Shenandoah University

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'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 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 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 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 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'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.

Shenandoah University field hockey player Reagan Flory was named ODAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season in selections announced by the conference office on Sept. 29. In two games on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, Flory scored three goals and added three assists. The first-year forward leads the conference with nine goals and 22 points on the season. In a 4-1 win versus St. Mary's (Md.) on Sept. 27, Flory scored the first two goals of the contest for the Hornets to put them in the lead. The forward then assisted on Kierney Weigle's goal in the third quarter. The next day, in a 9-0 win over Meredith College, Flory assisted on the Hornets' first goal of the afternoon before adding another assist just over three minutes later. Less than 90 seconds into the second quarter, Flory picked up her third goal of the week to put the Hornets in front by five.

Shenandoah University is proud to announce the 30 students chosen for its Hornet Ambassadors program for 2025-26. Students are selected to represent the Shenandoah spirit through their commitment to leadership, community engagement, and school pride. As Hornet Ambassadors, they serve as representatives of SU to incoming students, families, community members, and beyond.

Shenandoah University's Kailey Lamont has earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Runner of the Week award for women's cross country in selections announced by the conference on Sept. 16. Lamont, a sophomore, ran in the women's 5K at the SU Twilight Open on Sept. 12 at Kernstown Battlefield, Shenandoah's home course. Lamont was the top ODAC finisher at the meet, placing fourth with a time of 19:30.5, a personal best. At SU's first meet of the season at Bridgewater College, the sophomore ran a 16:08.5 in a 4K, placing 12th. This is the first ODAC weekly honor for SU's women's cross country program since Madeline Lotts in 2023.

Shenandoah University senior linebacker Matt Conroy was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for Week 2 after recording 17 tackles in the Hornets' 29-28 win over Geneva College (Pa.) on Sept. 13. Conroy, who has posted four career games with 17 or more tackles, sits just 33 stops shy of breaking the program's all-time tackles record. That mark of 352 is held by former SU linebacker Ben Burgan.

Shenandoah University set another school record during the 2024-25 academic year with 358 student-athletes garnering Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors. This year marked the second straight that Shenandoah has had over 300 honorees, and the most recent total is 29 more than SU had in 2023-24. The Hornets trailed only Washington and Lee (539) in total ODAC All-Academic honorees, and was one of three schools to eclipse the 300 mark (Lynchburg had 341). In all, the ODAC had 3,364 honorees and topped 3,000 for the second straight year. Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete who competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class. Prospective honorees must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the academic year to be considered for ODAC All-Academic Team recognition.

Shenandoah University men's lacrosse standout Mark Isabelle earned another prestigious honor to his resume, as he was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America At-Large Second Team, the organization announced July 9. Isabelle, who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout both his undergraduate and graduate studies at Shenandoah, is the 29th student-athlete in Hornets history to earn Academic All-America recognition. He is the fourth Hornet honored this year, joining football's Steven Hugney and David Munoz, and field hockey's Farren Winter. Isabelle is also the first Shenandoah men's lacrosse player to receive this honor since Theodore Rogers earned back-to-back Academic All-America awards in 2007 and 2008.

Shenandoah University field hockey player Claudia Lenahan was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's first Offensive Player of the Week of the 2025 season, the conference announced on Sept. 2. Lenahan, a forward, tallied four points (one goal, two assists) in the Hornets' wins over DePauw University and Denison University during a weekend trip to Ohio on Aug. 30-31.

Shenandoah University field hockey standout Farren Winter was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America At-Large Second Team, the CSC announced July 8. Winter is the second field hockey player in program history to earn Academic All-America honors, joining Courtney Jarrett, who was selected in the 2006-07 academic year. A grad student from Gloucester, Virginia, Winter capped her Hornets career with an impressive 2024 season that included 16 goals and nine assists as SU won its second-ever ODAC title and picked up the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. Winter was named the 2024 ODAC Offensive Player of the Year, earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region First Team honors, was selected as the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) State Player of the Year, and received NFHCA All-America First Team recognition.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference recently announced its 2024-25 Sportsmanship Teams, which are composed of one student-athlete from each member school in each of the conference's 26 sponsored sports. Student-athletes are selected by the coaching staff of each team, and all schools are fully represented. Sportsmanship honorees for winter and spring sports were announced in late June, while the 2024 Sportsmanship Teams for the Fall 2024 season were announced in January.

Shenandoah Women's Lacrosse Nets Five VaSID All-State Honors Shenandoah University's women's lacrosse program had four student-athletes named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) 2025 All-State Team, while Hornets head coach Lindsey Lutz was voted the VaSID Coach of the Year. Ainsley Buckner (attack) and Julianna Fohner (defense) were named first team All-State, while Alex Ripkin (midfield) and Talia Maria (defense) were second-team selections.

Shenandoah University baseball's Liam Stewart was named Rookie of the Year while the Hornets had six student-athletes named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Team in selections announced in June. Stewart, a relief pitcher, was one of five Hornets named to the first team, joining catcher Brody Pickette, first baseman Noah Cornwell, outfielder Jaime Padilla and utilityman Kyle Garrett. Shenandoah outfielder Haden Madagan was a second-team selection.

Shenandoah University is pleased to announce that 1,369 graduates earned degrees and/or certificates during the 2024-25 academic year. This total includes 239 August 2024 graduates, 366 December 2024 graduates, and 764 May 2025 graduates. Shenandoah's 2025 University Commencement took place on May 24.

Shenandoah University had 1,053 students earn a spot on the Dean's List for the Spring 2025 semester. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must be enrolled full-time in baccalaureate degree programs and earn a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher. Dean's List students who achieve a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher also qualify for the university's President's List.

Shenandoah University had 469 students earn a spot on the President's List for the Spring 2025 semester. To qualify for this prestigious academic recognition, students must be enrolled full-time in baccalaureate degree programs and attain a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher. All President's List honorees are also recognized on the university's Dean's List, which includes students who earn a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Shenandoah University presented the 2025 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards to recent graduates Liberty Tennyson '25 and Logan Williams '24, '28 at its Baccalaureate service on May 23. Each year, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards are presented to deserving individuals at over 70 colleges and universities in the U.S. First awarded in 1890, the Sullivan Awards recognize individuals of noble character who act as humble servants and place service to others above self-interest. According to the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, the Sullivan Awards are the only national collegiate service awards in the U.S.

Shenandoah University senior Mairead McKibbin has been named the 2025 recipient of the Marjorie Berkley Award, marking the third time in four years a Shenandoah student-athlete has earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's highest academic and athletic honor. McKibbin, a standout on the field hockey team, joins Olivia Weinel (2022) and teammate Elise Velasquez (2023) as Shenandoah's three Berkley Award recipients. The honor recognizes the ODAC's top female senior scholar-athlete across all sports.