FOREST, Va. --- Spring sports have been extraordinarily successful for the ODAC and its member schools in recent seasons, lending to a lot of excitement as the weather turns warmer in the final third of the academic year. That was true of the 2020 campaign as well before competition was halted due to the climate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, some of the ODAC's best teams and student-athletes did take to their respective arenas and gave us a glimpse of what could have been an outstanding season.

In this installment of a series of season wrap-up features designed at recognizing some of those early achievements in the conference's spring sports, we take a look at the ODAC's men's track & field programs.

In addition to the sections below showcasing a conference-wide view of the sport, wrap-ups and features from our member schools will be included to provide a more in-depth perspective for each program. The school features are posted at the bottom of this release and will be included as they become available.

ODAC OVERVIEW

The 2020 outdoor track & field season was brought to a halt before it opened as the first meets were slated for the days following the suspension of competition in March. That included the cancellation of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. For the sections below, we take stock of the accomplishments of each of the league's programs thru the indoor season to get a sense of what we could have expected should the outdoor campaign have been conducted. The "track & field rating index" scores produced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) from the indoor season will be referenced for each program and are linked to their posted ranking.

BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 484.38 points (3rd of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Davonta Womack (24), Chase Rosenthal (22), Jashaad Santiago-Boatwright (14)
Bridgewater College has a long standard of success running in the ODAC's track & field ranks as an Eagles' team has finished first or second in every conference outdoor championship meet since 2012 with titles in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. A run at a third straight crown was possible after placing third indoors this year. While Davonta Womack (more on him below) garners a lot of the spotlight, several Eagles put together impressive seasons. Michael Lotts let fans know early on he'd be one to watch as he set the ODAC overall record in the weight throw at 17.91 meters at the Liberty Kickoff. That was the highest rated performance in an individual event of the season with a 26.13 TFRI rating and also qualified him for the NCAA championships. He also won the ODAC weight throw at 16.61 meters. Chase Rosenthal was not only stellar at the ODAC championships, but he topped the ODAC 60-meter hurdles charts (8.25s) for a 23.40 rating and joined Jashaad Santiago-Boatwright with 18.44 ratings in leaping 14.24 meters in the triple jump at the ODAC meet. Rosenthal's ODAC hurdles time of 8.37 seconds went to a photo finish with W&L's Joe O'Connor. O'Connor earned first place points. Rosenthal also competed in the pentathlon at the Shenandoah Final Qualifier and racked up 4,607 points for a 35.45 rating. Rashon Davis posted a 22.86 rating after clearing 1.96 meters in the high at SU.

THE FASTEST MAN IN DIVISION III...STILL

The accomplishments of Bridgewater sprinter and jumper Davonta Womack jump off the page. The still reigning "fastest man in NCAA Division III" after winning the outdoor 100-meter dash national title in 2019 was set to perhaps add the indoor moniker to his resumé as he qualified for the NCAA indoor championships as the top seed in the 60-meter dash. Womack did that by setting a new ODAC championship record in the event at 6.78 seconds, earning him a 23.76 TFRI rating. He also won the ODAC long jump with ODAC meet record leap of 7.36 meters for a 24.08 rating. That qualified him for fourth in the national field in the event.

Overall, Womack's mantle is full of awards. The Salem, Va. native is an 18-time All-ODAC honoree including 12 times as an ODAC event champion. That list includes a being five-time champion in the long jump, three 60-meter dash crowns, two 200-meter dash titles, a 100-meter sprint championship, and a 4x100-meter relay gold medal. That latter victory came in an ODAC overall and championship record time of 41.16 seconds with teammates Diante Cannon, Dirk Jones, and Alex Galloway at the 2019 outdoor championships.

Womack, a five-time All-American, was named the ODAC Track Athlete of the Meet at the ODAC indoor championships in 2018 and at both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2019. At the 2020 indoor meet, he took home ODAC Field Athlete of the Meet laurels. Twice Womack was honored as the South/Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for his indoor exploits in 2019 and 2020. He collected 13 overall all-region accolades. In addition to the three records noted above, Womack is also the ODAC record-holder in the 100-meter dash at 10.20 seconds in winning last season's NCAA outdoor title. That time is the second-fastest in NCAA meet history.

EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 135.75 points (7th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Isaac Alderfer (8), Alijah Johnson (3)
Eastern Mennonite University saw several athletes put their best feet forward during the indoor campaign. Isaac Alderfer leads the charge as his time of 1:54.97 in the 800-meter run is the Royals' top-rated mark on the TFRI scale at 23.86. He also posted a 13.54 rating after running 4:26.20 in the mile run at Roanoke. Alijah Johnson sped to a time of 22.62 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the Bast-Cregger Invitational for a 17.85 rating. His 400-meter converted time of 51.32 seconds at the David Hemerey Valentine Invitational earned an 11.13 rating. Wade Banks competed in the heptathlon at Bast-Cregger and collected 3,294 points towards a 14.00 mark.

EMORY & HENRY COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 111.18 points (8th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Donovan Pinnix (10), Justin Fannon (5), Conor White (3)
Emory & Henry College burst on the scene in 2019 and the Wasps continued their progress in 2020 in just the second year of the program's return to ODAC action. E&H throwers have won the past two shot put titles with Trel Phillips claiming the 2019 outdoor gold (14.55m) and Donovan Pinnix winning the 2020 indoor event (14.35m). Pinnix's best throw of the season, a 14.41-meter heave at the Noke Elite Meet, earned him a 20.66 TFRI rating. Phillips, while he did not compete at this year's ODAC championship, led E&H's ratings chart at 24.33 from a throw of 15.21 meters at VMI. Not to be left out, Justin Fannon gave the Wasps three quality throwers as his best shot put mark of 14.38 meters at the Bast-Cregger Invitational earned an 18.60 rating. Conor White had the highest-rated mark of any E&H runner as his time of 2:00.27 in the ODAC 800-meter run earned an 8.84 rating.

GUILFORD COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 74.52 points (9th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Asa Bell (5), Juwan Houston (4), Jeremiah Hedrick (3)
Guilford College's 2020 indoor season featured several highs including a trio of competitors posting top-five finishes in ODAC championship events. Asa Bell finished fourth in the ODAC 60-meter dash at 6.99 seconds, earning him a 13.40 TFRI rating. Juwan Houston accounted for the Quakers' highest rating at 13.58 after finishing fifth in the ODAC 60-meter hurdles at 8.60 seconds. Jeremiah Hedrick chimed in sixth in the ODAC long jump at 6.52 meters, good for a 10.02 rating. Not far behind was Kyahl Dorsey, who's mark of 6.50 meters in the long jump at the Finn Pincus Invitational resulted in an 8.96 rating.

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | N/A
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | N/A
Hampden-Sydney College had barely begun competing in track & field when the season was halted in March following the ODAC indoor championships. The 2019-20 campaign was to serve as the Tigers entry into the collegiate track & field ranks in mid- and long-distance events only. They were able to compete in a trio of meets prior to the championships. Justin Simpson was the lone Tiger to compete at the conference meet, finishing 18th (4:57.32) in the mile run. That was his season-best in three tries at the event. He competed in the 800-meter run twice, posting a best time of 2:12.36 at JDL. Taisho Miller also ran three times in the 800-meter event. His personal-best time was 2:25.54 at the Finn Pincus Invitational.

UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 555.75 points (1st of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Tristan Lucy-Speidel (24), Reid Sharkey (20), Shawn Gmurek (18)
The University of Lynchburg tops both all-time ODAC track championship charts with 28 men's indoor and outdoor titles apiece. The Hornets' last titles came in 2014 as they claimed both the indoor and outdoor trophies. This year, Lynchburg was making a case for another run at the top after placing second at the 2020 ODAC indoor championships. Lynchburg competitors took home gold medals in six total events including five individual disciplines. That includes ODAC Track Athlete of the Meet Reid Sharkey in both the mile (4:26.05) and 3000-meter (8:49.98), Tristan Lucey-Speidel in the 5000m run (15:22.20), Shawn Gmurek in the 800-meter run (1:56.73), and Alex Shadkhoo in the 200-meter dash (22.43s). Shadkhoo qualified for the NCAA championships in the 200-dash with a time of 22.17 seconds at VMI two weeks prior to ODAC. That earned him a personal season-best 23.41 TFRI rating. Lucy-Speidel led Lynchburg on the TFRI list at 23.77 for his time of 15:16.77 in the 5K at the Camel City Invitational. He also posted a 21.23 rating in the 3K at 8:36.96 at VMI. Sharkey posted ratings of 23.63 for his 4:18.07 performance in the mile run at the Finn Pincus Invitational and 23.56 for his 3K time of 8:34.18 at Camel City. Gmurek's time of 1:55.62 in the 800-meter run at the Steemer Showcase earned him a 21.45 mark. Julian Douglas, who qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships in 2019 in the long jump, earned a 20.71 rating in the same event indoors at the Roanoke Division I Invitational with a career-best leap of 7.04 meters. Douglas, Bridgewater's Davonta Womack (7.36m), and Virginia Wesleyan's Geni Roberts (7.00m) are the only athletes to reach seven meters this season.

