Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Roanoke College football team was honored with eight all-conference performers, including two first-teamers, Tuesday in its first season of competition in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).
Both Maroons tabbed on the first team excelled on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore linebacker Charlie Davis from Radford led the team and was fourth in the conference with 11.3 tackles per game. He was third in the ODAC with 56 solo stops and added 7.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Sophomore defensive back Javier Waldron led the conference with six interceptions and is fourth in the nation with 0.67 a game. He made 35 tackles, 23 solo, and broke up four passes.
A trio of sophomores earned second-team honors; offensive lineman Nathan Johnson, defensive lineman Gavin Thompson and punter Zach Nicklas. Johnson blocked for an offense that gained 352 yards a game and scored 20 points or more six times. Thompson had 12 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss with two quarterback hurries. Nicklas booted the ball 37 times for 1,462 yards, an average of 39.5 with 12 inside the 20-yard line.
Roanoke fifth in attendance
The Roanoke College football team, in its first season of varsity competition since 1942, ranked fifth in regular season home attendance among Division III schools in 2025. RC plays its home games at nearby Salem Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,157 and opened in 1985.
The Maroons had an estimated total of 25,118 for their five home games, averaging 5,044 each Saturday. The biggest crowd of 5,815 saw RC battle ODAC Champion and NCAA Tournament team Randolph-Macon College on Oct. 4.
Wisconsin-Whitewater is listed as first with 50,705 overall fans, an average of 10,141.
Roanoke finished the 2025 season 5-4 with a 4-4 mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
ODAC media agreement
FloSports and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) have entered into an exclusive five-year media rights agreement, bringing the conference’s 14 member institutions to the FloCollege platform. Through the agreement, FloSports will provide a global platform to live stream over 1,500 regular-season and postseason events annually. The partnership further reinforces FloSports commitment to Division III athletics – adding an eighth conference to the portfolio – bringing the total to 18 conferences across all NCAA levels in the Fall.
The ODAC, headquartered in Forest, Virginia, stands as the second-largest multi-sport NCAA Division III conference in the country. It has gained national attention hosting NCAA Division III championships in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, and women’s volleyball.
The ODAC’s full-time member of 14 schools includes Averett University, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, Guilford College, Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College, Shenandoah University, Sweet Briar College, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Washington and Lee University. The ODAC also features five associate members in five sports.
