BC's Burkholder Top Rookie, R-MC's Hiltunen Scholar-Athlete
SALEM, Va. --- Randolph-Macon College center
Molly Ariail earned her second top ODAC honor in as many seasons in
the conference after being named the 2008 ODAC Player of the Year
in a vote of the league's coaches. Virginia Wesleyan College
mentor Stephany Dunmyer was tabbed the league's top coach, and
Bridgewater College freshman Jordan Burkholder was selected the
Rookie of the Year. Randolph-Macon guard Amanda Hiltunen was
tabbed the ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and
Randolph College was awarded the sport's team sportsmanship
honor.
Ariail, only a sophomore, was chosen the ODAC's top rookie as well
as earning a spot on the second team last season. This year,
she finished second in the league in scoring at 16.3 points per
game and fourth in rebounding at 8.4 boards a night. She was
also fourth in blocked shots at a little better than one per
game. She earned one ODAC Player of the Week award in which
she averaged nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game. She
led her team in scoring 13 times including a stretch of six
straight games in early February. Ariail notched a
season-high 26 points to go with 13 rebounds in a win over Roanoke
in late January, and came back less than two weeks later with 25
points and 18 rebounds in a win over Lynchburg.
Dunmyer picks up her second ODAC coaching honor after winning the
league's top award in 2006. She led her team to the 20 win
mark for the second consecutive season, the first time the Marlin
program had accomplished such a feat since the 1988 and 1989
seasons. With a 17-3 conference record, her team set a
program mark for wins within league play. VWC is currently
13th in the nation in defense, allowing only 51.8 points
per game.
Burkholder was named to this season's Honorable Mention team.
She led the Eagles in scoring at 15.0 points per game, good enough
for fifth in the ODAC. She was #1 in steals at 3.5 each time
out, ranking 21st nationally, and was also fifth in the
league from the charity stripe at 79.5-percent. She led her
team in scoring on 16 different occasions, surpassing the 20-point
total six times. She notched a season-high 24 points on two
different occasions.
Hiltunen was also named the 2008 All-ODAC second team. In the
classroom, the junior guard boasts a 3.73 grade point average while
majoring in political science with a minor in journalism. She
has been a member of the Randolph-Macon Dean's List each semester
in Ashland, as well as a member of the ODAC's Academic Honor
Roll. On the court, Hiltunen spearheads the Yellow Jackets'
offense into action. She was twice named an ODAC Player of
the Week, finishing the season eighth in the league in scoring at
12.9 points per game. She led the conference in both field
goal percentage at 51.1-percent and free throw shooting at
86.7-percent. She was also third in the league in assists at
3.96 per contest.
This is the fifth year the conference has awarded a sport-by-sport
scholar-athlete award in women's basketball, an honor created and
voted upon by the league's sports information directors. The
ODAC recently partnered with Farm Bureau Insurance, which serves as
the presenting sponsor for this award and the others like it
throughout the conference's sponsored sports.
Listed below are the entire 2008 ODAC Women's Basketball
All-Conference Teams. For more information on these athletes
as well as the rest of the women's basketball season and the
upcoming ODAC postseason tournament, visit the ODAC on the Internet
at www.odaconline.com.
2008 ODAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team
Molly Ariail, Randolph-Macon, sophomore, center
Brittany Dahn, Lynchburg, sophomore, forward
Erin Hanson, Roanoke, senior, forward
Heather Phillips, Virginia Wesleyan, senior, forward
Lindsey Riesbeck, Randolph-Macon, junior, forward
Carolyn Riley, Eastern Mennonite, junior forward
Second Team
Tracey Croner, Guilford, junior, forward
Kristina Darby, Lynchburg, sophomore, guard
Ebony Denis, Eastern Mennonite, sophomore, guard
Amanda Hiltunen, Randolph-Macon, junior, guard
Tonia Jones, Virginia Wesleyan, sophomore, guard
Sarah Petty, Emory & Henry, sophomore, guard
Honorable Mention
Torri Bridge, Roanoke, senior, guard
Jordan Burkholder, Bridgewater, freshman, guard
Jolene Kratz, Eastern Mennonite, senior, center
Kristen Krouchick, Washington & Lee, senior, guard/forward
Caitlyn Long, Roanoke, sophomore, guard
Tamara Phillips, Hollins, freshman, guard
Katie Rechnitzer, Randolph, sophomore, guard
Player of the Year: Molly Ariail,
Randolph-Macon, sophomore, center
Coach of the Year: Stephany Dunmyer, Virginia
Wesleyan
Rookie of the Year: Jordan Burkholder,
Bridgewater, freshman, guard
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year:
Amanda Hiltunen, Randolph-Macon, junior, guard
Team Sportsmanship Award: Randolph College