Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University midfielder Cody Griffis earned third team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference accolades for men's lacrosse in selections announced by the league on May 6. In 10 ODAC games, the sophomore from New Market, Maryland, led the Hornets with 25 goals and 28 points. Additionally, he had three man-up goals in conference play to go along with eight groundballs and one caused turnover. Griffis scored in each ODAC contest and had eight multi-goal games. The midfielder registered a season-high six goals in the team's 16-4 win at Averett University in April.

Shenandoah University's women's lacrosse team earned six All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections, while first-year Natalie Opatovsky earned the league's Rookie of the Year award in an announcement made by the conference office on May 5. The Hornets had three first-team selections with Ayla Jantz, Addison Harmel, and Talia Maria each earning a spot. Opatovsky, Emily Ransom, and Alex Ripkin rounded out SU's selections with second-team honors.

Shenandoah University's outdoor track and field program had four student-athletes combine to earn five All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference accolades at the ODAC Championships on April 24-25 at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Sophomore thrower Grady Speer (men's hammer throw, discus) led the Hornets with a pair of all-conference performances over the two-day event, while first-year Molly Donaldson (women's shot put), sophomore Maddy Chorney (women's 10,000-meter), and first-year Roman Bernard (men's 400-meter) also each placed among the top three in their respective events.

The Shenandoah University men's tennis team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards on April 20, with Dominick Suwak winning the league's award for singles and Lucas Beasley and Shine Tokas earning the honor for doubles. Suwak has won ODAC Singles Player of the Week for the sixth time this season and has also earned two additional Doubles Team of the Week awards. The Hornets' top singles player went 2-0 this week, starting with a win over Randolph College's Jacob Martin (6-4, 3-6, 6-3) on April 15. Suwak followed it up with a victory on April 18 over Bridgewater College's Corey Beshoar, 6-1, 6-1. For the Hornets' doubles team, Beasley and Tokas played at the No. 2 spot in all three matches last week, going 3-0 against Randolph, Bridgewater and Guilford College. The duo won 6-0 over Randolph's Jason Duval and Aksel Tinnes-Rimehaug, prior to defeating Bridgewater's duo of Levi Widelich and Logan Garner by the same score. Beasley and Tokas finished their week with a victory against Guilford's George Hardie and Turner Johnson, 6-2, in Shenandoah's regular-season finale.

Dominick Suwak and Aryanth Chintharlapalli earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Doubles Team of the Week accolade for the second time this season following a 3-0 week for the Shenandoah University men's tennis team. The duo played at the No. 3 spot in all three matches for the Hornets, with three wins as a team. Suwak and Chintharlapalli played their way to a 6-2 win in the first match of the week versus Goucher on April 7 before entering ODAC play over the weekend. In conference play, the duo first downed Averett, 7-6, with a 7-2 tiebreaker, on April 11 before defeating Lynchburg's duo, 6-2, on April 12.

Shenandoah University outfielder Cadence Rieg was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week on April 13, giving the Hornets their second weekly conference award winner of the 2026 season. During the Hornets' 6-0 week last week, the sophomore from Winchester, Virginia, went 12-for-18 at the plate with six doubles, seven RBIs, five runs scored, seven walks and a stolen base. Rieg posted a .667/.760/1.000 slash line in those six games and entered Tuesday ranked fourth in the ODAC in batting average (.459), on-base percentage (.526), OPS (1.222) and doubles (11), fifth in triples (five), and sixth in RBIs (30) and slugging percentage (.694). Rieg posted four multi-hit games last week, with three hits in each of the two games against Mary Washington and two hits in both games at Lynchburg. Additionally, Rieg scored a run in five of the six games. Her week was highlighted by a game-tying double in the seventh inning of Game 2 at Lynchburg. Later in the inning, Rieg came around to score the eventual game-winning run to help fuel the sweep.

