Rising senior women’s soccer player Jennifer Nguyen has been named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar in selections announced recently by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Nguyen, who has earned All-ODAC honors in each of her three seasons in a Shenandoah uniform, was selected to the soccer third team by the publication. She was one just three NCAA Division III student-athletes on the third team. Nominees for the Ashe team were selected based on academic and athletic success. Read more here.
Five Shenandoah University baseball players earned All-State honors in selections announced June 10 by the Virginia State Sports Information Directors Association. Michael Scimanico ’16 and Phil Morse ’16, along with rising seniors Jake Loew and Abel Arocho, were named first team All-State with rising junior Colin Morse named to the second team. Scimanico and Colin Morse were named as starting pitchers, Phil Morse as a reliever, Loew as a designated hitter and Arocho in the outfield. Read more here. Scimanico and junior Loew were also named All-America by D3baseball.com in selections announced by the website on May 26. The two were named second team All-America.
The Shenandoah University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics had 236 student-athletes honored for their spring 2016 academic achievement in selections announced June 9 by the department. The 236, with at least one representative from all 21 of the department’s intercollegiate athletic programs, were named to the Athletic Director’s List for earning at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Within that group, 179 earned Dean’s List accolades for posting a 3.25 GPA or above. Finally, 22 of those honored had a perfect 4.0 GPA. Read more, including the full list of honored students.
The Shenandoah University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics opened an online store in May, called ShopSUHornets.com. The product of a partnership between the Athletics Department and Advanced-Online, ShopSUHornets.com is a one-stop shop for all Shenandoah Athletics-related apparel and goods. “We are very excited to be able to make this store available to our fans,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug Zipp said. “As a part of our rebranding effort last year, we wanted to create an outlet for our fans to be able to display their loyalty to SU Athletics. This store meets that goal perfectly. Now, any fan is just one click away from a host of products branded with our logo.” ShopSUHornets.com features more than 900 items for sale including apparel as well as fashion, home and business accessories and novelties. The store also offers regular promotions throughout the school year and around special events.
Senior Michael Scimanico and junior Jake Loew headline a group of four Shenandoah University baseball players who earned D3baseball.com All-South Region honors in selections announced by the website on May 23. Scimanico and Loew were named first team All-Region at starting pitcher and designated hitter, respectively, with Phil Morse named second team All-Region and Abel Arocho third team. Morse was picked as a relief pitcher and Arocho to the outfield.
The Shenandoah University men’s golf team led the athletics department academically in spring grades announced on May 31. Men’s Golf, with a 3.54 team GPA, paced a record 16 teams with at least a 3.0 team GPA. The 16 of 21 teams breaking the 3.0 barrier shatters the previous high of 13 teams set in the fall 2015 semester.
Four members of the Shenandoah University baseball team earned ABCA All-Region honors in selections announced by the organization on May 24. Senior Michael Scimanico and junior Jake Loew were named first team All-Region with senior Phil Morse and junior Abel Arocho placed on the second team. Read more here.
Four Shenandoah University student-athletes have earned All-Region honors in track & field in selections announced by the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association on May 23. Junior Danyelle McGrady led this quartet by earning All-Region honors in both the hammer and javelin throws. Senior Morgan Smith joined her in the hammer with juniors Shelby Shrader and Ansel Borhauer being named in the steeplechase and the 400-meter dash, respectively. Read more here.
Senior Kelani Bailey was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) women’s at-large Academic All-District V first team in selections announced by the organization on May 12. Bailey, a four-year member of the Hornets field hockey program, had a 3.92 GPA as a sports management/business double major. She earned first team All-ODAC honors this past season as well as being named as the ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey. In addition to her academic and athletic accolades, Bailey served as president of the Shenandoah University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was the Class of 2016 female Athletic Director’s Award winner (academics, athletics and community service) and is the department’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Junior Stephen LaTona led a group of three Shenandoah University men’s lacrosse players who earned All-ODAC accolades in selections announced by the league office on May 12. LaTona, an attackman with a 3.92 GPA as a finance major, was named the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s lacrosse in addition to third team All-ODAC and to the Ray Rostan All-Sportsmanship team. Senior Dom Lombardi and junior Ben Judy joined LaTona on the third team. LaTona is the first Shenandoah male athlete, and sixth overall, to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year in his sport. He joins a group that includes Molly Barb (women’s tennis, 2014), Danielle Burris (women’s soccer, 2014 and 2015), Liz Bereit (women’s lacrosse, 2015) and Kelani Bailey (field hockey, 2015). The honor was the second straight for all three men. Last season, Judy was a second team selection at goalkeeper with Lombardi and LaTona both selected to the third team at defense and attack, respectively.
