Written by Alexis Barton
As the semester is winding down, our athletes are finishing out their seasons and competing in their respective playoff tournaments. The Maroons had a busy weekend all over the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, with teams competing in men’s and women’s track and field, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s lacrosse.
On Friday, the softball team traveled to Bridgewater for the quarterfinals of the ODAC playoffs. The Maroons swept the Eagles in two games, with a 4-3 victory in game one and a solid 8-4 victory in the second game. Women’s lacrosse traveled to take on Shenandoah in the semifinals of their tournament later that evening. The Maroons soared to a 23-16 victory against the Hornets. In Lynchburg, the men’s and women’s track and teams were competing in the ODAC championships. In the first day of competition, the Maroons started off strong with Cooper Neeble grabbing the conference title for the 3000m Steeplechase. Both the men and women were able to head into the second day of competition with a number of personal records, including Parker Smith and Chamberlain Zulauf in the 10k, Blake Morin in the 200m, Caitlin Culhane in hammer throw, and Hannah Koepfinger in the long jump.
On Saturday, the women’s tennis team was in playoff action against Washington & Lee. The team fought hard to win their way into the semifinals, but fell just short against the #1 seed Generals with a 5-0 loss.
On the final day of weekend competition, the Maroons were busy all over the state of Virginia. The men’s tennis team took on Lynchburg in the quarterfinals of their playoffs. The Maroons were able to pick up a 5-3 victory against the higher-seed Lynchburg. On Lynchburg’s outdoor track, the women’s and men’s track and field teams were back in action for the second day of competition. The women’s team ended the day with a second-place finish and the men finished with a sixth-place finish. The Maroons hosted a number of ODAC champions, including Hannah Koepfinger in the 400m hurdles and freshman Mikayla Hefferon in the 400m dash. In Lexington against Washington & Lee, the women’s lacrosse team headed into the ODAC championships as #25 in Division III, but fell short against the #2 nationally ranked Generals.
Congratulations to these athletes who were able to overcome a number of obstacles over the course of this season and compete in the postseason. Go Maroons!
