The 2020-21 Davidson Athletics Annual Report
9/8/2021
FOOTBALL
- The Wildcats won their first-ever Pioneer Football League Championship and went to the postseason for the first time since 1969 by earning the league's automatic bid to the FCS Championship Playoff!
- A record 11 'Cats were named All-PFL including four first-teamers; linebacker Jake Alexander, offensive lineman Khalil Miller, running back Dylan Sparks and fullback Coy Williams. Seven more were named to the second team, while nine others earned honorable mention status.
- Head coach Scott Abell was named the PFL Coach of the Year, while rookie defensive end Jonathan Hammond was voted the league's Defensive Freshman of the Year. Hammond was later named to the HERO Sports Freshman All-America Team.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
- After posting the best record in the Atlantic 10's 2021 South Division (4-2-2), the 'Cats punched a ticket to the A-10 Tournament for the first time in program history.
- Despite the spring 2021 championship bracket being sliced in half, Davidson still reached the Atlantic 10 Championship game for the first time ever, after toppling UMass, 1-0, in the semifinal round.
- Leaving their mark on the conference, Hailey Braemer and Mary Grace Bunch earned A-10 All-Conference honors, and Head Coach Adam Denton was named the league's Coach of the Year.
MEN'S SOCCER
- Davidson closed its spring 2021 slate going 3-2-2 over its last seven matchups.
- The Wildcats boasted three all-conference performers at the end of the season, including Lucas Hauth (Second Team) and Trey Gardiner (All-Rookie).
- Hauth was also selected to the A-10 All-Academic squad.
FIELD HOCKEY
- Despite playing eight less games than in 2021 than they did in 2020, the field hockey team won four games, improving on its win total from the previous season.
- On top of that, the 'Cats won multiple Atlantic 10 Conference games for the first time since 2016.
- At the end of the season, the Wildcats earned four A-10 honors, including All-Conference pick Corynne Hammit, All-Academic pick Nellie Turnage and All-Rookie selections Charlie Kabelac and Lena Stiebing.
VOLLEYBALL
- The volleyball program earned one of its best wins in program history during the spring 2021 campaign, defeating VCU for the first time since 1994 and only the second time in program history during a 3-2 thriller.
- On top of the win, the 'Cats also took one for the department-wide team, competing on the practice court inside the Harry L. Vance Athletic Center on a day when Davidson Athletics had seven home events happening simultaneously (see photo 3).
- Senior setter Sydney Champaigne etched her named into the Wildcats' record book in the spring, cracking the program's Top-10 Assists leaderboard, and earning her 2,000th career assist.
- Freshman libero Bella Brady made an impression among the league, garnering multiple A-10 weekly awards.
WRESTLING
- Despite all the setbacks and the unique scheduling situation, wrestling posted one of its best seasons on the mats, beating three Southern Conference teams in duals over the course of a league-only campaign.
- Wildcat junior Kyle Gorant led the team on the mat and in the classroom. The 133-pound grappler finished the season 5-3 with a pair of pins and was also named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-America Team.
- Head coach Andy Lausier's young squad stepped up in their first season led by Bryce Sanderlin's addition to the SoCon All-Rookie Team.
- Gorant joined teammates Finlay Holston and David Loniewski on the Academic All-SoCon Team.
MEN'S XC / TRACK & FIELD
- Men's track and field filled the podiums at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship, placing fifth with multiple gold medal performances.
- In his first outdoor season, Bryce Anthony made his presence known, breaking the school's 400m hurdle record twice, the second time for A-10 gold and breaking the decades-old meet record in the process. Anthony later joined Daniel Alvarez-Orlachia, Cory Gaither and Josh Hardin to end the meet on a high note, winning the 4x400m relay.
- Owen Drometer placed second at the championship in the individual 800m and ran the anchor leg of the silver medal 4x800m relay. The second-year runner also turned in an All-Conference campaign on the cross country trails, leading a thin-but-resilient Davidson lineup at the XC Championship in March.
- Anthony easily qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet with his A-10 Championship performance, but Gaither's determination never wavered as he earned a chance at postseason action with a personal-best 400m hurdle run at the Aggie Twilight Classic.
- Anthony and classmate Jordan Benson were named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in the 400m hurdles and high jump, respectively. The team as a whole earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors for the sixth consecutive season, ranking among the top-50 programs in the country.
