Hornets Giving to Community Makes the Top 10 List
Shenandoah's student-athletes have a mission to give back to the Winchester community.
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics began its third annual summer series last week, looking at the Top 10 moments from the 2010-11 athletic year. Number 10 on the list is football’s fantastic finish; changes in coaching staff is No. 9; No. 8 is the new drug testing policy; No. 7 is record-setting win totals; and No. 6 highlight is a record-breaking streak. The summer series No. 5 highlight is: Hornets in the Winchester community.
Part of the Division III mission is giving student-athletes well-rounded experiences. In addition to participating in intercollegiate athletics, students must get the job done in the classroom, and they are expected to give back to their community. Once again in 2010-11, Shenandoah student-athletes excelled in all these aspects.
Academically, a school record 108 student-athletes earned Academic All-USA South honors. Annually given to student-athletes achieving at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in both semesters of the academic year, Shenandoah had the second-most honorees this season in the league. Looking at individual semesters, 165 earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll honors in the spring after 157 achieved it in the fall. More than 230 of these same student-athletes were named to the Dean's List (min. 3.25 GPA). Overall, student-athletes had a 2.83 GPA this past spring with the women achieving a 3.12.
Greg Van Sickler ’11, one of the most decorated baseball players in school history, capped his career by being named as the male recipient of the USA South Conference’s Don Scalf Award – the highest honor given by the league, which encompasses athletics, academics and community service.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee once again led the way in giving to the community. The year was capped by a first-ever Community Day on Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium, and SAAC was second in the annual canned food race that benefits those in need.
The volleyball team broke new ground by raising nearly $2,000 for breast cancer awareness as part of a national “Dig Pink” initiative. The baseball team, long a leader in community service, continued its outreach programs this past year, while men’s and women’s tennis, softball and men's and women's lacrosse also got involved raising money for good causes, giving their time to help others and representing Shenandoah in our Winchester-Frederick County community.