A pioneering coach, co-athletic director, and professor at 91����Ƶ in the 1960s and ’70s—and the youngest daughter of John R. Mumaw, 91����Ƶ’s fourth president from 1948-65—Miriam “Mim” Mumaw ’61, of Arlington, Virginia, passed away on Dec. 5, 2025.

During her tenure at 91����Ƶ (then known as Eastern Mennonite College or EMC), Mumaw coached the school’s first women’s basketball (1966-75), women’s volleyball (1968-79), and field hockey (1970) teams. She achieved the most success with the volleyball team, winning a state championship over James Madison University in 1973 and posting a perfect 21-0 season in 1976. Her overall record with the squad stands at 151-99. Mumaw was inducted into the in 2002. Only three other coaches share that distinction.

Those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with Mumaw, either on 91����Ƶ’s campus or at Washington Community Fellowship (WCF), describe her as a people person who greeted everyone she met with warmth. They speak highly of her meticulous attention to detail, which shone brightly in her volunteer service to WCF and in her career at Gammon & Grange Law Offices, where she worked for more than 40 years. They also remember her for her love of baseball, particularly the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, and her generosity in sharing her season tickets with others.

Mumaw was a beloved mentor, leader, and friend, known by many for her deep commitment to 91����Ƶ and her congregation.

“She was a titan, a fierce advocate for women in athletics and for 91����Ƶ in general,” said Carrie S Bert, the first woman to serve as 91����Ƶ athletics director.

Dave King ’76, 91����Ƶ’s athletics director for 17 years before Bert, agreed. 

“Mim advocated for the expansion of women’s sports at a time when that wasn’t supported by many in the institution, including her father who had been president of the college,” said King. 

During one of her visits to the 91����Ƶ Athletics Suite, Bert recalled, Mumaw had shared with her how her father, likely reflecting the feelings of the wider church, had opposed the growth in women’s physical activities at 91����Ƶ. “Mim just laughed and said, ‘Well, that wasn’t going to stop me … we just had to agree not to talk about it,’” shared Bert. 

“Mim was always so encouraging of me, both in words of affirmation and in the wonderful way she would squeeze my hand while we chatted,” Bert said. “I could feel her positivity and enduring support in those moments.”

King told the that he first met Mumaw when he arrived as a student in 1972, but “had no idea of the trailblazer she was and the impact she had on women’s sports” until he returned as director of athletics in 2005. “Besides coaching women’s sports and teaching PE classes, her involvement with the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) exposed EMC athletics to the broader collegiate athletic community and elevated the EMC sports programs,” King said.

Growing up in a glass bowl

Mumaw was born on Jan. 14, 1938, in Harrisonburg, the youngest of five daughters, to John R. and Esther Mosemann Mumaw. She was 10 years old when her father, a professor and ordained minister, took office as president, succeeding John L. Stauffer. He would serve in that role for the next 17 years.

“That was an important part of her growing up,” said Byron Peachey, a nephew of Mumaw and longtime 91����Ƶ staff member. “She lived down the road on College Avenue and EMC was an even smaller community than it is now. Everybody knew everybody else’s business. And so for her and her four older sisters, there was a spotlight on them and a set of higher expectations for what they did and how they conducted themselves.”

Mumaw graduated from 91����Ƶ in 1961 with a degree in business education. She then taught business education classes at Iowa Mennonite School for four years.

“That would’ve been an opportunity for her to spread her wings, outside of this glass bowl at 91����Ƶ where everybody knew her,” Peachey said.

In 1964, while Mumaw was in Iowa, her mother died “very suddenly,” Peachey said. She returned to Harrisonburg to care for her father (in 1965, he married Evelyn King, former dean of women for 91����Ƶ, and resigned as president).

Hired by 91����Ƶ’s fifth president (1965-80) Myron S. Augsburger, Mumaw coached the school’s first women’s intercollegiate athletic teams, including women’s basketball, volleyball, and field hockey. 

“That was groundbreaking for EMC,” Peachey said. “She was a real innovator. ‘Trailblazer’ is an overused word, but she truly was one.”

In 1968, after completing her master’s degree at the University of Iowa, Mumaw began teaching accounting and physical education courses at 91����Ƶ. She also served as co-athletic director and co-chair of the physical education department.

