鈥淢y students and I were very involved in the public awareness campaign about the Cow Knob Salamander,鈥� said photography professor , who chairs the Department of Visual and Communication Arts at EMU. 鈥淭his campaign was spearheaded by a constellation of dedicated conservation nonprofits and advocacy groups in the region.鈥�

Partners who worked most closely with Johnson鈥檚 classes included , , and the .

The salamander photos emerged from a class in conservation photography launched by Johnson several years ago. He sought to encourage students to 鈥渢hink about broader ecosystems, the environment, human culture and how they relate to the natural world, as well as about helping to protect nature.鈥�

Johnson’s own has also received attention. [To see more photos and learn more about Johnson, visit his .]

Proposed pipeline to cross wild regions

In the fall of 2014 and 2015, Johnson鈥檚 class took photos of the George Washington National Forest and nearby areas. The images were utilized to support a half-dozen citizens鈥� groups opposed to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a proposal backed by four large utility companies. In a new pipeline more than 500 miles long, the natural gas would traverse the George Washington National Forest and Monongahela National Forest, in addition to other public and private properties in mostly rural areas of Virginia and West Virginia.

鈥淭he proposed pipeline will cross the central Allegheny Highlands, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the adjacent valleys. It will cut through 30 miles of national forest and cross numerous rivers, streams, and wetlands,鈥� says the of Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition, for which senior Jonathan Bush did aerial photographic surveying. 鈥淭his area represents the heart of the remaining wild landscape in the eastern United States, and it is a major biodiversity refugium that can only increase in rarity and importance.鈥�

By the coalition鈥檚 description, 鈥渢he proposed pipeline will be 42 inches in diameter, requiring excavation of an 8- to 12-foot-deep trench and the bulldozing of a 125-foot-wide construction corridor straight up and down multiple steep-sided forested mountains.

鈥淚t will require construction of heavy-duty transport roads and staging areas for large earth-moving equipment and pipeline assembly. It will require blasting through bedrock, and excavation through streams and wetlands. It will require construction across unstable and hydrologically sensitive karst terrain.

鈥淧ipeline construction on this scale, across this type of steep, well-watered, forested mountain landscape, is unprecedented,鈥� concludes the coalition on its website.

Photographing wildlife and landscapes

Johnson and his students did not limit themselves to documenting the rare Cow Knob Salamanders, which live in the path of the proposed pipeline on and near Shenandoah Mountain. They also photographed pristine streams, verdant farmland, and breathtaking views that would be lost with pipeline construction and maintenance.

Their salamander photos, however, were the ones that seemed to have the most impact, given that they were published widely by the news media and on civic action websites across Virginia. The potential negative impact on these salamanders and the Cheat Mountain Salamanders, plus on West Virginia northern flying squirrels and ecosystem restoration areas, was cited in the Jan. 19 letter from U.S. Forest Service administrators to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC.

The commission is deliberating whether to approve proposals to construct several pipelines for moving Marcellus shale gas from western West Virginia to Virginia and the southeast. These pipelines would be the largest ever built in this region, and all routes proposed thus far would impinge on national forest land.

The Forest Service letter referred to natural resources of 鈥渋rreplaceable character鈥� on Shenandoah Mountain, Cheat Mountain and Back Allegheny Mountain that would need to be circumvented by any pipelines.

Students contributed to publicity efforts

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of the student involvement in this work 鈥� surveying, hiking, mapmaking, land and aerial photographing, and writing,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to know exactly how much the public campaign played in the final Forest Service decision, but I have to believe the amount of publicity surrounding this little amphibian helped provide political support for this move.鈥�

Lynn Cameron, vice president of the Virginia Wilderness Committee and past president of the Virginia Wilderness Committee, has been with the latter group since it began 10 years ago. Cameron calls the partnership between her group and Johnson鈥檚 class 鈥渕utually beneficial.鈥� Johnson serves with Cameron on the board of the Virginia Wilderness Committee.

鈥淏eing able to show the beauty and biodiversity of the area, along with its water and recreational resources, through the images provided by EMU鈥檚 students really helps our efforts,鈥� she says.

The George Washington-Jefferson National Forest receives more than 2 million visits annually, most often for hiking, fishing and picnicking, by Forest Service estimates. Access to this forest is as close as 10 miles (20 minutes by car) west of EMU鈥檚 campus.

