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

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

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

All of EMU鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.听 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 eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.听 With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,558 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2013-14 ODAC All-Academic Team.

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

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

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

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

The Royals take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC at 13-1, while Guilford slips one step back at 12-2. Based on two head-to-head wins, EMU also holds the tie-breaker over Guilford should the two teams finished the regular season tied.听 Each has two games left before the ODAC Tournament.

Saturday in Harrisonburg, the Royals turned on their defense and never trailed.听 They held GC to just two field goals over the opening 12:07 of the game and led 17-7 when (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) converted a three-point play at the 8:09 mark.

The Quakers got within three points at 18-15, but Eastern Mennonite closed the half on an 11-2 surge, capped by a pair of (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointers.

EMU led 29-17 at the half after holding Guilford to just 21% shooting and grabbing 15 offensive boards.

A hot start to the second half pushed the Royals’ edge to 17 points at 37-20, to make a combined run of 19-5 with the end of the first.听 Even after a small GC run, Eastern Mennonite had the lead back at 50-33 after a (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) bucket with 4:36 to play.

With the big lead, EMU slowed down over the final minutes and the Quakers closed on a 14-4 surge, but it was much too late.

Both teams showed a lot of defense in the game, with both offenses shooting just 31% from the floor.听 The Royals made the biggest difference on the boards.听 They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and had 53-45 advantage over the best rebounding team in the ODAC.

Yoders provided Eastern Mennonite with their inside presence, co-leading the team with 12 points and two steals.听 Rheinheimer gave the outside punch, going 4-for-9 from three point range for 12 counters.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) had a team high nine rebounds.听 Brown, (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) each added seven points.

Gabby Oglesby (Winston-Salem, NC/Mount Tabor) had a double double for Guilford, topping all players with 13 points and 11 rebounds.听 Jaclyn Nucci (Gambrills, MD/South River) grabbed 10 rebounds and four steals.

The Royals, 17-5 overall, have now won 10 in a row, which is tied with the 1987-88 team for the second-longest streak in program history.听 In 1984-85, the Royals won 12 straight.听 They head into the final week of the regular season with a big road game at rival Bridgewater Tuesday night.听 The Eagles are tied for third in the ODAC at 10-4.听 EMU won the previous meeting this season, 57-48, on Jan. 24 in Harrisonburg.

Eastern Mennonite scored a quick lay-up off the opening tip and jumped ahead 6-0.听 Less than five minutes into the game, the Royals had surged to a 14-3 cushion and R-MC never recovered.听 By halftime, the women had two players scoring in double figures and led 45-27.

The Yellow Jackets shot a little better from the floor in the second half, but EMU kept the offense in high gear and rolled to the 93-68 win.

Not only did the Royals shoot 37-62 from the floor to break their program mark at 59.7%, but they also tied their highest scoring output of the season.听 Since scoring a season-low 49 points in a loss to Elizabethtown last Monday, EMU’s offense has been unstoppable.听 The women have shot 50% or better in three straight games, all double-digit ODAC victories.

Eastern Mennonite has won six of their last seven games to improve to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, tied with Guilford for first place.

Junior (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) led the charge with her first double double of the season, charting 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting along with 11 rebounds.听 She added three blocks and three steals for good measure.听 (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) broke out of a shooting slump by drilling 5-of-7 three pointers on her way to a season high 17 points.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.听 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was good for 11 points, six boards and three assists, while (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) also scored in double figures with 10.

Point guard (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had fun setting up her teammates and tied her career high with eight assists.

The Royals held Randolph-Macon to 36% shooting and had a hefty 48-27 control of the boards.

EMU returns home for two key games, starting this Saturday afternoon with Virginia Wesleyan.听 The Marlins gave the women their lone ODAC loss, a 66-58 decision in Virginia Beach on Dec. 1.听 Then next week Thursday, the Royals host rival Bridgewater College, who is currently 5-1 in the ODAC.

After scoring just three points over the first three minutes, the women went on a 35-6 run to open up a 38-9 lead.听 EMU led 51-21 at halftime and only played their starting five less than five minutes in the second half.

The Royals controlled the game and connected on 39-of-76 shots for 51.3%.听 They were also 6-19 from three-point range and 9-16 from the free throw line.听 EMU held Cairn to just 26% shooting and had a massive 46-25 advantage in rebounding.听 The women also forced 32 turnovers, compared to just 16 of their own.

听(Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) led the way off the bench with her first double double.听 The sophomore charted 13 points and 13 rebounds, with the rebound total being a career high.听听听(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) canned four triples and tallied 15 points.

听(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) and听听(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) each finished with 12 points, while Yoders added nine boards.听听听(Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had a game-high five assists.听听听(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added four helpers.

The Eastern Mennonite women improve to 5-4 with the road win.听 They return to Yoder Arena for a date with St. Mary’s (MD) on Wednesday.听 Game time is 7:00pm.

The under-sized Maroons came out in a zone defense and frustrated EMU early on, leading 14-12 at the 10-minute mark.听 But a (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointer gave the women the lead and turned the momentum.听 A quick 8-0 run turned into a lead the Royals would never relinquish, as they closed the half on a 25-11 run.

The streak continued in the second half, with a (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) layup at 8:02 creating the largest lead of the game at 67-39.听 The bench players finished on the floor, as the women coasted to an impressive 24-point ODAC win.

Roanoke limited EMU’s inside game with the zone, but the outside players picked up the slack.听 The Royals, who shot 48% from the floor including 7-for-16 from long range, had three players finish in double figures.听 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) put in 13 points in the first half and finished with 15 and three steals.听 (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) shot 6-of-8 from the floor and added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Steph Rheinheimer was good for 13 points with five boards and a two blocked shots.听 Freshman (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) also had three steals, while Baltimore dished out a team high four assists.

Eastern Mennonite had a dominating 48-24 edge in rebounding, including 17 offensive boards.听 (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) led the strong team effort with six rebounds.听 She added six points, three assists and two steals.

The Royals have a week off for exams before their next game on Dec. 15, playing at Delaware Valley at 3:00pm.

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.听 “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters. 听Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.听 “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.听 I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.听 Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.听 At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.听 Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.听 She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.听 “It’s hard to define her role.听 She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.听 We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.听 Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).听 Baltimore transferred to EMU last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.听 Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).听 Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.听 Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.听 “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.听 So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.听 Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.听 (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.听 And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.听 She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.听 “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect 鈥� leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.听 “It will be by committee.听 What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.听 In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.听 Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.听 I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.听 I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.听 The Marlins tied EMU with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.听 We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.听 The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.

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.听 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.听 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.听 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听. 听Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click听) and follow听听on Twitter.

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

After trading leads in the first half, neither team scored over the final 3:28 of the frame as the Yellow Jackets took a 26-25 lead into the break.

The Royals鈥� offensive woes continued early in the second, and R-MC pushed open leads of 33-27 and then 53-44.

Eastern Mennonite chipped the edge back down to five, but another 6-0 spurt gave the Yellow Jackets their biggest lead of the night at 59-48 with 5:03 to play.

That鈥檚 when the tide turned. The Royals turned up the intensity on defense, both in full court pressure and in the half court. Over the final five minutes, the senior-laden Randolph-Macon squad committed nine turnovers, including a pair of shot clock violations.

EMU rattled off 19 unanswered points to leapfrog to a 67-59 advantage with 44 seconds to play. The Yellow Jackets then got their only points of the final minutes on a three-point play, but the Royals provided the final four points from the free throw line, icing the nine-point win.

Over the decisive final 5:03, the women scored on 12 of their 14 possessions, while holding R-MC to three points and forcing nine turnovers.

Coach Kevin Griffin said his team battled through a few sick players and some bad bounces.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of our effort and that we didn鈥檛 hang our heads,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淥ur press really affected them, and I thought Steph just put us on her back for a while.鈥�

Sophomore Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) scored a game high and career best 19 points, all in the second half. She scored 10 of those during EMU鈥檚 big 23-3 run, including back-to-back three pointers, and added three steals. Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) struggled from the floor, but still notched a double double with 15 rebounds, 11 points and a team best six assists.

Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was 6-for-7 from the floor as both she and Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) scored 13 points.

The Royals forced 27 turnovers, an impressive feat against a Randolph-Macon team which started four seniors. Another key was the women shooting a deadly 20-for-23 from the free throw line.

鈥淓ven on a night when it seems like we have girls who are having off nights, we still get Kala with 15 rebounds and Bianca with 13 points,鈥� Griffin said.

Taylor Wieczorek (Grasonville, MD/Severn) led Randolph-Macon with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sarah Parsons (Glen Allen, VA/J.R. Tucker) added 18 off the bench and Maggie Roy (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) came in with 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 16-2 overall and 13-2 in the ODAC with the impressive win. R-MC slides to 10-9 and 8-6. The Royals continue a busy week with a non-conference hosting of Mary Baldwin on Thursday.

For the first time since the opening tip, the Eagles tied the score at 62-62 with a Jenny Logan (Luray, VA/Luray) three pointer with just 45 seconds left.听 But EMU stayed calm and worked the ball inside to Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO), who put in a layup with 29 seconds left to put the women back up by two.

Looking for another tie, BC tried to go inside, but Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) picked off a pass in the lane and was quickly fouled by the Eagles.听 With 15 seconds remaining, the sophomore netted both free throws, sandwiched around a BC timeout, to give Eastern Mennonite a 66-62 lead.

After an offensive rebound, Jessica Mullen (Purcellville, VA/Loudoun Valley) nailed a triple for the Eagles with less than a second to go, but that was it as EMU escaped with the one-point win.

To start the game, the Royals scored the first four points and led by as many as nine in the half.听 Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) put in a layup just before the break to give EMU a 31-23 edge at intermission.

A Rheinheimer three and free throw from Yoders gave the women their biggest lead of the game at 35-25.听 After point guard Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) sat for a few minutes with an injury, Bridgewater responded and cut the lead to two at 37-35, but EMU came right back and put the edge back to as high as nine points.

The Eagles used a 15-6 run over 6:30 to tie the game with Logan鈥檚 three-pointer, but Eastern Mennonite had the final say in the rivalry win.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play great and we didn鈥檛 play awful,鈥� said EMU Coach Kevin Griffin.听 鈥淭hat鈥檚 indicative of an EMU/Bridgewater game.听 But when push came to shove our girls made plays.听 Even after Jenny Logan hit that three, we played with poise and kept battling.鈥�

Four Royals scored in double figures, led by Ygarza who had her sixth double double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.听 Yoders was right behind with 12 points, nine boards and a career best five assists.

Rheinheimer finished with 10 points and six assists.听 She was also key down the stretch, assisting on Yoders鈥� go-ahead bucket, then getting the steal and clinching free throws.

Alisa Brown (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) added 10 points and Marla zumFelde (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) poured in eight points in just eight minutes of playing time.

鈥淢arla gave us some good minutes,鈥� Griffin said of his freshman.听 鈥淪he鈥檚 getting better and getting more comfortable.鈥�

Baltimore had a quiet night offensively, but made her mark on defense.听 She helped hold Mullen, the reigning ODAC Player of the Week, scoreless in the first half.听 Mullen didn鈥檛 score until after Baltimore rested in the second with her injury.听 She did finish with 18 points to lead Bridgewater.听 Logan chimed in 15 and Katelynn Hottinger (Linville, VA/Broadway) was good for 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles had a 41-34 edge in rebounding, but also committed 18 turnovers to just 12 for EMU.听 BC also out-shot the Royals, 47% to 37%.听 Eastern Mennonite made up the difference by hitting six three pointers and going 14-20 from the free throw line compared to 4-10 for BC.

The win is the eighth in a row for the young Royals, as they improve to 14-1 overall and 11-1 in the ODAC.听 EMU is also 10-0 at home this season, and hasn鈥檛 lost in Yoder Arena since Nov. 29, 2010.听 That game was a 62-42 decision to Bridgewater.听 Since then, the Royals have won 18 in row at home.

Next up is a home date with Randolph College this Friday night.听 Game time is 7:00pm.

Against the Quakers, who entered on an 11-game winning streak and the last remaining team without a loss in conference play, Eastern Mennonite closed on a 24-11 run over the final 12:13.听 With both team playing their second contest in less than 24 hours, Guilford simply ran out of gas against the athletic and deeper Royals.

The visitors led by as many as five in the back-and-forth game.听 But with the Quakers on top 39-36, (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) got loose down low for a layup.听 After a pair of GC turnovers, senior (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial) banked in a triple from the top of the key and the women picked up steam.

Another quick 5-0 spurt pushed EMU up 46-41.听 The teams traded points before the Royals clamped on the defense, holding the Quakers scoreless for a key stretch of 4:28.听 Suddenly the women led 56-45 with less than four minutes to play.

The worn-out Guilford women could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way, as Eastern Mennonite coasted out to the 10-point win.

(Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was 6-for-9 from the floor and led the women with a career high 14 points and nine rebounds.听 Ygarza had a double double with 11 points and 11 boards.

(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) also scored 11, while (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) added a game high six assists.

After allowing their opponents to shoot 52% from the floor in the first half, the Royals limited GC to just 36% in the second.听 Baltimore was key, as she did much of the work in limiting the Quakers’ Jazlyn Gibbs (Greensboro, NC/Southeast Guilford) to just two second-half points.听 Gibbs had 17 in the first.

“Keyla did a great job limiting Jazlyn Gibbs,” EMU Coach Kevin Griffin said.听 “It’s hard to single out a player or two, but I thought she and Shakeerah had great games.”

The Royals forced Guilford into 20 turnovers and had a 41-36 edge in rebounding.听 The women also ripped out 19 offensive boards.

“I felt we really played hard,” said Griffin.听 “Not that we don’t in other games, but we really did today.听 To limit Guilford to 50 points is really impressive.”

The effort also showed at the free throw line, where EMU took 26 charity tosses compared to just 14 for the Quakers.

Eastern Mennonite moves to 11-1 with the win.听 Both teams are now 8-1 in the ODAC, just a half game behind first-place Virginia Wesleyan, which is 9-1 in league play.

The Royals now start meeting conference teams for a second time, as they travel at Hollins next Tuesday.听 EMU won the previous matchup 67-40 on Dec. 3.

The win pushes Eastern Mennonite women to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the ODAC.

After EMU got the first bucket of the game, the Hornets took over and led by as many as ten in the first half at 25-15.听 Sophomore (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) then canned a three pointer to start the women on their comeback.

Lynchburg got a bucket but (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial) nailed a triple and (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) followed with a three-point play to slash the lead to three points.听 An offensive putback and another layup capped a 13-2 run as the Royals took the lead for the first time since the opening minute.

The Hornets settled down and retook the edge, heading into halftime on top 38-37.

EMU pushed the tempo to start the second and skipped back in front.听 A Young layup made it 58-52 with 12:28 to play.

The visitors slowed the game down, but couldn’t get their offense going.听 With 3:49 remaining, the Royals called a timeout.听 The defense then earned back-to-back steals to quickly balloon the lead to 73-64.

Lynchburg got within three after a three-point play with 1:38 to go, but the Royals forced three straight turnovers and turned each into a score to ice the 81-72 decision.

Coach Kevin Griffin said the Hornets’ record is deceiving.

“That’s the best 1-8 team in America,” he said.听 “They execute well, they play really hard, and have a bunch of kids that can shoot the ball.”

Both teams hovered around 40% in shooting for the game, but EMU earned the win by getting to the free throw line in the second half and forcing turnovers down the stretch.听 The Royals were 17-27 from the line compared to just 5-9 for Lynchburg.听 The women also had a 19-11 edge in turnovers.

Ygarza led a balanced attack with her second straight double double 鈥� 19 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.

“Bianca was amazing tonight, especially with no turnovers,” Griffin said.听 “But I thought it was big that we had five kids in double figures.听 In the first half Marla was the spark for us.听 In the second Raiven was the spark.”

Young hit a pair of three pointers in the first and finished with 10 points and three assists.听 (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski) had 11 points and three steals, all in the second half.

(Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.听 Rheinheimer finished with 10 and (Portsmouth, VA/Forest Park) added nine counters.

Katie Crump led Lynchburg with 16 points.听 Shannon Allan charted 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The women, now 8-1 for the season, have a week off before traveling to Washington & Lee next Tuesday.

After the women scored the first four of the game, they used an 11-2 run to spark to a 15-8 lead.听 But the Eagles then clamped down on defense and held EMU scoreless for nearly six minutes.听 The home team rattled off 14 straight to go ahead 22-15.

The two played evenly into halftime, with BC holding a 31-25 edge at the break.

The opening minutes of the second were rough on the Royals, as the Eagles pushed their lead to the biggest of the game at 39-27.

But Eastern Mennonite’s tempo started to wear down BC and with the deficit at 44-32, the comeback began.听 (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) finally knotted things up at 46-46 with a layup with 7:07 remaining.听 (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial) canned a three pointer, EMU’s first, on the next possession, giving the women their first lead since the first half.

(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) drilled a big three and (Swoope, VA/Buffalo Gap) put in a bucket to push the edge to 56-49 with 3:13 to play.

The women then forced BC into a number of tough shots down the stretch as the lead never got below six.听 Rheinheimer made 4-of-6 free throws to help ice the win.

Ygarza was a personal wrecking ball, as she charted a double double with game highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds.听 She also had seven steals and three assists.

Rheinheimer was clutch down the stretch and finished with nine points.听 Young had seven points and Lamneck added six with five rebounds.听 (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski) was good for six rebounds and three steals.

Eastern Mennonite effectively reversed the shooting percentages from the first half, holding the Eagles to just 28% in the final 20.听 Neither team shot particularly well, with EMU coming in at 37% and BC at 36%.听 The Royals had the biggest edge at the free throw line, going 13-20 compared to 7-13 for Bridgewater.

The women harassed Jessica Mullen to an 8-for-22 shooting night, as she led the home team with 17 points and six steals.

It was a key win for the Royals, who improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.听 EMU is the lone undefeated team left in the league, and rest atop the ODAC standings with Guilford at 2-0.

Next up is a home date with traditional power Roanoke on Wednesday.听 The Maroons have struggled to a 0-3 start.

“We have the talent to compete,” he said, “but I think seven of the top eight teams (in the ODAC) have three or four starters back which will make it incredibly difficult.听 I think Randolph-Macon is a clear cut favorite and I don’t know after that.听 I think if we can foster some confidence early we can be very dangerous by the end of the season.”

The Royals were 15-11 last year including fifth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference at 13-7.听 That team was mostly underclassmen.听 Griffin returns four of his end-of-the-season starters and thinks the experience his players gained in 2010-11 will benefit them this year.

“The returners do have confidence even though we are young again,” he said.听 “They recognize that a couple things have to happen:听 if we play really hard and if we play smart, we have enough talent to beat people.听 Last year we had some success when certain kids began to realize, ‘not only can I compete here, but I can succeed.'”

Two of Eastern Mennonite’s returning starters received ODAC awards in 2010-11.听 Junior (Swoope, VA/Buffalo Gap) earned All-ODAC Honorable Mention honors while averaging 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. 听Fellow front-liner (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) took over a starting role late and was named All-ODAC Honorable Mention and ODAC Rookie of the Year.听 She averaged 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.

EMU did lose leading scorer Danielle Rittenhouse (13.6 PPG) who did not return to school.听 Sophomores (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) (8.2 PPG) and co-captain (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) (6.8 PPG) will also help fill the scoring void.

“What we’re hoping is that work ethic and experience translates into more success,” Griffin said.听 “Just because you’re a year older doesn’t mean you’re a year better.听 But those four did a lot last year, so the expectations have been raised for them.听 They can’t do what they did last year, they need to do more.”

A lot will also be expected from the lone senior, (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), although it might not show up in a box score.

“She has leadership,” said Griffin of his other co-captain.听 “She has integrity.听 She is respected for her knowledge when she speaks.听 She is highly respected for how she carries herself off the basketball floor: in the classroom, on the weekend.听 Our kids view her as a moral leader as well as a basketball leader.”

The other returners all bring unique strengths to the team.听 (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) started 14 games at point guard and was second on the team with 49 assists.听 (Orange, VA/Orange County) played all 26 games last year and was a lock-down defender.听 (Bassett, VA/Bassett) played in 22 games and displays a continual positive intensity.

The incoming recruits obviously bolster EMU’s depth, but will also push some of the starters.

“Collective we feel that group of freshmen has a pretty high basketball IQ as well as their talent, so when things break down they can make plays and play basketball,” he said.听 “We are going to have a hard time figuring out who plays.听 We have a lot of good pieces and we’ll have to figure out the role of each piece.”

The Royals were third in the ODAC scoring 69.2 points per game, and Griffin hopes his added depth will allow him to push the tempo more this year.

“The style will be faster,” he said, “so we’re hoping it frees the kids up to play to exhaustion and free up more minutes for other kids.听 Some of our returners played a lot of minutes last year, but we’re hoping to balance that a little more.”

Another area Griffin hopes to improve is forcing turnovers and turning that into scoring.听 The women were ninth out of eleven ODAC teams in steals and had a -0.35 turnover margin.

“I think we’ll be better at it simply because we have more kids that can handle the ball well,” he said of turnovers.听 “I know that we’re young but I feel like the group that we have will hopefully value the ball more and in turn create more havoc in a game whereby we can benefit from causing other people to not take care of the ball or creating turnovers.”

The women won’t have much time to prepare for the 20-game ODAC slate.听 After hosting a season-opening classic on Nov. 18-19, Eastern Mennonite hits the road to take on Randolph-Macon on Nov. 22.听 The Royals also travel to Bridgewater and host Roanoke in November, pitting them against the ODAC’s top three teams from last year in the season’s first five games.