The Roanoke College Athletic Department announced their 2020-21 award winners on Monday afternoon. The announcement of the four awards comes after an unprecedented season that would see all sports competing, in condensed schedules, over a three and a half month period due to the pandemic.
After each academic and athletic year, the department selects the Outstanding Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year as well as the winner of the Paul Rice award for the student-athlete that has made a significant impact on the Roanoke College campus as well as the Mike Murphy award for a student-athlete that has overcome adversity to achieve his/her academic and athletic goals.
After a season that would see the Roanoke College men's swim team capture their first ever Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship, Connor Kinkema was named the Outstanding Men's Athlete of the Year. Kinkema had a significant contribution on the ODAC winning team that won the conference championship by 209 points, 1001 to 792. During the ODAC Championships, the junior would break three conference and school records (400 Individual Medley, 100, and 200 Breaststroke) and for his efforts was named not only a 1st team All ODAC swimmer, but he was also named the 2021 ODAC Men's Swimmer of the Meet. After the season, Kinkema was named 1st team and Men's Swimmer of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Earlier this month, Kinkema was named a 2021 All American by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches of America (CSCAA) in the breaststroke.
In late May, the final athletic event for the 2020-21 Roanoke College season took place when a pair of runners made the field at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In the 400m Hurdles, Hannah Koepfinger wrapped up a season that would see the junior finish 14th in the nation on her way to being named the Outstanding Women's Athlete of the Year. Koepfinger was named 1st team All ODAC after winning the 400m Hurdles in a time of 1:03.96, the top time in the conference this season. In the 100m Hurdles, she would post the third fastest time of the year and earn a spot on the All ODAC 3rd team. The versatile Koepfinger was honored during the indoor season as an All ODAC 2nd team member in the long jump as well as a VaSID All State selection in the jumps.
The Paul W. Rice award recipient for 2021 was Roanoke College softball outfielder, Rebecca Hensley. A graduating junior, Hensley wrapped up her stellar Roanoke softball career with batting average of .379. During her time in a Maroons uniform, Hensley registered 100 hits, 14 doubles, five triples, and a home run. Her 75 runs, 45 RBI, and 30 stolen bases were accumulated in just 81 games. Hensley was named 1st team All ODAC in 2019 and returned as a 2nd team member this season, no All ODAC team was selected in 2020 due to the pandemic. Off the field, the Political Science major was a member of Alpha Chi, Pi Sigma Alpha, Alpha Lambda Delta, National Society of Leadership and Success, as well as earning a spot on the Dean's List each semester. Some of her internship and research positions include; Roanoke College research Assistant, Habitat for Humanity, White House Internship Program, and Office of Congressman Morgan Griffith. Hensley was the Roanoke College nomination for the ODAC's annual Marjorie Berkley Award.
Roanoke College men's soccer senior Philani Mlotshwa was named the winner of the 2021 Michael R. Murphy award. The award, named for former men's basketball player Mike Murphy, is awarded each year to the student-athlete that demonstrates extraordinary perseverance in accomplishing their academic and athletic goals. Mlotshwa came to salem in 2017 as an international student from Zimbabwe. Overcoming the normal barriers and hurdles that an international student faces, Philani quickly became a top player on the team in his first two years, earning All ODAC honors in 2018. During the offseason, he experienced knee pain and discovered that he had played with a partially torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and had to undergo surgery. Returning to the field for his junior year, Mlotshwa was able to play 14 games for a team that earned a berth in the 2019 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. Losing a majority of the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, he played in all nine games this past spring. For his career, the midfielder played in 55 games while scoring six goals with seven assists, including three game winning goals. Off the field, in addition to earning his degree with a pair of minors, Mlotshwa was able to give back to Zimbabwe through a program that provided clothes and equipment to kids, helped to run a youth soccer academy in Roanoke, and participated in the NCAA Diversity Conference.
