The sent three down to Smith Mountain Lake Saturday, looking for qualifications for the national tournament.聽

When the dust settled, EMU sat in third place as a team and will send all three participants to nationals in November. 

Highlights

•  continued her strong triathlon run, picking up a third place finish out of 23 participants. She kicked off the swim portion with a time of 14:57 and followed that up with a bike time of 35:53:00. She finished the course with a run time of 21:14, to pick up a total time of 1:14:28. 
• Coming in just three seconds behind Weaver was teammate , whose fourth place finish also qualified her for nationals. She finished the swim in 14:37, the bike in 36:20:00 and the run in 20:51. 
• Wrapping up the scoring for EMU was . She grabbed sixth place in just her second triathlon, finishing the swim in 16:32, the bike in 35:25:00 and the running in 21:32 for a total time of 1:16:09. 

What’s Next

EMU will be heading to Tempe, Arizona, on Nov. 12 for the聽Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships.聽

• Allison Shelly and Isaac Alderfer were recognized as Male and Female President’s Award honorees. The President’s Award is given to the male and female who has most exemplified the values of the athletic department during their career through academic achievement, athletic contribution, Christian commitment, leadership, campus involvement and service.
• Paris Hutchinson and Alijah Johnson were named Athletes of the Year, for most outstanding athletic achievement in current academic year.
• Bri Redfearn and Damon Morgan were named Freshman of the Year, for most outstanding athletic achievement.

Read more about each athlete below.

PRESIDENTS AWARD: Allison Shelly – Triathlon, Cross-Country and Track & Field

Shelly was awarded the 2021-22 President’s Award by EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman. Shelly is a political science major with minors in history, journalism, community organization and development as well as honors with a 4.0 GPA from Collinsville, Miss. In her time at EMU, she has been an integral part of three different athletic teams as well as an SGA Senator and Co-President, a contributor for the Weather Vane, Senior Class Business Manager, Convocation Committee, CODI, Academic Council, Conversation Partner in IEP, Community Advisor, Young Democrats Club and part of the Harrisonburg Living Wage Campaign.

After her graduation, her future plans include a service year in the Serving and Learning Together program of Mennonite Central Committee in Palestine.

For her nomination, she also had to submit a reflection on her time at EMU, to which she replied, “Simply put, there is no way I would have had the confidence and balance I’ve felt in academic or co-curriculars in the past four years without my experience with track & field, XC and triathlon. I wasn’t plannin on running until two weeks before coming to EMU. The decison to try to get in shape has allowed me to form friendships that will continue far past college, allowed me to learn to stay strong underpressure and given me opportunities to learn from a multitude of teammates and supporters within EMU athletics staff, whom I really admire.” 

On winning the award, Shelly said, “Who would I be without my teammates, my coaches, and the experiences I’ve had because of athletics? I am so grateful to have this award as a reminder of all that EMU athletics has been for me.”

PRESIDENTS AWARD: Isaac Alderfer – Cross-Country and Track & Field

Alderfer was awarded the 2021-22 President’s Award by EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman. He is an enviromental science major with minors in photography and honors from Broadway, VA who has maintained a 3.97 GPA. While at EMU, he has re-written the record books in both cross-country and track & field. On the EMU campus, he has been involved as a leader in the EMU Explore and Earthkeepers Club, a barista at Common Grounds, a Community Advisor, a Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions student ambassador, a member of the Honors Council and Creation Care Council, part of the Intercultural Committee, a biology tutor, a contributor to the Weather Vane and has done biology research. 

After graduation, his future plans include a service year in the Serving and Learning Together program of Mennonite Central Committee in Cambodia.

For his nomination, he also had to submit a reflection on his time at EMU, to which he replied, “Being part of an athletic team at EMU has helped me to develop skills directly associated with my athletic performance, in addition to skills such as time management, conflict mediation, communication and leadership. The relationships I have build over the past four years with teammates, coaches and other athletics staff are so valuable to me and I feel confident will result in lifelong friends and mentors. While it certainly has not always been easy to balance athletics with school work and a social life, it has, in so many ways, been rewarding and worth the sacrifices involved.” 

