This is how Wade Snowdon, coordinator of the (SALT) program, characterizes volunteers, ages 18-30, who decide to spend a year of service with .

Recently, nine alumni from ��ݮ����, among 51 “SALTers,” headed off to their new assignments around the globe.

They are:

James Souder ’13 ( and international development) from Harrisonburg, Virginia, is a communication and documentation assistant with MCC in Burkina Faso. [Read more .]

Chaska Yoder ’14 (/) from Plain City, Ohio, is the youth activities assistant in the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq.

Dominik Berthold ’14 (social work and ) from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is exit program manager at Lily of the Valley Children’s Village in South Africa.

Donavan Duttweiler ’14 () from Nunda, New York, is a community worker in Lieux de Vie in Burkina Faso.

Karla Hovde ‘15 ( and ) from Mulberry, Indiana, is a social media assistant with Basha Enterprises, Ltd., in Bangladesh.

David Hooley ’15 (and ) from Bluffton, Ohio, is a teaching and IT assistant at Songhor Secondary School in Kenya.

Jesse Parker ’15 ( and ) from Wichita, Kansas, is an agricultural assistant at Anafora Retreat Centre in Egypt.

Daniel Friesen ‘15, (psychology and ) is a manuscript editor with The Gioi World Publishing House in Vietnam.

Melinda Norris ’15 (environmental sustainability and ) from Staunton, Virginia, is an education assistant at Gateway Christian School in South Africa. [Read more .]

Royals bring special peace and justice backgrounds

SALT volunteers come from many different backgrounds, Snowdon said, noting that EMU alumni are characterized by their proven “desire for and understanding of peace and social justice. They come to us with a firm foundation in what it means to humbly work alongside communities in need in ways that are empowering and help to maintain the dignity to those we serve.”

The year of SALT service often contributes to a strong resume and the development of attributes that employers find attractive, Snowdon said, including strong communication skills, creativity and adaptability, and a well-rounded and versatile skill set.

When asked if the SALT experience helped her professionally, one SALT and EMU alumna responded in the affirmative – with an exclamation point.

From SALT into the public health field

After graduating in 2012 from EMU with a degree in biology and a chemistry minor, Laura Beidler spent a year as a public health advisor with Nepali public health NGO Shanti Nepal.

“I assisted with English documentation, attended and participated in community workshops and celebrations that focused on toilet building and use, prenatal care and childhood nutrition, and taught English to my Nepali coworkers,” said Beidler, who eventually returned to the United States to earn her master’s of public health at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.

There, she found her SALT year had given her unique “practical experiences and a different perspective about public health that many of the students in my graduate school cohort did not have,” she said.

Beidler is now a��health policy fellow at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, currently working with a research team studying the adoption of evidence-based innovations by health care systems.

“Living in Nepal helped me to learn to be patient and improved my ability to work with diverse groups of people,” she said.

While SALT doesn’t offer a large number of health-related assignments each year, Snowdon said that “the majority have been filled by those with nursing or biology degrees from EMU. These individuals have served in a variety of ways including as nurses and in HIV/AIDS support programs in countries such as Nepal, Nigeria, and Indonesia.”

Nicole Groff ’14 worked in such a program in Papua, Indonesia, and has developed a professional goal of becoming a physician’s assistant. “This past year has helped me to see the connection between structural/social issues and the health of people’s lives and the importance of culturally sensitive development work,” she says. “It’s helped me learn more of what I’m passionate about, but also why God has given me those passions.”

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.

���DZ��dz��ǰ�������(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-breaks-record-for-all-academic-honorees/ /now/news/2014/emu-breaks-record-for-all-academic-honorees/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2014 19:57:18 +0000 http://emu.edu/now/news/?p=20922 ��ݮ���� once again set a new high for student-athletes named to the annual Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, as 96 Royals were honored.�� Last year a total of 80 Royals were named to the list, which had also been a high over the previous year’s total of 61.

