All-American Duo Recognized by ODAC Coaches

SALEM, Va. --- The postseason awards continued to roll in for a pair of the conference’s most successful spring athletes as the ODAC track & field coaches voted on their sport’s top athletes of the 2010 campaign.  Bridgewater College senior Courtney Hartman and fellow senior Ricky Flynn from Lynchburg College were named the 2010 ODAC Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Athletes of the Year.

Hartman has been a star for the Eagles over the past four years, progressing each year on the way to a season-capping All-America Award and NCAA Division III National Championship in the heptathlon at the 2010 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships.  Hartman’s showing in Berea, Ohio, marked her second straight All-America performance and provided the Eagles with just their second national champion (male or female) in track & field.  Her triumph in the heptathlon marked the first in the event for any athlete in ODAC history.

Click HERE to watch the post event interview with Courtney Hartman.

Prior to the NCAA championships, Hartman was named the 2010 South/Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  She entered the event with the third-highest point total among the athletes competing in the heptathlon.  Hartman posted a personal-best 2:24.60 to place seventh in the 800-meter run and secure her victory in the seven-event discipline.  She finished with 4,904 points, marking the highest total for a NCAA Division III athlete of the year and falling just 47 points shy of the ODAC record.

Hartman was also strong indoors as she earned All-America status by placing sixth in the pentathlon at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.  She racked up a personal-best 3,314 points.  She was named ODAC Athlete of the Meet at the 2010 ODAC Indoor Track Championships as she placed second in five events including the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes, the 55-meter hurdles, the long jump, and the shot put.  She finished fourth in the high jump and helped the Eagles to a third place showing the 4x400-meter relay.

This season marked the second straight year Flynn earned track’s top honor, capping a career that includes seven All-America awards and 13 ODAC Championships.  He was also named the South/Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA for a second time in as many seasons.

Flynn’s banner final campaign in the “Hill City” began during the cross country season in the fall.  After winning the ODAC title for third consecutive year, Flynn went on to win the South/Southeast Regional by 16 seconds.  He improved upon his margin of victory at the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, when he out-paced the field by 23 seconds to secure his first national crown.

After winning the ODAC indoor title in the mile run, as well as securing the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Indoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, Flynn took his show to the national championships at DePauw University in DePauw, Ind.  Flynn finished ninth in the national mile run, just 0.11 short of claiming what would have been his sixth All-America honor.

Flynn made up for that (plus one more) at the 2010 outdoor national championships as he picked up a pair of All-America awards.  Although he qualified in three events for the D-III meet, Flynn ran in two: the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs.  He opened his competition with a fourth place finish in the 10,000-meter event on the meet’s first day, followed by a fifth place showing in the 5,000-meter run on the final day of competition.  At the 2010 ODAC Championships, Flynn ran in and won the 1,500-meter run.

For more information on both athletes and the rest of the ODAC track & field contingent, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, and go to the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.