Sandy Brownscombe, coach of 91����Ƶ women’s basketball (1978-89), field hockey (1978-93), and men’s volleyball (1991-98) also in the Hall of Honor, said that Mumaw held significant roles at the state, regional, and national levels within the AIAW, which governed women’s college athletics before the NCAA took over in the 1980s.

“Mim was a foundational figure for women’s athletics in Virginia through the AIAW,” Brownscombe said. “She started volleyball in the state of Virginia.”

A life of balance

Brownscombe was finishing her master’s degree coursework at Washington State University in 1978 when she was hired to teach physical education classes and coach the field hockey and women’s basketball teams at 91����Ƶ. Mumaw interviewed her for the job, and was tasked with finding a place for her to live.

“There weren’t any apartments available,” said Brownscombe, “and so that’s how I ended up sharing her house with her that first year I was here.”

“That was, in my opinion, probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” she added, “because we spent many nights talking with each other, and she would explain to me what it meant to be a Mennonite female athlete. At that point, I was the first non-Mennonite full-time faculty member at 91����Ƶ, so it really was my introduction to Mennonites and to EMC, and she shared that whole faith experience with me. She was like a big sister to me.”

Less than a full year later, in 1979, Mumaw left for a sabbatical year in D.C. at The Fellowship Foundation. It led to her permanent move to the area.

“She felt like she had taken 91����Ƶ athletics to the next stage,” Brownscombe said.

“91����Ƶ women’s sports experienced much success in the 1980s, which I believe was a direct result of Mim’s commitment to developing and expanding sports activities for women,” said King.

Mumaw was a founding member of , a Christ-centered faith community started by President Emeritus Augsburger (its first pastor) and his wife, Esther, in 1981 and affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Mumaw was an active member of WCF for 43 years and served in many roles, including as presiding deacon, elder, and on the Finance, Human Resources, and Building committees.

“Any time students from WCF were attending 91����Ƶ, Mim always made sure I knew about it,” said Tim Swartzendruber, senior regional advancement director for 91����Ƶ. “She was an admissions ambassador for us, no question.”

In 1982, Mumaw began a long career at Gammon & Grange Law Offices in Tyson’s Corner, where she served as accountant, office manager, and assistant to senior partner. She worked at the firm for more than 40 years.

She often returned to 91����Ƶ and continued to love and support the university. She served on the 91����Ƶ Board of Trustees from 1988-96.

“When I think of Mim, I think of balance,” Brownscombe said. “Her whole life was balanced. She was great as a coach, administrator, teacher, and yet she was so involved in the church, in leadership there, and in her care for people. She was one of those well-rounded people who had it all together.”

“She was always positive, always optimistic,” shared Peachey. “She wanted sports to be fun for young women and for it to be a team experience. I think that was an important value she cultivated, that student-athletes experience team success rather than individual excellence.”

Clockwise from front center: Miriam “Mim” Mumaw ’61, Liz Chase Driver ’86, David Driver ’85, former Orioles player Larry Sheets ’83, and Stephanie Rheinheimer ’13 attend an Orioles baseball game in August 2022. Sheets told writer David Driver for the Augusta Free Press: “Mim was, first and foremost, a wonderful Christian woman, a huge fan of 91����Ƶ, and a huge supporter of my career and then my son’s (Gavin Sheets’) career.” (Photo courtesy of David Driver/AFP)

A connector of people

A devoted fan of the Orioles and Nationals, Mumaw was known to invite family, friends, and anyone else within her orbit to baseball games. While there, she recorded the action with a pencil and paper scorecard. “It was in her DNA to keep track of details,” Peachey said.

As a student, David Driver ’85, former Weather Vane sports editor, narrowly missed the window when Mumaw was on campus. But he and his family became acquainted with her as longtime members of WCF beginning in the late 1980s.

“She was never one to talk about the role she played as a pioneer for women’s athletics at 91����Ƶ, but her love of sports was contagious,” said Driver. “I’m happy to say she made WCF a church with a lot of baseball fans.”

“I know that Carrie Bert benefited greatly from having Mim as a mentor,” Driver added. “Without Mim, there may not have been a Carrie as the first woman to serve as 91����Ƶ athletics director.”

