Mars Johnson|Marlin Chronicle
With the start of 2024 fall conference play and the wrap up of preseason play, teams are geared up with hopes of success this season. This year of play is especially exciting as it marks the end of the COVID era in which collegiate athletes were granted additional years of eligibility to compensate for the loss of gameplay as a result of restrictive protection measures. Teams that were previously stacked with graduate upperclassmen now look to their underclassmen to step up, fostering an atmosphere of uncertainty regarding the performance of recently successful programs. Director of Athletic Communications Tyler Costello and senior VWU Sports Announcer Allyson Crothers gave their input on what to expect from the Marlins in this up and coming fall season.
For Costello, the team that stands out the most in terms of gaged success is Men’s Soccer, who went 5-1-2 in preseason. “I think Men’s Soccer had a really good start to the season. They just started their ODAC play. They had a really big win against EMU, and they have a really big game coming up on Saturday against Lynchburg, who won the conference last year,” he said.
In the important match against Lynchburg, the Marlins bested the Hornets with a score of 2-0. Men’s Soccer features strong talent such as graduate player Alex Moody, senior Josh Condit, and sophomore JaMarhe Wills. All were named to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Region Team in the 2023 season, where the program was also awarded its first ever selection to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.
Costello believes the team can maintain this streak of success this season. “You have a lot of young talent in the midfield. You have a lot of young talent on defense…and they definitely have the desire to win as well.”
Costello also acknowledged the tough competition Men’s Soccer will face throughout the season; however, “if they win games that they’re supposed to win” and “put in a battle against those top teams” then they have a “really good shot” at an ODAC Championship.
As for Crothers, she believes Women’s Volleyball will be particularly successful this season. “Every year I’ve been here, they have impressed me in some way, shape or form,” she said.
The team is led by graduate player Emma Claytor, who was selected to the 2023 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State team and All-ODAC team, and senior Hannah Smith, who was selected to the 2023 All-ODAC team as well. Both players have also received Player of the Week honors this season. Their head coach, Karissa Cumberbatch, was also voted ODAC Head Coach of the Year.
In the ODAC preseason poll, the team was projected to be number one. Currently, the Marlins are third in their conference with a record of 5-1. Earlier this season, Claytor went down with an injury. Crothers still believes the program will live up to its no. 1 projection, especially with the strength of their coaching staff.
“Their coaching staff, for me, is stellar. I think that Coach Cumberbatch, Coach Christian, they do such a good job with the girls, and I think that really pushing them past their limits is really going to be crucial,” Crothers said.
Costello agreed, citing the team’s strength in their depth even with the loss of 4 All-ODAC seniors from last season, who spearheaded their undefeated record in conference play.
“I think they found some people to step up… Madeleine Hanes has come in and done a really good job at libero…Hannah Smith has obviously stepped up…Madi Schmidt has come in and done a lot of good…Kyleigh [Castengera]…along with Breana Brooks,” Costello said.
“I think it’s almost like the movie ‘Moneyball’, right? You’re almost never going to replace some of those seniors that were lost from last year. But, what you can do is make it up with a couple different players, which in a way almost makes you more dangerous.”
Women’s Soccer is another program that is grappling with the loss of talented seniors. Last year, the team won their third ODAC Championship in program history and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. The team was awarded a league high seven All-ODAC honors, six of which were awarded to seniors.
The program had a rocky start in preseason, going 0-3-3, though the team was facing tough competition such as Christopher Newport University, who is ranked 5 nationally.
Costello and Crothers still believe the program will live up to its 12 national ranking.
“I think that in a general sense, they do have the potential to be in their top spot again. They have a lot of great players, a lot of great potential. They just need to sort of find the flow of the game and just work together as a team,” Crothers said.
Costello agreed and said, “[Head Coach] Jeff Bowers is a super awesome coach. He’s been doing this for over 20 years, and I think there’s still more to come for them…he’s made the NCAA Tournament the last couple of years, and he makes a tough schedule in order to get an at-large bid…so I think they played some tough competition, as I think when they get into ODAC play, maybe that’ll be the difference makers in that they’ll gain some confidence in some games.”
A team that has reversed its fortunes in recent seasons is field hockey. Last season, the team more than doubled its wins from the previous season, but was still short of a winning record and the ODAC playoffs. This season, they are on a nine game winning streak, with a conference record of 2-0 and an overall record of 10-1.
Costello and Crothers both named the program as this year’s underdog.
“[Head Coach] Ryley [van der Velde] has done an amazing job since she’s come in… her first year, she didn’t do that well. Last year was definitely a step in the right direction… and this year, she’s seven and one already. So that’s huge. I’m not sure about, you know, the rest of the ODAC if they’re looking at her and going, oh my gosh, maybe underestimated her. But I think she’s super excited,” he said.
For Crothers, field hockey is an “often overlooked” program that has “started to grow into a team and really work together”.
Regardless of a team’s success in preseason, what matters is their performance in conference, according to Costello.
“All the teams are starting to get into ODAC play soon. So I think that’ll be the real test… the ODAC is probably one of the toughest conferences in the nation for a lot of different sports,” he said.
Follow the Marlins to see if they hold up to the test of conference play.
By: Sydnee Washington
