March Madness 2023, the annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament, has been one of the most surprising tournaments in NCAA history, with zero one seed teams making it to the Final Four.
The tournament started nearly two weeks ago and in its first round of 64 teams there were six upsets from schools including Fairleigh Dickinson, 16 seed and Furman, 13th seed upsetting University of Virginia, fourth seed.
Schools like Duke University and University of Alabama are well-known for their athletics, having made a name for themselves over the years. However, these two schools were bested by schools with little known athletic programs.
The University of Lynchburg is a Division III school, and while its athletics teams have earned several ODAC championships, the school and its athletic programs may not be a household name like the schools mentioned above.
Caption: Rogers (77) celebrates with teammates from Chrome Lacrosse Club after defeating Atlas Lacrosse Club 24-23 to claim the Premier Lacrosse League Championship. (Photo Credit: Lynchburg Sports Department)
Kevin Rogers, a 2020 graduate of University of Lynchburg became a professional lacrosse champion last week when Chrome Lacrosse Club defeated Atlas Lacrosse Club 24-23 to claim the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League championship on Feb. 26 in Washington, D.C.
Rogers, a former standout midfielder at Lynchburg and the 2020 Division III Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year, was named to the club’s 12-man championship roster ahead of the 2023 PLL Championship series in his second season with the team.
“Less than a week out, I’m still going crazy over it,” Rogers said. “To cut that net down and to celebrate the way we did, it’s so crazy. It’s so much fun.”
Rogers won the 2018 Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship with Lynchburg, before transferring to High Point University for his fifth-year where he won a Southern Conference championship in his only season with the Panthers. Now he can add a professional championship to his resume.
The relay enters the meet ranked third in Division III, setting up a legitimate opportunity for the team to chase the first track national title in school history.
“Our relay is so well-rounded,” said Hotung-Davidsen, who has already secured two All-American titles in the 800-meter run in his career. “The firepower is there, the chemistry is there, now we’re just waiting to toe the line.”
The distance medley relay is an event in which four runners compete in four different distances, laid out in the following order: the 1,200-meter, the 400, the 800 and the 1,600.
For Lynchburg, Csorba will lead off the event, followed by Hodnett, Hotung-Davidsen, and Llaneza.
This school year, at the University of Lynchburg, a beach volleyball team debuted as the newest women’s sport on campus.
This past weekend, the team traveled to Laurinburg, North Carolina to compete against Division III and Division II schools like Bob Jones University and St. Andrews University.
With this being the team’s first ever season and only having freshman and sophomores on the team, it is a learning process for everyone involved.
“I think that there is a little bit more pressure on us because we are a new sport this season but I think as a team we have handled it very well so far and have set good expectations for ourselves and the program itself,” said freshman, Kailey Keough who feels slightly under pressure as a member of the new team.
Another reason that the team is learning so much is due to travel. With only one home weekend in the season so far, many of the matches are on the road in various different states. This can be quite draining for players, but Coach Hannah Givens sees this as a great opportunity for her players.
A discussion prior to the Hornet’s first-round game in the ODAC tournament. Photo courtesy of Lynchburg Sports
University of Lynchburg’s Women’s basketball team finished their season last Monday as they fell in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament to Ferrum College. The Hornets finished the season with a final record of 7-19.
Although the 2022-2023 season did not lead to a favorable record for the Hornets, the development of the young talent on the squad took precedence.
According to the Lynchburg athletics website, the Hornets had 11 first-year students on their team, accounting for the most in a single class since the records accounted for rosters, dating back to the 2010-2011 season.
Second-year Head Coach Allison Nichols talked about how important development is. She stated, “The team that we were in November and early December is completely different than the team we are now, and that was our goal.”
The Hornets were led by first-year Maddie Nimmo, who averaged 12.5 points per game. This earned the guard Third Team All ODAC Honors in her debut season with the Hornets.
The Hornets improved to 4-0 on the season following the sweep of Mary Baldwin. Lynchburg took game one of the doubleheader by a score of 9-1 and won the second game with a final score of 14-6.
Game one was highlighted by a pair of home runs courtesy of first-year utility player, Sarah Watts. Watts went four for five on the day and added five runs batted in for the Hornets.
Kailey Dorcsis was the starting pitcher for game one and picked up her second win of the season.
On Feb. 11, the Lynchburg men’s swim team wrapped up their 2022-23 season by earning a runner-up trophy in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship.
For the first time in Lynchburg Swim Team history, graduate student Colton Schnars was awarded the ODAC Swimmer of the Meet Award.
Additionally, senior Matt Fields was awarded the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award alongside his female teammate, Lindsey Hair.
Records were also broken in this final meet as junior Will Kasemeyer broke the program record in the 100 freestyle race, and graduate student Chris Jennings shattered the 200 breaststroke program record.
Going 8 -11 was not a part of the plan for the Hornets in 2022. After learning from the hardships of last season, the women’s lacrosse team is set to make a name for themselves.
Jayde Mayer, a junior defender said, “Our motto for this year is to ‘find a way’ which really represents our goals; such as winning the ODAC and having a winning record. I think another big goal is to change our reputation and show everyone that we are a serious team who is capable of winning.”
Before winning a championship however, the Hornets must be focused on winning their season opener against the competitive Mary Washington University team.
On the edge of campus, near the wooded areas and hiking trails sit the tennis courts, in major disrepair.
The courts, which are used for men’s and women’s practices and home games, are getting increasingly more dangerous to play on with cracks spanning two to three inches in areas across the courts.
