Interim term ends as RENN is named Virginia Wesleyan’s Athletic Director | CoSIDA writing awards for Virginia Wesleyan Sports Information Director | Athletic Hall of Fame Established | ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Scholar-Athletes | All-America Women's Soccer accolades for Williams | Sports in Review: Fall 2007 | Men’s and Women’s Basketball | Sports in Review: Winter 2008
Interim term ends as RENN is named Virginia Wesleyan’s Athletic Director
Thirteen years ago, Joanne Renn, then a coach and teacher at Norfolk Academy, walked through the woods to ask a favor of the Virginia Wesleyan athletic director. She got more than she asked for, being offered a coaching position that would lead to a diverse career in intercollegiate athletics at Virginia Wesleyan.
Today, Renn is the first female athletic director, and only the third in the College’s 40-year intercollegiate sports program. She succeeds Sonny Travis, who held the position for the past eight years, and Don Forsyth, who virtually founded the program in 1967. In rarified air, less than five percent of athletic directors of the 400-plus Division III schools are women.
“I’m truly honored to accept this position,” said Renn. “I’ve thought about this for a long time and I’m excited to lead this department. I honestly believe we have one of the best staffs in the nation and that is a dream situation for any athletic director.”
A graduate of Old Dominion University, Renn also has a master’s degree from Alabama’s Troy State University. She began her coaching career as a head girls’ tennis mentor at a prestigious school in Florida, but eventually found her way back to Hampton Roads where she began an extended stay as a teacher and the head girls’ basketball and tennis coach at Norfolk Academy.
After making her way to Virginia Wesleyan, Renn began her career as the women’s tennis coach and continued with a stint as the assistant women’s basketball mentor, assuming the head coaching spot in that sport in 1997.
The opening of the Jane P. Batten Student Center, one of the top Division III facilities in the nation, presented new possibilities, something Renn recognized, moving from basketball coach to focus on athletic development and later becoming the associate athletic director. During that time, Renn brought the national spotlight to Virginia Wesleyan by bidding for, and winning, the hosting of the NCAA’s Division III women’s national championship series in 2004 and 2005, a first for the College.
Renn has had key roles in creating the Faculty Team Advisors Program, which pairs coaches with professors for a united focus on the development of Wesleyan’s student-athletes; and chartering the Gamma chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athletic Honor Society, at Virginia Wesleyan. She’s also had roles as senior women’s administrator, student-athlete advisory coordinator and Marlin Athletic Club coordinator.
“Joanne Renn brings to this position the combination of a coach’s heart and an administrator’s organizational skills,” said Virginia Wesleyan President Billy Greer.
CoSIDA writing awards for Virginia Wesleyan Sports Information Director
Virginia Wesleyan College Sports Information Director Joe Wasiluk has garnered four district awards in the Fred S. Stabley Junior writing contest sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Wasiluk placed second in the athlete profile category with a story on the Los Angeles Dodgers signing former Marlin baseball standout Wayne Renfrow, second in event coverage with a story on the women’s soccer team’s NCAA tournament win over Johns Hopkins University, and swept the top two awards in the general feature category. He placed second in the latter category with a story on former tennis standouts Eric Caudill and Jeff Zenisek in the NCAA tournament and placed first with a story on the challenging 2007 schedule for the women’s soccer team.
Wasiluk’s articles placed in the competition in District III, which includes all colleges and universities in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Athletic Hall of Fame Established
Now accepting nominations!
An Athletic Hall of Fame has been established to honor those, who by outstanding achievement, service or significant contributions to athletics, have made lasting contributions to Virginia Wesleyan’s intercollegiate athletic program.
The Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is accepting nominations for the inaugural class through August 2008.
The Inaugural Committee members are: Gary D. Bonnewell ’79, first vice president wealth management, Smith Barney and member of the College’s Board of Trustees (chairman); Donald M. Forsyth, former Virginia Wesleyan athletic director, men's basketball and golf coach; Timothy E. Hopkins ’91, school counselor, and former men's soccer player; Jennifer D. Jellig ’01, third-grade teacher, and former cross country runner; Dr. Larry D. Hultgren, professor of philosophy and Wesleyan’s NCAA faculty representative (secretary); Joanne Renn, athletic director and assistant tennis coach; J.P. Stewart, men's lacrosse coach (treasurer); Joe Wasiluk, sports information director; and Lisa Black, director of alumni relations.