All nine students in the fall 2014 Conservation Photography took class field trips that involved photographing landscapes and biodiversity along the proposed pipeline route: Jonathan Bush, Malika Davis, Londen Wheeler, Emma King, Ryan Keiner, Chris Lehman, Meghan Good, Amber Davis and Jonathan Drescher-Lehman. These students also divided into three small groups, two of which worked specifically on the pipeline (their images can be seen here: ).

Cameron recalls that Wheeler was the first to see and photograph the Cow Knob Salamander. Then Bush, Davis and King returned to the area and found some of these salamanders on their own. 鈥淚 was with them and remember being amazed that they could actually find rare salamanders on a field trip in mid-October, which is at the end of their active season,鈥� said Cameron. 鈥淣ormally, these salamanders can be found on warm, damp nights. The students found them at mid-day during a dry spell. It was just unbelievable.鈥�

Collectively, the students emerged with some remarkable images which have been used in by and the , among others.

In the fall 2015 Conservation Photo class, four students focused on the pipeline project, but their photos centered on farmland and private property: Curtis Handy, Rachel Schrock, Azariah Cox, and Macson McGuigan. McGuigan also worked on a with his GIS class to make maps related to threatened species in the pipeline route area.

For the men,听听(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听听(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock),听听(Winchester, Va./Millbrook),听听(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Thibodeaux destroyed the program record in the distance medley relay.听 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,听听(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) and听听(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.听 He moves to the second-best time in the event in EMU history.听 Luke Yoder set the record of 1:55.84 in 2007.听 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.听 Faint, a sophomore, clocked at 51.41 to win his heat and earn 21st overall.听 Faint PRed with the effort and moved up two spots to No. 8 in the EMU history books.听 Sampson, a freshman, knocked 0.01 of his PR to take sole possession of No. 9 in the books at 51.65.

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

听(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) improved upon his EMU No. 2 distance in the weight throw.听 His best toss landed at 14.87m (48-9.5ft), an improvement of more than two feet.听 Nathan Turner holds the EMU record at 15.77m (51-9ft).听 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,听听(Broadway, Va./Broadway) crossed in 8.78 while听听(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) came in at 8.96.

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

听(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,听听(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) put herself fourth in the nation in the mile run with her time of 5:02.05.听 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.听 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.听听听(King George, Va./King George) had a PR of 2:30.74, jumping herself to No. 6 on the all-time EMU charts.听 贵谤别蝉丑尘补苍听听(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听听(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) came in at 2:33.60.

In the 3000m,听听(Dover, Ohio/Dover) crossed in 10:34.38.听 厂别苍颈辞谤听听(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听听(Bedford, Va./Liberty) was the lone EMU representative.听 She just missed her indoor PR in the triple jump, landing at 10.55m (34-7.5ft).听 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.

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

贵谤别蝉丑尘补苍听听(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).听 He moves to No. 5 all-time at EMU.

The men also had some great finishes in the hurdles.听 The Royals went 1-and-3 in the 400m hurdles, as freshman听听(Winchester, Va./Millbrook) claimed the gold.听 Faint’s winning time was 54.23, a PR for him and fifth in EMU history.听 Junior听听(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.

听(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.听 His PR moved him to No. 3 all-time at EMU in the event.听听听(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) had a gritty effort to claim fourth in the race in 16.25.

听(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) earned a silver in the shot put.听 The big man landed at 14.39m (47-2.5ft), crushing his outdoor PR and moving to No. 2 in EMU history.听 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.听听听(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), who entered as the favorite in the event, settled for a bronze finish.听 He took third based on jumps, tying his season best at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).听 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).听 He moves in ninth all-time at EMU as well.

贵谤别蝉丑尘补苍听听(Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass) took fifth in a tight finals of the 200m dash.听 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听听(Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy), Dews,听听(Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) and听听(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) earned fourth place with a time of 44.05.听 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.听 Bridgewater won the men’s title with 154 points while Lynchburg was second with 132.听 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.听 The meet was hosted by Bridgewater College Friday and Saturday.

