For the first time since the 2014-15 season, one school has collected the conference’s highest individual honors with the announcement of the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Awards on Thursday afternoon. Shenandoah University field hockey standout Elise Velasquez and Hornets baseball star Gavin Horning earned this year’s honors following a vote of the ODAC Board of Directors.
This is the first time Shenandoah has swept the Berkley and Jopson Awards. Horning is first SU recipient of the Jopson prize, while Velasquez joins former women’s basketball standout Olivia Weinel (2022) as winners of the Berkley Award.
Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member institution seniors (or graduate students) and conference sport participants who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching career at then Lynchburg College. Several years later, she moved to Hollins University where she coached tennis, field hockey, and soccer, and served as the athletic director for 30 years.
The Jopson Award is named in honor of the Bridgewater College professor and coach who retired in 1981 following 45 years at BC. Dr. Jopson, who initiated and directed the Eagles’ cross country and track & field programs, led his teams to ODAC indoor track & field titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and outdoor crowns from 1978 through 1981.
“Being a member of Shenandoah’s field hockey team for the past four years was transformative for my academic career,” explained Velasquez in a written statement as part of her nomination for the Berkley Award. “Due to the support of my amazing coach, athletic director, adviser, and professors, I was given a myriad of opportunities that not only supported the scholastic portion of my collegiate experience, but changed my life overall in the most positive way.”
Velasquez, who hails from Herndon, Virginia, already has a cabinet of major honors, achievements, and recognition for not only her time on the field, but also in the classroom and within her various communities. Velasquez graduated from SU with a degree in exercise science with minors in business administration and coaching. She will pursue a Master of Business Administration. A four-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad member and soon-to-be four-time ODAC All-Academic Team honoree, Velasquez was recognized multiple times on the Shenandoah Dean’s List and President’s List. She is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma (scholar-athlete) national honor society. The two-year president of SU’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee traveled to Indianapolis in January 2022 for the NCAA Convention as a member of the NCAA Student Immersion Program.
On the field, Velasquez was a two-time ODAC Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-ODAC First Team selection. She was honored three times as NFHCA All-Region and earned appointments to the NFHCA Third Team All-America and Synapse Sports Third Team All-America squads. She also earned a spot on the NFHCA Senior Team in recognition of four years of competition. Velasquez helped the Hornets finish as the ODAC runner-up each of the past two seasons, campaigns in which she played every minute as a centerback. She spearheaded a defensive unit that registered 11 shutouts and allowed just six goals on penalty corners this season. The Hornets, who finished 17th in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll this season, surrendered just 15 goals in 19 games in 2023. During Velasquez’s career, SU allowed 1.16 goals per game (78 total) over 67 contests.
Outside of the classroom and off the field, Velasquez was active both on campus and within her various communities and took advantage of several opportunities throughout her collegiate experience. The three-time team captain and 2023-24 Athletic Director Senior Award recipient was a four-year representative for the field hockey team on SU’s SAAC. She was a member of SU’s Student Alumni Board and interned with the SU athletic department. She also served as an intern with Russ Potts Productions, which coordinates and promotes entertainment in the United States and abroad through sports, music and travel. For the past seven years, Velasquez has worked with The Diversity Training Group, serving as an IT assistant and director of social media.
Velasquez has participated in several programs associated with Shenandoah athletics. She was a mentor at Orchard View Elementary School and twice participated in National Girls and Women’s in Sports Day (NGWSD) events at Frederick Douglass Elementary in Winchester. She volunteered her time with Bright Futures and with Kids Day Out, serving as lead organizer of the latter venture for the past two years. Velasquez was a Winchester Rescue Mission volunteer five times and twice volunteered at the Concern Hotline Golf Outing.
Horning, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, shined for Shenandoah baseball for five seasons not only on the diamond, but in the classroom as both an undergraduate and graduate student and within his communities. Horning graduated from SU in 2023 with a criminal justice degree and is currently working toward a Master of Science in organizational leadership. A member of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Honors Program (2019-21) and Dean’s List honoree will soon be a five-time ODAC All-Academic Team honoree. Horning is a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honoree and earned CSC Academic All-America plaudits in 2023. Voting for that award this season is currently on-going. He is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma (scholar-athlete) national honor society and was a 2023 recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team of Excellence Award.
“Playing baseball in the ODAC for Shenandoah has been an honor, and a challenge,” expressed Horning in a written statement as part of his nomination for the Jopson Award. “Playing the toughest competition available has sharpened my focus, dedication, and perseverance, all of which I took to my academics. Although balancing both a class schedule and a baseball schedule has not been easy, doing so has enhanced and enriched my time in college and equipped me for challenges that lie ahead.”
With a bat and glove, Horning’s impressive list of accolades continues. The Hornets’ right fielder entered the 2024 campaign as a Preseason All-American by D3baseball.com, which came on the heels of ABCA First Team All-American and D3baseball.com Second Team All-American nods in 2023. He was named the ABCA Region Player of the Year and SU team MVP that season. The three-time All-ODAC honoree helped Shenandoah advance to three ODAC championship games and claim the 2022 conference title. Statistically, Horning is SU’s all-time single-season leader in games played and started (52) and triples (7), both set in 2023. He batted over .400 in both 2022 (53-of-132) and 2023 (79-of-193). For his career, Horning hit .373 (184-of-493) with a 1.064 OPS. Among his 184 hits were 35 doubles, 12 triples, and 17 homers. He drove in 134 runs – including 60 in 2023 – and drew 45 walks and was hit by 52 pitches to help him to a .468 on-base percentage. He also stole 23 bases. Defensively, Horning graduated with a .978 fielding percentage, having committed just five errors with 10 outfield assists in 224 total chances.
Shenandoah’s baseball team is extremely active in the community and the Hornets’ two-year co-captain was ever-present at those events. Horning volunteered his time for the past five years at the Concern Hotline Fish Fry and Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast. He spent four years at the Kids Day Out event and three times volunteered with the American Red Cross Blood Drive. He also participated in the United Way Rubbermaid sale and Winchester Youth Development Center for two years. The four-year SU Team Leadership Council member was part of clean-up efforts at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum and was a volunteer at the Kernstown Battlefield Association half-marathon.