Long after leaving 91����Ƶ, Mumaw continued to invest in its mission and its students. According to Swartzendruber, Mumaw included 91����Ƶ in her estate plans, directing support to two funds established by her parents: the Esther Mosemann Mumaw Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which benefits upperclasswomen of any major, and the John R. Mumaw Endowed Scholarship, which benefits teacher education students.

In 2018, Mumaw coordinated a fundraising effort among past and present members of WCF to increase the ongoing student impact of the Myron S. and Esther K. Augsburger Endowed Scholarship for Urban Ministry. The scholarship, valued at more than $400,000, benefits students at Eastern Mennonite Seminary who plan to serve in an urban setting. 

“Mim tried her hardest to attend every alumni gathering, homecoming, you name it,” Swartzendruber said. “She adored 91����Ƶ. I always got the impression that 91����Ƶ felt like home to her.”

In addition to her parents, Mumaw was preceded in death by her four sisters: Helen Peachey, Grace Mumaw, Catherine Mumaw, and Lois Martin. She is survived by six nieces and nephews, and many beloved great-nieces and great-nephews. 

“She was a single woman, never had children, never married, and so she created a community around her,” Peachey said. “She knew lots of people in lots of different walks of life. When she went to baseball games, people noticed how all the attendants knew her. She knew them all by name. She was always looking for ways to connect people together.”

Thanks to Simone Horst, special collections librarian, for providing the archival images of Mumaw included in this story.

When 91����Ƶ built a turf field in 1989, it became the first school in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to do so. 91����Ƶ’s field hockey athletes, who began playing on the field that fall, welcomed the switch from grass to artificial turf. The new surface complemented the speedy and skilled set of players; they could move the ball up the pitch faster and with more control and pass and shoot with more accuracy and power. The other schools in the ODAC were less than thrilled with the change, recounts Sandy Brownscombe, coach of the 91����Ƶ team from 1978-93.

“Everybody was upset,” she said. “They thought we had an unfair advantage. There was even discussion that we shouldn’t be allowed to host the conference tournament if we were the No. 1 seed.”

Fortunately, for 91����Ƶ and for the future of field hockey, those discussions soon ground to a halt. Eventually, the other ODAC schools, as well as countless high schools and colleges across the country, installed turf fields for their own field hockey programs.

“It’s the way the game was meant to be played,” Brownscombe said.

A sport with success

91����Ƶ’s turf field, along Park Road north of Suter Science Center, has witnessed the school’s leading scorers and legendary goalkeepers play on its pitch. Field hockey has more athletes inducted in 91����Ƶ’s Hall of Honor (18 players) and more teams in the hall (two: the 1980 and 1995 squads) than any other sport at the school. By comparison, men’s soccer, which has the second-most inductees, has 12 players and one team in the hall. Two coaches who led the field hockey program, Brownscombe and Miriam “Mim” Mumaw ‘61, are also in the hall.

91����Ƶ field hockey teams have won 11 ODAC titles and appeared at 11 national tournaments (two Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women [AIAW] and nine National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] tournaments). The 1995 team, which advanced further than any other in school history, competed in the final four of the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament and placed third in the country.

From 1979 to 2003, Royals field hockey celebrated an unparalleled streak of success with teams advancing every year during those 25-seasons to the final four of their conference—the Virginia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (VAIAW) from 1979-81 and the ODAC from 1982-2003. For six straight seasons, from 1995 to 2000, 91����Ƶ field hockey went undefeated in ODAC play. (The 1987 and 2007 teams were also undefeated in the ODAC.)

An era begins

Field hockey’s start in America is credited to Constance Applebee who played the sport in England and introduced it while on a tour of northeastern U.S. women’s colleges in 1901. She served as athletic director of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania from 1904-28 and co-founded the American Field Hockey Association.

It began as a club sport at 91����Ƶ in 1970 under Mumaw, a trailblazing athletic director who coached the women’s basketball (1966-75) and women’s volleyball (1968-79) teams.

Before that, students interested in field hockey like Fannie Bomberger Miller ‘71 played on area club teams composed of coaches from nearby schools and colleges.

“When I would tell kids from Virginia that I played hockey, they were like, ‘What’s that?’” said Miller, who came to 91����Ƶ from Manheim, Pennsylvania.

