Senior (Staunton, Va./Riverheads) thoroughly dominated the throwing events, easily winning the shot put and weight throw. He was named the Athlete of the Meet, the first EMU male since Michael Allen in 2011, and the first male to win the title at the ODAC’s Indoor Championship.

Classmate (Broadway, Va./Broadway) bettered his prelimary qualifying time with a first-place finish of 8.28 in the finals. His time broke both the ODAC conference and championships records.�� It was also Robinson’s third ODAC Champion title of his career, repeating as the 60m hurdles champion after also winning the 110m hurdles from outdoor season last spring.

Lagging team health hindered the women, who finished sixth, despite a pair of individual championships for senior (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) who defended her titles in the 800m and mile. Bridgewater edged Washington and Lee 135 to 133 for the team title.

Two Royals also won scholar-athlete awards. Junior was voted the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Scholar-Athlete.�� A biology/pre-med major with a minor in business administration, Denlinger holds a 3.98 GPA is also a four-time All-ODAC honoree.�� This is the second straight indoor scholar award for Denlinger.

Chappell-Dick also earned her fifth consecutive ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Scholar-Athlete award.�� She is a biology major with minors in coaching, exercise science and honors.�� Chappell-Dick holds a 3.84 GPA and has won every scholar-athlete honor possible from the ODAC since the beginning of her junior season.

Men’s results

Heizer PRed in the shot put and the weight throw, while also claiming the three best throws in each at the meet.�� In the shot put, Heizer’s best landed at a monster 15.81m (51-10.75ft), not only winning gold but also vaulting him to No. 25 in the nation.�� Then in the weight throw, he landed at 15.06m (49-5.25ft).�� Both improved on his No. 2 spots in the EMU record books.

(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) claimed fourth behind teammate Robinson in the 60m hurldes race in 8.68, while (Winchester, Va./Millbrook) took sixth in 8.73.�� It was a PR for Faint.

Jumper (Bristow, Va./Patriot) had a great first effort, as the freshman took All-ODAC Third Team honors in the triple jump at 13.61m (44-8ft).�� His PR distance was the third-best effort in EMU history.

Amoateng then cleared 1.79m (5-10.5ft) in the high jump to claim seventh.�� The freshman also grabbed seventh in the long jump, landing his best at 6.36m (20-10.5ft).�� Both efforts were PRs, with the long jump distance putting him No. 8 all-time at EMU.

(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) earned third place in the 800m for All-ODAC Third Team status.�� The junior crossed in 1:57.24, behind only a pair of Bridgewater runners.

Running partner (Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) had a similar finish in the mile, settling for third in 4:25.98.�� He then took fifth in the 3000m with a time of 9:03.55.�� Thibodeaux was five seconds behind four runners clumped within just over a second of each other.

The 4×400 relay team staked a third-place.�� The foursome of Faint, (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass), (Salem, Va./Salem) and Denlinger finished in 3:27.32. Faint had a great all-around individual effort, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 400m, clocking in at 50.83.�� The sophomore’s PR also bumped him up to No. 8 in the EMU’s record books.�� Sampson also grabbed two points for taking seventh in the event at 51.47.�� He comes in at No. 9 in EMU history.

The distance medley relay team added two points towards the team total with a seventh-place finish.�� (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle), (Dayton, Va./Ben Logan) and (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) came in at 11:52.21.

Women’s results

Chappell-Dick broke the ODAC Championships record in the mile, registering a time 5:03.54.�� She was more than four seconds better than the previous best at the ODAC Indoor Meet, beating Carmen Graves’ time of 5:07.84.

Then in the 800m, she edged Marissa Combs of Virginia Wesleyan in 2:20.62, just ahead of Coombs’ 2:20.80.�� She has now won the last four indoor and outdoor 800m ODAC titles, as well as the last two miles, which are only an indoor event.

Sophomore (Dover, Ohio/Dover), who won the 3000m and 5000m last year, took fifth in the 5000m with a time of 19:36.21.�� After finishing runner-up last year, (St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) also didn’t run the 3000m.

The distance medley relay team just missed defending last year’s title, coming in second.�� (Goshen, Ind./Goshen), (King George, Va./King George), (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) and Paden put together a time of 13:14.36, finishing nearly four seconds behind Bridgewater’s winning foursome.

(Bedford, Va./Liberty) finished fourth in the triple jump.�� Her first two jumps each landed at 10.57m (34-8.25ft), but Lynchburg’s Shanice Clarke edged her with one late jump at 10.66m (34-11.75ft).�� Kittrell then settled for eighth in the long jump, sticking her best at 4.78m (15-8.25ft).�� She was less than an inch from seventh place and 3.5 inches from sixth.

The 4x400m relay team of Williams, Yoder, Chappell-Dick and Schirch took fifth, combined for a time of 4:13.85.

(Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) claimed sixth in the 60m dash, crossing in 8.15 in the finals.�� The freshman’s PR improves her No. 2 time in the EMU record books.

In the 400m, Williams also finished sixth.�� She was second in her heat, clocking at 1:02.54.�� Pole vaulter (Denton, Md./North Caroline) was another of the women who finished sixth, as she cleared 2.22m (7-3.25ft).

(Portsmouth, Va./Churchland) finished seventh in the shot put, with her best toss landing at 10.10m (33-2ft).

For the men,����(Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) took nearly six seconds off of his indoor PR in the 3000m, coming across in a time of 8:43.68 to re-break his own school record of 8:49.20 from the CNU Holiday Open in December.

A foursome of����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock),����(Winchester, Va./Millbrook),����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Thibodeaux destroyed the program record in the distance medley relay.�� The foursome crossed in 10:29.09, topping the 2013 record of 10:37.15 by more than eight seconds and bumping the Royals to the No. 11 spot in the nation this season.

The 4x400m team of Faint, Denlinger,����(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) and����(Salem, Va./Salem) had the seventh-best time in EMU history at 3:28.34.

