Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University's field hockey program claimed two of the four major awards when the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) announced the 2024 All-State Field Hockey College Division teams and award winners on Jan. 22, with graduate student Farren Winter winning Player of the Year and Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft being named Coach of the Year. In addition to those accolades, Winter was named to the VaSID First Team alongside Mairead McKibbin, Cassidy Morrison, and Elise Velasquez. Three other Hornets - Camryn DeLeva, Madison Short, and Taylor Swann - secured spots on the VaSID Second Team.

Three Shenandoah University athletic training students secured SU's third straight Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association (VATA) Student Quiz Bowl title during the organization's annual meeting on Jan. 3 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia. This year's Shenandoah team included Megan Bone '29, Luke Finkbeiner '29, and Trilby Kite '30 as well as alternates Cori Babcock '29 and Aesia Garban '30. The VATA Student Quiz Bowl is a "Jeopardy"-style competition held during the annual conference that features college athletic training programs from across Virginia.

Shenandoah University recognizes the 1,132 students who made the Fall 2024 Dean's List. 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 celebrates the 540 students who made the President's List for the Fall 2024 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.

For the second time this season, Shenandoah University football offensive lineman David Munoz has earned All-America honors, as he was selected as a second-team honoree by D3football.com on Thursday morning. Munoz, a graduate student, was previously named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in December. In addition to these two All-America honors, the standout offensive tackle also earned D3football.com first-team All-Region and first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference accolades this season.

Eight Shenandoah University students, including seven members of SU's men's basketball program, gained real-world professional experience when they traveled to Indianapolis for the 2024 Indy Classic, an NCAA Division I men's basketball event that took place in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 14. The event featured two games - Texas A&M vs. Purdue and Butler vs. Wisconsin - and provided a professional development opportunity for SU's students, who participated in a VIP reception during which they networked with CEOs, presidents and leaders from various industries; an exclusive Q&A session with Purdue head coach Matt Painter; and event production with the Indiana Pacers' production team, Indiana Sports Corp, and Russ Potts Productions, Inc. Throughout the event, SU's students played pivotal roles in sponsorship activations, prize parachute drops, and fan engagement and logistics while contributing to the overall success of the event.

The Shenandoah University Marching Band, alongside members of the Shenandoah Conservatory Studio Big Band and the SU cheerleading squad, is set to travel across the pond and perform in the 2025 London New Year's Day Parade. It will be the first international performance for the marching band, which debuted with 73 members in 2022 and has grown to include over 150 students this year.

Shenandoah University's Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing has announced its undergraduate and graduate awards for the December 2024 graduating class.

Shenandoah University field hockey players Farren Winter and Elise Velasquez earned 2024 All-America honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and Apex Field Hockey, marking the third straight season the program has had two student-athletes earn the distinction. Winter and Velasquez were among 48 NCAA Division III All-Americans announced by the NFHCA and Apex Field Hockey on Dec. 17.

Shenandoah University's football team had four players named to the 2024 D3football.com All-Region 3 team, in selections announced by the website on Dec. 11. Offensive tackle David Munoz led the honorees with first-team recognition, while defensive back Sean Perry was named to the second team. Quarterback Steven Hugney and running back Jalen Redfearn rounded out Shenandoah's selections with third-team honors.

Shenandoah University senior Dylan Weaver made history for the Hornets' wrestling program on Dec. 6 when he became the first SU wrestler to reach 100 career victories. Weaver, competing at 174 pounds, reached the milestone with his second win during the Petrofes Invitational at Messiah University.

Eva Gary '25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) will join "Pretty Woman: The Musical," for the last leg of its U.S. national tour in 2025. Gary will play the lead role of Vivian Ward in the production based on the 1990 film of the same name.

The Shenandoah University field hockey program had five student-athletes named to the 2024 National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region VI team, the NFHCA and Apex Field Hockey announced on Dec. 3. Graduate students Cassidy Morrison, Farren Winter and Elise Velasquez and senior Mairead McKibbin were first-team selections, while sophomore Camryn DeLeva earned a spot on the second team.

Shenandoah University's Nathan Yared and Chinedu Ikem earned spots on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region VI team after leading the Hornets' men's soccer team to its first 10-win season in over 20 years.

Shenandoah University senior offensive tackle David Munoz has been named to the 2024 American Football Coaches Association Division III All-America Team, the AFCA announced Tuesday, Dec. 3. Munoz, a team captain for the Hornets, is the first Shenandoah football player to earn All-America honors since Ben Burgan accomplished the feat in 2021 and the first offensive player to do so since fellow offensive lineman Daniel Small achieved the recognition in 2019.

Shenandoah University announced the destinations for its 2025 Global Citizenship Project during its 34th International Convocation on Nov. 20. During spring break next March, GCP participants will travel to Colombia, Nepal, Poland, Taiwan and Tanzania.

Shenandoah University education student Mairead McKibbin '24 is the recipient of a Hattie M. Strong Foundation Scholarship to help defray costs incurred during student teaching. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded to "reduce financial pressure during the student-teaching semester, when a student's ability to offset expenses with outside employment is curtailed by the rigor of full-time work in the classroom," according to the HMSF website. The scholarship recipients, who are candidates for initial teacher licensure, are commonly known as Strong Scholars.

Shenandoah University forward Mairead McKibbin '24 and goalkeeper Taylor Swann '25 were among the 60 student-athletes across NCAA Division III to be named to the 2024 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior Team. Selection to the NFHCA's Senior Team highlights a student-athlete's performance as well as their impact on and off the field.

