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With representatives from all 13 Big South-affiliated programs, 129 Longwood student-athletes earned Big South Presidential Honor Roll honors for maintaining a grade point average of at least 3.0, and 12 received Commissioner’s Cup recognition for posting a 4.0 for the entire 2020-21 academic year.

That performance comes on the heels of a record-setting spring that saw the department post a record 3.19 GPA for the academic year, buoyed by a spring semester that saw every team notch a GPA north of 3.0.

The 129 honorees are the second most in Longwood’s Division I era and mark a second straight year with at least 125 selections to the Big South Conference’s annual Presidential Honor Roll. With 129 of its 196 countable student-athletes appearing on the list, the Longwood athletics department had 65.8% of its student-athlete population accounted for.

Longwood men’s basketball, in the program’s third year under head coach Griff Aldrich, led all Big South men’s basketball teams with 11 selections and was the only men’s basketball program with double-digit selections. Longwood men’s soccer tied for third among its Big South opponents with 20 selections, and women’s soccer tallied 23 slots, with seven student-athletes earning the Big South Commissioner’s Award with a perfect 4.0 GPA, tying for first with both Campbell and Radford in commissioner’s awards.

In addition, Longwood field hockey — a member of the Mid-American Conference — would have had 14 of its student-athletes meet the Big South Presidential Honor Roll requirements, giving Longwood 143 student-athletes reaching the 3.0 milestone in 2020-21.

Of the 123 Big South Presidential Honor Roll selections, an even dozen across three programs maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA to earn the prestigious Big South Commissioner’s Award: Nicole Fordyce (women’s lacrosse), Harper Melton (women’s lacrosse), Haley Moomau(women’s lacrosse), Madison Hommey (women’s soccer), Mary Kate Levush (women’s soccer), Madison Lockamy (women’s soccer), Emily Mothersbaugh (women’s soccer), Carrier Reaver (women’s soccer), Danielle Toone (women’s soccer), Isa Villarreal (women’s soccer), Mason Basdikis (softball) and Sydney Jacobsen (softball).

The Commissioner’s Awards are the latest in a long list of noteworthy honors for several of those Lancers this summer, including Reaver, who was named the Big South George A. Christenberry Award winner, the Big South Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an Academic All-American, a Sally Barksdale Hargrett Prize for Academic Excellence winner and a co-valedictorian at Longwood; and Hommey, who received the Dan Daniel Senior Award for Scholarship and Citizenship at Longwood.

Along with Longwood’s 12 Commissioner’s Award recipients, 23 received Gold Award honors for a GPA between 3.75-3.99, and 35 earned Silver Awards recognition for marks between 3.50-3.74.

Longwood’s representation on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll was widespread, with all 13 eligible programs placing at least three student-athletes on the list. Longwood women’s soccer, under 28th year head coach Todd Dyer, led the department with 23 selections, while the men’s soccer program, under Jon Atkinson, added 20 selections. Longwood women’s lacrosse, under ninth-year head coach Elaine Jones, had 16 student-athletes selected, and baseball added 15 selections. Longwood men’s basketball and Longwood softball, with 11 selections in their first season under head coach Dr. Megan Brown, rounded out the Lancers’ top six on the team leaderboard.

Additionally, 13 Longwood student-athletes doubled up on Big South awards this year by adding Big South Presidential Honor Roll to their All-Big South accolades: Sydney Backstrom (softball), Mason Basdikis (softball), Kennedy Culbreath (women’s soccer), Alex Dinger(women’s soccer), Eliot Dix (baseball), Lauren Fox (softball), Nia Green (softball), Sydney Jacobsen (softball), Emily Mothersbaugh (women’s soccer), Carrie Reaver (women’s soccer), Tra’Dayja Smith (women’s basketball), Madison Van Dyke (women’s soccer) and Kiersten Yuhas (women’s soccer).

The Big South Presidential Honor Roll announcement punctuates another outstanding season for Longwood athletics in the classroom. The Lancers’ 200-plus student-athletes achieved a record-breaking 3.19 GPA during the academic year. That came on the strength of a record 3.26 spring GPA in the midst of a dizzying stretch of games and matches. Every team finished with a GPA above the 3.0 mark in the spring.

BIG SOUTH COMMISSIONER’S

AWARD (4.0 GPA)

Nicole Fordyce (Women’s Lacrosse)

Harper Melton (Women’s Lacrosse)

Haley Moomau (Women’s Lacrosse)

Madison Hommey (Women’s Soccer)

Mary Levush (Women’s Soccer)

Madison Lockamy (Women’s Soccer)

Emily Mothersbaugh (Women’s Soccer)

Carrie Reaver (Women’s Soccer)

Danielle Toone (Women’s Soccer)

Isa Villarreal (Women’s Soccer)

Mason Basdikis (Softball)

Sydney Jacobsen (Softball)