To no one’s surprise,听听(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) and听听(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.听 In the two-lap race she had a pair of Bridgewater runners hanging near her, but not enough to challenge for top honors.听 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.听 While a comfortable pace off her PR, it was still good enough to give Chappell-Dick the win by more than three seconds.听 Lehman actually crossed fourth in the race in 4:53.38.

Lehman was then dominant in the two distance events.听 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.听 Teammate听听(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.听 The freshman ran with the pack for most of the race, before making her move with two laps to go.听 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.听 Lehman’s winning time was another facility-record 39:01.45, a comfortable win over Dalton’s 39:20.83.听 Paden stayed with the lead group most of that race as well and came in fifth with a time of 40:03.77.

听(Bedford, Va./Liberty) completed a great first season in the jumping events.听 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).听 The distance also bumped her up to No. 3 in EMU history.听 In the triple jump, Kittrell grabbed another fourth place finish, totaling 10.72m (35-2ft).

厂别苍颈辞谤听听(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) was one of four women to break the facility record in the hammer throw.听 She claimed fourth with a landing at 44.10m (144-5ft), within sight of Bridgewater’ Katelyn Senger in third with 44.18m (144-11ft).听 It was a huge PR for Bane, upping her own school record, which had been 39.28m (128-10ft).听 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.听 In just her second-ever effort in the event, the junior tied for fourth by clearing 1.51m (4-11.5ft).

听(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.

贵谤别蝉丑尘补苍听听(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) grabbed a point in the 3000m steeplechase.听 She earned sixth place with a time of 13:07.23.

The 4x400m relay team of听听(King George, Va./King George), Chappell-Dick,听听(Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) and听听(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) claimed fourth, just missing All-ODAC status, with a time of 4:04.41.听 The 4x100m group of听听(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.听 Roanoke won the women’s side with 156 points, followed by Bridgewater at 105 and Washington and Lee at 91.听 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.听 Now the focus turns to twilight meets and preparing for hopeful runs at the NCAA National Championships in late May.听 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.听听Kat Lehman听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听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.听 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听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.

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

The ODAC has a rich tradition in promoting fair play and good sportsmanship in each sport across the league.听 The character of the conference鈥檚 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鈥檚 selections to the ODAC Sportsmanship Teams are listed below:

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

All of EMU鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.听 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 eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.听 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.听 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听. 听Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on听听and follow听听on Twitter.

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

EMU’s ODAC All-Academic Team
Elizabeth Alderfer – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Kayley Argenbright – Women鈥檚 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鈥檚 Volleyball
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Robert Cook – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Paige DeBell – Field Hockey
Tyler Denlinger – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Katie Eckman – Women鈥檚 Cross Country
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Erica Garber – Women鈥檚 Track & Field
Carlos Garcia – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Abi Gardner – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Joe Hall – Baseball
Rebecca Hardy – Women鈥檚 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鈥檚 Volleyball
Louise Krall – Field Hockey
Lanae Kreider – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Landis – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jordan Leaman – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Jake Lind – Men’s Soccer
Lexi Link – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Tim Martin – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Dilmer Martinez – Men鈥檚 Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Brad Matthias – Baseball
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Macson McGuigan – Men’s Soccer
Chris Miller – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Katie Miller – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Nisly – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Ian Norris – Baseball
Nora Osei – Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball
Jolee Paden – Women鈥檚 Cross Country
Jesse Parker – Men鈥檚 Cross Country
Hannah Patterson – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
D Probst – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Casey Racer – Softball
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Krista Rittenhouse – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Juni Schirch – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Caleb Schlabach – Men’s Golf
Chanel Shands – Women鈥檚 Basketball
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Kayla Smeltzer – Women鈥檚 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鈥檚 Track & Field
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Alex Wynn – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Alena Yoder – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Chris Yoder – Men鈥檚 Basketball
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Women’s track and field

Sophomore听听(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) highlighted the 草莓社区 track & field women at the ODAC Championships as she won two individual titles and broke a record.听 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.听 In the 1500m, Chappell-Dick had a huge PR to break the ODAC Championships record.听 The sophomore crossed in 4:38.61, out-pacing rival Annalise Madison of Washington and Lee by a full second.听 Both runners broke the meet record of 4:43.08, set by All-American Carmen Graves in 2012.听 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.听 She ran off her EMU record time, but still cleared the field by three seconds with a time of 2:18.31.听 Teammate听听(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) had a great race and PRed in 2:25.23.听 She finished eighth and just missed pointing by a mere nine-tenths of a second.

