Gehman spoke about dreams, specifically his dream of finishing the Boston Marathon in less than 2½ hours, and how that dream nearly crumbled due to injuries. In April, his dream came true when he crossed the finish line in Boston in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 31 seconds, not only meeting his goal but also bettering his personal record by more than 11 minutes.

The long-distance runner inspired the audience with his stories of meeting adversity: of being diagnosed at four years old with severe sensory integration issues, autism and anxiety and of being told he would never write or have any physical coordination. He told the crowd about his challenges of entering the public school system and being paired with an ill-equipped and verbally abusive teacher.

“At 14 years old, the message I was repeatedly told on a consistent basis, day after day, was because of my disability I shouldn’t even try because I would surely fail,” he said. “That it would be better if I just stayed within the confines of the box in which they put me in. It is hard to put into words the effect that this teaches.”

Ressler, a community activist and civic leader from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, shared his experiences of having visited Israel and Palestine while an EMU student in 2006 and reflected on the state of the war in Gaza today. Much of his talk centered on the false dichotomy between right and wrong and between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. And he spoke on the rush to judgment to paint Gazans as guilty for the actions of the Hamas nationalist group and to treat Israel’s military retaliation as just.

The alumnus, who said he had written two other potential speeches for TenTalks, added that he had read an op-ed piece in the latest Weathervane that inspired him to speak on the topic.

“I said, ‘Here is still a safe space for students to decry the way in which our world does not accept that everyone has an inherent dignity to life,’” Ressler said. “Here, in this institution, is still a space that you can believe that the world does not need to rely on violence to solve its problems.”

Bender, a former opera soprano, shared the journey from her time on the EMU stage to the 15-year adventure that saw her jet-setting around the globe with some of the greatest conductors, stage directors and singers in the industry. She spoke about the perfect storm of events in 2004 that caused her to leave singing.

A mysterious problem with her singing voice appeared and continued to worsen. Her mother had months to live because of cancer. And her manager in Paris dumped her.

“Anybody who has ever crashed and burned like I did, and I mean truly and spectacularly fallen with such a colossal ‘boom’ that there is no option of bouncing back,” she said. “If any of you experienced something like that, then you will understand what an incredible, magnificent blessing that was for me.”

Bender may have lost her professional singing voice, but she found her blessings. She started an annual fundraising gala called Voices of Hope that raises money for Mennonite Central Committee’s Global Family Program. That gave her the confidence to start her own business, Creative Stage, which continues to mentor thousands of children in Manhattan with professional artists and musicians.

Crowds of EMU Royals — whether alumni, family, friends, students, faculty or staff — gathered together for Homecoming and Family Weekend 2023 at 48 events over three days. A total of 529 people registered for those events.

Sixty-eight alumni attended the 50th anniversary Class of 1973 reunion, with 206 attending other reunions stretching from 1958 to 2013. Nine members of the oldest class (1958) reunited by Zoom. According to an email from Advancement Office, 169 people registered for the Music Celebration Concert, 180 registered for the opening breakfast and 127 registered for TenTalks.

The most viewed event on Facebook was the Writers Read with Kate Baer, followed by TenTalks at second and the Music Celebration Concert at third.

It would have been impossible to see everything the weekend had to offer, but we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the homecoming highlights, in case you missed it.

• Music Celebration Concert: An Evening with Madeline Bender helped kick off the Homecoming festivities on Friday night. Madeline Bender ’93, an accomplished soprano who’s performed all across the world, provided audiences at Lehman Auditorium with a smorgasbord of musical entertainment. Click here for a longer writeup of the event. A recording of the event can be viewed on the .

• Nearly every seat in the Suter Science Center lecture hall was filled on Saturday, with everyone in attendance on the edge of those seats as they listened to some amazing stories from three EMU alumni at TenTalks. The event, which is modeled after TED Talks, tasks three luminaries with 10 minutes each to impact, influence and inspire the crowd. This year’s speakers were Ryan Gehman ’16, Kevin Ressler ’07 and Madeline Bender ’93. Click here for a longer writeup of the event. A recording of the event can be viewed on the .

• Kate Baer ’07 (right) took the Lehman Auditorium stage on Saturday night to read from her collection of poems, answer questions from the crowd and dispense life and writing advice, all while showcasing her razor-sharp wit. Click here for a longer writeup of the event. A recording of the event can be viewed on the .

• Roughly 250 generous donors and contributors filled Yoder Arena on Friday evening to celebrate another banner year of philanthropy. The five student storytellers recognized at the Donor Appreciation Banquet shared their journey of transformation at EMU thanks to donor giving. Click here for a longer writeup of the event.

• Saturday started off with a bang at the Homecoming Celebration Breakfast held at Yoder Arena. The ceremony honored the recipients of its alumni awards: Andy Dula ’91 (right), Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly ’89 (left) and Basil Marin ’10 (center). It also recognized this year’s Hall of Honor inductees: Miranda White Terry ’08, Jamie Fraysher Runner ’09, Luke Yoder ’08 and the 2003 women’s basketball team.

