
FOREST, Va. --- Fresh off a successful and exciting championship meet hosted at Roanoke College, the ODAC indoor track & field coaches have made their final choices to complete the 2021-22 All-ODAC Indoor Track & Field Awards.
Virginia Wesleyan University jumpers Jaylyn Lane and Geni Roberts were selected as the ODAC Indoor Women's and Men's Field Athletes of the Meet, respectively. Bridgewater College sprinter Adalia Coleman earned ODAC Indoor Women's Track Athlete of the Meet laurels, while University of Lynchburg mid-distance runner Sam Llaneza collected ODAC Indoor Men's Track Athlete of the Meet recognition. Hornets mentor Jim Sprecher was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year in both sports. Washington and Lee University is home to both the ODAC Women's and Men's Rookies of the Year in sprinter Katelyn Gamble and distance runner Josh Fingerhut.
On Sunday, Lynchburg distance runner Stephanie Burnett and Shenandoah University thrower Tucker Kindig were announced as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Additionally, the ODAC is pleased to present the full set of All-ODAC Indoor Track & Field Awards. Recognition on the All-ODAC Teams is derived from the athletes' performances at the indoor championships this past week. A first place finish garners All-ODAC First Team honors, with second and third place showings earning All-ODAC Second and Third Team distinctions, respectively.
RELATED: 2022 ODAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Results
Lane and Roberts stood atop the ODAC medal podium in both horizontal jumps following two days of competition at the Kerr-Cregger Fieldhouse. Lane, who led all field athletes with 20 points earned, won the long jump at 5.40 meters (17-8.75) and the triple jump at 11.57 meters (37-11.50). She set the ODAC overall record in the latter event during the regular season at 11.90 meters (39-0.50), which ranks eighth in NCAA Division III. Roberts matched his ODAC season-best mark in the long with a winning distance of 7.26 meters (23-10.00), which ranks 10th in the country. He added 10 more points to his resumé by winning the triple jump at 14.52 meters (47-7.75). His ODAC season-best mark over 14.63 meters (48-0.00) ranks 12 in D3.
Coleman donned a pair of gold medals after winning the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. She was second in the 60-dash after the prelims with a time of 7.74-seconds, but she posted the league's swiftest mark in the finals at 7.62-seconds. That ranks third in the country and the second-fastest in BC history. Coleman also set a new season-best time in winning the 200-dash at 25.54 seconds. That time is 18th in D3. She also ran the third leg of the Eagles 4x400-meter relay, which finished sixth at 4:21.04.
Llaneza etched his name in the ODAC record books twice at Roanoke. He opened Sunday's running events with a bang, posting a mile time of 4:07.78. That time is the fastest in ODAC history in any competition, let alone the championships. It ranks third in Division III and is just 0.18-seconds off tying for second. Llaneza also competed in the 800-meter run at the ODAC Championships, placing third at 1:55.73.
Sprecher led Lynchburg to their 29th men's crown and 12th women's title. Both stand as ODAC records. This is Hornets first men's title since winning 17 consecutive championships from 1998 through 2014. Lynchburg's women have earned three straight ODAC trophies. Lynchburg opened the championship weekend ranked second in the South Region for both genders according to the USTFCCCA track & field rating index (TFRI).
Gamble has been at the forefront of the ODAC sprint ranks all season, leading the conference in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes entering the weekend. She finished second in both events in Salem, posting a finals times of 7.70 seconds in the 60-dash and 25.82-seconds in the 200-dash. The latter is her season-best mark in the event and ranks second overall in the ODAC and 42nd in the country. She previously set the W&L record in the 60-dash at 7.63-seconds, which is #2 in the conference and #5 in D3.
Fingerhut earned 11 points for Washington and Lee after placing third in the 3,000-meter run and fourth in the 5,000-meter run, the longest distance races at the meet. On Saturday, he posted a time of 15:42.90 in the 5K, his fastest collegiate indoor time in the event. On Sunday, Fingerhut finished the 3K at 8:48.39, his second-fastest 3K of the season. He previously posted a time of 8:43.76, which is third-best overall in the conference.
Burnett is now the owner of three ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete Awards, having previously earned the honor for outdoor track & field last season and cross country this past fall. She completed her undergraduate career with a 3.95 grade point average as a management major with an emphasis in human resources. She currently maintains a 4.0 GPA as she works towards her MBA at Lynchburg. Burnett previously earned Academic All-District distinction from CoSIDA and was the 2019 Lynchburg Female Academic Athlete of the Year. She was named the outstanding senior in the college of business, was a peer tutor in business statistics, and received the Hopwood and Sigler scholarships. This past week, Burnett won both the 3K and 5K races at the ODAC Championships with times of 10:22.69 and 18:43.93, respectively. Her 3K time is the best in the ODAC, while her previous fastest time of 17:31.69 (converted from 17:23.65 for track size) in the 5K is ranked 25th in the country. Her on-track time of 17:23.65 is a Lynchburg record.
Kindig also stars in and out of the athletic arena. The two-time Shenandoah senior co-captain maintains a 3.78 GPA as an exercise science major. He has been named to the Shenandoah President's and Dean's Lists seven times. He was previously honored with an appointment to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. He serves as a mentor elementary school students as a reading buddy, working through such events as Kid's Day Out Reading program. Athletically, Kindig is the Shenandoah record holder in the weight throw at 17.64 meters (57-10.50). He established that mark on the ODAC Championships, winning the event by nearly six feet. His mark ranks 22 in Division III. Kindig also finished third in the shot put at 13.86 meters (45-5.75). His season-best throw of 14.05 meters (46-1.25) ranks third in the league.
Listed below is the full layout of this season's All-ODAC Indoor Track & Field Awards. For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
|
|