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

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

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

Coach Wendell Eberly said his golfers are excited to see what year two holds in store.

“The year of experience is good because the golfers know what to expect when they go to a tournament,” Eberly explained. “They can relate this to the new golfers, but experience is the best way of knowing how to deal with the pressures of tournament play.”

While officially a spring sport with a national championship in May, the men’s and women’s golf teams also play a few events in the fall. The ODAC Championships are April 27-29 at the Rock Barn Golf Club in Conover, N.C.

After a year of seeing the status of golf in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Eberly is continuing to point his teams to the basics.

“There are some really good golfers in the ODAC,” he said. “In order to improve you need to practice, but you also need to play as many tournaments as possible.”

Although the men’s squad must replace a couple of scoring seniors, both the men and women return their No. 1 golfer.

On the men’s side, sophomore Josh Alderfer (Faber, Va./Nelson County) had a round average of 81.7 last year with a low round of 77. He also had one top ten finish. Eberly expects him to be one of the top golfers in the ODAC in his second season. Freshman Mark Shaner (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County) will be 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s No. 2 golfer, and he is a good golfer who will only get better with experience on the collegiate level.

Caleb Schlabach (Millersburg, Ohio/Hiland), who averaged 86.7 with a low round of 81 as a freshman, and senior Zach Bowles (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) expect to round out the top four, with classmate John Toney (Buckingham, Va./Buckingham County) playing at the No. 5.

“Caleb did well as a freshman and continues to improve his game. His ball striking is excellent, and he is close to posting low scores,” said Eberly. “Zach is new to the team this year but has posted some low scores at Heritage Oaks. With some tournament experience he should be able to score in the low 80s. And John was on the team last year, but only went to one tournament. He is also a good ball striker and just needs more experience in tournament play.”

Senior Joel Murray (Hesston, Kan./Hesston) (88.2 in 2012-13) is also on the team, but will just fill in when needed during the fall. He will be off campus during the spring season on his cross cultural.

In their first year as a program, the Royals finished eighth out of ten teams at the ODAC Championships. While Eberly knows challenging the top programs in the league at this point would be a surprise, he does expect his men to challenge for a higher finish in the ODAC. They also want to limit the number of double and triple bogeys per round.

Brittany McDonaldson (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was the lone woman on the team last year, but she will be joined by junior Savanna Lester (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) in 2013-14. McDonaldson averaged 90.1 a round last year with three top ten finishes in five tournaments. She took sixth at the ODAC Championships to earn ODAC All-Tournament Team status as a freshman.

“Brittany is a really good golfer and has a lot of tournament experience,” said Eberly. “She has worked hard on her game this past summer and should be able to improve on her sixth place finish at the ODACs. Savanna is new to the game but has made big improvement since last spring. Just playing in some tournaments and getting experience should improve her game.”

The goals for the women are to improve throughout the year and for McDonaldson to earn a top three finish at the ODAC Championships in April.

Even with the experienced golfers he returns, Eberly expects a slow start to this year as the new players get accustomed to the college game. The men have four tournaments slated for this fall, with the women playing in three, and each will add more in the spring.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ 5, MCLA 2

Both teams played small ball to a 2-2 tie after four innings of play. The Royals finally broke through in their final at-bat of the seven-inning contest.

Austin Oliver (Gordonsville, VA/Orange County) led off with a single, and two batters later Ryan McAlister (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) hit a clutch two-run single to put 91¶ÌÊÓƵ up 4-2. Kyle Armstrong (Greenville, VA/Riverheads) added an RBI single to provide the final 5-2 tally.

Adam Posey (Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to complete the win. He gave up one earned run on four hits to improve to 3-0.

Armstrong led the offense with a pair of singles and a walk. McAlister had the big two-run hit in the seventh and Justin Rodriguez (Miramar, FL/Pace) reached base twice with a single and a walk.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ 9, MCLA 0

The Royals methodically scored in four of their six at-bats in the second game of the twin bill to secure the shutout.

Daniel Stanley (Henrico, VA/Varina) was untouchable from the hill and struck out 10 while allowing only four hits. He didn’t walk a batter. The senior is now 3-2 on the year.

McAlister was 2-3 with a walk and two runs. B.J. Mortimer (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) had a pair of sacrifice flies and scored a run. Zach Bowles (Staunton, VA/Robert E. Lee) was 2-4 with two RBIs and a run while Oliver and Phillip Jordan (West Point, VA/Christchurch) each had a pair of RBIs as well. Rodriguez scored twice.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ 7, Wittenberg 5

The Royals also had a win over Wittenberg on Thursday, jumping to a 5-0 lead and holding on for the decision. Armstrong got the final out for the save while Casey Harlow (Louisa, VA/Louisa County) pitched the first 5.2 innings for the win. Harlow struck out six and allowed two runs on four hits.

Oliver led the offense with two hits and two RBIs. Jordan and Jonathan Estrada (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) each went 1-3 with an RBI.

After the drive back from Florida, Eastern Mennonite has a couple of days off before they take on new Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponent Shenandoah at home next Wednesday. Game time is set for 4 p.m. in Harrisonburg.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ 9, Mount Saint Vincent 1
The men pounded out 13 hits in the opener and jumped ahead in the bottom of the first when (Miami, FL/Doral Academy) ripped a two-run triple.  (Staunton, VA/Robert E. Lee) added a run-scoring triple in the third to make it 4-0.

(Greenville, VA/Riverheads) jumped on the three bagger parade in the sixth, as his two-run triple highlighted a five-run frame.

The visiting Dolphins got their only run on a one-out groundout in the seventh.

(Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) improves to 2-0 with the complete game win, as he struck out seven and scattered three hits.

Estrada finished 3-4 with three runs and two RBIs, as the catcher was a homer short of hitting for the cycle.  (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) was 2-3 with two RBIs and a run while Armstrong went 2-4 with two RBIs and a run.  (Miramar, FL/Pace) walked and singled and scored twice.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ 16, Mount Saint Vincent 2
The men picked up their second 16-2 win of the season in the nightcap, pounding out 17 hits.  They scored at least one run in each of the six innings the offense came to the plate.

(Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) had the biggest swing, ripping a two-run homer in the sixth.  It was the junior’s first homerun of his collegiate career.

Mortimer keyed the attack out of the five-spot, batting 3-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs.  Armstrong missed the cycle by a homer and finished 4-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run.  Posey had a double and three walks, and scored four times.

McAlister, Estrada and Bowles each had two hits.

(Henrico, VA/Varina) threw the first six innings and improved to 2-1.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s ace struck out eight Dolphins.  Armstrong struck out a pair as he pitched the seventh.

Eastern Mennonite is now on a four-game winning streak.  The men have also won five of their last six to move two games over .500.  The Royals open conference play next weekend, playing a pair at Emory & Henry on Saturday before heading to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational the following week.