Many of this fall’s sports teams would not have achieved what they did without the help of a few select standouts in each sport. Guilford College is proud to congratulate those athletes and recognize their achievements. The football team exceeded all expectations this year, as did nearly all the players on the team, but none more so than first-year quarterback Josh Vogelbach. The rookie snap-taker was ODAC Player of the Week twice, Football Gazette Division III Offensive Player of the Week, ODAC Freshman of the Year, and made the All-ODAC second team.
In his first campaign, Vogelbach set NCAA Division III season records for attempts (475), completions (280), passing yards (3,549), passing touchdowns (37), and total offense in a season (3,638).
On the receiving end of many of those passes from Vogelbach was Guilford’s first-team All-ODAC wide receiver Chris Barnette. In addition to All-Conference, Barnette was ODAC Player of the Week and was selected for the D3football.com Team of the Week.
Barnette also holds the honor of being the leading receiver among all Division III schools, with 101 receptions for 1,369 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Guilford Punter and Place Kicker Travis Frazier received first-team All-ODAC recognition for his booming punts this year. This marked Frazier’s third straight year of receiving All- ODAC laurels, despite this being his first year as a punter.
Senior Ian Kirwan, Guilford’s only offensive lineman who received All-ODAC accolades centered the big five this year. For their performance against Catholic, Kirwan and the rest of the line was selected by D3football.com as the Offensive Line of the Week.
Junior Micah Rushing is Guilford’s 4th and final offensive player to receive All-ODAC honors. Rushing received honorable mention, just barely missing out on second team, despite finishing with 79 catches, 937 yards, and 13 total touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Mario Paylor received second-team All-ODAC honors. Paylor, a defensive team leader for the Quakers this year, ranked second on the team and twelfth in the conference in tackles, at 6.5 per game.
Devon White, a junior transfer from Arizona, also earned second-team All-ODAC performance this season. White shared the league lead with six interceptions, including 2 a piece in Guilford’s final 2 games.
Sharing the All-ODAC spotlight on the defensive side of the ball with Paylor and White is Scottie Byrd, receiving an honorable mention. Byrd was the top defensive lineman for the Quakers, ranking fourth in the conference for tackles for loss per game (1.25).
Not to be over shadowed, the women’s soccer team also produced a couple of standouts on the way to their first ever trip to the conference finals.
The play of junior Jennah Carter aided the ladies greatly in their success this season. Carter received first-team All-ODAC, Second Team ESPN, and CoSIDA Academic All-District III honors. She also was ODAC Player of the Week twice.
Carter lead the ODAC in points (54) and goals (23) and finished third in assists with eight.
Helping Carter in the record-setting season for the women’s soccer team was captain Chelsea Glover, who gave a second-team All-ODAC performance. Glover tallied 13 points while controlling the midfield for the Quakers.
Though the men’s soccer team had a down year, several players earned post-season awards.
Lenny Niedosik, who captained the young men’s soccer team this year received Second Team ESPN The magazine and CoSIDA Academic All-District III honors. Niedosik, a senior defender, started 16 of the 17 contests this season, and tallied one goal and two assists.
Andres Miranda received second-team All-ODAC accolades for his performances this past season. He notched eight goals and three assists while providing veteran leadership for a young team.
George Bowen received honorable mention. Bowen, a defender, scored a goal in 17 different appearances this season. Also, he aided the team in recording three shutouts and a 2.03 team goal against average
Making the move from the field to the hardwood, Brittani Leathern received honorable mention All-ODAC recognition for her achievements in volleyball. A middle hitter, Brittani led the Quakers in kills with 282, blocks with 38, and points with 330.5.
And, in just its second year of existence, Cross Country Team produced two All-State runners. For the women, Laurie Henninger received ODAC Runner of the Week Oct. 16, in addition to all-state recognition.
Meanwhile, Kevin Smith earned All-State laurels for the men’s team. His best finish came at The Old North State Collegiate Championships where he placed an impressive 15th out of 42 runners.
This season, Guilford produced several stand-out athletes. Guilford is proud to recognize their accomplishments, both on and the field, as well as to wish the best of luck to all of them, whether they return to the athletic fields or move on to other pursuits.