FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/01/2008

BC Alumni Association Presents Student Awards

BRIDGEWATER, Va.— The Bridgewater College Alumni Association has recognized several students for excellence in the campus community. Nathan Rittenhouse and Sophia Bonadies were presented the Alumni Association scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year, Ashley Byrd received the Citizenship Award and James Funkhouser was awarded the Alumni Legacy Scholarship.

The recipients of the annual scholarships are chosen on academic achievement, good citizenship, financial need and general merit. Two awards were given, one to a rising senior and one to a rising junior, at the annual Academic Awards Convocation on April 29. The senior award is valued at $2,400, and the junior scholarship is $1,800.

Rittenhouse, a 2005 graduate of Pocahontas County High School in Dunmore, W.Va., is the son of Julian and Lucy Rittenhouse of Greenbank, W.Va. A physics major, he is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. He serves as vice president of the Physics Club and is a Student Peer Minister in his residence hall.

An outstanding athlete, Rittenhouse has excelled in cross country and indoor and outdoor track. He holds the BC record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a time of 15:16.74, and the College's record in the indoor 3,000 meters with a time of 8:58.63. For the past two years, Rittenhouse has won the State College Division Cross Country meet. He was named to the 2007 VaSID Academic All-State team. As a sophomore, he set a BC record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:42.58 and was selected to the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference first team. He also was named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Men's Cross Country Academic team. As a freshman, he was named to the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional team.

Bonadies, a 2006 graduate of Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., is the daughter of Jeffrey Bonadies and Juanita Chapman, both of Centreville, Va. An athletic training major, she is president of the sophomore class. She also is a student employee in the Fred O. and Virginia C. Funkhouser Center for Health and Wellness.

The Citizenship Award is presented annually to a senior who has demonstrated citizenship and made contributions within the college community.

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Byrd, a 2004 graduate of Harrisonburg High School, is the daughter of Wilmer and Etta Byrd of Harrisonburg, Va. A health and physical education major, she is a member of the Philomathes Society, Bridgewater's scholastic honor society. Byrd serves as vice president of Eagle Productions, a group that promotes activities on campus, and is a Multicultural Leadership Program mentor. For two years, she served as a facilitator for the College's High School Leadership Academy and as a junior was an orientation leader.

Byrd will graduate on May 11.

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is presented to a rising junior or senior whose parent(s) graduated from Bridgewater College. The scholarship, valued at $1,800, rewards loyalty of alumni who encourage their children to attend BC, provides a sense of connection with previous generations of BC students and fosters an interest in the Alumni Association and its programs.

Funkhouser, a 2006 graduate of Liberty High School in Bealeton, Va., is the son of Vernon and Jeannette Funkhouser of Warrenton, Va. A philosophy and religion major, he is a member of the Chorale and the Concert Choir. He is on the leadership team for the Brethren Student Movement and is a Student Peer Minister in his residence hall. Funkhouser is a member of the Pinion Players, the campus theater group, and ACTS Drama Troupe. He also performs with Outspoken Praise Band and the In Achord a capella group.

Bridgewater College, a private, four-year liberal arts college, enrolls more than 1,500 students. Founded in 1880 and located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, it was the state's first private, coeducational senior college.

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