She played on the Shenandoah Valley club team from 1967-68. By the time 91����Ƶ fielded its own team, Miller said, she was too busy with her nursing coursework to join.

A group of students from the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area had played field hockey in high school and wanted to start a team at 91����Ƶ, Mumaw said. So, she volunteered to get them started, serving as inaugural coach for that first season. Field hockey became a varsity sport at 91����Ƶ in 1971, with coach Dianne Gates taking the helm for four years.

“I was more of a faculty adviser than a coach,” Mumaw said. “Dianne’s the one who developed the program.”

The Title IX Act of 1972 mandated equal funding for women’s sports. “A lot of the expansion in women’s athletics came from that,” Mumaw said. “We were fortunate to have Madison College (now JMU) and Bridgewater College close by because we could play them in almost any sport.”

In those days, 91����Ƶ’s women athletes competed in the AIAW. 91����Ƶ became one of the founding members of the ODAC in 1976, beginning with men’s sports. ODAC added women’s sports in 1982.

When Mumaw left 91����Ƶ in 1979 for a sabbatical-turned-permanent residency in Washington, D.C, she rented out her basement to Brownscombe for a year. Brownscombe, who also coached the women’s basketball (1978-89) and men’s volleyball (1991-98) teams, led the field hockey program for 16 seasons.

The 1980 team

For as long as 91����Ƶ has fielded a team—and even longer, Pennsylvania and the Lancaster region has been a hotbed of field hockey talent. As a coach, Brownscombe ran a field hockey camp at Camp Hebron (Pennsylvania) during the summers that helped to recruit players to 91����Ƶ. In fact, a majority of the players throughout 91����Ƶ’s history began playing the sport in high schools around Pennsylvania.

“The rest of the hockey world had not figured out, until we started getting really good, how great these Lancaster County girls were,” Brownscombe said. “Then they began to realize, ‘Oh, these kids are great players, they’re great people, and they’re great students.’”

For an example of their integrity, look no further than the 1980 AIAW regional tournament match between 91����Ƶ and Mary Washington. That game ended in a 0-0 tie, and both teams headed to a separate practice field for penalty strokes. When a Mary Washington player took her first penalty stroke, the ball slipped past 91����Ƶ goalkeeper Shirley Yoder Faust and through a hole in the net. The umpire, unaware of the hole, signaled a missed shot. It was then, Brownscombe said, that Faust approached the umpire and pointed out the hole.

“They came up to me, and the umpire asked, ‘Why would your goalie tell me it was a goal when I said it wasn’t?’” Brownscombe said. “Shirley looked at me and said, ‘Because it’s the truth,’ and the official just shook her head.”

That 1980 team, which went on to win those penalty strokes, finished third at the state tournament and second at the regional tournament. That year marked the first time Royals field hockey, or any sports team at the school, would qualify for a national tournament. It finished 13th and was inducted in the Hall of Honor in 2012.

“The players on that team saw the transition of field hockey at 91����Ƶ from just another team to one that had to be reckoned with,” Brownscombe said.

The ‘hay’ days of hockey

Before the turf field arrived on campus, the field hockey players practiced and played on a grass field that ran from the top of the tennis courts to the physical plant, through what is now the softball field.

Brownscombe recalled regularly painting lines on the field with the soccer coach, whose field was next to them, where the new track complex is. One year, she said, her players arrived at the field and found the grass so long it looked like hay.

“Fortunately, one of the captains had worked at the physical plant all summer and was allowed to drive a truck, so the other players could throw the grass in it,” she said. “Sure, it was frustrating, but that’s what we did.”

Field hockey and soccer players often had to stop practices for cross-country meets, which ran right across the 50-yard line of our grass fields. When they did get to play, it was in front of a passionate group of fans: the boys in the three-story Oakwood dormitory.

“They were rowdy,” Brownscombe said. “They would be watching out their windows and be shouting at the players.”

The ’90s teams

Tina Book ‘91 played on the field hockey team for four seasons in the late 1980s and returned to coach the team in 1994 after Brownscombe left. She remembered playing on the turf field the first year it was installed.

“It made the game faster, and it also allowed us to score more,” the 1989 ODAC Player of the Year said. “I feel like we were so adaptive to the turf.”

