Athletics

Several Keydets gave memorable performances and seven players were recognized for their efforts with All-SoCon Coaches honors.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

While VMI football wasn’t able to secure what would have been a program-record third straight winning season, several Keydets produced memorable moments in 2022.

Seven players were recognized for their efforts in the 2022 season, as Stone Snyder ’23, Alex Oliver ’24, Robert Soderholm ’23, and Jack Culbreath ’24 all garnered First Team All-SoCon Coaches honors, and Isaiah Lemmond ’26, Jahleel Porter ’26, and Geoffrey Speight ’26 earned All-Freshmen recognition.

In addition to his First Team honor, Snyder was named a Buck Buchanan finalist—the award given to the top defensive player in FCS football— for the third straight season, with his 10.7 tackles per game ending the year third in all of FCS. Soderholm is now a four-time All-American long snapper, and Oliver ended the season 24th among active players for career pass breakups.

Opening the season at No. 22 Wake Forest University on the ACC Network, Collin Ironside ’24 and Grant Swinehart ’24 connected for a score against the Demon Deacons, as Ironside captured SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week honors two weeks later.

Week two was a good bounce back for VMI, with 107 yards and two touchdowns by Hunter Rice ’25, helping VMI top Bucknell University 24-14.

Despite injuries beginning to mount and facing a string of four straight top-30 teams, VMI got strong performances from players like Chance Knox ’22 and Leroy Thomas ’23 before Porter took a kickoff 98 yards to the house at No. 9 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The defensive unit turned No. 16 Mercer University over five times and gave No. 10 Samford University a run for their money in Birmingham as the season came to a close in a down-to-the-wire battle for the Silver Shako against The Citadel.

The Keydets will see many impact players graduate, as Seth Morgan ’23 leaves the program fifth in completions (451) and third in completion percentage (61.6), Korey Bridy ’22 is ninth in rushing touchdowns (17), and Thomas finishes third all-time in catches (168) and ninth in receiving yards (1,719).

The program now turns the page to a new head coach, as Danny Rocco brings a wealth of winning experience to an excited VMI football corps.

The Southern Conference released its coaches and media All-SoCon teams and awards Nov. 22, 2022, with Stone Snyder ’23, Alex Oliver ’24, Robert Soderholm ’23, and Jack Culbreath ’24 all getting First Team nods from the coaches. The Keydets also had representation on the All-Freshman squad, with Isaiah Lemmond ’26, Jahleel Porter ’26, and Geoffrey Speight ’26 earning accolades.

On the media side, Oliver and Soderholm earned First Team nods, with Snyder and Culbreath earning Second Team honors. There is no All-Freshman team in the media poll.

Snyder continued to dominate defensively, posting a league-high 107 tackles despite missing one game due to injury. The Richmond, Virginia, native had 11-plus tackles five times this season, including a season-high 19, along with a tackle for loss and forced fumble against Cornell. At the end of the regular season, Snyder’s average of 10.7 tackles per game ranks third in the nation, and his 5.1 solo tackles per game are ranked 29th. Among Snyder’s other standout games this season were Wake Forest (6 tackles, 0.5 TFL), No. 10 Samford (12.0 tackles, 0.5 TFL), and The Citadel (18.0 tackles). Finishing his career with 339 tackles (sixth among active FCS players), Snyder is just outside of the top 10 at VMI; he has achieved this in just 38 games due to the season shortened by COVID-19. Snyder leaves VMI as a two-time All-American, two-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, and a three-time Buck Buchanan finalist for Defensive Player of the Year in FCS Football, with more postseason awards likely to come his way.

Building upon a successful sophomore campaign, Oliver set career highs in tackles at 75.0—placing him fourth on the team—three interceptions, and 10 break ups. Oliver’s 10 breakups are not only a team high but currently rank him 24th in the nation and have him finishing the season fourth among SoCon players. Oliver recorded at least two tackles in every game, racking up eight or more on five different occasions, including a career high of 11 and a fumble recovery at Wofford College. Oliver’s three interceptions were

Stone Snyder ’23, Alex Oliver ’24, Robert Soderholm ’23, and Jack Culbreath ’24 received First Team nods from the coaches. The Keydets also had representation on the All-Freshman squad, with Isaiah Lemmond ’26, Jahleel Porter ’26, and Geoffrey Speight ’26 earning accolades.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

a team best, with two coming against No. 16 Mercer University. Oliver’s 27 career pass breakups currently rank him 10th among active players at the FCS level.

Recently earning Special Teams U All-American status, Soderholm is now a four-time All-American and has earned All-SoCon First Team nods the past two seasons. Soderholm, who was preseason All-American by three different organizations, does more than execute his snaps in a nearly flawless fashion. The Stafford, Virginia, native has also picked up three tackles this season and is responsible for picking up blockers after the snap.

