Two schools added to their ODAC histories of high honors on Tuesday afternoon with the announcement of the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Awards following a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors. Washington and Lee University field hockey standout Tess Muneses and Roanoke College basketball star Kasey Draper collected this year's high honors.
Muneses increases W&L's record-high number of Berkley Award winners to 13 overall as she is the third General to garner the award in the last four years. Draper is the second recipient of the Jopson Award in Roanoke history, joining Brandon Ketron's recognition from the 2011-12 campaign.
Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member institution seniors and conference sport participants who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching career at then Lynchburg College. Several years later, she 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 in honor of the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981 following 45 years at BC. Dr. Jopson, who initiated and directed the Eagles' cross country and track & field programs, led his teams to ODAC indoor track & field titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and outdoor crowns from 1978 through 1981.
Over the past 44 years, Enza Steele turned University of Lynchburg's field hockey program into a national powerhouse.
Now it is time to pass the baton.
The legendary Hornets coach announced Friday that her 45th season in charge will be her last. Steele will retire from her role as head coach at the end of the 2023 season. Associate head coach Jenni Releford will take the reins of the winningest field hockey program in the Commonwealth of Virginia in January 2024.
Our sixth edition of the ODAC's "Title IX Talk" feature series highlights individuals from four ODAC schools and the conference office as we talk to our biggest group yet. Four individuals from conference school's join Haley Overstreet, the ODAC Director of Championships, to discuss several topics surrounding their experiences with Title IX. Those joining Haley include Allison Nichols, the women's basketball head coach at the University of Lynchburg, Ashley and Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft, the head coaches for field hockey and women's basketball at Shenandoah University, respectively, and Bethany Dannelly, the current associate athletic director at Washington and Lee University and former ODAC Director of Championships.
The No. 13 Washington and Lee University field hockey team fell to No. 8 Williams College in the second round of the NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament 3-0 on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 13 Washington and Lee University field hockey team advanced to the second round of the DIII NCAA Field Hockey Tournament with a 3-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday afternoon.
The Generals (17-2) scored twice in the first quarter and again in the third to defeat the Battling Bishops (16-3) at home to record Head Coach Gina Wills' 100th victory at WLU.
The University of Lynchburg and Shenandoah University tied for a league-high nine all-conference honorees while ODAC champion Washington and Lee University added three special individual honors to its haul of seven all-league selections to headline the 2022 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards.
Shenandoah garnered both top individual honors with forward Mairead McKibbin earning ODAC Offensive Player of the Year laurels and back Elise Velasquez collecting ODAC Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Generals mentor Gina Wills received ODAC Coach of the Year recognition from her peers for a second straight season. W&L forward Betty Boatwright was tabbed the ODAC Rookie of the Year, while teammate and 2021 ODAC Player of the Year Tess Muneses received her second straight ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year award from the conference's athletic communications personnel.
Washington and Lee University, holders of the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament after winning the conference championship on Saturday, learned that it will be the only school from the ODAC to compete in the 26-team field.
The Generals (16-2) will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are 2-3 in three previous berths including a 1-1 showing last season.
It took just 67-seconds of extra-time to break a 60-minute stalemate as nationally 16th-ranked Washington and Lee University hoisted the ODAC field hockey trophy with a 1-0 overtime triumph over 19th-ranked University of Lynchburg in the conference championship game on Saturday afternoon in Lexington.
Week nine marks the final report of the season for field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball with those sports now entering the ODAC postseason. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 31, include (pictured, from left and top): Everett McCloskey and Shyenne Diaz from Virginia Wesleyan men's and women's soccer, Betty Boatwright from Washington and Lee field hockey, Grace Parker from Randolph-Macon volleyball, and Dalton Jobe and Brynn Martinson from W&L men's and women's swimming.
Two deep ties dictated the formation of the 2022 ODAC Field Hockey Tournament field following regular season ending results on Saturday afternoon and evening.
