A round of golf for the 91短视频 (91短视频) men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams is no longer dependent on the weather, thanks to the newly installed SkyTrak golf simulator. This technology, set up in a room in the Facilities Management building, allows golfers to hit balls into a net while the machine analyzes their shots.

Head coach , in his first year helming the teams, says the additional practice option has helped his team make more consistent improvements on a range of skills.  

鈥淭he simulator picks up on the speed of the ball, speed of the club, and the spin of the ball and calculates where the ball would have gone,鈥� Swartzentruber explained. 鈥淚t then shows a simulation of the ball’s path through air.鈥�

鈥淏eing able to see your actions, a golfer is better able to make necessary corrections,鈥� said David King, director of athletics at 91短视频. King said the simulator was purchased with funds donated specifically for this project, as well as fundraising conducted by the team.

Former coach Mike Yoder purchased the simulator two years ago, but it needed additional parts to be fully operational, which Swartzentruber acquired last summer.

鈥淎n additional advantage of the simulator is that it doesn’t require a lot of space,鈥� King said.

It鈥檚 a real boon for the golfers to accurately calculate how far each shot would have traveled.

鈥淭his is very helpful when trying to get the total distance of your clubs figured out,鈥� said senior Troy Hodge. 

Additionally, the simulator keeps the team on top of their game through the winter.

鈥淭he machine helps us practice and maintain good swings for the spring season,鈥� says junior Ben Shenk.

In addition to its basic analytic capabilities, the simulator comes with three playing modes 鈥� closest to the pin, longest drive, and challenge mode 鈥� which can make for some friendly competition between the golfers.

鈥淵ou can challenge someone else or play by yourself. Our team enjoys the 鈥榗losest to the pin鈥� and 鈥榣ong drive鈥� competitions, because we can compete to see who is the best that day,鈥� Hodge said.

“Firstly, I want to thank God for the opportunity that he has laid in front of me to coach college golf,” said Swartzentruber.聽 “I also want to thank my former high school players. They mean the world to me, and they have shaped the coach I am today. I probably learned more from them than they learned from me. I would also like to thank Director of Athletics聽Dave King聽and President聽Susan Schultz Huxman聽for trusting me and allowing me the opportunity to coach at this university.”

As an athlete, Swartzentruber was an all-district player at Spotswood High School before helping to start the 91短视频 golf program during his senior collegiate year in 2012-13, earning recognitions to the ODAC Sportsmanship Team and the All-Academic Team. Now he will become the third coach for the Royals entering the eighth season in program history.

“I’m really excited to add Andre to our quality coaching staff,” King said. “I’m pleased to be able to give another young alumnus an entrance into collegiate coaching. His knowledge of 91短视频 and the local community, combined with his passion to give back to his alma mater make Andre the right person to continue moving the golf program forward. His connections to the high school golf community will help in his recruiting efforts.”

Spotswood’s teams qualified for the regional tournament every year under Swartzentruber’s leadership while claiming numerous all-district and all-region awards. The Blazers earned a team low score of 296 during his tenure, while an individual golfer tied the school record with a round of 65 (-7). He coached a female player to back-to-back top-10 finishes in the state tournament, with a male golfer landing in the top-15.

King pointed out Swartzentruber’s strengths to springboard the direction of the 91短视频 program.

“While not having collegiate coaching experience, his understanding of recruiting from the other side will help him connect with high school golfers,” said King. “It has taken longer than expected to establish our golf program, but I believe Andre’s energy and enthusiasm for the work will result in positive growth for the men’s and women’s teams. I’m eager to help Andre grow as a collegiate coach and see the program develop to its fullest potential.”

Swartzentruber said he was drawn to give back to 91短视频.

“My time at 91短视频 was and always will be a special time in my life,” Swartzentruber explained.聽 “Getting the opportunity to give back to that community that shaped me as a young adult is an exciting one that I am really looking forward to.聽 I hope I can be a positive influence and develop young men and women as golfers but also as fine human beings in today’s society.”

Jasmine Wilson and Anna Hunter Nickols were recognized for outstanding leadership with the Take Back the Night event committee. Read more about their work.

Outgoing Student Government Association senators Allison Shelly, Ruth Reimer-Berg聽and Anisa Leonard were recognized by Rachel Roth Sawatsky, associate dean of students, for fulfillment of their elected responsibilities.

