H-SC’s Moss, VWC’s Bradford Win Top Scholar-Athlete Awards
SALEM, Va. --- A pair of student-athletes were
honored with the league's highest honors on Thursday afternoon at
the annual Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Board of
Directors meetings. Rebecca Bradford, a senior volleyball
standout from Virginia Wesleyan College, was awarded the 2010
Marjorie Berkley Scholar-Athlete Award as the top female
student-athlete in the conference. Fellow senior and
Hampden-Sydney College men’s tennis star, William Moss,
garnered the 2010 Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Award as
the league's top male student-athlete.
Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley
and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each
spring to member college seniors and conference sport participants
who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular
achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching
career at Lynchburg College. Several years later after
leaving Lynchburg, Ms. Berkley moved to Hollins University where
she coached tennis, field hockey and soccer, and served as the
athletic director for 30 years. The Jopson Award is named for
the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981
following 45 years at the college. Dr. Jopson, who initiated and
directed the Eagles' cross country and track programs, led his
teams to ODAC indoor track titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and
outdoor crowns in 1978 through 1981.
Bradford, from Virginia Beach, Va., is the first winner of the
Berkley Award from Virginia Wesleyan. Bradford starred as a
recreation and leisure studies major in the classroom and as an
outside hitter on the Marlins' volleyball team. A multiple
honoree on the VWC Dean's List, Bradford boasts a 4.0 grade point
average. She is a recipient of the Academic Dean's
Scholarship, and was named to the 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District Second Team. She bettered the latter
honor this past season as she was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District First Team. Bradford has also
won each of the past two ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete
of the Year Awards in volleyball.
On the court, Bradford is a former ODAC Rookie of the Year and
two-time All-ODAC First Team honoree. She helped Virginia
Wesleyan to back-to-back 23-win seasons, marking a program record
for victories. She is the first VWC player to have two
300-plus kill seasons, and stands in the top five in several career
program records including kills, total attacks, digs and
aces. She is a two-time honoree on the All-State First Team
as presented by VaSID.
Bradford’s community and leadership involvements are
numerous. She is heavily involved with the Sovereign Grace
Church in Chesapeake, Va., as a special events volunteer and
children’s ministry worker. She is a tutor and
instructor in several areas, as well as serving as a VWC peer
advisor. A tutor and volunteer in ceramics, Bradford made and
donated ceramic bowls to the Empty Bowls Charity Dinner. She
was heavily involved in Virginia Wesleyan’s “Go
Green” Week as a member of the planning team and as a
volunteer staff member.
“On behalf of Virginia Wesleyan College and Marlin
athletics, we are so proud of Rebecca Bradford, class of 2010, as
she is this year's recipient of the ODAC woman scholar-athlete
award,” said Joanne Renn, athletic director at VWC.
“Ms. Bradford exemplifies every characteristic of a serious
scholar and combines the work ethic and passion needed to achieve
supreme academic status combined with the spirit and ability to
also excel on the volleyball court. The winning of this award is a
first for VWC women's athletics and we are honored that the
conference chose Becca from among so many qualified
individuals.”
Moss, from Fredericksburg, Va., is the 10th H-SC winner
of the Jopson Award with the school’s first coming in
1983. Moss accumulated a 3.657 grade point average as a
History major with a minor in Military Leadership and National
Security Studies at Hampden-Sydney. He was the chairman of
the Hampden-Sydney honor court and was a member of Omicron Delta
Kappa (national leadership honor society), Phi Alpha Theta
(history), Phi Sigma Iota (foreign language) and Phi Beta
Kappa. Moss won the President’s Award for scholarship
and character in 2008. He capped his H-SC honor list with the
Gammon Cup, which serves as the Hampden-Sydney graduation award for
character, scholarship and athletic ability. Moss twice has
been the winner of the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete
of the Year in men’s tennis, and was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-District First Team in 2010.
On the court, Moss, a four-time ODAC Player of the Year recipient,
finished the season ranked #12 in the ITA Atlantic South Region
Rankings. He was name to the All-ODAC First Team in both
singles and doubles four times, and did the same on the VaSID
All-State First Team. He was also VaSID Rookie of the Year in
2007 and the VaSID Player of the Year in 2009. Moss helped
lead the Tigers to the 2009 ODAC men’s tennis championship,
marking the third team title in program history.
A team captain each of his four years at H-SC, Moss’s
leadership exploits were extensive on campus. He was a member
of the Hampden-Sydney Student Honor Court for two years followed by
two more years as the court’s chairman. He was a member
of the H-SC Student Affairs Committee as well as the Tigers’
Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Moss also served a term
within his fraternity, Kappa Alpha, as the recording secretary.
“William Moss is a shining example of the true
student-athlete,” explained H-SC athletic director Joe
Bush. “Throughout his career at Hampden-Sydney College,
William was an outstanding leader in all phases of campus life. He
is one of a select few student-athletes to win four player of the
year awards in their sport. He also led H-SC to its first
tennis championship since the early 1980's.”
2010 Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Award Nominees
Max Axelrod, Baseball, Virginia Wesleyan College
Brian Creghan, Golf, Guilford College
Drew Elkins, Baseball, Bridgewater College
Ben Goetsch, Basketball/Track & Field, Washington and Lee
University
2010 Marjorie Berkley Award Nominees
Molly Ariail, Basketball, Randolph-Macon College
Katie Furches, Equestrian, Hollins University
Madison Kebler, Tennis, Randolph College
Ashley Meyer, Cross Country/Track & Field, Lynchburg
College
Sarah Roth, Field Hockey, Eastern Mennonite
Ann Seufer, Basketball, Guilford College
Jazamine Stallings, Track & Field, Roanoke
Jenna Worsham, Swimming, Washington and Lee University
Sport by Sport History of Winners
2003-04 Individual Sport Scholar Athlete Award Winners
2004-05 Individual Sport Scholar Athlete Award Winners
2005-06 Individual Sport Scholar Athlete Award Winners
2006-07 Individual Sport Scholar-Athlete Award Winners