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

Those honored from Eastern Mennonite were:

(Harrisonburg, Va./Westmont Hilltop), Sr., Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field, Elementary Education, 3.96 GPA.聽 Eanes peaked as a senior, setting all of her career best times and earning All-ODAC Second Team in cross country.

(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), Sr., Men’s Soccer – Back, Biology/Philosophy & Theology, 3.90 GPA.聽 Eshleman completed a stellar career in which he was a four-year starter as a center back.聽 He also scored his first goal this year.聽 He was given the EMU President’s Award this spring and also earned ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year, NSCAA Scholar All-Region, CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, VaSID All-State First Team, All-ODAC First Team.聽 This is Eshleman鈥檚 third year on the Academic All-State Team.

(Broadway, Va./Broadway), Sr., Men’s Golf, Business Administration & Accounting, 3.95 GPA.聽 Leaman helped launch EMU鈥檚 golf program this year, and finished second on the team with an 83.3 round average.

(Telford, Pa./Christopher Dock), Sr., Men’s Basketball – Forward, History/Social Science (Secondary Education Licensure), 3.91 GPA.聽 Longacre earned a repeat spot on the Academic All-State Team, and averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in his second season as a starter for the Runnin Royals.

(Willow Street, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), Sr., Men’s Soccer – Midfielder, Health & Physical Education, 4.0 GPA.聽 Mast was a vital part of the midfield for the Royals, starting 17 games and playing in all 20.

(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), Sr., Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field, Biology/Psychology, 3.97 GPA.聽 Nafziger had another banner year, claiming All-ODAC First Team in cross country and setting a program record on Peak View鈥檚 8k course at 26:55.07.聽 He also set four new EMU records during the indoor track season: 1000m (2:35.32), mile (4:26.77), 3000m (8:55.45), and distance medley relay (10:37.15).

To earn VaSID Academic All-State honors, a student-athlete must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and be at least a sophomore.聽 Each school in the state is allowed six nominees.

VaSID is comprised of sports information or athletics communications professionals from intercollegiate institutions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Membership is open to any individual affiliated with one of the state’s institutions at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, USCAA and community college levels, provided that individual’s area of responsibility lies within the realm of sports information.

EMU students that participated included: Allison Bontrager, from Wellman, Ia.; Allison Eanes, from Harrisonburg, Va.; Laci Gautsche, from Archbold, Ohio; Owen Longacre, from Telford, Pa.; Rebecca Stoesz-Nagy, from Harrisonburg, Va.; and Amber Shelly, special from Bluffton, Ohio.

“I cannot imagine a more inspiring event to ignite the passion and spirit of our future teachers than the Teachers of Promise Institute,” said , assistant professor of teacher education at EMU.

The two-day workshop featured sessions on 鈥淐reating Cultural Connections鈥� and 鈥淓ngaging Learners in Active Lessons.鈥�

“Being surrounded by the best educators in the state, as well as a few nationally recognized teachers, brought the kind of positive energy and elevation to the teaching profession that it deserves,” said Gautsche. “I am more excited than ever to begin my teaching career!”

The teams traded leads in a classic first half, with EMU holding the biggest edge at seven points.聽 (Madison, VA/Madison) capped a 7-0 run with a dunk to put the Royals up 34-27 with 4:33 left in the half.聽 But Bridgewater quickly closed the gap and sliced the lead to two by halftime, 38-36.

The Eagles slid ahead 44-41 early in the second, but a 12-2 spurt put Eastern Mennonite back in front, 53-46.聽 Sims had the big play in the run, diving to the floor for a steal at half court, then getting up to beat the transition defense and dunk the ball.

A Thorne jumper kept the lead at 60-53 with 7:03 to go, but the Eagles scored the next eight points to take the edge at 61-60.聽 EMU’s (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) accounted for the next three points, as the seesaw battle continued.

Bridgewater returned fire with the next five to go ahead 66-63 with 2:25 left, but Sims drilled a three from the left wing to knot the score.聽 The Royals had a chance to take the lead after a defensive stand, but Thorne missed an alley-oop from Sims.

With the score knotted at 66-66, the Eagles had their own chance for the lead, but Sims picked out the steal with 1:24 left.聽 Thorne made good this time, hitting a jumper in the lane to put EMU up 68-66 with 1:06 left.

Zach Hunter (Newport News, VA/Woodside) missed a layup for BC on their next possession, but the Eagles kept the ball with an offensive rebound.聽 After a tied up ball, the home team inbounded under their hoop, and Hunter was left open on the weakside for an easy game-tying lay-in, making it 68-68 with 43 seconds to play.

