April 20, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- Ryan Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) has been named by the Norfolk Sports Club as this year's recipient of the Thomas L. Scott Memorial Award given to the top senior student athlete at Old Dominion. Williams became the all-time leader in wins at ODU and just the second Division I NCAA Finalist in school history. The award is named in honor of ODU's first athletic director, Tom Scott.
Williams was honored at a luncheon meeting on Monday, April 20 as the Monarch wrestler was named the most outstanding senior athlete for the 2008-09 year.
The 141-pounder led the Monarchs to its highest national team ranking in school history, at 16th in the nation, as well as the highest individual ranking for a wrestler under head coach Steve Martin, at 3rd in the country. Williams finished the season with a 39-4 overall record, including a 22-1 performance in duals and a perfect 5-0 CAA mark. He defended his conference title with ease and became just the tenth Division I All-American in ODU history.
Williams was the lone senior on the first ever ODU squad to capture the regular season conference title and helped end Hofstra's 63-match unbeaten streak in conference action. En route to his NCAA Finals appearance, Williams became the all-time leader in victories for ODU, with 137.