Smitty's Sports Blog

Monday, July 17, 2017

Crist and Dollar Selected to VaSID All-State Doubles First Team

Liberty women's tennis players Evangeline Crist and Anna Dollar were recognized on the VaSID All-State Doubles first team by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID), this afternoon.

Crist and Dollar are the 11th doubles pairing in Lady Flames history to receive all-state distinction and fifth in the last four years under head coach Jeff Maren. Both players earned the same recognition in 2016 with different doubles partners.

Crist, a junior from Lilburn, Ga., and Dollar, a sophomore from Lancaster, Pa., exhibited consistency throughout the course of the 2016-17 season. The tandem compiled a 17-11 overall record, which included a 9-3 mark in fall tournament play and 3-3 record in Big South action, this past spring.

Their most impressive stretch of play came at the 2016 ITA Atlantic Regional at Old Dominion, Oct. 14-17. Seeded No. 9, Crist and Dollar upset Maryland's No. 3 unit of Ekaterina Tour and Arnelle Sullivan to reach the semifinals of the regional, becoming the first Liberty duo in school history to qualify for the semifinals.

Two weeks prior, Crist and Dollar were the first Lady Flames pairing to be invited to compete at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships.

The duo closed 2016-17 as the No. 7 doubles unit in the Oracle/ITA Division I Regional Rankings for the Atlantic Region. Crist has 74 doubles victories in three years in a Liberty uniform, third-most in Liberty women's tennis history, while Dollar has the program's fifth-best doubles winning percentage (.672, 45-22 record) through two seasons of her career.

William & Mary claimed two of the three major awards handed out by VaSID. Marie Faure was voted VaSID Player of the Year, while Tribe head coach Tyler Thomson was tabbed VaSID Coach of the Year. Virginia's Rosie Johanson collected VaSID Rookie of the Year honors.

2017 VaSID All-State Women's Tennis, University Division

Player of the Year – Marie Faure, College of William & Mary
Coach of the Year – Tyler Thomson, College of William & Mary
Rookie of the Year – Rosie Johanson, University of Virginia

All-State First Team

Doubles
Marie Faure/Lauren Goodman – College of William & Mary
Evangeline Crist/Anna Dollar – Liberty University
Janina Braun/Anna Rasmussen – VCU

Singles
Janina Braun - VCU
Marie Faure – College of William & Mary
Timea Guibe – JMU
Rosie Johanson – University of Virginia
Anna Rasmussen – VCU
Ekaterina Stepanova – College of William & Mary

All-State Second Team

Doubles
Kristina Titova/Mariam Mitaishvili – Hampton
Timea Guibe/Kimmy Herrock – JMU
Holly Hutchinson/Ingrid Vojcinakova – ODU
Kiana Marshall/Lyndell Giffenig – Richmond

Singles
Borislava Botusharova – ODU
Rosie Cheng – College of William & Mary
Francesca Fusinato – Virginia Tech
Holly Hutchinson – ODU
Natalie Novotna – Virginia Tech
Natalia Perry – College of William & Mary
Kristina Titova – Hampton

Field Hockey Summer Update with Nikki Parsley

LFSN's Nick Pierce recently touched base with Liberty Field Hockey Head Coach Nikki Parsley to discuss the summer months and look ahead to the fall 2017 season.

This fall, the Lady Flames return an experienced group of players from last year's squad which finished second in the BIG EAST Conference in their inaugural season. Liberty is anchored by senior captains Cassidy Bremner, Alynn Richardson and Rachel Suter. All-BIG EAST selections Abby Julius, Agueda Moroni and Allison Schaefer will also play key roles for the team, while the Lady Flames also welcome 10 new players to the squad.

Following a pair of road exhibition contests at Richmond (Aug. 15) and William & Mary (Aug. 19) in the middle of August, Liberty will begin its 2017 field hockey season on Aug. 26 at home against James Madison.

6 Flames Named VaSID Academic All-State

Liberty student-athletes Serena Barr, Graham Hansel, Lucas Holder, Jessie Proehl, Audrey Rabe and Hunter Winstead all earned spots on the 2016-17 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State Team.

Every Commonwealth college and university, including NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, and independents, had the opportunity to submit athletes to be honored. To be eligible, student-athletes were required to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or better. The student must have achieved sophomore status, and he or she could not have been in the first season of competition at their current school.

Barr, a native of Lurgan, Northern Ireland, graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in public health and a perfect 4.0 GPA. She was named the 2016 Zag Field Hockey National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Scholar Athlete, as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large second team honoree. On the field, Barr was voted to the 2016 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America second team, becoming the second All-American in program history.

Hansel was named to the Big South All-Academic Team following his career-best 19th-place finish at the 2016 Big South Cross Country Championships. The junior from Powassan, Canada owns a 3.96 GPA as an exercise science major.

A redshirt junior offensive lineman from Hillsville, Va., Holder earned several academic honors this past year. He was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned spots on the CoSIDA Academic All-District™ Team and the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team. After completing his undergraduate degree in government with a 3.69 GPA, Holder owns a 3.92 GPA during his master's degree studies in public policy: public administration.