The Royals got a good look on a three pointer from (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) from the right corner, but the big man’s shot rimmed out.聽 Thorne tipped out an offensive board to Sims, though, and the junior hit a shot from the free throw line with 8.5 seconds to go, putting EMU in front 70-68.

Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) missed a running floater for BC, and Daniel grabbed the rebound.聽 He was fouled with 0.4 left, and made both free throws to ice the win, 72-68.

As with most rivalry games, the decision came down to who made the right plays at the right time, and the Royals inched to the road win with key plays in the final minute.聽 Shooting percentages were relatively even: 43% for EMU and 41% for Bridgewater.聽 The Eagles had a 45-34 edge on the boards, but Eastern Mennonite made eight three pointers to BC’s two, and had a +4 turnover margin, 19-15.

Thorne, who had the key offensive rebound to set up Sims’ winning shot, finished with 18 points and five rebounds.聽 Sims charted 13 points, three assists and two steals.

Longacre just missed a double double with 10 points and nine rebounds.聽 He also had three picks.聽 Daniel came in with eight points and five rebounds.

Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) led Bridgewater with 20 points and 12 rebounds.聽 Thomas had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Runnin Royals improve to 11-7 overall and 4-5 in the ODAC.聽 EMU is at upstart Lynchburg this Saturday at 3:00pm.聽 The Hornets are tied for third in the ODAC at 6-3 after upsetting Guilford Wednesday night.

Despite leading 40-27 at halftime, the Royals watched as Washington and Lee slowly chipped back in.聽 Even with 32 seconds left in regulation, EMU led by five, 74-69.聽 W&L answered with a layup and then forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play.

The visitors got a single free throw with 21 seconds left, then a fortuitous offensive rebound off the missed second toss.聽 Larry Whitaker (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) missed a jumper with 16 seconds left and (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) muscled out the rebound.聽 EMU’s big man was fouled and made one of two free throws to keep the lead at three, 75-72.

The Generals quickly came down the floor and guard Kelton Buchanan (Powder Springs, GA/Hillgrove) drilled a three pointer from the left side with seven seconds left to knot the score.聽 Eastern Mennonite couldn’t get off a clean shot, leaving the game to be decided in OT.

(Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) stepped up for the men in the extra session, scoring EMU’s first six points to build up an 81-77 lead.聽 (Front Royal, VA/ Skyline) added a fastbreak dunk after a steal by (Madison, VA/Madison) to put the edge at six with 1:37 to go.

The Runnin Royals then iced the game from the free throw line, making 6-of-8 tosses to keep W&L from making another comeback.

Eastern Mennonite shot 46% in the win, compared to 41% for the Generals.聽 The visitors did have a 46-40 edge on the boards, but the Royals more than made up for that by forcing 24 turnovers.聽 Free throws were basically even, with EMU going 21-33 while Washington and Lee finished 21-31.

Longacre had one of the best games of his career and charted his first double double of the season.聽 He tied his career high with 20 points and pulled down 10 big rebounds.聽 Sims was right behind him with 19 counters.

Thorne finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) had 10 points and four assists.聽 (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) added eight points off the bench.

Drew Kimberly (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) had 20 points to lead Washington and Lee.

The Royals, now 3-2 in the ODAC, move over .500 in the conference for the first time this season.聽 EMU enters a tough stretch of their schedule, playing their next games against three of the top four teams in the ODAC.聽 First up is Guilford this Saturday at 2:00 in Harrisonburg.聽 The Quakers, 4-1 in the league, beat the men 67-64 on Nov. 28 in Greensboro, NC, on a half court three pointer at the buzzer.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) canned a three pointer on the first possession of the game, then after an Eagle bucket the men scored seven in a row to go up 10-2.聽 Mary Washington got their second basket, but (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) scored the next six points for a quick 16-4 lead just 5:14 into the contest.

The Runnin Royals surged again, as Daniel capped a 13-2 run with another triple to push the lead to 29-12.聽 The Eagles finally settled down and got within four before EMU took a 42-36 lead into halftime.

The teams traded jabs for much of the second half until (Bassett, VA/Carlisle) scored six straight to push the edge back up to 62-51.

Mary Washington fought back but would get no closer than four points.聽 Down the stretch, EMU made just enough free throws and played great defense, limiting the Eagles to just three points over the final four minutes, to seal the 79-71 win.

The men shot 52%, nearly double what they shot in a loss to Christopher Newport just two days earlier.

(Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) led four Royals in double figures with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals.聽 Sims finished with 17 points and three assists, while Daniel charted 15 with three assists.

(Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) notched 11 points.聽 (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) made his presence felt with eight boards and three assists.

UMW’s Sean Armstrong (Richmond, VA/Monacan) led all players with 20 points.

The Runnin Royals close their first half at 8-4, including 1-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.聽 After a 16-day break in action, Eastern Mennonite returns to the floor with a road game at Emory & Henry on Jan. 5.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) started things off with an offensive put-back and EMU never looked back.聽 The Runnin Royals never trailed and used a 15-2 run to blow open a double digit lead.

EMU scored the final seven points of the half to lead 56-23 at the break.聽 (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) and (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) keyed a strong second half before the bench players took over with the lead at 89-49.

Eastern Mennonite shot 54% from the floor, had a 50-40 edge in rebounding, and forced 31 turnovers.

Yates finished 9-of-11 from the floor and charted a career high 21 points.聽 He tied his career high with four steals and co-led the team with six rebounds.聽 Sims and (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) each finished with 12 points.

Freshman (Covington, VA/Alleghany) had the best game of his career with nine points, three blocked shots and a pair of assists.聽 (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) also scored nine.聽 (Bridgeton, NJ/Salem) and (Prince George, VA/Prince George) led the team over the final minutes of the game, with each scoring their career high. 聽Furbush hit 3-of-4 shots and had six points, while Sulc scored five.

EMU improves to 7-3 with the non-conference win.聽 The men return to the court Monday afternoon, playing at No. 20 Christopher Newport.聽 Game time in Newport News is 5:30pm.

Despite being saddled with foul trouble over the first 20 minutes, the men led much of the opening frame.聽 They scored the final five points going into halftime, capped by a (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) three pointer, to lead 33-25 at intermission.

Eastern Mennonite scored the first four points in the second for the biggest lead of the night at 37-25.聽 Goucher responded with a 12-2 run, however, to get back within two points and the battle was on.

As the teams went back and forth, (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) drilled a big three pointer to put EMU back up 61-60 with 3:04 to play.聽 After forcing the Gophers into a missed triple, the men came down and Daniel assisted (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) on another long bomb, blowing the lead to up to 64-60.

Goucher got a single free throw with 1:17 left, but the Royals pushed the edge up to five points when (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) drove to the hoop and dunked the ball.

The Gophers cut the lead to three with a pair of free throws with 40 ticks to go, and the men left the door open when Williams missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw.聽 Goucher got two shots off in the final eight seconds, but neither found the mark as EMU escaped with the win.

Daniel and Sims were a two-headed monster to lead the team.聽 Daniel hit three three-pointers and dropped in 19 points.聽 He added a season high five assists along with five rebounds and three steals.聽 Sims was 8-for-13 from the floor to lead the team with 20 points, a season high for him.

Williams also hit double figures with 10 points.聽 (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) added eight rebounds and three assists.

The Runnin Royals had their best effort of the year from long range, going 8-for-18 for 44%.聽 They shot 28-for-61 overall for 46%, but were limited to 2-for-6 from the free throw line.聽 EMU was out-rebounded 37-28, but also forced 21 turnovers for a +4 turnover margin.

EMU has a few days off before returning to the court for a sure-to-be-classic game with Randolph-Macon.聽 The men host the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, with a 7:00pm start in Yoder Arena.

The men jumped to a 9-2 lead, but then watched the Saints score the next six points to make it a ball game. Marymount had a couple of two-point leads before the teams sailed into halftime tied at 33-33.

The Runnin Royals made quick adjustments at halftime and scored the first six points coming out of the break. They continued the run by attacking the basket, scoring their first 14 points on layups or dunks and springing to a 47-37 lead.

The cushion grew to as many as 16 points when (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) canned a three pointer to make it 62-46 just nine minutes into the period.

Marymount regrouped and slowly chipped into the lead, getting as close as seven points in the final minute.聽 But the Royals scored the final four points of the contest to lock up the 11-point win.

Thorne had his second straight 25-point outing, going 11-14 from the floor.聽 The senior added eight rebounds, including five offensive, to lead EMU in that category as well.

Four other men scored in double figures, led by (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) with 12 points.聽 (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) earned his first start and responded with 11 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals.聽 (Bassett, VA/Carlisle) finished with 11 counters and (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) added 10.

Most team statistics were relatively even between the two squads, except for shooting.聽 The Royals finished with a 57% clip, including 70% in the second half, while Marymount shot 46%.

