Jess Rheinheimer, stellar basketball forward and nursing major, named one of five in nation to Academic First Team

Eastern Mennonite University junior Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team. She is just one of five women’s basketball players from the entire country named to the First Team. A member of the EMU honors program, Rheinheimer holds a 3.96 GPA in the university’s well-respected nursing program, along with a minor in history.

Earlier this winter, the Royals’ 5-10 forward was named Academic All-District in District 5, which includes much of the southeastern states in the U.S.

Rheinheimer studied in Honduras in the summer of 2013 as part of EMU’s cross-cultural program. She is on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-Academic Team and the Royals All-Academic Team, as well as Eastern Mennonite’s dean’s list.

Just as talented on the basketball court as she is in the classroom, Rheinheimer enters this week’s ODAC Tournament averaging a league-best 19.6 points along with 7.4 rebounds, 10th in the ODAC. Rheinheimer also tops the conference in field goals (183) and is second in three point percentage (42.2%), sixth in field goal percentage (51.0%), seventh in blocks (24) and 12th in steals (40).

An All-ODAC Second Team selection last spring as a part-time starter, Rheinheimer has taken off this year. She was named the USBWA National Player of the Week after scoring 29 points with 12 rebounds against Christopher Newport on Dec. 30 followed by 41 and 10 against Washington on Jan. 3. Rheinheimer has also earned ODAC Player of the Week and D3hoops.com National Team of the Week honors twice each this year.

Click here to see the entire list of Capital One Academic All-America Women’s Basketball Teams.

Eastern Mennonite’s women’s basketball team, coached by Kevin Griffin in his 10th season at EMU, is the top seed in the ODAC Tournament this week, carrying a record of 21-3 overall and 15-1 in the ODAC. The women are also riding a 10-game winning streak and they look for their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.