E&H's Harris Takes Home Rookie Honor

FOREST, Va. --- Eastern Mennonite University forward Jess Rheinheimer and Royals' mentor Kevin Griffin took home three of the four major honors as part of the 2015 ODAC Women's Basketball All-Conference awards.  Rheinheimer earned the ODAC Player of the Year as well as ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete distinctions.  Griffin was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year.  Emory & Henry College guard Chloe Harris received ODAC Rookie of the Year recognition.

Rheinheimer, a junior from Manheim, Pa., is just the second women’s basketball player to earn both the ODAC Player of the Year award and the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete laurel. Megan Silva from Randolph-Macon College garnered both awards in 2005. On the court, Rheinheimer leads the league with 19.6 points per game and her 183 field goals and 470 total points are also ODAC-best numbers. She is grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game and has registered eight double-doubles so far this season. Rheinheimer poured in a season-high 41 points earlier this year against a non-conference opponent and has scored 20 or more points in 11 contests. She is also connecting on 42.2 percent of her triples, the second-best percentage in the ODAC. 

In the classroom, Rheinheimer is an EMU Honors Student with a 3.96 grade point average as a nursing major with a minor in history. She is also a member of the EMU Student Nurses Association.  She was named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team earlier this week, making her one of five players to earn that distinction in NCAA Division III. An EMU Dean’s List recipient and an ODAC All-Academic honoree, Rheinheimer was also tabbed Academic All District in District 5 earlier this winter.

Griffin’s top coaching accolade marks the fourth of his career and third straight. Now in his 10th season at the helm, Griffin's Royals enter the 2015 ODAC tournament as the top seed for the third consecutive year with a 21-3 overall mark and a 15-1 conference record.  EMU is currently riding a 10-game winning streak, having only lost in conference play to third-seeded Lynchburg.  In search of the program's third league title, Griffin enters the tournament with a 180-81 (.690) career record.

Harris, a freshman from Bristol, Va., has started 20 of her 26 games as a rookie this season. She is currently dropping in 10.3 ppg and is nailing a league-best 43.1 percent from behind the arc. She has connected on 44 triples, at total that is eighth in the ODAC. Harris has also recorded 51 steals (5th in the ODAC) and dished out 72 helpers (8th).

Listed below is the completed list of 2015 All-ODAC Women's Basketball Teams.  For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @odacathletics.