After starting the year with four straight wins in Yoder Arena, Eastern Mennonite hits the road this weekend to open their ODAC slate.聽 The Royals play at Guilford in a men’s/women’s doubleheader on Wednesday, playing the late game at 7:30pm.聽 They play at Roanoke on Saturday.

In 2009-10, the Runnin Royals returned all five of their starters from a 15-11 campaign and vaulted to the Elite Eight in the national tourney, finishing with a final record of 25-5 and a No. 4 national ranking.聽 This year, Eastern Mennonite returns all five starters from a 12-15 team, and Dean is brimming with optimism.聽 And he will compare that.

“After the 15-11 year, going into the next year I thought we were going to be good,” said Dean.聽 “But never in my wildest imagination did I see those guys ascending to that level of play.聽 I didn’t see fourth in the country coming.聽 But to be honest, I’m just as optimistic now as I was then.聽 Can you catch lightning in a bottle twice?聽 I don’t know, but it’s certainly something we’ll strive for.”

Last winter, Dean needed five new starters and the young team had an up-and-down season.聽 But ending with three straight wins before an overtime loss in the ODAC Quarterfinals to Randolph-Macon gave the men some hope which translated into a lot of hard work in the offseason.

“I think that last year’s finish was probably about as crucial as anything could be,” Dean said.聽 “We were up and down so much with a young team.聽 Even some of the older kids hadn’t played a lot (before last year).聽 So I think the fact that we got things going at the end created an air of optimism and pushed us into offseason workouts.聽 I would say the offseason and preseason were as productive as any of my years that I’ve been here.聽 Through two weeks of practice I’ve seen big time improvement in my returners, as much as I’ve ever seen.”

And the returners abound, as EMU brings back the top nine players from last year’s rotation.聽 Headlining the crew is 6-4 senior wing (Front Royal, VA/Skyline).聽 In his first season as a starter, Thorne averaged team highs of 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and was named All-ODAC Third Team.聽 Also back is 6-4 junior (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) who was good for 12.3 points and led the men with 61 assists and 56 steals, as well as 6-6 big man (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) who averaged 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.聽 He also found a stroke from the outside and led the team with a 42.9 three-point field goal percentage.

Junior guards 6-2 (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) and 6-0 (Roanoke, VA/Northside) return as well.聽 Daniel finished with a 9.3 scoring clip and 55 assists, while Burroughs scored 8.3 a game with 60 assists.

While the men do return all five starters, Dean said nothing is a given this year as his other returners have improved in the offseason and a handful of talented newcomers will also push for playing time.

“We always say that everything is an open competition and everybody has to earn their chance to start,” said EMU’s tenth-year coach.聽 “Those guys started a lot of games last year.聽 If you were playing the odds, chances are that they will be the starting five again.聽 But the best players are going to play.”

Other returning rotation players are: 6-6 (Madison, VA/Madison) (6.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG), 6-2 (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) (4.4 PPG), 6-7 (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) (4.2 PPG) and 6-2 (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) (2.3 PPG), although Smith is recovering from an injury.聽 Dean also noted 6-4 Davis & Elkins transfer (Bassett, VA/Carlisle) as an impact player, and thinks he may see some contributions from his freshmen, especially 6-4 (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway), 5-11 (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming) and 6-7 (Covington, VA/Alleghany).聽 The Royals were also hoping for added depth from 6-4 Messiah transfer Chris Yoder (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield), but he will miss the year with a knee injury.

One area of weakness last season was outside shooting, and the Runnin Royals will need to improve on their 28.3% from three point range.聽 Shooting and physique were two areas that Dean said his men worked on during the offseason.

“We had a lot of kids that worked really hard in the weight room, and a lot of kids that got up a lot of shots,” explained Dean.聽 “Our kids knew we needed to improve our shooting percentage.聽 You can also see a lot of changes in my kids’ bodies.聽 A lot of kids have bulked up and look great.聽 The bottom line is the kids had a good offseason.”

One key for Dean-coached teams has always been to earn extra possessions, generally through offensive rebounds and turnovers.聽 The men have specific statistical targets set to meet those ends.

“Last year we were +5 in shot attempts per game and dead even in free throws,” Dean explained.聽 “So the goal this year is to double that shot attempts to +10 and to get that into the plus side on free throw attempts.聽 We feel we can do that if we improve on offensive rebounds and increase the turnover margin from +3 to +5.聽 And then if we can shoot the ball better from three, we’ll have a chance to be a really good team.”