Sarah Beth Ranck, a three-year tutor who will begin her student teaching next spring, was given the Peer Tutor Award by Linda Gnagey, director of the Academic Success Center.

Riley Swartzendruber was named among a select group of聽2019 聽College Scholars. He鈥檒l attend the summit this summer to network, attend workshops, photograph alongside professionals, and participate in a nature-based storytelling project.鈥� He is the third 91短视频 student in the past several years to earn this honor (read more about this experience). 聽

Luke Hertzler, Anali Martin, Sara Byler and Lindsay Acker 鈥� pastoral assistants concluding their roles at the end of the fall semester 鈥� were recognized by Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder.

Raleigh Wade, Taylor Fink and Laurie Serrell were recognized by the nursing department for three awards given each semester to senior nursing students selected from nominations made by peers and faculty. Wade was given the Sacred Covenant Award, for the student who exemplifies 91短视频鈥檚 unique approach to nursing聽that recognizes the nurse/client relationship as holy ground. Fink earned the Academic Achievement Award. Serrell was recognized with the Servant Leader Award, for a student who has shown a deep level of caring and is an example to the entire nursing department of service and leadership.

Four graduate students from the were recognized for their contributions by Peacebuilding Practice Director Amy Knorr. 鈥淥ne of my favorite things about working here is how our students continually teach and inspire us… through sharing their insights, challenging us and through their actions in the broader community,鈥� she said.

• Kirby Broadnax was recognized for her sensitivity in designing and facilitating discussion around the Doctrine of Discovery and the film The Eagle and the Condor; her work with Take Back the Night; and for contributions around responding to sexual harm.
• Katrina Poplett, for her dedicated work in facilitating, designing and securing community grant funding for 91短视频鈥檚 first restorative justice training, as well as work facilitating dialogue around the film The Eagle and the Condor.
• Mikayla Waters Crittenden, for her work designing a CJP Community Grounding Day for CJP and for facilitating the 91短视频 training in restorative justice for students faculty and staff.
• Renata Loberg: for her tireless work in proposing, designing and facilitating CJP鈥檚 first Community Grounding Day.

Five students were recognized for 聽outstanding contribution to the music department by Professor James Richardson.

• Leah Wenger, a double major in psychology and music, has garnered acclaim in several different spheres of music-making, scholarship and arts advocacy. She’s received a semester-long internship with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, has led singing and worship in various contexts, and made an immense contribution to the quality, both intellectually and artistically. She also has a role in the upcoming spring musical Beauty and the Beast.
• Kiara Norman, also a double major,聽has made scholarly and artistic contributions in the field of music, specifically voice performance. She was chosen as the soprano soloist for the November gala’s performance of the Faur茅 Requiem and will appear in聽Beauty and the Beast.
• Sarah Ressler, the only non-music major, was recognized for her outstanding contributions to University Choir, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble. She will also appear in Beauty and the Beast.
• Elliot Bowen was recognized for outstanding contributions in composition; he is 鈥渁n expressive, concise and sensitive composer and a choral musician with a strong leadership record,鈥� Richardson said.
• Hannah Menefee, who will do her student teaching next semester, is a 鈥済reat collaborator,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淲e look forward to seeing her inspire others in her own musicianship and gifts as a teacher.鈥�

Student-Athlete Honors

Women鈥檚 Cross Country

• Elizabeth Nisly, All-ODAC Second Team and Royals Athlete of the Week
• Laurie Serrell, All-ODAC Second Team

Field Hockey

• Lauren Hartzler, Royals Athlete of the Week
• Skylar Hedgepeth, All-ODAC Third Team
• Kayla Maret, All-ODAC Second Team and Royals Athlete of the Week
• Kelsey Troyer, Royals Athlete of the Week and 91短视频 Record for Career Saves

Men鈥檚 Golf

• Austin Sachs, Royals Athlete of the Week

Women鈥檚 Golf

• Olivia Longacre, ODAC Golfer of the Week

Men鈥檚 Soccer

• Emmanuel Boamah, All-ODAC First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-South Atlantic Region First Team, and Royals Athlete of the Week
• Joshua Chiquillo, ODAC Player of the Week and Royals Athlete of the Week
• Dave Drafton, All ODAC Third Team
• Erik Peachey, Royals Athlete of the Week
• Dominic Powers, All-ODAC Third Team

Women鈥檚 Soccer

• United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award
• Leah Wenger, Royals Athlete of the Week

Women鈥檚 Volleyball

• American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award
• Hannah Johnson, Route 42 Classic All-Tournament Team and Royals Athlete of the Week
• Maria Yoder, Blue Jay Classic All-Tournament Team, Royals Athlete of the Week, CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.

