Elon Softball’s Emily Roper Receives John W. Barney Memorial Award

ELON, N.C. – Senior Emily Roper of the Elon University softball team was honored with the John W. Barney Memorial Award as recognized on April 27, at Elon’s annual Leadership Awards program sponsored by Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. The prestigious John W. Barney Memorial Award recognizes the senior with the highest cumulative grade-point average.

Colleagues, former students, and friends of the late John W. Barney established this award in his honor. Mr. Barney graduated from Elon in 1910 and was a member of the faculty for more than three decades.

“It was such an honor just to be invited to the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership award ceremony,” said Roper. “I was surrounded by so many phenomenal people who have made important contributions to this campus and to the world, I was shocked to find myself among them.

“I’m glad to have received the Barney Award and to have seen my efforts in the classroom pay off, but I really look up to my peers who have invested themselves in the communities and projects that they care about.”

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native owns a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a human service studies major with a minor in professional writing. She is also a two-time Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic Team selection, while being named the 2016 recipient of the A.L. Hook Award. The Hook Award is awarded by the Department of Athletics to the junior or senior student-athlete who possess the highest cumulative grade-point average with a minimum of two years of playing time at Elon.

On the field, Roper has been a four-year starter and a part of 111 victories with the Elon softball program, which is the third-most in school history for a four-year class at the Division I level. She ranks in the top-10 in program history in career home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, chances and putouts. She has also been a leader to her teammates throughout her career, serving one of the team captains the past three years.

“I really believe that the discipline and time management I learned from being a student-athlete helped me win this award,” said Roper. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but softball has kept me grounded and focused for four years and I know I have to be on top of my work because I don’t have much free time.”

“Emily is the prime example of what it means to be a student-athlete,” said Elon head softball coach Kathy Bocock. “Her receiving this award just tops off everything that she set out to accomplish when she arrived at Elon. The work and the effort that she provides for our program as a softball player also carries over into her academics. You cannot ask for a better individual to represent your program and Elon University as a student-athlete.”

Since 1977, ODK has recognized Elon students who exhibit high academic standards and outstanding leadership. Other core components include multicultural experience, athletics, campus and community service, social and religious activities, campus government, creative and performing arts and journalism, speech and mass media.