On winning the President’s Award, Alderfer said, “It’s an honor to receive an award that acknowledges the sacrifices and commitment from the many perspectives involved in being a student-athlete.  Big hugs to all my EMU comrades.”

Athlete of the Year: Paris Hutchinson, Volleyball

Hutchinson, a sophomore from Waynesboro, Va., was named the EMU Female Athlete of the Year after a season that saw her have one of the best seasons in EMU women’s volleyball history. She was named First-Team All-ODAC and Second-Team VaSID All-State. For her performance in EMU’s pair of wins over Roanoke and Lynchburg, she was named the ODAC Player of the Week. By the end of the season, she was second in the ODAC and 24th nationally with 4.00 K/S and sixth in the ODAC in total kills with 284. She also led the squad in points/set at 4.61, which was also tops in the ODAC and 22nd nationally.  

Hutchinson helped EMU to a record-setting season as the Royals finished with seven ODAC wins, their most conference wins in two decades.

“Receiving the ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ award is such a special honor,” Hutchinson said. “The group of finalists were all so deserving! As a sophomore, I still have much to learn and improve on. But I’m lucky to be a student-athlete at EMU. I am truly humbled by the faith that those around me, have within me. I would not have accomplished this without my amazing teammates, coaches, trainers, and all who have been by my side. Thank you for continuing to motivate me to be the best I can be each day.”

Male Athlete of the Year: Alijah Johnson, Track & Field

Much like Hutchinson, Johnson has one of the best years in EMU track & field history. The senior from Upper Marlboro, MD, qualified for 2022 NCAA Indoor National Track & Field Championships in the 200m. He was named USTFCCCA All-Region for the 60m and 200m. Durin the indoor season, he was named the ODAC Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week. For his performance at the ODAC Championships, he was named Second-Team All-ODAC in the 200m and Third-Team All ODAC in the 60m. His name is currently etched in the record books as he set the EMU record in the 200m and 60m. His successful season earned him First-Team VaSID in sprints. 

He has followed that up with a stellar outdoor season, setting the ODAC and EMU record in 200m at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic. He currently has the eighth fastest time in the nation in the 100m and the second fastest time in the nation in the 200m. This past weekend at the ODAC Championships, he picked up second place in the 100m and was the ODAC Champion in the 200m. If his current times hold, he will be making his second straight trip to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships at the end of May. 

“I was very happy when I heard my name called for the Athlete of the Year,” Johnson said. “I felt like my journey as a student athlete had come full circle since I had won Freshman Athlete of the Year as well. All of the hard work, ups and downs of being a student-athlete is paying off and I’m excited for what lies ahead.”

Freshman of the Year: Brii Redfearn, Basketball

Redfearn burst onto the scene in her first collegiate game against Apprentice. The Fairfax native dropped 19 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds in the Royals 76-44 win. For that performance, she was named the ODAC WBB Player of the Week. She continued her strong season, finishing second on the team with 11.5 PPG and leading the Royals with 8.7 RPG, which was second in the ODAC and led all freshman.She was the only player in the ODAC with a 20 rebound game, and she actually did it twice, grabbing 20 against Wilson College and 22 against Bridgewater. She finished the season with seven double doubles. Along with her basketball success, she is also a member of the EMU outdoor track & field team. At the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic, Redfearn was part of the 4×100 relay team that set the EMU record. 

