This past weekend marked the final weekend that Emory University athletic teams were permitted to compete only on the road. On March 29, Emory Athletics announced that athletic teams are now able to host home games, and the baseball team had the honors of hosting Emory’s first opponent in over one year on April 6. After facing some tougher competition this past weekend, teams may be looking forward to competing in a more familiar environment. That being said, let’s take a look at how each team fared.
Men’s Track & Field Finishes in Bottom Half of Invitational
This past weekend, the Eagles competed in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Spring Invitational. The two-day event featured 14 teams, including Division I institutions Arkansas State University and Samford University (Ala.). With 23 points, the Eagles finished in eighth place and did not record a top-three finish in any event. The Eagles fared best in the 800-meter where freshman distance runner Spencer Watry placed fourth at a time of 1:56:03 with senior distance runner Tom Perretta in fifth place with a time of 1:56:12. In field events, freshman thrower Kenya Sei led the Eagles, finishing sixth in the hammer throw with a distance of 42.51 meters.
The men’s track and field team’s next meets are set for April 9 and 10, when they will compete in Flames Invitational at Lee University (Tenn.) and the Berry Field Day at Berry University (Ga.).
Women’s Track & Field Tops All Non-Division I Competition at UAB
The women’s track and field team also competed against a stacked field at the UAB Spring Invite this past weekend, placing in tenth out of 15 teams. However, among the five other non-Division I teams competing, the Eagles’ 21 points led the group.
On the track, the Eagles performed best in the 800-meter and 1500-meter. In the 800-meter, junior sprinter Lauren Cunild finished fifth with a career-best time of 2:15:89. On Monday, Cunild won University Athletic Association Women’s Track athlete of the week. Sophomore distance runner Annika Urban led the Eagles in the 1500-meter, recording a time of 4:44:37 which put her in tenth place. The women also placed sixth in the 4×400-meter relay with an impressive time of 4:07:00, which was nearly ten seconds faster than their time at the Hilltop Classic last weekend. Off the track, senior sprinter and jumper Rebekah Bondi led the Eagles in the long jump with a jump of 5.32m that placed her eighth.
The women will join the men for the fourth straight weekend on the road as they are scheduled to compete in both the Flames Invitational and Berry Field Day on April 9 and 10.
Men’s Golf Finishes in Third After a Strong Sunday
Last weekend, the men drove down to Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, to compete in the Golfweek Division III Spring Invitational. The Eagles finished in third place, with a total score of 899. Throughout the tournament, the Eagles were led by junior Logan Ryan, who shot a 68 on Sunday — the lowest score of the weekend — and individually placed second overall with a total score of 217. On Sunday, the team shot a tournament best 290, which helped propel them into third place.
The men return to action April 12 and13 when they compete in the Wynlakes Invitational in Montgomery, Alabama.
Women’s Golf Places Fourth at Golfweek DIII Invitational
The women’s golf team also competed at the Golfweek Invitational this past weekend. The team posted a total score of 971, earning fourth place in the eight-team field. No. 25 Centre College (Ky.), No. 4 Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) and No. 2 Methodist rounded out the top three, respectively.
Freshman Mariana Chong led the Eagles, posting a 238 for the tournament and tied for seventh place overall. Her solid performance earned her UAA women’s golfer of the week honors. Behind her was sophomore Ksheera Jalakam, who recorded a 239 and tied for tenth in the tournament. Freshman Jessica Lan also contributed, shooting a 241 and finishing 13th out of the 40.
Next up for the women is a trip to Montgomery, Alabama, April 11 and12 where they will compete in the Montgomery Country Club Invitational.
Women’s Tennis Faces Setback Against Georgia Southern Despite Gonzalez-Rico’s Impressive Performance
On April 3, the No. 3 women’s tennis team took the court against Georgia Southern University. The Georgia Southern Eagles dominated the day, winning the matchup 6-1 and only dropping three sets in singles play. Senior Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico defeated fifth-year Eagle Paula Boixader to capture Emory’s lone singles victory. After dropping the first set 3-6, Gonzalez-Rico won the next two sets 7-6 (7-4) and 10-7, respectively. On Monday, the UAA named her women’s tennis athlete of the week.
Junior Jessica Fatemi also put up a strong fight in the only other close match, but ultimately Georgia Southern sophomore Paula Hijos defeated her 2-6, 6-4, 10-8. In doubles, the Eagles’ tandem of Gonzalez-Rico and senior Katie Chang won their match 6-1, but Georgia Southern took the next two double’s matches 7-5 and 6-3.
The Eagles hit the road again on April 10 when they face off against Piedmont College (Ga.).
Baseball Loses Second Straight Game
On April 6, the baseball team lost the first home game hosted by an Emory Athletic team in over a year. Piedmont rallied back from an early six-run deficit to win the game 11-9.
The Eagles started off strong, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning behind a big two RBI double by senior second baseman Jacob Singer. However, Piedmont answered back in the top of the third with a five run inning, fueled by a two RBI single by freshman second baseman Jack Gilsenan. Emory added two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take an 8-5 lead.
Emory relinquished the lead in the top of the eighth behind two costly mistakes. An error by senior third baseman Caleb Shulman allowed one run to come home. Coach Mike Twardoski then called on freshman pitcher Matthew Culbert to make his collegiate debut. With bases loaded, two outs and the score tied at 8, Culbert got Gilsenan to ground out right back to him, but he threw the ball over the head of senior first baseman Jake Kessinger, allowing two runs to come home. In total, Piedmont scored six runs to take an 11-8 lead. Emory added one run in the home half of the eighth, but was unable to catch up.
The Eagles move to 4-5 on the season and are next scheduled to play a doubleheader on April 10 at Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.).
Andrew Feld (23C) is from Marietta, Georgia, completing a joint major in human health and economics along with a minor in Earth and atmospheric science. He is a former Emory Baseball player, and in addition to writing for the Wheel, he is a Vice President of the Talks branch in TableTalk. If he’s not working out or playing basketball, Feld is likely watching his longtime favorite New Orleans Saints suffer another playoff heartbreak.