Coming off a 2021 season in which he was named a Hero Sports All-American and made the All-SoCon First Team, Culbreath had another career year, totaling 2,790 yards on 64 punts for an average of 43.6 yards per kick. Handling the kickoff duties as well, Culbreath notched career highs in touchbacks (5) and fair catches (15), pinning the ball inside the 20 nine times and hitting 14 punts of 50 or more yards. Against Wofford, Culbreath crushed a career-high 60-yard punt as he averaged 51.5 yards per kick on the day.

It didn’t take long for Lemmond to work himself into the offense, hauling in three catches for 80 yards in the second game of his career. Lemmond, who finishes the season second on the team in receiving yards with 453, recorded two or more catches in the last six games, including six apiece against No. 9 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Furman University, and No. 10 Samford University. Lemmond finally got into the end zone at Wofford when he hauled in a 52-yarder for his first career score.

Like Lemmond, Porter showed his value right from the start. He totaled 7.0 tackles and two pass breakups at No. 22 Wake Forest University. Porter, who recorded a tackle in all but two games, registered a pass breakup against Cornell, two pass breakups against East Tennessee State University, and one against Furman. Perhaps the most noteworthy highlight of Porter’s young career came at Chattanooga when he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a VMI player since 2015 and is the fourth-longest play in Keydet history.

Making his debut at Wake Forest University, Speight established himself with 3.0 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in a win over Bucknell University. Speight, who would record a tackle in all but one game, registered tackles for loss at Chattanooga (1.0), against Furman (1.5), against Mercer (1.5), and at Samford (1.0). Speight’s season high in tackles came against Mercer, in which he totaled 7.0, registering a quarterback hurry in the process.

To view the full list of All-Conference honorees, visit soconsports.com.

VMI men’s soccer improved in 2022 under Nick Regan, head coach, in a season that included wins against Southern Virginia University (1-0) and Mary Baldwin University (2-0).—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

A very young VMI men’s soccer team showed improvement in 2022 under Nick Regan, firstyear head coach.

The Keydets opened the campaign with a 2-2 tie at Saint Peter’s University, an outstanding start to the season.

VMI posted wins against Southern Virginia (1-0) and Mary Baldwin (2-0) Universities in late September. It was the first time the Keydets had recorded back-to-back clean sheets since the 2008 season against Appalachian State University and Radford University. The Southern Virginia victory was Regan’s first win as a head coach.

The Keydets gave up just 11 goals in conference play, the fewest allowed since the 2006 season when VMI was in the Big South Conference and the least in SoCon play since 1982. VMI allowed 41 goals overall, compared to 72 a year ago.

The Keydets played the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the SoCon champion and an NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist; the game was very tough in a narrow 1-0 loss in Lexington in early October.

VMI capped the season by nearly pulling off a first-round upset at third-seeded Mercer University before falling just 2-1.

The VMI defense was again stingy, allowing just two goals or less for the 10th time in 17 matches.

Nathan Lam ’23 had two goals and four assists, while Grant Martin ’25 had three goals and one assist. Gabe Calhoun ’23 started 15 of 17 games in net and made 84 saves, tying for eighth in the nation and ranked fifth in saves per game (5.6).

The 2022 VMI women’s soccer campaign will be remembered as one of growth and steady progression as the team showed its commitment to the vision of Chris Haught-Thompson, fourth-year head coach, for the program. Sending their seniors off with a 2-1 victory over South Carolina State on Senior Day, the Keydets had a number of close contests that were just a good bounce or two from swinging in VMI’s favor. The Keydets battled Long Island University (2-2) and USC Upstate (1-1) to ties, with three other matches coming down to only one score.

The narrow losses to conference foes came at Patchin Field, where the Keydets fell by one goal to Southern Conference co-champion the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Sept. 30 and Wofford College Oct. 14.

Sedona Dancu ’25 led the team with five goals on the season, while Riley Boucher ’26 ranked second with four goals. Isabella Bruzonic ’25 earned three points on the year with a goal and one assist, while Anissa Cheikh ’23, Lauren Fyfe ’25, Madison Hornig ’24, and Katy Layman ’26 all ended up with a pair of points. Jillian Hall ’24, goalie, accounted for 124 saves on the year with a 3.54 goals-against average and .693 save percentage. The 2022 women’s soccer campaign was characterized by growth and progress under the coaching of Chris Haught-Thompson, head coach.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

VMI rifle’s mixed team totaled its third-highest aggregate score (4535) of the season in a win at Wofford College. The Keydets opened against No. 2 Texas Christian University and also faced Navy during the fall season.—Photo courtesy VMI Keydets.

The VMI rifle program wrapped up a solid fall campaign Dec. 3, as its mixed team totaled its third-highest aggregate score (4535) of the season in a win at Wofford College. The victory was the first of the season and counted as a league win against the Terriers. The Keydets faced stiff competition all fall, opening against No. 2 Texas Christian University and No. 6 U.S. Naval Academy. When VMI hosted Wofford Nov. 12, Christopher Hicks ’24 set the VMI rifle record for aggregate score, totaling 1157.

Hicks owns the three top aggregate scores on the season, while Cassidy Dufour ’23 has posted the top aggregate score on the women’s side, totaling 1110.

Spring competition commenced Jan. 21 at Kilbourne Hall.