Lancer Roundup

Wallace repeats as Big South Defensive Player of the Year

The fall produced yet another winning season for Longwood women’s soccer, and at the heart of the Lancers’ run to a third-place Big South finish was again senior defender Sydney Wallace ’19, a kinesiology major. Wallace became only the second Big South player to earn Big South Defensive Player of the Year honors in back-to-back years, doing so in both 2017 and 2018. She ends her career as one of the most decorated players in school history, setting a school Division I record for minutes played and spearheading one of the Big South’s stingiest defenses during her four-year tenure.

Softball game set to air on ESPNU

Longwood’s Big South dynasty softball program, off to an 8–3 start, will earn Longwood national recognition again this season, as the program will host an ESPNU broadcast from campus for a second-straight year. The Lancers, who last year defeated rival Liberty on ESPNU at Lancer Field, will welcome the nationally televised college sports network to campus for the March 24 showdown against Big South newcomer USC Upstate at 4 p.m. That game will mark the third consecutive season that the powerhouse Lancers have appeared on ESPN’s flagship college sports network, which airs live on cable networks and streaming platforms around the world.

Led by 2 outstanding seniors, softball picked to win again

The expectations are high once again for Longwood softball, as the Lancers were picked by the league’s coaches to finish first in the conference in the annual Big South Preseason Poll. Senior pitcher Sydney Gay ’19, a sociology major, was picked as the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year, and fellow senior catcher Kalynn “Bug” Batten ’19, a biology major, was named the Big South Preseason Co-Player of the Year. The two anchor a Longwood team led by head coach Kathy Riley in search of the program’s fifth Big South title in 2019.

Baseball, softball set alumni days

The Longwood baseball and softball programs will both host alumni days this spring, inviting Lancers of years past to return to campus for a day’s worth of celebration and support for this year’s teams. The Lancer softball program, now in its 22nd season under two-time Big South Coach of the Year Kathy Riley, will host its alumni day on March 30, while the baseball program, in its fifth year under Ryan Mau, will hold its gathering on April 27. For more information, contact Longwood assistant director of athletics engagement Kylie Dyer at 434-395-2352 or dyerka@ longwood.edu.

Sophomore soccer player earns Academic All-District honors

Women’s soccer standout Carrie Reaver ’21 has been a fixture on Longwood’s backline in each of her first two seasons, earning Big South Freshman of the Year recognition in 2017 and All-Big South honorable mention recognition as a sophomore. But along with her on-field honors, Reaver has been perfect as a student, logging a 4.0 grade-point average that earned her CoSIDA Academic All-District III accolades this past fall. A biology major, Reaver achieved those high academic marks while also leading Longwood in minutes played in 2018.