All of EMU’s ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.  Men’s volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the seventh consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fourth year in a row.  With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,459 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2012-13 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.  He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.

Nels Akerson – Cross Country, Track & Field
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Sonja Anderson – Field Hockey
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Ruthie Beck – Softball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Jessica Blanks – Field Hockey
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Clemmer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Alli Eanes – Cross Country, Track & Field
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada – Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Chantelle Garber – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Patrick Graber – Cross Country, Track & Field
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Holly Jensen – Women’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Janna Kaufman – Women’s Soccer
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Lanae Kreider – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jonathan Leaman – Men’s Golf
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Rachel Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Karla Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Katie Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Phillip Martin – Track & Field
Ian Mast – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Cross Country, Track & Field
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Thomas Millary – Cross Country
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Michelle Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Kaitlyn Morris – Softball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Joel Murray – Men’s Golf
Dan Nafziger – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jolee Paden – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Patterson – Track & Field
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Krista Rittenhouse – Cross Country, Track & Field
Adriana Santiago – Field Hockey
Meghan Schaefer – Cross Country
Juni Schirch – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Aaron Springer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Andre Swartzentruber – Men’s Golf
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Kegan Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Tyler Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey

The Lady Royals started quickly, firing a shot on goal less than a minute and a half in.  On the rebound, (Souderton, PA/Christopher Dock) found (Chester, VA/Thomas Dale) three feet from the cage for an easy score.  Brinkley’s second goal of the season made it 1-0.

Play continued tight until the second half, when the women scored again in similar fashion.  (Mountville, PA/Hempfield) slapped a shot in the 55th minute which was saved.  (Richmond, VA/Manchester) was there for the rebounded goal to push the lead to 2-0.

The insurance proved necessary, as the Generals scored on a breakaway just over a minute later.  W&L fired six more shots over the final 14 minutes, but EMU’s defense held for the 2-1 win.

The Lady Royals had a 15-11 edge in shots, including an impressive 14-3 advantage in shots on goal.

(Matoaca, VA/Matoaca) made two saves between the pipes to earn the win.

Brinkley and Santiago each had five shots on goal to lead the team.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 3-7 overall, but more importantly to 2-2 in the ODAC.  The women are tied for fourth place in the league with games remaining against the fourth other teams in the middle of the ODAC standings.

The Lady Royals play a non-conference date at Frostburg State on Tuesday, followed by an ODAC game at Roanoke on Wednesday.

Junior (Souderton, PA/Christopher Dock) earned an All-State award for the first time after being named All-ODAC First Team earlier this fall.  She was a key cog in the midfield and finished third on the team with eight goals and dished out two assists.  Santiago had three-game winning goals, including in overtime against Bridgewater in the ODAC Quarterfinals.

Attackers (Telford, PA/Souderton) and (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) were also named to the All-State Second Team.

Bencsik led the Lady Royals with 11 goals and was tied for third in the ODAC during the regular season.  She had four game-winning scores and was second for EMU with 24 total points.

Derstine led Eastern Mennonite with 29 points in her freshman season.  She had a team-high nine assists and was second with ten goals.  The speedy Derstine was also fourth in the ODAC in points.

EMU ended the year at 10-11, falling to eventual champion Lynchburg in the ODAC Semifinals.

Lynchburg College swept the top awards with the release of the 2011 College Division Field Hockey All-State Team, as voted on by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Junior Shelly Milks earned the Player of the Year Award, Katie Kline was the Rookie of the Year and Enza Steele was the Coach of the Year.

Milks, a first-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American, was also named the All-South Region Player of the Year.  Earlier this off-season, Milks was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was also the ODAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She tallied 10 goals and added eight assists, while helping the LC defense allow just nine goals all season.

Kline, also the ODAC Rookie of the Year, burst onto the scene this year with 11 goals, nine assists and 31 points, placing third on the team in all three categories.

Steele, the 2011 ODAC Coach of the Year, takes home her second-straight All-State Coach of the Year Award after LC went 19-2. The Hornets ended its 2011 season ranked fourth in NCAA Division III and LC advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Quarterfinal after earning the program’s sixth-straight ODAC crown.

2011 College Division All-State Field Hockey Team

Player of the Year: Shelly Milks, Lynchburg College
Rookie of the Year: Katie Kline, Lynchburg College
Coach of the Year: Enza Steele, Lynchburg College

First Team:
Attack:
Morgan Jones, Mary Washington
Katie Kline, Lynchburg
Lindsay Leonard, Lynchburg

Midfielder:
Caitlin Cahill, Christopher Newport
Lisa Charney, Mary Washington
Shelly Milks, Lynchburg

Defender:
Amy Abernathy, Mary Washington
Jennifer Bateman, Bridgewater
Brianna Milne, Christopher Newport
Amanda Wain, Lynchburg

Goalkeeper:
Tiffany Frye, Lynchburg

Second Team:
Attack:
Nicole Bencsik, Eastern Mennonite
Janessa Derstine, Eastern Mennonite
Carrie Jacobs, Randolph-Macon
Lauren Seal, Randolph-Macon

Midfielder:
Caitlin Baker, Mary Washington
Kristina Morris, Lynchburg
Adriana Santiago, Eastern Mennonite

Defender:
Shelby Judkins, Christopher Newport
Melanie Tenney, Lynchburg
Amber VanHorn, Shenandoah

Goalkeeper:
Jamie Dowling, Christopher Newport

Daryl Bert, vice president for finance, opened chapel by praising the tireless efforts of Bruce Emmerson, food services director for Pioneer Catering, which operates 52 kitchens nationwide.  Emmerson, who was named Pioneer’s “rookie of the year,” in 2007 and “director of the year,” in 2011, has continuously improved the quality of services that are offered to the students, faculty, staff and visitors of EMU, said Bert.

