{"id":13647,"date":"2026-03-26T12:17:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/?p=13647"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T18:03:55","slug":"a-historic-homecoming-odac-and-a-legacy-of-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/a-historic-homecoming-odac-and-a-legacy-of-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"A Historic Homecoming, ODAC, and a Legacy of Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Dec. 6, Hollins hosted longtime rival Sweet Briar for a swim meet that delivered both a decisive victory and a historic celebration. Before Hollins defeated the Vixens 118\u201348, a standing-room-only crowd gathered to honor the inaugural class of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

The induction coincided with the ODAC\u2019s 50th anniversary. Created by the conference\u2019s Board of Directors, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who helped shape the league\u2019s first five decades. The inaugural class includes 50 former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and contributors representing the conference\u2019s member institutions.<\/p>\n

Members of the Hollins community have played a lasting role in the ODAC\u2019s history. Two of Hollins\u2019 four inductees\u2009\u2014\u2009Kat Horton \u201997 and Lynda Calkins\u2009\u2014\u2009 were recognized during the December celebration.<\/p>\n

Kat Horton was a standout swimmer from 1994 to 1996. She earned ODAC Swimmer of the Year honors in 1996, was a two-time All-ODAC selection, and achieved national acclaim as a four-time NCAA All-American. Horton captured NCAA national titles in the 100 and 200 butterfly in 1995 and still holds Hollins records in the 100 and 200 butterfly as well as the 200 and 400 individual medleys. She was inducted into the Hollins Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing named to the inaugural Hall of Fame class of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference was a deeply humbling honor, made even more meaningful by being inducted alongside my coach Lynda Calkins,\u201d Horton said. \u201cSharing the weekend with friends and family, connecting with swimming alumnae\/i, and spending time with current student athletes and staff reminded me how powerful this community truly is. The experience reignited my love for the sport, and after nearly 30 years away, I\u2019ve found myself back on the pool deck\u2009\u2014\u2009and back in the water\u2009\u2014\u2009with renewed joy and gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"President

President Hinton, Kat Horton \u201997, Lynda Calkins, Director of Athletics Chris Kilcoyne, and ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston celebrated the inaugural ODAC Hall of Fame event.<\/p><\/div>\n

Calkins served as director of athletics from 1985 to 2008 and coached swimming for more than two decades. Under her leadership, Hollins won ODAC Swimming Championships in 1992 and 1993 and finished runner-up four additional times. She was named ODAC Coach of the Year four times and mentored 14 All-ODAC swimmers, including one ODAC Swimmer of the Year. Calkins also played a vital leadership role within the conference, serving on the ODAC Executive Committee and as ODAC President from 1995 to 1997. Nationally, she contributed to the advancement of women\u2019s athletics through service on multiple NCAA committees, including the Council on Women\u2019s Athletics and the NCAA Management Council. She was inducted into the Hollins Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s were an exciting time for women\u2019s sports, the ODAC, and the growth of NCAA Division III,\u201d Calkins said. \u201cBeing part of the first class of ODAC Hall of Fame is truly an honor. Hosting the ceremony at Hollins made it especially meaningful, as former and current student-athletes came together to celebrate and reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese athletes, coaches, and administrators built a standard,\u201d Kilcoyne said. \u201cTheir dedication, character, and pursuit of excellence created the foundation on which today\u2019s student-athletes stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horton and Calkins are two of the four ODAC Hall of Fame inductees with ties to Hollins. Elizabeth Cheng \u201914, the ODAC\u2019s first Women\u2019s Golfer of the Year and a two-time All-American, and a women\u2019s athletics trailblazer, the late Marjorie Berkley, will be honored during separate on-campus ceremonies later this spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Dec. 6, Hollins hosted longtime rival Sweet Briar for a swim meet that delivered both a decisive victory and a historic celebration. Before Hollins defeated the Vixens 118\u201348, a standing-room-only crowd gathered to honor the inaugural class of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[147],"class_list":["post-13647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in_the_loop","tag-spring-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13647"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13712,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13647\/revisions\/13712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}