All of EMU’s ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.  Men’s volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the seventh consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fourth year in a row.  With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,459 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2012-13 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.  He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

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

Nels Akerson – Cross Country, Track & Field
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Sonja Anderson – Field Hockey
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Ruthie Beck – Softball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Jessica Blanks – Field Hockey
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Clemmer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Alli Eanes – Cross Country, Track & Field
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada – Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Chantelle Garber – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Patrick Graber – Cross Country, Track & Field
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Holly Jensen – Women’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Janna Kaufman – Women’s Soccer
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Lanae Kreider – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jonathan Leaman – Men’s Golf
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Rachel Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Karla Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Katie Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Phillip Martin – Track & Field
Ian Mast – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Cross Country, Track & Field
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Thomas Millary – Cross Country
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Michelle Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Kaitlyn Morris – Softball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Joel Murray – Men’s Golf
Dan Nafziger – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jolee Paden – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Patterson – Track & Field
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Krista Rittenhouse – Cross Country, Track & Field
Adriana Santiago – Field Hockey
Meghan Schaefer – Cross Country
Juni Schirch – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Aaron Springer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Andre Swartzentruber – Men’s Golf
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Kegan Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Tyler Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey

The last time Eastern Mennonite entered the ODAC tourney as the No. 8 seed, they won four straight games and claimed the 2010 ODAC Championship.  As in previous years, all games at the ODAC Tournament will be at the Moyer Complex in Salem, VA.

Before Sunday’s doubleheader with Lynchburg, senior (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) was honored on Senior Day, and retiring Athletic Events Coordinator Phil Guengerich threw out the first pitch at the final home event of the year.

EMU 9, Lynchburg 5
The Lady Royals took advantage of a handful of Hornet mistakes in their first at-bat, scoring five unearned runs to take the lead.  Allman fittingly started the scoring with an RBI single, and freshman (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) sent a towering three-run bomb over the left field fence to make it 5-0.

The Hornets responded quickly with four, two-out runs in the second.  EMU struck again in the fifth, with Allman rapping another RBI single before (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) shot a three-run homer to make it 9-4.

LC got a solo homerun to lead off the sixth, but Smith retired the next six batters she faced to lock up the win.

Allman finished 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs.  Smith and Lucas each hit their fourth longball of the season.  Lead-off batter (Crimora, VA/Fort Defiance), who transferred from Lynchburg to EMU this year, had a pair of singles.

Smith picked up the win to improve to 6-3.  She allowed just one hit with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief.

EMU 7, Lynchburg 2
Eastern Mennonite scored in the first inning again in the nightcap, and then got a solo shot from (Madison, VA/Madison County) in the second to take a 3-0 advantage.

The Hornets cut the lead to one with two runs in the fourth, but the Allman helped rebuild the cushion in the fifth.  She launched her eighth homerun of the year, and 31st of her career, over the left field fence, as EMU plated four more runs for the final 7-2 margin.

(Elkton, VA/Page County), another LC transfer this year, went the distance from the circle, scattering eight hits to improve to 4-9.

Allman finished 1-2 with three RBIs, hitting a homerun in her final at-bat on Gehman Field.

Smith was a perfect 3-3 from the plate with an RBI.  (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) was 2-3 with a walk, scoring two times.

The Lady Royals close the regular season 21-17 overall and 9-11 in the ODAC.  They tied with Randolph College for seventh, but settled for the No. 8 seed based on losing the head-to-head tie-breaker with the WildCats.  EMU was swept by top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan during the regular season, losing 4-0 and 8-1 in Virginia Beach on Apr. 13.

EMU 8, Allegheny 6
The Lady Royals picked up an impressive win over a talented Allegheny team to open day two at the Beach Blast. The women scored four in the second and four more in the fourth, then held on for the win.

In the second, (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) singled with one away and her teammates responded by loading the bases. (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) walked in one run, and (Crimora, VA/Fort Defiance) brought in another with an RBI groundout.  (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) then stuck a two-run single into right field.

Hensley, Sigrist and Allman each singled with one out in the fourth to start the next rally. An error and a sacrifice fly brought in the final three runs as the women went up 8-0.

The Gators got a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, and then plated five more runs off reliever (Manassas, VA/Forest Park) in the fifth. Allegheny had a two-out rally in the seventh, but a groundball ended the game and gave EMU the win.

(Elkton, VA/Spotswood) scattered three hits over 4.0 innings of work from the circle to get the win and improve to 1-0. Smith earned the save despite giving up five runs in her 3.0 innings.

Allman had two of EMU’s six hits, going 2-3 with three RBI and a run. She also walked. Hensley went 1-3 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in another.

Washington 2, EMU 1
Washington College scored the game’s first run with two outs in the fourth. Then in the sixth, they added insurance with a leadoff homerun.

Hensley jacked a one-out homer in the bottom of the sixth to slice the lead in half. Allman had a two-out double later in the inning, and (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) had a two-out double in the seventh, but both runners were left stranded.

(Elkton, VA/Page County) allowed just five hits but took the loss to slide to 0-3.  Hensley, Allman, (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) and Miller each had one of EMU’s hits.

Now 2-4 on the year, the Lady Royals return to Harrisonburg for their home opener this week. The women are scheduled to host Southern Virginia on Wednesday, although the teams are looking at possibly playing the doubleheader earlier in the week because of snow in the forecast.