Randolph College Announces New Sports Information Director

Randolph College is pleased to welcome Jeremy Field as the new sports information director. Field will play an important role in the growing athletics program by promoting the accomplishments of student-athletes.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with Jeremy’s breadth of experience join our team,” said Tina Hill, director of athletics. “He has hit the ground running and will do an excellent job promoting Randolph College and WildCat Athletics.”

Field comes to Randolph after three years of serving as the assistant sports information director for Goucher College. At Goucher, Field was instrumental in initiating the use of Facebook, Twitter, live video and live stat feeds to share news from the athletics program during and between games. His work helped Goucher increase alumni participation and athletic department fundraising by more than 40 percent during his tenure there.

Field also gained experience in public relations and marketing through internships with the Philadelphia 76ers and ESPN Radio. He earned his bachelor of science in sport management, with a minor in economics, from the University of Delaware. This spring, he completed his master’s degree in education with a concentration in athletic administration.

“I am very excited to join this staff as we continue Randolph’s development into one of the prominent athletic departments in our conference and in the country,” Field said. “I look forward to working with our student-athletes as they become successful on and off of the playing field.”

Randolph College Sports Information Director Earns Top Honor

Randolph College’s sports information director has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Sports Information Director of the Year.

Jamie Chagnon received the honor at a league meeting in May. The annual award winner is chosen by peers in the ODAC.

“Jamie is a great fit in the ODAC,” said James De Boer, SID for Eastern Mennonite University and president of the ODAC SID Committee. “He has quickly earned a reputation for doing quality work, and it’s a joy to see the many advancements he has made in the Sports Information office at Randolph.”

Chagnon, who also served as secretary of the ODAC Sports Information Directors Committee, began his tenure at Randolph two years ago and has expanded the College’s coverage of athletics and delivery of athletic news in numerous ways. In addition to multiple advancements in social media, including www.randolphwildcats.com, Facebook and YouTube, Chagnon recently launched a new athletics website. “The new site allows fans, student-athletes, and prospective students to really feel the pulse of what’s happening with WildCat athletics,” Chagnon said.

Tina Hill, director of athletics, was not surprised Chagnon received the honor. “Jamie has been a great addition to our community and has done an outstanding job at taking the responsibilities of the Sports Information office to new heights,” she said. “He works tirelessly and creatively to promote our athletics program as well as the College. We are very appreciative of all that Jamie does on our behalf and are proud of his work and accomplishments. He certainly is well deserving of this honor and is to be congratulated for a job well done."

Being recognized by peers makes this award more meaningful to Chagnon. “It’s always nice to be recognized, but when it comes from a group of people that you respect so much it means that much more,” he said. “I got my start in sports information in the ODAC thanks to people like Mike Carpenter at Lynchburg College and Brian Laubscher at Washington and Lee University, and continue to learn from each and every one of my colleagues. It was just a special feeling to know the award came from the group that it did.”

Randolph’s growing athletic program has presented challenges and exciting opportunities, Chagnon said. Growing teams have offered plenty of “firsts,” including the women’s lacrosse team’s first ODAC win. Experiencing the journey of Randolph’s history-making men’s soccer team last fall has proven to be one of the more fun parts of his job. Chagnon followed the team from its ODAC win to the NCAA Tournament in Newport News, where the team beat the #2-ranked team in the nation, and then to California for the NCAA Sweet 16. “To be able to document all of the team’s hard work and dedication before the game, and then see if pay off on that stage was a special moment for me,” he said.

Chagnon is looking forward to another exciting year promoting the Randolph WildCats. “Sports information is a field that is always changing and evolving, and it is intriguing to learn new ways to deliver information,” Chagnon said. “I have always been passionate about sports, and it was something that my parents, my grandfather, and I really shared with each other as I grew up.

“Being able to come to work every single day with a love for what you do, it makes life that much more enjoyable,” he added.

WildCat ROOOOARRRRR Heard Across the Country as Fans Send Good Luck Wishes to the Men's Soccer Team!

Friday afternoon WildCat fans gathered in the Quad to send the Randolph men's soccer team good luck wishes and plenty of WildCat spirit. The team left for Redlands, CA earlier in the week and will take on the University of Texas at Tyler Friday night at 8 p.m. EST in the NCAA semi-finals.

Randolph fans are invited to gather in Martin 315 at 8 p.m. for a webcast of the game. Those unable to be on campus can also cheer the WildCats at http://livestats.prestosports.com/redlands
You’ll find the men’s soccer item at the top of the right column—just click the “video” link.

