For Immediate Release May 9, 2001
Layman, Smith, and Leftwich Get Top Honors
All Three Named RC Athletes of the Year
SALEM, VA--Roanoke College seniors Amy Layman (Salem, VA/Salem) and Casey Smith (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee) were both named the school’s Female Athletes of the Year, while men’s basketball player Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) was awarded the Male Athlete of the Year honor. Layman’s selection is the first ever for a Roanoke softball player, while Smith becomes the third RC female athlete to win the award twice. Leftwich is the second consecutive men’s basketball player to garner the honors. Layman, a senior who splits her time between the pitcher’s circle and centerfield, was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the third time in her four year career and has helped the Maroons compile a 38-8 overall record. Layman has appeared in all of RC’s games this season and has a 19-5 record with a 0.84 earned run average. She has struck out 100 batters this season, the first triple-digit strike out season in team history. She is also batting .349, with 53 hits and 31 runs batted in. The softball team is currently 38-8 on the season and will begin play in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional on Friday.
Smith continued her showing as one of the nation’s top distance runners during the 2000-2001 season. In cross country, she won her second consecutive conference championship and went on to place 27th in the nation at the NCAA Division III national championship, earning her second straight All-American honor in the process. During the indoor track & field season, Smith was named the Athlete of the Meet at the ODAC championships after setting conference records in both the 1,500 and 3,00 meters. She placed second in the country in the 5,000 meters at the national indoor championships, again gaining All-American status. At the conference’s outdoor championship, Smith claimed individual titles in 800, 1,500, and 3,000 meters and was named the Co-Athlete of the Meet. She has qualified for the outdoor national meet in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. The outdoor national championships will be held at Millikin College on May 24-26.
Leftwich was named to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference First Team All-Star squad after a men’s basketball season in which he finished first on the Maroon club in rebounding and third on the team in scoring. The senior averaged 8.6 rebounds and 11.5 points per game for the Maroons, who went 22-7 during the 2000-2001 season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Leftwich completed the season ranked first on the team in field goal percentage (.610), fourth in assists (45), and third in steals (43). The Roanoke native also completed his Roanoke career ranked third on the school’s all-time field goal shooting percentage chart. Leftwich made 58.7 percent of his shots from the field in his career.