The women will look to further improve that strong start when they hit the road on Wednesday, playing a non-conference match at nearby Mary Baldwin College.

Catholic 3, EMU 0
The Royals started the day with a tall task.聽 Literally.聽 The Catholic squad featured what was easily the tallest lineup of the six teams at the invite, but EMU was undeterred.聽 The women stayed with the Cardinals for much of the first set until two late runs gave CUA a 25-18 decision.

Trailing 23-20 late in set two, the Royals surged to lock up the score at 24-24.聽 They had the score tied two more times before Catholic got back-to-back kills to steal a 28-26 win.聽 EMU then used a huge 9-1 run in set three to lock things up at 15-15, but the Cardinals scored the final five points to win 25-19.

聽(Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby) was the lone Royal with double figures in kills, racking up 14 in the three sets.聽 She also had 11 digs.聽聽聽(San Antonio, Tex./Brandeis) led all players with 18 digs.

聽(Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) had 16 set assists, while聽(Cheverly, Md./Elizabeth Seton) put up 14 with a match high four service aces.

EMU 3, Salem 1
The match with Salem featured big runs until the Royals finally grabbed momentum.聽 But the swings were evident in set one, when the teams traded massive runs early only to be tied at 8-8.聽 The Spirits etched out to a three-point lead all the way to game point at 24-21.聽 But Eastern Mennonite scored five unanswered, including the final two on service aces, to surge to a 26-24 win.

Set two was just as wild, only this time Salem pushed to the finish with a 6-2 run to win 25-20.聽 The Royals took all the momentum early in set three, however, riding a 16-2 explosion to a 25-14 decision.聽 They closed the day on another 16-2 tear to again win 25-14.

The women featured a very balanced attack in the win, led by Ritchie’s 10 knockdowns.聽聽聽(Richmond, Va./Maggie L. Walker) and聽聽(Kenbridge, Va./Kenston Forest) each had seven kills and three others added five or more.聽聽聽(Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) and聽聽(Montross, Va./Washington & Lee )each had five blocks.

Miller was her usual stellar self with 21 digs.聽 Freshman聽聽(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was good for 17 digs and six service aces in her first collegiate match.

All-Tournament Team
Senior outside hitter聽Sara Ritchie聽was named to the EMU Invitational All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of play.聽 She pounded out 4.50 kills per set at the invite and added 3.36 digs along with a total of five aces.聽 Ritchie had a high of 21 kills and 14 digs in the four-set win over Goucher on Friday, and also notched a double double in each match.

The Royals Athlete of the Week award will go to a student-athlete who is selected weekly by the athletic department.聽 That man or woman will be one who has made a significant contribution to the team athletically, emotionally, spiritually, academically or in leadership.聽 The award will be announced each Tuesday with recognition on the Athletic Bulletin Board in University Commons and on the website, .聽 Award winners receive a certificate.

Look for a complete list of .聽 Each weekly winner will also be posted in the main news rotation on the front page, as well as on their respective sport鈥檚 page.

The Royals All-Academic Team will be announced at the end of each semester and is comprised of student-athletes who have successfully balanced the athletic and academic demands by achieving at least a 3.25 GPA.聽 Team members will receive a certificate and be recognized on the Athletic Bulletin Board and the website.

For the Senior Recognition, senior athletes in all sports will be recognized and honored at halftime of a basketball game.聽 Each senior will be accompanied by a faculty member of their choice who has had a significant impact on their educational experience.

鈥淚 am really excited about these new initiatives that give recognition to our student-athletes,鈥� said King.聽 鈥淭oo often the focus in athletics is on problem areas or results of games, and not about all the good that is happening right in front of us.聽 We often don’t get to hear or understand the student-athlete’s perspective.聽 Our goals have always centered on using the sports experience to help young people develop skills for life beyond college.鈥�

While EMU鈥檚 athletic department honors a few of its top student-athletes at a seniors banquet at the end of each school year, these new awards open avenues to recognize Royals鈥� student-athletes in a more public avenue.

鈥淭hese recognitions and awards remind us of the purpose for athletics and help us celebrate student-athletes,鈥� explained King.聽 鈥淐elebrating student-athletes in theses ways keeps us aligned with the values and philosophy of Division III.鈥�

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.

