{"id":12723,"date":"2012-05-08T12:02:58","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T16:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=12723"},"modified":"2012-05-21T12:00:06","modified_gmt":"2012-05-21T16:00:06","slug":"emu-wraps-up-athletic-year-with-honors-banquet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2012\/emu-wraps-up-athletic-year-with-honors-banquet\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU Wraps Up Athletic Year With Honors Banquet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eastern Mennonite University held its Athletic Honors Banquet on April 17 in a time of reflecting upon and honoring the journeys of the Royals\u2019 student-athletes.\u00a0 Seniors <strong>Andy Richter<\/strong> (Perkasie, PA\/Christopher Dock) and <strong>Marla Young<\/strong> (Fishersville, VA\/Wilson Memorial) won the President\u2019s Awards, the highest athletic award given out by EMU.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/president\/\">Dr. Loren Swartzendruber<\/a> presented the awards, which are based on academic achievement, athletic contribution, Christian commitment, leadership, campus involvement and service, as the culmination of the evening.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.emuroyals.com\/images\/news\/awards\/2012\/index\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to see photos of the evening.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Richter, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/business\/administration\/\">business administration<\/a> major with a 3.64 GPA, was a four-year pitcher for the baseball team and plans to work in a sales or marketing position.\u00a0 He was consistently on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and EMU\u2019s Dean\u2019s List.\u00a0 Besides baseball, his campus life was filled with leadership on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/studentlife\/clubs\/\">Fellowship of Christian Athletes<\/a>, EMU Royals Society and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/music\/ensemble\/\">Chamber Singers<\/a>.\u00a0 He also volunteered at numerous places off campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are not an athlete just when you\u2019re in season \u2013 you\u2019re an athlete year round,\u201d Richter explained in how he balanced his demanding schedule at EMU.\u00a0 \u201cBaseball provided me with the discipline I needed to enjoy a busy, but incredibly rewarding college career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Young, a captain with the women\u2019s basketball team, was also on the Dean\u2019s List and ODAC All-Academic Team, holding a 3.71 GPA with a major in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/biology\/\">biology<\/a> and minor in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/pe\/majors-and-minors\/\">exercise science<\/a>.\u00a0 She was a four-year member of Royals Society, helping with prospective students, as well as being a member of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/pphs\/\">Pre-Professional Health Science Society<\/a>.\u00a0 Young was also a youth leader at her church and volunteered with a local food bank and the fall back-to-school backpack drive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a student-athlete has taught me to be mentally and physically strong in seemingly impossible situations,\u201d said Young, who suffered a long-lasting shoulder injury her freshman season.\u00a0 \u201cGod used basketball as the framework that I could grow in my relationship with Him, share my talents with others, and now go on to pursue a career in physical therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Athletic Department staff also voted for Athlete of the Year winners.\u00a0 <strong>Mitchell Leap<\/strong> (Harrisonburg, VA\/Eastern Mennonite) claimed the men\u2019s honor with <strong>Bianca Ygarza<\/strong> (Conestoga, PA\/Penn Manor) taking the women\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Leap led the men\u2019s soccer team in scoring for the fourth straight season, netting ten goals, which was also third-best in the conference.\u00a0 He had five game-winning goals and was named All-ODAC First Team.\u00a0 Leap graduates fourth in EMU history with 35 career goals and fifth with 80 career points.\u00a0 Ygarza was a dynamic presence as a power forward for the basketball women, earning a spot on the All-ODAC First Team as a sophomore.\u00a0 She led EMU with 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and was second in the ODAC in field goal percentage and free throws.<\/p>\n<p>Also at the banquet, Newcomer of the Year Awards were given to <strong>Jenessa Derstine<\/strong> (Harleysville, PA\/Christopher Dock) in field hockey and <strong>Justin Rodriguez<\/strong> (Miramar, FL\/Pace) in baseball.<\/p>\n<p>Derstine, an attacker for the Lady Royals, led the team with 29 points this year.\u00a0 She scored ten goals and assisted on nine others.\u00a0 Her speed helped ignite EMU\u2019s offense and landed her on the All-ODAC Third Team.\u00a0 Rodriguez batted .374 with 28 runs and team highs of four homeruns and 41 RBIs.\u00a0 His RBI total was third in the ODAC during the regular season and the third baseman was named All-ODAC Second Team.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the dinner and banquet, four seniors gave short reflections on their time playing a sport at Eastern Mennonite: <strong>Valerie Landis<\/strong> (Quakertown, PA\/Quakertown) from field hockey, <strong>Justin King<\/strong> (Lititz, PA\/Warwick) from baseball, <strong>Pete Nelson<\/strong> (Harrisonburg, VA\/Christopher Dock) from track and cross country, and <strong>Brent Yoder<\/strong> (Sarasota, FL\/Sarasota Christian) from soccer.