Proehl, who graduated in May with a 4.0 GPA in zoology, joined Barr, Rabe and Winstead as Liberty's George A. Christenberry Award honorees. As a senior, the Kingston, Ohio native placed 18th at the Big South Cross Country Championships and came in fifth in the Big South 10K final, helping the Lady Flames capture team titles at both meets.

Like Holder, Rabe needed only three years to complete a bachelor's degree in global studies aviation, maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout. A native of Newbury, Ohio, Rabe was voted Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the 2017 Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also earned All-Big South medals for the pole vault both indoors and outdoors in 2017.

Winstead graduated in May as a double major in government and international business with a 4.0 GPA. The Raleigh, N.C., native was named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team and to the STATS FCS All-America third team roster as a long snapper during the 2016 season. After completing 100 percent of his snaps for the second consecutive season, Winstead was a first team All-Big South honoree.

Liberty's 2016-17 VaSID Academic All-State Team Honorees
Name, Class, Hometown, Cumulative GPA, Major, Sport
Serena Barr, Sr., Lurgan, Northern Ireland, 4.00, Public Health, Field Hockey
Graham Hansel, Jr., Powassan, Canada, 3.96, Exercise Science, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Lucas Holder, R-Jr., Hillsville, Va., 3.69 (UG)/3.92 (G), Government (UG)/Public Policy: Public Administration (G), Football
Jessie Proehl, Sr., Kingston, Ohio, 4.00, Zoology, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Audrey Rabe, Jr., Newbury, Ohio, 4.00, Global Studies Aviation, Women's Track & Field
Hunter Winstead, Jr., Raleigh, N.C., 4.00, Government and International Business, Football

Liberty's Serena Barr and Holly Van Noord Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

Liberty field hockey defender, Serena Barr, and women's soccer goalkeeper, Holly Van Noord, have been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. The two Lady Flames are two of 229 Division I student-athletes nominated for the prestigious award.

Barr put an exclamation point on her career at Liberty, tallying eight goals (second on team), 11 assists (second on team) and a team-high 27 points in the fall of 2016. The senior was named to the 2016 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I All-America second team in December, becoming the second All-American in Liberty field hockey history.

Barr continued to pile up awards in her final season, being named to the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Scholar Athlete. The Lurgan, Northern Ireland native was the only NCAA Division I field hockey student-athlete in the country to receive the award, given to the first, second or third team All-American who maintains the highest cumulative GPA through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year. Barr was also selected to the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large second team, becoming the first player in Liberty field hockey program history to earn the award. She graduated summa cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in public health and a perfect 4.00 GPA.

She was one of four Liberty student-athletes to earn the Big South Conference's prestigious George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence, given annually to the Big South Conference male and female student-athlete who attain the highest GPA during their college careers. Barr was named to the NFHCA All-South Region first team and garnered VaSID first team All-State distinction. Barr was also the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, an All-BIG EAST first team selection and BIG EAST All-Tournament team selection. She was selected, along with her sister Bethany Barr, to compete in the 2016 Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division I Senior Game.

Barr is not be eligible for the Big South Athlete of the Year due to the Lady Flames field hockey team competing in the Big East Conference.

In her senior campaign, Van Noord was stellar leading the Big South Conference with a 0.85 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage over 1,805 minutes between the posts. Her first of eight shutouts on the season and 34th of her career, a 1-0 blanking of James Madison on Sept. 4, set a new Big South Conference record for shutouts. In addition, the goalkeeper backstopped a school record seven consecutive shutouts by the Lady Flames and the longest winning streak in program history of eight games, this past season. Van Noord rewrote the Liberty and Big South record book during her four-year career with the women's soccer program, recording 41 shutouts.

A two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Week honoree this season, Van Noord was 14-7-0 in goal for the Lady Flames and allowed just 17 goals in net. In conference action, she allowed just four scores in 753 minutes for a 0.48 GAA. Van Noord posted a .909 saves percentage with 4.1 shutouts in nine starts.

The goalkeeper garnered five postseason awards. Van Noord was named Big South Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big South, Big South Championship All-Tournament Team, NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team, VaSID All-State Second Team and Liberty's Rock Royer/Mac Rivera Award recipient at the 2017 FLAMESPY.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award was established in 1991 and now enters its 27th year honoring graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

The award represents 534 nominees throughout all three NCAA divisions, with 229 from Division I, 117 from Division II and 197 from Division III. The nominees competed in 21 different women's sports, and 122 were multisport athletes during their time in college. Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine. The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.

White Among Nation's Top 25 Freshmen on ILWomen All-Rookie Team

2017 Inside Lacrosse Women's All-Rookie Team

Liberty freshman Carly White was named to the 2017 Inside Lacrosse (IL) Women's Lacrosse All-Rookie Team on Thursday, one of 25 freshmen in the country to receive the distinction.

