Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University sophomore McKenna Newcome has earned Second Team All-Region VI honors in women's soccer from United Soccer Coaches, the organization announced on Dec. 2. Newcome, of Capon Bridge, West Virginia, is the first Hornet to receive an all-region nod since Emily Yergin in 2019. Newcome helped SU reach the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament semifinals and earned first team All-ODAC honors last month. Along with the postseason awards, Newcome was also named ODAC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. The midfielder scored 14 goals and had eight assists in 21 games in 2025. Newcome had 24 points in the team's 10 ODAC regular-season games and ended the season on a nine-game goal streak.

Shenandoah University senior Dorian Davis earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week award for the first time in his career on Dec. 1. Davis, a guard from Florence, South Carolina, helped the Hornets to a 2-0 week with 14 defensive rebounds, five steals, and two blocks throughout the pair of games. Davis started the week with a nine-rebound, one-steal performance against Penn State Schuylkill on Nov. 24. Davis also scored 11 points and dished out one assist in the 87-64 win over the Lions at home. The next day, in an 80-74 win over Lancaster Bible College, Davis had four steals and two blocks while leading the Hornets with 22 points.

Shenandoah University's women's basketball team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards, with Emily Williams earning the conference's offensive award and Addisyn Banks winning the defensive award in selections announced by the ODAC on Dec. 1. Williams, a senior from Thurmont, Maryland, averaged 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two games last week for Shenandoah. The guard started the week with a 26-point, seven-rebound outing at Dickinson on Nov. 25, a 72-60 Shenandoah win. In a Nov. 30 home game against Christopher Newport, Williams recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Banks, a guard from Nokesville, Virginia, gathered seven steals, blocked three shots and pulled down eight defensive rebounds in the Hornets' two games last week. Against Dickinson, Banks had three steals and a block, and she added four steals and two blocks in the loss to CNU.

Shenandoah University's football team earned nine All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors for the 2025 season, highlighted by quarterback Mekhi Brown winning the conference's Rookie of the Year award in selections announced on Nov. 25. Offensive lineman Andy Anderson, linebacker Matt Conroy and defensive back Sean Perry each earned first-team distinction, with running back Jalen Redfearn, wide receiver Roge't Walker, defensive end Ryan Apietu, and kicker Carson Gallant being named to the second team. Brown and defensive lineman Phoenix Andes-Stowell rounded out the selections on the third team.

Shenandoah University sophomore Ellis Wright was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for men's basketball following a 2-0 week for the Hornets in which the forward averaged 30.5 points per game.

Shenandoah University's 2026 Global Citizenship Project participants learned where they will spend spring break next March during the university's 35th International Convocation on Nov. 19. Those 50 individuals, split into five groups, will travel to Slovakia, Hong Kong, Saint Lucia, Cuba, and Kenya.

Shenandoah University senior Emily Williams was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for women's basketball following the Hornets' 2-0 to the season. Williams, a guard from Thurmont, Maryland, recorded two double-doubles in the season's opening week, averaging 17.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Shenandoah University's football team earned two Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in selections announced by the conference on Nov. 16. Senior linebacker Matt Conroy was named ODAC's Defensive Player of the Week, while Carson Gallant was the Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Shenandoah University wrestling team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's weekly awards in Week 3, with Sean Rinebolt being named the conference's Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week and Tyler-Nicholas Ritz earning Heavier Weight Wrestler of the Week. Rinebolt, wrestling at the 141-pound weight class, placed second at the Shenandoah Invitational on Nov. 16. The senior from Keedysville, Maryland, went 3-1 in the tournament, winning by fall in his first two matches of the day and advancing to the championship round after a victory by decision in the semifinals. Ritz, a transfer from Averett, wrestled at 174 pounds and placed fourth in the Shenandoah Invitational. The Moseley, Virginia, native won his first- and second-round bouts by fall before earning another victory by fall in the quarterfinals.

The Shenandoah University women's volleyball team earned a pair of All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections for the 2025 season in selections announced by the conference on Nov. 15. Hannah Hylton, an outside hitter, was named to the second team while Ashlynn Spence, an opposite hitter/middle blocker, was named to the third team.