Denlinger set his indoor PR in the 800m, stopping the watch at 1:56.50.�� He moves to the second-best time in the event in EMU history.�� Luke Yoder set the record of 1:55.84 in 2007.�� Denlinger also sits at No. 23 in the nation so far this season with the time.

A pair of young runners made a splash in the 400m.�� Faint, a sophomore, clocked at 51.41 to win his heat and earn 21st overall.�� Faint PRed with the effort and moved up two spots to No. 8 in the EMU history books.�� Sampson, a freshman, knocked 0.01 of his PR to take sole possession of No. 9 in the books at 51.65.

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) had a successful re-entry to the track season, as he punched an ODAC spot in the 5000m.�� The 2014 S/SE Region Athlete of the Year in cross country, Gehman finished his race in 16:18.61.

��(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) improved upon his EMU No. 2 distance in the weight throw.�� His best toss landed at 14.87m (48-9.5ft), an improvement of more than two feet.�� Nathan Turner holds the EMU record at 15.77m (51-9ft).�� In the shot put, Heizer landed at 14.18m (46-6.25ft).

For his efforts, he was named ODAC Field Athlete of the Week.

In the 60m hurdles,����(Broadway, Va./Broadway) crossed in 8.78 while����(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) came in at 8.96.

��(Charlotte Court House, Va./Randolph Henry) punched an ODAC ticket in the 200m, winning his heat in 23.69.�� He also participated in the long jump, sticking his best landing at 6.07m (19-11ft).

��(Bristow, Va./Patriot) made just one of his three attempts in the triple jump, but it was good enough to tie him for No. 7 in EMU history at 12.83m (42-1.25ft).

Meanwhile on the women’s side,����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) put herself fourth in the nation in the mile run with her time of 5:02.05.�� The All-American was the top D-III runner at the meet and took fifth overall. Chappell-Dick broke the finish line seventh overall in the 800m with a time of 2:16.02.�� She is ninth in the nation with the time. She was named ODAC Athlete of the Week for her win.

Three other women ran in the 800m, with each earning an ODAC-qualifying time.������(King George, Va./King George) had a PR of 2:30.74, jumping herself to No. 6 on the all-time EMU charts.�� �������󳾲�������(Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) shaved more than a second off of her first collegiate race with a time of 2:31.21 to take No. 8 in EMU history, and����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) came in at 2:33.60.

In the 3000m,����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) crossed in 10:34.38.�� ����Ծ��ǰ�����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) was 12th overall in the 5000m, clocking in at 20:19.51.

The distance medley relay team of Chappell-Dick, Williams, Yoder and Schirch had a solid time of 13:42.21.

In the field events, sophomore����(Bedford, Va./Liberty) was the lone EMU representative.�� She just missed her indoor PR in the triple jump, landing at 10.55m (34-7.5ft).�� In the long jump she measured at 4.44m (14-7.0 feet).

The Royals head to Selinsgrove, Pa., next Saturday for the Crusader Challenge hosted by Susquehanna University.

She becomes the first Eastern Mennonite harrier to win an ODAC championship since Hall of Honor member won her second straight title in 2002.��The last winner for the men was Lynn Stoltzfus in 1994. Including Chappell-Dick, the women’s team landed three all-conference finishers and took third place.�� The men had one all-conference runner and were fifth overall.

Chappell-Dick has also won four of the five official races she has run this season.�� After her Oct. 19 performance at the CNU Invitational, topping a field of mostly D-I runners along with the D-III regionally-ranked Christopher Newport squad, she garnered her fourth ODAC Runner of the Week award.

The squad totaled 70 points as a team, finishing just behind second-place Bridgewater at 64.��Washington and Lee won the team title with 46 points. Rounding out the scoring were (Dover, Ohio/Dover), (St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden), (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), (Goshen, Ind./Goshen), (Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula), and (King George, Va./King George).

Not just running honors

Chappell-Dick is a senior majoring in with minors in , and . She plans on spending a year after graduation working with an intentional community/service program called (through the DOOR program) in Atlanta, Georgia, where she’d also continue training and competing with the Atlanta Track Club.

Her decision after that depends on how her training is going, she says. She may enroll in graduate school for a master’s in public health or an MBA. Chappell-Dick says she’s also interested in coaching.

She talks about her choice to attend and compete at EMU, as well as future plans, in .

Chappell-Dick was a two-time All-American in track and field last year, finishing second in the indoor mile and third in the 1500m at those respective NCAA D.III championships in 2015.

For now, though, there’s the regional and national meets to finish out the cross country season and an indoor and outdoor season of track to look forward to, as well as juggling the demands of the classroom and her extra-curricular activities.

Giving back

A leader in the classroom as well as on the field, Chappell-Dick is serving as a student representative on the�� throughout the 2015-16 academic year.

She is also working with the athletic department to rebuild the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at EMU, in which student-athletes are able to give feedback on proposed NCAA legislation, advocate for student-athletes on campus, and serve the community through various projects.

With teammate , Chappell-Dick started a track club called “FLASH” for 10 to 12-year-olds, which meets twice a week in the spring. She’s also active in Big Brothers Big Sisters and at Shalom Mennonite Church.

Working around her athletic schedule, Chappell-Dick completed her cross-cultural requirement during a summer 2014 trip to Guatemala. “We stayed with host families and attended language and cultural lessons during the day at CASAS, a program through Semilla Seminary in Guatemala City,” she said.

This semester, she is living in an intentional community theme house on campus. The goal of residents of “Bridge House” is to “bridge the gap” between first-year students and seniors with twice-monthly social gatherings.

Royals Athlete of the Week (Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) of the has a rigorous workout schedule and strong support system, and now these factors have gained him the success he has always dreamed of.

In May��2015, Thibodeaux won the 800m run at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference��(ODAC) Track and Field Championships.��Now in cross country season, the junior has taken to new heights and proved himself capable of running against D-I athletes.�� Yet he is determined on accomplishing more.