Those inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame will be permanently recognized in the Athletic Hall of Fame installation, which will be located adjacent to the entrance of the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Nomination forms are available online at www.vwc.edu/alumni/awards
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Scholar-Athletes
Cober extends Virginia Wesleyan’s Academic All-America streak
Travis Cober’s achievements in the classroom have helped extend one of the more impressive success streaks at Virginia Wesleyan College.
The senior from Morgantown, W. Va., was named a prestigious first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He is one of only 11 men named to the top team.
It is the second All-America honor for Cober, marking him as the fourth Virginia Wesleyan student-athlete to receive the award at least twice. His first-team recognition is the fifth for the College in the past three years and the eighth overall. Virginia Wesleyan has garnered 12 CoSIDA Academic All-America awards since 2000.
Majoring in the Liberal Arts Management Program, with an emphasis in business, Cober is a seven-time Dean’s List honoree with a 3.90 grade point average on a 4.00 scale. He has never had a semester GPA lower than 3.80 in seven semesters at Virginia Wesleyan.
Cober was named a CoSIDA third team Academic All-American in 2006, distinguishing him as the first male soccer player in Marlin history to earn the honor. He is a two-time first-team CoSIDA District III All-Academic honoree, a three-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-Academic squad member, and was named to last year’s Academic All-Virginia group. Cober has been inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, the national business honor society, and he is a charter member of the Gamma chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national college athlete honor society.
A two-year captain for the team, Cober has been a defensive stalwart for the Marlins for three seasons. The team surrendered only 17 goals in 21 games in 2006 and only 19 goals in 22 games in 2007.
As a rookie, Cober emerged as a starter for the Marlins, starting in all 22 games in his first season. In four years, Cober played in 79 games and started in 78 – missing one game in 2005 when several starters were “rested” after Virginia Wesleyan clinched the top seed for the ODAC championship tournament.
Cober exits the program with a four-year overall record of 55-19-8 and a 25-8-3 ODAC mark, including 17-4-1 and 7-2 marks this past season. The 17 victories in 2007 tied the second highest total in program history.
The Marlins swept the regular season and ODAC tournament titles for the sixth time in 2005 and clinched the top seed for the 2007 ODAC title tournament. Virginia Wesleyan advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III national championship tournament for the third consecutive year and the 14th overall. The Marlins posted a 23rd consecutive winning record, extending one of the longest success streaks in the nation.
All-America Women's Soccer accolades for Williams
In the last three years, Virginia Wesleyan College Head Women’s Soccer Coach Jeff Bowers has been steadfast in his belief that Lindsey Williams is the best goalkeeper in Division III.
In 2007, Williams, from Princeton, N.J., was named the first team Division III All-America goalie, as selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and adidas. She is one of only 11 women from nine colleges and universities to be tagged as the top players in the division.
Williams’ first-team honor is the second in a row for Virginia Wesleyan’s program. Midfielder Kelly Donnelly received the same honor in 2006. Marlin players have earned All-America status in four of the past five years, garnering two awards in 2005.
Williams exits the program as the Marlins’ all-time leader in goals against average. She has posted the Marlins’ top four single-season marks in that category en route to a career mark of 0.42. She set the single-season record with a 0.37 effort in 2006 when she helped lead the Marlins to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III final four tournament.
Virginia Wesleyan’s staunch defense, a mainstay in their climb to national prominence, has ranked among the national leaders in four of the past five years. Marlin teams have been among the top 10 in the last three years in a row, and have posted 50 shutouts in 69 games in the past three seasons. Williams has recorded a career-record 39 shutouts, including a singleseason record 15 in 2006.
In 75 games played since 2004, Williams faced 404 shots, allowed only 30 goals and recorded 196 saves in 6,290 minutes. Her career saves percentage of .867 ranks No. 2 among Virginia Wesleyan’s all-time leaders. She recorded a career-best .893 saves percentage in 2006.
Williams’ effort have helped the Marlins to a 67-11-11 overall record in four years, highlighted by NCAA tournament appearances in the last three years. The teams also extended their reign as an annual contender for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as they rolled to a 38-2-3 record. Williams received first team ODAC honors in 2007 and was also a first team All-Virginia honoree in 2006.
Williams’ successful efforts extend beyond the playing field. She is a six-time Dean’s List honoree and a charter member of the Gamma chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national college athlete honor society. Williams is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership society and Lambda Pi Eta, the national communications honor society, and is a three-year member of the ODAC All-Academic squad.