The team, which is just in its fifth season, earned the spot in the Sweet 16 by first defeating Lynchburg College to win the ODAC championship and then toppling No. 2 ranked Christopher Newport 2-1 last weekend. The WildCats also defeated DeSales (PA) 3-2 Sunday to earn the spot at the NCAA Sectional Round.

And the accomplishments keep coming. Coach Bryan Waggoner was named the ODAC Coach of the Year Thursday while Corey Sindle '14 of Gloucester, VA was named the ODAC Player of the Year.

In all, six Randolph WildCat players received awards from ODAC. Sindle earned the squad’s first-ever first-team All-ODAC selection as a forward. Randolph tied for the most All-ODAC selections of any conference team with Roanoke College.

Sindle led the conference in goals and points and was in the top five in assists as well. He currently sits with 15 goals and five assists on the season. Sindle is the first ODAC Player of the Year at the College since 2008 when Lindsay Cross was Player of the Year for softball.

Will Wolf '14 (Goldsboro, NC/Cardinal Gibbons) earned second-team All-ODAC honors in the back for Randolph. Wolf has played in all 22 games this season, starting all but one of those as the captain of the WildCat defense while allowing only 22 goals all season.

Midfielders Jacob Hood '14 (New Market, MD/Linganore), Nick Cornell '13 (Front Royal, VA/Warren Co.) along withforward Timmy Songer '12 (Windsor, VA/Windsor) all earned third team All-ODAC, as did first-year back Coulton Watson '15 (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem). Watson was one of only two first-year players to find his name on the All-ODAC lists.

Waggoner was selected as the league’s top mentor after leading the WildCats to their first-ever ODAC Championship this season along with an 18-5 record. Randolph has posted two win streaks of eight games this year, and also has knocked off two ranked opponents including No. 2 Christopher Newport University in the NCAA Tournament First Round.

Go WildCats!

Men's soccer captures ODAC title, advances to NCAA

Randolph College's men's soccer team was founded only five years ago. Now, it has won a conference title and will advance to the NCAA National Championship Tournament.

The team bested cross-town rival Lynchburg College 2-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference finals Saturday night at WildCat Stadium.

This Saturday, they will compete at Christopher Newport University in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Coached by Bryan Waggoner, the WildCats have had an impressive season on the soccer field. Winning the past six games, they have scored a 16-5 record.

For details on last Saturday's championship game against LC, check out coverage in The News & Advance, WSET, and Hill City Sports. Find photos from the game at John Shupe Photography's Facebook page. Also, here is a video showing some game highlights:

WildCats Advance to ODAC Championships!

Randolph College's men's soccer team clinched a spot in the ODAC championship final Tuesday night with a thrilling win over Virginia Wesleyan. On Saturday, the WildCats will face the winner of Wednesday's game between Lynchburg College and Eastern Mennonite.

The men's soccer team is the third team in a year to advance to the ODAC championships. The men's basketball team and women's softball team both made it to the finals last season.

For more coverage, please see

http://web.randolphcollege.edu/newsevents/pressreleases/news_detail.asp?id=1348

http://wildcats.randolphcollege.edu/news/update.asp?id=2075

Randolph Wins, Advances in ODAC Tournament

The Randolph College WildCats men's basketball team knocked off Guilford College 75-72 in their opening game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament. The WildCats will meet #1 seeded Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinal round on February 26.

This marks the first ODAC Tournament win in program history in only its second tournament appearance.

ODAC Coach of the Year Clay Nunley has built the fledgling program from scratch over the last four years. Randolph first admitted it's first male students in 2006 after more than a century as a women's college.

Read the story of the rise of the WildCats in the News & Advance > > >

WildCat Den-Men's Basketball > > >

Randolph College Featured in Lacrosse Magazine

Randolph is building its lacrosse tradtion. The men's team, under head coach Scott Ketcham, is about to enter its first full season of NCAA competition after playing an abbreviated schedule last year. At the same time, head coach Alexis Wagner is building a women's team to compete in spring 2010.

Ketcham and his team are the topic of a feature story in the December 2009 issue of Lacrosse magazine. "New Beginnings" looks at the growing pains associated with starting a new NCAA Division III program as well as the opportunities for student athletes.

