Lancers Past

Former Longwood Associate Head Coach Tiffany Sardin and Lancer teammate Dayna Rouse celebrate Akila Smith's college hoops success and look forward to her pro career. Sardin is now in a similar role at St. Louis University. Rouse and Smith reunite on the island of Madeira where they will play for Francisco Franco, a team in the top women's league in Portugal.

Akila Smith's journey to 2022 Women's Basketball Big South Player of the Year and a conference championship was a test of faith. Despite a tough freshman year, she persevered with help from coaches and teammates. Now, armed with her degree and a win in the NCAA tournament, Akila joins forces with former Longwood teammate Dayna Rouse to compete in the top women's basketball league in Portugal.

Kylie was born into a soccer family and played for her father, Todd, at Longwood before graduating with a B.S. in Political Science. Despite a season ending injury as a junior, she received the Jimmy Yarbrough Inspiration Award for her academic, community service and team leadership. Kylie, who also worked in the Longwood Admissions Office, now generates support for Lancer student-athletes as the Director of Donor Engagement.

Hunter Gilliam received his B.S. from Longwood University in May and promptly committed to the University of Kentucky to play baseball as a graduate student. The Lancer walk-on from the Fuqua School in Farmville earned LU freshman student-athlete of the year and capped his career as first team All-Big South Conference. Hunter is spending his second summer in Colonial Heights at first base with the Tri-City Chili Peppers of the Coastal Plain League.

With a determined attitude and superior athletic ability, John Stukes racked up a career record of 70 wins, eight losses and two ties in three years. At the 134-pound weight class, John was Longwood's first NCAA Division II Regional Champion and the second Lancer wrestler to compete in the nationals. John is now a veteran high school wrestling coach and math teacher at Hayfield High in Fairfax County.

Despite two season ending injuries, Geter finished his six-year Longwood stint on a high note. He anchored a turnaround in Longwood basketball and earned his M.S. in Counselor Education after completing his B.S. in Sociology. Damarion now applies his education and first-hand experience as a mental health clinician at Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania.

LaRon Wilson's teammates and coaches at Lee-Davis High knew Wilson had speed and raw athletic ability, but no one thought he would be drafted after a stellar college career (MLB 2002, NYM, Rd. 15). The late bloomer caught the eye of Longwood Hall of Fame coach Buddy Bolding, who developed him into a .408 career hitter and a stolen base leader. LaRon earned his B.S. in Business Management in 2012, 10 years after leaving Longwood.

At five years old, Phil's goal was to hear his name called at the MLB draft. Since then, he has been on a mission to learn, improve and prove he belonged. As a starting third baseman at Longwood, he batted .386 and set school records for career hits (256) and sacrifice flies (22) among other hitting accolades. After two years in the St. Louis Cardinals chain, Cerreto earned his Doctor of Pharmacy and now practices while managing store operations with Walgreens in the Richmond area.

Emily Murphy was a key part in Longwood's first three Big South Conference championships. The four-time all-conference shortstop left her marks in the career record book ranking within the top four in home runs, RBIs, and hits, just to name a few. She topped off her career hitting .365 as a senior. Murphy now passes on her lessons learned from mentors Kathy Riley and Kayla Miller as a coach and teacher at the Fuqua School in Farmville, Virginia.

Dana Smith knows resilience. After two season ending injuries at Longwood, the basketball standout from Woodbridge racked up 1,540 points and 708 rebounds. For his grit and resilience, Smith was a two-time finalist for the V Foundation Comeback Award. He took full advantage of his 6-year stay in Farmville and earned two bachelor's degrees.