A pair of three-way stalemates involved five of the six teams in the postseason bracket, including position for the top-three seeds. University of Lynchburg, Shenandoah University, and Washington and Lee University featured in that logjam. The Generals came out on top following application of the conference's tiebreaking protocols, awarding W&L the #1 seed in the field.
The final week of the ODAC regular season is upon us with field hockey, soccer, and volleyball completing action in week eight. Strong performances impacted standings greatly over the past seven days with brackets only a few days away from being revealed. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 24, include (pictured, from left and top): Samuel Bass and Lindsay White from Washington and Lee men's and women's soccer, Peyton Kirchner from Roanoke volleyball, Regan Leach and Ahmad Woodson from Lynchburg women's and men's swimming, and Kessa Romero from Lynchburg field hockey.
While swimming continues to find its feet during the second week of its season, ODAC fall sports are nearing their postseason tournaments with the conclusion of week seven. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 17, include (pictured, from left and top): Sydney Smith from Washington and Lee women's soccer, Brennan Lagana from Lynchburg men's soccer, Sydney Heifner from W&L women's volleyball, Paige McBoyle and Dalton Jobe from W&L women's and men's swimming, and Saige Bullock from Roanoke field hockey.
Swimming enters the weekly reporting process following week six of ODAC competition. Athletes in the pool are already performing like their fellow fall-season Division III standouts. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 10, include (pictured, from left and top): Luke Mega and Mac Joly from Lynchburg men's and women's soccer, Grace Vernarelli from Roanoke field hockey, Brynn Martinson and Will Hughes from Washington and Lee women's and men's swimming, and Sarah Marlowe from Averett women's volleyball.
Weather played a part in the number of contests competed over the past week, but that did not stop ODAC student-athletes from treating fans to some strong performances in week five of the season. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, October 3, include (pictured, from left and top): Grace Parker from Randolph-Macon volleyball, Luke Mega from Lynchburg men's soccer, Kelsey Jones from Shenandoah field hockey, and Sydney Dombrovskis from Lynchburg women's soccer.
The first report of week four for ODAC teams and student-athletes features high scoring outputs and key contributions throughout all four sports. Those earning weekly honors for Monday, September 26, include (pictured, from left and top): Virginia Wesleyan University's Juan Tovar (men's soccer), Shenandoah University's Mairead McKibbin (field hockey), VWU's Morgan Ludovici (women's volleyball), and Roanoke College's MC Petrucelli (women's soccer).
The ODAC's second edition of "Title IX Talk" features Randolph-Macon College field hockey head coach Jess Weiss and Washington and Lee University women's basketball assistant coach Erin Hughes. The two are joined in conversation with ODAC Director of Championships Haley Overstreet.
Kayla Brady's breakout performance continues to pay dividends for University of Lynchburg's star field hockey goalkeeper. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association named Brady its Division III defensive player of the week Wednesday.
We saw big time results from football on Sunday and that trend continues on Monday with some high-profile victories and individual performances to match. We also saw our first few ODAC contests in week three. Those earning ODAC Athlete of the Week for Monday, September 19 include (pictured, from left and top): Hampden-Sydney's Zakky Johnston (men's soccer), Randolph-Macon's Grace Parker (women's volleyball), Washington and Lee's Ann Riley Huber (women's soccer), and Lynchburg's Kayla Brady (field hockey).
We are just two weeks into the new campaign and already ODAC teams are posting some impressive results with outstanding individual performances from many student-athletes. A few of those are featured in this first Monday report of the 2022 season with (pictured from left and top) Shenandoah's Mairead McKibbin (field hockey), Guilford's Madison Green (women's soccer), Randolph-Macon's Teddy Westervelt (men's soccer) and Roanoke's Peyton Kirchner (women's volleyball) earning ODAC Athlete of the Week laurels.