Indeed, all of the top scorers in the 91����Ƶ record books—players like Jeané Horning Hershey ‘94—made their mark on the turf. Hershey, once the career record leader in goals and points scored, now ranks sixth in career goals and eighth in career points at 91����Ƶ.

In 1992 and 1993, the Royals defeated rival and perennial ODAC powerhouse Lynchburg College in back-to-back conference finals matches to advance to the first round of the national tournament. It was the start of seven national tournament appearances that decade. (The Royals returned to the national tournament in 2000 and 2003.)

“We had a good camaraderie, and I don’t remember any drama,” Hershey said. “I just remember working hard and doing the best we could.”

Former goalkeeper Jen Kooker Peifer ’96, who played on the team from 1992-95, held the career saves record for 23 years before it was broken in 2018 by Kelsey Troyer. Peifer’s career save percentage record (89.8 percent) remains intact. She was inducted in the Hall of Honor as an athlete and as a member of the 1995 team.

That ‘95 squad posted a remarkable 21-2 overall record, an 8-0 conference record and a historic run to the final four at nationals. “I think that’s one of the best teams that 91����Ƶ has ever had in any sport,” Peifer said.

‘Small but mighty’

When Kristina Landis Yoder ’09 joined the field hockey team in 2006, she had heard all about its history of success.

“There was definitely a sense of honor in carrying on those traditions,” she said. “We always had pride in being a small but mighty team.”

Yoder recounted starting each morning of preseason practice with a three-mile run, followed by three practices held throughout the day. During her playing career, from 2006-08, the team led by coach Brenda Bechler made it to the ODAC finals every year only to be defeated by Lynchburg each time. Their first meeting, in 2006, ended in a tie and went into a second overtime before Lynchburg prevailed in penalty strokes.

“I don’t think there was any other game in my career that all of us played so hard and ran so hard,” she said. “That year, they didn’t expect us to make it that far, and we did. It was exhilarating and fun and by far the most memorable game I’ve ever played.”

A bright future

In February 2024, Chardonnay “Char” Hope took the reins as the new field hockey coach. She succeeds Ashley “Stick” Kishorn, who had coached the team since 2017.

Prior to coming to 91����Ƶ, Hope was the head field hockey coach at ODAC school Ferrum College. She said she had researched the Royals’ success, and it was what drew her to taking the job.

“A championship history and a winning mindset is embedded in the roots of this program,” Hope said. “There are many athletes and coaches who have paved the way for our current team and me.”

Turf as old as time

The 91����Ƶ turf field has a rich history. Its playing surface, which was last replaced in 2006, is now used by the men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s lacrosse team, in addition to the field hockey team. But, after 18 years of dutiful service, it’s showing its age. The turf no longer has the same bounce or cushion it once had. Sections of the surface are peeling away, presenting a safety hazard to the athletes who use it.

“Replacing the turf field is absolutely necessary to avoid injuries and attract the level of players that will build a winning team,” Hershey said.

Peifer agreed with her former teammate: “If you want athletes to come to 91����Ƶ, having top-tier athletic facilities is paramount. When they’re touring schools, the facilities that impress them play a big part in where they want to go.”

The turf field, one of the oldest in the ODAC, has lived nearly two industry-standard lives. The school is set to install new carpet and a top-of-the-line pad this summer. 91����Ƶ Athletics Director Carrie Bert said the new and improved field will be “visually appealing and, more importantly, provide more consistent ball play and a significantly safer experience for athletes and officials.”

Support our student-athletes and a new turf field through an immediate gift or multi-year commitment. Give today at emu.edu/turf-field, or contact kirk.shisler@emu.edu for more details.

Junior (Souderton, PA/Christopher Dock) earned an All-State award for the first time after being named All-ODAC First Team earlier this fall.  She was a key cog in the midfield and finished third on the team with eight goals and dished out two assists.  Santiago had three-game winning goals, including in overtime against Bridgewater in the ODAC Quarterfinals.

Attackers (Telford, PA/Souderton) and (Harleysville, PA/Christopher Dock) were also named to the All-State Second Team.

Bencsik led the Lady Royals with 11 goals and was tied for third in the ODAC during the regular season.  She had four game-winning scores and was second for 91����Ƶ with 24 total points.

