All of EMU鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.聽 Men鈥檚 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.聽 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.聽 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 鈥� 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 鈥� 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 鈥� 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 鈥� Baseball
Brooke Hensley 鈥� 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 鈥� 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

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.聽 “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters. 聽Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.聽 “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.聽 I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.聽 Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.聽 At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.聽 Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.聽 She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.聽 “It’s hard to define her role.聽 She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.聽 We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.聽 Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).聽 Baltimore transferred to EMU last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.聽 Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).聽 Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.聽 Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.聽 “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.聽 So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.聽 Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.聽 (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.聽 And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.聽 She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.聽 “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect 鈥� leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.聽 “It will be by committee.聽 What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.聽 In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.聽 Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.聽 I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.聽 I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.聽 The Marlins tied EMU with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.聽 We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.聽 The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.

And his arrival in the Chinese capital 鈥� home to somewhere around 20 million people who speak a language entirely foreign to his own 鈥� was the first time the Crozet, Va., native had been to a big city.

鈥淭hat as a really big eye-opener for me,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚 really had no clue what to expect.鈥�

He certainly wasn鈥檛 alone. Trip leader Myrrl Byler estimates that about one-third of the last EMU group he led to China was flying for the first time, and the experience often represents students鈥� first time outside the United States. Byler, director of the program (a partnership between several church mission boards and , a relief and development non-profit), has led three-week cross-cultural study trips to China every May since 2004. In 2012, math professor was the faculty co-leader of the trip.

The curriculum includes an introduction to written and conversational Chinese, lectures on Chinese culture, tai chi classes, a several-day homestay with a Chinese family, and plenty of interaction with Chinese university students.

After some sightseeing in Beijing, Byler takes the group to a 鈥渟maller鈥� Chinese city where they spend the majority of their time. In May 2012, the group went west to Nanchong, a Chinese city populated by around 1 million in Sichuan province. (Nanchong also rates 鈥渟mall鈥� by another metric useful for assessing Chinese cities: it has just one McDonald鈥檚).

With the enormous language and culture barriers, the unfamiliar food and the sometimes overwhelming attention that the group can attract from curious Chinese people with little exposure to foreigners, Byler says the trip forces students far out of their comfort zones. The homestay in particular, he says, can cause particular anxiety, although many of the students end up looking back on the experience as one of the highlights of the trip.

鈥淵ou had to build patience,鈥� says Valerie Burton 鈥�10 Moore, who went on the China cross-cultural in the summer of 2010. 鈥淵ou just had to relax.鈥�

New food experiences were among the things that placed demands on Moore鈥檚 patience and, ultimately, widened her horizons. These included all kinds of seafood, noodles for breakfast, unusual (from her American perspective) preparations of chicken, pork, duck and lamb, unfamiliar vegetables and dishes so spicy her nose broke out in a sweat. While she likely wouldn鈥檛 have tried these foods if the decision had been up to her, Moore eventually came around, and after returning home, resisted eating American 鈥淐hinese鈥� food for more than a year 鈥� not wanting to tarnish the memory of the actual, real Chinese food she鈥檇 come to enjoy.

Moore, a four-year member of the EMU soccer team, also says the attention she and the other students received from Chinese people took some getting used to.

鈥淭hey almost treated us like celebrities,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey were gawking all the time.鈥�

The American students鈥� height was often an object of great interest, as were those with blonde or red hair. EMU senior Jennifer Blankenship, who went on the 2012 China cross-cultural, recalls Chinese people often crowding around members of her group, asking for autographs, or even pushing babies into the students鈥� arms for photo ops.

鈥淓verybody wanted pictures with us wherever we went,鈥� says Blankenship, a four-year member of the EMU basketball team.

At least one basketball or volleyball game is usually on the agenda during the group鈥檚 visits to Chinese high schools and universities 鈥� often the Chinese school鈥檚 varsity team versus an ad-hoc team of cross-cultural students 鈥� as when Blankenship and a few other students played basketball against a Chinese team in Nanchong. Blankenship says the court was surrounded by hundreds of fans 鈥� more than typically attend her games at EMU 鈥� and the atmosphere was electric.

