鈥淚 am pleased that the conference recognizes student-athletes for their focus on fair play and sportsmanship,” explained ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston.聽 “The conference prides itself on positive sportsmanship and encouraging student-athletes to lead by example. 聽Each one of the honorees has been selected by the coaches in recognition of their conduct in the arena.聽 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.聽 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 –聽
Basketball (Men) –聽
Basketball (Women) –聽
Cross Country (Men) –聽
Cross Country (Women) –聽
Field Hockey –聽
Golf (Men) –聽
Golf (Women) –聽
Indoor Track & Field (Men) –聽
Indoor Track & Field (Women) –聽
Outdoor Track & Field聽 (Men) –聽
Outdoor Track & Field聽 (Women) –聽
Soccer (Men) –聽
Soccer (Women) –聽
Softball –聽
Volleyball –聽

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s track and field

厂辞辫丑辞尘辞谤别听聽(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.聽 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.聽 In the 1500m, Chappell-Dick had a huge PR to break the ODAC Championships record.聽 The sophomore crossed in 4:38.61, out-pacing rival Annalise Madison of Washington and Lee by a full second.聽 Both runners broke the meet record of 4:43.08, set by All-American Carmen Graves in 2012.聽 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.聽 She ran off her EMU record time, but still cleared the field by three seconds with a time of 2:18.31.聽 Teammate聽聽(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) had a great race and PRed in 2:25.23.聽 She finished eighth and just missed pointing by a mere nine-tenths of a second.

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

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

厂别苍颈辞谤听聽(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) finished her career well, setting her PR in the 5000m with a time of 19:29.20.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 They made it a top-three sweep.聽聽聽(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.聽聽聽(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had the most surprising finish, claiming the silver at 2.02m (6-7.5ft).聽 Moore recently joined the team after the completion of the men’s volleyball season a few weeks ago.聽 厂辞辫丑辞尘辞谤别听聽(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) was third at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).聽 All three claim All-ODAC status, and each also have a shot at qualifying for the national meet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere for the women in Lexington,聽聽(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) and聽聽(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International) qualified for ODAC in the 400m, crossing in 1:04.99 and 1:07.12, respectively.聽 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聽聽(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) in 11th place with a time of 19:32.58.聽聽聽(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area)crossed in 19:52.71 and聽聽(Matoaca, Va./Matoaca) clocked at 20:33.23, easily breaking the 21-minute barrier for the first time in her career.

聽(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) and聽聽(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) participated in the Roanoke meet, and both had runner-up finishes there.聽 Bane took second in the discus with a PR throw of 33.20m (108-11ft).聽 She just missed third in the hammer throw, settling for fourth at 34.95m (114-8ft).聽 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.聽 厂辞辫丑辞尘辞谤别听聽(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) took silver with the No. 5 jump in EMU history, clearing 1.97m (6-5.5ft).聽聽聽(Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) earned the bronze, having a best height of 1.92m (6-3.5ft).

聽(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.

聽(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. 聽聽(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) now sits at No. 5 on the EMU list with his time of 15:33.46. 聽聽(Bluffton, Oh./Bluffton) also had a solid showing in his outdoor 5000m debut running a personal best time of 16:16.43.

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

厂辞辫丑辞尘辞谤别听聽(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) led a large EMU contingent in the event, taking tenth in :51.65.聽聽聽(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) wasn’t far behind in :52.03, while聽聽(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) was the last of the five Royals in :53.46.

厂辫谤颈苍迟别谤听聽(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) was sixth in the 200m, timing at :22.62, and was tenth in the 100m in :11.31.聽聽聽(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) also qualified for ODACs in the 200m, coming in at :23.16.

聽(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. 聽“We were blessed with great weather and great competitive atmospheres.聽 With such a young team, it is important that we take each opportunity to go out, compete, and show consistent improvement. 聽This weekend was a great step in the right direction.聽 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.聽 “We have a lot of talented newcomers on the men’s side and a number of All-ODAC performers returning for the women. 聽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.聽 For the men, (Dalton, Oh./Central Christian) will look to improve on his incredible growth from last year.聽 As a junior transfer, King was talked into trying the high jump by Lewkowicz.聽 In his first-ever campaign in the event, King won both the indoor and outdoor ODAC titles, and also broke the EMU outdoor record.聽 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.聽 “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.聽 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.聽 For the women, sophomore (Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) was third in 800m outdoor race, finishing just behind Chappell-Dick.聽 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.聽 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).聽 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.聽 For men, (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) will help push King in the high jump.聽 Last year as a freshman, he broke the school’s indoor high jump record before King took it over.聽 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.聽 “ (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.聽 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.聽 “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.聽 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.聽 “We have a lot of newcomers, some folks returning from/leaving for cross culturals, and some returning from injuries.聽 Getting everyone on the same page and focused on the same goals is always a priority.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 “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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 The ODAC Indoor Championships are March 2 in Hampton, Va., with nationals two weeks later in Lincoln, Neb.聽 The outdoor season then starts on March 22, with the ODAC Outdoor Championships on April 18 and 19.聽 After a handful of “last chance” meets, the national outdoor meet is May 22-24 in Delaware, Ohio.

