Lancers Past

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, the Longwood Lancers cruised to an 85-59 win over UNC-Asheville to earn their second Men's Basketball Big South Conference tournament championship in three years.  Trey Hicks was rehabbing a knee injury and planned to watch the game from the sidelines.  But with Elijah Tucker out with a leg injury and Johan Nziemi disqualified early in the second half, Trey volunteered to play and sacrificed a year of eligibility.   Trey describes his Longwood journey from the joy of earning a basketball scholarship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament to the lows of season altering injuries.    

Listen to Tony Browning and Jeff Rohm talk about their win over Virginia in 1984, highlights of the ‘84 and ‘87 South Atlantic Regionals, and Jeff's move from catcher to third base.  All this and much more on part two of a two-part series. 

Tony Browning, pitcher, and Jeff Rohm, catcher, were long-time friends in the Charlottesville area and they capitalized on that chemistry at Longwood.  As NCAA DII All-South Atlantic Region selections, the duo contributed immediately with help from upperclassmen such as John Sullivan, Sonny Bolton and Allen Lawter. Part one of a two-part series. 

Michael Christmas transferred from JMU to Longwood in August 2021 with high expectations.  He eventually delivered and then some. As a member of Longwood's 2023-2025 teams, the triple threat scorer racked up 1,000+ points and earned all-tournament honors as the Lancers won the Big South Conference Championship in 2024.  Listen to Michael explain how an infection detected after arm surgery nearly cost him his basketball career and his left arm.

For Gray Stabley, Longwood College was the perfect springboard. She competed for three years for legendary gymnastics coach Ruth Budd, earned her BS in Math, and found her first professional passion in meteorology.  After forecasting the weather for 16 years, she hit the road with her husband, Rob, and moved freight across America as an over-the-road truck driver.  Retired from trucking, Gray pours into her longtime passion, genealogy.  It's Gray Stabley on the Lancers Past Podcast! 

Armstrong came to Longwood as a recruited basketball player, but he struggled to balance books and ball.  After one year, he was on academic probation.  With the help of close friends such as teammate Ron Orr and a renewed sense of direction, Adrian applied himself.  At Longwood, he was named to the Dean's list and completed his BS in Psychology.   In 1990, he earned his Juris Doctorate from Pace University (NY).  Known for 10 years as the Honorable Adrian Armstrong, he now presides as a federal Judge for the Elizabeth (NJ) Immigration Court. 

Bill Reinson's dream was to be a Division I Basketball Head coach.  After 10 years as an assistant men's coach at UNC-Greensboro and Longwood, he was named interim and then permanent Head coach for the Longwood women in 2010. He and the Lady Lancers shocked the Big South by advancing to the finals of the tournament in 2013, Longwood's first year as a member.  Reinson was named 2013 Virginia Women's Basketball Coach of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  He resigned as head coach in 2018 and moved back to his native Arizona. He now lives in Southside Virginia and is the university's Human Resources Manager.

How did Bluestone High, a rural school of around 500 students in Mecklenburg County Va, send so many All-Americans and NBA and MLB veterans to Longwood College (Va.) (now Longwood University)?  Doug Toombs, All-American Baseball player, and Steve Crute, College Division All-State Golfer, share their experiences and insight.     From Jerome Kersey to Frankie Watson, Doug and Steve discuss the Bluestone to Longwood pipeline.  Quotes from Carmille Barnette '91, All-American Basketball; Michael Tucker, Longwood All-American Baseball, 12-year MLB veteran; Glenn Bugg '84, Longwood Golf Team MVP, and Sheri Nunn-States, Longwood '83 are sprinkled in the interview.   

Enjoy a compilation of stories recognizing the 10th anniversary (February 18, 2015) of the death of former Longwood basketball legend and NBA standout Jerome Kersey.  Featured interviews include author Kerry Eggers, fellow Bluestone High grads Doug Toombs and Steve Crute, former Longwood assistant basketball coach Mo Schoepfer, Longwood MBB teammates Mitch Walker, Orlando Turner, David Strothers, Kevin Ricks, Ron Orr, Mike Testa, John Rusevlyan, and Randy Johnson, friend Bryan Kersey, and former Longwood soccer coach and instructor Rich Posipanko.

For every Big South Conference trophy that Longwood wins, Troy Austin deserves at least a pat on the back.    In his 12 years as athletic director and the first in the Division I era, Austin helped bring Longwood into the Big South and hired coaches that brought conference championships to Farmville.  Troy Austin left Longwood and returned to his alma mater at Duke in October of 2018 as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Affairs.  He now oversees all athletics fundraising for the Blue Devils as the Deputy Athletic Director for Development. 