WOMEN'S XC / TRACK & FIELD
- Women's track and field earned an A-10 era record 65 points to place sixth overall at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship.
- Hurdler Anna Davis qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet after breaking her own school record six times throughout the season and became the first-ever Davidson 400m hurdler to break 60 seconds. She placed second at the A-10 Championship.
- Bianca Nolde-Lopez took home an individual medal in the 400m run, a bronze, while helping the 4x400m relay take third. All three relays medaled overall. The 4x100m relay set a new school record and was anchored by Kate Carnevale, Davidson's first-ever sprinter to score in the 100m dash at an A-10 Championship.
- On the historical side, Caroline Djakuduel became the first-ever woman to throw the hammer in competition for Davidson.
- On the trails, Davidson competed in two meets over the spring and was led by Frances Whitworth's All-Rookie run at the A-10 XC Championship.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
- Head coach Bob McKillop added to his remarkable coaching career by picking up his 600th win on Jan. 5, 2021.
- The Wildcats completed a third-place showing in the A-10 and earned their 24th postseason appearance in school history.
- Kellan Grady, who finished with over 2,000 career points, earned his fourth straight Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection.
- Hyunjung Lee finished his sophomore campaign as the first Wildcat to ever conclude the regular season in the 50-40-90 Club, as he shot at least 50% overall, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free throw line. Only 10 athletes in college basketball have accomplished such a feat since the 1992-93 season.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
- The women's basketball team went on a six-game winning streak early on in the season, including a 3-0 start to A-10 play, setting the program's longest win streak since 2013.
- Senior captain Katie Turner left her mark on the program, ending her career as the Wildcats' all-time three-point shooter while sitting in the top-10 on the all-time scoring list and top-three in career assists.
- Head coach Gayle Fulks earned her 50th win at the helm of the Wildcats on Jan. 1, 2021 with a win over George Washington.
- The 'Cats ended the season with a second-round appearance in the A-10 Championship tournament.
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
- The men's swimming & diving program turned in the best A-10 finish in program history by taking third at the conference championships.
- At A-10s, the 'Cats won the 200 medley relay title and had six other podium performances while setting six school records along the way. Among them, Ian Brann set the 50 freestyle record, Cael McLaren set the 100 breaststroke mark and Daniel Valmassei raised the bar in 1M diving.
- Davidson also had three A-10 All-Academic Team picks in Mitchell Stanek, Kilian Quinn and Daniel Valmassei.
- Stanek also earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
- The Wildcats matched the program’s best A-10 team finish by placing third at the league championships.
- Shelby Stanley was named A-10 Most Outstanding Performer after capturing seven medals, including gold in the butterfly events and with three relays. Stanley set school records in the 100 and 200 fly.
- In all, the Wildcats won seven A-10 events, as Abby Francis (50 free) and Siena Senn (500 free) also won individual titles.
- Stanley and Senn were named to the A-10 All-Academic Team, and Stanley was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
CHEER
- Davidson Cheerleading competed in its first-ever National Championship last April.
- The Wildcats recorded 91.7667 points in the Spirit Rally Division, earning them a third-place finish at the 2021 NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship.
- The Spirit Rally division was the largest competitive division at the 2021 NCA Collegiate Cheer Championship.
GOLF
- Three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Tim Straub guided the Wildcats to their second Atlantic 10 Championship in three trips. In addition, Davidson advanced to the 2021 NCAA Regional, its second trip in program history.
- Viraj Garewal and Brian Garrett were selected to both the Atlantic 10 All-Conference and All-Academic squads.
- Davidson's Viraj Garewal, Dean Naime, Alex Ross and Clayton Tribus were named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars for the second consecutive year, while Brian Garrett was selected for the first time.
LACROSSE
- The Davidson lacrosse program had one of its strongest seasons in program history in 2021, finishing the season 11-4 overall with a 6-1 mark in Atlantic 10 play.
- With the second-best mark in the A-10's South Division, the Wildcats clinched a berth to the A-10's postseason tournament for the first time since 2018, and just their fourth ever since joining the league in 2014-15.
- Among eight individuals, the ‘Cats earned 10 different All-Conference nods this spring, including Head Coach Kim Wayne earning Coach of the Year and Julianne Carey being named the league’s Rookie of the Year.
- Carey's splash didn't only end with a Rookie of the Year honor, as the freshman was named the league's Rookie of the Week seven times throughout the season, setting the record for most conference weekly award honors collected by a freshman in a single season in A-10 lacrosse history.