Thanks in part to the way his 2009-10 team made national waves, combined with the strong finish his men had last year, Dean doesn’t expect to surprise anyone this time around.

“I think people are already going to expect us to be pretty good,” he said.聽 “Maybe not top 25 in the country, but a really tough out.聽 With so many kids that played last year coming back, the way we finished (beating Guilford and taking Macon to OT in tournament), and adding a couple of kids that we think can contribute, I don’t think we can sneak up on anybody.聽 But I don’t see a need to sneak up on anybody.聽 I just think we need to be the best that we can be.”

The Runnin Royals claimed the seventh seed in last spring’s ODAC Tournament with a league record of 6-10.聽 The men beat rival Bridgewater College in a First Round game in Harrisonburg to earn an ODAC Tournament win for the third straight year.聽 Eventual NCAA-qualifier Randolph-Macon beat out EMU in an overtime thriller in the ODAC Quarterfinals.聽 It was also the third straight year the Yellow Jackets have knocked the men out of the ODAC Tournament.

Dean knows his team might still be a bit unseasoned to win the ODAC’s regular season title, especially with Virginia Wesleyan, one of the nation’s top teams, on the schedule twice.聽 But he is hoping for the Runnin Royals to again peak at the right time.

“We’re looking to finish as high as we can,” he said, “obviously we’re shooting for top five to avoid that play-in game and to get a really good seed heading into tournament.聽 We’ll be a whole lot better in February than in November.聽 If we can hit our stride in February like we did last year, but with a better team, we have a chance to make some noise.聽 And obviously if you win the ODAC Tournament, anything can happen from there.”

Eastern Mennonite opens the regular season by hosting the EMU Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 16 & 17, playing Elizabethtown and Ferrum.聽 Bridgewater will be the fourth team at the Classic, making for an exciting start to what should be an exciting season in Yoder Arena.

Each of EMU鈥檚 sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men鈥檚 volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.聽 The CVC will also release an all-academic team later this summer.

The full ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the sixth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the third year in a row.聽 With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only, Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only, and Shenandoah University for field hockey and track & field only), 1,350 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2011-12 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.聽 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聽. 聽Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click聽) and follow聽聽on Twitter.

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

Nels Akerson – Cross Country
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country
Laura Beckler – Women’s Soccer
Bradley Billings 鈥� Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden 鈥� Softball
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Bethany Crouse – Women’s Soccer
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Allison Eanes – Cross Country
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada 鈥� Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Lynae Fry – Women’s Volleyball
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Brooke Hensley 鈥� Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan 鈥� Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King 鈥� Baseball
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Soccer
Valerie Landis – Field Hockey
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Jenna Longenecker – Field Hockey
Becca Longenecker – Field Hockey
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Thomas Millary – Cross Country, Track & Field
Michelle Miller – Women’s Soccer
Katarina Napfel 鈥� Softball
Peter Nelson – Cross Country
Cara Paden – Women’s Soccer, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Stephanie Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Andy Richter 鈥� Baseball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Bryce Shank – Men’s Soccer
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Amber Shelly – Women’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Raquel Stoltzfus – Women’s Soccer
Scotty Tiosso – Men’s Soccer
Jon Trice 鈥� Baseball
Keri Weaver – Cross Country
Kori Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Taylor Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Roberto Wingfield – Cross Country
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Marla Young – Women’s Basketball
Kelsey Zook – Women’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

presented the awards, which are based on academic achievement, athletic contribution, Christian commitment, leadership, campus involvement and service, as the culmination of the evening.

Richter, a major with a 3.64 GPA, was a four-year pitcher for the baseball team and plans to work in a sales or marketing position.聽 He was consistently on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and EMU鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 List.聽 Besides baseball, his campus life was filled with leadership on , EMU Royals Society and the .聽 He also volunteered at numerous places off campus.

鈥淵ou are not an athlete just when you鈥檙e in season 鈥� you鈥檙e an athlete year round,鈥� Richter explained in how he balanced his demanding schedule at EMU.聽 鈥淏aseball provided me with the discipline I needed to enjoy a busy, but incredibly rewarding college career.鈥�

Young, a captain with the women鈥檚 basketball team, was also on the Dean鈥檚 List and ODAC All-Academic Team, holding a 3.71 GPA with a major in and minor in .聽 She was a four-year member of Royals Society, helping with prospective students, as well as being a member of the .聽 Young was also a youth leader at her church and volunteered with a local food bank and the fall back-to-school backpack drive.