Athletic Director Dave King led the evening.

鈥淭his has become a tradition聽that helps us get the school year off to a good start,鈥� said King.聽 鈥淚t is really exciting to have all the athletes together and sense the anticipation and hope of a new year.聽 It provides freshmen athletes an opportunity to understand that they are part of something much larger than their own team.聽 It also gives us an opportunity to connect the athletic department to the rest of the university.鈥�

Ron Stoltzfus, the Faculty Athletics Representative, was one of the speakers to the approximately 200 student-athletes.聽 EMU President Loren Swartzendruber also spoke.

鈥淚t is a humbling experience to recognize how many lives we, as athletic staff and an entire campus community, will have the opportunity to impact through our relationships with them on and off the field,鈥� King said afterwards.聽 鈥淕athering together helps build a bond between players on each team as well as between other sports teams.鈥�

King introduced each coach and staff person to the students after recognizing the players by team.聽 As part of his talk, he helped student-athletes understand the expectations the school has for them, and he also introduced a brief set of guidelines for EMU athletes.

Daniel Leake from Special Olympics Virginia also talked to the gathering.聽 The NCAA and D-III are making specific efforts to join with Special Olympics around the country, and Leake pointed out that EMU and the rest of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference have been leading the way in building those relationships already.

鈥淚t was great to have Daniel, the local coordinator, with us to represent their programming and talk about ways in which our athletes can become involved,鈥� King said.聽聽鈥淲hile the men’s basketball teams have been involved in the past, I am excited about聽getting additional聽athletes and teams involved locally.鈥�

Andy Richter (Perkasie, PA/Christopher Dock), a senior of the baseball team, spoke to his peers about EMU鈥檚 chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and then also closed the program with a prayer of dedication for the year.

After the students were each given an EMU t-shirt, a group photo was taken with President Swartzendruber and everyone enjoyed pizza.

King said the photo was a fitting way to end the night.

鈥淲e hope that the photo will be a constant reminder to athletes, parents, faculty and staff of the great potential these students bring to the school year,鈥� he said.

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First-year Yuki Onodora (Photo by Chelsie Gordon)

The distance between Ebetusu, Japan and Harrisonburg, Virginia is roughly 10,000 miles. First-year Yuki Onodora is worlds away from what the place he calls home, but he is adjusting well. He says, “The transition is not difficult; I like the people and the food.”

It is not common for a small Division III college like EMU to have someone come from so far away to play a sport, but Onodora is here and he is ready to do it like “Dice-K” Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball runs in his blood; it has become a part of who he is. He has a passion for the game that glows within him, and his dedication to the sport shows when he is perfecting his pitching form. Onodora says, “Yeah, I have a passion for baseball. I want to be a pro baseball player in Japan.”

There is more to his life than baseball, though. Says Onodora, “I want to experience other things I can’t experience in Japan. Like Halloween, we don’t do anything for it in Japan. And I want to get good friends in America.” Maybe this year he will put on the costume of Dice-K and light up the ODAC.

Most people who heard about Onodora’s plans to go to a small school in a small city were surprised or confused. However, he has a good reason for coming here. His idol, Naoya Washiya, an outfielder, did the same, coming from Japan to the U.S. to play baseball. Onodora’s comments on Washiya, “I have respect for him. He plays for the Nationals. He used to go to Community college in California. Last August, I met him and was inspired.”

Onodora came here to improve his baseball skills, and to improve his chances and experiences in hopes that it will help his chances at going pro in Japan. During his time in America, he wants “To get better English and improve baseball skill.”

If you go to the gym often enough you will see Onodora throwing an invisible baseball at a mirror. He says it is a training technique that he uses to make his form feel routine. According to Onodora, “It improves my form. It adapts the muscle to pitching form.”

It is not just his training that people might not be used to; his pitching might seem unusual when compared to typical pitches from other players in the U.S. People do not see a pitcher with such jerky movements every day.

“I think my form is ordinary for Japan, but it’s different from America,” explains Onodora. It could work to his advantage. When hitters are not used to this type of a delivery, it can confuse them and cause them to be less effective until they figure it out.

If you can not think of any of the many reasons to go to a baseball game at EMU, go to see Onodora do what he does best. He will be fun to watch this year. His unique delivery and intimidating expressions will make the games he is in interesting.