In the javelin,听听(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) just missed All-ODAC honors with a fourth-place finish.听 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听听(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International), Schirch,听听(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) and Chappell-Dick combined to time at 4:27.36.

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

厂别苍颈辞谤听听(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) finished her career well, setting her PR in the 5000m with a time of 19:29.20.听 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.听 Roanoke won the team title with 150.33 points.

Men’s track and field

It was almost expected, but the 草莓社区 men’s track & field team made a clean sweep of the high jump medals at the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship meet.听 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.听 They made it a top-three sweep.听听听(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.听听听(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had the most surprising finish, claiming the silver at 2.02m (6-7.5ft).听 Moore recently joined the team after the completion of the men’s volleyball season a few weeks ago.听 Sophomore听听(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) was third at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).听 All three claim All-ODAC status, and each also have a shot at qualifying for the national meet.

听(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.听 The freshman then set his PR in the finals, finishing fourth with a time of :50.20.

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

The 4x400m relay team of听听(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), Winters,听听(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) and听(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听听(Perkasie, Pa./ Christopher Dock) continued their season-long efforts at pushing each other in the 800m.听 Thibodeaux crossed sixth to grab the final point toward the team total, timing at 1:57.88.听 He was just three-tenths of a second from jumping into fourth place.听 Denlinger then took seventh place in 1:58.33.

听(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.听 Classmate听听(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was one position behind him with a time of 15:37.21.

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

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

听(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).听 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.听 EMU had 35 points, but was within three points of fourth-place Roanoke at 38.听 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.听 The first meet scheduled as part of that stretch run is the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on Wednesday, April 30.

Sophomore听听(Bluffton, Oh./Bluffton) had the only gold for the weekend, winning the 800m in 2:17.21.听 She was nearly two seconds ahead of her nearest competitor in a large field of 41 women.听 Chappell-Dick also finished fifth in the 400m, clocking at 1:00.72.听 That race had a tight finish, as she was within a quarter of a second of third place.

Elsewhere for the women in Lexington,听听(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) and听听(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International) qualified for ODAC in the 400m, crossing in 1:04.99 and 1:07.12, respectively.听 Schirch also earned a ticket in the 800m with a time of 2:27.70.

The Royals qualified three runners in the 5000m, led by听听(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) in 11th place with a time of 19:32.58.听听听(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area)crossed in 19:52.71 and听听(Matoaca, Va./Matoaca) clocked at 20:33.23, easily breaking the 21-minute barrier for the first time in her career.

听(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) and听听(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) participated in the Roanoke meet, and both had runner-up finishes there.听 Bane took second in the discus with a PR throw of 33.20m (108-11ft).听 She just missed third in the hammer throw, settling for fourth at 34.95m (114-8ft).听 Borg PRed in the javelin, taking silver with a distance of 30.78m (101-0ft).

The men had the second- and third-place finishers in the high jump at the W&L Carnival.听 Sophomore听听(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) took silver with the No. 5 jump in EMU history, clearing 1.97m (6-5.5ft).听听听(Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) earned the bronze, having a best height of 1.92m (6-3.5ft).

听(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) took a conservative approach to his first 3,000m steeplechase experience but still came through with an ODAC qualifying time of 10:45.01 which places him seventh on the EMU top-10 list.

听(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) made his outdoor 5,000m debut a solid one as the junior came through with a time of 15:25.08 which was good for seventh place. The time also places him No. 2 on the EMU top-10 list. 听听(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) now sits at No. 5 on the EMU list with his time of 15:33.46. 听听(Bluffton, Oh./Bluffton) also had a solid showing in his outdoor 5000m debut running a personal best time of 16:16.43.

听(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) finished third in the 800m, clocking at 1:57.06.听 He was just over one second out of first place.听听(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) crossed seventh in 1:58.62.听 Both men also qualified for ODACs in the 400m, with Thibodeaux registering a time of :52.30 and Denlinger coming in at :52.79.

Sophomore听听(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) led a large EMU contingent in the event, taking tenth in :51.65.听听听(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) wasn’t far behind in :52.03, while听听(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) was the last of the five Royals in :53.46.

