Lancers Past

Tom DeWitt was a Longwood trail blazer. He enrolled at the college as part of the first class of full-time residential male students (102) in August 1976 and later served on the university's Board of Visitors. After a 16-year career as a US Army officer, the retired Major honed his project management skills and then co-founded his own company. Now, as Executive Vice President of SNVC, he continues to invest in aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders through the SNVC Institute of Longwood's College of Business and Economics. The 2026-27 academic year marks 50 years of full co-education at Longwood College, later Longwood University

Shack Leonard was a cornerstone in the early stages of Longwood Basketball success. As a transfer point guard from Palm Beach JC (FL). Shack led the young Lancers to a 47-11 record in two years. Perhaps, Shack's greatest accomplishment was in Augustana IL at the 1980 DIII Final Four as unknown Longwood College nearly played for a national championship. He now operates J3 Transportation after a long coaching and teaching career in the Palm Beach County School District.

Janet (Grubbs) Green is best known for coaching Longwood lacrosse from 1995 to 2009. In those 15 years, she racked up 137 wins, mentored 12 All-Americans, and competed in the 2002 and 2003 NCAA DII Final Four. Her 2003 Lancers nearly won the national championship, dropping a 9-8 heartbreaker to Stonehill. Listen to Janet describe her coaching philosophy and priorities – supporting student-athletes and teaching them the game she loves.

Playing as an independent in their 13th season of Division II, the '93-'94 Longwood College Lancers won 20 straight games and received the program's first NCAA DII MBB post season bid. Coach Ron Carr's Lancers relied on great team chemistry and were far greater than the sum of their talents. They played stingy defense, found the open man on offense, and treasured every possession. The streaky Lancers finished 23-6 and ranked #19 in the nation

Team members were Melvin Bellamy, Charles Brown, Junior Burr, Michael Druitt, William Foxx, Adam Huffman, DeVonne Johnson, Joe Jones J.B. Neil, Eddie Shelburne, Matt Watkins, and Benji Webb. Coach Carr's assistant was Scott Davis.

In 1978, Longwood freshman Bev Harris' goal was to teach and coach. After earning her MS in sports medicine and teaching for seven years, she switched to her true love, emergency medical services. For the last 20 years, Bev's professional home is VCU Health's LIFEEVAC, first as a flight paramedic and then as a flight nurse. Respected among her peers, Bev is in her 40th year as a Nationally Registered Paramedic. She is now the Clinical Site Manager for LIFEEVAC and manages four medevac helicopter bases in Virginia.

When former Longwood Associate AD Michelle Meadows introduced Alex Ricker-Gilbert as the new Director of Compliance in 2012, she said he was one of the bright young stars of college athletics. Now in 2026, Alex leads Jacksonville University (FL) as Senior VP and Athletic Director. In 10 years, he has built a student-centered athletic department with the help of a talented pipeline -- former Longwood professionals and student-athletes. Alex shares lessons learned in his two years at Longwood and how it shaped his professional career.

This is part one of a two-part series. Over his three years at Longwood, Elijah Tucker's energetic dunks and excitement made him a fan favorite. Listen to ET talk about his basketball journey from weeks in the hospital and learning how to walk to discover his niche as a Big South Conference champion.

This is part two of a two-part series. Elijah talks about the art of screening from the post, playing with energy in front of hostile crowds, and his bond with Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. ET also previews his upcoming pro career with BK Opava in the Czech Republic.

This is part two of a two-part series. Former Longwood Pitcher Wyatt Bunch is country strong. The Northern Neck native learned how to maximize his talents and overcome limitations. As a 6-4, 180 senior in high school, he was mostly recruited by DIII schools. His gamble to attend DI Longwood produced long term success as the Lancers advanced to the championship game of the 2026 Big South tournament and won 34 games after winning only 14 in 2025.

This is part one of a two-part series. At Longwood, Wyatt Bunch was far from an overnight success. Showing up on campus as a 6-4, 180-pound freshman pitcher, the Northern Neck native filled out to 6-4, 235 and evolved into an inspirational leader and mentor. As a senior in the 2026 Big South tournament, Wyatt's Lancers came out of the losers' bracket to force the winner take all championship game vs. USC-Upstate. Despite losing the final, the Lancers posted a 34-27 record, tying the most wins in school history since the 2007 season (34-19).