The South Atlantic Conference and AstroTurf Present Senior Spotlights Featuring Lincoln Memorial Softball, Lacrosse and Track & Field

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – In light of the recent events of the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the remainder of the 2020 South Atlantic Conference spring sports seasons, the SAC along with its corporate partner AstroTurf, will be presenting the SAC AstroTurf Senior Spotlights. These highlights will showcase the spring sports teams at each of our 12 institutions and will give fans a brief overview of the team's shortened season, while highlighting the 2020 senior student-athletes on each team.

We continue our AstroTurf Senior Spotlights with the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters and the softball, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's track and field teams. 

SOFTBALL

The Lincoln Memorial softball team finished the season ranked No. 14 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NCAA Division II National Poll with an overall record of 16-5, going 2-2 in SAC play. The Railsplitters opened the season with a 10-game winning streak, going 11-1, and we ranked as high as No. 8 nationally. They were ranked inside the top-15 nationally all year and they outscored opponents 138-21 in 21 games, including a thrilling 1-0 win over nationally ranked No. 9 North Georgia.

The Railsplitters featured three senior standout players: Ty-Kella Goins, Justice Smith, and Savannah Daniel. 

Goins, a three-time first team All-SAC selection at second base, batted .362 for the year with two doubles, two home runs, seven stolen bases and eight RBIs. She also scored 25 runs and drew seven walks.

Smith, a right-handed pitcher, threw 36 and two-thirds innings compiling a 2-1 record with two complete games and a 2.86 ERA. She allowed just 15 runs on 35 hits and struck out 21 batters during the 2020 season.

Daniel, an outfielder, batted .167 for the year with three hits, two stolen bases and seven runs scored.

2020 Railsplitter Softball Seniors

WOMEN'S LACROSSE
The Railsplitter women's lacrosse team went 2-3 overall with a 1-0 record in SAC play during the shortened 2020 season. LMU started the year with a 14-6 win over Barton in non-conference action and then picked up their second win of the season against Montevallo, 16-9, on Feb. 29.

The LMU women's lacrosse program looks to graduate five seniors this May.

Senior defender Abbie Bruns totaled 24 appearances and 19 starts as a defender and compiled 14 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers for LMU women's lacrosse.

Senior defender Riannon Beddington compiled 49 starts, 47 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers and four draw controls in addition to an All-SAC honorable mention selection in 2019.

Throughout three years and 47 starts, senior defender Zoe Zervos put together a pair of All-SAC First Team honors, as well as 25 goals, nine assists, 125 ground balls, 79 caused turnovers and 65 draw controls before suffering a season-ending injury in the preseason of her 2020 campaign.

Senior attack Rachel Bernhardt marked 11 starts, 14 goals, seven assists, 15 ground balls, five caused turnovers and 10 draw controls for the Railsplitters.

Senior attack Kennedy Buechner recorded 51 starts, 98 goals, 33 assists, 55 ground balls, a dozen caused turnovers and 19 draw controls in her time with the Railsplitter women's lacrosse program.

2020 Railsplitter Women's Lacrosse Seniors

MEN'S LACROSSE
The Lincoln Memorial University men's lacrosse team went 2-4 overall with a 0-1 record in the SAC during the 2020 season. After suffering a few setbacks to start the season, the Railsplitters picked up back-to-back wins over Davenport (19-11) and Palm Beach Atlantic (15-14).  

LMU lacrosse program looks to graduate 10 seniors in May.

Trenton Cameron spent 889:20 minutes in between the pipes for the Railsplitters throughout 18 appearances over the past two years. Cameron marked 169 saves and recorded a 47.2 save percentage for the Railsplitters.

Midfielder Robert Tucker garnered preseason All-SAC First Team in 2020 and was All-SAC Second Team selection in 2019. He had 72 goals, 45 assists, 102 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers in 52 games of action during his career.

Noah Alvarez, a defender contributed seven ground balls and a caused turnover in 13 appearances.

John Page played in the defensive end for six games and marked a pair of shots and ground balls.

Hunter Clark, the face-off midfielder, played in 45 games notching nine goals, one assist, 271 ground balls, 1 caused turnover and compiled a .627 face-off percentage (432-737) for LMU.

Defender Nathan Caldwell played in 34 games totaling 57 ground balls and caused 29 turnovers. 

Chad Walters, a midfielder, made 47 appearances tallying 23 goals, eight assists, 56 ground balls, and 17 turnovers. 

Senior midfielder Craig Settles totaled 11 goals, 17 assists, 21 ground balls and six caused turnovers in 47 appearances for the Railsplitters.

Defender Will Britt calculated three assists, 94 ground balls and 45 caused turnovers in 49 games played in the Railsplitter uniform.

Reggie Golfin, a redshirt-senior midfielder appeared in 49 games over the course of his Railsplitter career compiling 38 goals, 11 assists, 46 ground balls, and four caused turnovers.

2020 Railsplitter Men's Lacrosse Seniors

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
The LMU women's track and field team placed ninth at the 2020 SAC Indoor Championship. Highlighting the championship for the Railsplitters was Jalesia Tillman's first place finish in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.66 seconds. Maria Chellah's first place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:23 and Morgan Salyers' third place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 11.32 meters.

Leading the way for the Railsplitters were seniors Jordan Crawford and Kate Zander.

Crawford, a sprinter, was a member of two LMU record setting indoor relay teams, the 4x100 and 4x400.

Zander, a sprinter and jumper, was also a member of the LMU record setting 4x400 relay team, as well as being the LMU record holder for women's indoor long jump. 

2020 Railsplitter Women's Track & Field Seniors

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
The LMU men's track and field team placed eighth at the 2020 SAC Indoor Championship. Highlighting the action for the Railsplitters at the SAC Indoor Championship was Kyle Nabe's third place finish in the heptathlon with 4,227 points, while the 4x400-meter relay team of Xavier Howard, Jonathan Hughes, Jaeden Douglass and Roberto Fajardo placed fifth. Sam Lloyd-Perks placed tenth in the 5,000-meter run, Fajardo placed fourth in the 800-meter run and Douglass earned a fifth-place spot in the 400-meter dash.

The Railsplitters featured two seniors; Perks and Harrison Calhoun. Both distance runners, the senior duo gave the team a solid one-two punch in meets this season.  The pair were mainstays on the 2019 Railsplitter cross-country team with consistent finishes in the top 15.

2020 Railsplitter Men's Track & Field Seniors

AstroTurf is an official corporate partner of the South Atlantic Conference and title sponsor of the Conference's Player of the Week awards program.

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