The Shenandoah University men's soccer team earned three All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference awards for the 2025 campaign in selections announced by the conference on Nov. 13, marking the third straight season that the program has had three or more representatives on the list. Jarbin Rodriguez highlighted Shenandoah's all-conference selections with second-team honors, while James Blalock and Hatim Elkhasouani earned third-team recognition for the Hornets. This is the first all-conference award for all three players.

Shenandoah University has announced the 38 students who will serve as summer orientation leaders in 2026. Orientation leaders serve as liaisons for new students as they arrive at Shenandoah, and play a vital role in helping incoming first-year and transfer students make the transition to SU by offering mentorship and guidance.

Four Shenandoah University women's soccer players were named All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference for the 2025 season. McKenna Newcome highlights the awards for the Hornets with first-team honors, while Lauren Duffy and Kaitlyn Wahl are on the second-team as midfielders, and Emily Soos rounds out the selections on the third-team.

The Shenandoah University field hockey team earned nine All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors for the 2025 season, highlighted by Reagan Flory being named ODAC Rookie of the Year and Madison Short receiving the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Flory, Short, Claudia Lenahan, and Camryn DeLeva represent the Hornets on the All-ODAC First Team, while Ellie Quinn, Kierney Weigle, Ava Fields, Mallory Holup, and Cassidy Alexander were selected to the third team. Of Shenandoah's nine honorees, five are first-year student-athletes.

Shenandoah University's Autumn Stroop was named Old Dominion Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 10 in selections announced by the league office. Stroop, the Hornets' libero/defensive specialist, helped the team to two wins last week with 59 total digs in those two matches. The Winchester native also had 11 assists and five service aces through 10 sets. On Nov. 5, in a 3-2 win over Eastern Mennonite, Stroop tallied 27 digs and four assists. She followed that by posting a season-high 32 digs at home versus Messiah in another 3-2 win for the Hornets. Entering the week, Stroop ranked second in the ODAC in digs per set at 5.06 and fifth in total digs with 410.

Four Shenandoah University men's basketball student-athletes recently took their classroom learning on the road, traveling to Las Vegas for an experiential learning trip centered around the P&G Las Vegas HBCU Classic football game between Grambling State University and Jackson State University on Oct. 25. During the multi-day experience, the student-athletes -- Samuel Dailey (Bachelor of Science exercise science), Dorian Davis (Bachelor of Science in biology), Joseph Baldwin (Bachelor of Arts in media and communication), and John Allen (Bachelor of Business Administration in economics and finance) -- and staff had the opportunity to assist Position Sports with event operations for the weekend's festivities. On Oct. 24, the team worked the official pep rally in downtown Las Vegas, helping with logistics, fan engagement, and event flow. The following day, the Hornets played a key role in gameday operations for the HBCU Classic held at Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders.

Shenandoah University's Atlee Hilliard earned her second weekly women's tennis award of the season from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after a strong showing in the WildCat Invitational at Randolph College on Nov. 1. Hilliard, who was announced as the ODAC's Singles Player of the Week on Nov. 3, went 2-0 in singles action at the four-team event, dominating a pair of matches against Pfeiffer University's Sydney Cohen (6-1, 6-0) and Gracie Spangler (6-1, 6-1). Hilliard, a first-year student from Hagerstown, Maryland, and teammate Olivia Guzzo were named the ODAC Doubles Team of the Week earlier this season. Shenandoah's women's tennis team has completed its fall schedule and will resume action on Feb. 13.

Shenandoah University's McKenna Newcome earned her second women's soccer weekly award from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, as she was named the Offensive Player of the Week in selections announced on Nov. 3 after notching two goals and an assist in two games. In Shenandoah's regular-season finale on Oct. 29, Newcome led the Hornets to a 7-1 win at Averett University, scoring a goal and adding an assist to help the Hornets clinch the three-seed in the ODAC tournament. Newcome scored the first goal of Shenandoah's ODAC tournament quarterfinal match against Roanoke three days later, setting the tone for the Hornets' 2-1 win on Nov. 1. Entering the ODAC semifinals on Nov. 5, Newcome was second in the ODAC in goals scored (13), third in points (34) and tied for fourth in assists (eight).

