longwood universiity

Byron Bracey was a citizen leader long before it became part of Longwood's admissions literature.  Raised in a family of educators, Byron made Longwood history.  He enrolled in the second year of co-education in the fall of 1977.  Lettering three years on the men’s basketball team, he played his part as the Lancers shocked the nation with an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four.   The 1981 graduate left Longwood as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and retired 20 years later as Major Byron Bracey. 

Joe Kaminski first came to Longwood in 2014 as the Athletic Events and Game Operations Manager and returned a year later as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing Operations.   In July 2023, he left the Colonial Athletic Association to reunite with Jeff Bacon, ASUN Conference commissioner.  In this episode, Joe talks about his 15 years in athletics administration, conference realignment in the CAA, and his new adventure with the ASUN as Senior Associate Commissioner for Sports Administration.

In May 2023, Mallory was named an assistant women’s basketball coach at Division I Northern Kentucky.  As a dual sport student-athlete in basketball and softball, Longwood fans remember her enthusiasm and grit.  She received her BS in Business Administration in 2021 and was a two-time Big South Conference All-Academic team selection.  Mal started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Valdosta State (GA) with an assist from Katie Pate, Associate Athletics Director for Development at Appalachian State. 

Former Head Coach Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez not only elevated the Lancer tennis programs (2017-2021), but his own stock as well.  As a student and coach, Jhonnatan graduated magna cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration from Longwood and teamed with professor Dr. Laura Poe to pen Results Generate Results.  Before Longwood, he ran his own tennis academy in Orlando and was a world class tennis player in his native Venezuela. Medina Alvarez is now a professional pickleball player and a SCRUM master with Markel in Henrico County.  

Ryan Marable stood five feet nine and 165 pounds and made the Longwood basketball team as a non-recruited walk-on.  By playing stingy defense and limiting turnovers, he earned substantial minutes at point guard and competed with the best in NCAA Division II.  He passes on his love as a middle and high school coach and founded Local Legends Sports in Chesterfield County.