“I am more than blessed with the award of Freshman Of The Year,” Redfearn said. “I’ve certainly had periods when I felt like life was winning and I was losing. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates or my coaches setting me up for success and always pushing me to be the best athlete I can be. I will always appreciate them and give them the credit they deserve. When I felt like I was failing them, they let me know that it’s all in my head, ‘it’s a mental thing’ but the secret to the game is learning how to lose. This is just the beginning of my journey as a collegiate athlete. – 23”

Freshman of the Year – Damon Morgan, Track & Field

Morgan started his success during EMU’s indoor track & field season. During the year, he had two top-five finishes during the season. He was part of the 4×400 relay team that finished fifth at the ODAC Championships. He raced to the EMU indoor record books, sitting top-10 all-time at EMU in 60m and top-five all-time at EMU in the 200m. He picked right back up where he left off in his first outdoor season, setting a PR in the 100m and 200m at the Washington and Lee Track Carnival. He continued to add his name to the record books, adding his name to the top-10 in both the 100m and 200m. He finished his outdoor season with a third place finish as part of the 4×100 relay team at the ODAC Outdoor Championships. 

“It’s an honor to have won Male Freshman of the Year, I’m just glad that my name was in the conversation,” Morgan said. “I was only able to walk this path because of Alijah Johnson. He has been a great mentor academically as well as athletically. He has left some big shoes for me to fill but I will NOT let him down.”

Those honored from 草莓社区 were:

 (Broadway, Va./Broadway), Jr., Men鈥檚 Track & Field/Cross Country, Environmental Science, 3.97. Alderfer just completed an incredible season with a trip to the NCAA National Championships in the 800m, and was named the EMU Male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive time. He broke all four of EMU鈥檚 indoor and outdoor middle distance records, and broke one ODAC record and another ODAC Championships mark. Along with numerous All-ODAC, All-Region and All-State awards, Alderfer claimed seven ODAC Runner of the Week honors this spring.

 (Grants Pass, Ore./Hidden Valley), Jr., Men鈥檚 Soccer, Engineering, 3.98. Beachy earned a starting role in EMU鈥檚 midfield this year and scored a goal against rival Bridgewater College. He was recently named a Player of Distinction by the United Soccer Coaches.

 (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone), Sr., Women鈥檚 Soccer, Secondary English Education, 4.0. Breidigan wrapped up a career as a four-year starter in EMU鈥檚 defense line, helping the women鈥檚 team to 19 shutouts in her 55 games. She also was voted to the select CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for the second team and was awarded the EMU President鈥檚 Award.

 (Smithfield, Va./Smithfield), Jr., Field Hockey/Women鈥檚 Lacrosse, Elementary Education, 4.0. Hedgepeth led EMU鈥檚 field hockey team in scoring with four goals and two assists, adding an All-ODAC Second Team award in the postseason. She was also a starter for the women鈥檚 lacrosse team, notching seven ground balls in a defensive role.

 (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold), Sr., Women鈥檚 Track & Field/Cross Country/Triathlon, Spanish, 4.0. Miller was a steady contributor in the distance events for the track & field women. She ran in four events at the ODAC Outdoor Championships, finishing in the top-13 of each of them and running her personal best in all three individual races. Miller also joined the triathlon team this year and was top-7 in both of EMU鈥檚 races.

 (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale), Jr., Women鈥檚 Track & Field/Cross Country/Triathlon, Political Science, 4.0. Shelly blossomed as a runner this year, earning All-ODAC, All-State and All-Region honors as part of the indoor track & field season. She finished top-7 in the 1500m, 5000m and 10000m at the ODAC Outdoor Championships, earning points for the Royals in all three events. She was also EMU鈥檚 No. 3 finisher in triathlon and was named the EMU Female Athlete of the Year.

Alderfer, Breidigan and Hedgepeth were each selected to the Academic All-State Team for the second consecutive year.

To be eligible for Academic All-State, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, and be a sophomore or higher.

Shelly and Miller, both upperclassmen, were already members of the Royals’ running program, while Gardiner was in her first year at Eastern Mennonite. All three were participating in the sport of triathlon for the first time. 

“I love how fearless these women are,” said Coach Bob Hepler. “None of this year’s team had ever done a triathlon before. They never hesitated. Some people may say that is unwise. I say…look at their GPAs! They must be smart.”

This Scholar All-American award is presented to student-athletes who have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the Spring 2021 semester (regardless of competitions completed in that timeframe). 