As a left-handed pitcher for Head Coach Buddy Bolding,  Tripp Metzger enjoyed working behind the scenes and fueling the success of his teammates such as MLB draftees Jeremy Knicely and LaRon Wilson.  Tripp followed his father and a long line of Longwood Baseball Alumni to teach and coach in high school.   The 2003 Longwood graduate describes how his high school and college coaches helped mold his own philosophy as a servant leader.  Metzger is in his 11th year as the activities director at Mechanicsville High School.

This special 100th episode highlights four years of Catching up with Longwood College and Longwood University student-athletes, coaches and administrators Lancers from the past.  Rich Posipanko, featured on the second podcast in May 2020, joins host Rohn Brown as they re-live favorite episodes and unearth new stories about Cal Luther, Jerome Kersey, and more.  Rohn pays tribute to his mentor and friend, former Longwood Sports Information Director, who passed away on September 26, 2024.        

Zac Watson started his second professional season with BK Ventspils in the Latvian Basketball League in September 2024.  Known as a 6-7 post player at Longwood, Zac reflects on the 2022 Big South Conference Championship season and his new role and development in professional basketball.  As a pre-podcast bonus, Brian Rushing energizes the episode with a signature starting line-up and player introduction.   

Billy Catron and Ron Jones took similar baseball paths, but their experiences were different.  The pair won a state championship at Liberty High (Bedford Co., Va.) and played on a JUCO power at Ferrum.  They reunited at Longwood and shocked the baseball world by beating Valdosta State in the regionals and advancing to the 1982 NCAA DII College World Series.  Billy and Ron team up for an insightful and heartfelt Lancers Past episode. 

Isaiah Wilkins started college basketball as a 17-year freshman at Virginia Tech.  After three new coaches at Tech and Wake Forest, “Chico” found his final home at Longwood.  The Winston-Salem native led the Lancers to two 20-win seasons including the 2022 Big South Conference championship. After a brief stint in Luxembourg last season, Wilkins looks for his next professional basketball opportunity. 

Abbey Freese, now known as Abbey Taylor, made Longwood women's basketball history.  She was part of the first recruiting class as the university started the reclassification process to NCAA Division I.  And she was on the last Lancer team coached by Hall of Famer Shirley Duncan.  As a sports marketing professional, a wife, and mother of two boys, Abbey Duncan's lessons every day.   She received her Masters in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University in Florida and is now the senior account executive and marketing director for Metro Group Miami. 

If you did not follow Longwood men's tennis from 1981-1983 or hang out with members of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, you may not know Bryan Kersey.  But if you watched ACC basketball in the 90s and into the 2000s, chances are you saw him on the court – in black and white stripes.  After earning a reputation as one of the nation's best college basketball referees, Bryan is now the supervisor of officials for 11 conferences including the ACC, A-10, CAA and the Big South.    Growing up as the son of long time NBA official Jess Kersey, Bryan describes how he and his over 200 referees strive for perfection in a challenging and changing game. 

Katie re-lives her basketball playing and coaching career at Coker College as she faced off against Longwood legend Shirley Duncan.  She talks about her stepmother, former UCLA and Minnesota WBB Coach Ellen Mosher Hanson, and her Mount Rushmore of mentors.  Katie shares how she bounced back when her coaching contract was not renewed and the importance of relationship building.     

After leaving Longwood in the fall of 2019, Katie started her career in athletic fundraising at Appalachian State.  Now, the Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Director of Development at George Mason, she talks about her current role and shift to fund raising.  Katie explains why she left college basketball coaching and the challenges of competing in today's NIL landscape.

After five years at Longwood, Anne-Hamilton LeRoy is back home.  She will debut as head coach of the girls' varsity basketball team the Seneca High in South Carolina in the 2024-25 season.    The all-time leading scorer in Seneca history built an impressive resume.  At Longwood, she scored 1,465 points, was named All-freshman and second team all-Big South Conference.  Plus, she helped the Lancers win a Big South Championship and a NCAA tournament game in 2022.  Anne earned her B.S. in Kinesiology and will finish her MBA in June 2024. 

Ricky Yahn begins his 12th season as head coach of the men's basketball team at Concordia University in Ann Arbor Michigan.  After spending two years at Longwood, the 28-year-old Yahn was named head of the NAIA member Cardinals in April 2013.  As a player, Yahn left his mark in Wheeling, WV. At Central Catholic High, the Hall of Fame guard was All-state and won a state championship.   At Wheeling Jesuit University, the three-year starter led the Cardinals to two NCAA Division II appearances and scored 1,467 career points. 