“I want to be an Academic All-American and cross country All-American (top 35 at nationals),” he revealed.

Unlike many athletes who have played their sport since they were little, Thibodeaux started running competitively his sophomore year of high school.�� Now in his sixth season of cross country, he accepts that running is an innate talent he must craft and perfect.

“Nowadays, most of my race paces in high school are now my workout paces in college,” Thibodeaux noted. ��“Sometimes I am a little bewildered by my improvements this year, but it would be foolish of me to say I don’t know how it happened.�� I am ecstatic with how my mentality and fitness has progressed, but I’m not where I want to be yet.”

At��the CNU Invitational, Thibodeaux finished in third place of the 8k run behind two runners from William and Mary, a respected D-I school.�� He set a new personal record with a time of 25:28, finishing 19 seconds before the nearest D-III runner, CNU’s Grayson Reid.

Many may wonder what a runner like Thibodeaux thinks as he’s running such a strenuous race.

“The typical things you would think someone running as fast as they can for five miles would be thinking,” he answered. ��“‘Is it over yet? ��Where’s the fourth mile at?�� Why do my feet hurt so badly?�� Where’s coach?’”

Before taking over as the men’s No. 1 this year, Thibodeaux was the No. 3 runner and had the privilege of training with and running behind former All-Region runners Ryan Gehman and Jacob Landis.

“It was phenomenal,” Thibodeaux said. “The opportunity to have people on your team that are currently training and racing at a place you’re trying to get to is something that can’t be taken for granted; especially those two guys. They were terrific role models for me, showing me what putting in the work actually meant and looked like day in and day out.”

Thibodeaux’s experience of running with Gehman and Landis heightened his discipline. He explained that in order to be a great runner you must work on a daily basis and days off are unacceptable.

“If you want to be a serious runner, or athlete in general, your work ethic cannot be questioned,” he explained. ��“This summer I put in 12 weeks of continuous work.�� That includes runs every day and specific lifting workouts two or three times a week.�� That is the ideal summer for a runner as it takes 24 weeks to fully develop.�� Right now, I am in week 21 of training so over half of my season was completed in the summer.�� If runners do not put in work during the summer, they cannot expect to fulfill their full potential or be in racing shape until the last couple of weeks of the season.�� A lot of runners that don’t get enough training in during the summer can also struggle tremendously with nagging injuries throughout the year.”

Teammates who are “willed to win” like Thibodeaux have made his experience at EMU even greater; he acknowledged that without them the season would not be as fulfilling.�� In the spring Thibodeaux and his teammate (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) coach a Harrisonburg area��youth track club. ��Last year they coached nine middle school girls twice a week and they’re hoping to expand and develop their program further this year.

Thibodeaux’s advice to other athletes is very simple: if you’re consistent and hardworking you’ll gain the success you want.�� One, two or three weeks of training will not excel your game; it has to be a daily effort.

“The biggest piece of advice I can give other runners is that no one workout will make you great, but a lot of good workouts over time can make you great,” Thibodeaux explained. ��“As for athletes in other sports, it’s the same concept.�� One or two weeks of fantastic training and effort does not make you a great athlete.�� It has to be day in and day out. ��I’ve only taken one day completely off from training since August 1. ��It’s all about consistency.”

��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) helped to highlight the day as he pointed in a couple of events.�� The sophomore had a short lead on a handful of finishers to win the 800m as he crossed in 1:55.02.�� It was easily Thibodeaux’s season best time, although more than a second and a half off his PR from last year.�� The second place runner came in at 1:55.86 while teammate����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) was third in 1:55.99, earning All-ODAC Third Team honors.

Thibodeaux then came in fourth in the 1500m with a PR time of 4:02.38, putting him fourth in the EMU history books as well.������(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) destroyed his PR and won his heat by six seconds to take sixth place in the event in 4:08.29.

�������󳾲�������(Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) made a dazzling debut in the javelin, coming from the fourth seed to win gold with a PR throw of 50.10m (164-4ft).�� He moves to No. 5 all-time at EMU.

The men also had some great finishes in the hurdles.�� The Royals went 1-and-3 in the 400m hurdles, as freshman����(Winchester, Va./Millbrook) claimed the gold.�� Faint’s winning time was 54.23, a PR for him and fifth in EMU history.�� Junior����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) also staked his PR, taking third place in the race in 57.04 and putting him at No. 10 in the EMU books.

��(Broadway, Va./Broadway) pulled away at the finish of the 110m hurdles, grabbing gold and All-ODAC First Team with a time of 15.30.�� His PR moved him to No. 3 all-time at EMU in the event.������(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) had a gritty effort to claim fourth in the race in 16.25.

��(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) earned a silver in the shot put.�� The big man landed at 14.39m (47-2.5ft), crushing his outdoor PR and moving to No. 2 in EMU history.�� He earned All-ODAC Second Team honors with the throw and was just six inches short of first place at 14.54m (47-8.5ft).

The Royals had two point-takers in the high jump.������(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), who entered as the favorite in the event, settled for a bronze finish.�� He took third based on jumps, tying his season best at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).�� Faint was sixth at 1.73m (5-8.0ft), setting his PR.

Faint also took a point in the triple jump, earning sixth by a single millimeter with his PR at 13.07m (42-10.75ft).�� He moves in ninth all-time at EMU as well.

�������󳾲�������(Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) took fifth in a tight finals of the 200m dash.�� After standing in eighth after the prelims, Dews clocked a 22.55 PR in the finals, with all of the top six finished within 0.47 seconds of each other.

Nisly grabbed the final point in the 3000m steeplechase, leading a group of four EMU runners in sixth place with a tie of 10:19.04.

In the relays, the 4x100m squad of����(Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy), Dews,����(Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) and����(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) earned fourth place with a time of 44.05.�� The 4x400m foursome of Dews, Faint, Bush and Denlinger came in fifth in 3:22.50.