The Marlins advanced to the NCAA Division III national championship tournament for the second consecutive year. They finished with a 14-1-4 overall record, 10-0-1 in the ODAC, Ranked No. 1 in the NCAA South Region, Ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA South Region, Ranked No. 9 Nationally and Ranked No. 3 D3kicks.com South Region.
Sports in Review: Fall 2007
Mens' Soccer
(17-4-1 overall, 7-2 ODAC, first place regular season, 3rd place tournament, NCAA qualifier) VWC outgoaled foes 56-19 en route to tying the second-highest victory total in program history. The Marlins advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year and to the final 16 for the first time since 1997. Sophomore Brandon Massie emerged as one of the top scorers in the league, region and nation, scoring 18 goals, nine assists and 45 points. Thirteen Marlins scored at least one goal each. VWC recorded its 23rd consecutive winning season.
ODAC Honors: Massie, Travis Cober, first team; Mike Karr, second team; Bryan Harris, honorable mention
ODAC Player of the Year: Massie
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Cober
All-Virginia Honors: Massie, Cober, first team; Karr, Harris, second team
All-South Honors: Massie, first team; Cober, second team
ESPN Magazine/CoSIDAAcademic All-District III: Cober, Kyle Williams, first team
ESPN Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America: Cober, first team
Women's Soccer
(15-2-4 overall, 10-0-1 ODAC, first place regular season, 3rd place tournament, NCAA qualifier) Virginia Wesleyan advanced to the NCAA tournament for an unprecedented third consecutive time in program history, but fell in the second round. The Marlins outgoaled foes 73-9, recording the third highest total of goals in program history and the second lowest total of goals allowed. Laura Jackson led a balanced offense that saw 22 Marlins score at least one goal during the season. Senior goalie Lindsey Williams exited the program as VWC’s all-time leader in goals allowed average and shutouts.
ODAC Honors: Jackson, Williams, Missy Kuhns, Courtney Benitez, Allie Hodgkins, first team; Jen Colwell, second team; Jackie Ochs-Gregory, honorable mention
All-Virginia Honors: Benitez, Jackson, Williams, first team; Kuhns, Hodgkins, second team
All-South Honors: Jackson, Williams, first team; Benitez, Hodgkins, second team
All-America Honors: Williams, first team
ESPN Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III: Jackson, Ochs-Gregory, first team
Cross Country
(Men – Placed 5th in the ODAC tournament, 13th in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional; Women – Placed 6th in the ODAC tournament, 16th in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional) Marlin runners continued to impress as the longdistance running program improved with solid showings in the conference and regional competitions. Sophomore Robert Aaron placed 10th for the men in a field of 95 runners in the ODAC meet and 21st among 170 runners in the regional race. Rookie David Kidd placed 25th in the regional meet. Junior Ashley Roane and sophomore Lan Tran paced the women in the ODAC race, placing 17th and 20th, respectively, in a field of 80. Roane led the women in the regional event, placing 27th in a field of 186.
ODAC Honors: Robert Aaron, first team
Field Hockey
(4-12 overall, 2-5 ODAC, fifth place regular season)
A young Marlin squad progressed through a learning season under the guidance of first-year head coach Joyce Anne Koubaroulis. VWC came up on the short side of five two-goal losses and four onegoal decisions, the latter including a 1-0 loss to two-time defending league champion Lynchburg College and overtime losses to Randolph-Macon College and Washington and Lee University.
Volleyball
(17-15 overall, 7-3 ODAC, third place regular season, 5th place tournament) Senior Grace Geralds set VWC program records for season and career set assists and sophomore Debbie Sterne set program records for season kills and blocks, leading the Marlins to a fourth consecutive winning season against a stepped-up slate of competition.
ODAC Honors: Geralds, first team; Sterne, second team; Rebecca Leedom, honorable mention
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Leedom
ESPN Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 3: Sterne, third team
Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Virginia Wesleyan College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams mirrored each other in the 2007-08 season, finishing the season with overall records of 23-7 and 22-6 respectively. Both teams clinched win after win in the ODAC, and the women entered the tournament seeded #1 with the men not far behind seeded #2.
The Marlin men swept Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament play, defeating Bridgewater College in the quarterfinals (78-69) and Hampden- Sydney College in the semifinals (68-55). For the fourth time in five years, the Marlin men competed for the ODAC crown, taking on #1 seeded Guilford College. In a jaw-clenching overtime game, the men fell 91-80 to the Quakers, finishing as the runner-up in the ODAC tournament.