The Shenandoah University women's lacrosse team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards on April 6, as Ayla Jantz won the league's Offensive Player of the Week and Addison Harmel earned Defensive Player of the Week following a 2-0 showing for Shenandoah that featured a pair of ODAC home wins over Bridgewater College and Randolph-Macon College. Jantz scored 10 goals and added an assist for an 11 point week, while also tallying six draw controls. The sophomore from Fredericksburg began her week with a six-goal game against Bridgewater on April 1, during which she also secured five draw controls. On April 3 against Randolph-Macon, the attacker added four more goals and an assist to her resume. Harmel, a sophomore midfielder from Bel Air, Maryland, forced seven turnovers and five ground balls in those two games. Against Bridgewater, Harmel had five caused turnovers and four ground balls, while also scoring three goals and contributing an assist. On April 3 against the Yellow Jackets, Harmel had two caused turnovers in the second half, helping SU secure the win.

Shenandoah University third baseman Tyler Smith was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week on April 6. Smith, a junior from Crofton, Maryland, hit .462 (6-for-13) with three home runs, nine RBIs and three runs scored in three games last week. On March 31, he hit a game-ending home run against York (Pennsylvania) in a seven-inning, 10-0 blowout, helping the Hornets earn their 10th run-rule victory of the season. On April 3, in a game in which the Hornets trailed Guilford by nine runs at one point, Smith hit two three-run home runs to fuel a Shenandoah comeback and give the Hornets a 12-11 ODAC win. This season, Smith has an ODAC-leading 11 home runs and 47 RBIs, which ranks second in the conference. He is the fourth Hornet to earn ODAC Player of the Week this season, joining Carl Keenan, Jaime Padilla, and JP Williams.

Shenandoah University's men's volleyball team earned its first-ever All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections following its inaugural season in 2026, with Alex Schoenen and Kailen Dmitruk earning third-team honors. Schoenen, a middle blocker, played in 47 conference sets and earned 104 kills, a team-high 40 blocks, and 142.5 total points in 14 conference matches. The sophomore had a .300 attacking percentage in conference play as well. Schoenen had at least 10 kills in five ODAC matches and had a season-high five solo blocks versus Eastern Mennonite. The middle blocker was named the league's ODAC Defensive Player of the Week back in March. Dmitruk, an opposite hitter, led the Hornets with 115 kills in conference play, which ranked inside the top 10 in the ODAC. Additionally, the first-year added 11 service aces, 50 digs, a .941 reception percentage, and 17 blocks in 14 ODAC matches.