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 eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth 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), 1,558 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2013-14 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.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet at��. ��Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on����and follow����on Twitter.

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

EMU’s ODAC All-Academic Team
Elizabeth Alderfer – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Volleyball
Jordan Aylor – Softball
Becky Barrett – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Tyler Brenneman – Men’s Soccer
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Lauren Campbell – Softball
McKenna Carter – Women’s Volleyball
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Robert Cook – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Paige DeBell – Field Hockey
Tyler Denlinger – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Katie Eckman – Women’s Cross Country
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Erica Garber – Women’s Track & Field
Carlos Garcia – Men’s Track & Field
Abi Gardner – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Joe Hall – Baseball
Rebecca Hardy – Women’s Volleyball
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Morgan Hill – Women’s Soccer
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Brendan Jeschke – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Viktor Kaltenstein – Men’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Louise Krall – Field Hockey
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Landis – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Jordan Leaman – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Jake Lind – Men’s Soccer
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Tim Martin – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dilmer Martinez – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Brad Matthias – Baseball
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Macson McGuigan – Men’s Soccer
Chris Miller – Men’s Track & Field
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Nisly – Men’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Ian Norris – Baseball
Nora Osei – Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball
Jolee Paden – Women’s Cross Country
Jesse Parker – Men’s Cross Country
Hannah Patterson – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
D Probst – Women’s Volleyball
Casey Racer – Softball
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Krista Rittenhouse – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Juni Schirch – Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
Caleb Schlabach – Men’s Golf
Chanel Shands – Women’s Basketball
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Molly Smith – Softball
Nicole Smith – Softball
Ashten Spencer – Women’s Soccer
Mandy Stowers – Field Hockey
Ryan Thomas – Men’s Soccer
Shannan Thompson – Women’s Basketball
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Londen Wheeler – Men’s Track & Field
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Alex Wynn – Men’s Track & Field
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Chris Yoder – Men’s Basketball
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Ten of Eastern Mennonite’s 11 cross country men set their personal records at the meet.�� The Royals took 21st out of 28 teams in the gold race, but were in second place out of the D-III schools, topping ODAC rival Lynchburg by one place, but finishing behind Guilford College.

As he has at every race this fall, junior (Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) led the way.�� He finished 59th with a time of 25:53.79 on the 8k course, whacking nearly 35 seconds of his PR.�� Running in a field of 229 runners, mostly from D-I programs, Gehman was fourth among the D-III athletes, coming in behind a trio of Guilford men.

(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) continued his rise after running his first race two weeks ago.�� The junior crossed 123rd with a time of 26:56.24, an improvement of more than a minute from his previous race.�� Freshmen (Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) and (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) weren’t that far apart from each other, with Thibodeaux timing at 27:30.24 in 154th and Nisly charting at 27:43.64 in 163rd, both slicing time off their PRs as well.

EMU’s final three runners held together in a pack, finishing with three seconds of each other.�� (Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) led the trio in 28:48.21, followed by (Lexington, Va./Parry McCluer) at 28:49.53 and (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) at 28:51.54.

There was also an 8k open race, giving all of the men on the Royals’ roster a chance to race.�� (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) charted a time of 28:43.36, while (Mt. Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson) came in at 29:08.12.�� (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) crossed the finish in 29:57.76, followed by (Dayton, Va./Benjamin Logan) in 30:42.46.�� All the open times were PRs.

“I was really pleased with our guys today,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz.�� “Our top four were really strong and we had numerous personal best times from guys in both races.”

In the gold race, EMU finished with 580 team points, just one spot ahead of Lynchburg at 617.�� The Hornets were picked to finish second in the ODAC’s preseason poll.�� Guilford, which was tabbed third before the season started, had 447 points.

The Royals get a week off before seeing how much they have improved from the start of the year, running at the ODAC Championships on Nov. 2 in Farmville, Va. In the ODAC Preview meet on the same course on Aug. 30, the men finished sixth out of ODAC teams.