鈥淏eing a student-athlete has taught me to be mentally and physically strong in seemingly impossible situations,鈥� said Young, who suffered a long-lasting shoulder injury her freshman season.聽 鈥淕od used basketball as the framework that I could grow in my relationship with Him, share my talents with others, and now go on to pursue a career in physical therapy.鈥�

The Athletic Department staff also voted for Athlete of the Year winners.聽 Mitchell Leap (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) claimed the men鈥檚 honor with Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) taking the women鈥檚.

Leap led the men鈥檚 soccer team in scoring for the fourth straight season, netting ten goals, which was also third-best in the conference.聽 He had five game-winning goals and was named All-ODAC First Team.聽 Leap graduates fourth in EMU history with 35 career goals and fifth with 80 career points.聽 Ygarza was a dynamic presence as a power forward for the basketball women, earning a spot on the All-ODAC First Team as a sophomore.聽 She led EMU with 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and was second in the ODAC in field goal percentage and free throws.

Also at the banquet, Newcomer of the Year Awards were given to Jenessa Derstine (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) in field hockey and Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) in baseball.

Derstine, an attacker for the Lady Royals, led the team with 29 points this year.聽 She scored ten goals and assisted on nine others.聽 Her speed helped ignite EMU鈥檚 offense and landed her on the All-ODAC Third Team.聽 Rodriguez batted .374 with 28 runs and team highs of four homeruns and 41 RBIs.聽 His RBI total was third in the ODAC during the regular season and the third baseman was named All-ODAC Second Team.

As part of the dinner and banquet, four seniors gave short reflections on their time playing a sport at Eastern Mennonite: Valerie Landis (Quakertown, PA/Quakertown) from field hockey, Justin King (Lititz, PA/Warwick) from baseball, Pete Nelson (Harrisonburg, VA/Christopher Dock) from track and cross country, and Brent Yoder (Sarasota, FL/Sarasota Christian) from soccer.

King uniquely talked about playing four years of a collegiate sport even though the experience was not living up to the ideas he had beforehand.

鈥淚 have learned a lesson I would have not chosen to learn on my own, because it was painful,鈥� said King.聽 鈥淭hrough the ups and downs, the wins and losses, I have had to rely on God as my source of hope and strength when I was weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed.聽 The Apostle Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, 鈥楾hree times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.聽 But he said to me, 鈥楳y grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.鈥欌�欌��

Landis was the lone senior on the field hockey team this fall and stepped into a leadership role which was not natural to her.聽 She said that will help her as she leaves college.

鈥淚 recognize that I am going to be a new member of a completely different team after graduation,鈥� Landis explained. 聽鈥淲hat I have learned over the past four years is that I can鈥檛 let my age or lack of experience hinder me from being responsible or taking initiative. 聽God has granted each of us the experience of being part of a team and it is my hope that we are able to leave this community as an athlete and a graduate and apply those interpersonal skills learned on either the court or field and apply them in the next stage of life, appropriately and meaningfully.鈥�

Dr. Ronald Stoltzfus, Faculty Athletic Representative, and Dr. Nancy Heisey, Undergraduate Academic Dean, presented the Academic Achievement Awards to each team鈥檚 individual with the highest GPA.聽 Those awards went to: Richter and Brad Billings (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) in baseball, Jennifer Blankenship (Bassett, VA/Bassett) in women鈥檚 basketball, Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) in men鈥檚 basketball, Nels Akerson (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men鈥檚 cross country, Alli Eanes (Harrisonburg, VA/Westmont Hilltop) in women鈥檚 cross country and track, Jenna Longenecker (Lancaster, PA/Conestoga Valley) in field hockey, Bryce Shank (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) in men鈥檚 soccer, Erica Detweiler (Hickory, NC/Fred T. Foard) in women鈥檚 soccer, Aaron Sloan (Ooltewah, TN/McCallie School) in men鈥檚 track, and Kendall Garber (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) in men鈥檚 volleyball.

The evening included a special mention of , a senior student worker with the athletic events staff, who had passed away from cancer just a week prior to the banquet.

Seventh-seeded EMU heads into the ODAC Quarterfinals where they will play second-seeded Randolph-Macon.聽 The two teams have also developed a rivalry in the last few years, including R-MC winning twice this year on buzzer-beating three pointers.

The ODAC Quarterfinal matchup will be at 6:00pm Friday night at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

But Tuesday night, the Runnin Royals had to take care of their fiercest rivals.

In the opening minutes, the game looked like a blowout.聽 (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) personally scored the first eight points of the contest and EMU zipped to a 15-0 lead.

Bridgewater regrouped, however, and used a 16-2 run to tie the score at 28-28 with 5:28 to go in the half.聽 The Royals got back in front, but BC drew a charge with five seconds left and then nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to take their first lead of the night, 35-34 going into halftime.

EMU came out strong in the second and never looked back.聽 (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) scored the first four points to put the men back in front.聽 (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) banked in a three pointer to increase the lead to 48-38 with 13:10 left.

A Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) jumper got the Eagles back to within five at 52-47, but then EMU unleashed a 14-4 run over a span of 2:27, blowing the lead to 66-51 with 6:09 left in the game.聽 Thorne scored five straight in the run, followed by Sims scoring seven in a row.

Bridgewater never recovered from there as the Royals rolled out to the First Round win.

Thorne led all players with a career high 24 points, including 19 in the second half.聽 The junior added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

EMU Coach Kirby Dean felt his team’s dry spell in the first half had something to do with Thorne sitting on the bench with two fouls.

“I thought we played really well except for that ten-minute stretch in the first half,” he said.聽 “When Drew’s not in there we’re a different team.聽 He’s doesn’t have to score to make us go.聽 He’s really become a complete player.聽 At halftime I second guessed myself on whether I should have left him in since we lost a 15-point lead.聽 But at the end of the game when he took over I was happy to have him in there.聽 He made me look smart.”

Sims didn’t look too shabby himself, as the smooth sophomore finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.聽 He was 4-for-6 from three point range.

Longacre added 11 points, five assists and two blocked shots.聽 (Madison, VA/Madison) also had a pair of blocks.聽 Point guard (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) made his presence felt with a game high 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Aaron Adams (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led Bridgewater with 13 while Thomas charted 12 points and five assists.聽 Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) was good for 11 points.

Eastern Mennonite forced 23 turnovers while committing just 15 of their own.聽 The Royals had only two in the second half.聽 BC had a slight edge in shooting at 47% to 42%, but EMU erased that by dominating the boards, 47-30.聽 The Runnin Royals also had 26 offensive rebounds.

Dean was ecstatic that his young team could win an ODAC Tournament game at home after such an up-and-down season.

“I’m pleased for them and happy for them,” Dean said of his players.聽 “Of all the teams I’ve had, they’ve deserved some success after how hard they’ve worked and when you consider the heart-breaking losses they’ve had to persevere through.聽 There has been no quit in these guys.”

Eastern Mennonite, now 12-14, seems to be gaining momentum at just the right time, taking a three-game winning streak to Salem.聽 Three wins in the Salem Civic Center would earn the men a bid to the national tournament.

The ODAC Semifinals are Saturday evening with the Championship game Sunday afternoon.

The student body at 草莓社区 is about 45 percent Mennonite. So as the only Mennonite on the school’s most popular athletic team, it isn’t hard to figure out why Owen Longacre is a fan favorite at Yoder Arena.

“I stand out a little on the team, obviously,” said Longacre, a junior forward on the squad. “And that’s fine. I love it. It just adds to the experience.”

In many ways, the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder stands outs by not standing out. He isn’t flashy or demonstrative on or off the court. He plays with a reserve that stands in contrast to the running and gunning style that made EMU an Old Dominion Athletic Conference power the previous two seasons.

But even as the Telford, Pa., native was fighting for playing time on stacked EMU teams led by George Johnson and Todd Phillips – teams that played fast and above the rim and had no shortage of swagger – Longacre was popular with both the fans and his teammates.

“He always fit in really well,” EMU coach said. “… He works really, really hard and he does his own thing, but he doesn’t do it in such a way that, because you’re different he thinks less of you, because he doesn’t. That allowed him to really mesh well with those guys.”

Despite being likeable and hardworking, Longacre – a history and education major who enjoys reading mysteries and is learning to play the guitar – still found himself buried on the depth chart behind the Royals’ star players as a freshman and sophomore. He got some minutes but was a role player.

At times, EMU has struggled to retain players who didn’t quickly make the starting lineup. At Division III, where players don’t get athletic scholarships, the prospect of paying tuition just to ride the pine often drives people to transfer.

“I don’t think there’s any question that he’s the exception to the rule,” Dean said. “In a society of instant gratification, `I want what I want and I want it right now,’ you just don’t see guys who predominately sit for two years and patiently wait their turn. What a privilege it is to have a kid like that in the program.”

Longacre, from Christopher Dock Mennonite School in suburban Philadelphia, played just over five minutes a game as a freshman at EMU – the year the Royals went 25-5 and won three NCAA tournament games before losing to Guilford. A year ago, when the class of Johnson, Phillips, Eli Crawford, D.J. Hinson and Orie Pancione were all seniors, he played just over eight per outing.

