The Eastern Women’s Basketball team started off the 2016 season with three consecutive wins. In the season opener against Eagle Road-rival Cabrini University, the Eagles won by a score of 59-53. Their first loss came from Messiah College; however, the Eagles were able to recover from the loss and pick up another win against Immaculata University with a score of 74-50. Senior Emily Lavin leads the Eagles in the scoring column with 18.2 points per game.

     The Eastern Men’s Basketball team had a slow start to their season, beginning with two losses against Cabrini University and Neumann University. The Eagles showed some resilience by bouncing back and earning wins against Albright College and Goucher College. Senior Shaquan Turk leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, followed by junior Austin James with 13.3 points per game.

     I used to think my body was something I had to tame. I thought that if I didn’t closely monitor my body it would look unkempt, like a garden becomes overgrown when neglected and left to the elements. Gardens require constant upkeep, with the proper balance of trimming, watering, weeding and sunlight. I thought that in order to be good, my body required this same degree of maintenance. I believed that left as it was, my body would forever be unshapely and grotesque.

     I grew up in a household where fad diets were the norm. If you weren’t on a diet, it meant you didn’t care—if you weren’t losing, you were gaining. I went on my first diet in seventh grade. I was 12 years old.

     Whenever I ate junk food I told myself I was “being bad,” and for each time I indulged, I compensated in some way. I punished my body in order to tame it. An extra slice of pizza meant 50 sit-ups before bed. A bowl of ice cream after dinner meant going for a run the following morning. My body wasn’t good, but I was determined to make it so. With enough discipline, I would seize control over this body of mine, this unruly thing.

     I made workout plans and diet plans and taped them to the walls of my bedroom. I prepped my food the night before and wrote strict schedules of when and what to eat, with specific time intervals and all. A step outside of this schedule meant falling off the wagon. It meant completely failing. It meant letting my body win.

     I started running as part of this attempt to control my body. I trained for a 10k hoping that by the time I got to race day I’d be slim and toned. Over the two months of training, I built up my stamina. My runs grew longer, and my average pace became faster. After each run I’d stare in the mirror, begging to see a change. To the naked eye, my body appeared no different. I wasn’t any better than I was the day before.

     But somehow I had changed, because one mild day in November I was able to run 6.2 miles across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (with a pace I would have believed was unattainable just two months prior). Though my hard work and discipline was unseen in the mirror, it was completely evident in my runs—and in the sense of peace I felt when alone on the trails.

     As I became more comfortable in spandex and running shoes, I realized that this body of mine didn’t have to be “made good.” By nature it was good, made in the image of God. While my body does require some maintenance and nurturance, it certainly doesn’t need to be punished for what it is. When my feet strike the pavement and carry me for miles, I know that this body is a gift. It is strong. It is resilient. It is good.

     To clear the air, I will start as plainly as possible: I am an avid Baltimore Orioles fan. I pledge my allegiances to the Orioles franchise, and I will faithfully root for my home team until the day I die. But my love for baseball runs deeper than my devotion to the Orioles. I dream of visiting every Major League ballpark and have already checked eight of them off my list. Although my team did not make it far in October baseball, I have still enjoyed the excitement of following the MLB playoffs. The 2016 World Series has staged one of the most extraordinary matchups in all of baseball. With historic undertones ringing from both Chicago and Cleveland, you don’t have to be a fan of either team to appreciate just how big a World Series victory would be for either Cleveland or Chicago.

     The last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series title was back in 1908—before television or stadium lights, before African Americans were permitted to play in the Major League. The Cubs appeared in seven different World Series since their last win in 1908, but their most recent appearance still dates back to 1945. Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, was built in 1914, making it the second oldest stadium in Major League Baseball (behind Boston’s Fenway Park, which was built in 1912). Although Wrigley is one of baseball’s most historic stadiums, it has never seen its team take home a World Series. Until 2015, Wrigley didn’t even have a jumbotron screen, and a flag with either a “W” or “L” was flown above the scoreboard to indicate the game’s outcome.

     A trip to Wrigley Field is like taking a trip back in time to the glory days of baseball. In August 2014, I visited Chicago, Ill. and attended two games at Wrigley Field. The Orioles were having one of their most successful seasons in my lifetime, and my dad and I hit the road to watch our team play an away series. Although the Cubs have been stuck in a rut, they managed to sweep the series against Baltimore. As a tradition at Wrigley, the song “Go Cubs Go” was played after each Cubs win. Although I was bitter that Baltimore had lost the series, I found myself singing the catchy tune for weeks after visiting Chicago.