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

(Broadway, VA/Broadway) took second in the 100m hurdles while also charting the No. 5 run in EMU history.�� His time of 15.82 in the finals got him a silver behind the winning time of 15.53 from Ben Martindell of Bridgewater.

(Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) won the 400m hurdles in his first try at the event.�� He crossed the finish in 58.34, ahead of Martindell at 59.02.

In the 100m dash, (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) showed the biggest improvement between his preliminary and his finals time, taking second at 11.47.�� He just missed the gold to RC’s Trevor Hunt at 11.43.�� He also won the 200m dash, ahead of teammate (Fork Union, VA/Louisa County).�� McBride broke the tape in 23.28, followed by Allen at 23.56.

(Philadelphia, PA/La Salle) won the 400m by nearly a half second, clocking in at 51.47.

(Harrisonburg, VA/Harrisonburg) took the gold in the 1500m run, finishing six seconds ahead of teammate (Wichita, KS/Wichita East).�� Nafziger’s winning time was 4:17.04, while Parker came in at 4:23.00.�� (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) took sixth place in 4:35.61.

Nafziger and Parker also highlight the 800m.�� Nafziger took fourth with a time of 2:04.70 while Parker also pointed, getting sixth in 2:10.98.

In the relays, the EMU team in the 4x100m took second and charted the No. 7 time in EMU history.�� The squad of Robinson, Allen, Watson and McBride crossed in 44.04, just behind Bridgewater’s foursome in 43.73.

The 4x400m team didn’t set an EMU time, but did manage to win the event at the meet.�� Bush, Robinson, (Nelson, VA/Nelson County) and Watson combined for a time of 3:31.92, winning by more than three seconds.

In the field events, (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) and (Dalton, OH/Central Christian) were in a group of four men who each had a best jump of 1.82m.�� Vrolijk ended up second based on jumps, while King settled for fourth.

Allen won the long jump and took second in the triple jump.�� In the long jump, the senior landed at 6.63m, while in the triple he measured at 12.22m.

(Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) led the way in the throws.�� He won the javelin with a fling of 47.40m, the No. 7 distance in the EMU record books.�� Sloan took third in the hammer throw with the No. 6 measurement in EMU history at 32.15m.�� Then in the shot put he just missed gold, getting second in 11.29m, behind the winning throw of 11.54m.

The Royals grabbed 152 points for the team win, ahead of host Roanoke at 142.

On the women’s side, Chafin Brumfield (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood) and Jolee Paden (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Odgen) had big days in the middle distances.�� Brumfield won the 800m run in 2:30.35, with Paden taken second in 2:32.77.�� Hannah Patterson (Puyallup, WA/Mountainview International) was fourth in 2:44.27 while Saralyn Mast (Gap, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) took sixth in 2:48.99.

Paden then won the 1500m by 4.51 seconds.�� Her time of 5:05.15 earned the gold and the No. 8 spot in the program records.�� Brumfield also grabbed a No. 8 all-time spot in the 400m.�� She finished third at the meet in 1:03.19.

Becca Borg (Gig Harbor, WA/Peninsula) approached the EMU record in the javelin, taking third place at the Roanoke meet in the process.�� Borg speared at 30.18m, which was second in EMU history only to Connie Steiner’s throw of 33.08m in 2004.

Alyssa Bane (Strasburg, VA/Strasburg) also earned points in the throws.�� She just missed her PR in the hammer throw, taking fifth at 31.18m.�� In the discus, the sophomore landed at 28.14m, good for sixth place.

The Lady Royals finished with 48 points, taking third place at the meet, ahead of Hood College with 38.�� Host Roanoke easily won with 243 points.

The Eastern Mennonite track teams are busy next weekend, participating in two meets.�� A group of athletes will go to Lexington on Friday and Saturday for the VMI-W&L Carnival.�� Another group will also participate in the Jopson Invitational in nearby Bridgewater.