As a transfer from Frank Phillips JC, Dave Strothers made his two Longwood years count.  As a senior, he led the Lancers in scoring and rebounding and made 87% of his career free throws.  For the last 30 years, he applies the same demeanor as a school administrator.   Strothers is the principal of Mayfield Woods Middle School in Howard Co., Md.  Dave faced his biggest test in 2012 as he and his family escaped their burning house.  Dave commends his community for their generousity and former Longwood Head Coach Cal Luther.

Roger Strong and Greg Gilliam were pioneers.  They enrolled at Longwood in the first year of full co-education in 1976-77 and were on the first Men's Basketball team.  In the last game of a 2-12 season, their beloved teammate - Jimmy Yarbrough made history in a 134-93 loss.   The 5-6 Yarbrough scored 46 points and made 16 field goals, records that still stand today.  Listen to Roger and Greg talk about their unique experiences at Longwood and beyond – and their friend, the late Jimmy Yarbrough. 

Byron Bracey was a citizen leader long before it became part of Longwood's admissions literature.  Raised in a family of educators, Byron made Longwood history.  He enrolled in the second year of co-education in the fall of 1977.  Lettering three years on the men's basketball team, he played his part as the Lancers shocked the nation with an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four.   The 1981 graduate left Longwood as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and retired 20 years later as Major Byron Bracey. 

Shortly after Longwood College became fully co-ed, Robert Boyd, Tim White, and company set the tone for Longwood Men's Golf.  Arriving in 1977-78, Longwood experienced early success.  White was named Division III All-American in 1980 and is the only golfer named to the Longwood Athletic Hall of Fame (2016).  In 1982, the Lancers won the College Division of the Virginia Intercollegiate Championship.  Robert is retired and lives in Daniel Island, S.C.  Tim is the golf pro at Lake Chesdin Golf Club in Chesterfield County. 

In Michelle Meadow's 17-year career at Longwood University, she relished her time helping student-athletes.  She worked her way up from assistant athletic director for compliance to LU's athletic director.  As a four-year starter on the Virginia Tech women's softball team, she was elected to the Hokie's Hall of Fame in 2010.  The three time Academic All-American is now the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for the National Junior College Athletic Association. 

Jamal Allen wasted no time in becoming a professional baseball umpire.  Six months after graduating from Longwood, he headed to the Wendelstedt Umpire School and completed a season in the Northwoods League, a collegiate wooden bat circuit.  Last season, Jamal started his professional career in the Florida Complex Rooke League and is expected to umpire in Class A baseball in either the California League, Carolina League, or Florida State League for the 2024 season.  Special commentary from Kyle Nichol, Longwood '14 and  former minor league umpire.          

In just his fourth year at Longwood, Ron Carr's 1993-94 team made their mark.  They finished the season 23-6, #19 in the nation and won the opening game in the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs.  And - they also won 20 straight games.  Carr remains the only Longwood men's coach ever to earn two consecutive trips to the NCAA playoffs.  Ron retired from full-time teaching in Chesterfield County and continues to coach boys' basketball at Cosby High.          

This is a bonus episode and part two of a two-part series. As a utility player, Tim Lowery totaled 49 at bats and batted .285 over two seasons - a solid, but not spectactular career.  But for Coach Buddy Bolding and the Longwood baseball team, Lowery was more than a teammate. He was an unofficial coach with a baseball mind.   Listen to Tim talk about Longwood baseball from his recruitment to his 26-2 pitching victory, to his relationship with his teammates and Coach Bolding.  Former Lancer pitching great David Mitchell is also featured on the podcast.    

This is part one of a two-part series.  Long before Longwood, Tim Lowery wanted to be a health and physical education teacher and baseball coach.  Now retired after 36 years of public-school service in Chesterfield County, Tim touches on Longwood baseball and how it shaped his high school coaching and teaching career.  With 470 victories, one state championship, three regional titles, and 11 district regular-season crowns, Tim is supported by his own all-star team, wife Lori and sons Jake and Luke.  Former Lancer centerfielder and base stealer Turk Crosby comments on Lowery in the beginning of the episode.         

Born with a curiosity about how things work, Mary Beth Wusk found her calling at NASA.  The 34-year veteran is now the Senior Leader of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center at the Langley Research Center in Hampton.   The 1989 graduate and Physics major lettered two years as a setter for the Longwood volleyball team before the program was discontinued.  She earned a second B.S. in Electrical Engineering from ODU. 