     The last time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series was back in 1948. This victory marked the first time a Major League team with African American men on the roster had won a major championship. Hall of Famers Larry Doby and Satchel Paige both played for the Indians at the time, and Paige became the first African-American player to pitch during the World Series. However, Cleveland’s 2016 World Series appearance is a lot bigger than baseball. Until the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals, the city of Cleveland hadn’t won a championship since the Browns’ NFL Championship (before there was such thing as a Superbowl). Since the Cavaliers won the NBA Finals in June 2016, Lebron James has been rallying Cleveland fans in support of the Indians in an effort to bring another major championship to the city of Cleveland.

     Over Memorial Day weekend of 2016, I traveled to Cleveland with my mom, step-dad and younger brother to see another Orioles series on the road. At the time, there was no implication that we were visiting the stadium of a potential World Series team. The Indians seemed fairly average, and the Orioles were able to win the series 2-1. Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, opened in 1994. The Indians’ stadium has a vintage feel while still keeping up with current trends. While ballparks like Wrigley stick to classic baseball grub, Progressive Field offers more specialized cuisine like build-your-own tacos, ice cream sundaes and an entire buffet available to fans who buy club level tickets.

     The 2016 World Series has been refreshing for a number of reasons. It’s a relief to see two respectable teams competing for the title (I don’t know about you, but I was getting really tired of rooting against Boston). A victory for either city will certainly be something worth celebrating, but a tiny piece of my heart will keep on singing, “Go Cubs Go, Go Cubs Go.”

     Sources: baseball-reference.com, eater.com, Forbes, USA TODAY

     Eastern Volleyball senior Stephanie Elechko has been a key piece to the Eagles’ success since she joined the team in 2013. In her first year as an Eagle, EUVB had an overall record of 32-5 and made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III tournament. In her first season, Elechko recorded 270 kills, averaging 2.45 kills per set. In 2014, Elechko’s sophomore season, the Eagles lost in the NCAA Division III Regional Final. The following year, the Eagles secured their eighth consecutive MAC Freedom Conference Championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Elechko recorded another 371 kills, becoming the leader in kills for EUVB. On Saturday, Sept. 24, Elechko delivered her 1,000th career kill, joining a list of only 11 other EUVB alumni who have achieved this milestone. As of Oct. 6, Elechko is nationally ranked eighth in total kills and ninth in kills per set.

     Although Elechko has grown to dominate in collegiate volleyball, Eastern’s star outside hitter was not always an exclusive volleyball player. Growing up, Elechko was exposed to a variety of sports before she finally found her home on the volleyball court.

     Elechko grew up in Lansdale, Pa., about a half-hour from Eastern’s St. David’s campus. Like many young athletes, Elechko’s first sport was soccer, a game she loved from the start. Eventually she also added softball and lacrosse to the mix, thereby diversifying herself as an athlete. Of all of her athletic endeavors, volleyball was the last sport Elechko picked up. All her life she had been told she should play basketball because of her height.

     “But I didn’t like basketball,” Elechko says through laughter, “so then people would say, ‘You should play volleyball!’”

     As a first-year student at North Penn High School, Elechko decided to join the volleyball team instead of playing high school soccer. Her sister Kathryn, who is just one year older, was also playing volleyball, which persuaded her to give the sport a serious try. Although Elechko ultimately chose to play high school volleyball during the fall season, she continued playing club soccer as well. During her first year at North Penn, Elechko suffered a broken arm and was unable to play her first high school season. Though she was unable to participate in practices, Elechko still felt very much a part of the team. During practices Elechko would hang out in the gymnasium, hitting a volleyball against the walls. It was during this time Elechko realized that volleyball could really be something special.

     Eventually Elechko began playing club volleyball, which is where her rapid development in the sport began. One of Elechko’s club coaches was Christi Schlager, who played for EUVB at the time. Schlager told Elechko that she would be a great fit for the Eastern team, and so Elechko visited EU for the first time during her junior year of high school. From the very start, Elechko knew she liked the EU volleyball program. She was initially attracted by their success on the court, but she also loved the genuine bond shared by the women on the team.

     “I remember seeing their team bond and wanting to be a part of it,” Elechko reflects.

     Although there were several other schools Elechko looked at for volleyball, she happily settled on Eastern.

     “It was the school I’d been around the longest,” she says. “It just felt right. Eastern felt like home.”