White was one of 25 freshmen in the country selected to the 2017 Inside Lacrosse (IL) Women's Lacrosse All-Rookie Team.

White's selection to the All-Rookie Team, consisting of the nation's top 25 first-year players, marks the third consecutive year a Liberty freshman has appeared on the team. Katy Pridemore (2015) and Kayla Foster (2016) were both recognized on the ILWomen All-Rookie Team.

"This is a great honor for Carly to be recognized as part of the top 25 in her class," stated Liberty Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Nangle. "She had a great freshman year, and we are excited to watch her continue to grow and build on her experience moving into next season."

White, a midfielder, tallied 25 goals, 18 assists, 43 points, 40 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers in 19 contests during her first year in a Liberty uniform. The native of Marietta, Ga. excelled during the final 10 games of the season, compiling 23 goals, 14 assists and 37 points.

She tallied seven points (4 g, 3 a) in back-to-back contests late in the season, including a seven-point effort in the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship quarterfinals that propelled the Lady Flames to their third postseason victory in program history, 20-13, over Longwood.

White was named the Big South Women's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year in late April as well as a Big South All-Conference first team selection.

Pennington Hired as Men's Tennis Assistant Coach

Liberty Men's Tennis Head Coach Derek Schwandt has announced the hiring of Beck Pennington as the Flames' assistant coach.

Pennington joins the staff following a distinguished five-year playing career at the University of Kentucky, including back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Team Tournament. The Wildcats finished No. 9 in the nation in 2013, No. 12 in 2014, including a win over No. 1 Ohio State, and No. 23 in 2016. Pennington, a Bowling Green, Ky., native, climbed as high as No. 39 in the Oracle/ITA Division I singles rankings and No. 23 in doubles.

"Beck is an extremely hard worker and fierce competitor," Schwandt said. "He developed his game and coaching philosophy under Cedric Kauffmann (195 ATP Singles, Kentucky head coach) and legendary ATP Tour coach Bill Tym. I'm excited to see Beck's energy and impact on our training environment and team culture. He knows what it takes to compete at the top level of college tennis."

Pennington served as a team captain for Kentucky from 2014-17. He was a two-time second team All-SEC selection and three-time All-SEC Academic honoree in his time with the Wildcats. Pennington posted wins over No. 12 Austin Smith (Georgia), No. 26 Wayne Montgomery (Georgia) and No. 34 Malte Stropp (Mississippi State).

As a senior, he won 17 singles matches in his final spring campaign, which was tied for the most on the team. Pennington led his squad to a second-round appearance in the 2017 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship.

Pennington and doubles partner Enzo Wallart competed in the 2017 NCAA Men's Doubles Championship after defeating five nationally ranked opponents throughout the year.

"I have been given a great opportunity to work under Coach Schwandt with Liberty University," Pennington stated. "I am looking forward to building a new culture for the Flames' tennis program and cultivating leaders on and off the court."

Pennington graduated from Kentucky in May with a bachelor's degree in business communication and a minor in business marketing.

Burton Makes Program History with VaSID All-State Singles Selection

Liberty's Chase Burton has been named to the VaSID All-State Men's Tennis singles second team by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) today.

Burton is the first Flames freshman to be named to the VaSID All-State singles team and second player in school history to earn the honor.

Burton is the first-ever Flames freshman to be named to the VaSID All-State singles team.

He wrapped up his first year at Liberty with 18 singles wins, including an 8-3 mark (No. 4 in Big South) out of the No. 1 slot in the Flames' lineup and 5-2 mark in Big South competition. The Naples, Fla., native won eight out his final 11 matches to close the year, six of which came in straight sets.

Burton was selected to the Big South All-Conference singles first team list in April. He also garnered back-to-back Big South Freshman of the Week accolades in early February.

In the fall, Burton became the first Liberty men's tennis player since Shea Thomas in 2013 to advance to the round of 16 in the singles main draw at the ITA Atlantic Regional, after winning three singles matches. The freshman also represented the Flames at the ITF USA F29 Futures tournament in Irvine, Calif.

Virginia, the 2017 NCAA champion, swept the three major awards given out by the VaSID. NCAA Singles Champion Thai-Son Kwiatkowski was named the VaSID Player of the Year. UVA head coach Brian Boland was voted VaSID Coach of the Year, and Cavalier rookie Carl Soderlund was tabbed the VaSID Rookie of the Year.

2017 VaSID All-State Men's Tennis, University Division

Player of the Year – Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia
Coach of the Year – Brian Boland, Virginia
Rookie of the Year – Carl Soderlund, Virginia

All-State First Team

Doubles
Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Alexander Ritschard (Virginia)
Alex Felisa/Jacob Dunbar (Richmond)
J.C. Aragone/Collin Altamirano (Virginia)

Singles
Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Virginia)
Jacob Dunbar (Richmond)
J.C. Aragone (Virginia)
Adam Moundir (Old Dominion)
Collin Altamirano (Virginia)
Aidan Talcott (William & Mary)
Alexander Ritschard (Virginia)