Several former Emmaus High School athletes competed on college teams during the fall 2021 season. Many of those athletes missed their entire seasons in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Three former Emmaus players were part of the Moravian University football team this season. Chad Newhard, a freshman defensive back, played in all 10 games and tied for second on the team in total tackles with 62, including 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Seniors Noah Breidinger and Matt Nimas were also part of a Greyhound squad that went 3-7 in 2021. Breidinger played in six games and was fifth on the team in total tackles, including three tackles for loss. He also picked off a pass and forced a fumble in his six starts this season.

Drew Schwindenhammer made two receptions for 22 yards this fall for the Millersville University football team. The redshirt senior has 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in his college career

Sophomore Isaiah McPherson played in 11 games for West Chester University football team in 2021. The defensive back made 10 tackles, including eight solo stops for the Golden Rams (6-4, 4-3). He has played in 21 games over two season and has 22 solo tackles and 25 tackles overall.

Muhlenberg College junior Tim Higgins played in 11 games, rushed for 29 yards on 10 attempts this fall. He also returned one punt for 35 yards. The Mules went 11-2 this fall and reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinal game where they lost to Mount Union.

Two former Emmaus field hockey players started all 20 games for the University of North Carolina field hockey team. The Tar Heels (13-7, 4-2 ACC) won their fifth straight conference title in 2021. Senior midfielder Meredith Sholder scored one goal and assisted on three this fall. Sholder, who scored 13 goals and assisted on 16 over four years in Chapel Hill, earned a National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-South Region Second-Team selection for her senior season. Junior back Madison Orobono started every game for the third straight season, scoring two goals and assisting on 16 in three years at UNC.

Senior forward/midfielder Leah Zellner played in 20 games and made 19 starts this season for the University of Iowa field hockey team. The former Hornet scored five goals and assisted on three. Zellner scored 13 goals and assisted on eight over her college career. The Hawkeyes (17-3, 7-1 Big 10) were ranked No. 3 in the county when they lost in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament.

Senior Abby Dalton posted the highest finish ever by a Muhlenberg College female at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, coming in 47th. Dalton crossed the line in 21:56.4. She missed All-America honors by seven places and less than 10 seconds but topped the 67th-place finish of former Mule runner Samantha Mayden from 2012.

Amanda LaVanna ran on the Shippensburg University womens cross country team this fall. The junior saw her best finish at the Piper Alumni Invitational where she placed 33rd overall and sixth on the team.

Becca Dalstad had a team-high 466 digs this season for the Millersville University womens volleyball team. The sophomore defensive specialist averaged 4.02 digs per set and posted a .943 receiving percentage. She was also third on the team in service aces with 20.

Redshirt junior Adelina Rivera played in six matches and 20 sets for the Delaware University womens volleyball team this fall. The middle blocker posted 55 kills and 22 blocks for the season. She had 192 kills and 98 blocks in two seasons for the Blue Hens.

A pair of Emmaus graduates competed on this year’s Elizabethtown College mens soccer team. Sophomore forward Jake Groh played in 17 games and made 10 starts for the Blue Jays. He scored three goals and had one assist in his first season of college action after his freshman season was canceled. Freshman midfielder Hudson Peck played in four games in his first season at Elizabethtown.

Two former Hornets were part of the Kacper Grycel played in all 18 games this season for the Bloomsburg University mens soccer team. The graduate student midfielder score two goals and assisted on one. Freshman forward/midfielder Patrick Walsh played in seven games for the Huskies and scored one goal in his first college season.

Freshman Edward Zellner played in one game this season for the Lebanon Valley mens soccer team, helping the Dutchman to a 13-4 season and an appearance in the Mid-Atlantic Conference title game.

Sophomore goal keeper Alexa Ryan started all 23 games and played every minute in each of them this fall for the Bloomsburg University womens soccer team, leading the Huskies to a 16-5-2 season. Ryan made 51 saves and allowed just 13 goals for a goals-against average of .549, which led the PSAC in 2021. She also led the league with 14 shuts outs while helping the Huskies reach the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Sophomore midfielder Lily Schmidt played in 11 games and made 10 starts for the Dickinson college womens soccer team. Schmidt recorded one assist in her first season of college soccer.