The 草莓社区 women’s triathlon program is in its second year of existence. The NCAA named triathlon an Emerging Sport for Women in 2014, a designation that gives the sport a 10-year window to demonstrate sustainability at the NCAA level. Thirty-seven colleges and universities across the country currently sponsor the sport at the varsity level.

This spring, EMU Athletics has been celebrating alumni-athletes working in the health care professions.

“It has been so exciting to reconnect with former Royals  for this special social media campaign highlighting the outstanding work being done in the health care field,” said Director of Athletics Dave King. “And it has been very rewarding to hear the ways in which athletics prepared and shaped them for their current work.  I hope you are as inspired as I was in reading their responses.”

To view the entire series, visit the .

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Below are a few of the more than 25 alumni-athletes. Scroll down to view a complete list (as of 3/24/2021). Thanks to James DeBoer, director of athletics communication for his work on this project.

Martin Pou ’20, Volleyball

Now: Assistant to the practice manager, Shenandoah Valley Gastroenterology

Lesson: Clear and quick communication is crucial both on the court and in the medical field.

Julie Kratz McElwee ’85, BNS ’86, Field Hockey

Now: Emergency department chair, Lewis Gale Hospital Montgomery, Christiansburg, Va.

Lesson: The importance of relationships and knowing who is behind you, to give support, when things are not going well.

Tyler Denlinger ’18, Cross Country/ Track & Field

Now: Vaccines process development engineer, Merck Pharmaceutical, Elkton, Va.

Lesson: I have found the lesson of 鈥渆njoy what you do鈥� to hold a lasting effect from my time at EMU. There are few things in my life I hold more dearly than my experience with the EMU track and field squad. I love running and T&F, and that love enabled my teammates and I to collectively accomplish a lot of really difficult tasks…I found that my love of the sport and my desire to achieve goals  were useful in propelling me to accomplish unpleasant tasks such as lifting after a hard workout. This directly applies to my work setting鈥攚hile I do not love every  aspect of my job, my passion for the end goal makes the unpleasant aspects more bearable.

Rachel Sturm ’18, Soccer/Track & Field

Now: Registered nurse, UVA Medical ICU/Special Pathogen ICU, Charlottesville, Va.

Lesson: I learned that I needed to stop worrying about society’s standards of success and focus on what God’s successes were for me. At the time there was so much pressure on my shoulders to be a successful athlete and a successful student. It’s hard to succeed in both, as one usually has to take over the other. In my case I had to choose my career to become a nurse. Yet, I never stopped giving it my all in academics and sports, which created a lot of frustration when I failed in my sport. Now I look back and realize, God gave me the talent to play college sports to introduce me to the people he wanted in my life. To give me the experiences I needed to grow into the woman and leader I am now. To let me learn failure and to strive from it. All these little things are God’s achievements for me.

Brooke Hensley 鈥�14, Softball

Now: Emergency department team coordinator, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Lesson: The importance of playing together as a team to be successful because you cannot do it all on your own. Throughout my career, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been vital to work as a team in providing patient care in order to promote positive outcomes and save lives.

Laura Rosenberger 鈥�03, Track & Field

Now: Surgeon, associate professor of surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Lesson: EMU Athletics taught me how to be resilient during adversity and perseverance. Thankful for dedicated coaches and supportive teammates. Feels so pertinent to life right now in a pandemic!

Jess Rheinheimer Bishop 鈥�16, Basketball

Now: Registered Nurse, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pa.

Lesson: I learned many lessons from the basketball court but one that sticks out from Coach Griff is that you are the driver to your own success –  no one else can determine how successful you are going to be in life or in sports. You get out what you put in.

Katie Lehman Maust 鈥�09, Soccer

Now: Emergency department RN, Sentara RMH / Paramedic and training lieutenant, Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Harrisonburg, Va.

Lesson: As an athlete, I was so thankful to be surrounded by people who were courageous, tenacious, hardworking, and supportive. Being part of a healthcare team has a lot of similarities to being on an athletics team and I aspire to carry those traits of great team members into my roles in the healthcare system.