Shenandoah University first-year goalkeeper Cassidy Alexander was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week in selections announced Oct. 20. Alexander, of Millington, Maryland, totaled 15 saves across two matches to help No. 17 Shenandoah to a pair of conference wins. In a 3-2 win over No. 25 Washington and Lee on Oct. 15, Alexander made 11 stops, including five in the second half to keep the General scoreless over the final 30 minutes. Alexander made four more saves in a 4-2 win over Roanoke on Oct. 18, three of them coming in the fourth quarter to thwart the Maroons' comeback attempt. Entering Oct. 21, Alexander had a save percentage of .734 and was averaging 1.703 goals against and 4.46 saves per contest.

Shenandoah University senior forward/midfielder Claudia Lenahan collected her second weekly award from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference this season, as she was named the Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20. Lenahan, of Bristow, Virginia, directly contributed to four of Shenandoah's seven goals in a pair of conference wins for the No. 17 Hornets in Week 8. In a 3-2 win over No. 25 Washington and Lee on Oct. 15, Lenahan notched an assist on SU's first goal of the game and scored her own goal five minutes later to put Shenandoah up 2-1. With less than two minutes to play in the contest, the senior helped put the Hornets up 3-2, assisting on Madison Short's game-winning goal. On Oct. 18, Lenahan scored the Hornets' final goal in the fourth quarter of a 4-2 victory at Roanoke. Lenahan, who also was named the ODAC's Offensive Player of the Week in Week 1, led the conference in assists (12), points (28) and shots on goal (33) while also ranking among the top five in total goals (eight), game-winning goals (three) and shots (57) entering Oct. 21.

Shenandoah University's Maddy Chorney and Amy Oleksy earned all-conference honors at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 in Bridgewater, Virginia. Chorney, a sophomore from Frederick, Maryland, earned first team All-ODAC honors with a fourth-place finish, completing the 6K race in 22:45.60, a personal record. She's the first Hornet to earn first team all-conference honors in women's cross country since 2011, and the first to accomplish the feat for Shenandoah's cross country program overall (men's and women's) since 2014. Oleksy, a senior from Milltown, New Jersey, placed 12th with a time of 23:38.90 to earn a spot on the All-ODAC second team. Together, Chorney and Oleksy powered Shenandoah to third place (89 points) in the eight-team women's race.

Shenandoah University's Olivia Guzzo and Atlee Hilliard were named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Women's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week, the league announced on Oct. 20. Guzzo and Hillard starred in the Hornets' 4-3 loss to Southern Virginia University on Oct. 14, as the duo defeated SVU's No. 1 pairing, 6-4, to help Shenandoah sweep all three matches to earn the doubles point. Individually, Guzzo and Hillard won their respective singles matches, with Guzzo defeating Lydia Delich, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6), and Hillard winning her match against Nadia Molanphy in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. This is the first time the duo has earned the ODAC's weekly honor.

Shenandoah University has announced the 50 individuals who were selected for the 2026 Global Citizenship Project (GCP). Those individuals will travel to one of five international destinations during spring break in March 2026. Participants will learn their destinations and trip leaders at International Convocation on Nov. 19. Since its inaugural year in 2005, the Global Citizenship Project 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 linebacker Ryan Apietu was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Football Defensive Player of the Week in selections announced Oct. 19. Apietu, of Stafford, Virginia, tied for the team lead with 11 tackles and led the Hornets with eight solo stops in Shenandoah's 33-20 win over Roanoke on Oct. 18. His biggest play came in the third quarter with the game tied at 13, when he delivered a strip sack and recovered the fumble, setting up the Hornets' go-ahead touchdown pass with 7:54 left in the quarter. Through six games, Apietu has 44 tackles (24 solo), four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Shenandoah University first-year quarterback Mekhi Brown earned his second straight weekly football award from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference on Oct. 19, netting the conference's Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance in a win over Roanoke College in Week 7. Making his third career start, Brown completed 19 of 24 passes (79.2%) for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the Hornets' 33-20 win. The Owings Mills, Maryland, native threw first-half touchdowns to Connor Bartlett and TJ Henderson, and connected with Jackson McFarland for a 16-yard score in the third quarter to give SU a 20-13 lead. Brown found McFarland again for a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth. Through three starts, Brown has passed for 743 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while also rushing for one score. He has thrown for at least 225 yards in all three games.