Shenandoah University senior Dominick Suwak earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week award on April 6, marking the fifth time he's snagged the honor during the 2025-26 season. Suwak won both of his singles matches last week in a pair of ODAC matches against Washington and Lee University and Virginia Wesleyan University. The senior from Arlington, Virginia, won his first match against the Generals 6-3, 6-1 on April 1 on the road in Lexington, and closed out the week with a 6-2, 6-3 win on April 4 against the Marlins' Jed Platts. Suwak is undefeated with an 11-0 record this season, which includes three wins in ODAC play.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The trip, led by Assistant Director of Global Education and Assistant Professor of Music Literature Alanna Tierno, PhD., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared toward immersing them in the local culture. The group began its trip in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. There, the group took a guided walking tour around the city and a Slovakian cooking class before visiting Bratislava Castle the next day. Next, participants made their way to Zilina, taking a day trip out to Terchova for a hike along the Janosikove Diery, a trail packed with scenic gorges and waterfalls, before returning to visit the Vrba-Wetzler Memorial Room. Back in Bratislava, the group took a communism tour of the city, where participants learned about the architectural and cultural history of the area. Then, the group finished the trip with a pottery lesson and tour in Modra before returning back home to the states the following day. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students, faculty and staff members overseas to Saint Lucia as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The trip, led by Dean Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Business Miles Davis, Ph.D., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared toward immersing them in the local culture. During the trip, the group took several lessons in Kweyol, a French-based creole language widely spoken in Saint Lucia. The group also toured Pigeon Island, a 40-acre islet connected to the mainland by a causeway that hosts a variety of hiking trails, colonial ruins and panoramic views. On a day trip to Soufriere, the group also participated in a masquerade workshop with local youth arts students, visited the Rodney Bay Mall, and toured Sulphur Springs, a dormant volcano known for its mud baths. Then, returning to Hewanorra, the group visited a local hospital, toured the Morne Fortune Museum & Art Gallery, and finished the trip with a dance and carnival history workshop. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students, faculty and staff members overseas to Ghana as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The group, led by Professor of Hispanic Studies Bryan Pearce-Gonzales, Ph.D., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared toward immersing them in the local culture. Arriving in Elmina, the group began its trip with a tour of the Cape Coast Castle, a commercial fortress built by European traders, before taking a trip to Kukum National Park and later visiting the University of Cape Coast. Then, on a day trip to Kumasi in southern Ghana, the group toured the Manhiya Palace Museum, and got to see the Okomfo Anokye Sword, an immovable sword buried in the ground, said to have belonged to Okomfo Anokye, a leader of the Ashanti people. Returning to Elmina, the group finished the trip with a tour of central Accra, a visit to the U.S. Embassy, and dinner and dancing in Sakumono before heading home the following day. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students and faculty members overseas to Hong Kong as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The group, led by Assistant Professor of Economics Diego N. Marcos, PhD., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared toward immersing them in the local culture. The group began its trip by visiting Victoria's Peak, the tallest hill in Hong Kong, shortly after arriving. In the following days, they visited and toured Hong Kong Baptist University, took a Chinese calligraphy lesson, walked the promenade at Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront Park, and had dinner at Knutsford Terrace. Then, the group took a day-trip to Sok Kwu Wan for a beach day before meeting with Global MBA students in Shenzhen the following day. Then, the group visited the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and participated in a Laigua animation activity, and returned to the airport the following day. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

In March, Shenandoah University sent a group of 10 students and faculty members overseas to Kenya as a part of the Global Citizenship Project. The group, led by Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Katherine Bain, PhD., saw participants take part in a variety of activities, tours and experiences all geared towards immersing them in the local culture. After arriving in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the group toured the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and the Nairobi National Museum before visiting Amref International University the following day. Then, the group toured Kibera, one of the most densely populated and impoverished urban areas in Africa. After taking a train to Voi the next day, the group toured Taita Taveta University and did a safari ride at Tsavo East National Park. Then, in Diani, the group visited the Shimoni Slave Caves, a series of tunnels used as a slave-holding port in the 17th century. Lastly, the group traveled to Mombasa, visiting the Swahilipot Hub Foundation, a non-profit youth empowerment organization focused on innovation and technology, before finishing the trip with a tour of the Jumba la Mtwana ruins. Shenandoah University's Global Citizenship Project celebrated its 21st year in 2026 and sent students, faculty and staff members to Slovakia, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Hong Kong and Ghana this spring. Since its inaugural year in 2005, GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.

Shenandoah University sophomore Alex Schoenen earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week award on March 23. It's the second weekly ODAC award for the Hornets this season. Schoenen recorded 25 digs and registered 11.5 blocks in a 3-0 week for the Hornets last week. The middle blocker/outside hitter from Northampton, Pennsylvania, had eight solo blocks and seven block assists in the three games. In a midweek non-conference game versus Bluefield University (Virginia) on March 19, Schoenen accumulated a season-high 10 digs before setting a career-high in solo blocks (five) against Eastern Mennonite University on March 21. This year, Schoenen leads the Hornets with 54 blocks, which includes 20 solo blocks and 34 assists. Defensively, he also has a .964 reception percentage.

Shenandoah University junior Addisyn Banks has been named an NCAA Division III All-American honorable mention by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on March 19, becoming the third player in program history to earn the award. Banks led the Hornets in scoring (18.1 points per game), assists (3.6 per game), steals (2.3 per game) and blocks (20 in 28 games), and ranked second on the team with 8.1 rebounds per contest and 42 made 3-pointers. The Nokesville, Virginia, native played in all 28 games (27 starts) for the Hornets, helping the team earn an at-large bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III women's basketball championship tournament.