Thanks to ALL of our Royals athletes working to make this world a safer place!

From left: Brent Yoder ’12, soccer, physical therapist and co-owner of Yoder Physical Therapy and Wellness in Sarasota, Fla.

Emily Augsburger ’18, field hockey, CCU Registered Nurse, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

Jackson Maust ’09, soccer, physical therapist at Augusta Health, working in outpatient therapy and in acute care in the hospital, including with COVID patients; also a captain and life member of Harrisonburg Rescue Squad (Jackson is married to Katie, featured above).

Jamey Groff ’98, volleyball, oncology pharmacist, Hahn Cancer Center, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Jessica Blanks Jaindl ’13, field hockey, registered nurse at Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

From left: Juni Schirch Sauder ’16, cross country/track and field, athletics testing coordinator, EMU.

Laura Rittenhouse ’20, soccer, registered nurse, cardiac care, UVa Hospital.

Laurie Serrell ’19, cross country/track and field, registered nurse with Spanish interpreters training, Sentara RMH.

Leah Lapp ’20, triathlon, associate chemist, Merck Pharmaceutical, Elkton, Va.; attending Liberty University School of Osteopathic Medicine, fall 2021.

Linda Cimini Boesch ’11, field hockey/track and field, critical care RN, St. Luke’s University Health System, Chalfont, Pa.

Lisa King Burkholder ’08, RN, Sentara RMH and instructor of nursing, EMU, Harrisonburg, Va.

Mariah Foltz ’17, softball, RN, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Mariah Martin ’17, field hockey, labor and deliver nurse, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Nolan Prock ’12, volleyball, veterinarian, Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, Boca Raton, Fla.

R.J. Ocampo ’19, volleyball, EMT with Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, Virginia Beach, Va.

Rodney Eshleman ’88, soccer, ICU nurse, Augusta Health, Fishersville, Va.

Sylvia Mast ’19, soccer, ED technician, Sentara RMH and EMT, Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Harrisonburg, Va.

The Team Scholar All-American award is in recognition of teams who excel in the classroom by achieving a cumulative semester GPA of 3.2 or higher. The Fall 2020 award was calculated by taking the average GPA for all student-athletes on a team’s roster, regardless of competitions completed during that semester.

In their second season of existence as a program, the Royals have six women on the roster, including two freshmen and four returning EMU students. All six are in their first year with the Royals’ triathlon team.

2020-21 EMU Women’s Triathlon
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“The women’s triathlon team simply likes to swim, bike and run,” said Coach Bob Hepler. “They continue to improve at all three. They’ve become good cyclists. They are a solid running group. They are officially mediocre swimmers. They were horrible at the start of the fall, but have worked hard. It should be noted that Anna is actually a fantastic swimmer! Their strong academic work ethic is reflected in their team GPA and in their improvement as triathletes.”

On July 16, an 草莓社区 coach and three alumni began biking uphill. For 20 miles. And that was just the first day of a 500-mile trip, traversing the Blue Ridge Parkway from its southern end in North Carolina to where it becomes Skyline Drive in Afton, Virginia. 

“For a cyclist it’s pretty tantalizing,” says Joanna Friesen, who organized the trip with three cross-country alumni (Friesen, a seminary student, is an assistant coach for the team). Friesen, Hannah Chappell-Dick ’16, Michaela Mast ’18, and Abigail Shelly ’20 biked about 50 miles a day for eight days, although in one long haul they pounded out 85 miles.

“It’s been on my radar for awhile as a beautiful long road, perfect for a week’s touring with no stop signs or traffic lights,” Friesen says. She’s started blogging about the experience on her website . We’ve reprinted her entry about day one below; check out the blog to read more about their journey.