Just days later, the men received an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. Senior TonTon Balenga tallied a career-best 31 points to help the men successfully defeat Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass.) with an 85-70 victory in the first round of play. The men’s season came to an end in the second round of play as Ursinus College defeated the Marlins 70-64.
Overall, the men finished with a 14-4 showing in the ODAC regular season, ranked No. 4 in the NCAA South Region and No. 18 on D3hoops.com. Two players were instrumental in the ongoing impressive success of the men’s basketball program. Seniors Balenga and Tyler Fantin earned prestigious accolades and set program records.
The duo ranked 1-2 in scoring for the Marlins, with Balenga averaging 16.7 points per game, followed by Fantin at 15.5 points an outing. Balenga, who hit double-figure scoring in 24 of 29 games this season, scored 484 points overall, pushing his career total to 1,764 – the second highest in program history. Fantin, a double-figure scorer in 22 games this season, tallied a career-high 466 points and finished with 1,232 career points – the 12th highest total in Marlin history. Balenga exits the program ranked No. 1 in program history in triples made (276) and attempted (708). In 2007-08, he knocked down 72 triples, tying the career-high he set last year.
At 6-foot-5, Fantin pulled down a careerhigh 14 rebounds in one game and recorded double-figure rebounding games 10 times to record a career-high 240, the sixth highest total ever for Virginia Wesleyan. Fantin recorded 756 career rebounds, ranking him No. 4 in Marlin history.
The Marlin women swept ODAC tournament play, defeating Emory & Henry College in the quarterfinals (89-69) and Roanoke College in the semifinals (62-59). One basket, however, denied Virginia Wesleyan the crown as senior Taylor Lowe, one of the Marlins’ top long-range shooters, fired an uncontested shot attempt from the right corner as time expired in the championship game. It was a shot that refused to fall, preserving a 57-56 upset victory for the Eagles of Bridgewater College. The Marlins’ successful season ended with a runner-up finish in the ODAC.
Overall, the women produced the second highest victory total in program history. The finish included a 17-3 showing in the ODAC regular season, the best conference record ever for Virginia Wesleyan, topping the 16-4 record set last season. Two players were the leading scorers and rebounders for the Marlins, and ranked throughout the ODAC as the statistics leaders.
Senior Heather Phillips averaged 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She set career-high totals in nearly every statistical category, leading the team with 238 rebounds, 93 successful free throws and 391 points. Her rebound total is the 15th highest in program history.
Sophomore Tonia Jones averaged 12.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. She opened the season with a career-high 11 rebounds against Adrian College of Michigan and scored a careerhigh 21 points against Christopher Newport University. She finished with 31 triples, the second highest total for the Marlins in 2007-08. The Marlin women recorded another first when they played in the ODAC championship game for the second consecutive year. For the second time in three years, and the first time in the 32-year history of the women’s basketball program at Virginia Wesleyan, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Stephany Dunmyer was named ODAC Coach of the Year. Dunmyer carries a 77-56 overall record into the 2008-09 season, second in victories among all Virginia Wesleyan women’s basketball coaches.
Sports in Review: Winter 2008
Men's Basketball
(23-7 overall, 14-4 ODAC, second place regular season, second round appearance in the NCAA Division III national tournament) Making their fourth consecutive appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III national tournament, the Marlin men finished the season as the runner-up in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and advanced to the second round of the national championship tournament. The season was highlighted by several program records. Senior TonTon Balenga exited the program ranked No. 1 in program history in triples made (276) and attempted (708).
ODAC Honors: Senior Tyler Fantin, first team; Senior TonTon Balenga, second team
NABC All-South Honors: Fantin, second team
D3Hoops.com All-South Honors: Balenga, second team; Fantin, third team
Women's Basketball
(22-6 overall, 17-3 ODAC, first place regular season, runner-up in ODAC tournament) The Marlin women produced the second highest victory total in program history, with a best conference record ever for the program and made their second consecutive appearance in the championship game of the ODAC. For the second time in three years, and the first time in the 32-year history of the program, Stephany Dunmyer has been named ODAC Coach of the Year.
ODAC Honors: Senior Heather Phillips, first team; Sophomore Tonia Jones; second team
Indoor Track
(Men: sixth place championship meet; Women: sixth place championship meet) Junior Ashley Roane finished as the ODAC runner up in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:06:23. Roane’s record run was one of six Marlin records set or tied during the competition. Sophomore Jason Taylor led the men scoring in three events and setting program records in all three – the 400-meter run, the 200-meter dash and 4x400 relay.