ODAC Announces All-Conference Swimming Squad
Four R-MC Swimmers Named All-Conference; Barany Is ODAC Coach-of-the-Year
The 2000-2001 season was very successful for the Randolph-Macon College swimming team. In only its second year of competition, the squad finished 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, which was a dramatic improvement over the 2-5 overall and 1-3 conference records of 1999-2000.
At the Atlantic States Championships held at Radford University at the end of February, the Yellow Jackets placed third. That event was also the ODAC championship meet, and Randolph-Macon was third in the conference standings also. Head coach Matt Barany was named both the ODAC Coach-of-the-Year and the Atlantic States Coach-of-the-Meet.
Recently the ODAC announced its all-conference selections. Randolph-Macon was represented by sophomores Allison Shoemaker (Yorktown, VA/Grafton), Tara Lewis (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem), and Christeen Hodge (Chapel Hill, NC/East Chapel Hill) and freshman Elizabeth Belch (Manassas, VA/Osbourn).
At the Atlantic States/ODAC Championships, Shoemaker was Randolph-Macon's first-ever conference champion, finishing first in the 100 butterfly. She placed second overall in that event. Shoemaker was also third in the ODAC and fifth overall in the 200 fly, and fourth in the conference and sixth overall in the 200 individual medley.
Fellow sophomore Lewis broke two Randolph-Macon records at the championships, in the 100 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke. She finished second both in the ODAC and overall in the 100 free. In the 50 free, Lewis was second in the conference and third overall. She was second in the ODAC and sixth overall in the 100 breaststroke.
Yet another sophomore, Hodge, broke the school record in the 500 freestyle at the championships, placing second both in the ODAC and overall. In the 1650 free, she also finished second both in the conference and overall. Hodge was fourth both in the ODAC and overall in the 200 free.
Only a freshman, Belch was a key performer for the Yellow Jackets this season in the short-distance freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and individual medley events. She set Randolph-Macon records in the 50 and 200 free, the 100 and 200 back, and the 100 fly. Belch did not compete in the championships due to personal reasons.
There were no seniors on the Yellow Jacket roster this year. Coach Barany is working hard to establish the program and bring more swimmers to Randolph-Macon. Next year, with a talented, experienced group of returnees, plus another recruiting class, the Yellow Jackets will look to build on this season's success and challenge ODAC power Washington and Lee University for a spot at the top of the conference.