Shenandoah University senior Sean Rinebolt was named a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on March 19. The senior from Keedysville, Maryland, finished his Shenandoah career with over 100 wins, becoming the second SU wrestler to reach that mark. Rinebolt earned third team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors for the 2025-26 season while also being named the conference's Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week in November. The 133-pound wrestler also earned all-region recognition after placing seventh at the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament in February. To qualify for this recognition, wrestlers must place in the top eight at their respective regional tournament or maintain a win percentage above 66% with at least 15 matches wrestled, while also maintaining either a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher or at least a 3.2 GPA over the last two semesters.

Shenandoah University catcher JP Williams was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Baseball Player of the Week on March 16 following a two-win week for the No. 11 Hornets. In three games last week, Williams went 8-for-10 at the plate with three doubles, a home run, six RBIs, and six runs scored. Additionally, the junior from Haymarket, Virginia, drew three walks and was hit-by-pitch once, and went 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. In two games against Virginia Wesleyan over the weekend, Williams had five hits, five RBIs, six runs scored, two walks, and his lone home run of the week. Behind the plate, the catcher had 15 putouts and an assist with no errors. Overall this season, Williams leads the Hornets with a .509 batting average. He also has 22 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits.

The Shenandoah University men's tennis team swept this week's Old Dominion Athletic Conference weekly awards as Dominick Suwak earned the conference's Singles Player of the Week while he and teammate Aryanth Chintharlapalli netted the Doubles Team of the Week award on March 16. Suwak, who has earned ODAC Singles Player of the Week four times during the 2025-26 season, helped the Hornets go 4-0 last week during the PTR Spring Tennis Fest in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Suwak, a senior from Arlington, Virginia, won all four of his singles matches in the top spot of Shenandoah's lineup.

Shenandoah University junior Meghan Gaskins was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Softball Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career on March 16. The junior from Chesapeake, Virginia, started two games and made three total appearances for the Hornets last week, posting a 0.50 ERA and striking out 15 over 14 innings. Gaskins fired a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Wheaton College (Illinois) during the Space Coast Spring Games in Melbourne, Florida, on March 9, the first of two complete games for the right-hander during the weeklong tournament. In that March 9 win, Gaskins struck out seven batters and didn't allow a base runner until a leadoff walk in the seventh inning. The no-hitter was the first for the Hornets since 2022. On March 11, Gaskins pitched a five-inning complete game shutout while striking out five in a 16-0 win over Emerson. Gaskins then pitched the final two innings of the Hornets' 8-7 walkoff win over Baldwin Wallace University on March 12. Gaskins is 4-0 on the year with a 0.67 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and only 13 hits allowed in 21 innings.

Shenandoah University junior Addisyn Banks was named to the D3hoops.com women's basketball All-Region VI First Team on March 16. Banks led the Hornets in scoring (18.1 points per game), assists (3.6 per game), steals (2.3 per game) and blocks (20 in 28 games), and ranked second on the team with 8.1 rebounds per contest and 42 made 3-pointers. The Nokesville, Virginia, native played in all 28 games for the Hornets, with 27 starts, helping the team earn an at-large bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III women's basketball championship tournament.

Shenandoah University first-year student-athlete Molly Donaldson earned All-Region honors in the shot put from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the NCAA Division III 2025-26 indoor track and field season. Donaldson's best mark of the season came at the Joe LaRocco Invite at Roanoke College in February, when she set a new school record with a throw of 12.92 meters, a distance that also is the third-best in the South Region. Donaldson initially set the program record at the Bomber Invite at Ithaca College with a toss of 12.45 meters the week prior.

