Julia Green '04 was named all-American
in women's soccer.
We’re the champs! Marlins rank No. 1 in Virginia All-Sports survey
An unprecedented year of accomplishment for the Virginia Wesleyan College athletic program has been capped with an unprecedented award. For the first time in school history, Virginia Wesleyan has finished No. 1 in the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association All-Sports Survey.
The Marlins compiled a 192-99-3 overall record during the 2003-04 campaign to take the first-place showing between Virginia’s Division II and III schools, winning nearly 68 percent of its athletic competition. VWC’s award for the highest overall winning percentage ends Christopher Newport University’s four-year hold on the prestigious award.
“This is a great honor for Virginia Wesleyan College,” said Marlins’ Director of Athletics Sonny Travis. “It represents the excellence we strive for on and off the fields and courts. Obviously, this type of recognition would be unattainable without quality student-athletes, coaches and the total support of college administration.”
Twelve teams competed to the overall final record for the Marlins (.677), who finished in front of Mary Washington College (.644) and CNU (.638).
Virginia Wesleyan’s climb to the No. 1 position began with a sterling fall as the Marlins posted a 76-18-3 record. The season was highlighted by NCAA championship tournament appearances for the men’s soccer team for the 11th time and for the women’s soccer and field hockey teams for the first time.
Women’s soccer, which became the first VWC team to reach the Elite 8 round in NCAA competition, compiled a program-best 20-2-3 record, as did field hockey, posting an 18-2 finish. Men’s soccer closed at 17-4 and swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. Women’s soccer and field hockey tied for first in the regular season and finished as tournament runners-up.
Adding to the fall record was the 17-10 finish by the women’s volleyball team, competing as a varsity squad for the first season. The men’s and women’s tennis teams each posted a 2-0 fall record, and golf highlighted its fall season with a fourth-place finish in the state championship tournament.
The winter athletic season produced a split in winning records but kept the standout year moving forward. Men’s basketball produced a 20-8 record, the best at VWC since 1982 and only the third 20-win season in program history. Marlins capped their season by taking the runner-up finish in the ODAC tournament. Women’s basketball progressed through a learning season with a new head coach and a youth-dominated team and finished the year with a 5-20 mark.
While both basketball teams put the final touches on their seasons, the spring season kicked in and kept matters moving forward. Five teams produced winning records, including a 13-3 finish for men’s tennis, the best since 1992 and the second best overall mark in program history. The Marlins took the runner-up finish in the championship tournament. Women’s tennis posted its fourth consecutive winning season with a 9-6 mark and golf Marlins highlighted their season with a fifth-place showing in the ODAC tournament, the best ever for VWC.
Men’s lacrosse finished with a 5-8 mark, playing one of the toughest schedules to date, while women’s lacrosse posted a 15-3 record, the best in program history, including a VWC record 15-match winning streak and a runner-up finish in the ODAC championship tournament. There was also an ODAC runner-up finish for the softball Marlins, who posted a 22-21 record overall and an ODAC regular season and tournament championship for baseball. The Marlins advanced to the NCAA championship tournament for the seventh time and capped VWC’s stellar year with a 31-12 record.
Overall, it was a year that produced a national championship for the VWC cheerleaders, 86 new individual and/or team records, five all-Americans, seven all-region players, two all-region coaches-of-the-year, 45 all-conference honorees, two conference players-of-the-year, two conference rookies-of-the-year and three conference coaches-of-the-year.
There were also 20 all-state honorees, two state players-of-the-year and four state coaches-of-the-year. Four teams finished ranked among the nation’s top 30 – women’s soccer No. 8, field hockey No. 14, men’s soccer No. 21 and baseball No. 29.