The men racked up 86 points to comfortably finish in third place for their highest outdoor finish since 2006.�� Bridgewater won the men’s title with 154 points while Lynchburg was second with 132.�� Washington and Lee was behind the Royals with 66 tallies.

Women Stand Fourth At ODACs And Win Individual Honors

Highlighted by four gold medals, the EMU track and field women earned their highest finish at the ODAC Outdoor Championships in nine year.�� The meet was hosted by Bridgewater College Friday and Saturday.

To no one’s surprise,����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) and����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) led the charge for the women, with each winning two gold medals with their All-ODAC First Team status.

Chappell-Dick won the 800m and 1500m, breaking the ODAC Championships record in the 800m.�� In the two-lap race she had a pair of Bridgewater runners hanging near her, but not enough to challenge for top honors.�� Chappell-Dick won in a time of 2:13.64, breaking the meet record of 2:13.91 set by Roanoke’s Carmen Graves two years ago.

In the 1500m, the All-American was her usual self, leading the pack in 4:46.81.�� While a comfortable pace off her PR, it was still good enough to give Chappell-Dick the win by more than three seconds.�� Lehman actually crossed fourth in the race in 4:53.38.

Lehman was then dominant in the two distance events.�� In the 5000m she broke away from the pack early and strided her way to a facility record time of 18:03.55, breaking the old mark by more than 37 seconds.�� Teammate����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) claimed the silver with a second place finish at the ODAC meet, timing at 19:02.62.

Lehman ran a great race to win the 10,000m Friday night.�� The freshman ran with the pack for most of the race, before making her move with two laps to go.�� Lehman made a quick pass of Roanoke’s Kerri Dalton to take over the lead, and then bolted away with more than a 19-second margin over the final 800m.�� Lehman’s winning time was another facility-record 39:01.45, a comfortable win over Dalton’s 39:20.83.�� Paden stayed with the lead group most of that race as well and came in fifth with a time of 40:03.77.

��(Bedford, Va./Liberty) completed a great first season in the jumping events.�� She took fourth in the long jump, landing a PR jump at 5.27m (17-3.5ft), less than an inch behind the All-ODAC status of third place at 5.29m (17-4.25ft).�� The distance also bumped her up to No. 3 in EMU history.�� In the triple jump, Kittrell grabbed another fourth place finish, totaling 10.72m (35-2ft).

����Ծ��ǰ�����(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) was one of four women to break the facility record in the hammer throw.�� She claimed fourth with a landing at 44.10m (144-5ft), within sight of Bridgewater’ Katelyn Senger in third with 44.18m (144-11ft).�� It was a huge PR for Bane, upping her own school record, which had been 39.28m (128-10ft).�� Bane added a point to the team total in the discus, taking sixth with a season best of 31.00m (101-8ft).

Chappell-Dick also earned some points in this high jump.�� In just her second-ever effort in the event, the junior tied for fourth by clearing 1.51m (4-11.5ft).

��(Peninsula, Wash./Gig Harbor) was sixth in the javelin, as the junior landed at 30.97m (101-7ft) and inched up her PR and No. 2 spot in the EMU history books.

�������󳾲�������(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) grabbed a point in the 3000m steeplechase.�� She earned sixth place with a time of 13:07.23.

The 4x400m relay team of����(King George, Va./King George), Chappell-Dick,����(Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) and����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) claimed fourth, just missing All-ODAC status, with a time of 4:04.41.�� The 4x100m group of����(East Norriton, Pa./Christopher Dock), Chappell-Dick, Kittrell, and McKinsey was sixth with a time of 52.16.

The Royals had 77 points as a team, earning fourth place overall for their highest team finish since 2006.�� Roanoke won the women’s side with 156 points, followed by Bridgewater at 105 and Washington and Lee at 91.�� Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan were tied for fifth behind EMU with 63.

The ODAC Championships meet completes the main season for the Eastern Mennonite track teams.�� Now the focus turns to twilight meets and preparing for hopeful runs at the NCAA National Championships in late May.�� The next meet scheduled for the Royals is the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on April 29.

Individual Awards
The Royals picked up a trio of individual honors at the ODAC Championships as well.����Kat Lehman��was named the Rookie of the Year, winning two events and looking for another trip to the national meet after going in cross country and indoor track as well.

Hannah Chappell-Dick��made it a sweep of the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete awards, as she also claimed that honor in cross country and indoor track.�� Chappell-Dick recently added an All-American title to her name after finishing second in the mile at the national indoor meet to go with a 3.86 GPA as a biology major.

Coach Jason Lewkowicz��was named the ODAC Coach of the Year, as he was recognized for his work with the women in picking up his first ODAC award in his final season with the Royals.

In the mile, Chappell-Dick broke the five-minute barrier for the first time and did so quite handily.�� She charted a time of 4:56.37, shattering her own school record of 5:05.65, and breaking the ODAC record of 4:58.17 set by Roanoke All-American Carmen Graves in 2013.�� The junior also sits at No. 4 in the nation this year with the time.�� She placed sixth at the meet, behind runners from Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

��������������ٱ�����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) ran the mile for the first time this year and jumped to No. 7 in the ODAC this season at 5:27.27.

Lehman’s mark also came in her only event of the day, the 3000m, where she crossed in 9:55.49, whacking more than 27 seconds of her PR and school record of 10:22.72.�� She shattered the Old Dominion Athletic Conference record with the time, as the old mark was 10:10.61, set by Roanoke’s Casey Smith in 2001.�� Nationally, Lehman leaps to No. 9 as she looks to join Chappell-Dick with a trip to the NCAA National Championships.�� She took fourth in the race, coming in behind two women from Wake Forest and one from Virginia Tech.

Eastern Mennonite sent only a handful of athletes to the meet in Winston-Salem, N.C.�� Elsewhere,����(King George, Va./King George) earned the No. 5 time in EMU history with a time of 1:02.52.