Shenandoah University senior Dan Ailor was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Golfer of the Week on March 11 after leading the Hornets' men's golf team to a victory at the Fernandina Beach Collegiate in Florida on March 9-10. It was the second second career ODAC Golfer of the Week honor for Ailor, who earned the weekly award early in the 2023-24 season. This week, the senior shot 70-72-69 in three rounds with the three-under-par 69 in round three tying a career low. Ailor tied for second overall in the 78-golfer field with 211 (-5).

Shenandoah University's field hockey team posted the fourth-highest collective GPA across all three NCAA divisions in 2025 as 24 Hornets were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's 2025 Division III National Academic Squad. Fourteen of those 24 Shenandoah's student-athletes - Camryn DeLeva, Ava Fields, Regan Fields, Reagan Flory, Autumn Goldsberry, Lily Kyvelos, Kaitlyn Mogar, Kaitlyn Nakamura, Elizabeth Quinn, Madison Short, Emily Swartzbaugh, Sidney Tucci, Kayleigh Vodvarka and Mackenzie Watkins - also were named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction, which recognizes those who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher during the fall semester. A minimum GPA of 3.50 is required for student-athletes to qualify for the NFHCA National Academic Squad.

Shenandoah Conservatory has announced the winners of the 2026 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) following the final round on March 1 in Armstrong Concert Hall. Winners included Morna Chenchen Hu, soprano (Category II); Wentao Luan, saxophone (Category I); Andrew Wood, piano (Category I); and Coleman Wright, saxophone (Category II). Honorable mentions went to Grace Ashby, soprano (Category I), and Lizhuo Sun, piano (Category II). Winners of this year's competition will be featured in performances with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra throughout the Conservatory Performs 2026-27 season.

Shenandoah University's baseball program earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week award for the second consecutive week as outfielder Jaime Padilla earned the honor on March 2. Padilla hit .500 (7-for-14) at the plate last week in four wins for the Hornets. The senior from Yonkers, New York, had seven RBIs, six runs scored, and three doubles, and was a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts. The highlight of Padilla's week came in a win over Immaculata on Feb. 28, during which Padilla went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three RBIs, two runs scored and two steals.

The Shenandoah University men's and women's indoor track and field teams earned four All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference accolades during Day 2 of the 2026 ODAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 1 at Roanoke College's Kerr-Cregger Field House in Salem, Virginia. SU first-year Roman Bernard, of Richmond, Virginia, set a school record and earned second team All-ODAC in the men's 400-meter with a time of 49.92 seconds, surpassing the record that he set earlier this season in the same venue. Fellow first-year Molly Donaldson, of Horsham, Pennsylvania, also earned second team all-conference honors in the women's shot put, hitting a mark of 12.49 meters on the first of her six attempts. The final All-ODAC performers were sophomore Grace Semow (Greensburg, Pennsylvania) and senior Amy Oleksy (Milltown, New Jersey) in the women's 800-meter. Semow ran a 2:21.78 for second place, setting a new personal record. Semow's time was 0.79 seconds away from breaking the school record. Oleksy came in right behind her teammate, finishing in 2:23.07 to snag third team All-ODAC honors while also setting a PR.

Shenandoah University's Addisyn Banks and Emily Williams each earned their first career all-conference awards when the 2026 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference women's basketball teams were announced on Feb. 26. Banks, a junior from Nokesville, Virginia, was named to the All-ODAC first team while Williams, a senior from Thurmont, Maryland, was a second-team honoree.

Shenandoah University junior Carl Keenan was named to D3baseball.com's Team of the Week on Feb. 25 after a stellar three-game performance that also netted him the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's top weekly award two days earlier. Keenan went 9-for-13 (.692) in three non-conference games, including a stellar performance in the second game of a doubleheader against Penn State Abington in which the second baseman hit for the cycle. Over the course of those three games, Keenan had two home runs and two doubles among his nine hits, four RBIs and six runs scored. The second baseman from Winchester, Virginia, was also 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts during that span, and was perfect on nine fielding chances. He led the team with a .526 batting average through Shenandoah's first five games.