In 10 years, who knows? You could say you saw the great Yuki Onodora throw fire for the Royals.

EMU student athlete George Johnson

It’s easy to see. Just watch George Johnson smile, his mannerisms, his walk. He knows – or at least sells a convincing illusion that he knows – what’s happening.

“I’m just sure of myself,” the 草莓社区 point guard said. “Everyone who knows me just knows that I’m real sure of myself – not to the point where I am overly cocky, but I put the work in in the offseason and summer, and I feel like it should pay off.”

Maybe it’s not just an illusion.

Johnson, a sophomore who netted 10.1 points per game as a freshman, is the Royals’ leading scorer and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging 17.7 points. That’s largely thanks to a spot-up 3-pointer that makes half-brother Lamar Taylor – a former point guard at Virginia Commonwealth, where he graduated in 2001 – envious.

“I was knocking down the 3 but not as consistently as he is,” said Taylor by cell phone from Richmond, where he is a school counselor and assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, John Marshall High School. “That right there has opened up so much for him.”

Johnson, also averaging 3.4 assists, is second on the team in 3-point percentage behind D.J. Hinson, making 37.9 percent (25-for-66). Hinson is hitting 42 percent (29-for-69). See Johnson’s stats in the men’s basketball roster.

In Saturday’s victory at Hampden-Sydney, the first EMU win there since the 1983-84 season, Johnson hit two 3s in the waning minutes to help keep the Royals (7-3 overall, 3-0 in the ODAC) undefeated in the league.

“He wants to the ball,” EMU coach Kirby Dean said. “The only way you can want the ball is if you’re not afraid to be the goat.”

Doubt that? Just ask him.

“If I’m going to be wrong, I’m going to be wrong strong,” said Johnson, who also drew interest from Division II schools. “If I’m going to be right, I’m going to be right strong.”

So far, it seems he’s earned that.

The 20-year-old Johnson, who’s from the north side of Richmond, spent his summer playing pickup games in what Taylor called “the best run” in Richmond – and he might be right. The games include Taylor, Ben Wallace (a Virginia Union alum and current Cleveland Cavalier), former Virginia standout and NBAer Cory Alexander and Boston College point guard Tyrese Rice, who is from the south side of Richmond. Current Virginia Commonwealth point guard and reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Eric Maynor also stopped by once or twice.

When not in Richmond, Johnson is bothering Dean to open Yoder Arena, so he work on his game. Johnson constructs a full-court obstacle course of chairs and trash cans to improve his ball-handling. He even stayed over New Year’s for more individual practice sessions that, he said, can take two hours.

“I can’t keep him out of the gym,” Dean said. “On January 1, he was burning my phone up to get in the gym. … It’s a good problem to have.”

That’s why Johnson, a lean 5-foot-10, 160-pounder with $1,500 worth of tattoos on his upper arms and chest, isn’t afraid to look too bad – or too good.

“I think comes from playing with older guys,” said Taylor, who played professionally in Uruguay. “A lot of times in the summer, he’s playing with pros or ex-pros, playing with Ben Wallace and Cory and myself. We’re always telling him to take that shot. … It definitely helps your confidence when you’re playing with older guys, and they’re basically telling you: ‘You can do this.'”

Playing in pickup games brimming with pros and Division I stars also has made Johnson tough, Taylor said. Johnson has known Alexander through Taylor for years. Johnson said Alexander, who played at Waynesboro High School and now does radio color commentary for U.Va. basketball games, taught him how to shoot layups off the wrong foot to bewilder opponents.

During Johnson’s senior year of high school at The Miller School in Albemarle County, he played against two current Atlantic Coast Conference players: Maryland guard Adrian Bowie and North Carolina forward Ed Davis, who went to perennial prep powers Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and Benedictine (Richmond), respectively.

Add them into his pickup partners, and that’s heady company for a Division III player.

All of that has sculpted his confidence, which is depicted in one particular tattoo: a left shoulder-enveloping “G” (for George) with flames curling off toward his scapula and bicep.

“I feel like that’s the role I’m supposed to take here,” Johnson said of his penchant for big shots. “Even though I’m a sophomore, I think my team trusts me to take that shot.”

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