Eastern Mennonite University

Eastern Mennonite University senior Ariel Barbosa (Baltimore, Md./Towson) has taken her last season as a Royal to the next level. As the women's soccer team won their first four games, Ariel scored two goals in those games.

In the program's first year, the EMU women's triathlon team is led by senior Abigail Shelly (Collinsville, Miss./West Lauderdale). She is wasting no time in her final season as a Royal. Not only is Abigail a triathlon athlete, she continues to run cross country in the same season.

Versatility looked like confidence this weekend as the Royals picked up two more wins at the Route 42 Classic in Yoder Arena. Brandishing a flexible lineup, EMU's volleyball women improved to 3-1 to start the season, their best start since a similar effort in 2016.

A new era officially began Sunday morning when the EMU women's triathletes hit the waters of South Holston Lake outside of Bristol, Tenn. Under fantastic weather conditions, the Royals' newest program literally got their feet wet after just being introduced by EMU this past March. The five women on the team had great first efforts in a women's sprint triathlon, which consists of a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run.

Four Eastern Mennonite University men's volleyball players earned a spot on this year's Continental Volleyball Conference All-Academic Team.

The EMU Royals had four men recognized as All-ODAC in baseball this season after the team matched the program record for conference wins and earned a conference tournament berth. Sophomore Ray Tricarico (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) and freshman Jordan Jones(Saxe, Va./Randolph Henry) were both named to the All-ODAC Second Team while sophomore Jaylon Lee (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) and freshman Connor Lutz(Colonial Beach, Va./Colonial Beach) earned All-ODAC Third Team honors.

Already matching his production from last season, Jaylon Lee (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) has started off his sophomore season red hot earning him Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors. D3baseball.com has also named him to the national Team of the Week. This past week the sophomore batted .444 (8-for-18) and accounted for 18 runs in EMU's 5 games last week. Six of his hits went for extra bases, giving him a whopping 1.056 slugging percentage.

Sammy Thomas (Owings, Md./Northern) is enjoying a great start to his senior season of basketball. He walked away from Eastern Mennonite University's game against nationally-ranked New Jersey City with his first double double of the season (16 points and 12 rebounds), and is currently second in the ODAC with shooting percentage--he's been sinking 73.9% of his field goal attempts. Exemplary performance, effort, and leadership makes Sammy Thomas athlete of the week.

For the second time in his career, EMU's Travis Abele (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) has been named the Continental Volleyball Conference Player of the Week.

EMU's Emmanuel Boamah (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) has earned a repeat spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team. The senior defender finishes his career with an elite spot on the All-South Atlantic Region First Team. With a spot on the Second Team last fall, Boamah became the first EMU men's soccer player named All-Region since 2009. Now he enters even rarer air, becoming one of just five Royals ever to earn multiple All-Region honors, and the first since Ryan Brenneman in 1998-99. Jeff Shank (1992-93), Clay Rosenberger (1993-94) and Nate Derstine (1994-96) are the other Eastern Mennonite men named to more than one All-Region Team. All of Boamah's predecessors have since entered the EMU Hall of Honor. A four-year starter in EMU's back line, Boamah, also a four-year All-ODAC honoree, has been a dynamic presence on the field. While routinely thwarting opponent's attack up the middle, he got into EMU's attack, often on set pieces. Boamah set career highs as a senior with four goals scored and one assist. He scored in three of the Royals' final four games, and hit the game-winner against rival Bridgewater College for the second year in a row. Boamah closed his career with eight goals (including three game-winners) and one assist. Coach Roger Mast said Boamah had a unique impact on his team. "We are so proud of Emmanuel and what he is contributed to our program in his four-year career," Mast said. "E-man's athleticism, passion for the game, and relentless desire to win made him one of the top defenders in both the conference and the South Atlantic Region. I am also proud of him for the way that he has matured as a man throughout his career. We will certainly miss his big smile next season." In Mast's 28th season, the Royals finished 9-9-1, earning their third straight season at .500 or better. At 6-4 in the ODAC, the men had their most wins in conference play since 2011. Boamah was one of 11 men from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference to earn a spot on the three All-Region Teams, and one of just four on the First Team.

Volleyball player Maria Yoder (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) has earned a unique honor, named to a repeat spot on the Google Cloud District 5 Academic All-District Team. The award recognizes her work both in the athletic and academic spheres at Eastern Mennonite University. Yoder was also named Academic All-District in 2017, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is now eligible for CoSIDA's Academic All-America voting. "It's an honor to be recognized among other fantastic scholar-athletes," Yoder said. "I'm so appreciative of the support I've received from the athletic department in making academics a priority, as well as the flexibility and support from professors when volleyball interferes with coursework. I've been pushed and had wonderful role models in both academics and athletics these past four years." In her fourth year as a starter for the Royals, Yoder finished with 158 kills, 60 blocks and 36 aces. She was first or second on the team in all three categories. Additionally, Yoder came in 12th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in both aces and blocks, while her 12 solo stuffs were seventh in the league. She ended her career with 123 aces, helping the Royals lead the ODAC in aces each of her final two seasons. Yoder stands No. 8 in EMU Career Sets Played, and narrowly missed the Top 10 in career blocks, kills and aces. Academically, the Yoder Scholar holds a 3.98 GPA, majoring in biology with minors of honors and psychology. She studied in Guatemala and Columbia in the spring of 2017 as part of EMU's cross cultural study program. On campus, Yoder is a member of EMU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Pre-Professional Health Club, and also plays cello in the Chamber Orchestra. Coach Carrie Bert said her two-year captain had high expectations for herself every time she stepped on the court, noting that the strategy and gamesmanship of volleyball intrigued and inspired her. That same drive bubbled over into Yoder's life off the court. "As a student, Maria is energized rather than discouraged, by challenging course work," Coach Bert explained. "After completing her cross cultural, Maria returned to Guatemala over her next spring break to conduct medical research that considered structural barriers to health care. She spent half of this past summer in Peru researching their health care system . Maria has carried a heavy course load, even in season, which required many hours of studying on the bus. While her future aspirations have changed recently, Maria will undoubtedly do important and meaningful work. She has modeled this commitment and drive for excellence during her four years as a Royal." The criteria for the All-District program states that a player must be of sophomore academic standing, be a starter or important reserve and claim a GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale. Eastern Mennonite is a member of District 5, which includes players from NCAA D-III institutions in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Yoder was one of three women from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference honored on the seven-woman team from District 5.