The first full week of the 2022 season is in the books. ODAC student-athletes gave fans a treat with some near mid-season form in the early going, leading many to believe we are in for a banner campaign. Those earning ODAC Athlete of the Week awards for Tuesday, September 6, include (pictured, from left and top): Shyenne Diaz from Virginia Wesleyan women's soccer, Mairead McKibbin from Shenandoah field hockey, Abbey Clayton from VWU women's volleyball, Charles Scharf and Carolyn Todd from Washington and Lee cross country, and Kenny Robles from Lynchburg men's soccer.
Reigning ODAC champion Washington and Lee University lost just one game in 2021, so it seems only fitting that a team returning much of the talent from that squad opens the new season as the favorite to hoist another trophy. The Generals find themselves in that enviable position entering the 2022 campaign as leaders of the ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll.
The ODAC is pleased to announce that Haley Overstreet is joining the conference office as the Director of Championships. Overstreet is a former three-sport student-athlete and assistant coach for field hockey at Ferrum College.
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced their annual end of season awards earlier this month following the conclusion of the 2021 fall season. Five standouts from ODAC schools earned recognition as Division III All-Americans.
Washington and Lee University duo Sara Amil and Tess Muneses -- the ODAC Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year, respectively -- headline the list as the Generals' goalkeeper and midfielder were tabbed First Team All-Americans. University of Lynchburg forward Jackie Lerro earned a spot on the All-America Second Team, while Shenandoah University midfielder Kelsey Jones and W&L midfielder Kailey Fitzgerald were selected to the All-America Third Team.
Bridgewater College field hockey senior Claire Ashley has been selected as the 2022 ODAC National SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) Ambassador.
The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee field hockey team's historic season came to an end on Sunday in a 3-0 loss at fourth-ranked Rowan in the NCAA Regional Final.
Junior forward Freddie Tobeason (New York, N.Y./Groton School) and junior midfielder Tess Muneses (Howard County, Md./Glenelg) each registered one goal, as the ninth-ranked Washington and Lee field hockey team advanced to the NCAA Regional Final for the first time in program history with a 2-0 victory over 18th-ranked Scranton on Saturday on the campus of Rowan University.
University of Lynchburg's field hockey season came to a heartbreaking end Wednesday with a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of Salisbury in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Washington and Lee University earned a league-high nine all-conference laurels plus four special individual honors to headline the 2021 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards.
Generals midfielder Tess Muneses garnered recognition from both the ODAC field hockey coaches and the league's athletic communications personnel as she doubled as the ODAC Offensive Player of the Year and the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year. W&L goalkeeper Sara Amil repeats as the ODAC Defensive Player of the Year, while mentor Gina Wills secured ODAC Coach of the Year accolades. Shenandoah University forward Mairead McKibbin collected ODAC Rookie of the Year plaudits.
The NCAA field hockey tournament is back! Fans would have to turn back the clock to November 2019 for the last time an ODAC team had the chance to play for a national field hockey championship. The NCAA put an end to the event's hiatus with the announcement of the 2021 Division III Field on Sunday evening.
For just the third time in conference history, two teams will carry the ODAC's banner into the bracket. Conference champion Washington and Lee University is joined by the University of Lynchburg in the 26-team field. The ODAC, which has sponsored field hockey since 1983, previously featured more than one team on the national stage in 2003 and 2005.
ODAC Announces Berkley and Jopson Award Winners
June 06, 2023Two schools added to their ODAC histories of high honors on Tuesday afternoon with the announcement of the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Awards following a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors. Washington and Lee University field hockey standout Tess Muneses and Roanoke College basketball star Kasey Draper collected this year's high honors. Muneses increases W&L's record-high number of Berkley Award winners to 13 overall as she is the third General to garner the award in the last four years. Draper is the second recipient of the Jopson Award in Roanoke history, joining Brandon Ketron's recognition from the 2011-12 campaign. Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member institution seniors and conference sport participants who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching career at then Lynchburg College. Several years later, she 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 in honor of the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981 following 45 years at BC. Dr. Jopson, who initiated and directed the Eagles' cross country and track & field programs, led his teams to ODAC indoor track & field titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and outdoor crowns from 1978 through 1981.