Senior and men’s tennis player Levi Vigdorchik said, “I think it is very dangerous to play on the courts because the cracks are really big; plus the surface is uneven.” According to Vigdorchik, some players have even injured themselves on the court.
Photo of Jackson Harding via @lynchburgsports on Instagram
by Reagan Bednar ~ Guest Writer
The nationally ranked University of Lynchburg baseball team is set to begin their 2023 campaign in Demorest, Ga.. They have been preparing all fall and winter championship goals in mind.
After ending their season last year in the first round of the NCAA Regionals, followed by a loss in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference finals, this year’s team is hungrier than ever for a championship this upcoming season.
Graduate outfielder, Jackson Harding, said, “The team’s goals this year are very simple; to win a conference championship first and to win a NCAA regional. We had a good season last year, but were not able to accomplish either of these things, allowing us to readjust our sights on our goals for this year.”
On the men’s side, the Hornets swept the field for the first time in history. Senior Frank Csorba took the individual title with an eight-kilometer course time of 25:38.4. Fellow Hornet, Corbin Green followed closely behind with a time of 25:38.7.
Senior Sam Llaneza and sophomore Marko Kocacevik and Cooper Hurst rounded out the top five to secure a top five sweep of the field for the Hornets. There were also four more Lynchburg runners represented in the top 15.
Junior runner Sam Graham spoke highly of the program’s culture attributing that to their consistent success. “Obviously success is great and everyone wants to be part of a good team, but it takes a cultural commitment and buy-in to turn into a competitive program year-in and year-out. That’s what Coach Reed has established during his time at Lynchburg,” said Graham.
The women’s team also saw a top five sweep in the championship race. Senior Kelsey Lagunas led the way for the Hornets winning her second consecutive championship. She finished the six- kilometer race with a time of 21:55.8. Sophomores Sarah James, Allison Dell, and Molly Silva and junior Lauren Massey completed the top five sweep.
The University of Lynchburg has two faculty representatives for the NCAA to help balance life between academics and athletics.
Dr. Adam Dean, History department Chair, and Dean Nancy Hubbard, Dean of the College of Business, are advisors to 577 student-athletes to help monitor athletes’ well-being along with having academic oversight for each athlete.
Dean has been a representative for four years and has loved seeing the athletics department grow while seeing coaches committed to the academic success of their players.
“In helping students succeed academically and succeed in life, most of the problems come from not showing up,” said Dean.
Since athletes are students first, being present in class is just as important as showing up for practice to help students maintain good grades and strong athletic abilities.
Kevin Arrington, an accounting professor, is teaching about 50% of athletes in his classes this semester and has to work with many athletes with varying schedules.
Arrington said, “Seasonality is a big thing and I like to be as accommodating as I can.”
The Lynchburg Women’s Lacrosse team Volunteering at the Virginia 10 Miler. Photo by Julia Broughton ‘23
By: Reagan Bednar ~ Guest Writer
The 48th Moore & Giles Virginia 10 Miler brought athletes from across the globe to Lynchburg to kick start fall 2022.
More than 2,200 participants from 33 different states and five different countries all competed in the 10 Mile Run, 4+Mile Run or 4+Mile Walk on Sept. 24.
There were also over 1,000 volunteers representing area nonprofits, colleges and universities, and civic organizations including a large number of University of Lynchburg student and faculty volunteers.
History was made this year when Monicah Ngige of Lansing, MI set the female 10 mile course record completing the race in 53 minutes and 16 seconds. According to http://www.virginiatenmiler.com, this year’s race boasted one of the most talented field’s in years.
This year’s overall champion was Melkamu Wube from Lansing, MI. He completed the race in 47 minutes and 18 seconds.
When thinking about the sport of softball most people would presume that in order to win a game the team must score runs. This statement itself is true but the question then becomes how to score runs? The answer to scoring runs is to get on base. The OBP, on-base percentage, statistic is one of the most valuable statistics in sports because it can be a direct causation to winning games. If you have a higher percentage of getting on base then your team has a higher chance of winning the game.
The University of Lynchburg’s Softball Team has experienced some very good games so far this year including multiple wins over ranked opponents as well as disappointing losses to conference foes.
Freshman Pitcher Kailey Dorcsis says, “So far this year when we are the most successful is when we score lots of runs and our bats are making good contact.”
Beyond networking, however, students working with LHSN are encouraged to get as much hands-on experience as they can during their time at the university.
Timothy Wengert, LHSN’s new head of digital media, said that he believes that practical experience is the best way to learn. He said, “…I think there is just so much more value out of doing it yourself, getting hands-on, real-life experience…whether it’s just putting a camera in your hands, learning how to direct on the fly…I find that that’s the most tangible thing that employers are looking for…”
Wengert also noted that students with practical experience could leave Lynchburg with a portfolio of work as well as industry knowledge.
LHSN is also nationally recognized as one of the top D3 broadcasting networks currently available for college athletics, further benefiting students involved.
Sam Rice, a graduate assistant for LHSN, said “…LHSN has established itself as a pretty quality group…just my name being with that…does a lot for me.” Wengert further emphasized this sentiment, saying that “We are doing it better than the majority of the country…” He also said, “If you’re a student and you’re a part of that and your work looks good, you’re working with quality equipment – it’s not just this rinky-dink Christmas Panasonic camcorder – it’ll make your work look that much better, which makes it easier for you to get a job once you graduate.”