For 91短视频 senior聽聽(Faber, Va./Nelson County), Player鈥檚 quote was inspiration in his final collegiate season.

Alderfer led the charge for the golf men at last week’s Lynchburg College Invitational, setting the tone with a 76 on Monday. It was his fourth sub-80 and lowest round of the year, just missing his career low round by two strokes. He added an 80 on Tuesday, finishing tied for 18th out of 69 golfers with a 156 (+12).

He said his success this season has come out of focusing on his mental strength, as well as improving the technicality of his game.

鈥淭he biggest thing I have done in order to prepare for this season besides playing golf is really working on my mental game,鈥� Alderfer said. 鈥淏eing able to control my emotions during the round has really helped.鈥�

Coach Mike Yoder agreed that Alderfer鈥檚 ability to keep calm during the game and his natural competitive nature helped him to play his best game yet this season.

鈥淎ndrew has a very competitive spirit and has a way to motivate those around him,鈥� said Yoder. 鈥淗is biggest improvement has come with managing his on-course decision making. He has learned how to play in the moment, taking one shot at a time.鈥�

However, this season for Yoder hasn鈥檛 been without its share of challenges, the biggest of which so far has been Virginia鈥檚 ever-changing weather.

鈥淲e have played in everything from snow, sleet, and rain, and not only does that make it difficult to play in during tournaments but it has really affected the times we have had to practice this season,鈥� he said.

The team had slightly better weather this past week in Williamsburg, and even though the Royals didn鈥檛 do as well in the tournament as he had hoped, Alderfer is confident that they will be able to up their game by the ODAC Tournament on April 22-24.

鈥淚 was extremely happy to see the breakthrough that Riley had on the first day shooting an 82,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat just shows me that the team does have the potential to produce but we need to strive for consistency over the next couple weeks before we head off to the ODAC Tournament. I personally finished tied for 11th out of I think around 90 players. By the end of the season I hope that I play well all three days at ODACs, but most of all I am hoping to win the sportsmanship award for the ODAC.鈥�

One memory he will never forget was playing a tournament in Stafford County, where he “was holing out for eagle at Augustine Golf Club and catching numerous dubs in Fortnite at the hotel.鈥�

As the only senior on the team, Alderfer has the most experience playing competitive college golf and strives to lead by example. He said that being on 91短视频鈥檚 team and being able to lead his team through the season has been an unforgettable experience.

鈥淧laying golf at 91短视频 has been a blessing in many different ways, including meeting a variety of different students and coaches from all over Virginia and other surrounding states,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, being able to form unbreakable relationships with a numerous amount of my teammates that I am sure will last a lifetime.鈥�

The Royals had 103 honorees two years ago, which is also the only time the school eclipsed 100.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class. 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.

All of 91短视频鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.聽 Men鈥檚 volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference which聽.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference student-athletes set a record for the eighth straight season as 1,974 honorees comprise the 2016-17 ODAC All-Academic Team, well above last year鈥檚 total of 1,846. Representatives from each of the conference’s 17 member institutions — 14 full-time and three associates — pushed the squad’s total over 1,000 for the 11th consecutive year.

Washington and Lee University placed the most student-athletes on the list with 339 individuals on the academic team. In total, nine ODAC-member schools eclipsed 100 honorees.

For more information, visit the ODAC鈥檚 home on the Internet at聽. Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on聽聽and follow聽聽on Twitter.