Derstine led Eastern Mennonite with 29 points in her freshman season.  She had a team-high nine assists and was second with ten goals.  The speedy Derstine was also fourth in the ODAC in points.

91����Ƶ ended the year at 10-11, falling to eventual champion Lynchburg in the ODAC Semifinals.

Lynchburg College swept the top awards with the release of the 2011 College Division Field Hockey All-State Team, as voted on by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Junior Shelly Milks earned the Player of the Year Award, Katie Kline was the Rookie of the Year and Enza Steele was the Coach of the Year.

Milks, a first-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American, was also named the All-South Region Player of the Year.  Earlier this off-season, Milks was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was also the ODAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She tallied 10 goals and added eight assists, while helping the LC defense allow just nine goals all season.

Kline, also the ODAC Rookie of the Year, burst onto the scene this year with 11 goals, nine assists and 31 points, placing third on the team in all three categories.

Steele, the 2011 ODAC Coach of the Year, takes home her second-straight All-State Coach of the Year Award after LC went 19-2. The Hornets ended its 2011 season ranked fourth in NCAA Division III and LC advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Quarterfinal after earning the program’s sixth-straight ODAC crown.

2011 College Division All-State Field Hockey Team

Player of the Year: Shelly Milks, Lynchburg College
Rookie of the Year: Katie Kline, Lynchburg College
Coach of the Year: Enza Steele, Lynchburg College

First Team:
Attack:
Morgan Jones, Mary Washington
Katie Kline, Lynchburg
Lindsay Leonard, Lynchburg

Midfielder:
Caitlin Cahill, Christopher Newport
Lisa Charney, Mary Washington
Shelly Milks, Lynchburg

Defender:
Amy Abernathy, Mary Washington
Jennifer Bateman, Bridgewater
Brianna Milne, Christopher Newport
Amanda Wain, Lynchburg

Goalkeeper:
Tiffany Frye, Lynchburg

Second Team:
Attack:
Nicole Bencsik, Eastern Mennonite
Janessa Derstine, Eastern Mennonite
Carrie Jacobs, Randolph-Macon
Lauren Seal, Randolph-Macon

Midfielder:
Caitlin Baker, Mary Washington
Kristina Morris, Lynchburg
Adriana Santiago, Eastern Mennonite

Defender:
Shelby Judkins, Christopher Newport
Melanie Tenney, Lynchburg
Amber VanHorn, Shenandoah

Goalkeeper:
Jamie Dowling, Christopher Newport

The Lady Royals controlled the first 35 minutes and took an early lead on their home field just 11:11 in.  The speedy Derstine dribbled to the goal line and centered a pass which Santiago sent home to put 91����Ƶ up 1-0.

The women nearly added a second goal late in the half, but (Telford, PA/Souderton) had a shot from a corner come out off the post, and a minute later she flipped a backside one-timer just wide.

Bridgewater regrouped and earned a corner as time expired in the half.  Joan Burleson drilled the long shot off the corner to tie the game at 1-1 at the break.

Santiago helped the women take the lead back just 2:44 into the second as she dribbled up the right side and sent a cross to a wide open (Allensville, PA/Belleville Mennonite) for an easy goal.  But the Eagles had a quick answer, getting a score from Jennifer Bateman less than two minutes later to tie it up again.

The Lady Royals continued to have an advantage on the field, but the game stayed precariously tied.

Bridgewater nearly broke through, but (Matoaca, VA/Matoaca) made a great save on a breakaway with nine minutes left. On the resulting corner, 91����Ƶ dodged another bullet when a shot from outside of the circle hit the cage, but no one touched it along the way.

The women earned a handful of corners in the final minutes, but couldn’t make one stick and the game went into seven-on-seven extra time.

Overtime was full of excitement as both goalies made great saves.  Bencsik hit another shot of the post before Derstine found Santiago for the game winner, giving 91����Ƶ its second consecutive ODAC Quarterfinal win over the Eagles.  The women beat BC 2-1 in the same round last fall.

Also like last year, the Lady Royals (10-10) advance to the semifinals to take on top-seeded Lynchburg on Wednesday.  The Hornets, ranked No. 3 in the Kookaburra/NFHCA national poll, have won five straight ODAC titles.

