DAMASCUS, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball team performed their annual service project on Thursday. The Wasps took a day off from their pre-season practices to partner with the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club to perform maintenance on the Appalachian Trail near Damascus.

"It was a great bonding opportunity for us," commented senior guard Ashlyn Baird (Boone, N.C.). "We were able to give back to the community and that's important because this community is so tight-knit. It was a good experience for us as a team."

Though the weather was rainy and a bit cool, the spirits of these student-athletes were not dampened in the least. The project was to construct water channels and build "water bars," or diversion trenches to keep rain water and snow melt from running down the trail. The project also required a one-mile hike to and from the site.

"The community service experience was something that was really positive for our team," said Head Coach Rose Katz. "We were able to give back to the community that surrounds Emory that gives our athletic department so much support. It gave the ladies an opportunity to grow closer together as a team in the hiking, physical labor and developing a strategy to complete our task. It was a step out of some of their comfort zones and that combined with the physical adversity will help us when we face challenges on the court this season."

Emory & Henry will kick off the 2011-12 season with an exhibition game at North Carolina Central University on Friday, November 11 at 6:00 p.m. The Wasps will open the regular season at home against the Tigers of Hiwassee College on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m.

For more photos from the day, click HERE.

---E&H---