When you talk about academic and athletic excellence AND service to peers and your university, Madison Hommey is hard to beat. She completed two degrees from Longwood in five years and was a fixture at midfield for the soccer team.  Known as Maddie, she also received the Dan Daniel Senior Award for Scholarship and Citizenship and a Graduate Fellowship from the Big South Conference.  This fall, Maddie starts her teaching career at Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford County. 

Eliot Dix is the second consecutive Longwood graduate to transfer to a university in a Power 5 conference to play baseball.  He is headed to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill to compete for the starting job at third base.  In three years at Longwood, Eliot batted 340, 341 and 347 and is the only Lancer ever named All-Big South Conference three times.  Eliot earned a B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Communication Studies. 

Joe Kaminski first came to Longwood in 2014 as the Athletic Events and Game Operations Manager and returned a year later as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing Operations.   In July 2023, he left the Colonial Athletic Association to reunite with Jeff Bacon, ASUN Conference commissioner.  In this episode, Joe talks about his 15 years in athletics administration, conference realignment in the CAA, and his new adventure with the ASUN as Senior Associate Commissioner for Sports Administration.

In May 2023, Mallory was named an assistant women's basketball coach at Division I Northern Kentucky.  As a dual sport student-athlete in basketball and softball, Longwood fans remember her enthusiasm and grit.  She received her BS in Business Administration in 2021 and was a two-time Big South Conference All-Academic team selection.  Mal started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Valdosta State (GA) with an assist from Katie Pate, Associate Athletics Director for Development at Appalachian State. 

Kelly Church quickly realized that making the Longwood men's basketball team was not realistic. As an aspiring basketball coach, he poured into his obsession and became a student manager.  This fall, Kelly will start his 26th year as the head coach at Hedgesville High School in eastern West Virginia.  He will also be inducted into the school's Class of 2023 athletic hall of fame. 

Former Head Coach Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez not only elevated the Lancer tennis programs (2017-2021), but his own stock as well.  As a student and coach, Jhonnatan graduated magna cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration from Longwood and teamed with professor Dr. Laura Poe to pen Results Generate Results.  Before Longwood, he ran his own tennis academy in Orlando and was a world class tennis player in his native Venezuela. Medina Alvarez is now a professional pickleball player and a SCRUM master with Markel in Henrico County.  

Saturday, May 15, 1982, Valdosta, Ga. marked one of the top moments in Longwood baseball.  Faced with a depleted pitching staff in the championship game of the South Atlantic Regional, Coach Buddy Bolding turned to a seldom used pitcher in relief - John DiPierdomenico.  JD pitched five innings of shut out ball to earn a 3-1 win over Valdosta State and a berth in NCAA DII CWS.  Catcher Doug Toombs joins JD to re-live one of Longwood's greatest and improbable team accomplishments. 

As a 6-6 post player, Ron Orr was one of the first Lancers to ever score 1,000 career points and haul in 500 rebounds.  During the Orr years (1980-1983), the Lancers were 77-30, including a trip to the 1980 NCAA Division III Final Four.   With a B.S. in Social Work, he served as a principal and administrator in special education and alternative schools in Union and Essex County New Jersey.     

Ryan Marable stood five feet nine and 165 pounds and made the Longwood basketball team as a non-recruited walk-on.  By playing stingy defense and limiting turnovers, he earned substantial minutes at point guard and competed with the best in NCAA Division II.  He passes on his love as a middle and high school coach and founded Local Legends Sports in Chesterfield County.     

The 2012-2013 season was Longwood's first year in the Big South Conference and the women's basketball team made it count.  Despite an 8-10 conference record and a #7 seed, they won three games in four days before falling to the #1 seed Liberty Flames in the tournament finals. While the Lancers were loaded with seniors, they also relied on talented freshmen in their historic run.  Kyndal Skersick was one of those freshmen.  The Orlando resident talks about that team and her life after Longwood. 

Coach Shirley Duncan (1983-2005) coached nine All-Americans, earned four trips to the NCAA Division II tournament, and is the winningest basketball coach in Longwood University history.  Before college coaching, the Lexington Kentucky native and UK graduate taught and coached in Northern Virginia.  She headed back to the Bluegrass State to lead Eastern Kentucky for four years where she won a state title and faced off against a young Tennessee coach in the late Pat Summitt.      

