What truly signifies winter has begun for the typical sports fan?

When fall sports officially come to an end.

Just a few weeks ago, each Guilford College fall sports team wrapped up its season, each having their own individual achievements attained throughout the season.

Whether it was on a field, a track or a court, each team gave it their all to bring pride to school, none of which disappointed.

To start with football, the Quakers finished the season with a school-record 9-1 (6-1) season, closing out the year with six straight conference wins. Senior quarterback Matt Pawlowski won his second straight J. Stokely Fulton Old Dominion Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the first ODAC player to do so in consecutive seasons.  Pawlowski was also named a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist for the second straight year, an award given to the top football student-athlete in NCAA Division III.

Both Pawlowski and senior wide receiver Adam Smith were invited to play in the National Bowl Game on Sunday Dec. 6 at Ocean Bank Field at Florida International University stadium in Miami, Florida.

The Quakers also tallied 14 total all-conference selections, a school record and most in the ODAC this season. The men’s soccer team closed out their season with a record of 5-11-1 (2-8-1). Closing out the year, junior forwards Mark Dandanell and Christian Torres were the team’s leading goal scorers with 3 goals apiece. Torres, Dandanell and sophomore midfielder Omar Sollis had 6 points apiece on the year, which was tied for a team high.

The Quakers only graduated three seniors, returning much experience for next season.

For the women’s soccer team, the Quakers finished 7-10-1 (4-7) on the season. Senior forward Kelli Uresti led the team in most categories, tallying 8 goals and 21 points on the season. First-year forward Christan Heggie finished the season with 13 points and first-year midfielder Juliana Evans-Anform finished the season with 12 points for second and third best on the team respectively.

This was one of the most successful seasons in recent memory and the Quakers hope to continue this momentum into next season.

The men’s cross country wrapped up their team season with a ninth place finish at the ODAC Championships.  First-year Caleb Amstutz was the Quakers top placer at the championships, his first top finish on the season.

At the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional Championships, the Quakers placed 23rd among the entire region.  Junior Nick Reynolds was the Quakers lead man in the regionals.

Record-breaking performances highlighted the women’s cross-country postseason. The team finished ninth at the ODAC Championships, with senior Rebecca Reyna and sophomore Sommer Fanney both shattering the school six-kilometer record. Reyna placed 16th at the championships and Fanney was not far behind in 19th.

At the South/Southeast Regional Championships, the Quakers placed 20th behind another record-breaking performance from Fanney, who broke the six-kilometer record set the previous week by Reyna.

The men’s golf team placed third in their final fall tournament of the season at the O’Briant-Jensen Memorial Tournament. Junior Ty Palmer held the Quaker’s lowest scoring average for the fall (73.15) with first-year Justin Perdue (73.25), junior Tanner Gross (75.62) and sophomore Harrison Frye (76.13) all closing out with a strong fall season.

The Quakers closed the fall season at 12th in the “Bushnell Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll” and will return to action in early March for the spring season.

So as we close the chapter on the 2015 fall athletics season, many Guilford athletes and teams made big impacts at both the local and even national level.  Once could only assume that each team will carry this momentum into next season.

Until then Quaker fans, make sure to come out and support the winter athletics teams as they look forward to your attendance.