Joshua Chiquillo (Woodbridge, Va./Gar-Field) broke through in a big way last week, netting his first career hat trick and leading EMU's soccer men to a 3-0 week. Today, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference recognized his clutch performances by naming him the ODAC Player of the Week.

One hundred and five Eastern Mennonite University students have been named to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, setting a new record of honorees forEMU. A student-athlete must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award. All 16 of EMU's ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.

One year ago, Michaela Mast (Broadway, Va./Eastern Mennonite) had never run in a competitive race. Now the Eastern Mennonite University senior has wrapped up an incredible first season by being named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Eastern Mennonite University senior Connor Faint (Winchester, Va./Millbrook) finished his career in style, breaking an ODAC record and earning his second straight All-America honor when he crossed third in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Track & Field Championships on Saturday.

EMU Royals' Damon Frazier (Waynesboro, Va./Wilson Memorial) was voted to the utility spot on the All-ODAC First Team, repeating his honor from last spring. He is also the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete. Freshman Brett Lindsay(Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) took All-ODAC Second Team at third base.

Corey Willis (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax), Daniel Scott (Moneta, Va./Staunton River) and Brett Lindsay (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) have been named Co-Royals Athlete of the Week.

Three EMU softball women have earned spots on the All-ODAC Team. Juniors Sydney Reath (Williamsburg, Va./Mercersburg Academy) and Tiffani Shaheen(Fluvanna, Va./Fluvanna County) earned spots on the All-State Second Team, while Kelsi Martin (Buena Vista, Va./Parry McCluer) earns an All-ODAC Third Team honor in her first campaign.

Four EMU men's volleyball team players were named to the All-Continental Volleyball Conference teams. Additionally, senior Micah Buller (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) claimed a major award as the CVC's Libero of the Year. Buller was joined on the All-CVC Second Team by teammates Dan Lutz (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), William Ragland (North Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) and Christian Taylor (Richmond, Va./Deep Run). Eastern Mennonite had the most honorees of any team in the CVC this year, topping three each from Kean and Marymount, the respective regular season champions from each of the conference's two divisions.

Grant Amoateng (Bristow, Va./Patriot) was named the ODAC Field Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this year.

Junior Ryan Brewer (Martinsville, VA) is Royals Athlete of the Week for his pitching success and his help with snapping a losing skid for the baseball team.

Eastern Mennonite University senior Maleke Jones (Charles Town, W.V./Washington) has proven himself consistent and confident on the basketball court, and is the Royals Athlete of the Week.

Senior Myneshia Walker (Freeman, Va./Brunswick) is known for being consistent and a humble leader for the EMU women's basketball team. She is also known as one of the best shooting guards in ODAC, with a field goal percentage at 40.4%. In last Saturday's game against Emory & Henry, Walker poured in a season high 27 points, including a stretch in the fourth quarter where she scored 15 of EMU's 17 points.

Senior Mikaela Zook (Millersburg, Ind./Northridge) was a force to be reckoned with on Eastern Mennonite University's women's soccer defensive line, and this week she wrapped up her soccer career with being voted onto the All-ODAC Third Team by the other coaches in the conference.

Eastern Mennonite University midfielder Emily Augsburger (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) has been selected to play in a national senior all-star game. The 2017 Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) D-III Senior Game roster was announced today, with Augsburger named as one of 72 student-athletes selected as either participants or alternates for the contest held on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky.

For Emily Augsburger (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), the final stretch of her final year of field hockey at Eastern Mennonite University is turning out to be pretty special. Augsburger was selected for the NFHCA Division III Senior Game and Royals Athlete of the Week. Preceding all of the off-the-field recognitions, Augsburger had a strong week of play. She assisted on the team's only goal in their game against Bridgewater and then scored a stroke in Saturday's senior recognition game against Roanoke.

Freshman Rachel Sauder (Lyndhurst, Va./Stuarts Draft) is making her mark on the soccer field. The midfielder jump-started Eastern Mennonite University in both of their wins last week, accounting for two goals and two assists.

Eastern Mennonite University women's basketball player Chloe Roach (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora) had an incredible opportunity this summer before gearing up for her second year with the Royals. Roach spent over a week in Brazil on the USA D-III basketball team representing her country, her sport, and her school.

Sophomore Daniel Obour (Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week after spurring the Royals to two more wins, giving them a five-game winning streak.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference named 14 EMU student-athletes to the 2016-17 ODAC Sportsmanship Teams in their respective sports.