• Due to the threat of rain, Fall Fest was moved into the gym, where children barreled down inflatable slides, launched themselves into the air in the bounce house and won prizes from a table of giveaways. Several food trucks fed visitors outside the gym as a cart inside scooped Italian ice into cups. While his three children colored with crayons at a nearby table, Luke Yoder, one of the athletes honored earlier that morning, said it was his first time returning for Homecoming. The Iowa resident said it was fun catching up with friends from his class and seeing all the places he had fond memories of.

• Across the hallway from the gym, people packed the athletic suites to honor Roland Landes and his wife, Darlene. Both were present to receive the recognition. Landes, a legendary coach who helmed the most successful men’s cross country and track teams in school history, served EMU from 1967 to 1998 as coach, assistant professor of physical education and as supervisor of auxiliary services. His tenure includes coaching five different teams in four sports from 1967 to 1983, finishing with a career record of 223-141 for a 0.613 win percentage. His son and daughter spoke about his character, their favorite memories of him and how much of an impact he had on them and the broader EMU community.

• President Susan Schultz Huxman and Mayor Deanna Reed spoke to a group of women in the President’s Reception Room about the mission and goals of Royal Women for EMU. The group, led by the visionary trifecta of Reed and co-chairs Louise Hostetter ’79 and Kay Nussbaum ’78, is a new women’s philanthropy and networking initiative to inspire visible leadership, bold investments and empowering networks to impact EMU’s future. Its goal is to raise $70,000 for student scholarships, of which $20,000 will be used for immediate impact grants and $50,000 will go into an endowed scholarship fund to create lasting impact for EMU students.

• Inside the Black Box Theater, Jackie Font-Guzman, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, led a conversation about the DEI efforts on campus. She said that 43.6 percent of the incoming class self-identifies as either Black, Indigenous or Persons of Color. Thirty-five percent of students at EMU are first-generation students. “So knowing that, we have a responsibility to make sure that when our students come here, when our staff comes here, when our faculty comes here, that they really feel like they belong, and they feel like this is their space,” she said.

• Later, DEI staff met with students and alumni to discuss the creation of an LGBTQ+ advisory board. An advisory board typically might provide support and accountability to faculty and staff and can also offer strategic direction to some of the efforts moving forward. Nicole Litwiller, who facilitated the event, described the meeting as “an inaugural conversation” and brainstorming space. “We want to hear all your voices and incorporate them into how this advisory board gets created,” she told attendees gathered at the old Common Grounds location.

• Upstairs at the Common Grounds coffee shop, a platter of mugs invited former employees to step behind the counter and make their own favorite drinks. Returning to campus for her 15-year reunion, Aubrey Kreider ’08, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was in the mood for a hot chai and thanked the current crop of baristas who helped make it for her. “They ended up making it for me because everything is totally different,” said Kreider, who worked at Common Grounds for four years. “All the technology’s been upgraded, and obviously, since it’s in a different space, I didn’t know where anything was.”

• Across campus at Lehman Auditorium, Chamber Singers alumni shared their favorite memories from their time on the choir and joined in song together.

• A pop-up swag shop inside University Commons sold apparel and other wares to passersby. Cassidy Walker, a junior and Royal Ambassador helping man the booth, said well over 100 items had been sold about three hours into being open. She said the blue EMU crewneck was a bestseller. “I almost bought myself a college parent shirt because I’m like the mom of my friend group,” she said.

• Dymphna de Wild, JMU arts professor, showcased her collection of artist books, digital photographs and collages on Friday during a reception at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery for her “Solace of Silence” exhibition. Some of her works included pictures of found objects atop freshly laid snow and a sprawling book of coffee filters that have been turned into art.

• Saturday saw some success on the pitch with the EMU men’s soccer team besting Ferrum 6-0. The women’s soccer and field hockey teams each lost to Roanoke by a score of 0-4.

• The denouement of the weekend arrived Sunday morning with the Homecoming Worship Service held at Lehman Auditorium. The Chamber Singers led congregants in song and the recipients of this year’s alumni awards addressed the crowd. Click here for a longer writeup of the event.

Photos by Macson McGuigan, Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting, and Rachel Holderman

The speakers — soprano Madeline Bender ’93, runner Ryan Gehman ’16 and leader Kevin Ressler ’07 — will each have 10 minutes to “impact, influence and inspire” the audience, and then answer questions from the crowd. The format is modeled on TED Talks presentations.

The free event will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, in Suter Science Center 106. Homecoming registration is not required to attend. Email alumni@emu.edu for instructions on how to access the Facebook livestream of the event.

A complete list of events and activities is on the Homecoming and Family Weekend website.

Divine dissatisfaction

Madeline Bender ’93 will share the story of her journey from rural Mennonite kid to international opera singer, arts entrepreneur and educator.

In 2012, Bender founded , which offers classes to children in the fields of music, theater, dance and filmmaking. Her innovative arts programs are taught in esteemed private and public schools across Manhattan.

She has created performances including Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space in Manhattan, the annual Creative Stage Spectacular! and, most recently, produced and directed Summer Shebang!, sponsored by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. 

Her work has paired her with notable opera directors such as Sir Peter Hall, Robert Wilson, David McVicar, Paul Curran and Sir Jonathan Miller.

She, along with artistic partner Timothy Long, is the founder and director of Voices of Hope, an annual opera gala that has raised more than $250,000 to provide life-changing education to severely underprivileged children around the world.

Bender, who has a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, lives in New York City with her husband Paul Whelan, a bass-baritone opera singer, and their 14-year-old son.

Her TenTalk will investigate what makes citizen artists tick, as well as the forces that drive them to seek to make radical change in the world through the arts.

Run for your life!

Diagnosed with autism at four years old, Ryan Gehman ’16 struggled with anxiety and other mental health challenges growing up. 

But when Gehman discovered running, he says it literally saved his life.

The Millersville, Pennsylvania, native has run four marathons to date, including two Boston Marathon races. He finished the 2023 Boston Marathon this past April in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 31 seconds, which placed him 103rd overall.

In 2014 while at EMU, Gehman won the NCAA South Southeast Regional Cross-Country Championships and was named Southeast Regional Athlete of the Year.

Gehman says he runs to help himself navigate life on the spectrum and aims to be a source of hope for other neurodiverse people, as well as anyone in need of strength to face adversity.

He is a former cross-country and track coach at Lancaster Bible College and Lancaster Mennonite High School. These days he shares his passion for fitness as a wellness assistant at Landis Homes, where he fosters the movement of others.

TenTalks attendees are invited to hear his story, from the heartwarming and humorous way his running began to the dream he’s now chasing: qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Trials.

“Break all the rules, build a better world”

Kevin M. Ressler ’07, M. Div., was not afraid to break some rules as a child.

As a third grader, Ressler refused to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance because of his discomfort with war. 

During a semester-long simulation of the Revolutionary War, the middle-schooler was named governor of Pennsylvania and then disrupted class when he demanded freeing slaves as part of the Declaration of Independence.

His life, he says, has been spent seeking ways to bring about an equitable peace and justice for all.

In a summary of his TenTalk, Ressler says that people are raised to maintain the status quo of the system even when they might not realize it.

“We are taught that … if you follow the rules and apply yourself that you will get rewarded with comfort and security,” the community activist and leader says.

“But, if you actually care about a better world, you have no choice but to break the rules and risk losing everything so that others might gain.” 

Ressler leads , where he’s been CEO since July. The nonprofit organization serves the greater Coatesville, Pennsylvania, community by focusing on improving its health, social, emotional and economic conditions.

He graduated from EMU with a bachelor’s degree in Justice, Peace and Conflict Studies and spent a year with Mennonite Voluntary Service and with AmeriCorps VISTA. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2013.

Ressler was executive director of Meals on Wheels of Lancaster from 2014 to 2020 and president and CEO of the United Way of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, from 2020 to this June. He has served on multiple boards including for Meals on Wheels of Lancaster, United Way of Pennsylvania and Everence Federal Credit Union.

He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his wife Melissa and their two daughters, Acacia, 9, and Iriana, 6.

For the men,����(Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) took nearly six seconds off of his indoor PR in the 3000m, coming across in a time of 8:43.68 to re-break his own school record of 8:49.20 from the CNU Holiday Open in December.

A foursome of����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock),����(Winchester, Va./Millbrook),����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Thibodeaux destroyed the program record in the distance medley relay.�� The foursome crossed in 10:29.09, topping the 2013 record of 10:37.15 by more than eight seconds and bumping the Royals to the No. 11 spot in the nation this season.

The 4x400m team of Faint, Denlinger,����(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) and����(Salem, Va./Salem) had the seventh-best time in EMU history at 3:28.34.

Denlinger set his indoor PR in the 800m, stopping the watch at 1:56.50.�� He moves to the second-best time in the event in EMU history.�� Luke Yoder set the record of 1:55.84 in 2007.�� Denlinger also sits at No. 23 in the nation so far this season with the time.

A pair of young runners made a splash in the 400m.�� Faint, a sophomore, clocked at 51.41 to win his heat and earn 21st overall.�� Faint PRed with the effort and moved up two spots to No. 8 in the EMU history books.�� Sampson, a freshman, knocked 0.01 of his PR to take sole possession of No. 9 in the books at 51.65.

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) had a successful re-entry to the track season, as he punched an ODAC spot in the 5000m.�� The 2014 S/SE Region Athlete of the Year in cross country, Gehman finished his race in 16:18.61.

��(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) improved upon his EMU No. 2 distance in the weight throw.�� His best toss landed at 14.87m (48-9.5ft), an improvement of more than two feet.�� Nathan Turner holds the EMU record at 15.77m (51-9ft).�� In the shot put, Heizer landed at 14.18m (46-6.25ft).

For his efforts, he was named ODAC Field Athlete of the Week.

In the 60m hurdles,����(Broadway, Va./Broadway) crossed in 8.78 while����(Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) came in at 8.96.

��(Charlotte Court House, Va./Randolph Henry) punched an ODAC ticket in the 200m, winning his heat in 23.69.�� He also participated in the long jump, sticking his best landing at 6.07m (19-11ft).

��(Bristow, Va./Patriot) made just one of his three attempts in the triple jump, but it was good enough to tie him for No. 7 in EMU history at 12.83m (42-1.25ft).

Meanwhile on the women’s side,����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) put herself fourth in the nation in the mile run with her time of 5:02.05.�� The All-American was the top D-III runner at the meet and took fifth overall. Chappell-Dick broke the finish line seventh overall in the 800m with a time of 2:16.02.�� She is ninth in the nation with the time. She was named ODAC Athlete of the Week for her win.

Three other women ran in the 800m, with each earning an ODAC-qualifying time.������(King George, Va./King George) had a PR of 2:30.74, jumping herself to No. 6 on the all-time EMU charts.�� Freshman����(Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) shaved more than a second off of her first collegiate race with a time of 2:31.21 to take No. 8 in EMU history, and����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) came in at 2:33.60.

In the 3000m,����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) crossed in 10:34.38.�� Senior����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) was 12th overall in the 5000m, clocking in at 20:19.51.

The distance medley relay team of Chappell-Dick, Williams, Yoder and Schirch had a solid time of 13:42.21.

In the field events, sophomore����(Bedford, Va./Liberty) was the lone EMU representative.�� She just missed her indoor PR in the triple jump, landing at 10.55m (34-7.5ft).�� In the long jump she measured at 4.44m (14-7.0 feet).

The Royals head to Selinsgrove, Pa., next Saturday for the Crusader Challenge hosted by Susquehanna University.

Royals Athlete of the Week (Mount Sidney, Va./Fort Defiance) of the has a rigorous workout schedule and strong support system, and now these factors have gained him the success he has always dreamed of.

In May��2015, Thibodeaux won the 800m run at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference��(ODAC) Track and Field Championships.��Now in cross country season, the junior has taken to new heights and proved himself capable of running against D-I athletes.�� Yet he is determined on accomplishing more.

“I want to be an Academic All-American and cross country All-American (top 35 at nationals),” he revealed.

Unlike many athletes who have played their sport since they were little, Thibodeaux started running competitively his sophomore year of high school.�� Now in his sixth season of cross country, he accepts that running is an innate talent he must craft and perfect.

“Nowadays, most of my race paces in high school are now my workout paces in college,” Thibodeaux noted. ��“Sometimes I am a little bewildered by my improvements this year, but it would be foolish of me to say I don’t know how it happened.�� I am ecstatic with how my mentality and fitness has progressed, but I’m not where I want to be yet.”

At��the CNU Invitational, Thibodeaux finished in third place of the 8k run behind two runners from William and Mary, a respected D-I school.�� He set a new personal record with a time of 25:28, finishing 19 seconds before the nearest D-III runner, CNU’s Grayson Reid.

Many may wonder what a runner like Thibodeaux thinks as he’s running such a strenuous race.

“The typical things you would think someone running as fast as they can for five miles would be thinking,” he answered. ��“‘Is it over yet? ��Where’s the fourth mile at?�� Why do my feet hurt so badly?�� Where’s coach?’”

Before taking over as the men’s No. 1 this year, Thibodeaux was the No. 3 runner and had the privilege of training with and running behind former All-Region runners Ryan Gehman and Jacob Landis.

“It was phenomenal,” Thibodeaux said. “The opportunity to have people on your team that are currently training and racing at a place you’re trying to get to is something that can’t be taken for granted; especially those two guys. They were terrific role models for me, showing me what putting in the work actually meant and looked like day in and day out.”

Thibodeaux’s experience of running with Gehman and Landis heightened his discipline. He explained that in order to be a great runner you must work on a daily basis and days off are unacceptable.

“If you want to be a serious runner, or athlete in general, your work ethic cannot be questioned,” he explained. ��“This summer I put in 12 weeks of continuous work.�� That includes runs every day and specific lifting workouts two or three times a week.�� That is the ideal summer for a runner as it takes 24 weeks to fully develop.�� Right now, I am in week 21 of training so over half of my season was completed in the summer.�� If runners do not put in work during the summer, they cannot expect to fulfill their full potential or be in racing shape until the last couple of weeks of the season.�� A lot of runners that don’t get enough training in during the summer can also struggle tremendously with nagging injuries throughout the year.”

Teammates who are “willed to win” like Thibodeaux have made his experience at EMU even greater; he acknowledged that without them the season would not be as fulfilling.�� In the spring Thibodeaux and his teammate (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) coach a Harrisonburg area��youth track club. ��Last year they coached nine middle school girls twice a week and they’re hoping to expand and develop their program further this year.

Thibodeaux’s advice to other athletes is very simple: if you’re consistent and hardworking you’ll gain the success you want.�� One, two or three weeks of training will not excel your game; it has to be a daily effort.

“The biggest piece of advice I can give other runners is that no one workout will make you great, but a lot of good workouts over time can make you great,” Thibodeaux explained. ��“As for athletes in other sports, it’s the same concept.�� One or two weeks of fantastic training and effort does not make you a great athlete.�� It has to be day in and day out. ��I’ve only taken one day completely off from training since August 1. ��It’s all about consistency.”

Gehman, a senior kinesiology major, looks forward to running every day. When he’s running, he feels free, happy, at ease in a way that he often isn’t. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 4, Gehman has dealt with severe anxiety his entire life. Sometimes he can hardly make it out the door of his room. Sometimes he sits himself in the chair in Coach’s office to ride out another panic attack. Sometimes Gehman thinks that if he could just run all day, every day, that would keep things under control. But his homework won’t do itself, and he has classes to attend and all sorts of other basic life things that make that impractical.

He describes living with Asperger’s as follows: most people have buckets to hold all the little stresses and details and things that daily life throws at them. On stressful days when enough of those little things collect, the bucket overflows and the carrier is overwhelmed. Gehman has a thimble instead of a bucket. It gets full quick. When he was younger, full-blown panic attacks struck every day, leaving him breathless, terrified, stuck in place. Though he’s gotten better at fending them off, they’re never far away.

When he runs, it’s a different story. He has a bucket and it all feels easier.

‘Good but not great’ at first

Gehman was 13 the first time he went for a run – one mile from his house to the high school nearby, and one mile back. His parents made him take a walkie-talkie just in case. He didn’t need it. When he was 14, his family hosted a guest who was training for a marathon. Gehman cinched on his Velcro-strap shoes, tagged along with the guy for seven miles and was hooked.

For the next four years, he was a good but not great high school runner. After graduating from (earlier, he’d also attended a public high school), he put in another year of good but not great running at and then, transferred to Montreat College in western North Carolina. His coach there was more of a zealot for hard training and high mileage, and Gehman responded well. He qualified for the NAIA national cross country meet. In indoor track, he ran a 16:12 5k – not jaw-dropping, but certainly not pedestrian.

While Gehman’s running was going better than ever, managing his anxiety wasn’t. Transferring to EMU, he found a more supportive environment on the track and cross-country teams for which Lewkowicz had set the expectation that “there’s a shared responsibility to care for one another.”

Lewkowicz was one of his earliest and biggest supporters. Lately, his teammates have become more and more important. Not that the thimble isn’t a problem anymore. It’s been a hard and anxious winter for Gehman. When things aren’t going well, sometimes there isn’t anything his teammates can say to fix things. What they can do, said Hannah Chappell-Dick, a standout runner on the women’s team who has qualified for nationals in both cross-country and track, is simply be present, be there, with and for him. And so that’s what they’ve done.

Overcoming anxiety and dropping time

Gehman’s performances have continued to improve. In his junior cross-country season, he made the All-Region team and barely missed qualifying for the NCAA D-III national meet. On the track the next spring, he dropped his 5k time down to 15:26. Back in cross-country last fall, he lowered his 8k personal-best to an elite 24:15 that left his good-but-not-great past in the dust. At the South/Southeast Regional meet, he took first place among the 200 best D-III runners between Virginia and Texas. It was the best race of his life. His teammates cried.

“It’s powerful to see people overcome things, and Ryan has done a lot of that this year,” said Chappell-Dick.

(On the NCAA race course the following week, Gehman felt like circuit breakers tripped inside him during the wild, stampeding chaos of the first half-mile. He finished in 237^th place, more than two minutes off his best time.)

It has been a tough and injury-plagued winter, and Gehman sat out the conference championship on March 1. But in January, he ran a very promising indoor 5k in 15:49. He’s logging miles and building up a base. He will approach outdoor track with his usual determination.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever coached anyone who works as hard as he does,” said Lewkowicz.

Sharing his hard work

Hard work is part of any good distance runner’s life. In Gehman’s case, though, the hard physical work of training follows the heavy emotional lifting it sometimes takes just to lace up his shoes and show up at practice. He works hard in order to work hard.

After graduation, Gehman plans to race longer distances – half-marathons, marathons. His biggest love is for the quiet and calm of trail running. He thinks he’ll try to go pro. When Coach Lewkowicz lets him, he criss-crosses the rocky slopes of Massanutten Mountain with Dan Nafziger ‘13, an admissions counselor who qualified for the national cross-country meet in 2011.

Since emerging as a top-flight runner, Gehman has begun tackling another difficult challenge: talking about the obstacles he’s overcome. It hasn’t come easy, but then again, lots of things haven’t come easy for him. And perhaps, he figured, his story could inspire others who face similar challenges.

Last year, with the encouragement of Lewkowicz and the athletics department, he gave an interview to the local TV station about his life with Asperger’s syndrome. In February, he was invited to speak to a Rotary club in Salem, Virginia. Talking in front of news cameras and rooms full of people was a lot to ask of his thimble, but not enough to stop him.

After the TV interview aired, Gehman received a Facebook message from a couple who’d seen it. Their 11-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with Asperger’s, and they were curious if they might meet with him to hear more about what it’s like. They came and talked with him for an hour in the Commons. Gehman was thrilled at the opportunity to help the parents understand their daughter better. It feels great, he says. He uses the exact same words to describe his running, but there’s a difference.

“Running is something I do for me,” he says. “Talking about my disability is something I can do for other people.”

Ryan Gehman has known for nearly a decade now that running makes him feel good. He’s just now finding out that telling others about why that’s the case makes him feel even better.

Freshman distance runner����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) cemented her status as an elite athlete, breaking EMU’s record in the 5000m and taking second place overall at the mostly D-I meet. Lehman roasted the track to a finish of 17:43.77, finishing in between a pair of runners from the University of North Carolina. She destroyed her own EMU record of 18:10.40, set in December.

��������������ٱ�����(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) broke her personal record in the event, crossing in 20:15.98 to also grab the No. 8 spot in EMU’s history books.

In the 4x400m relay, the women’s foursome of����(King George, Va./King George),����(Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood),����(Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) timed the No. 3 effort in program history at 4:20.40.

Chappell-Dick was the top D-III finisher in the mile run, taking a time of 5:16.47.����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) clocked a season best in the 800m at 2:36.34, narrowly missing the ODAC qualifying time by 0.05 seconds. And Williams broke her PR in the 400m, timing at 1:04.62.

��(Bedford, Va./Liberty) landed a nice effort in the triple jump, measuring at 10.44m (34-3.00ft).�� Also in the field,����(Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) had a best toss of 13.02m (42-8.75ft) in the weight throw.

For the Eastern Mennonite men,����(Staunton, Va./Riverheads) had a monster toss in the shot put.�� His best heave of 14.00m (45-11.25ft) was not only the top D-III distance at the meet, but also put him third in EMU history and with the second-best throw in the ODAC this season.�� He was also solid in the weight throw, landing at 11.93m (39-1.75ft)

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) punched an ODAC ticket in the 5000m, but more importantly earned the No. 2 time in the EMU record books.�� His time of 15:49.48 was only behind cross country teammate��Jacob Landis‘ 15:41.94, a record set last year.

In the 800m run, sophomore����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) earned the third-best finish in EMU history with a time of 1:57.01.����(Staunton, Va./Fore Defiance) wasn’t far behind as he landed at No. 4 in the EMU books at 1:57.77.

The duo also ran in the mile.�� Denlinger again crossed first in 4:31.19 to take seventh in program history, while Thibodeaux had his season best run at 4:35.20.

��(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) earned a trip to the ODAC Championships in the 200m, timing at 23.90.�� In the 400m, EMU had two men qualify for ODACs, highlighted by����(Winchester, Va./Millbrook) PRing in 52.07.����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) had a finish of 53.11.

��(Broadway, Va./Broadway) continued his road back in the 60m hurdles with a season best time of 8.79.

Then in the 4x400m relay, the Royals had a foursome cross in 3:30.16, which was just a tenth of a second behind a team from ODAC rival Washington and Lee.������(Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass), Bush, Denlinger and Faint combined for the No. 7 time in EMU history.

And a foursome also landed in No. 7 in the distance medley relay, as��(Churchville, Va./Fort Defiance),����(Nelson, Va./Nelson County),����(Richmond, Va./Huguenot) and����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) clocked at 11:08.35.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) kept in his ODAC-leading shape by clearing 1.92m (6-3.5ft) in the high jump.

Eastern Mennonite’s teams are back in action next weekend, participating at the DuCharme Invitational in Carlisle, Pa., on Saturday.

Women’s runner����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) had the highest individual finish for EMU. She traversed the 6k course in 24:02.2, crossing 202nd out of 275. Besides going to Nationals In her first collegiate season, Lehman was named All-Region, All-ODAC First Team and ODAC Rookie of the Year. She also took ODAC Runner of the Week honors three times.

On the men’s side, seniors����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) and����(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) completed a roundabout journey on the national stage. The duo were teammates at Hesston College in the fall of 2011 before Gehman went to Montreat the next year. Both men transferred to Eastern Mennonite as juniors in 2013 and wrapped up their cross country eligibility together on Saturday.

Landis had a strong finish and clocked in at 26:03.6 in the talented national field, taking 216th out of 280 runners. Gehman, the South/Southeast Region Athlete of the Year, struggled getting out of the gate and played catch-up the entire race. He crossed in 26:15.8 and took 237th.

Gehman was All-Region, All-ODAC First Team and a three-time ODAC Runner of the Week this fall, while Landis earned All-Region, All-ODAC Second Team and ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete honors.

“Even though the results weren’t that great today, this race does not define the season these three runners had,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz. “I am extremely proud of each of them and how they represented EMU today and all season.”

Gehman led the field of 201 runners, breaking the tape of the 8k course in 25:32.36. He crossed a full two seconds ahead of ODAC rival Harrison Toney from Roanoke, who was second in 25:34.42. It was Gehman’s second individual win of the season, having also taken medalist honors at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational, but this win was obviously the biggest. Gehman not only earned his second consecutive All-Region honor with the finish, but earned the first spot out of the region at the NCAA National Championships, which are next Saturday in Mason, Ohio.

Fellow senior����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) also earned himself one more race, as he finished 14th overall and claimed the final individual berth out of the region to Nationals. His time of 25:57.10 was nearly four seconds ahead of the next runner, and also put him as the seventh ODAC runner, giving him a big improvement after coming in tenth at the ODAC Championships. Landis also earned back-to-back All-Region accolades.

Sophomore����(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) made the move up to also gain All-Region honors. He took 33rd with a time of 26:38.93. He was 43rd in the region last year.

��(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), 51st – 27:09.83, and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton), 71st – 27:37.36, rounded out EMU’s top five, as the men totaled 170 points.�� They took fifth out of 28 as a team, one point ahead of Rhodes and just five behind Christopher Newport in fourth.

The team finish is the best regional mark in the “modern” era for Eastern Mennonite.�� The Royals were second in the region in 1979, in a race featuring just four teams.�� They won a seven-team meet in 1978.

“I was so proud of how the men came out and competed,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz. ��“Their goal all year was to earn a top-5 region finish and they went out and did that in a tough region.”

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) added to the top seven by coming in 79th in 27:46.80.������(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) was 89th in 27:56.46.

Emory won the team title with 62 points, just ahead of ODAC rival Bridgewater with 65.

Gehman and Landis will be joined at Nationals by����(Dover, Ohio/Dover), who��.�� That meet is this coming Saturday in Ohio and will be run on the same course that the Royals used for the NCAA D-III Pre-Nationals on Sept. 27.

Gehman had his best collegiate effort and took nearly 1:17 off his PR in the 8k race, coming in at 24:15.71. His previous best had been 25:32.3 from last year’s regional meet.

Fellow senior����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was EMU’s number two runner and took 1:24 of his PR. Landis finished 36th at the race with a time of 24:52.01, bettering his PR of 26:17.7, also from the 2013 regional meet.

��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) came in 83rd with a time of 25:35.88.����(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) was 165th in 26:35.25, while����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) rounded out the top five in 187th in 26:50.00.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was 200th with a time of 26:57.49 while����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) clocked at 27:11.07 to come in 213th.

Each of EMU’s top seven finishers set their PRs in the race.

“The men ran really, really well,” said Coach Jason Lewkowicz. “Ryan was up there running with All-Americans, with some big time runners.”

Lewkowicz said the Royals responded well to the crowded course, which will also host the National Championship Meet on Nov. 22.

“Everybody ran ridiculous PRs,” he explained. “The course was a little short, but everybody ran really well.”

The Royals totaled 365 points to finish 11th out of 31 teams. They finished in between two South/Southeast Region teams, Bridgewater (356) and Centre (367).

North Central (Ill.), the 2013 national runner-up, dominated the race with five of the top six finishers, putting in 16 points for the team title. Troy Kelleher, from North Central, won the individual medal by 18 seconds, finishing in 23:36.28.

Eastern Mennonite has another break in the schedule before their next meet, the EMU XC Relay Challenge on Oct. 10. Lewkowicz and his staff designed a light-hearted meet, which will feature four-person relay teams, with each runner traversing a two-mile loop on Elk Run Trails in Elkton, Va.

Women’s cross-country team

The cross country women also ran well on their biggest stage so far this season, duplicating the men’s performance by taking 11th out of 27 teams.��The women totaled 319 points.

EMU came in behind Hanover (306) but ahead of Waynesburg (328).�� Geneseo State ran away with the team title with 34 points.�� They also had the top two runners, with Cassie Goodman winning in 20:54.55. Read more about the

]]> /now/news/2014/emu-men-women-claim-top-spot-at-shenandoah-invitational/ Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:59:33 +0000 http://emu.edu/now/news/?p=21798 The ��ݮ���� women’s cross country team finished with the lowest possible team score, winning the meet, while the EMU men also brought home top honors at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20. Both teams will run at the��NCAA D-III Pre-Nationals next Saturday, Sept. 27, in Mason, Ohio.

EMU Women Perfect With Top Five Finishers

So this is what they are capable of.

Running with a full team on Saturday, the Eastern Mennonite women were perfect. Literally. The Royals charted the lowest possible team score with 15 points, and won the Shenandoah Valley Invitational over co-host Bridgewater College, who had 40.

EMU’s women were not at full strength in their only other meet so far this season, taking third at the ODAC Preview on Aug. 29.

Although assistant coach Breanna Newton actually won the individual title on Saturday, the Royals had the top five collegiate runners. Freshman����(Dover, Ohio/Dover) led the way, cruising in with a time of 19:27 on the 5k course. Running in her first race of 2014,����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton), an NCAA nationals participant last year, was next with a time of 20:03.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Broadway) cruised in at 20:14 followed by��(Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) in 20:17.����(St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Odgen), who also missed the ODAC Preview, rounded out the scoring five in 20:31.

The dominating performance helped EMU easily beat Bridgewater, the defending ODAC champions, who are ranked No. 2 in the South/Southeast Region. The Eagles had a pack of five runners do their scoring, and they all finished 28-33 seconds behind Paden. The Royals had not been listed among the top 10 teams in the region so far this year, but should expect to appear on the list this week.

��(Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) and����(Puyallup, Wash./Mountainview International) finished EMU’s top seven. Eldridge was 18th in 21:24 while Patterson was 21st in 21:27.

Men Top Bridgewater And Win Shenandoah Valley Invite

With the way they looked on Saturday, you wouldn’t have known that the EMU men hadn’t run a competitive race in three weeks. The Royals landed the top three finishers at the Shenandoah Valley Invitational in Elkton, Va., and beat co-host Bridgewater College, the No. 1 team in the South/Southeast Region.

Senior����(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) headed the charge, as he earned the gold medal as the top finisher. Gehman crossed the four-mile course on Elk Run Trails in 21:03, a full 16 seconds ahead of his nearest competition.�� His nearest racer turned out to be a teammate in��(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance), who took silver in 21:19.������(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was right behind him, taking third in 21:24.

Bridgewater had the next six finishers, but EMU rounded out their scoring with��(Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) landing 10th in 22:03 and����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) in 12th at 22:06.

��(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was 14th in 22:17, with����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) taking 21st in 22:25.����(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) was just a few steps behind his teammate in 22nd at 22:28.

Eastern Mennonite totaled just 28 points with their top five runners, edging past the Eagles who had 30. After winning the South/Southeast Regional Meet last fall, BC has been ranked No. 1 in both rankings so far this year. The Royals charted at No. 8 this past week.