<\/p>\n<p>King uniquely talked about playing four years of a collegiate sport even though the experience was not living up to the ideas he had beforehand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have learned a lesson I would have not chosen to learn on my own, because it was painful,\u201d said King.\u00a0 \u201cThrough the ups and downs, the wins and losses, I have had to rely on God as my source of hope and strength when I was weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed.\u00a0 The Apostle Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, \u2018Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.\u00a0 But he said to me, \u2018My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u2019\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.emuroyals.com\/information\/generalnews\/2011-12\/king_reflection\" target=\"_self\">Click here to read King&#8217;s full reflection.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Landis was the lone senior on the field hockey team this fall and stepped into a leadership role which was not natural to her.\u00a0 She said that will help her as she leaves college.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recognize that I am going to be a new member of a completely different team after graduation,\u201d Landis explained. \u00a0\u201cWhat I have learned over the past four years is that I can\u2019t let my age or lack of experience hinder me from being responsible or taking initiative. \u00a0God has granted each of us the experience of being part of a team and it is my hope that we are able to leave this community as an athlete and a graduate and apply those interpersonal skills learned on either the court or field and apply them in the next stage of life, appropriately and meaningfully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.emuroyals.com\/information\/generalnews\/2011-12\/landis_reflection\" target=\"_self\">Click here to read Landis&#8217; full reflection.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ronald Stoltzfus, Faculty Athletic Representative, and Dr. Nancy Heisey, Undergraduate Academic Dean, presented the Academic Achievement Awards to each team\u2019s individual with the highest GPA.\u00a0 Those awards went to: Richter and <strong>Brad Billings<\/strong> (Selinsgrove, PA\/Selinsgrove) in baseball, <strong>Jennifer Blankenship<\/strong> (Bassett, VA\/Bassett) in women\u2019s basketball, <strong>Owen Longacre<\/strong> (Telford, PA\/Christopher Dock) in men\u2019s basketball, <strong>Nels Akerson<\/strong> (Harrisonburg, VA\/Eastern Mennonite) in men\u2019s cross country, <strong>Alli Eanes<\/strong> (Harrisonburg, VA\/Westmont Hilltop) in women\u2019s cross country and track, <strong>Jenna Longenecker<\/strong> (Lancaster, PA\/Conestoga Valley) in field hockey, <strong>Bryce Shank<\/strong> (Harrisonburg, VA\/Eastern Mennonite) in men\u2019s soccer, <strong>Erica Detweiler<\/strong> (Hickory, NC\/Fred T. Foard) in women\u2019s soccer, <strong>Aaron Sloan<\/strong> (Ooltewah, TN\/McCallie School) in men\u2019s track, and <strong>Kendall Garber<\/strong> (Lancaster, PA\/Lancaster Mennonite) in men\u2019s volleyball.<\/p>\n<p>The evening included a special mention of <a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2012\/04\/emu-mourns-loss-of-student\/\">Theo Yoder<\/a>, a senior student worker with the athletic events staff, who had passed away from cancer just a week prior to the banquet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eastern Mennonite University held its Athletic Honors Banquet on April 17 in a time of reflecting upon and honoring the journeys of the Royals\u2019 student-athletes.\u00a0 Seniors Andy Richter (Perkasie, PA\/Christopher <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2012\/emu-wraps-up-athletic-year-with-honors-banquet\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about EMU Wraps Up Athletic Year With Honors Banquet<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":12725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4516,5176,5731,5175,5732,4522,5681,5633,5733,5178,4513,5173,5720,5634],"tags":[14207,13754,16705,14288,14282,14135,13934,14041,5831,14289,13918,14166,13975,14287,14130,13631,6069,11555,11598,9392,13981,13937,13976,10207,11785,6249,14252,14039],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-12723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-baseball","category-cross-country","category-field-hockey","category-indoor-track","category-mens-basketball","category-mens-soccer","category-mens-volleyball","category-outdoor-track","category-softball","category-student-life","category-womens-basketball","category-womens-soccer","category-womens-volleyball","tag-aaron-sloan","tag-all-academic-team","tag-all-odac","tag-alli-eanes","tag-andrew-richter","tag-athletics","tag-bianca-ygarza","tag-brent-yoder","tag-chamber-singers","tag-erica-detweiler","tag-jenessa-derstine","tag-jenna-longenecker","tag-jennifer-blankenship","tag-justin-king","tag-justin-rodriguez","tag-kendall-garber","tag-loren-swartzendruber","tag-marla-young","tag-mitchell-leap","tag-nancy-heisey","tag-nels-akerson","tag-owen-longacre","tag-pete-nelson","tag-pre-med","tag-ronald-stoltzfus","tag-royals","tag-theodore-brian-yoder","tag-valerie-landis"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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