Sprinter听听(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) was sixth in the 200m, timing at :22.62, and was tenth in the 100m in :11.31.听听听(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) also qualified for ODACs in the 200m, coming in at :23.16.

听(Staunton Va./Riverheads) highlighted his day by taking third in the shot put in Roanoke, landing at 11.96m (39-3ft).

Coach Jason Lewkowicz said he was very pleased with the start to the outdoor season.

“We had a hard week of training across the board and to see the team perform this well on tired legs is a great sign,” he explained. 听“We were blessed with great weather and great competitive atmospheres.听 With such a young team, it is important that we take each opportunity to go out, compete, and show consistent improvement. 听This weekend was a great step in the right direction.听 We look forward to having a lot of fans come out to support us next Saturday at Bridgewater!”

The Eastern Mennonite track teams give their fans the best chance of the year to see them participate next Saturday, when they compete at the Dr. Harry GM Jopson Invitational hosted by Bridgewater College.

“I’m really excited to see growth in our track & field program this year,” Lewkowicz said.听 “We have a lot of talented newcomers on the men’s side and a number of All-ODAC performers returning for the women. 听Expectations are high and we are excited about that.”

(Bluffton, Oh./Bluffton) is back for her sophomore season after breaking five Eastern Mennonite middle distance records in her first year.听 For the men, (Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) will look to improve on his incredible growth from last year.听 As a junior transfer, King was talked into trying the high jump by Lewkowicz.听 In his first-ever campaign in the event, King won both the indoor and outdoor ODAC titles, and also broke the EMU outdoor record.听 Not bad.

Lewkowicz said that with a balance of faith, team camaraderie and talent, he senses his men and women are poised to reach new heights in 2014.

“We are looking to continue to build off of that success from last year and part of that is the expectation that school records will continue to be broken,” he explained.听 “This adds to the level of excitement on the team because setting records is an indication of performing at a level that will help us as a team at the ODAC level.听 At the end of the day, the goal is to get better each time out and let the accolades come as they will.”

Also back for the men is sophomore (Broadway, Va./Broadway), who took the silver in the 60m hurdles at the ODAC indoor meet and bronze in the 100m hurdles at the outdoor meet.听 For the women, sophomore (Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) was third in 800m outdoor race, finishing just behind Chappell-Dick.听 The women had a distance medley relay team take third at the indoor meet in 2013, and Brumfield, (Gap, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), and (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) all return from that foursome.听 Another sophomore, (Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula), was third in the javelin last spring to round out EMU’s athletes who earned an All-ODAC honor last year.

Lewkowicz expects those athletes to be the core of his squads this year, along with (Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) in the distance runs, (Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) in the throws and jumper (Canby, Ore./Western Mennonite).听 Garber earned the No. 3 spot in the EMU record books in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump as a freshman in 2011, but took the last two years off.听 For men, (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) will help push King in the high jump.听 Last year as a freshman, he broke the school’s indoor high jump record before King took it over.听 Cross country standouts (Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) will lead the distance group.

EMU’s coach pointed out that the men’s talent level is getting much deeper this year.

“In the hurdles, All-ODAC performer Richard Robinson is joined by talented freshman (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage),” explained Lewkowicz.听 “ (Mechanicsville, Pa./Atlee) and (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) highlight a talented group of freshmen sprinters, with (Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) and (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) coming into a middle distance group that could score a lot of points at the ODAC meets.听 Returners (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) and (Nelson, Va./Nelson Country) give us a level of depth that we have not had in years.”

Along with the freshmen men that Lewkowicz pointed out, he noted a handful of returners who might turn heads with the improvements they have made.

“I think Erica Garber will make steady progress as the season goes on,” he said.听 “Juni Schirch and (Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) missed most of last year due to sickness and injury and I expect them both to do well.听 On the men’s side, Philip Watson and Jonathan Bush are poised to breakout this season.

With a number of Royals runners either competing or training with the cross country team this fall, Lewkowicz explains the transition of the group into the track season.

“Moving out of a successful cross country season, the focus turned to bringing the entire track team together as a unit,” he said.听 “We have a lot of newcomers, some folks returning from/leaving for cross culturals, and some returning from injuries.听 Getting everyone on the same page and focused on the same goals is always a priority.听 We are also putting a lot of emphasis on doing the little things well to help keep us healthy in body, mind and spirit.