鈥淲hen I made a good pass or basket, everyone went crazy,鈥� she says.

The attention wasn鈥檛 all positive, however. Dirty looks from men sometimes made female students feel uncomfortable, and Blankenship says some vendors tried to take advantage of the students鈥� na茂vet茅 by ripping them off. Blankenship, who is white, says the experience gave her insight into how minorities in the United States might feel when they are subject to discrimination based on skin color or unfamiliarity with American culture.

Blankenship, Moore and Martin all say one reason they chose the China cross-cultural was because it happens during the summer, when it didn鈥檛 interfere with their sports schedules. (Numerous athletes have been on Byler鈥檚 five summer cross-culturals to China, although he is now planning a semester-long trip for the fall of 2013, to be co-led with math professor .)

In almost all cases, Byler says, his students have arrived back home with new appreciation for travel and interaction with unfamiliar people and places, after being stretched out of their comfort zones by the trip.

Though he discovered he has a strong anxiety about flying, Martin said he 鈥渄efinitely wants to travel abroad again.鈥�

Martin graduated from EMU after the cross-cultural, and is now working in Harrisonburg. He will start a baseball-coaching job next spring at his alma mater, Western Albemarle High School outside Charlottesville, Va.

Blankenship returned home equally enthusiastic about the experience.

鈥淚 want to go back,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have to take my future spouse. I want to share that. I can鈥檛 imagine only going that one time.鈥�

Each of EMU鈥檚 sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men鈥檚 volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.聽 The CVC will also release an all-academic team later this summer.

The full ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the sixth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the third year in a row.聽 With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only, Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only, and Shenandoah University for field hockey and track & field only), 1,350 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2011-12 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.聽 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.

For more information, visit the ODAC鈥檚 home on the Internet at聽. 聽Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click聽) and follow聽聽on Twitter.

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

Nels Akerson – Cross Country
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country
Laura Beckler – Women’s Soccer
Bradley Billings 鈥� Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden 鈥� Softball
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Bethany Crouse – Women’s Soccer
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Allison Eanes – Cross Country
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada 鈥� Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Lynae Fry – Women’s Volleyball
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Brooke Hensley 鈥� Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan 鈥� Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King 鈥� Baseball
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Soccer
Valerie Landis – Field Hockey
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Jenna Longenecker – Field Hockey
Becca Longenecker – Field Hockey
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Thomas Millary – Cross Country, Track & Field
Michelle Miller – Women’s Soccer
Katarina Napfel 鈥� Softball
Peter Nelson – Cross Country
Cara Paden – Women’s Soccer, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Stephanie Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Andy Richter 鈥� Baseball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Bryce Shank – Men’s Soccer
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Amber Shelly – Women’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Raquel Stoltzfus – Women’s Soccer
Scotty Tiosso – Men’s Soccer
Jon Trice 鈥� Baseball
Keri Weaver – Cross Country
Kori Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Taylor Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Roberto Wingfield – Cross Country
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Marla Young – Women’s Basketball
Kelsey Zook – Women’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

presented the awards, which are based on academic achievement, athletic contribution, Christian commitment, leadership, campus involvement and service, as the culmination of the evening.

Richter, a major with a 3.64 GPA, was a four-year pitcher for the baseball team and plans to work in a sales or marketing position.聽 He was consistently on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and EMU鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 List.聽 Besides baseball, his campus life was filled with leadership on , EMU Royals Society and the .聽 He also volunteered at numerous places off campus.

鈥淵ou are not an athlete just when you鈥檙e in season 鈥� you鈥檙e an athlete year round,鈥� Richter explained in how he balanced his demanding schedule at EMU.聽 鈥淏aseball provided me with the discipline I needed to enjoy a busy, but incredibly rewarding college career.鈥�

Young, a captain with the women鈥檚 basketball team, was also on the Dean鈥檚 List and ODAC All-Academic Team, holding a 3.71 GPA with a major in and minor in .聽 She was a four-year member of Royals Society, helping with prospective students, as well as being a member of the .聽 Young was also a youth leader at her church and volunteered with a local food bank and the fall back-to-school backpack drive.

