can also visit the home of the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com and view the ODAC cross country championship website.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram!