Eastern Mennonite University

EMU freshman Paris Hutchinson (Waynesboro, Va./Wilson Memorial) had a breakout effort in her second week of collegiate volleyball, and was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

Rounding out EMU's All-Region honorees, junior Allison Shelly (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale) picked up two awards from the USTFCCCA.

Mar 19, 2021 EMU track & field standouts Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) and Alijah Johnson (Upper Marlboro, Md./Frederick Douglass) added more medals to their recently completed indoor season as both were named the All-Region Team today.

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) released its National Academic Squad today, and 75% of EMU's roster earned the recognition.

EMU softball player Emily Campbell (Broadway, Va./Broadway) picked up her first career award from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference today, being named the ODAC Pitcher of the Week.

Emily McCombs (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) has been an impact player since day one, playing 23 minutes in her first collegiate game and scoring nine points with three assists. That game in November of 2017 was a long time ago, and the road since has been filled with role changes, injuries, and (of course) a pandemic.

Alijah Johnson (Upper Marlboro, Md./Frederick Douglass) made a late entry into Saturday's Lynchburg Hornet Open, and the decision worked out very well. Johnson broke his PR in both the 100m and 200m, and took home wins in both events.

Being a defender on a soccer team isn't the most glorious position on the field. But it is vital. For senior Megan Breidigan (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone), a four-year starter in EMU's back line, she has been excelling at that vital, if unglorious, position since arriving on campus in 2017. In last Sunday's season opener against a talented Bridgewater College team, Megan played her role well, communicating with a young roster and shutting down the Eagles' best offensive player.

It was a successful return to the field for EMU thrower Cor'shauna Cunningham (Strasburg, Va./Warren County), as she won her two events at Saturday's meet and today was named the ODAC Athlete of the Week.

EMU's Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) continued his dominance on the track this spring and claimed the ODAC Athlete of the Week honors after the first outdoor track meet.

The EMU women's triathlon team has received the Team Scholar All-American award from the Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association and USA Triathlon.

2/23/2021 EMU's Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) is a perfect three-for-three this season. After running in his third meet of the year last weekend, Alderfer was selected the ODAC Athlete of the Week for the third time.

After a stellar performance against Emory & Henry, senior men's basketball player DJ Hill (Woodbridge, Va./Hylton) has been selected as this week's Royals Athlete of the Week. After a lengthy hiatus, DJ and the Runnin Royals finally made their way back on the court and found themselves winning a close contest against the Wasps 75-73. DJ was a standout, leading on both ends of the court. The senior would end the night with 18 total points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Royals. This is the second Royals Athlete of the Week award for DJ, who has been a staple for the Royals in his time at EMU. With the tournament in sight, he looks to help carry his team to a deep run.

February 8, 2021 Highlighted by a monster performance from Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) that broke an ODAC record, the EMU track & field team had a huge day at Saturday's Roanoke Invitational Challenge. Of the 14 individual races run by Royals, nine of them resulted in a personal record.

Entering his fourth season with the Runnin Royals, point guard Tim Jones (Forestville, Md./Central) had certainly established his scoring abilities. One game into his senior year, it was evident that he had deepened another aspect of his game - his passing.

For the first time as a track & field athlete, EMU's Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) has been named the ODAC Athlete of the Week.

In only his second season running for the Royals as a track & field athlete, junior Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) found himself among the top performers at the season-opening VMI Keydet Invitational.

EMU's Abigail Shelly (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale) has earned one final award, being named to the District 5 Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The multi-sport star earned the honor in the women's cross country/track & field category, recognizing her work both in the athletic and academic spheres at Eastern Mennonite University.

Three EMU men's volleyball players earned a spot on this year's Continental Volleyball Conference All-Academic Team.

EMU softball player Emily Davis (King George, Va./Fredericksburg Christian) capped her breakout sophomore season with a spot on the All-State First Team. This names Davis as one of the top three outfielders in the state, as voted upon by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).

EMU men's basketball player Tim Jones (Forestville, Md./Central) has been named to the 2019-20 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court.

Anyone who has been around the EMU Diamond Royals the last four years has probably seen pitcher Bailey Hall (Daleville, Va./James River), who has been a regular starter since his freshman season. His 6-foot 5-inch frame doesn't hurt. Bailey became a weekend starter as a sophomore, the same year he was named ODAC Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete game in a 4-1 win over Emory & Henry. At one point in that game, he retired 17-of-18 batters.

Junior Ben Shenk (Elkton, Va./Page County) had his momentum on the golf course cut short by COVID-19. He had trimmed just over four strokes off his game from last year, and looked poised for a big spring before the season was cancelled. Ben finished with the third-best scoring average on a senior-laden team in 2018-19, but this year had his average down to 81.6, three strokes better than the next Royal. In the fall season, Ben was making a habit of tearing up the course and moving up the leaderboard on the second day of tournaments.

Cassidey Chrisman (Staunton, Va./Riverheads) knows about ups and downs. The lone senior on EMU's softball team, Cassidey missed her entire sophomore season with an injury. Then the COVID-19 pandemic cut short this year's campaign. Despite being a starter since day one of her freshman season, Cassidey has played in only 85 career games after four years of college ball. She cites a resilient sense of mental toughness as a result of playing softball at EMU. Whether or not she is able to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility for the 2021 season, Cassidey was a huge part of the 2020 team. Behind the scenes, she provided leadership and stability. On the field, she batted .333 and led the Royals with eight RBIs. Her 12 hits were tied for second. Cassidey was outstanding defensively at third base, standing second on the team with 21 assists and a skillful .971 fielding percentage.

Senior Justin Odom (Williamsburg, Va./Menchville) was another EMU student-athlete who looked poised for a huge spring. A thrower on the track & field team, he had just finished his best indoor season and was ready for his work to pay off outdoors when the year was shut down.

The Athletic Department staff also voted for Athlete of the Year winners. Senior Abigail Shelly (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale) claimed the women's honor while sophomore Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) was named the top male.

Eastern Mennonite University held its annual Athletic Honors Banquet on May 1. Different from previous years where the event is celebrated with an in-person banquet, Virginia's stay-at-home order led to an online version dubbed the Athletic Honors Show. As part of the show, the EMU Athletic Department handed out athletic and academic awards from the 2019-20 season. Seniors Leah Wenger (Broadway, Va./Eastern Mennonite) and Bailey Hall (Daleville, Pa./James River) won the President's Awards, the highest athletic award given out by EMU.

The EMU track & field men earned two awards on the first-ever all-state teams from the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Isaac Alderfer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) was a part of both honors, one as an individual and the other on a relay team. The distance medley relay team earned the other award, similarly onto the All-State Second Team.

Sophomore Emily Campbell (Broadway, Va./Broadway) is a fantastic example of a collegiate athlete getting comfortable in their second year of play. The EMU softball player had a solid freshman campaign in 2019, pitching in 31.1 innings and adding a pair of homers as a batter. Before play was cancelled this spring, Emily was the Royals' top pitcher, earning all of her team's wins from the circle.

Although this was Morgan Tricarico's (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) first year at Eastern Mennonite University, she quickly found success on the field hockey field, lacrosse field, and in the classroom. Earning a GPA above 3.3 also gave her recognition on the National Academic Squad through the field hockey coaches association.