In the long jump,����(Bedford, Va./Liberty) came close to her PR with a best leap of 4.96m (16-3.25ft).�� The freshman’s best effort this year is 5.05m.

The duo of����(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) and����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) continued to shine in the men’s 800m.�� Thibodeaux just beat his teammate, taking eighth overall with a time of 1:57.18.�� It was his PR, which is No. 4 in the ODAC and improves him to No. 4 in EMU history.�� Although Thibodeaux sits one spot behind Denlinger in program history, Denlinger came in just behind him in Saturday’s race, crossing in 1:57.22.

��(Winchester, Va./Millbrook) set a new PR in the triple jump, charting the No. 9 distance in the EMU books at 12.47m (40-11.00ft).

EMU had four men running in the 200m.������(Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) led the way with a time of 23.77, just missing his PR by .01.������(Ashburn, Va./Briarwood) tied his PR by finishing in 23.86.������(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) crossed in 24.38 while����(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) timed at 25.12.

Wheeler also clocked at 54.09 in the 400m.

The Eastern Mennonite track teams wrap up the indoor season next week at the ODAC Indoor Championships in Landover, Md.

Freshman distance runner����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) cemented her status as an elite athlete, breaking EMU’s record in the 5000m and taking second place overall at the mostly D-I meet. Lehman roasted the track to a finish of 17:43.77, finishing in between a pair of runners from the University of North Carolina. She destroyed her own EMU record of 18:10.40, set in December.

��������������ٱ�����(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) broke her personal record in the event, crossing in 20:15.98 to also grab the No. 8 spot in EMU’s history books.

In the 4x400m relay, the women’s foursome of����(King George, Va./King George),����(Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood),����(Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) timed the No. 3 effort in program history at 4:20.40.

Chappell-Dick was the top D-III finisher in the mile run, taking a time of 5:16.47.����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) clocked a season best in the 800m at 2:36.34, narrowly missing the ODAC qualifying time by 0.05 seconds. And Williams broke her PR in the 400m, timing at 1:04.62.

��(Bedford, Va./Liberty) landed a nice effort in the triple jump, measuring at 10.44m (34-3.00ft).�� Also in the field,����(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) had a best toss of 13.02m (42-8.75ft) in the weight throw.

For the Eastern Mennonite men,����(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) had a monster toss in the shot put.�� His best heave of 14.00m (45-11.25ft) was not only the top D-III distance at the meet, but also put him third in EMU history and with the second-best throw in the ODAC this season.�� He was also solid in the weight throw, landing at 11.93m (39-1.75ft)

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) punched an ODAC ticket in the 5000m, but more importantly earned the No. 2 time in the EMU record books.�� His time of 15:49.48 was only behind cross country teammate��Jacob Landis‘ 15:41.94, a record set last year.

In the 800m run, sophomore����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) earned the third-best finish in EMU history with a time of 1:57.01.����(Staunton, Va./Fore Defiance) wasn’t far behind as he landed at No. 4 in the EMU books at 1:57.77.

The duo also ran in the mile.�� Denlinger again crossed first in 4:31.19 to take seventh in program history, while Thibodeaux had his season best run at 4:35.20.

��(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) earned a trip to the ODAC Championships in the 200m, timing at 23.90.�� In the 400m, EMU had two men qualify for ODACs, highlighted by����(Winchester, Va./Millbrook) PRing in 52.07.����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) had a finish of 53.11.

��(Broadway, Va./Broadway) continued his road back in the 60m hurdles with a season best time of 8.79.

Then in the 4x400m relay, the Royals had a foursome cross in 3:30.16, which was just a tenth of a second behind a team from ODAC rival Washington and Lee.������(Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass), Bush, Denlinger and Faint combined for the No. 7 time in EMU history.

And a foursome also landed in No. 7 in the distance medley relay, as��(Churchville, Va./Fort Defiance),����(Nelson, Va./Nelson County),����(Richmond, Va./Huguenot) and����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) clocked at 11:08.35.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) kept in his ODAC-leading shape by clearing 1.92m (6-3.5ft) in the high jump.

Eastern Mennonite’s teams are back in action next weekend, participating at the DuCharme Invitational in Carlisle, Pa., on Saturday.

Gehman led the field of 201 runners, breaking the tape of the 8k course in 25:32.36. He crossed a full two seconds ahead of ODAC rival Harrison Toney from Roanoke, who was second in 25:34.42. It was Gehman’s second individual win of the season, having also taken medalist honors at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational, but this win was obviously the biggest. Gehman not only earned his second consecutive All-Region honor with the finish, but earned the first spot out of the region at the NCAA National Championships, which are next Saturday in Mason, Ohio.

Fellow senior����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) also earned himself one more race, as he finished 14th overall and claimed the final individual berth out of the region to Nationals. His time of 25:57.10 was nearly four seconds ahead of the next runner, and also put him as the seventh ODAC runner, giving him a big improvement after coming in tenth at the ODAC Championships. Landis also earned back-to-back All-Region accolades.

Sophomore����(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) made the move up to also gain All-Region honors. He took 33rd with a time of 26:38.93. He was 43rd in the region last year.

��(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), 51st – 27:09.83, and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton), 71st – 27:37.36, rounded out EMU’s top five, as the men totaled 170 points.�� They took fifth out of 28 as a team, one point ahead of Rhodes and just five behind Christopher Newport in fourth.

The team finish is the best regional mark in the “modern” era for Eastern Mennonite.�� The Royals were second in the region in 1979, in a race featuring just four teams.�� They won a seven-team meet in 1978.

“I was so proud of how the men came out and competed,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz. ��“Their goal all year was to earn a top-5 region finish and they went out and did that in a tough region.”

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) added to the top seven by coming in 79th in 27:46.80.������(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) was 89th in 27:56.46.

Emory won the team title with 62 points, just ahead of ODAC rival Bridgewater with 65.