After years of running their championship meets with an “open” format, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference has added qualifying standards this year.听 Although the Eastern Mennonite teams continue to grow in number (25 men and 14 women), the benchmarks are more likely to provide nice targets for EMU’s athletes rather than limit how many Royals participate.

“At this point, the standards should not have too much of an effect on our team,” said Lewkowicz, “since each school is guaranteed three spots in each event, regardless of time/mark attained, in addition to four ‘wild card’ placements at the ODAC meet.听 While we do have depth in several areas that could leave some folks out, I believe most of our athletes will be able to hit the qualifying mark for their respective event(s).”

The 2013 track season nearly became synonymous breaking records, and the Royals hope to do the same thing in 2014.听 They also want to rise out of the middle of the pack at the ODAC meet.

“We want both teams to improve their finish at the ODAC meet, both for the indoor and outdoor season,” Lewkowicz said.听 “We already saw a school record broken at the December meet and we anticipate a lot more of that taking place over the course of the season.听 It is also my hope that we use our platform as a collegiate team to represent our university well and to glorify Christ through our attitude, effort, humility and sportsmanship.听 He is the giver of all good gifts and we want to honor Him in all that we do.”

The EMU teams are in action this weekend at the Liberty Open in Lynchburg.听 The ODAC Indoor Championships are March 2 in Hampton, Va., with nationals two weeks later in Lincoln, Neb.听 The outdoor season then starts on March 22, with the ODAC Outdoor Championships on April 18 and 19.听 After a handful of “last chance” meets, the national outdoor meet is May 22-24 in Delaware, Ohio.

The Royals had been shut out in their previous two losses, but got things rolling in the first half against the Highlanders.听 Junior (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) fired a shot from the top of the box which deflected in for a 1-0 lead.

In the second, (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) was the first to add insurance.听 He dribbled around a handful of Cairn defenders and then launched a shot through traffic to make it 2-0.听 Then (Mt. Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson) took a direct kick from just outside of the box and bent it around the CU wall to hit the right side of the net for the final score.

The men finished 1-1 at the Cialella Classic and took second place based on goal differential.听 (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), Mark Mast and (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) were all named to the All-Tournament Team.

The win evens EMU’s record at 2-2.听 They return to Harrisonburg this week for their home opener against Lebanon Valley on Wednesday.听 Saturday night the Royals host Virginia Wesleyan for their ODAC opener.

All of EMU鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.听 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.听 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.听 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

(Dalton, OH/Central Christian) won the high jump by two heights, clearing 1.99m (6-6.25ft).听 His measurement also put him at the No. 2 spot on the EMU all-time list, behind only Phil Landes, who cleared 2.03m (6-8ft) in 1987.

(Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) had a good day in the sprints.听 He charted the No. 7 time in EMU history in the 200m dash, crossing in 22.73 seconds.听 In the 100m dash, McBride took the No. 8 spot with a time of 11.22.

Distance runner (Harrisonburg, VA/Harrisonburg) finished less than a quarter of a second behind Bridgewater’s Luke Sohl in the 800m run.听 The senior’s time of 1:58.47 gave him sixth place at the duals, and the No. 8 spot in the EMU books.

(Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) continued to impress in the 400m hurdles, as he set a new personal record at 58.15.听 He was also part of a 4x100m relay team which took the seventh-best time in EMU history.听 The team of (Fork Union, VA/Louisa County), McBride, Bush and (Nelson, VA/Nelson County) clocked at 44.00, also taking third at the event.

(Philadelphia, PA/La Salle) was the top EMU finisher in the 400m with a time of 52.14.

Allen’s best leap in the long jump landed at 6.46m (21-2.5ft), but he fouled on all three attempts in the triple jump.

(Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) and (Salina, KS) both competed in the throws.听 Sloan was the top Royal in the shot put at 11.36m (37-3.25ft), while Walker was ahead in the hammer throw at 21.97m (72-1ft). 听Sloan also landed at 44.82m (147-0ft) in the javelin, for fourth at the meet.

The women’s team had fewer athletes participating, but freshman (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton) flashed some top ten times in two events.听 She tried her hand at the shorter distances Saturday and won the 400m dash with the fifth-best time in EMU history.听 Chappell-Dick also ran the 200m dash, and finished with the No. 8 time in EMU’s books at 27.64 seconds.

(Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) timed at 5:19.44 in the 1500m run, followed by teammate (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) at 5:26.96.

In the throws, (Strasburg, VA/Strasburg) set a new PR in the hammer throw, with her first heave landing at 34.43m (112-11ft).听 She also had a distance of 27.17m (89-2ft) in the discus.

(Gig Harbor, WA/Peninsula) landed at 24.52m (80-5ft) in the discus and 26.80m (87-11ft) in the javelin.听 ‘s (Archbold, OH/Archbold) best throw in the javelin measured at 19.90m (65-3ft).

Eastern Mennonite’s track teams return to Lynchburg next Saturday for the Liberty Invitational.听 It will be their final tune-up for the ODAC Championships on April 19 & 20.

(Broadway, VA/Broadway) took second in the 100m hurdles while also charting the No. 5 run in EMU history.听 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.听 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.听 He just missed the gold to RC’s Trevor Hunt at 11.43.听 He also won the 200m dash, ahead of teammate (Fork Union, VA/Louisa County).听 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).听 Nafziger’s winning time was 4:17.04, while Parker came in at 4:23.00.听 (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) took sixth place in 4:35.61.

Nafziger and Parker also highlight the 800m.听 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.听 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.听 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.听 Vrolijk ended up second based on jumps, while King settled for fourth.

Allen won the long jump and took second in the triple jump.听 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.听 He won the javelin with a fling of 47.40m, the No. 7 distance in the EMU record books.听 Sloan took third in the hammer throw with the No. 6 measurement in EMU history at 32.15m.听 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.听 Brumfield won the 800m run in 2:30.35, with Paden taken second in 2:32.77.听 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.听 Her time of 5:05.15 earned the gold and the No. 8 spot in the program records.听 Brumfield also grabbed a No. 8 all-time spot in the 400m.听 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.听 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.听 She just missed her PR in the hammer throw, taking fifth at 31.18m.听 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.听 Host Roanoke easily won with 243 points.

The Eastern Mennonite track teams are busy next weekend, participating in two meets.听 A group of athletes will go to Lexington on Friday and Saturday for the VMI-W&L Carnival.听 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.听 The old record of 10:49.91 was set in 2003.听 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.听 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.听 In the mile run, Jolee Paden (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Odgen) crossed in 5:32.21.听 Sophomore Lanae Kreider (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) set her PR in the event at 5:40.84.听 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.听 Hannah Chappell-Dick (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton) finished third and was the top D-III finisher in 2:19.74.听 She was about a second behind her EMU record time.听 Chafin Brumfield (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood) and Juni Schirch (Goshen, IN/Goshen) each set their PRs and moved up in the history books.听 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.听 In the weight throw, Sloan finished only behind a D-I VMI athlete with a throw of 12.78m (41-11.25ft).听 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.听 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).听 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.

Junior (Harrisonburg, VA/Harrisonburg) highlighted the men’s side, as he took down EMU records in both the 1000m and mile runs.听 In the one mile, Nafziger crossed the finish in 4:26.77, breaking Kevin Beachy’s record of 4:28.96 which was set in 2007.听 He was also the top D-III finisher at the meet, which was filled with athletes from all three NCAA divisions.

Freshman (Grottoes, VA/Spotswood) had a personal record in the mile, grabbing the eighth-best time in EMU history at 4:35.86.

Nafziger also broke the school record in the 1000m, as he was sixth overall at the Liberty Open and the second D-III finisher.听 His time of 2:35.32 beat out Richy Bikko from 2009 by more than three seconds at 2:38.71.

Orellana was again close behind, taking the fourth spot in the EMU books at 2:48.02.

(Dalton, OH/Central Christian), in his first year of competing in the high jump, nearly broke the school record.听 The junior cleared the bar at 1.89m (6-2.25ft) to take second among D-III athletes at the meet.听 King’s height was also second only to (Fork Union, VA/Louisa County), who set the record of 1.92m (6-3.5ft) in 2009.听 (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) tied his personal best from last week, which has him tenth in EMU history at 1.79m (5-10.5ft.)

Allen, returning to the team for his final season after missing a year on his cross cultural study, notched his PR in the 60m dash.听 He timed in at 7.38, which also landed him fifth in EMU history.听 (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) crossed the finish in 7.54.