“I have appreciated how seriously Bruce takes feedback from our community by personally, wittily and publicly responding to feedback cards in the cafeteria,” said Bert. “I am always amazed at how quickly Bruce implements themes from the survey forms into the food service experience in the cafeteria…

“I believe this attention to quality is validated by the large number of faculty and staff that join students in the cafeteria for lunch on a daily basis.”

Byron Peachey, associate campus pastor, said: “Anytime I’ve needed to work with Bruce or Ramona [Lantz] with special catering needs or events, they are adaptable and easy to work with, willing to take on special events such as the Late Night Breakfast… The food is always consistently delicious and varied.”

EMU routinely hosts outside groups, conferences and youth camps over the summer which adds to Emmerson’s schedule. LeDayne McLeese Polaski, program coordinator for the Baptist Peace Fellowship also praised the work of Emmerson and Matthew Hunsberger, Lehman Auditorium facility technician, in a written statement to Bert.

After stating that her Fellowship puts EMU at the top of the list, Polaski added: “I would be remiss if I did not mention the excellent work of Matt Hunsberger and Bruce Emmerson… They are true professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent service.”

Below is a list of students who were honored at the chapel ceremony for academics, athletics and community service.

Fall Season

Men’s Cross Country:

Dan Nafziger: ODAC Athlete of the Week (Sept. 1-5), All-ODAC Second Team, All-South/Southeast Region First Team, NCAA National Championships participant

Field Hockey:

Nicole Bencsik: All-ODAC Second Team

Jenessa Derstine: All-ODAC Third Team

Valerie Landis: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Adriana Santiago: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Men’s Soccer:

Barkot Akalu: All-ODAC Third Team

Kevin Chico: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Ryan Eshleman: ODAC All-Tournament Team, CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team, All-ODAC First Team

Mitchell Leap: ODAC Player of the Week (Sept. 19-25), ODAC Player of the Week (Oct. 3-9), ODAC Player of the Week (Oct. 24-30), All-ODAC First Team

Brent Yoder:    All-ODAC Third Team

Women’s Cross Country:

Katie Eckman: All-ODAC Second Team

Women’s Volleyball:

Tabitha Bowman: CUA Guetle All-Invitational Team

Brittany Childress: EMU Hampton Inn & Sleep Inn All-Invitational Team

Winter Season

Men’s Basketball:

Owen Longacre: Marymount Tip-Off Tournament All-Tournament Team

Women’s Basketball:

Raiven Patterson: EMU Tip-Off Classic Most Outstanding Player

Kala Yoders: All-EMU Tip-Off Classic Team

Intensive English Program

Fanty Polanco

Maria Pena

Jihoo Park

Academic Support Center-Tutors

Stacy Kinkaid

Haleigh Hershberger

Lyubov Slashcheva

Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival nominations

Elizabeth Gannaway

Julia King

Justin Rittenhouse (alternate)

Jamie Hiner (stage manager)

Pastoral Assistant Recognition

Mitchell Stutzman – 1.5 years as pastoral assistant

Nursing Department Outstanding Service Award

Rebekah [last name omitted on request]

Student Government Association

Hannah Patterson, Senator

Joel Choi, Senator

Louise Babikow, Senator

Brittney Wenger, Senator

Katrina Goering, Senator

Daniel Sigmans, Treasurer

Nels Ã…kerson, c0-President

The Lady Royals controlled the first 35 minutes and took an early lead on their home field just 11:11 in.  The speedy Derstine dribbled to the goal line and centered a pass which Santiago sent home to put EMU up 1-0.

The women nearly added a second goal late in the half, but (Telford, PA/Souderton) had a shot from a corner come out off the post, and a minute later she flipped a backside one-timer just wide.

Bridgewater regrouped and earned a corner as time expired in the half.  Joan Burleson drilled the long shot off the corner to tie the game at 1-1 at the break.

Santiago helped the women take the lead back just 2:44 into the second as she dribbled up the right side and sent a cross to a wide open (Allensville, PA/Belleville Mennonite) for an easy goal.  But the Eagles had a quick answer, getting a score from Jennifer Bateman less than two minutes later to tie it up again.

The Lady Royals continued to have an advantage on the field, but the game stayed precariously tied.

Bridgewater nearly broke through, but (Matoaca, VA/Matoaca) made a great save on a breakaway with nine minutes left. On the resulting corner, EMU dodged another bullet when a shot from outside of the circle hit the cage, but no one touched it along the way.

The women earned a handful of corners in the final minutes, but couldn’t make one stick and the game went into seven-on-seven extra time.

Overtime was full of excitement as both goalies made great saves.  Bencsik hit another shot of the post before Derstine found Santiago for the game winner, giving EMU its second consecutive ODAC Quarterfinal win over the Eagles.  The women beat BC 2-1 in the same round last fall.

Also like last year, the Lady Royals (10-10) advance to the semifinals to take on top-seeded Lynchburg on Wednesday.  The Hornets, ranked No. 3 in the Kookaburra/NFHCA national poll, have won five straight ODAC titles.

The Lady Royals had a 25-12 edge in shots, including 6-3 in the overtime period.  Danaher finished with five saves.

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