Lancers Past

Ana Litton is the all-time leading scorer in Longwood Women's Basketball history at 1,615 points and a two-time Honorable Mention All-American. A self-proclaimed "gym rat," Ana took her passion to the sidelines as a college coach for 10 years. Now, Ana applies her humor and fun loving personality as an elementary school physical education teacher in Seattle Washington.

Cody Anderson was hired as the Longwood University (VA) men's basketball director of basketball operations right after graduating from the University of Georgia in May 2015. After only a year, he was promoted to assistant coach, one of the youngest in Division I basketball. Cody is back in Georgia as the head coach of the Habersham Central High School Raiders, his alma mater. Learn how Cody's investment in faith, family and community is paying dividends after just two seasons.

Melanie Lee had second thoughts after enrolling at Longwood in the the summer of 1983. She soon found a calling to social work and discovered her lifelong mentor Dr. Edna Allen Bledsoe Dean. On the basketball court, Melanie's game blossomed as she earned Honorable Mention All-American as a junior. After several of her "courageous conversations," Lee passed up basketball her senior year to complete an academic internship to finish her degree.

Mo Sumter came to Longwood University as a 17-year-old freshman in the fall of 2003 and was on the first team to play a full Division I schedule. Despite winning only 25 games in four years as a Lancer, Sumter finished fourth in career scoring and rebounds. Mo, who is an assistant at Christopher Newport University, shares lessons learned from his 10-year basketball coaching journey.

From 1980-1996, Steve Nelson's wrestlers made 15 appearances in the NCAA Division II Nationals and his 1996 golf team made history as they competed in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. After retiring from the Virginia Department of Social Services, Nelson is back in the saddle with the Lonesome Dove Equestrian Center, an organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding for veterans with special needs.

Sharon Pillow Parker, Longwood '83, competed just two years on the Longwood gymnastics team, but she made them count. She qualified for the AIAW Division II Nationals both years, finishing 13th in all-around as a freshman. Sharon, who has been coaching gymnastics since graduating from Longwood, is married to former Longwood College soccer standout, Joe Parker '83.

To say Steve Crute was under recruited out of high school is an understatement. He did not even know Longwood had a men's golf team. Learn about his four-year college golf career and how he teamed with MLB's Michael Tucker at Bluestone High School in baseball and basketball.

As a 6-3 point guard, Kevin Ricks left his marks in the Longwood Basketball record book ranking fifth in career assists and second in steals. Learn how the 1987 Longwood College graduate manages the game from a different perspective, as a 27-year high school and college basketball official. When he is not running up and down the court, he oversees the media production department at Hampton University.

Anna Steg, a 6-1 forward, played for four head coaches in four years on the women's basketball team while facing some of the nation's best post players. The 2009 Longwood University graduate became a master in adapting to change and overcoming obstacles. Learn how she faced her biggest challenge when her fiance' Staff Sgt. Benjamin S. Hines (USMC), was killed in action.

Ray Jones, a native of Bermuda, may be the best football (soccer) player ever to play at Longwood, regardless of NCAA level. Jones was a two-time DII All-American and a member of the Longwood Athletics Hall of Fame. Jones, now a CPA, is the Director of Finance and Administration for the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and a long-time youth football (soccer) coach. Ray served as an assistant coach of the 2019 Senior National Team that made their first appearance ever in the prestigious Gold Cup.