Sophomore midfielder Maddie McWhinney also so her first season on the pitch after 2020 games were canceled. She scored two goals and assisted on two while playing in 15 games and making 13 starts for the Elizabethtown College womens soccer team, which went 7-7-4 this fall.

Sophomores Paul Petre and Brendon Ward and freshman Geoffrey Kleinberg competed on the Moravian University mens cross country team this fall. Kleinberg’s top finish was 35th place at the Moravian Invitational. He finished 45th overall in the 8k at the Landmark Conference Championships, posting his career best time (28:50.03) at that distance. Ward was 48th in the 8K at the conference championships and 66th in the 6K at the Moravian Invitational. Petre ran to a pair of 92nd-place finishes in the 8K at the Landmark Championships and the 6K at the Moravian Invitational.

Senior defensive specialist Georgia Traynor played in 28 matches and 93 sets for the DeSales University womens volleyball team this fall. She was third on the team with 232 digs and 282 assists.

Freshman Makenzie Krasley played in 27 matches and 88 sets for the Moravian University womens volleyball team this fall. She was fifth on the team with 99 kills.

Graduate student Tiffany Hoppes played her final season of volleyball at Cedar Crest College this fall. The libero and all-time dig leader for the program added 474 more in 2021 to finish her career with 1,759. She was second on the team with 47 service aces and second on the team with a .938 receiving percentage. She earned the Colonial State Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award 10 times in her final season while helping the Falcons go 9-0 in league play and win their second straight CSAC title.

Kelsy Baus played in 69 sets on the Shippensburg University womens volleyball team this past fall. A freshman on the Raiders’ roster, the defensive specialist had 116 digs in her first season of college volleyball after her true freshman season was canceled.

Sophomore defender Lauren Latchford played in 13 games for the Moravian University womens soccer team this fall, recording two shots on goal.

Freshman defender Jake Hahn played in 18 games and made 11 starts this fall for the DeSales University mens soccer team. He recorded four shots and had one assist in his first season in Center Valley. Freshman midfielder/forward Josh Whalen played in two games for the Bulldogs.

Freshman Ashley Ryan competed on the Kutztown University womens cross country team this fall. She finished top 50 at the Aledphi Invitational at Bethpage State Park in September and 126th at the PSAC Championships last month.

Emmaus High School graduates Sydney Cole and Maddie Fey helped the Kutztown University womens soccer team to a 17-1-2 season overall and a 15-1 campaign in the PSAC this fall. Cole, a sophomore forward, played in 12 games and made two starts while recording one assist for the season. Fey, a junior forward/midfielder, played in three games for the Golden Bears this season.

Penn State University freshman golfer Michelle Cox played three rounds for a stroke average of 74 this year.

A pair of former Emmaus boys soccer players were part of the West Chester University mens team this season. Junior Alex Aiken and sophomore Thomas Hanvey helped anchor a defense that allowed just .94 goals per game as the Rams posted an 11-3-2 overall record and a 9-2-1 mark in the PSAC. Aiken played in 10 games and made five starts in 2021. Hanvey played in 16 games while making 12 starts and assisting on two goals this season. He played 1013 minutes of game action this fall, which was fifth on his team.

Gabe Trexler, a two-sport freshman at Geneva College, recorded 43 tackles (fifth on the team) while playing in all 10 as a linebacker on the Golden Tornado football team. He made five starts in his first season in Beaver Falls and led the team in tackles in two of those game. Trexler also competes on the Geneva track and field team in spring.

University of Iowa freshman Annika Herbine Iowa played in 20 games for the Hawkeye field hockey this fall. The forward scored two goals and assisted on three in her first season of college competition.

The Press would like to recognize all college student-athletes who reside within the East Penn School District and were part of college teams during the fall 2021 season. If you know of anyone who deserves recognition but is not listed above, please email their name, school and sport to Mike Haines at mhaines@tnonline.com.