Shenandoah University's men's soccer team continued to make its mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as three players earned All-ODAC recognition for the 2024 season. Senior Nathan Yared and junior Chinedu Ikem were named to the first team, while senior Kyle Welch was a second-team selection.

The Shenandoah University women's cross country team had two individuals earn All-Region accolades during the NCAA South Region Championships on Nov. 16 in Jackson, Mississippi. Senior Makenna Thrush and first-year Maddy Chorney finished 24th and 27th, respectively, to lead the Hornets to a fifth-place finish. Thrush completed the 6K race in 22:59.01, while Chorney finished with a time of 23:11.95. All-Region honors are awarded to the top 35 individuals in each of the NCAA Division III regional competitions.

Shenandoah University senior quarterback Steven Hugney and head coach Scott Yoder headlined the 2024 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference football selections as the Hornets earned three major awards and 11 all-conference selections. Hugney was named the Offensive Player of the Year and ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Yoder was voted Coach of the Year. Joining Hugney on the first team were running back Jalen Redfearn, receiver Broden Domenico, offensive lineman David Munoz, linebacker Matt Conroy and defensive back Sean Perry. Offensive lineman Dominic Gulli, defensive linemen Ethan Brown and Corey Kidwell, and defensive back Ahvyon Boothe were second-team selections, and receiver Guy Hayes was named to the third team.

Three Shenandoah University women's soccer student-athletes were named to the 2024 All-ODAC team in selections announced by the conference on Nov. 13. Senior Chandler Gallant was selected to the All-ODAC second team while Lauren Duffy and McKenna Newcome represent SU on the third team.

Shenandoah University's field hockey team had an impressive showing in the 2024 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) selections released on Tuesday, Nov. 12, with eight Hornets earning All-ODAC honors and the program netting four of the ODAC's five major awards.

Shenandoah University student Travis Gawason '25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre design & production - costume design) served as a stitching and wardrobe apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera (SFO), a unique outdoor opera company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this past summer. This apprentice program offers instruction, practical experience and hands-on professional training. Gawason stitched the costumes during the day and at night, worked wardrobe on "La Traviata," "Don Giovanni" and the premiere of "The Righteous," as well as "Der Rosenkavalier" and "The Elixir of Life" as part of the SFO's 2024 season.

Shenandoah Conservatory student Darian Angel '26 (Bachelor of Music in performance) won first prize in the College Division of the Sidney Forrest Clarinet Competition at the University of Maryland on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Shenandoah University student Kira Sledge '28 was crowned 2025 Miss Apple Blossom and will serve as an official hostess of the 98th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, next spring, festival officials recently announced. As Miss Apple Blossom, Sledge, 18, will ride as festival royalty during the Firefighters' Parade on May 2, and the Grand Feature Parade on May 3. Additionally, Sledge will represent the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival at the 2025 Miss Virginia Competition in February.

Shenandoah University has announced the 50 individuals who were selected for the 2025 Global Citizenship Project (GCP). Those individuals will travel to one of five international destinations during spring break in March 2025. Participants will learn their destinations and trip leaders at International Convocation on Nov. 20. The Global Citizenship Project will celebrate its 20th year in 2025. Since its inaugural year in 2005, the Global Citizenship Project has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees to 69 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 softball program had 17 players earn Easton/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the 2023-24 academic year, in selections announced by the NFCA on Aug. 6. As a program, the Hornets posted the best team GPA among the four Old Dominion Athletic Conference schools represented on the list of 118 NCAA Division III programs that achieved a collective GPA of 3.0 or better. SU student-athletes Kristen Blee, Rachael Blumenschine, Makayla Boone, Tiffany Bower, Abigail Campbell, Makayla Cox, Paige Eagleton, Kelsey Freeman, Kelly Hartman, Danielle McNeill, Sarah Medellin, Riley Nace, Lexie Reid, Taylor Smith, Kayla Stephenson, Kara Watkins, and Brenna Westwood each were named Easton/NFCA All-Academic Scholar-Athletes. To qualify for this distinction, student-athletes must have maintained at least a 3.50 or better cumulative GPA for the 2023-24 academic year. As a team, the Hornets tied for the 60th-best GPA (3.55) in Division III, edging out Virginia Wesleyan and Bridgewater (T-72, 3.51) and the University of Lynchburg (T-78, 3.50).

Shenandoah University's women's lacrosse team had eight student-athletes named to the 2024 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Roll in selections announced on July 24. SU's Ainsley Buckner, Julianna Fohner, Emily Kravalis, Emily Lerch, Emily Onorato, Gabriella Raspanti, Madison Re and Kate Vendemia each earned the recognition. To earn a spot on the Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or higher. Additionally, Shenandoah was named an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad for the 2023-24 academic year, an honor bestowed upon teams who post a GPA of 3.20 or higher. It's the 12th consecutive year the Hornets have been named an Academic Honor Squad, excluding the 2020 season that was canceled due to COVID-19.

Shenandoah University junior Katya Hoover was named an All-Academic Athlete by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on July 15. SU's men's and women's programs also earned All-Academic Team distinctions from the USTFCCCA. Hoover, a national qualifier during the 2023-24 indoor and outdoor seasons, holds the program record in the high jump for both seasons at 1.68 meters. The field athlete achieved each mark at the indoor and outdoor ODAC Championships this season. The All-Academic Athlete award rounds out a year for Hoover where she was named All-ODAC, All-Region, and All-America. As a team, Shenandoah's women were awarded All-Academic Team distinction for the 16th straight year after they achieved a 3.45 GPA in the classroom. The SU men posted a 3.21 GPA and earned the honor for the sixth consecutive year.