(Wichita, KS/Wichita East), (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle), (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) and (Harrisonburg, VA/Harrisonburg) teamed up to best the distance medley time by more than 12 seconds, as they crossed in 10:37.15.�� The old record of 10:49.91 was set in 2003.�� The foursome finished second at the meet, and also clocked the second fastest time in the ODAC this winter.

Nafziger set his personal record (PR) in the 800m run, and just missed breaking two minutes.�� The junior broke the line in 2:00.99 and is fourth all-time in EMU history in the event.

The women’s distance runners for EMU also did well at the meet.�� In the mile run, Jolee Paden (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Odgen) crossed in 5:32.21.�� Sophomore Lanae Kreider (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) set her PR in the event at 5:40.84.�� The time was also good for No. 6 on the EMU Top Ten list.

In the 800m run, the Lady Royals had three runners who were all within the top ten list.�� Hannah Chappell-Dick (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton) finished third and was the top D-III finisher in 2:19.74.�� She was about a second behind her EMU record time.�� Chafin Brumfield (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood) and Juni Schirch (Goshen, IN/Goshen) each set their PRs and moved up in the history books.�� Brumfield crossed in 2:27.51 and is No. 3 all-time, while Schirch timed at 2:31.66 and is now No. 6.

EMU sent mostly field athletes to the VMI Relays on Saturday, and thrower (Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) highlighted the day with a pair of PRs.�� In the weight throw, Sloan finished only behind a D-I VMI athlete with a throw of 12.78m (41-11.25ft).�� He is now No. 4 in the EMU history in the event.

In the shot put, Sloan set his PR with a toss of 12.59m (41-3.75ft) and is seventh all-time.

(Dalton, OH/Central Christian) was the top D-III finisher in the high jump, clearing 1.90m (6-2.75ft) on his second attempt.�� His is third on the EMU charts.

In the women’s weight throw, Jenni Beck (Archbold, OH/Archbold) landed her PR and is sixth all-time at EMU with 10.27m (33-8.5ft).�� Tedi Sanders-Palmer (Philadelphia, PA/Christopher Dock) was a few inches shorter at 10.04m (32-11.25ft) and is at No. 7.

Next up are the ODAC Indoor Championships in Lynchburg, VA, next Friday.

Each of EMU’s sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men’s volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.�� 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.�� 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.�� 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’s home on the Internet at��. ��Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click��) and follow����on Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.�� 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 – Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden – 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 – 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 – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan – Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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

Nafziger shaved 15 seconds off his time from the ODAC Championships two weeks ago and to cross fourth Saturday at the meet hosted by Texas Lutheran in Sequin, TX.�� With his time of 26:26.7, he was just 22 seconds behind winner John Kieffer on Centre College.

The finish also earned Nafziger All-South/Southeast Region First Team honors and he beat six runners who crossed in front of him at the ODAC meet.�� He will now race on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the National Meet hosted by UW-Oshkosh.�� Seniors Tim Smith of Roanoke and Sean Whitson of Virginia Wesleyan were second and third, respectively.

Coach Jason Lewkowicz said Nafziger is regaining his form after struggling with a midseason illness.

“I am thrilled for Dan,” said Lewkowicz.�� “He has been through a lot this season and to put it all together on the big stage shows his toughness and determination.�� He will represent EMU very well next week in Wisconsin.”

was EMU’s next runner at the regional meet, taking 89^th in 29:02.1.

The Royals’ young core provided the rest of the team scoring, headed by freshman who was 126^th in 30:40.2.�� Classmate was 156^th in 32:14.4 followed two spots later by in 32:18.9.�� crossed in another ten spots with a time of 34:37.8.

As a team, Eastern Mennonite took 19^th out of 23 teams.�� The men had 480 points ahead of Southwestern (TX) at 526 and behind Birmingham-Southern, which had 465.�� ODAC opponent Lynchburg took the team title by a single point over Centre, 112 to 113.