Emory has moved into third place in the Directors’ Cup standings for best all-around athletics program in Division III. The Eagles benefited from four of their five fall teams making the NCAA national championships. This winter, Emory is poised to score more points thanks to its national top-five swimming and diving programs.

Swimming & diving (women)
Emory is looking to extend its streak of three consecutive top-four finishes at the NCAA national championships. At the start of the spring semester, the team had 53 qualifiers in 18 swimming events for the national meet. Those qualifiers had turned in 130 qualifying performances for the NCAA championships. Holly Hinz had the fastest time in the nation in Div. III in the 500-yard freestyle and the third-best time in the 400-yard individual medley (IM). Tracy Shessler was the top-ranked swimmer nationally in the 400 IM. Those were three of 13 Emory times that ranked among the top three in the nation this season.

Swimming & diving (men)
Emory is looking to extend its streak of four consecutive top-three finishes at the NCAA national championships. At the start of the spring semester, the team had 33 qualifiers in 18 swimming events for the national meet. Those qualifiers had turned in 52 qualifying performances for the NCAA championships. Chris Halstead had the fastest time in the nation in Div. III in the 200-yard backstroke and the third-best time in the 100-yard backstroke. Those were two of seven Emory times that ranked among the top three in the nation this season.

Basketball (women)
Under first-year coach Christy Thomaskutty, Emory entered the holiday break at 5-2. Nearly half the roster features first-year players, most prominently Beth Bergmann, who averages 10 points a game. Leading the team in scoring is sophomore Lynn Oberschmidt at 15 points a game. Oberschmidt was named all-tournament at the Thomas More (Ky.) Tournament.

Basketball (men)
With eight returning players, including three starters, optimism is high for the Eagles. Emory received a pair of second-place votes in the pre-season poll conducted by conference coaches. Clayton Fuller opened the season with four consecutive double-doubles (10+ points and 10+ rebounds). He had one double-double all last season. Fuller scored 31 points Dec. 6 against Maryville (Tenn.), a top-20 team. He was honored on the national Team of the Week by d3hoops.com, a web site devoted to NCAA Div. III basketball.

Fall Update
Emory finished fourth at the Div. III national volleyball championships, the best finish in school history. The men’s cross country team placed 16th at the national meet, the second-best finish ever by an Emory team. The women’s cross country team qualified for the NCAA championships for the 13th consecutive year, where it finished 21st. The men’s soccer team received its first NCAA tournament berth in five years before being eliminated in the round of 32. The women’s soccer team ended its season with a 14-5-0 record, the fourth-highest win total in school history.

For the latest on Emory varsity athletics, check out www.go.emory.edu.