Continuous Climb: Day one on the Parkway

on mine and my friends鈥� unsupported bike tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway from July  16 – 24. Day one was 19.21 miles with 4,508 ft of elevation gain, it took us 3:42:12 to complete at an average speed of 5.2 miles per hour. SLOWWW GOING. In addition to our bikes we each carried 40-60 pounds of additional gear (tents, cookstoves, food, everything we needed and some extra). I had decided while packing that this was the ordained time for me to finish 鈥淭he Gulag Archipelago” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, turned out to just be more weight to carry. My brain got too fried for Russian Gulag literature. 

An elk greets us, a tenth of a mile into our northbound foray on the Blue Ridge Parkway. An elk. They were reintroduced to the Great Smokies in the early aughts. I learned this a few days later, poring over a biodiversity pamphlet as I sheltered out a vicious thunderstorm at a visitor center some 300 miles up the road. The elk was my first clue that we were going to learn how much we didn鈥檛 know this week. 

Late in 2019, I sketched out a race schedule for myself, tracing the contours of 2020: a 鈥渂ig year鈥� for me athletically. It was all engineered. A part of this was my plan to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, in its entirety, as fast as possible, supported by my husband driving a follow car. At the end of every day, he would whisk me to an AirBnb to recover, I would put in monster mileage days, and I鈥檇 see if I could do it in five to six days. This was an afterthought though, nestled amongst marathons, half-marathons, and triathlons of increasing distance and challenge. Then all the races got cancelled. My calendar was a series of dates highlighted in red, 鈥渃ancelled.” All I had left in my schedule was this lone un-highlighted, un-cancelled sketch of biking the parkway. 

And then I reached out to some friends, a fellow coach, two graduated star EMU athletes. All women, all stubborn, all strong; all looking for some kind of something to make this summer be more than a summer of loss and upheaval. Reaching out for companionship for this trek was the best impulse I鈥檝e had this summer. We started planning in earnest in early June; borrowed gear, expert bike mechanic advice, and my own experience from my cross-country ride in 2017 heavily mined. 

And, then there we were. We drove down one of our cars, and left it by permission in the parking lot of the Great Smokies visitor center. Some chaotic packing, learning and re-learning how to efficiently pack a bike was a continued process throughout the ride, and a short roll down the highway and we were turning left onto that 470 mile ribbon that carves through the many blue ridges and smoky mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. We were off. 

Or rather, we were up. Lesson two was that all of our uneducated (why did we do so little research?) guesses around elevation were incorrect. At least personally, my rationale is that if I don鈥檛 know the specifics of a ride, it doesn鈥檛 matter, because I鈥檒l stubbornly force myself through it anyway. Plus, I reasoned, nothing could be worse than that one day in Wyoming鈥檚 Bighorns, so I鈥檇 be able to do anything the East Coast could throw at me, I鈥檇 been out West. 

So, I told my friends we wouldn鈥檛 see a climb over an 8% grade (true) and that we wouldn鈥檛 have a climb longer than five to eight miles (not true, no idea where I got that idea from). And also, an 8% grade is no walk in the park when you鈥檙e doing 50-plus mile days hauling 40 – 60 pounds of gear. So. 

The first day began giddily, with laughter and excitement. It soon settled into the uphill grind. Twenty miles of it. Just around the bend, there was just another upward bend. As it got dark, and inched towards 8:30 p.m., we were bathed  in the soft pink light of sunset, golden rays, and soft clouds in orange light. The mountains became a deeper blue, even purple. We continued on the upward path, in utmost beauty and the still of an Appalachian mountain evening. 

And eventually, we saw a sign that there were bathrooms in three miles. We continued on, and found our way to Waterrock Knob, elevation somewhere around  5,500 feet. We set up a surreptitious camp, ate our dehydrated foods in the dark, and settled in for a restless night. I kept thinking about bears. The wind howled around the top of the mountain. Some teenagers partied in the parking lot at the top of the world. The bathrooms were closed and there was no water access. Some kind sunset-watchers earlier had humored our humble requests for water (which we needed for the next morning, we didn鈥檛 know when we would find more water). And that was day one. We started in a parking lot, and ended at a parking lot on top of the mountain.

