Men’s Tennis Ends Home Season on Victorious Note
Emory men’s tennis closed out their regular home season with two 8-1 victories over Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) and Washington and Lee University (Va.) on April 15 and 16, respectively.
After two weeks of resting from competition, the Eagles triumphed over Sewanee with an emphatic 8-1 victory. Sewanee pulled the first point in the No. 2 matchup in doubles, but the Eagles went on to win eight consecutive singles and doubles matchups.
Singles succeeded in shutting out the competition. Emory commanded the court, especially through the No. 1 singles performance of junior Jonathan Jemison who won 6-0, 6-0.
Following their success over Sewanee, the Eagles celebrated a resounding 8-1 win over Washington and Lee on April 16. In this matchup, the team responded from falling behind in matches with a collective winning effort.
Although junior James Spaulding and senior Scott Rubenstein lost in doubles, they came back individually with crucial victories in singles. Rubenstein won at No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-0, and Spaulding came out with a 6-0, 6-2 victory in No. 6 singles.
Freshman Hayden Cassone responded well from a deficit of being down a set in his match. In the No. 1 singles matchup, he pushed through a three-set victory. Despite losing the first set 3-6, he retaliated by winning the next two 7-5 and 6-2 to help the Eagles clinch back-to-back victories for the third time during the outdoor season.
The two wins bring Emory to a season record of 13-2. The team will next play at Amherst College (Mass.) on April 20 at 3 p.m.
— Craig Supcoff
Osei, Bland Strike Gold at Sewanee Invite
Emory’s track and field teams excelled at the Mountain Laurel Invitational at Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) on April 13.
The No. 6 women’s team placed first at the meet, winning 13 events and ending with a team total of 317.5 points. Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) finished in a distant second place with 78 points. On the men’s side, the Eagles compiled a team total of 152 points, finishing second and securing three wins in the process.
Helping the women’s team to five wins out of the eight field events were freshmen Leelah Wilburn in shot put and Rebekah Bondi in the long jump; sophomores Nyla Lindo in the high jump and Isabel Saridakis in the pole vault; and junior Paris Wagner in the hammer throw.
In the track events, the women’s team earned six first-place wins. Juniors Dilys Osei and Dani Bland each took home two golds. Osei won the 100m and 400m hurdles, while Bland took home victories in the 100m and 200m. The Eagles also celebrated wins in both relay events with Osei, Bland, Bondi and senior Julia Leventhal in the 4x100m and sophomores Nicole Steiner, Ileana Zeissner and Meredith Hughes and freshman Karla Balsalobre in the 4x400m.
The men’s team saw individual wins for senior Phil Edwards in the 3,000m run and freshman Matthew Dillon in the 1,500m run. The team captured first in the 4x400m relay featuring sophomores Aria Mohseni, Alex Rand, senior Robert Wilhelm III and freshman Liam Fost.
The Eagles compete next at the Georgia Tech Invitational on April 20 and 21.
— Anirudh Pidugu
Softball Overrules, Bests Judges 3 Out of 4
The Emory softball team defeated the Brandeis University (Mass.) Judges in three of four games on the road on April 13 and 14. After the successful weekend series, Emory advanced to a 22-8 overall record and a 11-1 record in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
In the first game on April 13, Emory secured a 2-0 victory over the Judges. Freshman pitcher Jacqueline Spizizen pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits and striking out 14 of the 26 batters she faced in seven innings pitched.
Playing in an abbreviated ballgame, Emory outscored Brandeis 10-1 in five innings. The Eagles hit three home runs in the game, one from junior shortstop Cassie Baca and two from junior catcher Lana Hermann.
During the first game on April 14, Emory dropped their only game of the series, losing 6-1 to Brandeis. Emory committed three errors in the game, and every run the team allowed was unearned.
Emory bounced back in the final game of the series, cruising past Brandeis 10-1 in a five inning game. Sophomore third-baseman Jessy McLean led the offensive attack, contributing four RBIs on two home runs.
After their weekend performance, Emory topped LaGrange College (Ga.) in a doubleheader on April 17. Spizizen shutout LaGrange in the first half of the doubleheader, allowing one hit and striking out 12 batters in seven innings pitched. In the same game, senior left-fielder Jenna Turnquest drove in two runs on a home run.
The Eagles scraped by LaGrange 2-1 in the second game of the set. Senior pitcher Audrey Weller earned the win for the Eagles, going five and two-thirds innings and allowing one run on four hits, a walk and two strikeouts.
Emory will travel to Piedmont College (Ga.) for a doubleheader on April 19.
— Stephen Mattes
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