In the 400m dash, (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) had a solid finish, as his time of 53.08 had him third among the D-III runners.听 (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle) was a fraction back at 53.34.

The Royals had a busy field in the 200m dash, as Bush led a trio of runners with a time of 24.14.听 Watson came in at 24.19, with Allen crossing in 24.21.听 In the 800m run, (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) finished one spot ahead of teammate (Dayton, VA/Benjamin Logan).听 Their times were 2:10.93 and 2:13.29, respectively.

In other field events, Allen, although rusty in his return to the triple jump, was still the second D-III finisher, as his best leap totaled 13.11m (43-0.25ft).

(Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) just missed his PRs in both the shot put and the weight throw.听 In the shot, he charted an 11.85m (38-10.5ft), while he landed at 11.93m (39-1.75ft) in the weight throw.

For the women, what they lacked in quantity on Saturday they made up for in quality.

Hannah Chappell-Dick (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton), a week after breaking the EMU record in 800m, added two more program marks to her trophy shelf.听 In the one mile run, the freshman cruised across the finish in 5:12.89.听 She was the top collegiate runner at the meet, notched the top time in the ODAC this season, and broke her own school record by more than 12 seconds.听 Chappell-Dick had already set the EMU record in her first meet on Dec. 1, clocked then at 5:25.09.

Classmate Jolee Paden (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Odgen) had actually broken Chappell-Dick’s first record in the event in an earlier heat, clocking a time of 5:24.93.听 Paden settles for second on the EMU chart, along with the third-best time in the ODAC this year.听 Hannah Clemmer (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) crossed in 6:03.30 at the meet, with Saralyn Mast (Gap, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) a few steps behind in 6:13.08.

In the 3000m run, Chappell-Dick added a third EMU record.听 She was the top D-III finisher with a time of 10:48.48, beating Andrea Good’s record of 10:51.49 from 2002 by just over three seconds.听 It was also the third-best time in the ODAC this year.

The only other Royals women running at the Liberty Open on Saturday were Chafin Brumfield (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood) and Juni Schirch (Goshen, IN/Goshen), and both set PRs in the 800m.听 Brumfield finished with a time of 2:33.67, taking ninth in EMU history.听 Schirch charted 2:34.68, good for tenth in the program’s books.

The Eastern Mennonite teams head south again next weekend, participating at the JDL Fast Track Invite in Winston-Salem, NC.

Mast has had 13 seasons with a record of .500 or better, including 1996 and 1998, when Eastern Mennonite won the ODAC Tournament.听 After the win over Maryville, he has a career record of 200 wins, 179 losses and 35 ties.

On Sunday, the Royals picked up an impressive decision over a perennial power from Tennessee in Maryville.听 The Scots have a running streak of 13 seasons with 10 or more wins.

But EMU held the edge when the two teams met in Harrisonburg.

(Vienna, VA/James Madison) and (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) teamed up to put the Royals ahead in the 33rd minute.听 Becker lofted a corner kick right in front of the goal, and Bush used the height of his 6-2 body to knock a header into the net, making it 1-0.

The visiting Scots continued to push throughout the second, but EMU’s superior depth started to pay off.听 In the 71st minute, (Harrisonburg, VA/Harrisonburg) got the ball after a turnover on MC’s side of the field.听 The senior took a few dribbles to get inside and then hit the bottom left of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Less than three minutes later, the men were at it again.听 This time Olguin made a charge with the ball and found a wide-open (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) on the right side, who scored for the second consecutive day.

Maryville had a few good looks, but put one shot off the post and EMU keeper (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) preserved the shutout with six saves.

The Royals were out-shot 22-16 overall, but held a sizeable 11-6 edge in shots on goal.

Not only was the 3-0 victory Eastern Mennonite’s fourth straight win, it was also their fourth straight shutout.听 The Royals haven’t allowed a goal in 361:43, since a loss at Lebanon Valley on Sept. 12.

With win over Maryville ups EMU’s record to 6-3-1.听 The men play one final non-conference game on Wednesday, playing at Wesley.

In honor of Mast’s milestone there will be a ceremony at Eastern Mennonite’s next home game, against Bridgewater on Oct. 2.