ABS is a convenient acronym, then, for the weekly Athlete Bible Study that’s begun meeting over lunch on the ˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř campus this semester – and just one manifestation of senior cross-country runner Jolee Paden’s efforts to enrich the spiritual lives of her fellow athletes and classmates.

Last January, she also helped launch a monthly event called Athletes Speak, during which students gather over pizza to hear athletes and coaches talk about their lives and faith. Both events are affiliated with EMU’s chapter of the (FCA), in which Paden has been a leader since she was a first-year student.

At the time, FCA didn’t have a particularly large or active presence on campus, and so, just as she’d done previously at her high school in St. Joseph, Illinois, Paden threw herself into the task of building it up.

“FCA is for athletes and coaches to have the opportunity to encounter biblical truth and authentic community,” said Paden, a double-major in and . “Over the last three years and going into the fourth, it’s just done a complete 360 in terms of getting people involved.”

One of the ways she’s promoted the ABS and Athletes Speak events was dropping any reference to FCA from their names. She decided to do so after discovering that some student-athletes didn’t understand the purpose of the group or had developed negative impressions of it in high school.

This decision, said EMU athletics director , “demonstrated her sensitivity and creativity” as a leader.

“Jolee has provided the most critical ingredient for any successful program aimed at student athletes – student leadership,” King continued. “Sustainable programs have quality student leadership and Jolee has provided that.”

Paden is also a pastoral assistant with EMU’s , and spoke in chapel in late September. (Audio of her talk is available .)

“Jolee brings energy and focus to spiritual life on campus. She is always noticing and discerning opportunities for ministry among her peers,” said campus pastor . “She presents with confidence and poise. There’s no doubt that she will continue to develop as a keynote speaker and preacher.”

In addition to her work on campus, Paden is an intern at Grace Covenant Church in Harrisonburg, and helps lead the congregation’s ministry for college students. She has also published a running-themed devotional book, , writes , and begun accepting more public speaking invitations.

“I think God has just really blessed me with the capacity and the grace to do so much, because I still find time to relax and have a weekend sometimes. It’s kind of amazing,” said Paden.

As the fall semester slips by, she’s thinking more and more about life after EMU. Perhaps she’ll enter seminary. Maybe she’ll go back to Washington D.C., where she lived last summer and loved working for , a nonprofit that uses running to empower people experiencing homelessness. As she weighs those options, she’s also intent on making sure that the FCA and affiliated events that have been so important to her time at EMU will continue to thrive after she’s gone.

“I’ve put a lot of my heart and hopefully the Lord’s heart into this,” said Paden. “Building up other people who are passionate about it is really, really important to me.’”

As a practical matter, that’s meant handing over more and more responsibility to students who will return next year. One of them is Amanda Williams, a sophomore soccer player who helps schedule speakers for the Athletes Speak events. Williams hopes that she and her peers will continue building on Paden’s efforts to enrich the spiritual lives of EMU athletes.

“I think Jolee has an authentic relationship to God and displaying her faith just comes naturally to her,” Williams said. “She has a different perspective on the Bible – it’s refreshing to me, just to hear the things that God reveals to her.”

Regardless of what, exactly, next year might bring for her, Paden plans to continue on the same general path she’s followed through EMU – sharing, speaking, encouraging and nurturing the spiritual lives of the people around her.

“My dream would just be to tour and talk to young people and athletes,” she said. “But it’s just a matter of how the Lord is opening those doors.”

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

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.Ěý 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.Ěý He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet atĚý. ĚýDon’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC onĚýĚýand followĚýĚýon Twitter.

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

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