Maroons' Graves Repeats as Top Women's Athlete, BC's Sohl Earns Men's Athlete and Rookie Honors

LYNCHBURG, Va. --- Roanoke College and Lynchburg College captured ODAC titles on Saturday afternoon as the Maroons took home their eighth women's crown while the Hornets corralled their 26th men's championship.  Roanoke won six events en route to 145.33 points to top the women's ranks.  Lynchburg earned top prize in nine events, helping LC to 216 points and 94-point victory.

Seven ODAC meet records fell over the two-day event hosted by Lynchburg College.  Roanoke's Carmen Graves was a part of two of three new standards set on the women's side, helping Graves to her second straight Athlete of the Meet honor.  Graves' award marks the fourth year a Maroon has either won or shared the championship's top individual distinction.

Graves is one of three Maroons' to earn individual honors.  Head coach Finn Pincus secured his seventh women's ODAC Coach of the Year award, while hurdler Sarah Witt was tabbed the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete by the league's sports information directors.  Lynchburg's Aleshia Washington secured the remaining individual honor.

Graves competed in five events on Dr. Jack Toms Track, earning three victories and a pair of third place finishes.  She won and set an ODAC meet record in the 1,500-meter run (4:43.08), and joined teammates Hope Flomo, Rachel Dellehunt and Witt in winning the 4x400-meter relay in ODAC championship record time (3:58.71).  Graves also captured the 800-meter run crown (2:17.57), and finished third in the long jump (5.11 meters) and triple jump (10.81m).

Witt, a senior from Bedford, Va., added an event victory to her second straight scholar-athlete honor, having also earned the accolade following the 2011-12 indoor campaign.  Witt won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.84, just .14 seconds off her ODAC meet record effort in 2009 (14.70).  She also placed third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.49).  In the classroom, Witt boasts a 3.869 grade point average as a mathematics major with a concentration in statistics.  She is a member of several honors societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership).

Roanoke secured two other event victories, both in the throws.  Elizabeth Bransky won the shot put with a toss of 12.58 meters, and Samatha Clowser won the hammer throw as she whipped the apparatus 45.47 meters.

Washington's rookie effort helped Lynchburg to a second place finish in the team standings (114.83 points).  She won three events, including the 4x100-meter relay (49.86) with teammates Margo Foley, Jasmyne Johnson and Catherine Wallace.  Washington added wins in the long jump (5.23m) and 100-meter dash (12.21) and a second place finish in the 200-meter dash (26.12) in her first ODAC championship.

The remaining women's meet record belongs to Washington and Lee University's Janey Fugate.  The Generals' freshman won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.41.

On the men's side, Bridgewater's Luke Sohl is the second athlete to take home both men's Athlete of the Meet and Rookie of the Year awards (Eastern Mennonite's Michael Allen in 2009).  Sohl won the two longest events of the meet as he secured titles in the 5,000-meter (15:07.99) and 10,000-meter runs (32:20.74).

Roanoke's Tim Smith, a senior from Roanoke, Va., secured his second ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete award of the 2011-12 academic year, adding this honor to the one he earned in cross country.  On Friday, he competed in the 10,000-meter run, earning second place in a time of 32:32.88.  In the classroom, Smith boasts a 3.721 grade point average as a religion major.  He is a perennial member of the Roanoke College Dean's List, as well as the ODAC All-Academic Team.

Lynchburg won nine events in this year's league championship, helping head coach Doug Thomasey to his second straight outdoor ODAC Coach of the Year honor.  Three athletes won twice individually, including reigning ODAC Athlete of the Year, James Bell.  Bell took home top prize in the high jump (1.95m) and pole vault (4.65m).  Greg Wilson secured two of LC's three throwing victories as he won the shot put (14.37m) and discus (43.60m) competitions.  Ralph Davis won hammer with a heave of 50.68 meters.  Rachad Davis not only won both hurdles events, but he set an ODAC championship record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.71.  His winning time in the 110-meter hurdles was 14.84.  Nolan Compton won the 1,500-meter run (4:02.20), and Curtis Whitlow, Evan Ellison, Tristan Boysaw and Rachad Davis won the 4x400-meter relay (3:21.05).

Davis' 400-hurdles record was just one of four on the men's side.  Guilford's David Cason established a new standard in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:28.13.  He was joined by fellow Quaker, Johnathan Smith, who set the championship's 100-meter dash record in the preliminary round with a time of 10.72.  The final record was stamped by Washington and Lee's Zander Tallman.  The multi-event winner (also won the 400-dash in 48.46) set a new mark in the 200-meter dash in a time of 21.56.

The full team standings for the 2012 ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships are listed below.  For full meet results, click HERE.  For more information on ODAC 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.