Three Generals All-Americans
Four members of the Washington and Lee University women’s indoor track and field team competed at the NCAA Division III national championships last weekend in Rochester, N.Y., with three Generals earning Second Team All-America honors.
On Friday, W&L law student Cassie Carr placed 11th in the mile in a program-record time of 4:56.58, missing the finals by just two-tenths of a second. With her finish, she earned Second Team All-America honors for the first time.
Sophomore teammate Jesma Evans competed in the 400-meter dash in her first national meet, finishing fourth in her heat and 19th overall in 57.69 seconds.
On Saturday, junior Camille Gillum tied for 16th place in the high jump, clearing 1.6 meters (5 feet, 3 inches). In the 3000-meter run, sophomore Olivia Warr finished ninth in 9:40.37. For both Generals, it was their first time earning All-America honors.
The Generals, who are guided by 12th-year head coach Dana Freeman, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference coach of the year, won the ODAC title on March 2 at Roanoke College. They will now shift their focus to the outdoor season, which kicks off this Friday and Saturday when they play host for the W&L Carnival at Wilson Field.
For more on W&L track and field, visit www.generalssports.com.
Four W&L Wrestlers Compete At NCAAs
Four W&L wrestlers competed at the NCAA Division III Championships, with each advancing through multiple rounds in their respective brackets on Friday at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.
Junior Evan Linder (149-pounds) went 2-2 reaching the fourth round of the consolation bracket. He opened with an 8-0 major decision loss to Michael Conklin (TCNJ) before receiving a bye in the first round of consolations. Lindner rebounded with a 5-2 decision over Chance Babb (Alvernia) and followed with a 10-7 win over Daniel Uribe (Wabash). His tournament run ended with a 7-2 loss to Colby Frost (Southern Maine).
W&L junior Vincent Ziccardi (141) finished 1-2, advancing to the third round of consolations. After receiving a first-round bye, he fell to seventh-seeded Bryce Parke (Coe) by fall at 3:14. Ziccardi earned a 5-2 sudden victory win over Aiden Evans (Loras) before dropping a second-round consolation bout to Connor Kidd (Luther) by fall at 2:28.
Two W&L wrestlers, junior Mark Troni (165) and senior Jack McKusker (184) each went 0-2. Troni lost both of his bouts by decision, while McKusker was pinned by both of his opponents.
The Generals, who went 15-3 this season and won the ODAC title on Feb. 15 at W&L, are under the direction of 13th-year head coach Nathan Shearer.
For more on W&L wrestling, visit www.generalsspports.com.
SVU Women’s Grapplers Ninth At Regionals
The Southern Virginia University women's wrestling team closed out its season at the National Collegiate Wrestling Women’s Championships (NCWWC) Regional Championships, placing ninth of 11 teams while competing against some of the top NCAA Division I and II programs in the country on Feb. 22 in Franklin Springs, Ga.
The Knights had two regional placers, with freshman Onnika Christensen (110-pounds) and sophomore Makenna Dolt (124) both placing sixth.
Reflecting on the team’s performance and the Knights’ growth as a program, SVU head coach Jessica Casperson said, "Our program's momentum continues to grow in year two as we had two additional wrestlers compete at regionals this year, as well as two previously regionally and nationally ranked athletes sidelined due to medical reasons. The camaraderie among this team is nothing short of family—support and love abound. They are competitive on the mat, giving their all, and using the knowledge they have. We had first-season wrestlers putting points on the board and competing with the nation's best."
Casperson also noted the progress of the team's veteran wrestlers, who continue to build confidence and translate it into success both in the classroom and on the mat. “It shows up in consistent, calm timing and movements that are creating steady successes,” said Casperson. “As a team, we are excited for the future of our program. We have put in the foundational work to learn and build the fundamentals that will serve us well in the seasons to come. We also have the team unity and commitment to make it happen."
For more on SVU women’s wrestling, visit knightatlethics.com.
Monsen Named New SVU AD
SVU named Josh Monsen as its director of athletics on Friday. Monsen, who has been serving as the interim director of athletics since September 2024, will now formally take on the role.
Monsen will oversee all aspects of the athletic department, including operations, recruitment, and the development of student-athletes in alignment with SVU President Bonnie H. Cordon's goals for the university of being centered on Christ and striving for academic excellence.
Monsen joined Southern Virginia in 2018 as the sports information director, where he enhanced the university's athletic communications and helped elevate the visibility of the athletic programs. From 2020–23, Monsen served as the assistant athletic director for academics and operations, assisting in the academic support of student-athletes while overseeing operational aspects of the athletic department. He was promoted to deputy athletic director in 2023 and played a key role in the department's development and growth.
A graduate of Gonzaga University with a master's degree in sports management and administration, Monsen also earned his bachelor's degree from Utah Valley University. At UVU, he was a member of the cross country and track and field teams, earning first- and second-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in both sports, along with All-Academic honors for track and field.
Prior to joining the athletics administration team at Southern Virginia, Monsen worked as a sports information intern at Utah Valley University and served as a special project manager at National MedTrans Inc. from 2016–18.
Monsen served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spokane, Wash. He and his wife, JaLeigh, live in Lexington with their three children.
VMI’s Bradley Jr., Kiudulas Honored
After leading the Virginia Military Institute men’s basketball team to the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals earlier this month, Virginia Military Institute junior guard Rickey Bradley Jr. and sophomore forward Augustinas Kiudulas were named Second Team All-Tournament last week.
The tandem was instrumental in leading the No. 7 seed Keydets to two wins at the tournament, including an upset over No. 2 the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the quarterfinals, marking the first time since the 2002-03 season that VMI had won two games at the SoCon Tournament. It was also VMI's first appearance at the semifinals since the 2021 tournament when VMI upset Furman in the quarterfinals – having an opening round bye - to advance to face Mercer in the semifinals where VMI was eliminated.
In the opening round vs. The Citadel on March 7 in Asheville, N.C, Bradley Jr. scored 13 points to go with four assists and four steals in the win over No. 10 The Citadel. In the upset win over UNC-Greensboro on Saturday, he logged a game-high 23 points and matched his career high of 11 rebounds to aid in the win. Bradley closed the tournament with a game-high 21 points versus Wofford in the semifinals on March 9 to go with three rebounds and two assists in the loss.
Kiudulas opened the tournament with eight points and three rebounds against The Citadel before going off for 21 points and seven rebounds in VMI's upset over UNC-Greensboro in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal round against No. 6 seed Wofford, the Vilnius, Lithuania, native contributed 20 points on the night in addition to four rebounds and three assists in what came to be VMI's final game at the tournament.
The Keydets, guided by third-year head coach Andrew Wilson, finished the season 15-19 overall and 7-11 in the SoCon. With 11 more total wins than last year, this season marked the biggest turnaround in program history.
For more on VMI basketball, visit www.vmikeydets.com.