“I am pleased that the conference recognizes student-athletes for their focus on fair play and sportsmanship,” explained ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston.�� “The conference prides itself on positive sportsmanship and encouraging student-athletes to lead by example. ��Each one of the honorees has been selected by the coaches in recognition of their conduct in the arena.�� My hat is off to these student-athletes – thanking them for the example they set for all of us.”

The ODAC has a rich tradition in promoting fair play and good sportsmanship in each sport across the league.�� The character of the conference’s 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’s selections to the ODAC Sportsmanship Teams are listed below:

Baseball –��
Basketball (Men) –��
Basketball (Women) –��
Cross Country (Men) –��
Cross Country (Women) –��
Field Hockey –��
Golf (Men) –��
Golf (Women) –��
Indoor Track & Field (Men) –��
Indoor Track & Field (Women) –��
Outdoor Track & Field�� (Men) –��
Outdoor Track & Field�� (Women) –��
Soccer (Men) –��
Soccer (Women) –��
Softball –��
Volleyball –��

Women’s track and field

Sophomore����(Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) highlighted the ��ݮ���� track & field women at the ODAC Championships as she won two individual titles and broke a record.�� 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.�� In the 1500m, Chappell-Dick had a huge PR to break the ODAC Championships record.�� The sophomore crossed in 4:38.61, out-pacing rival Annalise Madison of Washington and Lee by a full second.�� Both runners broke the meet record of 4:43.08, set by All-American Carmen Graves in 2012.�� 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.�� She ran off her EMU record time, but still cleared the field by three seconds with a time of 2:18.31.�� Teammate����(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) had a great race and PRed in 2:25.23.�� She finished eighth and just missed pointing by a mere nine-tenths of a second.

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

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

Senior����(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) finished her career well, setting her PR in the 5000m with a time of 19:29.20.�� 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.�� Roanoke won the team title with 150.33 points.

Men’s track and field

It was almost expected, but the ��ݮ���� men’s track & field team made a clean sweep of the high jump medals at the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship meet.�� 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.�� They made it a top-three sweep.������(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.������(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had the most surprising finish, claiming the silver at 2.02m (6-7.5ft).�� Moore recently joined the team after the completion of the men’s volleyball season a few weeks ago.�� Sophomore����(Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) was third at 1.91m (6-3.25ft).�� All three claim All-ODAC status, and each also have a shot at qualifying for the national meet.

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

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

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

��(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.�� ��������������ٱ�����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) was one position behind him with a time of 15:37.21.

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

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

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

Chappell-Dick�� took second place in the 800m, and was easily the top D-III finisher, as she broke her own school record with a time of 2:12.95.�� Her record from last spring was 2:13.19.�� The next D-III runner was more than seven seconds behind Chappell-Dick.������(Goshen, Ind./Goshen) also had a solid finish in the event, crossing 13th in 2:26.95.�� She was third among runners from EMU’s level.

Bane also broke her own school mark in the hammer throw, landing at 39.28m (128-10ft).�� Her previous best was 38.43m (126-1ft), also set in 2013.

��(Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) moved into EMU’s top 10 in the 5000m, setting her PR at 19:37.29.

On the men’s side, the Royals had eight top-10 finishes and three new ODAC qualifiers.

The highest finish went to����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), who ran the 3000m steeplechase and took fourth with a final time of 10:21.78.�� The finish pits him fifth in EMU history.

Meanwhile the 4x100m relay team crossed in fifth with a time of 43.69.������(Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy),����(Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside),����(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) and����(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) combined for the No. 5 time in the program’s books.

��(Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and����(Sterling, Ill./Sterling) looked good in the 5000m, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.�� Gehman was the top D-III finisher in 15:45.92, while Landis was right behind in 15:48.88.������(Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) tallied 13th and was the fourth D-III runner with a time of 16:28.89.

In the 400m, Winters was seventh and the top D-III male with his time of 50.41.�� He earns a trip to the ODAC Championships with his finish and is sixth in program history.������(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) was three spots behind Winters in tenth with a time of 51.74.

��(Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock) had an eighth-place finish in the 800m, timing at 1:57.54.������(Staunton, Va./Fort Defiance) was just outside of the top 10 in 11th, with his finish of 1:59.31.�� He was also 11th in the 1500m in 4:07.30, qualifying for ODACs in the process.

��(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs), who joined the team with the recent completion of the men’s volleyball season, finished tenth with his first efforts in the long jump.�� He also earned a trip to the ODAC meet with a landing at 6.37m (20-10.75ft).�� Moore was also the top D-III finisher.

The Eastern Mennonite track teams are back in action next Saturday at the Mason Spring Invitational, hosted by D-I George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

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

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

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

��(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.

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

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

Sophomore����(Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) led a large EMU contingent in the event, taking tenth in :51.65.������(Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) wasn’t far behind in :52.03, while����(Nelson, Va./Nelson County) was the last of the five Royals in :53.46.

Sprinter����(Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) was sixth in the 200m, timing at :22.62, and was tenth in the 100m in :11.31.������(Appomattox, Va./Appomattox) also qualified for ODACs in the 200m, coming in at :23.16.

��(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. ��“We were blessed with great weather and great competitive atmospheres.�� With such a young team, it is important that we take each opportunity to go out, compete, and show consistent improvement. ��This weekend was a great step in the right direction.�� 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.