     There was never a doubt that EU was where Elechko belonged. When asked about her favorite part of the EU Volleyball program, Elechko pointed to the friendships she has made with her teammates.

“Our team’s success is just the icing on top of the cake,” she says.

      Now a senior, Elechko plays a big role in cultivating an inclusive atmosphere for her younger teammates. Coach Birtwistle stresses the importance of forming genuine relationships with each other, which cuts to the core of what the Eastern Volleyball program is all about. During the season, the team has a “pairing system” they use to get to know individual teammates better. Each week, each woman is paired up with one of her other teammates and is encouraged to spend time with and reach out to her partner.

     “When we get really busy, we just do things like eating a meal together and talk about non-volleyball things,” Elechko explains. “But if we have more time I try to do something more fun, something I know my teammate likes.”

     Now midway through the 2016 season, the Eagles stand with an overall record of 17-2 and an undefeated conference record of 4-0. In her senior season, Elechko hopes to host another conference championship and go as far as possible in the NCAA tournament. But for now, she knows the best strategy is to take it one game at a time.

     “We are the team to beat. We are the team everyone points to in their schedule.”

     Even with all the pressure to win, Elechko is able to stay level-headed and focus on what really matters: her teammates.

     “It’s such a blessing to play alongside such talented players and awesome people,” she says.

     In her three seasons of basketball for Eastern University, Emily Lavin has dominated the MAC Freedom Conference, making a name for herself in all of NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball. In Lavin’s first season for the Eagles (2013-14), she earned the title of MAC Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year. At the end of her first season, Lavin was already the fourth-highest scorer on the Eagles’ roster and ranked second in total rebounds. In her sophomore season, Lavin twice-earned MAC Freedom Player of the Week and became the Eagles’ leading rebounder. In the 2015-16 season, Lavin earned MAC Freedom Player of the Week twice consecutively. Her talents have shown through as a strong defensive player, finishing with 100 total blocks in her junior season. Lavin has started 70 out of the 75 total games she has played as an Eagle and has scored a total of 898 points, putting her on track to join the 1,000-point club in her senior year. While Lavin’s natural abilities and hard work have proved very successful at the DIII collegiate level, she was recently able to take her talents abroad for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

     In the spring of 2016, Lavin received an email from Ron Smith, Director of USA Sports Tours and Events, inviting her to join the USA National DIII Women’s Basketball Select Team. Each year, the USA Select Team travels to Brazil to compete against four Brazilian professional teams. The Select Team consists solely of invited DIII basketball players, and so for Lavin to be selected as one the top 10 players across the nation really speaks volumes to her talent and the high standards of the Eastern University Women’s Basketball program. In 2013, Lavin’s former EU teammate Meghan Nowak (‘15) partook in the same opportunity with the DIII Select Team. The 2016 Select Team consisted of nine other players from schools all across the nation, spanning from Washington to Minnesota to Georgia. None of these great athletes had ever played together before, with the exception of two players from the University of Puget Sound, the same school from which Select Team coach Loree Payne reigns. Also along for the ride was Lavin’s father, Bob Lavin.

     “He was not going to miss it,” Lavin says of her father’s decision to tag along for the trip. “I think he had more fun than me. He loved it.”

     Before the trip to Brazil, the Men’s and Women’s Select Teams met up in Orlando, Fla. for team introductions, two practices and the distribution of their Team USA uniforms. From the States, the teams flew to São Paulo, Brazil and played their first international game that same day. On the tour, the USA Select Team played a professional team from four Brazilian cities and led a basketball clinic for the local children.

     Outside of basketball, the team was able to explore the country of Brazil.

     “Driving into Rio… we saw a lot of poverty,” Lavin says, “but then you’d get into Rio and see that the Olympics were coming.” Lavin’s favorite part of the trip was holding the Olympic torch as it made its tour across the country of Brazil. The torch had made a stop in the city of Piracicaba in the same gym in which Lavin’s team was playing. After holding the Olympic torch, Lavin says that the team played their best game.

     “We won and all the fans were so into it. It was definitely a big city event.” Overall, the USA Women’s Select Team finished with a record of 2-2, losing their first and last games of the tour.

[media-credit name=”Emily Lavin/ The Waltonian” align=”alignleft” width=”260″][/media-credit]

“It was definitely more than basketball,” Lavin says as she reflects on her experience.  “I would do it all over again. I didn’t want to leave.” Fortunately for EUWB, Lavin has returned for her fourth and final year for the Eagles. The senior will begin the last season of her collegiate basketball career on Oct. 15.