鈥淏eing a student-athlete has taught me to be mentally and physically strong in seemingly impossible situations,鈥� said Young, who suffered a long-lasting shoulder injury her freshman season.聽 鈥淕od used basketball as the framework that I could grow in my relationship with Him, share my talents with others, and now go on to pursue a career in physical therapy.鈥�

The Athletic Department staff also voted for Athlete of the Year winners.聽 Mitchell Leap (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) claimed the men鈥檚 honor with Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) taking the women鈥檚.

Leap led the men鈥檚 soccer team in scoring for the fourth straight season, netting ten goals, which was also third-best in the conference.聽 He had five game-winning goals and was named All-ODAC First Team.聽 Leap graduates fourth in EMU history with 35 career goals and fifth with 80 career points.聽 Ygarza was a dynamic presence as a power forward for the basketball women, earning a spot on the All-ODAC First Team as a sophomore.聽 She led EMU with 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and was second in the ODAC in field goal percentage and free throws.

Also at the banquet, Newcomer of the Year Awards were given to Jenessa Derstine (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) in field hockey and Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) in baseball.

Derstine, an attacker for the Lady Royals, led the team with 29 points this year.聽 She scored ten goals and assisted on nine others.聽 Her speed helped ignite EMU鈥檚 offense and landed her on the All-ODAC Third Team.聽 Rodriguez batted .374 with 28 runs and team highs of four homeruns and 41 RBIs.聽 His RBI total was third in the ODAC during the regular season and the third baseman was named All-ODAC Second Team.

As part of the dinner and banquet, four seniors gave short reflections on their time playing a sport at Eastern Mennonite: Valerie Landis (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) from field hockey, Justin King (Lititz, PA/Warwick) from baseball, Pete Nelson (Harrisonburg, VA/Christopher Dock) from track and cross country, and Brent Yoder (Sarasota, FL/Sarasota Christian) from soccer.

King uniquely talked about playing four years of a collegiate sport even though the experience was not living up to the ideas he had beforehand.

鈥淚 have learned a lesson I would have not chosen to learn on my own, because it was painful,鈥� said King.聽 鈥淭hrough the ups and downs, the wins and losses, I have had to rely on God as my source of hope and strength when I was weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed.聽 The Apostle Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, 鈥楾hree times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.聽 But he said to me, 鈥楳y grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.鈥欌�欌��

Landis was the lone senior on the field hockey team this fall and stepped into a leadership role which was not natural to her.聽 She said that will help her as she leaves college.

鈥淚 recognize that I am going to be a new member of a completely different team after graduation,鈥� Landis explained. 聽鈥淲hat I have learned over the past four years is that I can鈥檛 let my age or lack of experience hinder me from being responsible or taking initiative. 聽God has granted each of us the experience of being part of a team and it is my hope that we are able to leave this community as an athlete and a graduate and apply those interpersonal skills learned on either the court or field and apply them in the next stage of life, appropriately and meaningfully.鈥�

Dr. Ronald Stoltzfus, Faculty Athletic Representative, and Dr. Nancy Heisey, Undergraduate Academic Dean, presented the Academic Achievement Awards to each team鈥檚 individual with the highest GPA.聽 Those awards went to: Richter and Brad Billings (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) in baseball, Jennifer Blankenship (Bassett, VA/Bassett) in women鈥檚 basketball, Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) in men鈥檚 basketball, Nels Akerson (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men鈥檚 cross country, Alli Eanes (Harrisonburg, VA/Westmont Hilltop) in women鈥檚 cross country and track, Jenna Longenecker (Lancaster, PA/Conestoga Valley) in field hockey, Bryce Shank (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men鈥檚 soccer, Erica Detweiler (Hickory, NC/Fred T. Foard) in women鈥檚 soccer, Aaron Sloan (Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) in men鈥檚 track, and Kendall Garber (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) in men鈥檚 volleyball.