Gehman and Landis will be joined at Nationals by����(Dover, Ohio/Dover), who��.�� That meet is this coming Saturday in Ohio and will be run on the same course that the Royals used for the NCAA D-III Pre-Nationals on Sept. 27.

Gehman had his best collegiate effort and took nearly 1:17 off his PR in the 8k race, coming in at 24:15.71. His previous best had been 25:32.3 from last year’s regional meet.

Fellow senior����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was EMU’s number two runner and took 1:24 of his PR. Landis finished 36th at the race with a time of 24:52.01, bettering his PR of 26:17.7, also from the 2013 regional meet.

��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) came in 83rd with a time of 25:35.88.����(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) was 165th in 26:35.25, while����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) rounded out the top five in 187th in 26:50.00.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was 200th with a time of 26:57.49 while����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) clocked at 27:11.07 to come in 213th.

Each of EMU’s top seven finishers set their PRs in the race.

“The men ran really, really well,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz. “Ryan was up there running with All-Americans, with some big time runners.”

Lewkowicz said the Royals responded well to the crowded course, which will also host the National Championship Meet on Nov. 22.

“Everybody ran ridiculous PRs,” he explained. “The course was a little short, but everybody ran really well.”

The Royals totaled 365 points to finish 11th out of 31 teams. They finished in between two South/Southeast Region teams, Bridgewater (356) and Centre (367).

North Central (Ill.), the 2013 national runner-up, dominated the race with five of the top six finishers, putting in 16 points for the team title. Troy Kelleher, from North Central, won the individual medal by 18 seconds, finishing in 23:36.28.

Eastern Mennonite has another break in the schedule before their next meet, the EMU XC Relay Challenge on Oct. 10. Lewkowicz and his staff designed a light-hearted meet, which will feature four-person relay teams, with each runner traversing a two-mile loop on Elk Run Trails in Elkton, Va.

Women’s cross-country team

The cross country women also ran well on their biggest stage so far this season, duplicating the men’s performance by taking 11th out of 27 teams.��The women totaled 319 points.

EMU came in behind Hanover (306) but ahead of Waynesburg (328).�� Geneseo State ran away with the team title with 34 points.�� They also had the top two runners, with Cassie Goodman winning in 20:54.55. Read more about the

]]> /now/news/2014/emu-men-women-claim-top-spot-at-shenandoah-invitational/ Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:59:33 +0000 http://emu.edu/now/news/?p=21798 The ��ݮ���� women’s cross country team finished with the lowest possible team score, winning the meet, while the EMU men also brought home top honors at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20. Both teams will run at the��NCAA D-III Pre-Nationals next Saturday, Sept. 27, in Mason, Ohio.

EMU Women Perfect With Top Five Finishers

So this is what they are capable of.

Running with a full team on Saturday, the Eastern Mennonite women were perfect. Literally. The Royals charted the lowest possible team score with 15 points, and won the Shenandoah Valley Invitational over co-host Bridgewater College, who had 40.

EMU’s women were not at full strength in their only other meet so far this season, taking third at the ODAC Preview on Aug. 29.

Although assistant coach Breanna Newton actually won the individual title on Saturday, the Royals had the top five collegiate runners. �������󳾲�������(Dover, Ohio/Dover) led the way, cruising in with a time of 19:27 on the 5k course. Running in her first race of 2014,����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton), an NCAA nationals participant last year, was next with a time of 20:03.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) cruised in at 20:14 followed by��(Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) in 20:17.����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Odgen), who also missed the ODAC Preview, rounded out the scoring five in 20:31.

The dominating performance helped EMU easily beat Bridgewater, the defending ODAC champions, who are ranked No. 2 in the South/Southeast Region. The Eagles had a pack of five runners do their scoring, and they all finished 28-33 seconds behind Paden. The Royals had not been listed among the top 10 teams in the region so far this year, but should expect to appear on the list this week.

��(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) and����(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International) finished EMU’s top seven. Eldridge was 18th in 21:24 while Patterson was 21st in 21:27.

Men Top Bridgewater And Win Shenandoah Valley Invite

With the way they looked on Saturday, you wouldn’t have known that the EMU men hadn’t run a competitive race in three weeks. The Royals landed the top three finishers at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational in Elkton, Va., and beat co-host Bridgewater College, the No. 1 team in the South/Southeast Region.

����Ծ��ǰ�����(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) headed the charge, as he earned the gold medal as the top finisher. Gehman crossed the four-mile course on Elk Run Trails in 21:03, a full 16 seconds ahead of his nearest competition.�� His nearest racer turned out to be a teammate in��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance), who took silver in 21:19.������(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was right behind him, taking third in 21:24.

Bridgewater had the next six finishers, but EMU rounded out their scoring with��(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) landing 10th in 22:03 and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) in 12th at 22:06.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was 14th in 22:17, with����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) taking 21st in 22:25.����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) was just a few steps behind his teammate in 22nd at 22:28.

Eastern Mennonite totaled just 28 points with their top five runners, edging past the Eagles who had 30. After winning the South/Southeast Regional Meet last fall, BC has been ranked No. 1 in both rankings so far this year. The Royals charted at No. 8 this past week.

“I am pleased that the conference recognizes student-athletes for their focus on fair play and sportsmanship,” explained ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston.�� “The conference prides itself on positive sportsmanship and encouraging student-athletes to lead by example. ��Each one of the honorees has been selected by the coaches in recognition of their conduct in the arena.�� My hat is off to these student-athletes – thanking them for the example they set for all of us.”

The ODAC has a rich tradition in promoting fair play and good sportsmanship in each sport across the league.�� The character of the conference’s student-athletes on and off the field is a representation of not only the individuals and teams, but also the institutions they play for.

