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Sophomore Jake Hart shoots a free throw against Roanoke in the ODAC Semifinals at the Salem Civic Center. Despite suffering its worst free throw percentage since the 2008-2009 season , the University of Lynchburg men’s basketball team earned 14 wins and advanced to the conference semifinals in the most recent college basketball campaign. As evidenced by the team’s four wins in 2008, free throws are a crucial element to success by offering multiple unobstructed shots following illegal contact.  Lynchburg made 344 of its 557 free throws during the 2024-2025 season; the team’s 61.8 shooting percentage finished last in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference despite the Hornets taking the fourth-most attempts ( 2024-2025 Men’s… , n.d.).  The team’s number of free throw attempts and makes skyrocketed as conference play arrived later in the season. These improvements coincided with closer scorelines, as tight matchups often require last-minute fouls to prevent the clock from dwindling to zero. Completing his 17th season, head coach Hilliary Scott  recognized a correlation between the team’s presence close to the basket and free throw attempts.   “One of the things we stress is getting paint touches,” Scott said. “The byproduct of paint touches is getting to the line, shooting higher percentages around the basket, or opening up for threes.” With the team utilizing two forwards in the paint, the Hornets excelled in getting to the free-throw line. The number of misses, however, could be a product of several other obstacles. “We’ve had some injuries this year,” said Scott. “Jayson [Easton] would add something, Mason [Makovec] would’ve gotten to the line as well. Piercen [Young] had stretches where he was hurt this year.” Easton led the team and shot 78 percent from the free throw line before his injury in early December. For those that underperformed, as junior guard Piercen Young  stated, it remains crucial to continue attacking. “Even if you’re struggling, your numbers aren’t going to get better unless you shoot more of them,” said Young. “Getting there is better than thinking, ‘Oh, I can’t bring down my percentage.’” Even with subpar shooting performances, the team experienced heightened success when starters made more free throws than average, as shown below.  https://youtube.com/shorts/WnByJjTTaIA?si=WcoG_DTexAcvp3TE   Lynchburg only outperformed its opponents from the line in three of its 13 losses. An even more drastic difference, however, lies in the team’s percentage on the road during conference play. The Hornets will only lose two players to graduation following this season, hoping to remain competitive in the ODAC. For access to team stats, click here . Sources List: Hilliary Scott – Head Men’s Basketball Coach scott.h@lynchburg.edu Piercen Young – Student Athlete, Men’s Basketball Team youngp528@lynchburg.edu   2024-2025 Men’s Basketball - Overall Statistics . Old Dominion Athletic Conference. (n.d.). https://odaconline.com/stats.aspx?path=mbball&year=2024   2024-2025 Men’s Basketball Cumulative Stats . Lynchburg Sports. (n.d.). https://lynchburgsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats (DATA SOURCE) GAME-BY-GAME tab is used for season totals, INDIVIDUAL tab is used for player stats

Frank Csorba, a six-time All American and national champion for the Lynchburg men's distance medley relay, passed away in Apr. 2024. On Jack M. Toms Track at the University of Lynchburg, speed is always the name of the game. But on Friday, April 11th, as the track & field team prepare to host a memorial lap honoring the late Frank Csorba, a crowd of walkers might offer the loudest footsteps. Almost one year after Csorba’s unexpected passing, the team will host a memorial walk at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic. Where will it take place? None other than Csorba’s favorite place to run: lane eight. “There was one block of training for about six to eight weeks after a little nagging issue he had, and I think he ran about every single mile of 100-mile weeks in lane eight,” said head distance coach Jake Reed. “We kind of joked that it’s Frank’s lane and he owns that lane.” At Lynchburg, Csorba was a six-time All American and national champion in the men’s distance medley relay. As a result, it's little surprise he will be the first honoree on the new Enza Steele Champions Walk. “Frank did a lot, not just for the program but for the school,” said student-athlete Jacob Hodnett. “He was always a friendly face around campus, and always open to talk to people, so I think he had a large impact overall on the school.” The new plaque is located just footsteps away from where the teams memorialized Frank last spring. Team members left their shoes under the scoreboard in the waning days of the season. Now, his plaque will stand firm forever, much like Csorba’s impact on his closest friends. “I think the statue is a great commemoration of what Frank was and who he stood for,” said close friend Tor Hotung-Davidsen. “It immortalizes him and what he did for this program, and that statue represents every bond he created on this team and all the hard work he put in.” The men’s invitational mile section at Dennis Craddock is now named in Frank’s honor. Along with the memorial walk and plaque dedication, Coach Reed expects the lightning quick field to honor Frank with some fast times. “This was the last race he did, and he did it for the boys. He paced this race.” For more information about the memorial walk, visit www.lynchburgsports.com .  For the full video package, click here . Contact List: Jake Reed (Head Cross Country Coach): reed_s@lynchburg.edu Jacob Hodnett (Student-Athlete): hodnetj733@lynchburg.edu Tor Hotung-Davidsen (Student-Athlete): hotungt972@lynchburg.edu