鈥� Joanna Friesen

Six EMU student-athletes have been named to the Academic-All State Team by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). A total of 222 student-athletes representing 37 colleges and universities across the state were recognized.

Those honored from 草莓社区 were:

 (Broadway, Va./Broadway), So., Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field, Environmental Science, 3.96 GPA. Alderfer earned All-Region honors in track & field finishing fourth in the region in the 800m with his school record time of 1:54.97. He was also Eastern Mennonite’s top cross country runner in the fall.

 (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone), Jr., Women’s Soccer, Secondary English Education, 4.00 GPA. Breidigan is a three-year starter in the Royals’ back line. She has helped Eastern Mennonite to 10 shutouts this past season and 19 over her career.

 (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), Sr., Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Writing Studies, 4.00 GPA. Good had a comeback senior season after missing time the previous season. She ran her best 6K time of     24:26.5 at the 2019 ODAC Cross Country Championship.

 (Smithfield, Va./Smithfield), So., Field Hockey/Women鈥檚 Lacrosse, Elementary Education, 4.00 GPA. Hedgepeth played and started in every contest for field hockey and women鈥檚 lacrosse. She led the field hockey team with 10 goals with 3 assists for 23 points. Three of her goals were game-winning. 

 (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale), Sr., Women鈥檚 Triathlon/Cross Country, Education and Liberal Arts, 3.97 GPA. In the first year of EMU sponsoring the sport of triathlon, Shelly finished 13th at the National Championship, completing a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run in 1:19.38. She was also the Royals’ top runner on the cross country team.

 (Broadway, Va./Eastern Mennonite), Sr., Women鈥檚 Soccer, Psychology & Music Performance (Vocal), 3.96 GPA. This year, Wenger was voted as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete for women鈥檚 soccer. She had 58 starts in 67 career games, and led the ODAC with 10 shutouts as a senior.

To be eligible for Academic All-State, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, and be a sophomore or higher.

VaSID is comprised of sports information or athletics communications professionals from intercollegiate institutions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Membership is open to any individual affiliated with one of the state鈥檚 institutions at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, USCAA, NJCAA, community college and independent levels.

This is the story of five student-athletes who, amidst nursing clinicals, cross-country practices, late nights with friends and early mornings of exams, became 草莓社区鈥檚 . Their story is told in the student-produced documentary film Persist.

Follow the team as they pound mile after mile on foot, bicycle, and in the water. The film was shot and produced by students in Professor Jerry Holsopple鈥檚 video production class at races, on the track, and in the pool.

Watch the trailer:

Women鈥檚 triathlon is labeled a 鈥渆merging sport鈥� within the NCAA, so all events and championships include teams from Division I-III. This means the team regularly competed against much larger schools in their four-event season, culminating in an October qualifier for the national championships. Senior Abigail Shelly ended her season with a finish in Tempe, Arizona. 

From pre-competition jitters to simply mastering the many skills of three different sports, the film showcases how individual courage and dedication inspired the entire team. Senior Emma Hoover particularly struggled to learn how to swim competitively.

In the documentary, Hoover recalls, 鈥渨e get to the point where we鈥檙e starting our swim warm-ups, and there鈥檚 this moment, where Abigail will look at everybody, and Abigail goes, 鈥榦kay, no more negative thoughts.鈥� And she did it every single race. And I just felt like, 鈥榦kay 鈥� now is the time to just let it all go, this is what it is. It鈥檚 time to work.鈥欌��

The team included Hoover, a history, social science and education major; Shelly, an education and liberal arts major; Mim Beck, a nursing major, Lydia Chappell Deckert, an English major; and Leah Lapp, a biology and chemistry double-major.

The team is coached by . 

The video production crew is Keith Bell, Mykenzie Davis, Ethan Green, Jared Oyer, and Anthony Parker.

The select group of honorees were selected by the College Triathlon Coaches Association.

