For Immediate Release
June 11, 2001


Casey Smith Named Top ODAC Scholar-Athlete
Senior Was 10,000Meter Nation Champ, Held Down 3.935 GPA

SALEM, VA— Roanoke’s Casey Smith (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee) has been awarded the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s Marjorie Berkley Award, an honor annually handed out to the conference’s top female scholar-athlete. The award, which is the highest academic honor handed out by the league, is given to the student-athlete that best exemplifies the ‘true’ Division III athlete, rewarding excellence in the classroom and on the field. Smith is the first student-athlete, male or female, to win the ODAC’s scholar-athlete award (it has been awarded since 1981). Aaron Kauffman of Eastern Mennonite was this season’s male winner (Doc Jopson Award).

Smith’s athletic career reached a pinnacle on May 24th when she captured the national championship in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championships in Decatur, IL. Smith’s national title was the first of any sort, team or individual, for the college since 1978. She went on to place third in the 5,000 meters, a race that she took second in at the NCAA indoor track & field championships in March. Smith earned All-American honors three times during her track & field career. She won 12 ODAC championships in her four-year tenure in Salem, and holds every Roanoke distance record. 

During the cross country season, Smith placed 27th in the country, and for the second straight season earned All-American status. She was 23rd at the 1999 NCAA cross country meet. Twice during her cross country career, Smith was the ODAC champion and Runner of the Year. 

Following the 2000-2001 season, Smith shared Roanoke’s Female Athlete of the Year award, marking the second consecutive season she has earned a piece of the award. 

In May, Smith graduated from the college with a degree in Business with concentrations in Accounting and Finance. During her college career, Smith held down a 3.935 grade point average.