Sports
Lynchburg Weekly Sports Blog – University of Lynchburg
Welcome to the Lynchburg Sports Weekly Blog, where we will give updates recapping past events and getting you ready for the upcoming slate of games on the Hornets’ schedule. We’ll get this blog out to you once a week, usually every Thursday, and keep you in the loop on all things Lynchburg athletics.
Get ready, Lynchburg fans! The Lynchburg squads are jam-packed this week with exciting competitions across multiple sports as our Hornets hit the field, court, and course. The No. 11 field hockey team aims for victory against No. 8 York, while the women’s volleyball squad looks to build on their impressive winning streak in D.C. The men’s soccer team continues their three-game win streak, and the equestrian team is set to host its first dual meets of the season. Plus, we review the cross country crews that swept the ODAC RoW awards, and both swimming teams kick off their season at the ODAC Relays.
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After moving up one spot in the Pento/NFHCA poll, the No. 11 Lynchburg field hockey team is eager to compete after a brief break in the schedule. This weekend, the squad heads back up to Pennsylvania for bouts against No. 8 York and Susquehanna. The matchup against York should prove to be fiery. Last season, the Hornets took down the Spartans twice, once with a 2-0 triumph in the regular season and again in the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, edging out a 1-0 victory. York will surely be looking for redemption, but the Hornets are coming in well rested and ready to earn their fifth win of the season. Lynchburg will play York on Saturday, September 28 at 1 p.m. before taking on Susquehanna on Sunday, September 29 at 1 p.m.
The Lynchburg women’s volleyball team had one of their best weeks of the year over the past seven days. The Hornets played in two matches, the first against Shenanndoh on the road, and the latter at home vs. Randolph. In their first contest this past week, Lynchburg claimed their first season sweep of the season in dominant fashion. The Hornets also recorded a season-best .350 attacking percentage in this contest. In Lynchburg’s sole home match of the week, they were able to carry their momentum into Turner Gynamism. In back-to-back matches, the Hornets swept their opponents in three sets. The women’s volleyball team will have a fully loaded weekend coming up as they travel to the nation’s capital. The Hornets will have four matches this weekend at Gallaudet University facing Catholic, Gallaudet, Bethel, and Marymount.
The Lynchburg men’s soccer team are on a three-game win streak after knocking off the likes of Catholic and Roanoke this past week. Chris Wiley netted one in the final 10 minutes against Catholic and earned himself ODAC Offensive Player of the Week, the first conference award of the year for the men’s soccer squad. In the Code Red game against Roanoke, students showed out in red and stayed until the final whistle. It was a back-and-forth battle in rainy elements with the Maroons, but the Hornets did not falter and secured a 2-1 victory. Owning a 1-0 record in ODAC action, Lynchburg continues conference play with a contest at Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, September 28 at 4:30 p.m. before heading to Danville, Va. to face Averett on Wednesday, October 2 at 7 p.m.
The Lynchburg women’s soccer team had two contests this past week, splitting the games 1-1. The Hornets began this week with an exceptionally strong opponent, #14 Emory Eagles. While Lynchburg was able to claim a 1-0 advantage early on in the contest, two late scores from Emory would seal the deal. Nonetheless, Lynchburg got right back to work with another match on the road against a formidable opponent in Mary Washington. In this instance, the Hornets would find themselves in a defensive affair. Senior defenseman Haleigh Casey would record her first career goal for a 1-0 Hornet victory. Lynchburg will now return to Shellenberger for a three-game homestand, which is the longest of the season. Their next contest will be against Guilford College this Saturday, September 28.
The reigning NCEA champion Lynchburg equestrian team is set to host its first dual meets of the year this weekend, welcoming the likes of College of Charleston and Centenary University on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, respectively. Last weekend, the Hornets completed their season debut with the IHSA Tournament of Champions in Westerville, Ohio, capturing the program’s best finish at the tournament in school history. Lynchburg’s Team Red had the Hornets highest finish at TOC to date, earning a sixth-place finish as a squad. Team Black for Lynchburg finished ninth overall at the event. Ranked first overall in the NCEA preseason rankings for single discipline, the Hornets are off and rolling in the 2024-25 campaign!
The Lynchburg men’s and women’s swimming squads are set to embark on their 2024-25 campaigns with the ODAC Relays this weekend. Hosted by Washington and Lee University, the ODAC Swimming Relays involves many of the swimming programs within the ODAC and is a great opportunity to show the strength of the squad at the very start of the season. The event will take place on Saturday, September 28 and begin at 11 a.m. The link for the live stream of the relays can be found on the swimming schedule page on lynchburgsports.com.
The Lynchburg cross country team swept the ODAC Runner of the Week awards after competing at the Adidas XC Challenge and the John McNichols Invite last weekend. Sophomore Kayla Werner impressed at the Adidas XC Challenge, setting an ODAC season-record in the 5k with a time of 17:07.6 and earning 10th place in the event. Junior Chasen Hunt opened his 2024 season with a 10th-place finish at the John McNichols Invite after completing the 8k with a time of 24:37.5. Hunt’s time also represented an ODAC season-best effort for the men’s 8k event. The Hornets continue to build on their solid foundation and will keep improving throughout the season. Next up on the cross country slate is the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. on Saturday, October 5. The Hornets hope to continue their strong start of the season into their next meet when they head north.
The Lynchburg women’s tennis team performed well at the ITA Division III Southeast Regional hosted by Mary Washinton this past weekend. Overall, the Hornets concluded with a match record of 5-2 in singles and 2-3 in doubles. Freshman Kayla Kosiorek headlined the Hornets’ solid showing, going 3-0 in the Blue 3 singles event before having to withdraw in the final round due to stiffness. In the singles event, Ashley Hair grabbed a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Salisbury’s Elizabeth Coligan and Madison Sked claimed victory in the consolation bracket with an 8-2 win over Salisbury’s Katherine Raab. The Lynchburg duo of Hair and Kosiorek took down Roanoke’s Julia Bassett and Victoria Rios in the Blue doubles consolation bracket in a commanding 8-1 effort. Hair and Kosiorek went on to defeat Lebanon Valley’s Katherine Berra and Erika Badner, 8-4, in the consolation semifinal round. The Hornets finished their 2024 fall slate strong with their performance at the ITA Regional. Their 2025 spring regular season schedule will be announced at a later date.
The Lynchburg men’s and women’s golf teams are set for some competitions in the coming days. The women’s golf crew tees off this weekend at the Williams Invitational. The team will travel to Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. for their weekend affair as their fall schedule continues. This will be the second of four contests that the team will have during the fall season. The team previously placed seventh at the Lynn Schweizer Invitational. Following that, the men’s squad will travel to the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. for the Gate City Invitational. The competition will serve as the men’s team’s first of the 2024 fall slate. After the upcoming outings, the squads each have contests lined up for the beginning of October. The men’s team will hit the road for West Pines Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. for the West Pines Invitational from October 7-9. The women’s team will visit the Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pa. for the Carnegie Mellon Fall Invite on October 7 and 8.
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–LYN–