Eastern Mennonite’s selections to the ODAC Sportsmanship Teams are listed below:

Baseball –��
Basketball (Men) –��
Basketball (Women) –��
Cross Country (Men) –��
Cross Country (Women) –��
Field Hockey –��
Golf (Men) –��
Golf (Women) –��
Indoor Track & Field (Men) –��
Indoor Track & Field (Women) –��
Outdoor Track & Field�� (Men) –��
Outdoor Track & Field�� (Women) –��
Soccer (Men) –��
Soccer (Women) –��
Softball –��
Volleyball –��

This is the second national event for Chappell-Dick, as she also went to nationals this past fall in cross country.

The national track meet is this Thursday through Saturday, hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University at Selby Stadium and the George Gauthier Track in Delaware, Oh.�� It will also be a homecoming of sorts for the Ohio native, as she runs at the meet less than 80 miles from her hometown.

The 800m preliminaries will be on Friday, with the finals Saturday afternoon.

EMU track coach Jason Lewkowicz said he is excited for Chappell-Dick to go to nationals as she wraps up an up-and-down year.

“Coming off of a solid cross country season, which culminated in her first NCAA cross country championship appearance, Hannah had high hopes for qualifying for NCAAs in both indoor and outdoor track,” said Lewkowicz.�� “After coming down with mono over Christmas break, all of that became very uncertain. ��However, since getting cleared to train in late February, Hannah has worked very hard to regain her form and has definitely earned her place at the NCAA meet.”

Lewkowicz said his runner will be a good ambassador on the nation scene.

“She is very talented and hard-working and I know she will represent EMU well at the NCAA meet,” he said. ��“I know we both feel very blessed that God has opened up this door for her and, regardless of the outcome, the primary goal will be to honor Him through her efforts on the track.”

Chappell-Dick is one of 17 men and women from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference to qualify for nationals.�� She is Lewkowicz’s first national qualifier in track in his three years at EMU, and the school’s first qualifier since Michael Allen in the triple jump in 2010.�� She is the first woman to go since Michelle Leaman in the 100m hurdles in 2008.

which includes a schedule of events, stadium information and links to live results and video.

Men’s senior high jumper (Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) was also hoping to earn a trip to nationals, but he just missed the field of 20 jumpers.�� King finished No. 25 in the nation with his best jump of 2.04m (6-8.25ft), with the final jumpers qualifying at 2.06m (6-9ft).�� Freshman (Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) made large improvements late in the season, but his best time of 1:53.43 was about 1.6 seconds from the final qualifier in the men’s 800m.

The men had the biggest contingent participating, and the runners made a habit out of clocking their career best times.

��(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) had a great day as he set personal bests in both the 200m (23.09) and 400m (52.87). ��(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) also scored a PR in the 200m at 23.17, while����(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) finished with a time of 22.71. Winters also led the trio in the 400m with a time of 50.38.

��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) had a breakthrough performance in the 800m as the freshman took sixth overall with a huge PR time of 1:54.58. The time puts him No. 3 on the all-time EMU list and just 0.06 seconds from Marcel Long at No. 2.

��(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) shaved six seconds off of his personal best time in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing fifth at the meet in 10:13.06. He improves his No. 5 time in the EMU record books.

In the high jump,����(Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) took fifth with a best height of 1.99m. After clearing 1.99m, King passed on the next height (2.04m), which was a mark he had already attained this year, and went for 2.09m (6-10.25ft). His third attempt was his best, but he just grazed the bar with his heel and did not clear the height.����(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) had an earlier than expected exit from the competition, but still grabbed a top-10 finish with a mark of 1.89m (6-2.25ft).

In the throws,����(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) had a huge day, taking home two personal best marks. In the shot put, he placed fifth overall with a best toss of 13.02m (42-8.75ft), good for No. 8 on the EMU list. In the discus, his best toss of 34.90m (114-6ft) was good for ninth place overall.

��(Bluffton Oh./Bluffton) was the lone female participant for EMU, but she made her presence felt in her one race. The sophomore dropped down to run the 400m and sped to the No. 2 time in EMU history at 59.08. Chappell-Dick’s time was more than a second faster than her previous best. Lorenda Abbott set the EMU record at 58.08 in 1999.

Coach Jason Lewkowicz said he was very pleased with the efforts the meet.

“We had personal best marks all over the place and some folks were able to end their season on high note,” Lewkowicz explained. “Jeremy Heizer had a great day in the throws and it’s hard to believe that he’s only been throwing for a few months. His improvement has been very impressive. Alec Thibodeaux got put in a great heat of 800m runners and cut over two seconds off of his lifetime best in the event. Finally, I was really proud of how Londen Wheeler competed, taking home two huge PRs in the 200m and 400m.”

The focus continues for a handful of EMU athletes to prepare for trips to the national meet later in May. Despite not running in the event at Liberty, Chappell-Dick is No. 4 in the nation in the 800m at 2:11.89, and seems a lock to qualify for nationals. King is currently No. 19 with his height of 2.04m (6-8.25ft) from the ODAC Championships and seems likely to earn a spot in the field of 22 participants. Vrolijk is tied at No. 28 at 2.00m (6-6.75ft).

Lewkowicz sees King hitting his stride and hopes his senior can go out on a high note.

“Jordan King was able to take jumps at over 6-10,” he said, “and although he was unable to improve his season best mark, he came really close and goes into next week with confidence to get those few extra centimeters he needs to cement a place at the NCAA championships.”

Eastern Mennonite’s tracksters are at back-to-back meets next week, with many of the Royals participating in Thursday’s Roanoke Twilight Invitational.�� Just a handful will turn around the next day for the high-level Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville.

Women’s track and field

Sophomore����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) highlighted the ��ݮ���� track & field women at the ODAC Championships as she won two individual titles and broke a record.�� Roanoke College hosted the conference’s title meet in Salem, Va.

Chappell-Dick claimed a pair of gold medals with the resulting All-ODAC First Team status.�� In the 1500m, Chappell-Dick had a huge PR to break the ODAC Championships record.�� The sophomore crossed in 4:38.61, out-pacing rival Annalise Madison of Washington and Lee by a full second.�� Both runners broke the meet record of 4:43.08, set by All-American Carmen Graves in 2012.�� It was also an EMU record for Chappell-Dick, who easily broke her own mark of 4:47.12 from last spring.