- Senior midfielder Sam Rippley and team captain Natalie Junior earned First Team recognition, while sophomore Erin Cooke and senior defender Izzy Lozano were named to the Second Team. Carey, Cooke and Noelle Cegielski were also recognized on the conference's All-Rookie team, and senior captain Olivia Carey rounded out the awards with an All-Academic Team nod.
BASEBALL
- The 'Cats finished with 27 wins in 2021, marking the program’s eighth straight winning season and extended their home winning streak to 21 games, which ranked second nationally.
- Davidson defeated No. 16 South Carolina 9-4 on March 17, 2021.
- Outfielder Trevor Candelaria and pitcher Nolan DeVos were recognized with a pair of A-10 First-Team All-Conference nods.
MEN'S TENNIS
- The Davidson men's tennis program earned an Atlantic 10 semifinal appearance in the abbreviated 2021 season, after defeating George Mason in the championship's quarterfinal round.
- Rookies Maxwell Kachkarov and Alejandro Solares earned a trio of Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors, while Kachkarov was ultimately named to the league's First-Team All-Conference Selection.
- This summer, the ‘Cats had five recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as All-Academic selections. William Clark, Kevin Huang, Sam Kavaran, Camden Mazzoni and Jerry Wang were all named ITA Scholar-Athletes for earning 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA’s.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
- The Wildcats advanced to the A-10 quarterfinals, after defeating George Mason in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championships in 2021.
- After earning several A-10 Player of the Week nods, sophomore Josie Schaffer was named to the league's First Team All-Conference list and finished the campaign with a 10-9 overall record as Davidson's No. 1 singles player.
- Davidson was named an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, while Mira Gladstone, Charlotte James and Nicole Krykanov were named Scholar-Athletes by the association.
T H E A C A T E M Y A W A R D S
REBECCA E. STIMSON AWARD
Presented to a senior female scholar-athlete in recognition of outstanding dedication and contribution to intercollegiate athletics.
Sarah Helen Shepherd is the Davidson women's swimming & diving program's record-holder in three events, including the 200 individual medley (1:58.99), the 400 IM (4:14.81) and the 200 backstroke (1:58.26). She also swam on school-record relays in the 200 medley (1:40.81) and 800 freestyle (7:16.47).
The Chapel Hill, N.C., native won Atlantic 10 titles in the 200 and 400 IMs in 2020, while setting the school marks. She secured three medals at the 2021 A-10 Championships, including gold with the 800 free relay unit and finished her career with seven A-10 medals.
TOMMY PETERS AWARD
Presented to a senior male scholar-athlete in recognition of outstanding dedication and contribution to intercollegiate athletics.
Kellan Grady concluded his career among the Davidson basketball greats, as a four-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference honoree and a member of the program’s 2,000-point club.
Grady, of Boston, burst onto the scene as A-10 Rookie of the Year in 2018 and became an A-10 First Team selection in 2019 and 2021. He eclipsed the 2,000-point scoring mark in his final Davidson game, finishing at 2,002 points, sixth all-time.
He played 4,120 minutes over 115 career games, averaging 35.8 minutes and 17.4 points per game.
THOMAS J. WATSON FELLOWSHIP
Men's track and field scholar-athlete, Langston Stephens became the College's 88th Thomas J. Watson Fellow in its 53-year history.
DAVIDSON ATHLETIC FUND
Philanthropic support to the college overall totaled more than $58 million during the 2020-21 academic year; an increase of 3.4 percent over the past year. The DAF secured over $15 million in total commitments for athletics. Davidson maintains its place among the top schools in the country for alumni giving participation, with 48 percent giving in 2020-21.
#CATSCARE
The 2020-21 academic year was unprecedented and challenging for all of us, yet our scholar-athletes still found a way to fulfill our Call to Action and enhance the greater Davidson community through our department-wide #CatsCare initiative.
A familiar face across campus, Chibuike "ChiChi" Odo was nominated for the Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2021 Good Works Team.
Last June, men's basketball player Kellan Grady launched College Athletes for Respect and Equality (CARE), a social justice initiative in partnership with the Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust (MIMEH). Through CARE, Grady wants to unite college athletes for the greater good, raise awareness about systemic injustice and ultimately create change, both on the individual and legislative levels. He’s been getting the word out, speaking with similarly inspired student-athletes across the country and laying the foundation to make a difference.
