The month of September provided Longwood Athletics with some great wins on the field, and one big loss off.
During the month, our team sports of women’s soccer (5-1-0), field hockey (5-4-0), and men’s soccer (3-2-1) combined for an overall record of 13-7-1 (.643). Standout wins included women’s soccer defeats of both George Mason and Appalachian State; men’s soccer decisions over both VMI and George Washington; and field hockey’s great weekend in North Carolina with victories over both Davidson and Stanford on back-to-back days.
Men’s golf and women’s golf had some notable performances as well. Men’s golf hosted the Manor Intercollegiate with sophomore Michael Young grabbing first place, and the program closed September by placing second at the Sun Lite Financial Invitational hosted by Cleveland State University. Women’s golf had big showings in the Towson Women’s Golf Classic, the Penn State/Nittany Lion Invitational, and the Elon/Sea Trail Intercollegiate; finishing first, third, and second, respectively. Individually, sophomore Kameron Carter won the Towson tournament.
Our competitive successes in September were tempered by the loss of the Lancers’ biggest fan,
Mr. Fred “Rudy” Gearheart Jr.. Rudy passed away on Sunday, September 21, and you may have seen the write-up of his contributions to the Department and the Farmville community. I wanted to tell you about what Rudy meant to our programs and me. Personally, Rudy was one of the most positive people I have known. Every time I saw him, he greeted me with a smile, a kind word or two, and a handshake.
In addition, Rudy gave of his personal means to support our sport programs. As head coach Mike Gillian remarked to me, “I owe a lot of what the basketball program has to Rudy Gearheart.” Rudy will be missed, and as recognition to him, a seat will be reserved in Willett Hall during each of our men’s and women’s basketball games. “Rudy’s Seat” will be left vacant for the remainder of the 2008-09 seasons.
Looking forward, Rudy’s favorite season begins in earnest on Friday, October 17, with the beginning of basketball practice. Based on the looks of our schedules, it promises to be an exciting and challenging season for both programs. The men and women both play Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. The men’s contest versus the Mountaineers will take place during a 12-day road trip that spans over Thanksgiving and has the program traveling to Maryland, Kentucky to face the Wildcats, and finally, finishing-up in Las Vegas.
I will be with men’s basketball each leg of the journey and provide a daily journal entry. This will replace my normal monthly update, but will provide great insight as to life on the road as a Longwood student-athlete.