Shelly holds a double major at EMU in education (English as Second Language Licensure) and liberal arts, along with a minor in honors, and has a 3.97 GPA. She was also the Royals’ top runner on the cross country team.

“This is an incredible honor,” said Shelly. “If this speaks to anything, I believe it is to my coaches and professors, as they have been incredible in the past year as they understood my need to balance and deep-dive into both athletics and academics. The classroom and the field are not mutually exclusive for me, and I’m grateful to go to a school that seems to get that.”

In the first year of EMU sponsoring the sport of triathlon, Shelly quickly excelled. She finished 13th at the National Championship, completing a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run in 1:19.38.

The CTCA awards the Scholar All-American designation to the top 20 finishers at the National Championship who have a GPA of 3.5 or better.

“Abigail serves the community, puts others first, and somehow is able to be a dedicated student and athlete,” said Coach .

Shelly finished eighth in the East Regional Qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake State Park, and will head to the USA Triathlon-sanctioned national race of the Lake Pleasant Olympic & Sprint Triathlon on Nov. 3 in Peoria, Arizona.

She came out of the water 12th and held her own in the bike before running a 21:23 5k, which was the seventh best among the D-III participants. Shelly finished in 1:12:10.

 (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) continued her season-long improvement in the swim leg before making a move up in the run. She ran a 22:39 5k to move up to 17th in the standings.

 (Lowville, N.Y./Beaver River Central) had her best bike of the season for the 草莓社区 women, while  (North Newton, Kan./Newton) and  (Woodstock, Vt./Archbold) each had their best run.

East Regional Qualifier
Top Finisher:  鈥� 8th of 44 (1:12:10)
Full Team:  鈥� 17th (1:16:38);  鈥� 30th (1:23:11);  鈥� 32nd (1:24:08);  鈥� 44th (1:34:16)

Coach Bob Hepler said:
EMU Triathlon participated in the NCAA Regional Championship today and they saved their best race for last! But wait!  stormed into the top ten with a blazing run leg to claim a spot at Nationals!  What an amazing accomplishment for a first year triathlete who happens to be EMU’s premier cross country runner.

 and  also had their best races of the year. Emma has an amazing story. Six months ago, she was totally new to competitive swimming and biking. She has turned into a respectable swimmer and a very strong rider. She also had one of the top runs of the day to finish in the top twenty. Leah’s incredible improvement on the bike led to by far her best race of the year.  and  capped their first season of triathlon with their best run legs of the year.

It’s been a wonderful first year. Coaches Joanna Friesen and Chad Gusler put in many hours simply because they wanted to see the program start strong.  They are great coaches and selfless people.  Now it’s on to Nationals for Abigail!

Five women committed to the first season of EMU Triathlon and overcame many obstacles. The challenges of training for three sports while maintaining tough academic schedules was truly overwhelming for all five athletes. They will always be loved and appreciated by future teams for all of the sacrifices they made.

The university announced the addition of women鈥檚 triathlon to its athletic program in the spring,聽funded by a three-year grant from the USA Triathlon Foundation.

The program will begin its first competitive season this fall. , a seven-time Ironman qualifier and head of EMU’s cross country and track and field programs, will coach the team.

Women鈥檚 collegiate triathlon, which features a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run, is classified by the NCAA as an 鈥渆merging sport.鈥�

The free half-day clinic, presented by EMU and USA Triathlon, began with a workshop on聽bike handling and safety. Athletes participated in drills and a workout based on their level of experience, then moved into running drills and a 1600m time trial. EMU Associate Head Track and Field Coach was assisted by five-time NCAA national qualifier Grant Amoateng.

After cycling to the Westover Park pool, assistant triathlon coach Chad Gusler led athletes through drills and warmup before a 100m time trial. A bike-to-run transition workshop followed by area triathlon coach and athlete Emily Sherrill. After the adventurous ride back to EMU, the athletes were presented with wonderful parting gifts supplied by USA Triathlon.

A second clinic is being considered for later in the summer.

Contact Bob Hepler, bob.hepler@emu.edu, for more information.