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After a successful 2004-2005 campaign in which women’s athletics were ranked No. 1 in the state of Virginia and the Marlins were No. 2 overall, another year is set to kick off! Fall sports begin for the Marlins Friday, Sept. 2.
Field Hockey
The defending ODAC championship field hockey team will open the 2005 season at home on Friday, Sept. 2 versus Division II Catawba College. The Marlins, ranked second in the ODAC preseason poll behind the rival Hornets of Lynchburg College, welcome back 19 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including All-American Cara Byrd and All-South honoree Chrissy Clancy.
Volleyball
After posting a 19-9 record in only its second season in 2004, the Lady Marlins volleyball team faces a tough 2005 schedule, including six teams who placed first in their respective conferences in 2004, ten teams that posted at least 20 wins last season and the defending national champion Southern Virginia University. The Marlins welcome back eight letterwinners from the 2004 squad, including junior standout Ashley Halicki.
Cross Country
The Marlin cross country team will open the 2005 season with The Blue Marlin Invitational, its first and only home meet of the season, slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Virginia Wesleyan. The men’s and women’s teams enter the fall ranked seventh and fifth, respectively, in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference preseason polls. The men placed seventh in the ODAC title race in 2004 while the women earned a sixth-place finish. The women’s side features sophomore standout Tara Salem and first-years Melissa Fowler and Ashley Roane. The men will be led by junior Mark Banks and sophomore Tim Sanford.
Men’s Soccer
As they enter the 2005 season, the Virginia Wesleyan men’s soccer team has put together a streak of 20 consecutive winning seasons, one of the longest in the nation. The Marlins look to continue that success as they welcome back the top six leading scorers from their 10-5-3 season, including sophomore Damien Woodley, junior Ryan Cassel and two-time All-American Kelvin Murray. Former Marlin standout and VWC alumnus Mike McFarland rejoins the men this fall as an assistant coach following the departure of former assistant Arron Lujan. The men open up the 2005 season at Wilmington College on Sept. 3. The first home match of the season will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11 against Elmhurst College.
Women’s Soccer
After their second most successful finish in program history under Head Coach Jeff Bowers (70-25-9), the Virginia Wesleyan women’s soccer team looks to continue building on that success. The Lady Marlins welcome back eight of their eleven starters from the 2004 team, including All-South and All-Virginia honoree Sharon Hay, who led the team with 15 goals last year. Also returning are All-South midfielder Kelly Donnelly and All-South defender Courtney Benitez. The Lady Marlins kick off the 2005 season at the Methodist College Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 3. The first home match of the season will be played Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4:30 p.m. against Guilford College.
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