The article features interviews with Ketcham and two of his players, Nick Randall and Kody Roza. (Read the article here)

"The sport of lacrosse has seen an explosion of interest nationwide in the past decade," says Ketcham. "More and more high school students are looking for an opportunity to continue playing in college. That's where Coach Wagner and I are finding our players - smart students who are serious about their academics first but love the game so much that they want to keep playing."

On the recruiting trail, Ketcham is focused on building depth. Last year, Randolph fielded a 15-man squad in the highly competitive Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Ketcham expects this spring's roster to grow to 22 and is recruiting for a 30-man team next year.

Wagner has recruited 16 players from the Randolph student body to play an intercollegiate schedule this spring and is aggressively recruiting now for next year's inaugural varsity season.

Learn more...

WildCat Men's Lacrosse > > >

WildCat Women's Lacrosse > > >

Subscribe to WildCat Scores and Updates > > >

WildCat Men off to 5-0 start in second season

Coach Clay Nunley and the men's basketball team are off and running for the 2009-10 season. The WildCats have reeled off victories against Gallaudet, Ferrum, Christendom, Shenandoah, and Virginia Intermont en route to a 5-0 start.

Picked to finish 10th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), the WildCats are determined to prove the naysayers wrong and make the conference tournament.

“We have to play with a chip on our shoulders,” says junior Timothy Clarke, a 2009 all-ODAC honorable mention honoree.

The WildCats return five starters including ODAC Rookie of the Year Derrick Woods Morrow, Clarke, Pete Hamilton, Caleb Pearson, and Jason Rutschman.

“These guys got a taste of the ODAC last year,” says WildCats coach Clay Nunley. “We will have a more veteran presence. These guys played a lot of minutes last year. It is a maturation process and they accepted a lot responsibility early. Now is the time to reap some of those benefits.”

Follow the WildCats at wildcats.randolphcollege.edu

Katie Rechnitzer Joins 1,000 Point Club

Senior guard Katie Rechnitzer scored her 1,000th career point on November 22, 2009 as the Randolph Women's Basketball Team defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 68-65.

Rechnitzer, who needed 12 points entering the game to hit the 1,000 point mark for her career, notched the milestone at the 12:34 mark of the second frame when she scored in the paint cutting the lead to 46-44.

Rechnitzer finished with 16 points and a game-high seven assists, becoming the ninth WildCat to reach the 1,000 point plateau. She joins her sister, Sara Rechnitzer '07 who finished her career with 1,009 points.

Game recap > > >

WildCat 1,000 Point Club > > >

• Tara Carleton


• Meghan Stensrud


• Marta Ruggles


• Kai Felton


• Jenn Baptist


• Amy Dameron


• Katie Rechnitzer


• Sylvia Bailey


• Sara Rechnitzer

Follow the WildCats on the Web...

Subscribe to WildCat Scores and News...

WildCat Women Gunning for ODAC Tournament

It's been 10 years since the WildCats tasted the post-season and women's basketball coach Melissa Wiggins says it's time to return to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament.

“It is way overdue,” says Wiggins. “It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m certain we will step up to it.”

The top 8 teams are invited to the playoff. Last year Randolph finished 10th, the same spot they're predicted to finish this year by ODAC coaches.

However, Wiggins is optimistic due to the shooting talent and quickness of her team.

“I see it as a challenge for the other schools,” Wiggins said. “If everyone can play every position (for us) then it is going to be a challenge for them to defend us.”

The WildCats return three starters: Lindsay Cross, Megan Carney, and all-ODAC honorable mention Katie Rechnitzer.

Read the full story in the Lynchburg News & Advance...

Follow the WildCats on the Web...

Subscribe to WildCat Scores and News...

The Biggest WildCat Fan in Afghanistan

Bill Carney sports a Randolph College t-shirt and cap while working out in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Carney is the father of sophomore basketball player Megan Carney and a staunch WildCat supporter.

"I couldn't be happier that Megan is playing for such a terrific coach as Melissa Wiggins," says Carney. "Randolph is a great school where she can strike a balance between her studies and the team. Go WildCats!"


Randolph Around the World
Do you have a photo of yourself sporting Randolph College gear in exotic locales around the world? Share it with us.

Randolph College to Host Girls Sports Clinic

Randolph College will participate in the Virginia Amateur Sports Girls Sports Clinic on September 19, 2009. The clinic is an opportunity for girls, ages 7-13, to experience athletics that they enjoy or are interested in. For more information regarding the event, please visit www.commonwealthgames.org.