The Shenandoah University women’s lacrosse team had three student-athletes earn All-ODAC accolades in selections announced by the league office on May 11. Sophomores Jackie Hemler, Annie McCorry and Abby Zorrillawere all named third team All-ODAC in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Hemler was picked on defense, McCorry at attack and Zorrilla as a midfielder. Zorrilla led the Hornets in scoring with 32 goals and 17 assists for 49 points with McCorry’s 44 points on 37 goals and seven assists good for third on the squad. Hemler added 15 goals and two assists for 17 points despite primarily playing in a defensive role. McCorry’s 21 caused turnovers led Shenandoah with Hemler’s 14 fifth on the team. Zorrilla was also fourth in draw controls. The honor is the first for all three women.
Kimberly Brady ’16, was named ODAC Softball Player of the Year in selections announced April 28. Brady, the Hornets centerfielder, finished her season with a .484 batting average that included a program-record 10 home runs as well as 25 runs batted in 122 at-bats. In league play, Brady hit .526 with an amazing .965 slugging percentage and .550 on-base percentage. Five of her 10 home runs came against ODAC competition. The league honor caps a career in which she was named the 2013 ODAC Rookie of the Year and first team All-ODAC honoree. Brady completed her four-year SU career with a .382 average and 19 home runs in 144 games. She is the first SU player to be named ODAC Player of the Year in four seasons of league play.
Shenandoah University had seven student-athletes earn All-ODAC honors in baseball selections announced during the opening game of the league tournament on April 28. Senior Phil Morse and junior Abel Arocho highlighted the selections with first team accolades at relief pitcher and in the outfield, respectively. Morse’s younger brother, Colin Morse, and senior Michael Scimanico grabbed the second team All-ODAC spots at pitcher with junior Jake Loew earning the second team position at designated hitter. Senior Joe Coleman and freshman Tristan Baker rounded out the honorees with third team selections. Coleman was picked in the outfield and Baker at second base. The honor is the third for Scimanico in his four seasons with the rest being selected for the first time in their careers. In four seasons of ODAC baseball, Shenandoah has 23 All-league selections with the seven this season matching the seven picked last year. In 2014, Shenandoah had six players plus Kevin Anderson as Coach of the Year. Two players, Scimanico and Corbin Lucas ’15, were picked in 2013.
Senior Evan Cocke earned his third straight All-ODAC accolade for men’s golf in selections announced as part of the championship banquet on April 25. Cocke, who posted a team-leading 75.7-stroke average over 20 rounds this past season, earned All-ODAC honors for the second time in his career. He was a first team honoree last year. Cocke had five top 10 finishes this season including a win at the Camp Lejeune Scarlet at the beginning of April. In 54 career rounds prior to the ODAC Tournament, Cocke posted a 76.85-stroke average.
The Shenandoah University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its Senior Awards as part of its annual Senior Class Banquet on April 18. Following a keynote speech by Courtney (Beard) Jarrett ’07 and the presentation of commemorative plates to the 62 members of the Class of 2016, the department announced the winners of the major awards for the senior class.
Each year, the department recognizes the Outstanding Athlete, Outstanding Student-Athlete and Athletic Director’s Award for males and females in the graduating class. The awards encompass the student-athletes’ entire Shenandoah career. The Athletic Director’s Award, the highest award in the department, recognizes the two students that excel in the classroom, on the playing field and in service to the community. The six awards are nominated and voted on by the head coaches and athletics department senior administrative staff.
This year, four student-athletes: Kelani Bailey, Danielle Burris, Nate Long and Darrell Thompson earned the six awards. Burris and Thompson both garnered two awards each; Burris was recognized as both female athlete and female student-athlete and Thompson as male athlete and male Athletic Director’s award. Bailey, a member of the field hockey team and a collegiate national champion in racquetball, earned the female Athletic Director’s Award while Long was named as the Outstanding Male Student-Athlete.
Junior Ben Judy posted school-record performance for saves in an April 23 men’s lacrosse meeting with Randolph-Macon. Although the Hornets lost the contest, 15-4, Hornets goalkeeper Judy made a program-record 31 saves for Shenandoah.