ODAC/VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU INSURANCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

Lynchburg senior Shawn Gmurek has made the most of his Division III experience as he standouts out athletically, academically, and in his community. In the classroom, Gmurek maintains a 3.806 grade point average as a management major with a human resources emphasis in addition to a minor in Spanish. Much like the women's ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Calista Ariel from Bridgewater, Gmurek earned the cross country and indoor track & field scholar-athlete honors in addition to this award for outdoor track & field. The Parkton, Md. native is a Westover Honors College fellow, soon-to-be four-time Academic All-ODAC honoree, and a mainstay on Lynchburg's dean's list.

When considering his involvement on campus, it may be easier to ask what Gmurek hasn't done. He is president of Lynchburg's chapter of Society of Human Resources, vice-president of the Hornets' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and president of Lynchburg's Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership) honor society. He also participates in community service ventures with Big Brothers, Big Sisters as well as the Lynchburg Humane Society.

Gmurek has accepted a job as a human resources business partner with Northup Grumman in Baltimore, Md. He is slated to begin his tenure upon graduation.

In the athletic arena, Gmurek is a two-time All-ODAC honoree in cross country and six-time all-conference standout in track & field. He placed 12th overall (27:05.8) to earn second team laurels at the 2018 cross country championships, and jumped to first team in 2019 by placing fourth (25:14.7). On the track, Gmurek won the ODAC 800-meter run twice in 2019 outdoors and 2020 indoors. He finished second in that race in 2018 outdoors and 2019 indoors. He also placed second in the 2020 indoor mile and joined his teammates for a third place showing in the 2017 outdoor 4x400-meter relay. Gmurek earned All-South/Southeast Region status from the USTFCCCA for his role in helping Lynchburg set a new record (10:16.01) in the distance medley relay this season. He was also all-region in cross country this past fall.

RANDOLPH COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 16.41 points (10th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | N/A
Randolph College men's track & field set out to rebuild its roster following the graduation of a few key competitors in 2019-20 under new head coach and former WildCat standout Ryan Purrington. Devon Davis posted the highest-rated performance for Randolph at 4.00 following his clearance of 1.73 meters in the high jump at the Bast-Cregger Invitational. Throwers Mitchell Doss and Zach Williby had solid campaigns with Doss earning ratings of 1.34 for a heave of 12.34 meters in the shot put at Bast-Cregger and 1.32 for a toss of 13.00 meters in the weight throw at the Armory Last Chance meet.

ROANOKE COLLEGE

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 249.82 points (5th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Kaleb Bland (6), Jackson Smith (5), Kyle Bland (4), Corbin Turner (4)
Roanoke College enjoyed a solid season in placing fifth at the ODAC indoor meet. The Maroons top TFRI ratings belong to a pair of heptathletes in Miles Enstrom and Hunter Bohn. They collected 3,942 and 3,755 points at the Shenandoah Final Qualifier, respectively, on the way to 21.90 and 16.65 ratings. For individual events, twin brothers Kyle Bland and Kaleb Bland led the way with their showings in the weight throw. Kyle tossed the apparatus 15.23 meters at the Roanoke Division I meet for a 16.08 rating, while Kaleb registered an ODAC championship throw of 15.03 meters for a 13.84 rating. Xavier O'Brien tied for fifth on the ODAC's final 60-meter hurdles chart at 8.60 seconds from his run at the Noke Elite Meet, good for a 13.58 mark. Jackson Smith cleared 4.05 meters in the pole vault at the same meet for a 13.49 rating.

SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 250.28 points (4th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | John Kindig (12), Miles Moore (8), Elijah Morton (8)
Shenandoah University tied its ODAC-best finish in the indoor championship team standings with a fourth-place showing powered by a roster of strong competitors. Elijah Morton set a new personal-best time in finishing as the ODAC runner-up in the 60-meter dash at 6.90 seconds. Not only did that earn him a 20.39 TFRI rating, but it qualified him for the NCAA indoor championships. Jason White also posted a NCAA qualifying distance in the triple jump, but injury would have kept him from competing. His leap of 14.90 meters was fourth-best in Division III and earned him a team-best 23.76 rating. Miles Moore posted a time of 22.39 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the Ithaca Bomber Invitational -- the same meet that White achieved his triple jump mark -- earning a 20.99 rating. John Kindig garnered a 20.25 rating following his toss of 15.34 meters in the weight throw at SU's Kaye & JJ Smith Invitational. He earned a 14.09 rating in the ODAC shot put with a heave of 14.09 meters.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 213.78 points (6th of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Geni Roberts (15), Skyler Lattuca (8), Curtis Dudley (6)
Virginia Wesleyan University's 2020 season featured several top performances, led by Geni Roberts earning ODAC Rookie of the Year laurels from a strong indoor meet. He qualified for the NCAA championships after winning the ODAC triple jump at 14.43 meters, which earned him a Marlins-best 20.82 TFRI rating. Roberts also earned an 18.53 rating for his long jump mark of 7.00 meters at the Vince Brown Invitational. Along with BC's Davonta Womack and Lynchburg's Julian Douglas, Roberts was one of only three ODAC competitors to reach seven meters in the long jump this season. William Eckard had the second-best rating at 20.65 after clearing 1.95 meters in the high jump early in the season at the CNU Holiday Open. Landry Moffo came in just 0.01 seconds behind W&L's Joe O'Connor and BC's Chase Rosenthal in the 60-meter hurdles as his time of 8.38 seconds accounted for an 18.61 rating. Curtis Dudley crossed the line at 6.94 seconds in the ODAC 60-meter dash for a 17.95 mark, and Skyler Lattuca went 15:35.66 in the 5K at Vince Brown for a 16.29 rating.

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

USTFCCCA ODAC Ranking | 530.22 points (2nd of 10 teams)
2020 Indoor Top-3 Point Leaders | Joe O'Connor (30), Doug Dracon (16), Jay Roberts (16)
Washington and Lee University captured its 10th overall and fourth straight indoor crown this winter powered by five event victories and a roster of standouts that posted 14 TFRI ratings of 15.00 or better. Joe O'Connor led all ODAC athletes with 30 points at the indoor championships as he won three events in both the field and track ranks. He set the ODAC championship record in the pole vault by clearing 4.83 meters. That qualified him for the NCAA indoor championships and earned a rating of 28.07, the highest for any athlete in an individual event in the ODAC in 2019-20. O'Connor also won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.37 seconds in a photo finish with BC's Chase Rosenthal and the high jump by clearing 1.95 meters. He earned ratings of 20.67 and 20.65 in those events.

Donovan Fiore put the caps on a stellar career that saw him rack up 16 All-ODAC honors since the 2017 indoor championships. He earned a 21.15 rating for placing second in the ODAC 400-meter dash in 49.97 seconds, just 0.25 seconds behind teammate Doug Dracon. Dracon's rating for that win was 23.56, which went along with a 15.79 mark for his time of 22.64 seconds in the ODAC 200-meter dash. Shep Shims, who won the ODAC pole vault four times in his career, finished second to O'Connor at 4.10 meters. His season-best mark at the Bast-Cregger Invitational of 4.45 meters earned a 22.85 rating. Daniel Cope earned a 20.69 mark in a ODAC 5K via a 15:30.56 time, while his 8:46.54 time in the 3K at JDL earned a 16.08 rating. Ethan Bernstein posted a time of 4:23.39 in the mile run at the Noke Elite Meet for a 20.25 rating, while fellow runner Drew Woodfolk garnered an 18.57 rating in the ODAC 5K at 15:32.00. Thrower Jay Roberts rated highly in both the ODAC weight throw and shot put. He earned an 18.22 rating with a heave of 15.32 meters in the weight throw and racked up a 16.12 rating in the shot put at 14.11 meters.

Click one of the graphics below to be taken to that school's season wrap-up feature. These features will be added as our members complete them.

For more on ODAC men's track & field, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and following @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.