Yoders, Bolton also Take Home Honors

FOREST, Va. --- Bridgewater College took home two major awards on Wednesday evening as part of the league’s tournament festivities.  Senior guard Jordan Burkholder garnered the ODAC Player of the Year accolade, while head coach Jean Willi was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year.  Eastern Mennonite University freshman Kala Yoders received ODAC Rookie of the Year honors and Washington and Lee University junior forward Becca Bolton was selected as the 2011 ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Burkholder, recipient of the 2008 ODAC Rookie of the Year award, is a two-time first team member.  The Bridgewater-native is currently pouring in a league-best 18.5 points per game and is recording a conference-best 4.8 steals per outing heading into the ODAC Tournament.  She has led her team to 71 wins in four years and became her squad’s all-time leader in scoring and steals this season, currently with 1,743 points and 386 steals. 

Willi’s top coaching honor marks the fourth of her career, having previously won the award in 1997, 2001 and 2004.  Now in her 15^th year at BC, Willi led her team to a school regular season record 22 wins this season and is currently riding a 10-game win streak coming into the tournament.  She has won 296 career games to-date, and leads the Eagles in search of a fourth overall ODAC title and second since 2008. 

Yoders has made an instant impact in the Royals’ line-up, proving to be an all-around threat.  She is in the top-15 in the league in scoring (11.8 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and field-goal percentage (46.4 percent).  Yoders has collected three double-doubles and recorded a season-high 23 points in a win over Lynchburg in January. 

Bolton’s recognition as the league’s top scholar-athlete marks the first-ever for a Generals’ women’s basketball player.  In the classroom, Bolton sports a 3.645 grade point average, while majoring in biology and environmental studies. Bolton spent the first half of the season studying at the Duke University Marine Lab.  On the court, Bolton is sixth in the league in scoring at 15.1 points per game and eighth in rebounding at 7.5 rebounds per outing.  Bolton became the ninth W&L player in program history to register 1,000 career points as part of her school-record 39-point effort in a win over Lynchburg.  Bolton has scored 20 or more points in six games and has recorded three double-doubles. 

Listed below are the 2011 Women's Basketball All-ODAC Teams.  For more information on women's basketball and the upcoming ODAC Basketball Tournaments, visit the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. 

2011 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-ODAC TEAMS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jordan Burkholder, Sr., Guard, Bridgewater
COACH OF THE YEAR:  Jean Willi, Bridgewater
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kala Yoders, Fr., Forward, Eastern Mennonite
ODAC/FARM BUREAU INSURANCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Becca Bolton, Jr., Forward, Washington and Lee