For immediate release - 5/4/2009 - #359
No Surprises as Lynchburg Athletic Department Announces Top Awards
Tyler Tolson and Brittany Allsop Earn Senior Awards
LYNCHBURG, VA - All-time men's lacrosse goal leader Tyler Tolson (Lutherville, MD/Loyola Blakefield) and softball stand-out Brittany Allsop (Milford, CT/Johnathan Law) took home the top awards Monday night at the 2008-09 Lynchburg College Athletic Awards Banquet. 
Tolson, the LC Male Senior Award winner, finished the 2009 season as the school's all-time leading goal scorer, netting 173 goals in his four seasons. With the 2009 awards yet to be released, he earned All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and All-State accolades the last two seasons, and received honorable mention All-American honors.
Allsop, the Female Senior Award winner and the Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year, has started in centerfield for the Hornets the last three seasons. She has hit .380 for her career, scoring 159 career runs and stealing 49 bases. Allsop was recently named the ODAC Scholar Athlete of the Year for softball and also nabbed first-team honors, the third-straight season that she was recognized by the conference.
Ricky Flynn (Gaithersburg, MD/Damascus) earned the Male Athlete of the Year. He finished 14th at the Division III Cross Country Nationals to take a spot on the All-American team and won the ODAC title by a full 30 seconds over the nearest competitor. Flynn also was an All-American in indoor track, placing fifth in the 5,000, and was named the Regional Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Field hockey star Allie Weir (Midlothian, VA/James River) and softball pitcher/designated player Katie Bruce (Lanexa, VA/Lafayette) shared the Female Athlete of the Year honors. Weir was named the ODAC field hockey Player of the Year and also obtained All-American stature after leading the ODAC with 35 goals. She garnered first-team all-conference, all-region and all-state consideration.
Bruce contributed both at the plate and in the circle this year for the NCAA Tournament bound Hornets. She has a 20-1 record in 134.1 innings pitched, striking out 108 with a 1.77 ERA. Bruce has a .320 average, batting mainly out of the clean-up spot, with nine home runs and a team-best 44 RBI. She earned second-team all-conference honors as a pitcher this spring.
James Bell (Huddleston, VA/Staunton River) and Dylan Hoff (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East) shared Male Rookie of the Year glory, while Beverly Hoath (Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon) nabbed the Female Rookie of the Year honor. Bell qualified for national competition this winter in the pole vault and broke the school record in the event. Hoff has netted 32 goals this season, second on the squad, and also has 16 assists and 23 ground balls. Hoath was named the ODAC and All-State Rookie of the Year and was a first-teamer in the conference, state and region.
Benjamin Phelps (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage), a sophomore forward on the men's soccer team, joined Allsop as the top Scholar Athletes. LC President Dr. Kenneth Garren received the Betty Spencer Award, given to the top Hornet Fan of the Year.
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