This year, he’s a starter and is averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the young Royals (8-10 overall, 3-6 in the ODAC).

He’s done it all while battling through a bevy of injuries – four concussions, a broken hand, bruised chest and shoulder surgery after his freshman year.

“I don’t really think of my self as tough,” Longacre said, an assessment his coach and teammates disagreed with. “It’s more the mindset of, if you can get out there any way, you’ve got to help your team. I just think if I can get out there, I’m going to try.”

Longacre scored a career-high 15 points in the Royals’ 74-71 win over Randolph on Saturday at Yoder, playing on a painfully sore injured ankle. When he fouled out with just under four minutes to play, the crowd showed its appreciation for one of its own.

“Our women’s soccer coach said, `Man, when Owen fouled out he got the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard in there,'” Dean said.

Among those applauding was Quincy Longacre, Owen’s older brother and a basketball player at EMU from 1996-2000. Quincy – who played at EMU before it opened Yoder Arena and before it routinely drew crowds of more than 800 people – was a member of the 16-9 Royals squad that had the best record in program history until Dean put together the 2009-10 juggernaut.

Longacre said he was familiar with EMU because of Quincy’s time here but didn’t set out to pick a Mennonite college to continue his basketball career. With the Royals, Longacre said he just found the right fit – athletically, academically and socially.

As for being the Mennonite face of the team, Longacre seems to be fine with it.

“I don’t think it puts any extra pressure on him,” Dean said. “I don’t think he feels any differently about it. I think it’s just that, a lot of the kids that go to school here would never be able to identify with Todd Phillips. But they can identify with Owen.”

For his part, Longacre said he enjoys the love he gets from the fans.

“A lot of the guys on the team comment on that, how I have the most fans,” Longacre said. “I guess part of that is I can relate to a lot of different groups on campus. I feel like I can relate a lot with the fans in the stands, relate to the students. I get a lot of razzing from Coach and the other guys but I don’t feel any extra pressure. I just feel even more support.”

Neither team played well to start the game, as there were nearly more fouls than points over the first few minutes.聽 Bridgewater finally broke off a 9-9 tie with an 8-0 run to go up 17-9.

BC led by as many as nine before the Runnin Royals regrouped and trimmed it down.聽 R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) sliced to the hoop for a layup to end the half, cutting the Eagles鈥� lead to four at 31-27.

The momentum continued into the second, as EMU scored the first five to skip in front for the first time since the opening minutes, 32-31.聽 The two teams traded leads before the Runnin Royals scored eight straight, with a Randell Smith (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) jumper pushing the lead to 42-37, and forcing Bridgewater to call a timeout.

The breather didn鈥檛 slow down EMU鈥檚 fastbreak, as the men scored another eight in row, all in transition, forcing yet another timeout at 50-37.聽 The Royals added another bucket to cap an 18-0 run, with Smith getting eight during the streak.聽 The sophomore added his third triple to finish off a 21-2 spurt before getting a sub.

The Royals weren鈥檛 done with their 55-39 lead, as they continued to force turnovers and crash the offensive boards.聽 The lead was as high as 34 as Eastern Mennonite thoroughly dominated the second and ran away with the 80-49 win.

EMU shot 60% in the decisive final period while holding Bridgewater to 23% and winning the half 53-18.聽 The Royals forced 10 turnovers and had a 28-15 command of the boards in the frame.

For the game, the men out-shot the Eagles 50% to 31% and forced 20 turnovers.聽 EMU did struggle from the free throw line, hitting just 13-of-27 attempts.

Smith finished with a career best 11 points, all during the decisive second half surge.聽 Sims led EMU with 12 points and four offensive boards, but was one of five men in double figures.

Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Adam Burroughs (Roanoke, VA/Northside) put in 11 with four steals and three assists.聽 Junior Andrew Thorne (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) was good for 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Bridgewater freshman Aaron Adams (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led all players with 16 points.聽 Point guard Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) scored 14 but also had six turnovers.聽 Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) had a game high 10 rebounds.

The Royals snap a five-game ODAC losing streak with the win, improving to 2-5 in the conference and 7-9 overall.聽 BC dropped their tenth in a row, slipping to 4-12 and 1-6.聽 Eastern Mennonite has now won five games in a row in the series between the two.

EMU will try to springboard off the win when they host Randolph on Saturday.聽 Game time in Yoder Arena is 7:00pm.