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

Abrham Amine – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Steven Anhold – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Lorraine Armstrong – Field Hockey
Emily Augsburger – Field Hockey
Ariel Barbosa – Women’s Soccer
Logann Braun – Women’s Soccer
Rachel Breidigan – Women’s Soccer
Isaac Brenneman – Men’s Soccer
Ryan Brewer – Baseball
Julie Burkhardt – Field Hockey
Tristan Childress – Baseball
Travis Clower – Men’s Basketball
Robert Cook – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Lexi Deffenbaugh – Women’s Basketball
Chrissy Delawder – Women’s Basketball
Tyler Denlinger – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Josh Good – Men’s Basketball
Megan Good – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Alyssa Gore – Field Hockey
Bailey Hall – Baseball
Joe Hall – Baseball
Becca Hardy – Women’s Volleyball
Austin Hart – Men’s Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Sophia Hartman – Women’s Soccer
Braden Herman – Men’s Soccer
Emma Hoover – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Beck Hoskins – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Emily Hostetler – Women’s Soccer, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Sam Jacob – Women’s Volleyball
Kyle Johnson – Baseball
Skyler Johnson – Women’s Volleyball
Janae Kauffman – Field Hockey
Oksana Kittrell – Women’s Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Jen Kuhns – Women’s Volleyball
Paul Lankford – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Kayla Leaman – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Caroline Lehman – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Kat Lehman – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Olyvia Longacre – Women’s Golf
Collin Longenecker – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Jessica Longenecker – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Mikayla Martin – Field Hockey
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Sierra Martin – Women’s Soccer
Timothy Martin – Men’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Madeline Mast – Field Hockey
Grayson Mast – Men’s Soccer
Sylvia Mast – Women’s Soccer
Ethan Mathews – Baseball
Lucas Miller – Men’s Golf
Rachel Musselman – Field Hockey
David Nester – Men’s Soccer
Michaela Nichols – Women’s Basketball, Softball
Elizabeth Nisly – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Caleb Oakes – Men’s Soccer
Justin Odom – Men’s Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Kylie Paul – Women’s Soccer
Erik Peachey – Men’s Soccer
Emma Petersheim – Women’s Soccer
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Elizabeth Reist – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Ali Reynolds – Women’s Soccer
Laura Rittenhouse – Women’s Soccer, Outdoor Track & Field
Zach Roberts – Baseball
Austin Sachs – Men’s Golf
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Zach Sauder – Men’s Soccer
Juni Schirch – Women’s Cross Country
Daniel Scott – Baseball
Lauren Seale – Softball
Laurie Serrell – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Abigail Shelly – Women’s Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Mariann Smith – Softball
Kara Smith – Women’s Volleyball
Marcy Smucker – Women’s Soccer
Ginny Sorrell – Women’s Volleyball
Griffin Stanley – Baseball
Rachel Sturm – Women’s Soccer, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Ben Stutzman – Men’s Cross Country
Josh Sydenstricker – Baseball
Ryan Thomas – Men’s Soccer
Nik Tucker – Men’s Soccer
Hannah Walker – Women’s Soccer
Jess Washington – Women’s Basketball
Leah Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Amanda Williams – Women’s Soccer
Janna Williams – Women’s Volleyball
Maria Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Emily Young – Women’s Soccer
Matthew Zimmerman – Men’s Soccer

After totaling 336 as a team on Monday on the par 72 Poplar Grove Golf Course at Amherst, Va., the men put together a 323 on Tuesday. Eastern Mennonite held off host Lynchburg, finishing at 659 (+83) and one stroke ahead of the Hornets as a team.

The 323 was just three strokes off the best team round on a par 72 course, a 320 set on their first outing this season at the Tom Kinder Memorial at Lakeview Golf Course in Harrisonburg.

(Faber, Va./Nelson County) spearheaded the huge second day, as he put together a 71 for not only the best individual round of the tournament, but the lowest 18-hole score in 91短视频’s four-year program history. He took 12 strokes off his first-day total to card a 154 (+10) for his first top 10 finish of the season. He was just six shots off a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at 148 (+4).

Sophomore (Faber, Va./Nelson County) shot a consistent 79 and 80 to finish at 159 (+15) and tied for 21st. Freshman (San Antonio, Tex./Brandeis) scored an 83 each day, finishing tied for 35th at 166 (+22).

After missing the fall season on his cross cultural, senior (Millersburg, Ohio/Hiland) added a 184 (+40) while (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) chipped in a 186 (+42).

(Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) played as an individual, with his scores not counting towards the team total, but his second-day 83 missed his best round by a single stroke. He settled at 177 (+33) for the tourney.

Marymount won the team title with a 611 (+35).

The Royals have a little break before a one-day event hosted by Washington and Lee on April 3. Played at Stoney Creek Golf Course in Wintergreen , Va., the invite will give the men a preview of the same course which will host the ODAC Championships on April 24-26.