The Lady Royals had a 25-12 edge in shots, including 6-3 in the overtime period.  Danaher finished with five saves.

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Junior field hockey forward Alyssa Derstine

There was a short period when Alyssa Derstine was afraid her legs could explode. The 91����Ƶ field hockey star has been assured that’s not going to happen, but it still feels like a possibility many days.

Just before the season, the junior forward was diagnosed with compartment syndrome in both of her lower legs, a condition in which pressure in the muscle builds to dangerous levels. There are two types of compartment syndrome – acute and chronic – and the former could actually cause a muscle to explode if it suffers trauma.

91����Ƶ a week after she was initially diagnosed, and a doctor told her not to run because she might have the acute version, Derstine learned she had the milder condition. That meant she didn’t have to worry about losing her legs, but it still meant she would spend each day of this season fighting through what would feel like the most painful of shin splints.

“The muscle gets so inflamed that it cuts off my nerve pathways, so my legs go numb,” Derstine said with a smile and laugh that contrasted with her words. “So it’s just, like, excruciating pain, and the leg gets so big and puffy.”

But on two legs that she sometimes can’t even feel, Derstine has led the Royals back to the top of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

The junior forward ranks second in the ODAC in goals (21) and total points (50), trailing only Lynchburg’s Allie Weir (33 goals and 69 points) in both categories. She also leads the Royals in assists with eight, a category in which she’s ranked fourth in the conference.

In large part because of her contributions, 91����Ƶ (13-4) is making a run at its 12th championship in the 27-year history of ODAC field hockey and its first since 2003. The Royals finished tied for first in the conference during the regular season but took the top seed in the tournament over Lynchburg, thanks to a head-to-head victory. After a 10-0 quarterfinal blowout of No. 8 seed Sweet Briar, they host No. 4 seed Washington & Lee at 6:30 p.m. today in the semifinals. See the 2008 team roster…

“She’s been a huge part of our offense,” senior defender Kristina Landis said. “I’ve been really impressed with her attitude dealing with compartment syndrome. She’s really been tough and she’s really been a great offensive force for us.”

Chronic compartment syndrome is usually caused by overusing the affected body part, and in Derstine’s case, that’s a surprise to no one.

The Telford, Pa., native – whose parents were both athletes at 91����Ƶ – is a health and physical education major and a workout fiend. She’s been especially intense since she got to 91����Ƶ and was converted from a sweeper – her position at Christopher Dock High School – to forward.

The biggest part of the transition is that it requires much more skilled stick handling. A sweeper’s job is just to take possession of the ball from the offense and clear it out away from the goal. Forwards have to keep control of the ball and attack with the dribble.

To get better at the skill, she went to 91����Ƶ’s turf field almost every day by herself doing stick drills – many of which she invented – adding to an already taxing regimen of weight lifting and running.

“She’ll just come to my office, get some balls, get some cones,” 91����Ƶ coach Brenda Bechler said, “and just entertain herself out here.”

Said Landis: “She’ll stay out for hours and just take hard shots on cage. Her strength is just continuously improving.”

It’s showed in the stats.

Derstine had three goals and four assists as a freshman, then led the team with 15 goals and six assists as a sophomore to earn All-ODAC first-team honors and lead the Royals to a 10-7 mark. That included a 7-0 conference record before they lost to Lynchburg in the conference finals.

Her success pushed Derstine to do even more work this offseason than she did in previous years, but by the summer, her shins were telling her it might have been a bit too much. She’d had pain in her legs for a while, but this time, she and her parents decided it was enough for her to get tested for a stress fracture. That came up negative, but doctors decided to test for compartment syndrome by putting Derstine on a treadmill and measuring her legs’ reaction; the tests, obviously, showed a major pressure build-up.

Doctors have recommended surgery to relieve the pressure, but they said Derstine could wait until after the season if she could play through the pain. At first, that seemed like it might be too much to ask, but the Royals are thrilled that she’s pressed on.

“I think it was the second game of our season, she came out in tears and just kind of fell to the ground,” Bechler said. “So we were just like, ‘Are we going to have to deal with this the whole season,’ and ‘How long will she be able to put up with this before she decides I can’t do this anymore?’ But yeah, she’s been a huge trooper.”

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