The evening included a special mention of , a senior student worker with the athletic events staff, who had passed away from cancer just a week prior to the banquet.

“We have the talent to compete,” he said, “but I think seven of the top eight teams (in the ODAC) have three or four starters back which will make it incredibly difficult.聽 I think Randolph-Macon is a clear cut favorite and I don’t know after that.聽 I think if we can foster some confidence early we can be very dangerous by the end of the season.”

The Royals were 15-11 last year including fifth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference at 13-7.聽 That team was mostly underclassmen.聽 Griffin returns four of his end-of-the-season starters and thinks the experience his players gained in 2010-11 will benefit them this year.

“The returners do have confidence even though we are young again,” he said.聽 “They recognize that a couple things have to happen:聽 if we play really hard and if we play smart, we have enough talent to beat people.聽 Last year we had some success when certain kids began to realize, ‘not only can I compete here, but I can succeed.'”

Two of Eastern Mennonite’s returning starters received ODAC awards in 2010-11.聽 Junior (Swoope, VA/Buffalo Gap) earned All-ODAC Honorable Mention honors while averaging 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. 聽Fellow front-liner (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) took over a starting role late and was named All-ODAC Honorable Mention and ODAC Rookie of the Year.聽 She averaged 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.

EMU did lose leading scorer Danielle Rittenhouse (13.6 PPG) who did not return to school.聽 Sophomores (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) (8.2 PPG) and co-captain (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) (6.8 PPG) will also help fill the scoring void.

“What we’re hoping is that work ethic and experience translates into more success,” Griffin said.聽 “Just because you’re a year older doesn’t mean you’re a year better.聽 But those four did a lot last year, so the expectations have been raised for them.聽 They can’t do what they did last year, they need to do more.”

A lot will also be expected from the lone senior, (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), although it might not show up in a box score.

“She has leadership,” said Griffin of his other co-captain.聽 “She has integrity.聽 She is respected for her knowledge when she speaks.聽 She is highly respected for how she carries herself off the basketball floor: in the classroom, on the weekend.聽 Our kids view her as a moral leader as well as a basketball leader.”

The other returners all bring unique strengths to the team.聽 (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) started 14 games at point guard and was second on the team with 49 assists.聽 (Orange, VA/Orange County) played all 26 games last year and was a lock-down defender.聽 (Bassett, VA/Bassett) played in 22 games and displays a continual positive intensity.

The incoming recruits obviously bolster EMU’s depth, but will also push some of the starters.

“Collective we feel that group of freshmen has a pretty high basketball IQ as well as their talent, so when things break down they can make plays and play basketball,” he said.聽 “We are going to have a hard time figuring out who plays.聽 We have a lot of good pieces and we’ll have to figure out the role of each piece.”

The Royals were third in the ODAC scoring 69.2 points per game, and Griffin hopes his added depth will allow him to push the tempo more this year.

“The style will be faster,” he said, “so we’re hoping it frees the kids up to play to exhaustion and free up more minutes for other kids.聽 Some of our returners played a lot of minutes last year, but we’re hoping to balance that a little more.”

Another area Griffin hopes to improve is forcing turnovers and turning that into scoring.聽 The women were ninth out of eleven ODAC teams in steals and had a -0.35 turnover margin.

“I think we’ll be better at it simply because we have more kids that can handle the ball well,” he said of turnovers.聽 “I know that we’re young but I feel like the group that we have will hopefully value the ball more and in turn create more havoc in a game whereby we can benefit from causing other people to not take care of the ball or creating turnovers.”

The women won’t have much time to prepare for the 20-game ODAC slate.聽 After hosting a season-opening classic on Nov. 18-19, Eastern Mennonite hits the road to take on Randolph-Macon on Nov. 22.聽 The Royals also travel to Bridgewater and host Roanoke in November, pitting them against the ODAC’s top three teams from last year in the season’s first five games.