It was more like the 草莓社区 junior high jumped over the door that looked like it had blocked his days as a collegiate athlete.

In one of the more extraordinary examples of an athlete quickly picking up a new sport, a short time after King was told he wouldn’t see much playing time on the Royals’ basketball team he went out for track and became the indoor and outdoor champion in the high jump. His season-best jump was 6-foot-6 1/4 inch, which was just 1 1-2 away from the school record.

And when I say “new sport” I mean completely new. King had never even dabbled in high jumping in middle school or high school.

“We didn’t have a track team at or at ,” said the 6-foot-5 King, with the latter being a two-year college he played basketball at before continuing his schooling at Div. III Eastern Mennonite in Harrisonburg, Va.

King was a solid basketball player at Central Christian (averaging about 12 points and seven rebounds a game as a senior) and came to be known for his high-flying slam dunks at Hesston.

Unfortunately, dunking alone won’t win a spot on a college basketball team and the Royals told the walk-on that he wasn’t likely to play much.

“After it didn’t work out with basketball, I kind of accepted the fact that I was done playing a college sport and I thought I’d just find other stuff to do like intramurals,” King said. “One of the basketball assistants shared a cubicle with a track coach and told him that I could jump pretty well. The track coaches talked me into giving the high jump a try. There was no pressure — I just wanted to see how I’d do, enjoy myself and see what happens.”

King didn’t catch on right away to high jumping and couldn’t even clear the introductory height of 5-10 at his first indoor meet in December.

“I had a coach who had jumped at Appalachain State and had some real good experience to teach me,” said King, who competes in a league that also has schools such as Roanoke, Lynchburg and Bridgewater. “I was trying to just throw myself over the bar at first, but I learned to get some arch in my jump.”

This track season is over for King as he couldn’t quite reach the 6-8 height that would have likely qualified him for the Div. III NCAA Meet. The son of Glen and Judy King is still plenty busy this month, though, as right after finals the business administration major will go to South Korea for a cross-cultural school experience.

King will have a lot to reflect on when he finally gets some down time, but one word quickly comes to mind about his newfound sport.

“Perseverance,” King said. “At the beginning, (high jumping) was coming really slowly. I kind of toughed it out and it’s really worked out.”

It’s a lesson for life in general, if people keep an open mind and aren’t afraid of some hard work, success can be found in unexpected places.

Courtesy Wooster Daily Record, April 28, 2013

(Dalton, OH/Central Christian) won the high jump by two heights, clearing 1.99m (6-6.25ft).聽 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.聽 He charted the No. 7 time in EMU history in the 200m dash, crossing in 22.73 seconds.聽 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.聽 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.聽 He was also part of a 4x100m relay team which took the seventh-best time in EMU history.聽 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.聽 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). 聽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.聽 She tried her hand at the shorter distances Saturday and won the 400m dash with the fifth-best time in EMU history.聽 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).聽 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.聽 ‘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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 He just missed the gold to RC’s Trevor Hunt at 11.43.聽 He also won the 200m dash, ahead of teammate (Fork Union, VA/Louisa County).聽 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).聽 Nafziger’s winning time was 4:17.04, while Parker came in at 4:23.00.聽 (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) took sixth place in 4:35.61.