LHSN student worker Ethan Marotske prepares a camera and tripod for Lynchburg's home softball broadcast at Moon Field. With 18 sports teams competing for the University of Lynchburg, the institution’s Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network staff remains focused on employing one key demographic group to assist with broadcasts: the students. The network, known throughout campus as LHSN, streams each home athletic event throughout the academic year on YouTube. Many weekends feature multiple teams competing on campus; student workers provide expertise for camera work, stats and announcing to assist the three full-time athletic communications staff members,  “We just have to give them a good framework for what we need, and then let their skills and talents drive us to our next point,” said athletic director Jon Waters when discussing student workers. “We never would have made it this far if it was just based on full-time paid professionals.” While the University does not offer a sports broadcasting major, LHSN provides opportunities for students to expand production knowledge while earning hourly wages. “To be able to do it as early as I was able to made it a lot easier for me and others coming through the system,” said student broadcaster Ethan Marotske. “When others learn about it, more people want to work for LHSN.” For many workers, responding to technology issues on the fly is crucial when entering sports occupations. “It’s about staying calm and knowing we’re never going to have a perfect broadcast,” said Marotske. “The problem can be fixed.” Though students have become crucial members for production, director of communications Ely Shilling understands the importance for full-time staff members to teach newcomers. “Often, we’ll have three different events in three different locations,” said Shilling. “We try to space out our full-time staff to each be at one location and fill out the remaining spots with students.” To express interest in working with LHSN, contact shilling_e@lynchburg.edu .  ### For a photography story regarding LHSN’s student workers, click here . Sources: Jon Waters (Athletic Director): waters.j@lynchburg.edu Ethan Marotske (Student Broadcaster): (703) 579-7871 Ely Shilling (Director of Communications): shilling_e@lynchburg.edu

Assistant coach Thomas Chandler practices with the beach volleyball squad on its home court at the University of Lynchburg. Throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, four coaches have collaborated to jointly assist with the University of Lynchburg’s three volleyball programs. Last year, Lynchburg’s athletic department welcomed the creation of a men’s volleyball program, just one year removed from the inaugural beach volleyball campaign for the Hornets. Though different individuals carry head coaching responsibilities for each program, the committee of Kevin Cardoza, Ryan Turner, Ryan Chandler and Nathan Moore remains dedicated to sharing time with each team. “It’s not good enough if the women’s program has success and no one else has success,” said director of women’s volleyball Kevin Cardoza. “We want to make sure that all 60 of our student-athletes are getting a championship experience, on and off the court.” Lynchburg’s coaches not only strive to advocate equal time among the teams, but as assistant coach Thomas Chandler states, each sport requires different tactics and mindsets. “Indoor has six people on the court at a time; beach has two people,” said Chandler. “In beach, you don’t get as much time to think about what you’re doing. You just have to do it.” Despite the coaching prowess, however, the staff’s teamwork is continually cited as the factor that allowed the opening season to prosper. “No one here has an ego, and no one here thinks that they know more.” Coach Cardoza said. While the women’s indoor volleyball team returned to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017, the squad’s success translated to other programs’ portfolios.  “It’s very special to have all the guys [coaches] here,” said indoor and beach volleyball athlete Kailey Keough. “Each of them gives different perspectives to indoor and beach, and it’s really nice because they all know different things.” For additional information regarding the volleyball programs’ upcoming schedules, visit www.lynchburgsports.com .  ### To hear the audio story, click here . Sources: Kevin Cardoza (Director of Women’s Volleyball): cardoza_k@lynchburg.edu Thomas Chandler: (Volleyball Assistant Coach): chandler_t@lynchburg.edu Kailey Keough (Student-Athlete): keoughk992@lynchburg.edu