Shenandoah University's McKenna Newcome was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 following a pair of two-goal performances last week. The midfielder scored twice in Shenandoah's 2-0 win over Bridgewater on Oct. 8 and followed it up with a two-goal performance on Saturday in an 8-0 rout of Hollins. The sophomore scored her first goal of the week in the 10th minute of the game against the Eagles, and added another one in the 49th minute to help the Hornets pick up their first home win over Bridgewater since 2006. Newcome then went on to score two goals in the first 10 minutes of the team's victory over Hollins.

Shenandoah University first-year quarterback Mekhi Brown was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week following a 45-7 win at Guilford College on Oct. 11. Brown, making his second career start, passed for 251 yards and four touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes. The quarterback began his day with a 79-yard TD pass to Jalen Redfearn on the Hornets' first play from scrimmage. Brown made it 21-0 in the second quarter on a 1-yard pass to Jackson McFarland. Early in the third quarter, Brown added a 57-yard pass to his day, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Carter Rodriguez. On Brown's final play of the game with over seven minutes left in the third quarter, he made it 42-0 with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Christian Forrest. Brown is the first Shenandoah football player to earn an ODAC weekly honor this season.

Eleven students and two faculty members from Shenandoah Conservatory's acting program participated in the York Plays 2025 in Toronto, Canada. The event featured 50 short plays in 35 clusters, each produced and directed in medieval style by a different contributing group. Shenandoah Conservatory was one of 17 performance groups from across North America that participated in the event. Organized and hosted by Toronto's Poculi Ludique Societas (PLS) and the Center for Renaissance and Reformation Studies (CRRS), the event converged at Burwash Quad at Victoria University of the University of Toronto. Each play was performed on replica medieval wagon stages across three performance stations outdoors. In true medieval style, there were no chairs set up at any of the stations and audiences wandered from play to play at will. This was only the third known time the cycle has been performed in its entirety since 1600. Shenandoah Conservatory produced and performed three episodes from the biblical plays: "The Flight Into Egypt," "The Slaughter of the Innocents" and "The Remorse of Judas." They also participated in the grand finale "The Last Judgment" with all performers. Participating Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting students included Emrie Branch '25, Giavanna Bruno '26, Dylan Buchwald '25, Megan Griffin-Ferry '28, Maggie Herber '26, Katherine Marston '26, Izzy Miller '26, Wyatt Moore '27, Emma Reed '26, Tenebrae Rouner '28 and Fiona Sullivan '27. Participating faculty include Dr. Coulson and Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Kit Wilder.

Shenandoah University senior Dominick Suwak was named ODAC Singles Player of the Week in men's tennis for the second consecutive time following a weekend of competition at the 2025 ITA DIII Men's Southeast Regional Championships at the University of Mary Washington. Suwak advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champs Singles bracket. In the round of 64, the senior defeated Bridgewater's Corey Beshoar 6-2, 2-2 (RET Inj.), before winning a 6-3, 6-3 match against Washington and Lee's Pearce Lane. In the round of 16, Suwak earned a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory over Mukundh Boopathi from Johns Hopkins University. He fell in the quarterfinals to Carnegie Mellon's Alex Feies, 1-6, 0-6. This is the third time in his career that Suwak has earned the ODAC weekly honor.

Shenandoah University's Dominick Suwak earned the men's tennis ODAC Singles Player of the Week award for the second time in his career in selections announced on Sept. 30. Suwak had a 3-0 weekend in singles action at the CNU Invitational on Sept. 27-28. On Sept. 27, Suwak defeated Averett's Satwik Kollepalli 6-2, 6-0 before adding a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4) come-from-behind win over CNU's Vincent Truong. The following day the senior earned a 6-2, 6-2 win versus the Captain's Barrett Foster to conclude his weekend.