GABE HIGGINS
Staff Writer
The conference championship season has come to a close. The fall sports teams produced various results; some teams are satisfied with their final results, and others are left feeling disappointed.
The Women’s Volleyball team’s season ended in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament quarterfinals. Virginia Wesleyan faced off against the Maroons of Roanoke College who they beat in a 3-2 decision earlier in the season. The team had a hard time catching momentum and Roanoke took advantage of Virginia Wesleyan’s mistakes and won the quarterfinal match 3-0.
Looking forward to next season, the volleyball team is only losing three seniors and they have a lot of young talent. Freshman Tiffany Barret led both teams in kills with a total of nine. The Women’s Volleyball team is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next couple of years.
The Men’s and Women’s cross country teams both competed at the ODAC championship meet on Nov. 2 in Farmville, Virginia. The women’s team finished sixth and the men’s team finished seventh. The hilly course proved to be a struggle for both teams. Many of the runners struggled through the grueling conditions.
The Marlins were looking to place higher in the team scoring, but just like the Women’s Volleyball team, they also have a breadth of young talent. The women’s team is losing three seniors and the men’s team is only losing one. Both cross country teams look to produce great results within the next couple years.
Freshman Trevor Maloney finished 28th overall in the meet and was the sixth freshman to cross the finish line, and Freshman Emily Latimer finished in 39th place in the women’s race. Once the cross country teams rein in their talents will be a threat for an ODAC title in the near future.
The Women’s Soccer team season ended in a quarterfinal loss to Bridgewater College at home. The women’s team showed great potential the entire season and were a much better team than the game against Bridgewater showed. This team has great potential and is already looking forward to next season. The Marlin Women’s Soccer team has always been highly competitive in the ODAC and they are looking forward to showing off their talents and bringing home a championship trophy next year.
The men’s soccer team had an exciting post-season. The ODAC tournament started with an overtime win against Bridgewater in the quarterfinals.
They then progressed to the semi-finals, where they beat their rivals Lynchburg College with a score of 4-2. Three of the Marlins goals were scored in the second half of that game.
The men’s team then traveled to Randolph College for the ODAC championship game to play Randolph who only had one loss the entire season. Randolph had beaten the Marlins 4-1 earlier in the season, but the Marlins did not back down. They went into the championship game with a winning mentality, and the game ultimately resulted in a 2-1 win in overtime.
The Men’s Soccer team redeemed themselves from last year’s heartbreaking loss in double overtime, and brought their well-deserved silverware back to Virginia Wesleyan.
The fall sports teams have lots to be excited about in their upcoming seasons. Every team has a significant pool of young talent waiting to be developed, and as the athletes mature they will be sure to prove themselves on the pitch, court and the courses.
Within the next few years, it will be exciting to see how many championship trophies Virginia Wesleyan brings home.