Chappell-Dick and Madison went head-to-head again in the 800m, with Chappell-Dick again coming out on top.�� She ran off her EMU record time, but still cleared the field by three seconds with a time of 2:18.31.�� Teammate����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) had a great race and PRed in 2:25.23.�� She finished eighth and just missed pointing by a mere nine-tenths of a second.

In the javelin,����(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) just missed All-ODAC honors with a fourth-place finish.�� Borg’s best spear landed at 29.32m to just edge out W&L’s Leigh Dannhauser on her final effort.

The 4x400m relay team grabbed sixth, as����(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International), Schirch,����(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) and Chappell-Dick combined to time at 4:27.36.

��(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) snuck a point in the discus, finishing sixth at 31.45m.

����Ծ��ǰ�����(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) finished her career well, setting her PR in the 5000m with a time of 19:29.20.�� Similar to Schirch, Rittenhouse finished eighth, with the top six in each event earning points to the team total.

The Royals totaled 26 points to finished seventh out of nine teams at the meet.�� Roanoke won the team title with 150.33 points.

Men’s track and field

It was almost expected, but the ��ݮ���� men’s track & field team made a clean sweep of the high jump medals at the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship meet.�� Roanoke hosted the two-day event in Salem, Va., on Friday and Saturday.

EMU entered the ODAC Championships with three of the top four heights in the high jump during the season.�� They made it a top-three sweep.������(Dalton, Ohio/Central Christian) earned his fourth consecutive indoor and outdoor title, as the senior had no problem in clearing 2.04m (6-8.25ft) to win the meet and set a new EMU record.������(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had the most surprising finish, claiming the silver at 2.02m (6-7.5ft).�� Moore recently joined the team after the completion of the men’s volleyball season a few weeks ago.�� Sophomore����(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) was third at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).�� All three claim All-ODAC status, and each also have a shot at qualifying for the national meet.

��(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) just claimed a spot in the finals of the 400m dash, standing sixth after the preliminaries with a time of :50.41.�� The freshman then set his PR in the finals, finishing fourth with a time of :50.20.

��(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) took points in the 3000m steeplechase, earning fifth with a time of 10:19.7.

The 4x400m relay team of����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), Winters,����(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) and��(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) was fifth as well, combining for a time of 3:25.08 and a photo finish ahead of Roanoke’s time of 3:25.13.

Thibodeaux and����(Perkasie, Pa./ Christopher Dock) continued their season-long efforts at pushing each other in the 800m.�� Thibodeaux crossed sixth to grab the final point toward the team total, timing at 1:57.88.�� He was just three-tenths of a second from jumping into fourth place.�� Denlinger then took seventh place in 1:58.33.

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) set his PR by more than seven seconds in the 5000m run, crossing in 15:26.11 to take sixth place.�� ��������������ٱ�����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was one position behind him with a time of 15:37.21.

��(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and����(Broadway, Va./Broadway) each qualified for the finals of 110m hurdles, with Cox grabbing sixth place in :16.07.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was one spot from pointing in the 10,000m run, crossing seventh in 34:22.97.

��(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) topped his PR on three different efforts in the shot put, and finished eighth with his best heave at 12.38m (40-7.4ft).�� He also destroyed his PR in the discus, landing at 34.12m (111-11.3ft).

Eastern Mennonite finished seventh in a very tight grouping in the men’s team standings.�� EMU had 35 points, but was within three points of fourth-place Roanoke at 38.�� Virginia Wesleyan was fifth with 37 while Shenandoah was sixth at 36.

This was the final meet of the year for most of the Royals, although a few athletes will stick around in efforts to prepare for a potential trip to the NCAA National Championships, which are May 22-24 in Delaware, Ohio.�� The first meet scheduled as part of that stretch run is the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on Wednesday, April 30.

Chappell-Dick�� took second place in the 800m, and was easily the top D-III finisher, as she broke her own school record with a time of 2:12.95.�� Her record from last spring was 2:13.19.�� The next D-III runner was more than seven seconds behind Chappell-Dick.������(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) also had a solid finish in the event, crossing 13th in 2:26.95.�� She was third among runners from EMU’s level.

Bane also broke her own school mark in the hammer throw, landing at 39.28m (128-10ft).�� Her previous best was 38.43m (126-1ft), also set in 2013.

��(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) moved into EMU’s top 10 in the 5000m, setting her PR at 19:37.29.

On the men’s side, the Royals had eight top-10 finishes and three new ODAC qualifiers.

The highest finish went to����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), who ran the 3000m steeplechase and took fourth with a final time of 10:21.78.�� The finish pits him fifth in EMU history.

Meanwhile the 4x100m relay team crossed in fifth with a time of 43.69.������(Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy),����(Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside),����(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) and����(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) combined for the No. 5 time in the program’s books.

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) looked good in the 5000m, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.�� Gehman was the top D-III finisher in 15:45.92, while Landis was right behind in 15:48.88.������(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) tallied 13th and was the fourth D-III runner with a time of 16:28.89.

In the 400m, Winters was seventh and the top D-III male with his time of 50.41.�� He earns a trip to the ODAC Championships with his finish and is sixth in program history.������(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) was three spots behind Winters in tenth with a time of 51.74.

��(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) had an eighth-place finish in the 800m, timing at 1:57.54.������(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) was just outside of the top 10 in 11th, with his finish of 1:59.31.�� He was also 11th in the 1500m in 4:07.30, qualifying for ODACs in the process.

��(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs), who joined the team with the recent completion of the men’s volleyball season, finished tenth with his first efforts in the long jump.�� He also earned a trip to the ODAC meet with a landing at 6.37m (20-10.75ft).�� Moore was also the top D-III finisher.

The Eastern Mennonite track teams are back in action next Saturday at the Mason Spring Invitational, hosted by D-I George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.