Hodge Inducted into 2011 Brevard College Athletic Hall of Fame

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Seneca resident Thomas Hodge was recently inducted into the 2011 Brevard College Athletic Hall of Fame in Brevard, N.C.

BREVARD, NC (10/26/2011)(readMedia)-- Seneca resident Thomas Hodge was recently inducted into the 2011 Brevard College Athletic Hall of Fame in Brevard, N.C.

Hodge, a BC athlete who set a new a course or school record in almost every race he competed in from 1966 to 1967, was one of two recipients who were awarded the College's highest athletic recognition for demonstrating exceptional personal achievement and making distinctive contributions to the advancement of athletics.

Hodge, who graduated from Brevard College in 1967, had numerous accomplishments on the track and cross country course, including setting a new a course or school record in almost every race he competed in from 1966 to 1967. Today, Hodge remains among the top 10 all-time in many categories at Brevard College.

In Hodge's two years at Brevard College, the track and field teams posted an overall record of 19-4 and were Conference Champions in both years. He was the Most Valuable runner as a freshman and track team captain his sophomore year. Hodge was selected the Most Outstanding Junior College Athlete at the News-Piedmont Relays held at Furman University in 1967 after winning the open mile in 4:17.1 and anchoring the 1st place sprint medley relay team with an 880 split time of 1:55.8. He also posted 1st place and school record times of 4:14.3 in the mile at the Dogwood Relays held at the University of Tennessee and a two-mile record during a dual meet at the Citadel with a time of 9:36.8. Hodge was a National Champion, winning the mile at the National Junior College Track & Field Championships in 1967, missing the meet record by just 6/10ths of a second, gaining All-American honors.

The Cross Country team posted an overall record of 15-6 during his time at Brevard College, and Hodge won Conference titles and All-Conference honors both seasons. He led most of the way in the National Junior College Cross Country Championships in 1967 before being forced out with a pulled muscle. Despite his injury, Hodge helped lead the team to a 6th place finish in their first national meet. He also was instrumental in the team receiving the Pepsi-Cola Award as the Most Outstanding College Team in Western North Carolina at the WNC Awards Banquet in 1967.

After graduation, Hodge was awarded a track and cross-country athletic scholarship at the University of Mississippi. He was the first of many distance runners from Brevard College to receive a scholarship to compete at a major university. At Mississippi, he was an All-Southeastern Conference selection and team captain. Hodge gives Brevard College credit for future successes at the University of Mississippi and in his professional career.

Brevard College (www.brevard.edu) offers a range of distinctive baccalaureate degree programs on a beautiful residential campus in Brevard, North Carolina. Curriculum at Brevard combines small-classroom instruction with creative internships and immersion experiences, provides a strong core in the liberal arts and offers great strength in fine arts as well as in interdisciplinary programs that educate for leadership and service and draw on the natural resources of the College's mountain setting.