Former president Patricia P. Cormier (1996-2010) envisioned's Longwood's potential in student enrollment, campus expansion and overall exposure.  Listen to Patty describe the journey to NCAA Division I and Big South Conference membership.  She also shares her admiration for Longwood legend Jerome Kersey and how she helped him complete his B.S. in Social Work 22 years after suiting up for the Lancers.       

Junior Burr was a member of perhaps Longwood's most cohesive and talented men's basketball team ever, certainly on the Division II level.  The 1993-94 Lancers racked up 20 straight wins and won a game in the college's first appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament. While his playing time was limited, he applied lessons learned on a bigger stage.   As the founder and owner of Canterbury Enterprises, Inc., Burr's company is a key contributor in commercial construction and real estate development in Virginia.  Canterbury teamed with Skanska USA to build the Joan Perry Brock Center at Longwood University. 

March 2020 signified the start of the Coronavirus epidemic.  But, for six former Longwood gymnasts from the 1980s, they braved the threat and enjoyed a mini reunion where they shared old memories and made new ones.   This third episode of a three-part series highlights Kerri Hruby Kraisser as she reflects on Longwood Gymnastics.  Tammy lives in Ellicott City, Md.  Listen to episodes one and two with teammates Tammy Zeller Pierce and Lynda Chenoweth Loden.  Teresa Robey Belcher, Mary Schaefer Marshburn, and student assistant Dawn Campbell Farrington also attended the reunion.

March 2020 signified the start of the Coronavirus epidemic.  But, for six former Longwood gymnasts from the 1980s, they braved the threat and enjoyed a mini reunion where they shared old memories and made new ones.   This second episode of a three-part series highlights Lynda Chenoweth Loden as she reflects on Longwood Gymnastics.  Lynda lives in Suwanee, Ga.  Listen to episodes one and three with teammates Tammy Zeller Pierce and Kerri Hruby Kraisser.  Teresa Robey Belcher, Mary Schaefer Marshburn, and student assistant Dawn Campbell Farrington also attended the reunion.

March 2020 signified the start of the Coronavirus epidemic.  But, for six former Longwood gymnasts from the 1980s, they braved the threat and enjoyed a mini reunion where they shared old memories and made new ones.   This first episode of a three-part series highlights Tammy Pierce as she reflects on Longwood Gymnastics.  Tammy lives in Mifflinburg Pa.  Listen to episodes two and three with teammates Lynda Chenoweth Loden and Kerri Hruby Kraisser.  Teresa Robey Belcher, Mary Schaefer Marshburn, and student assistant Dawn Campbell Farrington also attended the reunion.

Joe Bass enjoyed the wrestling spotlight in Lancer Hall (now Willett Hall).  With a career record of 48-25, he qualified for the NCAA DII regionals and was a key part in a young program. After retiring from the Army, Joe went back to his family roots and owned and operated restaurants.  Now, as a full retiree in Burke Virginia, Joe reconnects with other Longwood wrestlers and plays golf.   

As an up-and-coming officer in the Army, Joe Bass shared his story to anyone considering college.   He graduated from high school with a 1.93 GPA with dreams of playing college football. He learned quickly that barely passing was not enough.  With the help of coaches and ROTC mentors, Joe found his way to Longwood and then to the U.S. Army where he worked his way up to Brigadier General, Longwood's first in active duty. 

Longwood assistant women's basketball coach Loretta Coughlin talks about Cassie Ensley from recruitment to graduation in this special 20-minute podcast.  Coughlin assisted Head Coach Shirley Duncan from 1985-1998, served as Softball Head Coach from 1986-1995, and taught 20 years at Longwood in the Department of Kinesiology.   She retired from Albemarle County Public Schools in June 2022 after a 17-year teaching career.  Listen to a related Lancers Past podcast, a 40-minute interview with Cassandra Ensley Storer.

After sitting out for most of two seasons, Cassie Ensley took full advantage of her fifth year.  Now known as Cassandra Ensley Storer, the 5-6 guard made history in 1995 as the first Longwood women's basketball team to play in the NCAA Division II tournament.  After dropping 464 points in her final season, she ranks #8 in career scoring, #2 in made 3PTs, and #5 in assists.  Cassandra was named Honorable Mention All-American and First Team Academic All-American.  She teaches foreign languages in the Fairfax County Public Schools. Listen to a bonus episode! Loretta Coughlin shares her insight on Cassie from recruitment to graduation in a special 20-minute Lancers Past Podcast.  This episode is part of a series celebrating Lancer/Willett Hall. The new Joan Perry Brock Center replaces Willett as LU's basketball home in the fall of 2023.