Written by Katherine Clatterbuck
Weekly, an athlete from each in-season team is awarded “Player of the Week” by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference based on their performance in the preceding week. This season has proven to be off to a hot start for the Maroons, as seven athletes have received the honor since the awards began.
Beginning the lineup of honored Maroons, Ben Tate was named ODAC Player of the Week for the week of January 20th for his talents on Roanoke’s men’s swim team. Tate had a stand-out 200-yard freestyle finish at 1:47.20, which was a top-50 Division III time. Kimberly Large was also named for her contribution to the Roanoke women’s swim team for both the week of January 20th and February 8th. Large took over the top ODAC rank in the 50-yard freestyle (0:24.42), the 200-yard freestyle (1:40:97), and the 200-yard medley (1:52:45), which are 13th, 8th, and 12th, respectively, in Division III. Connor Kinkema received the honor both the week of February 8th and February 15th for the men, being honored for his impressive finishes in the 200-yard IM (2:01:08), 100-yard breaststroke (1:00:68), and assistance in the 400-yard medley relay (3:37:90). His 100-yard breaststroke time was ranked at 27th in Division III swimming at the time of his win. Maria Vinson was awarded for the week of Feb 15th, finishing first place in the 200-yard IM (2:16:25) and 200-yard freestyle (2:04:43). Vinson also contributed to the 400-yard freestyle relay finish of 3:47:44, which is the 2nd fastest time in Roanoke statistics for this event.
Turning our attention to the Roanoke track and field team, Alison Moreau was named the week of February 1st and 8th for her contributions. Moreau finished 2nd in 4×400 meter race (4:29:81), 3rd in her high jump at 1.50 meters, 2nd overall in the 200-meter dash, and received 8th overall in the 60-meter dash (8.20 seconds), which was the 1st fasted time in the ODAC at the time of her award. For her placement the week of February 8th, Moreau topped her 60-meter dash with a time of 8.17 seconds, also ranking 6th in the country for her 200-meter time of 26:70 and 8th in Division III for her high jump at 1.60 meters.
Both basketball teams were represented by Kasey Draper and Renee Alquiza for the week of February 15th. Draper had an impressive 55 points over two games, leading the Maroons to a 6-0 conference record. Draper leads the ODAC in points, field goals, and free throws, while also ranking 4th in scoring average and rebounds. Guard Renee Alquiza led the women’s team to a win against ODAC rival Washington & Lee with a 23-point game and 9 rebounds. Alquiza was recognized for her ranks of 2nd in blocked shots, 3rd in field goal shooting, and 4th in field goals, three-point shooting, and free throw percentage.
We congratulate these athletes as they continue to lead our Roanoke teams to dominate the ODAC this season.