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

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

The Eastern Mennonite track teams are busy next weekend, participating in two meets.聽 A group of athletes will go to Lexington on Friday and Saturday for the VMI-W&L Carnival.聽 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.聽 The old record of 10:49.91 was set in 2003.聽 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.聽 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.聽 In the mile run, Jolee Paden (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Odgen) crossed in 5:32.21.聽 Sophomore Lanae Kreider (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) set her PR in the event at 5:40.84.聽 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.聽 Hannah Chappell-Dick (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton) finished third and was the top D-III finisher in 2:19.74.聽 She was about a second behind her EMU record time.聽 Chafin Brumfield (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood) and Juni Schirch (Goshen, IN/Goshen) each set their PRs and moved up in the history books.聽 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.聽 In the weight throw, Sloan finished only behind a D-I VMI athlete with a throw of 12.78m (41-11.25ft).聽 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.聽 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).聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 The junior cleared the bar at 1.89m (6-2.25ft) to take second among D-III athletes at the meet.聽 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.聽 (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.聽 He timed in at 7.38, which also landed him fifth in EMU history.聽 (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.聽 (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.聽 Watson came in at 24.19, with Allen crossing in 24.21.聽 In the 800m run, (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) finished one spot ahead of teammate (Dayton, VA/Benjamin Logan).聽 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.聽 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.聽 In the one mile run, the freshman cruised across the finish in 5:12.89.聽 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.聽 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.聽 Paden settles for second on the EMU chart, along with the third-best time in the ODAC this year.聽 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.聽 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.聽 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.聽 Brumfield finished with a time of 2:33.67, taking ninth in EMU history.聽 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.

The difference is that now, transfers are coming to him.

Division III EMU will debut at least two and possibly three transfers this season, including power forward Dorian Valentine, who came from Division II Davis & Elkins. Valentine will be joined by Hesston (Junior) College transfer Jordan King, and Dean said he has a verbal commitment from Chris Yoder, a transfer from D-III Messiah College.

Another potential point guard transfer from a D-II school will be visiting EMU today. Dean did not disclose his name, but noted that he played 25 minutes per game at his old school and is “seriously considering” the Royals.

“We didn’t used to have people beating down the door to come to Eastern Mennonite,” Dean said Tuesday.

Could the influx of transfers be because of the Royals’ success the last few years, including a trip to the D-III national quarterfinals in 2010?

“Yeah,” said Dean, who has guided EMU to its first two 20-plus win seasons in the program’s 46-year history. “I don’t know what else it could be.”

Dean’s most prized transfer is Valentine, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound, rising junior power forward. Valentine transferred from D&E in 2011 and was required to sit out last season.

“I think Dorian has a chance to help right away, because he played two years in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and that’s not a crummy Division II league,” Dean said. “That’s a really good league.”

Yoder, a 6-4, 180-pound guard from Manheim, Pa., was a full-time starter at Messiah his freshman year, when he averaged 9.6 points per game. He saw his minutes drop as a sophomore last season, when he averaged 5.6 points per game.

Dean said he has never seen King play, but that Hesston coach Dustin Galyon – a former EMU player under Dean – recommended King, a 6-4, 200-pound forward, as a “great fit” for EMU.

In general, Dean said he doesn’t pursue transfers because it’s more difficult for them to receive financial aid than true freshmen. But, when players show “so much interest in our school, I’d be crazy not to,” he said.

Dean is just as excited about the four incoming freshmen he’s recruited so far, three of whom are at least 6-4 – including 6-4, 180-pound swingman Mike Richardson of Broadway High School.

Richardson, who committed to EMU in early April, averaged 20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Gobblers this season.

“He was as good as any wing player I saw that we had a chance to get involved with anywhere,” Dean said of Richardson. “It just so happens that he only lives a few miles from campus.”

Joining Richardson will be 6-7, 210-pound forward Rashad Chambers of Covington; 6-5, 210-pound forward Justin Glenn of Arlington; and 6-2, 165-pound guard Donte Harris of Winchester.

Dean said Chambers is likely to make an immediate impact simply because of his size and enormous wingspan, noting that Chambers can “stand up straight and scratch his knees without bending his back.”

“I think Rashad’s going to help us right away because he’s so tall and athletic, but his ceiling is so stinking high that he’s nowhere close to being as good as he can be,” Dean said. “I mean, wait ’til you see the frame on this kid.”

Dean also said that Harris could bring outside shooting to a Royals team that shot just 28.3 percent from 3-point range last season. Glenn is the most likely to need some time to develop.

The 2011-12 campaign was a rebuilding one for EMU, which returned no starters and only three players with any significant experience from the previous year. The Royals finished 12-15 overall but played their best basketball at the end of the season, winning three games in a row before falling to Randolph-Macon in overtime in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference quarterfinals.

But with his incoming recruiting class joining a more experienced group, Dean is expecting much more this year.

“I felt like if we could bridge from [last year’s] team to the future without having to go all the way to the back of the ODAC – without feeling like we had to start over – that we’d be in good shape,” Dean said. “We were really able to do that.

“Now, it’s time to step up, it’s time to realize that we can jump right back into the fray and be a contender.”

Courtesy Daily News Record, May 16, 2012